Public Protector calls on members of the public to help
bring wrongdoers to book
Friday, 31 August 2012
Public Protector Adv. Thuli Madonsela has appealed to
members of public to work with her office to bring
wrongdoers responsible for RDP fraud and corruption to book.
She was speaking at the last public hearing on RDP housing
maladministration and regulatory gaps in the conversion of
panel vans into minibus taxis in Saldanha Bay, Western Cape
on Friday.
�Together we can get RDP, service delivery and general
public sector service back on track. The key to responsive
service delivery is good governance.� she said, adding that
the core of good governance was a listening, responsive and
transparent state.
The hearings commenced early July and called for joining
hands to end maladministration and ensure good governance.
They are part of a systemic investigation the Public
Protector is currently conducting on RDP housing and
regulatory gaps on the conversion of panel vans.
In the Western Cape, key concerns raised centred on
regulatory gaps in the people�s housing projects (PHP)
projects, long wait for houses particularly for older
persons, many of which have been waiting since the early 90s
and a few that having applied long before democracy. Size,
quality, structuring of houses and illegal sale of houses
mainly to foreign nationals was also noted as a major
concern.
Communities alleged that there were houses that were built
without cement and were falling apart. Others complained
about incomplete projects that commenced years back, leaving
them with letters that informed them their applications had
been successful but they still had no houses.
Allegations of corruption again topped the list, with
councillors and municipal employees fingered. The Deputy
Mayor of Saldanha Bay municipality, Cllr Alderman Jager,
conceded that some of the allegations were true and
disciplinary action was being taken.
On the illegal conversion of panel vans, the Public
Protector heard from the South African National Taxi Council
(SANTACO) and other role players in the transport industry.
Speakers confirmed that illegally converted panel vans had
been sold and that some were still on the roads. They blamed
government for poor management of the taxi recapitalisation,
which they said, left many of them with enormous financial
burden.
They also pointed a finger at government for regulatory
failure. The Public Protector welcomed the Western Cape
Legislative initiative to monitor her hearings on this and
other matters.
The Public Protector has promised a further engagement with
SANTACO and called for anyone affected or that has
information on this to approach her office. Other transport
grivieances related to the use of bakkies to transport
school children. There was also a complaint that some
communities were not getting scholar transport subsidies.
Other key and general service delivery complaints from
communities were the issues of fishing rights, access to
employment and other economic opportunities. Access to
quality health services and water, with one complainant
bringing a bottle of contaminated water to prove her point,
were also raised as concern. Sanitation also emerged as an
issue. In one settlement, the complaint was that ten
families shared a toilet while others complained that they
had no waterborne sanitation. There were several complaints
regarding electricity, police service and access to schools.
With regard to schools there was an allegation of language
discrimination. The plight of disabled people also kept
coming up.
The stakeholder consultative dialogue will now shift to
specific interest groups, focusing mainly on political
parties and other sectors, including the media. The
programme will officially conclude on 12 September 2012.
Issued by:
Kgalalelo Masibi
Spokesperson for the Public Protector
Tel: (012) 366 7006
Cell: 079 507 0399
E-mail:
[email protected]
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