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FILE | KwaZulu-Natal Education MEC Sipho Hlomuka addresses an event.
School nutrition service providers in KwaZulu-Natal are calling on Premier Thami Ntuli to act speedily against Education MEC Sipho Hlomuka.
There are claims that Hlomuka manipulated the bidding process of the school nutrition programme with the aim to benefit a company linked to his relatives.
It is also alleged that several companies associated with prominent political figures were also awarded the nutrition tender.
The programme launched in 1994 is aimed at improving children’s learning abilities by alleviating hunger and also to support small businesses and local women co-operatives.
Service providers are now contesting the tender awarding process for the nutrition programme.
The Service Providers Association Chairperson, Lindani Matiwane says, “People have started to be called in to come to do their appeals. So, we’ve accepted opportunity to go and appeal and be given issues and clarity on how this system or the procedure that was done and vice versa people that have been able to be awarded and the ones that haven’t been able to be awarded.”
On Wednesday, the National Freedom Party (NFP) called for Hlomuka’s suspension and for Ntuli to launch an investigation into these allegations.
