WHISTLEBLOWERS on corrupt housing deals are being threatened and murdered even though they are in witness protection programmes, human settlements director-general Thabane Zulu told MPs yesterday.
Zulu told the human settlements portfolio committee that investigations into corrupt housing deals were dangerous, and witnesses were refusing to give evidence out of fear.
"Some people get threatened when protection has been provided," Zulu said. "Some get killed, even under witness protection. It is (a) life-threatening situation."
Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale has promised to crack down on housing corruption, saying the department is focusing on housing syndicates and dodgy contractors.
He has said investigations are under way into syndicates selling and renting state-owned houses primarily in Gauteng, North West and KwaZulu-Natal.
This week he said a team appointed by the department to investigate fraud and corruption had recovered R44million from provincial municipal officials since 2007.
Zulu said it was difficult to go into detail on some of the corrupt deals as the matters were "complex, sensitive and life-threatening".
"In some instances, having engaged with the Special Investigating Unit, it gets very complicated, particularly from a syndicate perspective," he said.
He said the department's decision to appoint the SIU and to budget R20million to investigate corruption had proved "a step in the right direction".
The SIU, however, often struggled to get information because the very same people who should provide information were also implicated, Zulu said.
He said when whistle-blowers "did show their faces", it made life far easier.
"Last week I met a guy from North West who is prepared to show his face. But he is one among 10.
"Few of those are in existence."
So far the department's task team had examined 10246 housing projects and arrested 1910 government officials for unlawfully benefiting from housing subsidies.
The SIU, headed by Willie Hofmeyr, had travelled to all nine provinces identifying the top 10 dodgy housing contracts in each province.
It was found that on average each contract amount was about R100million.
The team had found that thousands of houses had been condemned because of poor workmanship.
Some would have to be destroyed and others fixed at a cost of millions of rands.
- Sowetan
Zulu told the human settlements portfolio committee that investigations into corrupt housing deals were dangerous, and witnesses were refusing to give evidence out of fear.
"Some people get threatened when protection has been provided," Zulu said. "Some get killed, even under witness protection. It is (a) life-threatening situation."
Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale has promised to crack down on housing corruption, saying the department is focusing on housing syndicates and dodgy contractors.
He has said investigations are under way into syndicates selling and renting state-owned houses primarily in Gauteng, North West and KwaZulu-Natal.
This week he said a team appointed by the department to investigate fraud and corruption had recovered R44million from provincial municipal officials since 2007.
Zulu said it was difficult to go into detail on some of the corrupt deals as the matters were "complex, sensitive and life-threatening".
"In some instances, having engaged with the Special Investigating Unit, it gets very complicated, particularly from a syndicate perspective," he said.
He said the department's decision to appoint the SIU and to budget R20million to investigate corruption had proved "a step in the right direction".
The SIU, however, often struggled to get information because the very same people who should provide information were also implicated, Zulu said.
He said when whistle-blowers "did show their faces", it made life far easier.
"Last week I met a guy from North West who is prepared to show his face. But he is one among 10.
"Few of those are in existence."
So far the department's task team had examined 10246 housing projects and arrested 1910 government officials for unlawfully benefiting from housing subsidies.
The SIU, headed by Willie Hofmeyr, had travelled to all nine provinces identifying the top 10 dodgy housing contracts in each province.
It was found that on average each contract amount was about R100million.
The team had found that thousands of houses had been condemned because of poor workmanship.
Some would have to be destroyed and others fixed at a cost of millions of rands.
- Sowetan
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