The Office of the ANC Chief Whip has voiced it’s appreciation of the tough initiatives employed by the Department of Public Works to root out instances of fraud and corruption within the department, particularly in relation to leases and projects.
It says the initiatives, presented by Minister Thulas Nxesi on the morning of 8 May 2013 during his budget vote speech, are reflective of the seriousness with which government is tackling occurrences of corruption within its ranks - in a transparent and open manner.
“With the assistance of the Special Investigative Unit, the department is clamping down on fraud and corruption, thereby bringing stability to the department to enhance its delivery on key projects. These include the creation of five million jobs by 2014, training of over 8000 unemployed youth for absorption into public service and improvement of quality of life to poor communities through various projects. The minister has reported that at least six officials have been put on suspension, three dismissed and the process to recover monies wrongly obtained is underway,” explained the Office of the ANC Chief Whip.
The Office also says it is aware that the department is currently investigating all prestige projects, has stopped a number of overpriced projects and has moved to ensure that all projects under the prestige branch fall under the direct control of the Director-General to curb potential fraud and corruption.
“We welcome the great progress made by the ministry regarding the stabilisation of the department and its strong actions against fraud and corruption, which threatened to undermine its confidence amongst the public and its ability to deliver on its mandate. We commend the minister for his bold and progressive plans outlined in today’s budget vote of the department,” concluded the Office of the ANC Chief Whip.
