I have taken this opportunity to tell our people the truth, and hope it is understood that we will always have this duty, writes Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu.
On 22 June 2022, the online publication, News24, carried an article under the headline, "Flights, food and flowers: How Lindiwe Sisulu spent human settlements, water and sanitation department's money", written by Jason Felix.
In the article, Felix reports that "The Department of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation spent R161 million on travel expenditure, R60 million on flights, and R35 000 on flowers during the tenure of the previous minister, Lindiwe Sisulu". Lifting from an answer to the Honourable Emma Louise Powell, a member of the official opposition in our people's assembly, about "details of the expenditure during Sisulu's tenure, Felix misappropriated facts and betrayed the principle on which parliamentary inquiry is based – to inform the people and empower citizens in the pursuit of a vibrant and accountable democracy. In the headline, as in the presentation of facts, Felix crafts a political narrative rather than providing the public with information on which citizens could hold me, as an elected representative, to account.
As is evidenced by online comments, the article created the intended impression about my person, and the work we have led, as the executive authority. One reader comments: "She is nothing but a disaster. She is like the rest of CANCER". Another notes: "Sad for the poor and homeless. The only area that public officials excel is spending public money on everything EXCEPT building houses, providing water and services for the people."
On social media, journalist and broadcaster Bongani Binga writes: "Why does the black child remain poor, asks Lindiwe Sisulu. Look at the lick spittle judges and the constitution that hasn't delivered, she argues. Then she spends millions on flights, flowers and food. Throwing stones from her glass mansion??? #702Breakfast @Radio702."
OUTA (The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse) argues that: "Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation, Minister Lindiwe Sisulu's department spent R161m on travel, R60 million on flights, R37m on catering, but could only find R100m of R1bn to clean up the Vaal River." Thus, the impression and narrative established in the minds of South Africans is that of a corrupt, arrogant and underperforming minister, with no regard for the interest of the poor or the public in general.
But what is the truth?
Context
Firstly, it is important to provide some context on how the government works, and the responsibility of various actors in governance, and why the headline is unfair and deliberately misleading, and dangerously misinforming the public.
The head of department, or director general, is responsible for outputs and implementation, and is accountable to the legislature for the management of the implementation of the budget. Thus, the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) of 1999 places the responsibility for financial matters in the hands of the Head of Department, as the Accounting Officer.
Well, understood, the PFMA outlines the responsibilities of Accounting Officers (AOs) of departments. According to sections 38-43 of the PFMA, the AO is responsible for ensuring effective and efficient and transparent finance management of their institutions. They must set up relevant systems, such as internal audit and procurement for this purpose. The Executive Authority (the minister) is responsible for policy. This is why ministers are not involved in procurement. The article in question ignored this, and succeeded in creating the impression that I have presided over poor governance, as well as irresponsible and irregular and wasteful expenditure.
But what is the truth, which we must tell to the people and on which they must hold us to account?
When President Ramaphosa appointed me in May 2019 as Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation, there was indeed work to be done in delivering on the promises of our government and the hopes of the people. In their 2020 'Cabinet Ratings', News24 rightly noted: "When Sisulu took over, two departments were dogged by allegations of corruption." For the benefit of the public, whose mandate we carry in the work we do, it is important to do the work that News24 didn't, about what we did under the years in question.
A glimpse into the Auditor General's reports helps provide the truth. The audit report for the Department of Human Settlements for 2018/19 placed emphasis on matters of financial information and material findings on predetermined objectives. It also revealed a low 75% compliance with statutory tabling and prescripts. It was our job to work towards improving these outcomes we found. When the auditor general gave an opinion for 2019/20, for which I was now responsible, we received an Unqualified Audit opinion, with 91% compliance with statutory tabling and prescripts. By the time we left the department after the 2020/21 financial year, we received an Unqualified Audit opinion, with no matters of emphasis, and 100 % compliance with statutory tabling and prescripts. A picture quite different to that painted by News24 of a minister with disregard for governance.
It is, therefore, our duty to tell our people the truth, and they must be our judge.
Truth about delivery of services
What about our policy commitment to the poor, women and young people? In the 2017/18 financial year, 10.42% of the Human Settlements Development Grant (HSDG) construction budget and 8.09% of the Urban Settlements Development Grant (USDG) was allocated to women. In the 2019/20, 30% of HSDG and USDG budgets were preferentially allocated to women-owned entities. 10% of HSDG and USDG budgets were preferentially allocated to youth-owned entities monitored. Our commitment to support women and young people has been demonstrated.
What is the truth about delivery of services, with specific reference to what OUTA had to say, in relation to work done in the crisis we found in the Vaal. In April 2021, the Sedibeng Ster, a local publication in the Vaal area, carried the article, 'Removing Sisulu from Vaal River Recovery would be a setback'. In article they said, "The Golden Triangle Chamber of Commerce (GTCoC) has warned that removing Sisulu from the present advanced stage of Vaal River recovery planning would be a setback for the region and river both environmentally and economically. Business and civil society stakeholders have also written letters to President Ramaphosa, the Premier of Gauteng Province and other political role players in government to prevent any Sisulu removal from the Vaal".
The article further noted, "Sisulu has mobilised wide support in the Vaal for her participative vision of river and water and sanitation recovery and recently moved to take full control from ELM in terms of Section 63 of the Water Act, thus unleashing massive resources and management capacity to fast-track [the intervention]." The article also represented that GTCoC CEO Klippies Kritzinger was adamant Sisulu's removal would destabilise the project, to the value as much as R9 billion".
It is curious how OUTA arrived at the figures they quote and the conclusions they reach about our work in the Vaal crisis. It is important to consider two important reports in the Daily Maverick publication, namely, "The Vaal River water system is South Africa's economic lifeline — Lindiwe Sisulu's R8bn rescue plan is mission critical", written by former Water Research Commission CEO, and the special investigation report under the title, "Watergate – Whistle-blower lifts lid" on "probably the most perfect example of ANC State Capture" which outlines our work in dealing with corruption in the Department of Water and Sanitation.
Yet in their Cabinet Ratings, News24 concluded, "No achievements can be allocated to Sisulu". They further stated, "speculation has been rife that Sisulu has been using her department to regain strength on the way to the ANC presidency". In this sense, News24 ignored all available evidence about our work in the department, and instead focused on political speculation and fostering political agendas and narratives.
It is, therefore, our duty to tell the people the truth, and the people must be our judge.
The truth
Sections of the media have done well to expose the corruption which represents one of the major challenges of post-democratic South Africa. But the Commission on Freedom of the Press had an important point when they held: "The modern press itself is a new phenomenon. Its typical unit is the great agency of mass communication. These agencies can facilitate thought and discussion. They can stifle it …. They can play up or down the news and its significance, foster and feed emotions, create complacent fictions and blind spots, misuse great words and uphold empty slogans."
In this regard, we have to remember what the African National Congress said in a discussion document released in 2002 that, "The behaviour of media during the apartheid years left a legacy that has not been eradicated nor properly discussed. At every turn when media were invited to shed light on its past, only a few have risen to the challenge… It is therefore not surprising that sections of the media continue to act in a manner, which resist meaningful transformation of our country".
In this sense, the document said, "There is therefore a need to continually engage with the media around their attitude towards the democratic movement and government, difficult though this may be".
I have taken this opportunity to tell our people the truth, and hope it is understood that we will always have this duty. I am committing that, at every turn, we must defend the truth, and the gains we have made as a people and a movement.
- Lindiwe Sisulu is the minister for tourism in South Africa, and was previously the minister for human settlements, water and sanitation.
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