Note to Editors: Please note Riona Gokool, MPL sound bite in English
The DA in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) notes with serious concern findings presented during a recent Transport Portfolio Committee briefing, which included an overview of the provincial Department of Transport’s (DoT) 2024/2025 Annual Report.
Both documents expose a continuing pattern of underperformance, infrastructure backlogs, and weak financial management which continue to undermine service delivery across our province.
Of particular concern is that, during the committee meeting, the department sought to deflect responsibility for its failures by blaming Provincial Treasury for delays in paying contractors.
The DA rejects this excuse as inaccurate and misleading. The DoT’s long-standing record of poor project management, chronic underspending, and irregular expenditure cannot be attributed to Treasury. This ongoing blame game is symptomatic of a department in denial about its own shortcomings.
The DA will insist that the Chairperson urgently call on KZN MEC Finance MEC, Francois Rodgers and Provincial Treasury to appear before committee members.
It is only through direct engagement that clarity will be achieved on the true causes for delayed payments, stalled infrastructure projects, and the department’s financial irregularities. Transparency and accountability are essential if this crisis is to be resolved and the truth established.
While the DoT has pointed to a few isolated achievements, these limited gains are overshadowed by widespread systemic failures which include;
• Underspending on infrastructure despite a significant budget allocation
• Worrying levels of irregular, fruitless, and wasteful expenditure and;
• Serious deficiencies in procurement controls, consequence management and project management – as raised by the Auditor-General (AG) and the department’s own Audit and Risk Committee.
Despite these same problems being raised year after year, they continue to persist with little evidence of corrective action.
Fixing transport delivery in KZN requires decisive action, not excuses or rhetoric. The DA remains committed to ensuring that public funds are used efficiently. KZN’s people must receive the reliable transport infrastructure they deserve.