Garden Route District Municipality rejects procurement deviation claims

The Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) has denied claims by the Good Party that the frequent use of procurement deviations has become a systemic issue. Dave Swart, the GRDM Mayoral Committee chairperson for Financial Services, stated that deviations accounted for only 56 out of approximately 3,094 purchases during the 2025/26 financial year, representing roughly 1.8% of total purchases.

The dispute arose after Good Party Councillor Rosa Louw raised concerns regarding procurement deviations, suggesting they could reduce competition, increase prices, and facilitate corruption or cronyism. The Good Party has called for deviations exceeding R200,000 to require separate motivation to the Council, including justifications for why standard competitive procurement processes could not be utilized.