Auditor General
27 July 2006
The Minister of Housing, Lindiwe Sisulu today welcomed the submission by her
departmentâs Director General on the concerns raised by the Standing Committee
on Public Accounts (SCOPA) to the Auditor-General, Shauket Fakie.
Sisulu had requested her Director-General Mr Itumeleng Kotsoane to submit to
the Auditor-General steps that the department had taken in dealing with issues
raised by SCOPA regarding a report published by the Auditor-General late last
year.
âAs I had indicated earlier the Director-General and his deputy had the
information that the committee looked for and should have been able to address
the committeeâs concerns. However, I am satisfied that this mistake has been
corrected and the Director-General has submitted a detailed report explaining
all steps taken by the department in addressing these concerns raised by the
Auditor-Generalâ, said Sisulu.
The report submitted to the Auditor-General explains in detail how the
department is continuing to respond to issues raised by the Auditor-General
such as weaknesses in the housing subsidy system where even people who do not
qualify for houses end up receiving government subsidized houses.
The report also explains that the department has now set up an investigation
unit within the department to investigate fraud matters that end up
compromising housing delivery.
In ensuring that only people who qualify for government subsidised houses
get them, the department will partner with the Department of Home Affairs to
check the status of applicants, whether there are South African citizens or not
and also with the South African Revenue Services to check among other things
how much a person is earning.
âThrough these measures we are hoping not only to address concerns raised by
the Auditor-General and SCOPA but also to ensure that we protect our people
from these criminals who steal from the poor,â said Sisulu.
Enquiries:
Chief Director: Communication Services
Housing Department
Tel: (012) 421 1606
Cell: 083 634 5199
Fax: (086) 615 0226
Issued by: Department of Housing
27 July 2006
Source: Department of Housing (http://www.housing.gov.za)
