The provincial Department of Housing condones shoddy workmanship on RDP houses.

In a reply to a written legislature question to the MEC for Housing by myself regarding the blacklisting of contractors in the last financial year, it was stated that there were no reports with respect to building contractors that were blacklisted.

This lack of action could be seen as support for wayward and dishonest contractors by not blacklisting them as required.

A further question was how many contractors had been cited for or has pending criminal charges against them for fraud. The reply given was there were no such records in the department.

The number of cases in the province where contactors have not performed or simply disappeared with our money is legendary. This is a shocking state of affairs and it must stop now.

I will be writing to the Premier and the MEC for Housing in the province as to why this is and what is to be done to remedy the situation.

As part of the DA's Agenda for Accountability I will also be raising this issue in the Legislature during the debate on the 2010/2011 Housing budget. The MEC will have to publically explain her lack of action in that forum.

Only yesterday we heard of another case where a contractor whose services had been terminated on King William's Town's Sweetwaters Housing project, is now allegedly building in Port Elizabeth.

Unless stern and ongoing action is taken to stamp out corruption and dishonesty in all government departments, this province and country will slide further into the abyss of a failed "basket case" state.

Government must stop its reluctance to act against corruption, even where the offender may be one of its cadres or supporters.