Fake KZN education tender voice note sends warning to contractors
The department says a recording circulating on social media promises student-teacher transport work it never advertised, and warns suppliers not to pay or hand over personal information.
KwaZulu-Natal’s education department has warned contractors and members of the public to ignore a voice recording circulating on social media that presents itself as official information about a department tender.
The recording claims to carry details about transporting student teachers from circuit offices to schools across the province. The department says it has nothing to do with the message or the tender it describes, as The Citizen reported on 5 October.
“The department has not issued the communication contained in this voice recording, nor does it endorse any of the claims or tender-related information being circulated,” head of department Nkosinathi Ngcobo said.
Ngcobo urged prospective service providers not to engage with anyone leaning on the recording to solicit information, payments or arrangements. He said members of the public should not hand over personal information, pay money or enter into any arrangement with people claiming to act for the department on the strength of the message.
The department said legitimate procurement opportunities are handled through prescribed government procurement procedures and communicated through authorised platforms. It said it would consider appropriate measures if evidence emerged that people were unlawfully misrepresenting the department or its officials.
For suppliers, the practical rule is the one the department has now stated publicly. A tender that arrives by voice note, a forwarded message or a phone call from someone who cannot point to a published advert is not a department tender. Payment to secure work, or the release of company and banking details to a stranger, is where the money is lost.
Provincial education departments run some of the largest transport and logistics contracts in the country, moving pupils, teachers and materials between thousands of schools. That volume is what makes the department’s name useful to a fraudster, because a supplier who has been waiting for work has reason to believe a call could be genuine.
The department has not said how many people received the recording, whether anyone has paid money, or whether a case has been opened with the South African Police Service. Its statement sets out the warning and the correct channels.
Source: The Citizen, KZN Education warns public over fake tender voice recording
