(MENAFN- The Post)
THE government spent a little over M13.6 million to buy 75 vehicles for the police, parliament heard this week.
This was disclosed by Sports Minister Pitso Lesaoana, who was standing in for Police Minister Lebona Lephema, during a parliamentary question time.
Lesaoana was responding to a question from the Basotho National Party (BNP) leader Machesetsa Mofomobe in the House.
Mofomobe had asked the government to shed some light on the details about the newly acquired police cars.
Mofomobe had asked whether any tender documents were issued for the purchase of the Mahindra vans and Honda Fit cars.
He also asked about the identity of the companies that were given the tenders, the unit costs of each vehicle and whether the Honda Fit cars are second-hand.
Lesaoana said the Mahindra vans were bought at a cost of M446 650 each while the Honda Fit cars were M50 000 each.
Lesaoana said the vehicles were bought through a single sourcing tendering method, saying“it was done by following the Public Procurement Regulations of 2023”.
He said the Mahindra vehicles were bought from Smith Auto Group (Pty) Ltd while the Honda Fit cars were bought by Metro ARM (Pty) Ltd.
Lesaoana said the Honda Fit vehicles were second-hand cars.
'Mabafokeng Mpobole, a proportional representation MP for the Democratic Congress (DC), asked the minister why they chose to use the single tendering method.
Mpobole also wanted to know if there were no other companies that wanted to compete for the tender.
“I want him to tell us the conditions in which single sourcing could be used,” Mpobole said.
Lesaoana said the single-sourcing method can be used in times of emergencies or urgent situations.
“'We used single sourcing according to the law,” he said.
Another proportional representation MP for the DC, Hlalele Letšaba, asked the minister to tell the House about the life-span of each vehicle.
Lesaoana responded by saying that“everyone drives a second-hand (vehicle) in Lesotho therefore it is well-known how long they last”.
'Malimpho Majoro
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