OUTA has expressed serious concern over the RTIA’s proposed R1.2 billion AARTO public-private partnership tender. With ongoing legal, administrative and implementation challenges surrounding AARTO, committing to a long-term PPP arrangement raises significant governance and fiscal risks.

This matter has already drawn substantial media scrutiny. The hope is that continued pressure from civil society and the media will compel the department to reconsider and restart the process under stronger transparency and governance standards.

This is R1.2 billion of your taxes that could be handed to a private entity to perform work government is already mandated and funded to do. Before any contract is signed, the department must demonstrate that the system is rational, functional and legally sound. 

This is precisely why OUTA exists. To follow the money, ask the difficult questions and protect public funds. 

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