IPTS software: Fakir paid R11m

Metro mum on why it gave this money to businessman for system

THE Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality has refused to explain why it paid Port Elizabeth businessman Fareed Fakir’s company R11-million for what appears to be a laptop fitted with software to manage its stagnant bus system.

Documents seen by The Herald also show that Fakir’s company, Jarami Projects, billed the metro an additional R10.5-million in monthly fees for one of the computer systems.

Jarami Projects designed the software for the municipality’s troubled Integrated Public Transport System (IPTS) between July 2013 and June last year.

The payments form part of the national Treasury’s probe into the expenditure on one of the metro’s biggest and most costly projects.

Municipal spokesman Roland Williams has refused to explain what the systems were for, what value they added to the IPTS and whether the municipality believed ratepayers received value for money with such payments.

In response to detailed questions, Williams said: “Please note that any and all allegations of impropriety with regard to the IPTS shall be part of the national Treasury investigation which, as previously indicated, is nearing completion.”

According to invoices dated December 10 2013, from Jarami Projects trading as Project Assist Group, the initial costs for all the software programmes on the laptop totalled R11-million.

The costs, according to an invoice report, were for:

• A project management system – R2.386-million;

• A document management system – R4.987-million; and

• A third system, the Prince 2 Customisation and Templates – R3.634-million.

-Rochelle de Kock