Heat is on for water officials

The department of human settlements, water & sanitation is making steady progress in holding to account those responsible for the mountain of irregular expenditure incurred over the years. Human settlements, water & sanitation minister Lindiwe Sisulu has appointed former minister Susan Shabangu to head a committee to drive the process of holding officials identified as wrongdoers to account.

The department of human settlements, water & sanitation is making steady progress in holding to account those responsible for the mountain of irregular expenditure incurred over the years.

Human settlements, water and sanitation minister Lindiwe Sisulu has appointed former minister Susan Shabangu to head a ministerial advisory disciplinary committee (established in December 2020) to drive the process of holding officials identified as wrongdoers to account and to respond to the concerns raised by the auditor-general.

The auditor-general has expressed concern about the lack of consequence management — the holding of officials to account — in government departments generally, but in the department of water & sanitation in particular. The department and the water boards that fall under it have been plagued by fraud, corruption and procurement irregularities.

In the 2020/2021 financial year the department notched up irregular expenditure of R9.8bn (R9.6bn the previous year), while the water trading entity that is responsible for water infrastructure and some service provision had irregular expenditure of R7.8bn (R7.7bn).

SIU MANDATED

Sisulu and Shabangu briefed parliament’s portfolio committee on human settlements, water & sanitation on Thursday on the progress made in investigating, disciplining and prosecuting those allegedly involved in fraud, corruption and procurement irregularities. The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has also been mandated to investigate irregularities, which have in some cases involved senior managers.

Shabangu, a former minister both of social development and of mineral resources, among other portfolios in government, was frank about the fact that billions of rand had gone missing from the department. However, she expressed confidence that by the end of 2021, all the matters involving about R9.7bn would have been finalised.

This amount represents the total irregular expenditure where disciplinary hearings have taken, or will take, place, or where court cases have been initiated or where further investigation is required.

Since 2019, the number of cases of irregularity have decreased from 166 to 47.

STRENGTHENING

Shabangu noted that cases against 23 officials — nine of whom had resigned — had been reported to the police but nothing had happened. That lack of action was a problem faced by many departments.

Disciplinary committee member Welekazi Dukuza said the strengthening of internal controls and measures put in place to prevent irregular expenditure had been effective in preventing this from occurring. She noted that 47 disciplinary cases were in progress, 10 involving senior managers. The committee heard that by end-July at least three out of the 10 cases involving senior managers would be completed.

Sisulu noted that the department was implementing a financial recovery plan to address performance and discipline systems; institutional stabilisation; capacity and transformation; sustainable service delivery; infrastructure maintenance and development; and financial management. “These efforts have resulted in an improved internal control environment.”

The department and the water trading entity had had no unauthorised expenditure since the 2018/2019 financial year, there had been a significant reduction in irregular and fruitless and wasteful expenditure and progress had made on disciplinary and investigation matters, she said.