Public Works Minister Thulas Nxesi says all the good work that his department has and continues to deliver is endangered if the department fails to combat fraud and corruption. Adding that this is why under the turnaround strategy for the department; he would focus on those projects which have a direct bearing on issues of fraud and corruption.
Minister Nxesi was updating Parliament on the turnaround campaign of the Department of Public Works (DPW), with special focus on disciplinary and legal processes.
He re-iterated that the success of the turnaround strategy of the department depended on two pillars, the first one being a zero tolerance to corruption, which he described as non-negotiable. “In this regard the investigations by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) are continuing and more individuals will be charged,” said Minister Nxesi.
The Minister says the second pillar of the turnaround is the improvement of the business practices of the department, adding that in pursuing the second objective of the Turnaround, 15 crucial stabilisation projects have been identified. “At this stage I want to focus on those projects which have a direct bearing on issues of fraud and corruption,” stressed the Minister.
Minister Nxesi has noted that the absence of a comprehensive and reliable register of the state’s immovable assets has provided scope for fraud and corruption, adding that in May this year, the department completed a desktop exercise to reconcile data with the Deeds Office. He went on to say that a physical verification of state assets is now being undertaken to verify the existence, condition and extent of the state’s immovable assets.
The Minister says as part of the response to the Auditor-General’s report, the department’s Internal Audit and Investigations Branch will carry out sample investigations into procurement and tender processes in the construction projects of the DPW business. Minister Nxesi said that the need to focus on this has been highlighted by recent scandals including the failure to complete the Diepsloot Police Station. “I have said that the Turnaround of the Department of Public Works is a process, not an event. Realistically we intend to stabilise the department over the next one to two years.
Fundamental transformation and improvement of business processes will take longer,” emphasised the Minister. In his address to Parliament, the Minister said that it was important to note that even as the department strives to tackle systematic flaws, it still has a business to run and that in this regard, he can report positively as follows: During the financial year 2011/12 the department has completed over two hundred construction projects. Going forward into 2012/13 - 2015, the department is managing a building programme consisting of over 2 500 projects at various stages from feasibility studies, design, tender through to construction.
The Minister says with the help of the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and other agencies, he believes the department is making progress with regards to combating fraud and corruption.
Minister Thuals Nxesi sheds light on the status of the turnaround campaign of Department Public Works
