SIU orders recovery of R4.73m from Tepa Trading over PPE scam
The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has secured a court order to recover profits from a R4.73 million personal protective equipment (PPE) contract that was unlawfully awarded by the Mpumalanga Department of Health to Tepa Trading and Projects (Pty) Ltd.
The Special Tribunal judgment, handed down on October 30, 2025, set aside the Department’s April 2020 decision to appoint Tepa Trading, declaring the contract unconstitutional, unlawful, and invalid.
The agreement was for the supply of 220,000 three-ply surgical masks during the national COVID-19 state of disaster.
According to SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago, the procurement process “was riddled with irregularities, including the unlawful approval of the contract by an official who lacked the requisite financial authority.”
The investigation, conducted under Proclamation R.23 of 2020, found that the Department failed to follow a fair, equitable, transparent, competitive, and cost-effective procurement process, as required by the Constitution.
The Special Tribunal has ordered Tepa Trading to submit a detailed, audited statement of account within 30 days, outlining all income and expenditure related to the contract, which will be used to determine the exact profit to be recovered.
Kganyago said Tepa Trading has also been required to pay the SIU’s legal costs.
He said the judgment represents a “critical outcome of the SIU’s relentless efforts to recover public funds lost during the COVID-19 national state of disaster.”
”It sends a clear message that suppliers who fail to meet essential legal requirements have no entitlement to profit from the state.”
He added that the SIU will continue to use its litigation powers to ensure that public funds are returned.
Any evidence of criminal conduct uncovered during the investigation will be referred to the National Prosecuting Authority for further action, he said.
The SIU is also authorised under the SIU Act to initiate civil action in the High Court or a Special Tribunal to address wrongdoing identified from acts of corruption, fraud, or maladministration, said Kganyago.
hope.ntanzi@iol.co.za
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