Pretoria - Public Works Minister Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde says Public Protector, Advocate Thuli Madonsela, must be given an opportunity to do her work without any interference.
"The Public Protector must be given time to complete what she is working on without interference," the minister said.
Speaking after a meeting with provincial MECs today, Mahlangu-Nkabinde appealed to South Africans to support the Public Protector.
This comes after she was asked about the lease agreement by the police for the Sanlam Middestad Building in Pretoria and the leaked report.
Following the Public Protector's investigation into the matter, her findings were that the Public Works Department's decision to continue with the deal, despite legal opinion advising against it, amounted to maladministration. The Public Protector rendered the lease invalid.
Yesterday, government reiterated its commitment and support to the work and Office of the Public Protector.
Media reports earlier this week claimed that Public Protector Thuli Madonsela would be arrested on charges of fraud, allegedly committed while she worked as a commissioner at the SA Law Commission four years ago.
Madonsela denied the claims and said in a press conference on Wednesday there were no documents showing that she had committed any fraud.
With regard to the meeting she had with the MECs, Mahlangu-Nkabinde said among other issues discussed was the removal from the database of contractors who fail to finish their projects.
"We have taken a decision to remove and blacklist all those contractors who fail to complete their projects," she said.
Explaining how the process will be carried out, the department's Acting Deputy Director General, Sam Vukeli, said those contractors identified will receive letters about the department's intentions and they will also be given an opportunity to respond and give the reasons they are unable to finish the projects.
"The department will then asses the reason and decide based on that," he said.
Commenting on the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), Mahlangu-Nkabinde said the programme was well on track and that she was satisfied with the progress.
