Senzo Mchunu to probe Lindiwe Sisulu’s costly advisory committees

Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu is investigating various ministerial advisory committees set up by his predecessor Lindiwe Sisulu.

Four Ministerial Advisory Committees had been established, namely: the Water Advisory Committee, Water Services Committee, National Rapid Response Task Team (NRRTT) and the Disciplinary Advisory Committee.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) claimed the NRRTT, under Sisulu, claimed R3.7 million in travel and accommodation expenses between March 2019 and the State of Disaster period.

Earlier this month, DA MP and spokesperson on human settlements, Emma Louise Powell, said Sisulu’s top aide, Mphumzi Mdekazi, had claimed more than R1.76 million in travel expenses since May 2019.

ALSO READ: Sisulu’s advisory committee spent R3.7 million on travel and accommodation

The party further accused Sisulu of personally appointing two members to the NRRTT without submitting CVs.

The appointees include former Fees Must Fall leader Chumane Maxwele and former Congress of the People (Cope) leader Mbulelo Ncedana.

“It has long been suspected that that minister Sisulu may have used state resources to staff herself a political war room disguised as a ‘rapid response team’.

“These concerns persist in the absence of any concrete evidence of what governance-related outcomes these units have achieved in the past two years,” Powell said in a statement.

But members of the task team rubbished the claims.

ALSO READ: Sisulu’s task team slams claims they and advisor spent millions on travel

Likhaya Ngqezana, the deputy chairperson of the NRRTT, said Powell’s reading of the parliamentary responses bordered on “inaccuracy” and were part of a “desperate agenda” to undermine the service delivery and governance work that Sisulu performed.

Department of Water and Sanitation spokesperson, Sputnik Ratau, said Mchunu had been informed about the various committees since assuming office.

“Minister Mchunu will be writing to the chairpersons of the various committees, requesting closeout reports in respect of the activities they had undertaken during their term,” said Ratau.