Hon Chairperson, Minister Nxesi, chair of the portfolio committee, hon members, friends and colleagues in the gallery, when I joined the Department of Public Works in June last year the department was still in the midst of a very difficult but absolutely necessary firefighting exercise. Minister Nxesi, who joined the department a few months before me at the end of 2011, arrived to find three large, imposing and daunting dossiers on his desk, one from the Auditor-General, one from the Special Investigating Unit and I think the other one was from the Public Protector.
Cracking down on corruption, dealing decisively with malpractices, which other members have also mentioned, and focusing inward on ourselves have all been a necessary focus over this past period.
Of course, turnaround and stabilisation still remain important priorities, as is dealing with corruption. We still have to do this. As the Minister said, we firmly believe that we are now relatively stabilised as a department, and this is very important. It means that we can now begin to focus more intently on our strategic responsibilities. We can begin to look outward and forward, and not just inward and backward. That is why we agree with you, and thank you for congratulating the Minister for, in 2012 and 2013, beginning to turn around this very complicated ship. I don't think it is because he joined the DA. There is no evidence of that. [Laughter.] [Interjections.]