The Department of Correctional Services is under fire after MPs uncovered food items billed at vastly inflated prices, including gravy powder costing more than R3,700.
The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) has defended paying R726.57 for cooking oil, despite it costing just R29, saying the amount referred to a 25-litre container rather than a single litre, and that the discrepancy resulted from a capturing error.
This comes after Parliament uncovered staggering food price inflation within the DCS, revealing that the state was paying inflated prices on cooking items.
It found that the department was paying R3,700 for gravy powder that ordinarily costs under R1,000, while cooking oil was billed at more than R700 despite a market price of just R29.
The committee said that under the newly negotiated prices, the department will pay between R26 and R29 for the same quantity.
