Note to Editors: Please note Riona Gokool, MPL sound bite in English
The DA in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) welcomes a presidential proclamation authorising the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to probe claims of serious maladministration, corruption and unlawful public funds expenditure within the province’s Department of Human Settlements (DHS).
The probe, which extends to seven other provinces, includes various sectors within KZN’s DHS, including the Housing Development Agency, which has long been a source of concern to the DA.
The proclamation comes after major concerns were raised around the identification, acquisition, development and release of land meant for residential and community purposes. These processes were allegedly neither fair nor transparent and may also have contravened legislation and treasury regulations. It is further alleged that this has led to significant financial losses for the state.
The DA views the inclusion of KZN’s DHS as a necessary step towards ensuring justice for the people of our province – many of whom continue to suffer due to failed housing delivery and corruption-fuelled inefficiencies.
The DA is particularly alarmed by:
• Alleged unlawful expenditure of public funds meant for housing KZN’s most vulnerable citizens
• Allegations of improper conduct by KZN government employees and contractors and;
• Reports of serious maladministration in KZN, which may date as far back as April 2016.
The DA calls on the SIU to conduct its probe with urgency, transparency, and without political interference. All implicated individuals – whether public officials or private contractors – must be held fully accountable and where public funds have been misused, recovery action must follow.
KZN’s housing crisis is only deepened by such corruption. Thousands of families are still without proper shelter, not due to a lack of resources, but as a result of theft and incompetence. As part of KZN’s Government of Provincial Unity (GPU), the DA will continue to fight for clean governance and the delivery of housing to those who need it most.