Mpumalanga Department of Education Spends R2 Million on 22 New Laptops, South Africans Amazed
- The Department of Education in Mpumalanga has spent R2 million on 22 new laptops for office staff, with each costing over R90k
- Member of the Executive Committee (MEC) for Education, Landulile Dlamini, could not disclose what brands the laptops were
- South Africans weren't sure what to make of the figure, with some not surprised by what they called wasteful expenditure
Source: Getty Images
Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent ten years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.
MPUMALANGA – South Africans are still in disbelief after the provincial Department of Education spent R2 million on 22 laptops.
Member of the Executive Committee (MEC) for Education, in the province, Landulile Cathrine Dlamini, made the admission while responding to a question in the provincial legislature.
The MEC stated that each laptop cost over R90,000 and was for employees of the department in Mpumalanga. The MEC did not disclose when the laptops were purchased.
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MEC can’t provide specific details for laptops
The MEC admitted that the total amount for the 22 laptops was R2,020,883.45, which amounted to an average price of R91,858.34.
She was then asked what brand they were and what software was installed on them, to explain the exorbitant price, but she couldn’t explain. The MEC promised a response in writing regarding the specs, and also who the supplier was.
She also did not state who would be using the laptops, instead, she said it was for office-based staff and school principals.
“The beneficiaries are administrators and school managers, who use these for administration processes and not for teaching and learning,” she said.
Source: Getty Images
MEC speculates why laptops are so expensive
The MEC denied claims that she was one of the beneficiaries, saying that she was still using a second-hand one from when she joined the department.
She suggested that the reason the laptops were so expensive was that they were procured through the State IT Agency (SITA).
All government departments are required to procure IT equipment and services from SITA. The agency is responsible for procuring equipment for over 250 national, provincial, and municipal departments.
Government departments are no strangers to questionable expenditure. In November, questions were raised when the Gauteng government spent R28 million on a project to turn shipping containers into market stalls. The project was eventually considered a failure.
On 15 April, Herman Mashaba expressed unhappiness that the government spent R3.45 billion on foreign missions.
South Africans amazed by R2 million price tag
The MEC’s admission left many dumbfounded, as they shared differing thoughts on the R2 million cost.
Thupayagale Keitumetse said:
“Lol, even a MacBook doesn't cost that much. 😂 The price of one laptop could have bought all 22 laptops.”
Stivovo Vash asked:
“Why are we surprised? We voted for them.”
William Seveni joked:
“They bought supercomputers. NASA has nothing on those machines.”
Leo Sithembiso Sibaya stated:
“They are no longer stealing. They are now taking in broad daylight. They have become so bold and don't care anymore.”
Thabopatrick Selowa added:
“If you don't steal it, someone else will steal it - ANC proverb.”
Muzi Alex Mngomezulu said:
“Now that's what you call a wasteful expenditure, but as we all know, nothing will be done with this information. Just another day in South Africa.”
Asimina Tarnanis Coetzee stated:
“Wow, those laptops must be made of gold. Can I also have one?”
Gavin Thys stated:
“A brand new MacBook doesn’t even go for that price. I am sure they sourced Dell/ Lenovo i5s for that price. The level of corruption is insane.”
Government officials overspend by over R38 billion
In a related article, Auditor General Tsakani Maluleke revealed that government officials overspent by more than R38 billion.
Briefly News reported that in the past five years, R14.3 billion was spent on goods that departments never received.
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Source: Briefly News
