Settlements minister vows to end graft
Human Settlements Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi will approach the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to conduct an investigation in all the department’s entities where there are claims of wrongdoing and corruption.
“I have said elsewhere that wrongdoing and corruption will be dealt with, without fear or favour, and I encourage those with any evidence of wrongdoing to take the information to law enforcement agencies,” Kubayi said yesterday.
Briefing the media on policy amendments coming into effect from 1 April and various issues affecting the department, Kubayi said due to long periods of poor leadership and instability in some of the housing boards, a destructive culture has germinated .
“I am speaking of the culture of rumour-mongering, fictitious grievances, media leaks and unsubstantiated and frivolous whistleblowing that has taken root.”
While she strongly believes that wrongdoing and corruption must be dealt with decisively, Kubayi warned that channels for exposing such should not be abused for agendas that have little to do with fighting corruption.
“Since arriving in this portfolio, I have been bombarded with allegations and counter-allegations of corruption which are then leaked to the media.
“What is common about these allegations is that no evidence is ever produced to support them and yet I spend hours responding to media inquiries about allegations.”
The stabilisation effort has also been made difficult by the existence of “well-entrenched patronage and corruption networks”, which were putting up a fight.
The minister also announced the appointment of boards in five of the department’s entities, including the Housing Development Agency, Social Housing Regulatory Authority, Community Schemes Ombud Service, the Property Practitioners’ Regulatory Authority and the National Home Builders Registration Council.
Cabinet has also approved the appointments of the National Housing Finance Corporation (NHFC) board. Kubayi said the board would be formally appointed for a period of three years at the NHFC annual general meeting to be held next week Tuesday.
The minister also acknowledged that the appointment of boards does not automatically bring stability to the entities, but is an important step in the right direction.
“Most of these entities have multiple vacancies at an executive level, some do not have the necessary technical skills to execute their mandate and yet others have organisational structures that are wholly unsuitable for the execution of their mandate,” Kubayi said.