The controversy-dogged fisheries department's marine patrol tender is up for grabs again.

Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries director general Edith Vries told a media briefing on Wednesday - ahead of her department's budget vote in Parliament - that the request for proposals would be issued "in June". The preparation for the tender, which is now believed to be worth about R1-billion, was under way "already... we have the documentation on the table".

Vries reported at a media briefing in Cape Town but beamed to Pretoria that the tender was being prepared "in consultation with the chief state procurement officer".

The department anticipated that the bid would be awarded "before the end of this calendar year".

Nearly three years ago the department awarded the preferred bidder status to the Sekunjalo Marine Services Consortium (SMSC) – then owned by Dr Iqbal Surve – for a R800m tender to police South Africa's marine resources for five years but in February 2013 it was dropped by the department.

The tender is to manage the research and patrol ships, which include the Sarah Baartman, the Victoria Mxenge, the Ellen Khuzwayo, the Lilian Ngoyi, the Africana and the Ruth First.

The tender was found later by the Public Protector Thuli Madonsela to have been improperly awarded. "The reward to SMSC was not in compliance with DAFF's supply chain management requirements and processes and was therefore improper," she said, in a report requested by DA MP Pieter van Dalen.

She found the conduct of DAFF official Joseph Sebola as "irrational, subjective and biased. He had awarded SMSC 5/5 during the adjudication process and the rival bidder Smit Amandla Marine 1/5.

This was despite the fact that the latter had done the "exact work specific in the tender for ten years", said the public protector's report.

The Public Protector noted that neither DAFF nor the SMSC had disputed the fact that four of Sekunjalo's companies submitted bids in respect "of the same tender invitation" but she said she "would be speculating if she found that these four companies discussed and possibly colluded on pricing".

She thus referred the issue of whether this conduct constituted collusive tendering to the competition commission "for a determination". The commission has not yet ruled on this matter.

Meanwhile, Senzeni Zokwana, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, said one of the vessels, the Africana, a research vessel used to provide information to determine fishing quotas, may be scrapped. There were "some hiccups in the repairs of its engine".

Referring to the upcoming tender, Zokwana was emphatic that there would be an open process. "It will be open to everybody... why a particular firm has been appointed." The aim was to improve the surveillance of SA's oceans, he said.

After the withdrawal of Sekunjalo from the marine tender, former Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Tina Joemat-Petterson's administration gave the SA Navy the task of managing the patrol and research ships, but it was later removed from its control after the ships deteriorated.

More recently a ship-building and maritime solutions company, Nautic South Africa was given the job of restoring the vessels "to operational fitness". Nautic worked with Damen Shipyards to conduct vessel support on the ships.

Apart from the Africana, the ships were moved late last year to the state agency, South African Maritime Safety Authority, which currently manages the ships.

SAMSA's mandate is to ensure safety of life and property at sea as well as combat pollution from ships in the marine environment.

The marine patrol ships monitor and protect local waters as well as South Africa's exclusive economic zone. They are used to fight maritime related crimes including piracy, drug smuggling, human trafficking, as well as illegal and unregulated fishing.

News24.com