Parliament, Tuesday, 4 August 2020 – The Standing Committee on Finance, together with the Select Committee on Finance, will tomorrow from 15:00 to 18:00 hold a joint virtual meeting to be briefed by the National Treasury on the procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) for Covid-19.

The committees also expect to be briefed on the mechanisms National Treasury has put in place to ensure that a single procurement tender worth millions is divided into multiple small tenders in order to benefit as many small, micro and medium enterprises (SMMEs) as possible.

The committees decided on 28 July 2020 to invite the National Treasury to this meeting in light of the wide-ranging allegations of corruption in the public domain involving provincial departments of health and some municipalities.

Co-Chairperson Mr Joe Maswanganyi reiterated that it is not in the interests of the two committees to dictate terms on how government should conduct procurement for the Covid-19 pandemic. Their concern arises from complaints of exclusion from many SMMEs.

After the National Treasury’s presentation, the committees will determine if there is a need for a joint meeting with the Portfolio Committee on Health, provincial health committees and their respective departments of health.

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