Note to Editors: Please find Riona Gokool, MPL sound bite in English
The DA has called for a comprehensive audit of KwaZulu-Natal’s (KZN) Department of Human Settlement (DHS) following an ongoing lack of consequence management while service delivery levels continue to plummet.
The call, made during a meeting of the KZN Human Settlement portfolio committee last week, comes in addition to a call to MEC Siboniso Duma, to publicise lifestyle audits conducted by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU).
KZN is facing a critical challenge in informal housing, with many residents still living in inadequate and overcrowded conditions without access to essential services. This while the DHS continues to make excuses for its inability to deliver.
A report (view here) presented to the committee last week also states that despite this, there have been no disciplinary actions against senior officials.
There is a critical need for effective consequence management within all KZN government departments to combat corruption and mismanagement. Robust financial governance and strict consequence management are essential for the proper functioning of departments.
Lack of timely investigations into irregularities, poor record-keeping, and inadequate consequence management foster an environment where inefficiency and misconduct thrive. The failure to enforce consequence management also propels corruption in our province.
It appears that DHS reports are simply aimed at ticking boxes and satisfying committee requirements while there remains no sense of accountability and while no tangible solutions are forthcoming by the clearly troubled department.
Last weeks’ committee meeting again exposed the dire situation in KZN which includes;
• Numerous stalled, blocked and unfinished housing projects across the province;
• Renegade contractors who fail to perform;
• Wasteful expenditure across the board;
• The failure to properly identify beneficiaries, no comprehensive beneficiary list and a growing title deed backlog and;
• A lack of cohesion with other provincial government departments ultimately impacting service delivery.
In order to address these systemic challenges and ensure sustainable, inclusive development in our province, MEC Duma and his department must commit to focusing on good governance, service delivery, financial management and community engagement.
This department cannot continue to make excuses for its inability to deliver. With a new HOD in place, KZN’s DHS must now develop a clear strategy and demonstrate the will to start doing result-driven business.