Public Protector commends correction of botched home handover in FS – SABC Information

The Public Protector has welcomed the implementation of its remedial action by the Free State Department of Human Settlements after the department wrongfully handed over a new house at Hillside View, in Bloemfontein in April 2022.

The Public Protector’s investigation found that the house that was allocated to Lucia Ntsaku actually should have been handed to Sarah Burgess who is now deceased. The department has now handed over the house to the heirs of Burgess.

The Public Protector’s, Ndili Msoki has commended the department for complying with its remedial action.

“The implementation of the Public Protector’s remedial action is an expression of a willingness by the state to ensure that justice is not only done but is seen to be done. The Public Protector is entrusted with inter alia, the duty to assist the state to identify shortcomings in its systems, and the remedial actions contained in the Public Protector’s reports are intended to correct the identified inadequacies to prevent reoccurrence of the issues complained of in the future,” says Msoki.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) reported the matter to the Public Protector after the house was handed over in 2022.

In its complaint the DA alleged that there was an abuse of state resources for party political purposes by the African National Congress (ANC) during the party’s Letsema Campaign on the 23rd of April 2022.