KZN Housing Impedes Parliament's Oversight

January 25, 2007

The IFP is dismayed at the Housing Department’s representatives’ failure to attend a second Public Accounts Committee hearing in a row.  The hearing was cancelled at a short notice and no apology has been received from the Accounting Officer.

“The unavailability of the Accounting Officer has become a solid impediment to Parliament’s oversight role,” said IFP KwaZulu-Natal parliamentary caucus spokesperson S’bu Ngidi MPP, who also represents his party on SCOPA.

The last time SCOPA had an opportunity to communicate with the department was on 17 October 2006. “This is painfully inadequate. Yet another SCOPA hearing had to be cancelled with such important issues on the agenda as the Booysen Commission Report unanswered,” said Ngidi.

The IFP believes that the Housing Department’s tardiness at best or its evasive tactics at worst have constitutional implications. “How can Parliament oversee the executive and hold it to account if its representatives simply do not pitch to scheduled meetings?” * said Ngidi.

As the province’s Official Opposition, the IFP will exercise its muscle in the parliamentary structures to get all the outstanding answers from the Department of Housing on time for public scrutiny.


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
S’bu Ngidi
082 966 7745