L Sisulu on department officials’ performance at SCOPA hearing

15 June 2006

The Minister of Housing Lindiwe Sisulu today noted with shock the comments
made by the Standing committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) about the poor
performance of the officials of her department and their inability to respond
to questions raised at the SCOPA public hearing yesterday. “I am appalled at
the low level of performance displayed by my officials during the SCOPA
hearing. I am convinced that these officials do have the information and if
they had prepared themselves for the briefing they would have been able to
respond to the questions and concerns raised by members of SCOPA,” said
Minister Sisulu.

During this hearing, SCOPA was assessing the Department of Housing’s
administration and housing subsidies following a critical report by the
Auditor-General Shauket Fakie on various matters of irregularity.

Minister Sisulu has given the officials two weeks in which to prepare and
respond to the issues raised by the Auditor General.

The matters raised by the Auditor-General cover the period 1994 to 2004, an
assessment of the department’s first 10 years of democracy. When the Minister
was approached by the Auditor-General on these matters, she made sure that they
were addressed.

The Minister is in possession of reports from the department on processes
and systems that have been established in addressing the matters raised by the
Auditor General. “I addressed parliament myself on how the department was
responding to some of the issues raised by the Auditor-General, where I
admitted that the housing subsidy system had some weaknesses and not enough
checks and balances to stop maladministration, fraud and corruption and
highlighted the action being undertaken by the Department to address these,”
she said.

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Issued by: Department of Housing
15 June 2006
Source: Department of Housing (http://www.housing.gov.za)