Johannesburg - Former Limpopo education administrator Anis
Karodia has called on Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan to take over the
department's tender allocations, invoice processing and payments, according to
a report on Wednesday.
"It is my contention that all tenders above R1m must be
controlled by the National Treasury and... adjudicated by them," Karodia
said in a report he compiled.
"This will eliminate interference."
He said the department's responsibilities of authorisation,
processing, recording and reviewing of transactions should be separated,
reported The Star newspaper.
Karodia blamed the province's education MEC Dickson
Masemola for contributing to the department's unauthorised expenditure of
R2.2bn.
As a result, it had failed to provide textbooks to learners
seven months into the school year.
Karodia accused Masemola of "subtle interference"
in the awarding of contracts, and added that the bid adjudication committee had
been influenced by third parties.
Masemola denied any wrongdoing and said Karodia's report was
"pure lies".
The "floating tabloid" report was based on
unsubstantiated allegations, Masemola told The Star.