NIALL Mellon, the millionaire head of a charity that builds houses for South Africa's poor, has launched a scathing attack on the Government's overseas development agency Irish Aid, slamming its frustrating "civil service" culture and its lack of risk-taking.The businessman, who last year received €5m from the Government to help fund the Niall Mellon Township Trust project, accused Ireland's foreign aid programme of being "grindingly slow and frustrating" and said officials had to be "dragged to the table" when it came to funding housing.
In an outspoken attack, Mr Mellon described how members of Irish Aid recently visited the charity's sites in South Africa and claimed that they "finished working at 4pm, in keeping with civil service times".
He added: "It is very frustrating as an entrepreneur that what should take a month to get agreed takes a year or 18 months. The decision-making processes are grindingly slow.
"Working as an entrepreneur, there are no limits in the day, Saturday or Sunday, 9pm or 10pm. You work until the job gets done," he said. "I always had a strong sense regarding housing that they (Irish Aid) are being dragged to the table rather than enthusiastically supporting the human family need to be in a decent home."
He said civil servants who needed to be "dragged to the table" to discuss funding had no entrepreneurial spirit.
Mr Mellon, a property developer who has built 12,500 houses in South Africa over the past seven years, said he would have progressed faster if he had been given earlier funding from the Irish Government.
A group of 950 Irish volunteers is currently building houses for families who live in makeshift shacks in the Wallacedene township outside Cape Town, as part of the trust project. It aims to hand over 200 homes to the local community tomorrow.
Mr Mellon also said a new centre for volunteerism set up by Irish Aid was a "huge contradiction" as it had not directly supported those taking part in his expeditions. "Our charity accounts for 40pc to 50pc of all overseas volunteers and there should be a more entrepreneurial response from Irish Aid to the current downturn," he said.
Spirit
"There should be some form of direct headage support per volunteer. If a volunteer raises €5,000, maybe €1,000 or €2,000 should come from Irish Aid."
The Niall Mellon Township Trust has received €5.25m from Irish Aid since it started, €5m of which came last year.
Last night, a statement from the Department of Foreign Affairs did not address the claims that Irish Aid was slow to act and in need of more entrepreneurial spirit.
The department said the trust had not provided a report on how the €5m grant had been spent nor submitted other applications for funding.
"We understand they would like a further meeting after the South Africa building week, and we have suggested possible dates," said the statement.
Mr Mellon said he could no longer contribute to the charity due to the property downturn, which had severely affected his personal wealth.
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