Finance and Economic Opportunities:
With regard to a PPE supply company that has a billboard in Cape Town that promotes misinformation and a Bill Gates conspiracy theory about the COVID-19 vaccine:
(1) Whether the Western Cape provincial government procured any PPE or other medical supplies from this company, whose name has been furnished to his Department for the purpose of his reply; if so, (a) which departments and (b) what is the value of the procurement;
(2) whether there is a mechanism available to the Western Cape provincial government to prevent public-sector procurement from a business that openly campaigns against the COVID-19 vaccine and advertises misinformation and conspiracy theories about the vaccine; if so, what are the relevant details; if not;(3) whether the Western Cape provincial government will take any steps with regard to this message that undermines the Cabinet’s vaccination promotion campaign; if not, why not; if so, what action?
(1) The supplier is not registered on the National Central Supplier Database or the Western Cape Supplier Evidence Bank and has not done business with the Western Cape Government.
(2) No. Procurement decisions are based strictly on compliance with procurement prescripts i.e. Section 217 of the Constitution (Act 108 of 1999); The Public Finance Management Ac (Act 1 of 1999) and its 2005 regulations; and the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act (Act 5 of 2000) and its 2017 regulations as primary enabling pieces of legislation that govern procurement amongst other subordinate legislation.
(3) This particular question should be directed to the Department of the Premier.
