DA calls on Department of Rural Development and Land Reform to issue definitive statement on status of DG
Department is neglecting its core duties to act transparently and account for its management practices
Public needs to be informed, especially in light of serious problems facing Department





The Democratic Alliance (DA) calls on the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform to clarify whether the Director-General, Thozi Gwanya, has in fact resigned or not. To date, the department has refused to issue a conclusive confirmation or denial of the reports of Mr. Gwanya's departure. Last week, the DA confirmed from senior officials both within the ANC and the Department that Mr. Gwanya had indeed resigned. Today the DG's spokesperson Eddie Mohoebi indicated that Thozi Gwanya is "...still the D-G and in the Department." I am certain that this is technically correct and that if Mr. Gwanya did resign last week he would not have left immediately - resignations usually require some period of formal notice - so the question is why the department cannot actually confirm whether Mr. Gwanya has tendered his resignation or not. Mr. Mohoebi's statement is nothing more than deliberate obfuscation.

The position of Director-General is the most senior within the department, the major responsibility of which is the administration of both the budget and programme of action for rural development and land reform. Given the urgency and importance of land reform in the country, it is important that we get some clarity from the department about exactly what is going on. The DA was able to verify with three separate sources that the D-G had resigned, this morning the Business Day reported that it had verified this too, and yet the departmental spokesperson is still trying to create the impression that it's business as usual. The department is obligated to clarify this matter to the public in order to ensure that the most fundamental precepts of accountability and transparency are adhered to.

This is especially urgent given the recent upheavals at this particular department. As information revealed by the DA has shown, the department is responsible for a massive backlog in payments to post-settlement land-claimants to the tune of over R3,4 billion. Furthermore, the department owes another R580-million in payments to land sellers and has R497 million in lawsuits pending against it. These all point to major breakdowns in the department, and possibly serious irregularities; this was, indeed, the reason why I had called on the Auditor General to investigate the department in the first place.

All of these factors merely give urgency to the need for clarity from the department, which can ill afford to compound the problem by not taking control of this situation.

Likewise, the Department needs to explain why it has once again decided to put on hold the release the Green Paper on Land Reform, which was scheduled for release later today. The department's further delay in releasing it places a major obstacle in the way of public discussion, implementation of land reform policies, and examination of this major policy document.