Bethanie under fire over tender

AN unsuccessful bidder for a catering tender is accusing the Bethanie Council of ‘favouritism’ in awarding tenders.

Martha Riekert claimed the council recently favoured a certain Irene Meintjies in a tender. Riekert is pointing fingers at the council’s chairperson, Andreas Knouwds, and councillor Conrad Beukes, both representing the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP) on the council.Riekert claims Meintjies won the catering tender without handing in a quotation. The councillors allegedly favoured Meintjies because they are all allied to the RDP. She also alleged that Meintjies is Beukes’s sister.’I was reliably informed that councillors Knouwds and Beukes had telephonically informed Meintjies that she was awarded the catering tender although she had not handed in a quotation. It’s totally unfair to us who had followed the correct tender procedures despite being informed about the bid at the eleventh hour, ‘ Riekert said. Meintjies said she only expressed interest in the tender telephonically when she was informed about it by Knouwds.’Approach by Mr Knouwds at short notice to bid, I had no alternative but to give my quotation over the telephone,’ said Meintjies. Meintjies added that the council has not yet paid her for a catering job she did for them in May. ‘Upon enquiry, I was told the council halted the payment after a contender had queried the manner in which council had awarded the tender to me,’ Meintjies added. When approached, the council’s chief executive officer, Willy Humphries, acknowledged that Meintjies had not yet been paid.Council withheld payment to Meintjies, who had quoted N$10 800, after it emerged that ‘correct tender procedures’ were not followed, Humphries said. Knouwds refused to comment and said the complaint was being investigated. Beukes could not be reached for comment.