A tender awarded by the finance minister for a fresh supply of government condoms had to be set aside. The tender then went to the second-lowest bidder. The reason? The originals were made in China and were found to be too small for the African market. Awkward.

They were also made of the wrong material and was not approved by the World Health Organisation, the US Food and Drug Administration Agency or the SA Bureau of Standards.

Judge Sulet Potterill set aside the finance minister’s decision to award the contract to Siqamba Medical of KwaZulu-Natal, which won a tender to supply 11 million Phoenurse condoms manufactured in China.

Another company, Sekunjalo Investments Corporation, had turned to the court after losing the tender. Potterill ruled that Sekunjalo should get the tender and said it was an urgent matter, since it affected the spread of HIV/Aids.

[Source: Times Live]