Now that ain’t working, that’s the way you do it, tenders for nothing and money for free!

NOSEWEEK 30/06/2007

THE LADY’S CERTAINLY SHREWD, but whether she’s a shrewd businesswoman is another matter. She does make plenty of money, from service contracts with education institutions – but Dr Patricia Gorvalla doesn’t land these through business acumen, or by offering better services than anyone else.

At Cape Peninsula University of Technology, a 2005 audit reported that deals with companies associated with Gorvalla had earned her a cool R2,4m (see noses81&82). That’s nothing compared to what she’s making at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), where from the provision of transport services alone she raked in a cool R3,5m between 2004 and March this year.

While sitting on the university council (as a nominee of her friend, Education Minister Naledi Pandor), Dr Gorvalla has landed numerous lucrative contracts with UWC; from offering student accommodation to transport services.

Is there any problem with her dual role? “There is absolutely nothing wrong with Dr Gorvalla offering services to the university,” claims Manie Naledi’s friend: Dr Patricia Gorvalla Regal, the UWC executive director of finance and operations. Some might agree. And, after all, what else would Mr Regal say? She’s one of his bosses.

But when Patricia Gorvalla’s companies clearly provide inadequate services, everyone wonders how she manages to pull it off, again and again, year after year.

For some years, Pat’s Transport (the DTI companies’ register carries a “Gorvalla Transport”) has provided transport services to UWC, but this was set to change when the university’s purchasing department sent a memo to the tender committee advising them that all transport vendors’ contracts had to be re-tendered. The committee then placed an ad in the Weekend Argus, and appointed 11 university officials to vet the applications.

Pat’s Transport duly submitted its application, along with those from 11 other companies – but when the adjudication came round, Pat’s Transport was the first to be disqualified.

Gorvalla’s company was accused of being responsible for students arriving late, inconsistent delivery and collection, vehicles not being kept in good mechanical condition and drivers not being properly informed of the routes. It was also noted that the provider had failed to address complaints repeatedly raised by students. Recommending that Pat’s Transport not be given the tender, the task team said: “Problems have escalated to the point where a new service provider must be appointed to meet the growing needs of the students.”

Only one team member did not vote against Pat’s Transport – UWC transport co-ordinator Kevin Lesar. Those voting against were Brighton Mupangavanhu (residential administrator), Dirk Saal (residential administrator), Harold Meyer (student administrator), Leslie Anthony (child & youth research & training), Maureen Davis (student affairs), Prof Thembisile Khanyile (nursing), Vinesh Jeaven (pharmacy) and Gerald Mhelembe (SRC). Trudi Fortuin (Community Law Centre) and Prof Mohamed Parker (dentistry) abstained.

Now who, after such a clear rejection, would have expected the university to turn around and put Dr Gorvalla’s company back in place? Especially when a number of other companies had scored seven and more positive votes. Certainly not the student body – Vilakazi Mxolisi, a student representative during the selection process, told noseweek that students were convinced that Pat’s Transport would not be included in the vendors’ list. “Gorvalla’s company wasn’t there. On top were Solomons, HG Transport, Golden Arrow and African End Tourism. The students were happy.”

But, Mxolisi tells us, “from nowhere”, Pat’s Transport was back in the race. “Other providers tendering were angry and so were students. Golden Arrow withdrew in protest – and then, before we knew it, it was all over.”

On 8 January, 2007, Manie Regal purportedly signed a letter authorising the inclusion of Pat’s Transport on the vendors’ list. However, Mr Regal, as he himself confirms, was at the time away, holidaying in Thailand and Indonesia. He wouldn’t explain to noseweek how exactly he’d managed to sign that letter. “How did you get copies of my leave details? Those are confidential documents!” retorted Mr Regal, referring noseweek to the media liaison officer, Mr Raymond Schuller.

Schuller said he would answer queries by email, but instead noseweek got a call from the university’s rector, Prof B O’Connell. “Please leave Mr Regal alone,” said O’Connell, “The guy just got married. All he did was confirm that Pat’s Transport was reinstated back to the list. The people to question are the members of the university’s tender committee, especially the chairperson.”

Prof O’Connell explained that after the team had recommended the removal of Dr Gorvalla’s company from the vendor listing, Mr D Pasquallie, the chairperson of the tender committee (and a member of the university council), convened a December meeting which reversed the recommendation. “It had nothing to do with Mr Regal,” Prof O’Connell told noseweek. According to O’Connell, the committee was advised that Dr Gorvalla could sue the university for terminating her previous contract.

Asked how come, since by agreeing to bid again in terms of the advertisement, Pat’s Transport had implicitly accepted the termination, Prof O’Connell replied: “I am not a lawyer.”

When noseweek tried to follow up on Mr Pasquallie, it transpired that he had moved to Johannesburg in September – and Prof O’Connell claimed not to have his new contact details. Yes indeed, the university’s chief executive claimed not to have the phone number of the chairperson of its tender committee, who was still arranging key meetings two months after he’d moved to another city 15 000km away. Noseweek is waiting for Pasquallie to return numerous calls from where he was traced – at the Gauteng offices of the South African Teachers’ Union, where at the time of writing he was engaged (as the union’s deputy general secretary) in negotiations around the public servants’ strike.

A source close to the team that rejected Pat’s Transport confided that Dr Gorvalla had approached some of its members, including Prof Khanyile, with R20 000 cash offers for them to change their votes. When Khanyile declined her offer, Dr Gorvalla allegedly informed her that it was her loss, since those who mattered “were already co-operating”. Contacted for comment, Prof Khanyile asked to be left alone: “Please don’t call me again. Please talk to the tender committee; we did our work and that’s it. It’s their baby now.”

Those ready to play ball with the “Mistress of Big Business” (as Business Day called Gorvalla in 1997), can expect her good favour. Mark Seal, the university’s director of residential services and catering, is one such person. Gorvalla has named one of her privately-owned student residences in Bellville, Mark Seal House.

The university once tried to purchase Mark Seal House from her, reasoning that it would become cheaper for students, but the bid was soon dropped, “after consultations at higher places.” How much higher, noseweek is yet to discover. The naming was once raised within the University Council, but Gorvalla reportedly explained that Mr Seal had done so much for the university that it should not be an issue. When noseweek visited the hostel it had no nameboard – and security guards said the name board had been pulled down some days previously. Is Mr Seal’s monument under threat?

Dr Gorvalla will clearly be around at least as long as Naledi Pandor heads the Department of Education. In the meantime, students at UWC should learn to accept being late for classes.

The student community isn’t too pleased. Mxolisi says they have petitioned the university administration over the tender being awarded to Gorvalla.

“We wanted to know why, but we were told that Pat’s Transport offered to provide transport at a few rands cheaper than Solomons. We suspect that somebody from the inside advised her on what Solomons was offering. The main thing is, she wasn’t meant to be there in the first place,” an angry Mxolisi told noseweek.

As we went to press, the students were still waiting for the outcome of their petition to the vice-rector, who has forwarded it to Mark Seal. In the meantime students say their options for further protest include walking to the university in protest.