The senior spokesperson for government in KwaZulu-Natal said on Wednesday that the Democratic Alliance's (DA) attempts to discredit a report about the provincial eduction department's spend on personal protective equipment (PPE) for school readiness, would leave the party with egg on its face. 

Lennox Mabaso made the statements in a telephonic interview with African News Agency (ANA). 

“I think the DA is coming in on the tail-end of the issue. They are behind time,” said Mabaso. 

“The investigation was done by the government, led by the government and communicated to the public on Tuesday,” he said.

The DA's spokesperson on education, MPL Dr Imran Keeka, on Wednesday issued a statement calling the exoneration of the education department "a weak-kneed attempt to whitewash gross malfeasance".

KZN premier Sihle Zikalala released some of the findings of the "forensic" investigation undertaken by provincial Treasury on Tuesday, following widespread outrage at reports that the departments of social development and education had abused Covid-19 emergency funding and possibly contravened sections of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA). 

The investigations into both departments were merged into one, and a report issued on both. Zikalala has not made the actual report public.  

The findings relating to the department of social development were damning, showing corruption and collusion in the supply of blankets and PPE that could have cost the fiscus up to R30-million. 

But the same report, according to Zikalala, showed that the education department had committed no malfeasance in its procurement of PPE.

This is despite widespread information in the public domain, and from a legislature sitting, that indicated price gouging from suppliers, and the department seemingly not utilising its massive school readiness budget as clout to push for substantial discounts on bulk products. 

“The DA’s stance is also on the basis that the findings and explanations do not add up and are in direct contradiction with what the Departmental HOD, Dr Enoch Nzama, told the Education portfolio committee (EPC) in May,” Keeka said in his statement. 

“Clearly those responsible for compiling this report must think the people of our province are unintelligent,” he added. 

Zikalala releasing the information to the public only added insult to injury, he said.

“The premier would have us believe that a mask that can be bought on a street corner for R10 is suddenly worth R25 after delivery and warehouse charges [are added] is simply ridiculous. These prices were the maximum prescribed in the National Treasury’s Instruction 5 - the same document that the premier mentions in his report."

Keeka said that the DA would continue investigating the issue. He has previously stated that the Special Investigative Unit (SIU) had taken an interest in the "massive profiteering scheme”.