CAPE TOWN — Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale yesterday vowed to continue fighting corruption in public housing, despite revelations that at least half of all the projects run by the department were encountering problems.
During the human settlements budget vote in Parliament, Mr Sexwale said visible progress had been achieved by the Special Investigating Unit, led by Willie Hofmeyr , which was investigating the "top 20 questionable contracts nationally to the value R2bn".
"Two of the investigations into the contracts have been completed and case dockets have been registered with the South African Police Service. These cases are now with the director of public prosecutions for a decision to prosecute and for the issuance of arrest warrants," Mr Sexwale said.
The government has long been struggling to meet its housing targets, largely due to poor implementation, corruption and the inability of provincial governments to spend their housing grants .
Last month, Mr Hofmeyr told Parliament that corruption in public housing was the Special Investigating Unit’s longest-running project .
He said that at least half of all housing projects undertaken by the department were "problematic in some way". Contractors were being paid for houses that did not exist, were incomplete, defective or fewer than the number agreed upon.
Mr Sexwale said five syndicates were targeted in various provinces. In one instance, three arrests were made in Gauteng. One of the suspects was a councillor in Tsakane, along with two accomplices.
"Criminals have been arrested. Corrupt officials and councillors have been dismissed. Monies from incompetent and fraudulent contractors have been recovered." One of the major challenges faced by the department was the rectification of shoddy workmanship, a process that cost the state large sums of money, the minister said.
"This is work that should not be done in the first place. It is a waste of resources, time and is costing the state substantial amounts of money, which should have gone for the building of brand new houses.
"Enough is enough regarding the incompetent shovel, wheelbarrow and bakkie brigade who line up for tenders and only end up cheating the poorest of the poor. This does not exclude some of the larger companies," Mr Sexwale said.
Prof Titos Khalo, a housing expert who is also a senior lecturer in public management at the Tshwane University of Technology in Pretoria, said yesterday that not much was to be read into Mr Sexwale’s comments in Parliament.
"Measures to fight corruption have been in place all the time and due to the human element they have been either circumvented or not effectively implemented, " Prof Khalo said.
- BusinessDay
During the human settlements budget vote in Parliament, Mr Sexwale said visible progress had been achieved by the Special Investigating Unit, led by Willie Hofmeyr , which was investigating the "top 20 questionable contracts nationally to the value R2bn".
"Two of the investigations into the contracts have been completed and case dockets have been registered with the South African Police Service. These cases are now with the director of public prosecutions for a decision to prosecute and for the issuance of arrest warrants," Mr Sexwale said.
The government has long been struggling to meet its housing targets, largely due to poor implementation, corruption and the inability of provincial governments to spend their housing grants .
Last month, Mr Hofmeyr told Parliament that corruption in public housing was the Special Investigating Unit’s longest-running project .
He said that at least half of all housing projects undertaken by the department were "problematic in some way". Contractors were being paid for houses that did not exist, were incomplete, defective or fewer than the number agreed upon.
Mr Sexwale said five syndicates were targeted in various provinces. In one instance, three arrests were made in Gauteng. One of the suspects was a councillor in Tsakane, along with two accomplices.
"Criminals have been arrested. Corrupt officials and councillors have been dismissed. Monies from incompetent and fraudulent contractors have been recovered." One of the major challenges faced by the department was the rectification of shoddy workmanship, a process that cost the state large sums of money, the minister said.
"This is work that should not be done in the first place. It is a waste of resources, time and is costing the state substantial amounts of money, which should have gone for the building of brand new houses.
"Enough is enough regarding the incompetent shovel, wheelbarrow and bakkie brigade who line up for tenders and only end up cheating the poorest of the poor. This does not exclude some of the larger companies," Mr Sexwale said.
Prof Titos Khalo, a housing expert who is also a senior lecturer in public management at the Tshwane University of Technology in Pretoria, said yesterday that not much was to be read into Mr Sexwale’s comments in Parliament.
"Measures to fight corruption have been in place all the time and due to the human element they have been either circumvented or not effectively implemented, " Prof Khalo said.
- BusinessDay
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