Parliament, Tuesday, 8 May 2018 – A joint meeting of the Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation, the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) and the Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration today considered the terms of reference for the establishment of the commission of inquiry into the functioning of the Department of Water and Sanitation. The terms of reference speak to the rules of the National Assembly, the objectives of the inquiry, issues that the inquiry will focus on, time frames and the procedure of the inquiry.
The joint committee also considered the guidelines on the scope of the inquiry, which provide key focus areas and a brief scope for the inquiry in the department. The joint committee has agreed to focus on financial areas, which will include irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure, budgeting, deviations and expansions, accruals and duplicate payments of service providers.
The joint committee will also focus on human resources management, infrastructure projects, contract management and project management, implementing agents, ministerial directives to water boards, investigations, raw water revenue, governance of the water entities and reconfiguration of the department.
The draft guidelines also provide a suggested list of possible witnesses to appear and provide evidence at the inquiry. The list of possible witnesses includes officials of the department, internal audit officials, audit committee, past officials implicated, project managers, implementing agents, contractors, sub-contractors, consultants, Reserve Bank representatives, whistle blowers, National Treasury, water boards members (former and current), the Auditor-General of South Africa and audit firms, some audited water entities and any other persons that may be identified by the joint committee.
The joint committee has scheduled to finalise and adopt the programme for the inquiry next week.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSONS OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON WATER AND SANITATION, MR LULU JOHNSON; SCOPA, MR THEMBA GODI; AND ACTING CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION, MS MINA LESOMA.
For media enquiries or interviews with the Chairpersons, please contact the committees’ Media Officer:
Name: Ms Faith Ndenze
Parliamentary Communication Services
Tel: 021 403 8062
Cell: 081 377 0686
Email: fndenze@parliament.gov.za
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