The Department of Home Affairs' (DHA's) “Who am I” online project is in limbo, as government departments and officials try to unravel the status of the multibillion-rand project.
Media reports this morning suggest the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs had removed home affairs minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula's political powers, as a result of the department's underperformance.
Furthermore, the committee is reported to have suggested National Treasury and the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) take over the management of home affairs' financial management.
Reports also said the committee has suspended the ailing “Who am I” online project, whose budget has reportedly swelled to R4 billion.
However, this morning, government officials and stakeholders seemed unaware of the status of the project, or what was, in fact, decided by the committee yesterday.
Home affairs head of communications Siobhan McCarthy denied the portfolio committee ordered the department be put in the care of DPSA and treasury. “What the committee suggested is that the minister [Mapisa-Nqakula] merely seeks the assistance of treasury and the DPSA.”
In regard to the “Who am I” project, McCarthy says the DHA had so far not received any formal communiqu'e from the portfolio committee, which met with the auditor-general (AG) yesterday to discuss the project.
No word
The project was awarded to a consortium headed by GijimaAst in October last year and officially signed in July. However, the project had been plagued by various allegations of irregularities, including questions over its constantly increasing costs, and was subsequently referred to for investigation to the AG by Mapisa-Nqakula, on recommendation from the committee. So far, no findings have been issued by the AG.
“Neither the minister, nor the director-general have received any word about the project from the portfolio committee. As far as we are concerned, the project is still ongoing and will be until we are informed of any changes,” says McCarthy.
Similarly, DPSA spokesperson Ramona Baijnath could not comment on whether the department would administer the DHA. “We haven't heard anything yet,” she says.
Regarding the “Who am I” investigation, a source close to the matter has confirmed the AG wrote a letter to the committee in July, asking for the terms of reference for the investigation.
“The response from the committee only came two months later, in early October, outlining terms of reference and a request for the AG to present findings on 21 October.”
The source adds there have been meetings after the fact, during which recommendations by the portfolio committee were made, including the suspension of the “Who Am I” online project, but these have not been instituted.
Jonas Bogoshi, CEO of GijimaAst, says he knows nothing about a suspension of the project, and says that, as far as he is concerned, the project is continuing. “We have not received any notification to that effect and work on the project is still carrying on.”
Portfolio committee chairman Patrick Chauke was not available for comment this morning.
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Where is 'Who am I'?
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