In the latest sketchy move involving government tenders, the company which created the Nelson Mandela bust outside of the parliamentary buildings apparently overcharged for the sculptor, and not by a little.

Dali Tambo, the son of Oliver Tambo and owner of the company which created the bust, created and installed the piece for R2.5 million, but a local sculptor claimed that something such as that particular bust would cost between only R750,000 and R1 million.

City Press is in possession of documents that show Tambo’s company, Koketso Growth, submitted a “preliminary proposal and costing” document to Parliament on 13 February. In it, the company estimates the cost of the bust at R1.8m. But it adds a “management and handling fee” of 20% and VAT at 14% – which together increase the amount to R2.5m.

“Any amount paid that is more than the market-related price may be considered fruitless and wasteful expenditure,” said a legal opinion.

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