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Cape Town - Fisheries Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson distanced herself on Monday from the department's fishing patrol boat tender process.
"I do not preside over tenders... that is done professionally by my department," she told reporters at a briefing on Cabinet's fortnightly meeting.
Her statement came after Public Protector Thuli Madonsela said on Sunday that she had written to Joemat-Pettersson asking that Sekunjalo Investments be precluded from the bidding process.
It emerged last week that the group was one of six vying to secure the tender, worth some R890m over five years.
Also on the shortlist is Smit Amandla Marine, which held the contract for more than a decade before the minister cancelled it, claiming the company and department officials had been embroiled in corrupt dealings.
Madonsela has been probing a previous round of bidding that took place in 2011 because Smit Amandla Marine complained that its tender documents were leaked to Sekunjalo. That process was subsequently halted.
The Hawks are investigating Smit Amandla Marine. The company claimed it was penalised for exposing irregularities in the 2011 bid.
Madonsela said at the weekend she was putting the finishing touches to her report on the matter.
