President Cyril Ramaphosa has ordered the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to probe allegations of corruption in various projects funded by the Housing Development Agency (HDA).
The probe will focus on maladministration in the HDA’s projects for human settlements departments in the Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, North West, Northern Cape and Western Cape.
The unit will also investigate whether the contracts were awarded in a manner that was fair, competitive, transparent, equitable or cost-effective and contrary to applicable legislation and guidelines issued by National Treasury or the relevant provincial Treasuries applicable to the HDA and the departments.
The probe will look into any irregular, improper, or unlawful conduct by service providers of the HDA and the departments or any other person or entity, relating to the allegations.
The scope of the probe is between April 2016 and May this year.
The DA in KwaZulu-Natal welcomed the SIU probe.
DA KZN spokesperson on human settlements Riona Gokool said the proclamation comes after major concerns were raised about the identification, acquisition, development and release of land meant for residential and community purposes.
“These processes were allegedly neither fair nor transparent and may also have contravened legislation and treasury regulations. It is further alleged that this has led to significant financial losses for the state,” said Gokool.
She said the DA views the inclusion of KZN department in the SIU probe as a necessary step towards ensuring justice for the people of the province — many of whom continue to suffer due to failed housing delivery and corruption-fuelled inefficiencies.
She said the party is particularly alarmed by alleged unlawful expenditure of public funds meant for housing KZN’s most vulnerable citizens and allegations of improper conduct by KZN government employees and contractors. It was also concerned about reports of serious maladministration in the province, which date back to April 2016.
The DHS's ongoing and inexcusable neglect of Flamingo Heights residents is outrageous. What is unfolding in this community is not just a failure of governance — it is a humanitarian crisis that exposes the department’s utter disregard for the dignity and wellbeing of vulnerable citizens
— Riona Gokool, DA KZN spokesperson on human settlements
“The DA calls on the SIU to conduct its probe with urgency, transparency and without political interference. All implicated individuals — whether public officials or private contractors — must be held fully accountable and where public funds have been misused, recovery action must follow,” she said.
Gokool said KZN’s housing crisis is worsened by corruption.
“Thousands of families are still without proper shelter, not due to a lack of resources, but as a result of theft and incompetence. As part of KZN’s government of provincial unity, the DA will continue to fight for clean governance and the delivery of housing to those who need it most,” she said.
On Sunday, Gokool raised the issue of “shocking ongoing neglect” of residents of the Flamingo Heights flats in Ward 61, Tongaat, north of Durban after receiving numerous complaints from occupants including leaking sewage pipes, ground floor units being repeatedly flooded and no running water in some units.
“The DHS's ongoing and inexcusable neglect of Flamingo Heights residents is outrageous. What is unfolding in this community is not just a failure of governance — it is a humanitarian crisis that exposes the department’s utter disregard for the dignity and wellbeing of vulnerable citizens.”
She said despite repeated calls for urgent intervention by both occupants and local DA councillors, the department of human settlements has failed to provide even the most basic living conditions for the people of Flamingo Heights.
Attempts to obtain comment from Ndabezinhle Sibiya, the spokesperson for KZN's MEC for human settlements Sboniso Duma, was unsuccessful.
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