A high-ranking education department official and her husband, a prominent IT company chair, are at the center of a growing investigation by the Hawks following the controversial R330 million payment made to the husband’s firm shortly before their marriage. This development is part of a larger inquiry into a troubled R500 million school tablet contract, which has come under scrutiny for its failure to deliver on promises and raise questions about potential corruption.
The Deputy Director-General (DDG) in the education department, whose name has not been disclosed, married the chairperson of the IT firm shortly after the significant financial transaction took place. The timing of the marriage and the payout has raised red flags among investigators, who are probing whether there was any improper influence or conflict of interest involved in the deal.
The R500 million contract, aimed at providing tablets to schools, has been mired in issues ranging from non-delivery to poor quality of the products supplied. While the official marriage and payment itself may not directly imply criminal activity, the combination of these events has attracted the attention of authorities, who are now investigating whether there were any links between the contract’s mishandling and the personal relationship between the education official and the IT company chair.
As the investigation continues, questions remain about the oversight of such large-scale public contracts and the role personal relationships may have played in securing them. The Hawks are expected to conduct further inquiries to determine the full extent of any potential wrongdoing. Meanwhile, the education department faces increasing scrutiny over its handling of the school tablet project, which has yet to deliver the expected results.
