Speaker, on behalf of the Congress of the People, we would like to congratulate the Public Accounts Committee on the very thorough work done in that committee. We believe that, steadily, they are putting the screws on some of the public officials who believe that they can get away with poor administration and irregular practices in the department. As soon as the irregular practices are discovered, they can just move to another lucrative job within the Public Service.
Clearly, what is of significance is that some of them will have to start paying back. I am referring to the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs' report, where the committee recommended that the accounting officer should ensure that monies are recovered from employees who were responsible for incurring the identified fruitless and wasteful expenditure.
However, we would also like to add our voice to another approach to ensure executive accountability. It has become an absolute trend that the Public Accounts Committee is battling to have the executive political heads of the departments hauled before that committee. They simply do not go. Instead they send in the heads of departments and in the end, when the seat becomes too hot, the officials responsible for the financial mismanagement just move on.
All executive members are accountable to this House. They are accountable to all the committees in this House, and we will have to look at our role in Parliament, at how to ensure that recommendations of the Public Accounts Committee also go to portfolio committees so that they can enforce steps taken and intervene timeously. Thank you. [Applause.]