By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Pacina Retail, the company which has faced questions over its delivery on a school nutrition tender, has pulled out of the contract with the KwaZulu-Natal government.
The company told the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education that its pull-out is on condition that it is paid all the costs it has incurred so far while distributing food.
The National School Nutrition Programme grant allocation for the 2023-’24 financial year amounts to R2.1 billion, to cater to about 2.4 million pupils across 5 400 schools in the province.
KZN education MEC Mbali Frazer confirmed the move to pull to out on Wednesday afternoon.
School pupils in the province have gone hungry as Pacina Retail has been unable to meet its obligations for the National Schools Nutrition Programme for two weeks.
On the same day of the proposed pull out, the spokesperson of the SIU (Special Investigating Unit), Kaizer Kganyago said, that they have written to the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education to request more information about the R2.1 billion schools’ nutrition tender.
He said they will use that information to determine whether to motivate for a proclamation to investigate the matter or not.
Meanwhile the African National Congress (ANC) in KwaZulu-Natal has announced that the National School Nutrition Programme tender awarded to Pacina Retail has been terminated.
ANC provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo told a media briefing the party met MEC Frazer to get to the bottom of the scandal that led to non-delivery of food to about 5,400 schools.
“After the submission from the MEC we have agreed that it is evident that the programme is near to a total collapse and drastic measures must be taken.”
“The ANC has therefore directed its government to take urgent remedial action to restore the programme that will result in schools getting all the necessary food items based on the specified menu for all five days in a week.”
Mtolo said by Tuesday next week the feeding scheme would be back to normal through the previously abandoned small business suppliers.