Madam Deputy Speaker, the Department of Public Works is not the type of department that should be attracting headlines but it does. The credibility and internal governance measures of this department have large question marks hanging over them.
The DA cannot in good conscience support a budget for this department when we know the Public Protector's report, whether it is finalised or not, is critical of Public Works Minister Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde, Police Commissioner Bheki Cele and businessman Roux Shabangu. [Interjections.] The report deals with irregular leases for the police in Pretoria and Durban. The DG has stated in the report that he feared for his safety and was pressurised into approving the two police deals, apparently worth R1,6 billion.
The public deserves value for money, but the Department of Public Works is not securing the best deals for properties that are to be used by government departments. The Minister herself said recently that we need to clean our houses and give South Africa a better service. The DA agrees and we are waiting for the results. The department is facing large amounts of litigation, which is costing a lot of taxpayers' money. This is money that should rather be spent on service delivery. If this department can fix itself and root out corruption, the DA will support this budget next year.