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I will write to the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements, Nocawe Nafu, requesting that they summon Minister Lindiwe Sisulu to Parliament to account for the consistent underspending in the Human Settlements Department.
 

 
According to the Department of Human Settlements’ 2013/14 Annual Report, the department failed to spend over R100 million of its Rural Households Infrastructure Grant (RHIG) programme. Last year the department underspent RHIG funding by R135 million.
 

 
This brings the total amount of underspending on the RHIG over the past two years to over R235 million.
 

 
The RHIG’s primary purpose is to provide and improve sanitation services such as toilets to rural communities across South Africa. Since its inception in 2009, the grant has been underspent while millions of people in rural South Africa continue to live without basic sanitation.
 

 
This grant plays a crucial role in addressing some of the numerous inequalities and human rights violations rural communities have had to endure due to apartheid’s disgraceful legacy.
 

 
The Auditor General cited “major non-compliance with laws and regulations in terms of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) and Public Service regulations”. The AG’s findings further noted that leadership in the department did not exercise effective oversight with regards to financial and performance reporting, human resource management and monitoring the implementation of action plans.
 

 
The annual report also identified vacancies as a major challenge for the department.
 

 
The vacancy rates in the department’s critical positions are at:
 
 

• 42% for economists;
• 31% for engineers;
• 38% for financial and related professionals; and
• 29% for senior managers.

 
The Department of Human Settlements continually fails to prioritise and utilise the funds appropriated to it. The Minister must provide answers to these clear problems in her department.

Issued by the DA