CAPETOWN: The High Court in Pretoria has declared that the extension of the eNatis system contract from 2010 to 2015 by former transport department director-general George Mahlalela was invalid from the date of extension.
Tasima was awarded the tender to operate‚ manage and maintain the country’s vehicle registration system since 2002. From 2007‚ Tasima provided the service on a month-to-month basis because the department wanted to offer the service in-house‚ but Mr Mahlalela in 2010 extended the agreement for another five years.
There had been a dispute about the extension of the contract by Mr Mahlalela‚ but it had not been resolved when the contract expired on April 30. Tasima approached the court this year in an effort to persuade the department to allow for a five-year phased transfer and handover of the eNatis system to the department.
However‚ the department wanted an immediate handover and launched a counter-application to declare the contract Mr Mahlalela signed in 2010 extending the contract invalid from the beginning. In her judgment‚ Judge Wendy Hughes said there had been a material dispute since 2012 as to whether the agreement was amended and extended to April 30 2015.
