The Eastern Cape Education Department’s woes are deepening, as they are still trying to get back thousands of tablets that were distributed to Grade 12 learners under the irregular Sizwe Africa IT contract, now valued at more than R538 million.
This, according to Democratic Alliance (DA) Shadow MEC for Education in the Eastern Cape, Yusuf Cassim.
COURT ORDER TO STOP
TABLET CONTRACT
In a statement on Wednesday, 21 April, Cassim said the tablets should have been retrieved from learners in October 2020.
Last year a court interdict was handed down to immediately stop the Eastern Cape Education Department from implementing the controversial R538 million contract, between the Sizwe Africa IT Group, MTN and the Education Department.
Pupils take selfies with their tablets. (Photo: DoC)
The Eastern Cape education department is battling to recover 55 000 Samsung smart tablets it issued to 2020 matriculants.
The department contracted Sizwe Africa IT Solutions to supply the tablets over a three-year period at a cost of R538m.
In October, the Bhisho High Court found irregularities in the contract and the deal was halted.
The Eastern Cape education department is battling to recover 55 000 Samsung tablets issued to some matriculants who formed part of the Class of 2020, after it failed to collect the devices before they left school.
Service providers have since disabled the tablets. Even though schools were reminded thrice to collect the tablets from the matric pupils, there are no records to show how many, if any at all, of the tablets were returned.