Department defends controversial R1.8bn fire-fighting tender

Nqayi also rejected any suggestion that it was aware of a subcontracting arrangement between Tefla and Kishugu Aviation. The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) has defended its decision to award a R1.8 billion Working on Fire contract to Tefla Group, saying the company emerged first after a court-ordered re-evaluation of the controversial tender. The Citizen reported on Friday that civil rights organisation AfriForum is pursuing access to procurement records to establish how the successful bidder was evaluated, with concerns that Tefla appeared to lack the specialist expertise, personnel, equipment and operational capacity to implement one of government’s most critical wildfire-fighting drives. The department confirmed that the contract, valued at R1 801 735 586.61 including value-added tax (VAT), runs from 1 August 2026 until 5 January 2028. There are also claims that substantial portions of the aerial firefighting component, allegedly valued at R650 million a year, will be carried out by Kishugu Aviation. The aviation company has run the programme for over two decades but lost the bid. However, DFFE said it was not aware of any subcontracting agreement between Tefla and Kishugu Aviation. Zolile Nqayi, the department’s communication director, said the award followed a directive from the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, in a judgment issued on 1 April 2025, ordering the department to re-evaluate the tender, specifically phase four of the five phases contained in the advertised terms of reference. “Any successful service provider was informed by the re-evaluation outcomes,” he said. Bidding process Five bidders submitted proposals before the tender closed and, following the court-directed re-evaluation, Nqayi said Tefla Group ranked first under the applicable price and preference points system. He did not provide a detailed breakdown of the scores achieved by each bidder, despite questions about Tefla’s technical and financial ranking. Nqayi said that after the award letter was issued, it verified the aircraft identified by Tefla for use in the aerial firefighting component. “The aircraft was confirmed to exist and was already being utilised by the then service provider in the implementation of the department’s Working on Fire programme. The relevant operational and compliance aspects were accordingly considered and covered,” he explained. “The relevant operational and compliance aspects were accordingly considered and covered.” However, he did not specify how many aircraft Tefla owned, leased or had under its operational control when the contract was awarded. Instead, the department repeatedly said the bids were reviewed against the advertised terms of reference and that the requirements had been met. Subcontracting Nqayi also rejected any suggestion that it was aware of a subcontracting arrangement between Tefla Aviation and Kishugu Aviation. “The DFFE is not aware of a subcontracting agreement between Tefla Aviation and Kishugu Aviation,” he said. The department did, however, confirm that Tefla’s bid proposal included an intention to subcontract to designated groups, in line with the tender requirements. “The bidder submitted its bid proposal with the intention of subcontracting to the designated groups, in accordance with the requirements set out in the terms of reference as advertised,” Nqayi replied. He did not identify those proposed subcontractors or indicate whether Kishugu Aviation was among them. Nqayi said the department could not comment further on the tender because the matter remains subject to ongoing court proceedings. Kishugu Aviation spokesperson, Linton Rensburg, said Tefla was awarded the tender and that they were in no position to comment on the merits of the award. “Matters concerning the services related to the Working on Fire programme, such as aerial firefighting services, ground fleet resources, training and management resources, affected by this transition should be addressed to the new service provider, Tefla,” he said.