Land Reform Department SIU investigation: DA requests progress report
It has been six months since the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) embarked on an investigation into irregularities at the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform. Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Rural Development and Land Reform has yet to receive a progress report on the progress of this crucial investigation.
Yesterday, during a briefing by Minister Gugile Nkwinti to the portfolio committee, he admitted that the Land Reform Green Paper did not address the Department's internal challenges, as "there were too many".
Given this reluctance by the Minister to provide a clear picture of the challenges facing his Department, I will therefore be writing to the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee, Stone Sizani, requesting that he invite the SIU to appear before Parliament as a matter of urgency, to provide the committee with a status report on the investigation.
The Proclamation issued by President Jacob Zuma in March this year mandated the SIU to investigate allegations of serious financial mismanagement in the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform, specifically relating to:
- the application for and awarding of grants;
- the transfer of land;
- payment of funds to beneficiaries;
- irregular expenditure; and
- wasteful and fruitless expenditure.