The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called for an urgent independent forensic investigation into the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) after the department admitted to approving contracts containing what it described as “exorbitant” pricing for food and related products.
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Cooking oil priced at R726 per litre
In a statement issued on 15 May 2026, DA spokesperson on Correctional Services, Janho Engelbrecht, said the department had paid as much as R726.57 for a single litre of cooking oil and R3,735.32 for gravy powder under the leadership of Correctional Services Minister Pieter Groenewald.
According to the DA, the prices were later renegotiated down to R29.06 for cooking oil and R920 for gravy powder in Gauteng.
Department admits to inflated contracts
The issue emerged during a meeting of Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services, where the DCS reportedly admitted that it had entered into contracts with 115 service providers containing pricing far above market norms.
The DA said the department’s own presentation identified products including gravy powder, pan-release oil, cauliflower, paw-paw, assorted spices and white flour as having “exorbitant” pricing.
Engelbrecht alleged that the difference between the original and renegotiated prices pointed to corruption and collusion within the procurement process.
“The only thing that has changed since the re-negotiation is the price; the gravy and cooking oil are exactly the same products,” Engelbrecht said in the statement.
4,600 transactions under review
The department has reportedly conceded that its internal Supply Chain Management and contract management teams are manually reviewing approximately 4,600 transactions linked to the contracts.
The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services also reportedly warned the department not to frame the renegotiated prices as a success, arguing that the original prices should never have passed procurement controls.
DA’s demands
The DA is now demanding:
- an independent forensic investigation into Contract HO4/2023 and the approval of the original prices;
- a full explanation from the Minister and procurement officials regarding who approved the pricing and which controls failed;
- disciplinary action, including suspension and dismissal, against officials found responsible; and
- criminal charges against any officials or suppliers found to have colluded in defrauding the state.
Wider corruption concerns
The statement also referenced confirmation by the Minister that nearly 2,400 Correctional Services officials had been disciplined in the past year for corruption and misconduct, including cases involving contraband smuggling.
“The gravy train ends here,” Engelbrecht said. “Those who loot taxpayer money must be charged and fired.”
