Mchunu denies dismantling panel
• Members ‘were linked to previous minister and their term had expired’
Newly appointed water & sanitation minister Senzo Mchunu has dismissed allegations that he had dismantled a disciplinary advisory committee that was taking on senior officials accused of corruption, saying the panel’s term had ended. The committee was established to drive the process of holding officials identified as wrongdoers to account.
Newly appointed water & sanitation minister Senzo Mchunu has dismissed allegations that he had dismantled a disciplinary advisory committee that was taking on senior officials accused of corruption, saying the panel’s term had ended.
The ministerial disciplinary advisory committee, which was chaired by former minister Susan Shabangu, was established by former minister Lindiwe Sisulu in December 2020 to drive the process of holding officials identified as wrongdoers to account and to respond to systemic concerns raised by the auditor-general.
Duke Mgaga, Len Konar, Sandi Mbatsha and Johnny de Lange were the other committee members.
Speaking to Business Day on Friday, Mchunu denied axing the committee members, saying their employment contracts were linked to those of his predecessor.
“They were a disciplinary advisory committee, and we need to stick to that. They were advising the minister [Lindiwe Sisulu] directly. Presiding officers, those are the people who preside over disciplinary processes, not an advisory committee,” Mchunu said.
He conceded that “there are so many officials who are undergoing disciplinary processes, in different directorates.
There are 18 or so cases that are at various levels of investigation, but nothing will stop the current [disciplinary committee] processes from going forward.”
The minister said he had been briefed about the disciplinary processes under way.
“I will be going on a detailed briefing, on a case-by-case basis, so that I’m brought on board on what all the issues are. All due processes will be followed,” Mchunu said.
He referred other questions to his spokesperson Kamogelo Mogotsi.
AWAITING REPORT
Mogotsi said 12 members, including the chairperson, were appointed to the disciplinary advisory committee.
The members’ contracts were linked to the previous minister’s term, as stipulated in their terms of reference, she said, adding that “we are still awaiting the closing-out report from the committee”.
“There is an internal [audit] unit that deals with cases of misconduct and where referrals to law enforcement agencies are necessary, [it] will be effected,” Mogotsi said.
The department of water & sanitation 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, up from R9.6bn the previous year, while the water trading entity that is responsible for water infrastructure and service provision had irregular expenditure of R7.8bn, compared with R7.7bn before.
In June, Sisulu and Shabangu briefed parliament’s portfolio committee on human settlements, water & sanitation 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 by President Cyril Ramaphosa to investigate some of the irregularities, which in cases have involved senior managers.
Shabangu, a former minister both of social development and of mineral resources, among many portfolios in the government, said then that billions of rand had gone missing from the department. She expressed confidence that by end-2021 all the matters involving about R9.7bn would have been finalised.
In a letter to disciplinary committee member Duke Mgaga dated August 18, the department’s acting directorgeneral, Deborah Mochotlhi, wrote that his contract with the department was linked to Sisulu’s term.
Sisulu’s term in the department ended on August 5.
When contacted, the committee members refused to comment and referred Business Day to Shabangu, who did not respond to questions sent to her.