In your article “You’re blocking the Gateway!” , the former minister of housing, Lindiwe Sisulu, was extensively quoted disputing the findings contained in the auditor-general’s report on the embattled N2 Gateway Project.
Among other things, she claimed that the auditor-general failed to provide a “balanced audit report” on the project. She also said that the standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) didn’t have sufficient knowledge of the project; thus its criticism of the project was ill-informed.
And she suggested that Scopa didn’t know what the auditor-general’s report was about (‘I get the feeling that if they knew, they might be concentrating on a different outcome.’)
We would have welcomed it if the minister had engaged with us directly for any clarification on the issues raised under her leadership of the department.
We will continue to execute our oversight work relentlessly in our quest for accountability, without yielding to undue political pressure from the executive.
Although it’s not usual for Scopa to account to anyone outside parliament for its activities, a few misstatements by the minister regarding our engagement with the department on the N2 Gateway project require some form of clarification.
Firstly, Scopa’s engagement with the department regarding the project was on the basis of what was contained in the auditor-general’s report.
Thus, the outcomes of the hearings reflected the information provided to the committee by officials from the three spheres tasked with the implementation of the project, including the director-general of the national department of human settlements.
Our criticism of the project was not of an extraordinary nature, but a reflection of the challenges faced by the department in implementing the project.
The key challenges identified by Scopa related to unsound procurement processes (including the appointment of Cyberia although it was ranked sixth in the list of companies which bid for the contract), poor financial planning, and a lack of co-operation between the three spheres of government in implementing the project.
Secondly, during our interaction with the department, the director-general, Itumeleng Kotsoane, and other officials present never disputed the findings of the auditor-general, but rather gave a thorough account of the structural, financial, leadership and other challenges facing the full implementation of the Gateway project.
It was clear from their submissions that there were incomprehensible disparities between the three spheres — so much so that the committee halted its hearing as Scopa was not satisfied with the level of responses given by officials in all three spheres during its initial hearing.
Thirdly, our mandate as a committee is to ensure that public funds are spent effectively and efficiently in a manner that contributes to greater service delivery.
The report compiled by Judge Willem Heath might have assisted the minister in getting a “balanced audit” but that report was never presented to us before our engagement with the officials — nor did the officials mention it during their submissions.
In the quest to get the “balanced view” the minister referred to, we kindly request her to give us the opportunity to view the report, as it will assist us to enhance our resolutions on the matter.
We see her sentiments regarding our engagement with the auditor-general’s report on the N2 Gateway project as an illustration of the lack of proper representation by her former officials.
This misrepresentation highlights a trend that the committee has also noted: of certain directors-general who at times act on the instructions of ministers, not owning up to some of the decisions taken.
In its recent strategic workshop, Scopa resolved to revisit the norm of having only directors-general appearing before it.
We have decided that ministers should accompany their directors-general to the committee, because cabinet members bear ultimate political accountability for their departments.
While Scopa can’t comment on Sisulu’s statements regarding the findings of the auditor-general, we remain confident and appreciative of the work of the auditor-general in enhancing oversight and we will continue to strengthen our relations with him as he is one of the key stakeholders who enhances our mandate.
We believe in the integrity of the auditor-general, as opposed to Judge Heath, who falls outside our constitutional mandate in the oversight cycle.
— Themba Godi, chairman of the standing committee on public accounts, parliament, Cape Town
- Sunday Times
Among other things, she claimed that the auditor-general failed to provide a “balanced audit report” on the project. She also said that the standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) didn’t have sufficient knowledge of the project; thus its criticism of the project was ill-informed.
And she suggested that Scopa didn’t know what the auditor-general’s report was about (‘I get the feeling that if they knew, they might be concentrating on a different outcome.’)
We would have welcomed it if the minister had engaged with us directly for any clarification on the issues raised under her leadership of the department.
We will continue to execute our oversight work relentlessly in our quest for accountability, without yielding to undue political pressure from the executive.
Although it’s not usual for Scopa to account to anyone outside parliament for its activities, a few misstatements by the minister regarding our engagement with the department on the N2 Gateway project require some form of clarification.
Firstly, Scopa’s engagement with the department regarding the project was on the basis of what was contained in the auditor-general’s report.
Thus, the outcomes of the hearings reflected the information provided to the committee by officials from the three spheres tasked with the implementation of the project, including the director-general of the national department of human settlements.
Our criticism of the project was not of an extraordinary nature, but a reflection of the challenges faced by the department in implementing the project.
The key challenges identified by Scopa related to unsound procurement processes (including the appointment of Cyberia although it was ranked sixth in the list of companies which bid for the contract), poor financial planning, and a lack of co-operation between the three spheres of government in implementing the project.
Secondly, during our interaction with the department, the director-general, Itumeleng Kotsoane, and other officials present never disputed the findings of the auditor-general, but rather gave a thorough account of the structural, financial, leadership and other challenges facing the full implementation of the Gateway project.
It was clear from their submissions that there were incomprehensible disparities between the three spheres — so much so that the committee halted its hearing as Scopa was not satisfied with the level of responses given by officials in all three spheres during its initial hearing.
Thirdly, our mandate as a committee is to ensure that public funds are spent effectively and efficiently in a manner that contributes to greater service delivery.
‘We will continue to execute our oversight work relentlessly in our quest for accountability’Ours is to get clarity on why things have gone wrong and to find solutions to challenges faced by departments appearing before us.
The report compiled by Judge Willem Heath might have assisted the minister in getting a “balanced audit” but that report was never presented to us before our engagement with the officials — nor did the officials mention it during their submissions.
In the quest to get the “balanced view” the minister referred to, we kindly request her to give us the opportunity to view the report, as it will assist us to enhance our resolutions on the matter.
We see her sentiments regarding our engagement with the auditor-general’s report on the N2 Gateway project as an illustration of the lack of proper representation by her former officials.
This misrepresentation highlights a trend that the committee has also noted: of certain directors-general who at times act on the instructions of ministers, not owning up to some of the decisions taken.
In its recent strategic workshop, Scopa resolved to revisit the norm of having only directors-general appearing before it.
We have decided that ministers should accompany their directors-general to the committee, because cabinet members bear ultimate political accountability for their departments.
While Scopa can’t comment on Sisulu’s statements regarding the findings of the auditor-general, we remain confident and appreciative of the work of the auditor-general in enhancing oversight and we will continue to strengthen our relations with him as he is one of the key stakeholders who enhances our mandate.
We believe in the integrity of the auditor-general, as opposed to Judge Heath, who falls outside our constitutional mandate in the oversight cycle.
— Themba Godi, chairman of the standing committee on public accounts, parliament, Cape Town
- Sunday Times
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