Public Protector holds a fruitful meeting with Limpopo legislature and executive

Public Protector Adv Thuli Madonsela on Tuesday held a fruitful meeting in Polokwane with the Limpopo provincial legislature with Premier Cassel Mathale and some members of the executive attending.

The meeting was part of the Public Protector Stakeholder Dialogue which this year focuses on RDP houses and the alleged illegal conversion of panel vans into taxis.

The Public Protector shared with the provincial leadership allegations she received from her earlier interaction with stakeholders mainly drawn from civil society, provincial and local government.

She promised them that all allegations raised will attended to as a matter of urgency and the office will report back to the communities on her findings on all allegations levelled against provincial and municipal authorities.

Members of the legislature commended the Public Protector on the sterling job her office continues to do and raised several issued they felt could improve on the

Some raised issues which included the allegations of exploitation of workers especially women by farm owners in the province.

They called for an urgent establishment of a working relationship with the office to ensure that community concerns are dealt with timeously. This will be in the areas of outreach to help explain responsibilities of both institutions to communities.

At the meeting MEC for cooperative governance, human settlements and traditional affairs, Mr C Motsepe promised the people in the province that all complaints related to RDP houses in the province will be taken care of. He promised the provincial leadership that houses will delivered in four months for qualifying people who have been waiting for long.

In the province the Public Protector received complaints about poor workmanship in the RDP houses, houses being rented to people of foreign nationals and houses being sold before they could be completed.

Other complaints came from Somali residents who alleged to the Public Protector that police officials were closing down their businesses. Others complained about lack of medicines in the provincial health centres. One complainant told the gathering that everytime his chronic father went to hospital, he was told there was no medicine.

The Public Protector promised that all allegations which included those of some companies being unfairly blacklisted for refusing to partake in corrupt activities in the building of RDP houses.

She commended the provincial authorities for beginning the process of ensuring that the government didn’t pay twice for the same house after the contractor had produced a shoddy work.

Speaking at the meeting, the Premier of Limpopo Mr Castle Mathale asked members and all public office bearers to see the Public Protector as an institution which complements their work.

The Public Protector will conclude her visit in the province with an outreach event in Thabazimbi on Wednesday.

For more information, contact:

Momelezi Kula (Mr) Executive 
Manager: Outreach, Education and Communication Public Protector South Africa
083 494 4074 012 366 7004
momelezik@pprotect.org
0800 11 20 40