Strategic Management and Governance on Committee’s Draft Strategic Plan 2014 – 2019: Office of the Secretary of Parliament briefing

Meeting report

The Chairperson said the Committee appreciated the assistance provided by the Office of the Secretary of Parliament in compiling the Committee Draft Strategic Plan 2014 -2019.

Briefing by the Office of the Secretary of Parliament: Strategic Management and Governance on the Committee’s Draft Strategic Plan 2014 - 2019
Mr Malose Dolo, Project Manager, and Mr Muziwakhe Ngwane, Project Manager represented the Office of the Secretary of Parliament. Mr Dolo undertook the briefing and said he would not speak to the entire briefing document, as Members were aware of what it contained for the most part.

The priority areas for the Committee for the period 2014-2019 were identified. These included domestic tourism, transformation, job creation and contribution to SA’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Small Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) support and development, skills development and relevance of training programmes and lastly quality assurance. In order to address the Committee’s priority areas strategic objectives had to be set. Amongst the strategic objectives set was that the Committee had to ensure that the National Department of Tourism (NDT) introduced a legislative framework to speed up transformation, enhance quality assurance and to provide for improved regulation and professionalisation of tourist guides. There also had to be improved knowledge management and other related issues in the tourism sector by 2019. The Committee furthermore had to ensure that the NDT implemented the domestic tourism strategy by 2019 and that the NDT provided periodic reports on job creation targets by 2019. The Department would also be required to produce a National Tourism Skills Development Strategy (informed by the skills audit) by 2019. The Committee in addition had to improve on its ability to keep track of whether issues raised by the Office of the Auditor General of SA (AGSA) were or had been addressed. The next step was to align the strategic objectives of the Committee to the functions of Parliament. One therefore had to take cognisance of the strategic goals of Parliament. Indicators needed to be set for the strategic objectives where a baseline and targets for the 2014-2019 period had to be set. This was comprehensively done to each of the Committee’s strategic objectives identified. For example on passing legislation the strategic objective was that the Committee had to ensure that the NDT introduced a legislative framework to speed up transformation, enhance quality assurance and to provide for improved regulation and professionalisation of tourist guides. There also had to be improved knowledge management and other related issues in the tourism sector by 2019. The strategic goal of Parliament in relation to the aforementioned strategic objective was to exercise its legislative power through consolidation and implementation of integrated legislative processes by 2019 in order to fulfil its constitutional responsibility. The indicator set for the aforementioned strategic objective was the Tourism Act (Act No.3 of 2014) Amendment Bill processed and tabled. The baseline for 2013/14 was that the Tourism Act had legislative gaps on a number of issues. Given that 2014/15 and 2015/16 had already passed, targets were set for the remainder of the period up until 2019. In 2016/17 the Committee was to receive the Amendment Bill from National Assembly. In 2017/18 the Amendment Bill would be processed. In 2018/19 the Tourism Act (Act No.3 of 2014) Amendment Bill would be processed and tabled.
The Committee would adopt the Draft Strategic Plan 2014 – 2019 at another time.

Discussion
The Chairperson noted that the Draft Strategic Plan was the culmination of work done by the Committee and its support staff internally whilst they were in Johannesburg and Pretoria. The issues covered in the Draft Strategic Plan were what had been discussed.

Ms P Adams (ANC) referred to page 34 of the briefing document and asked whether it was the mandate of the Committee to process international agreements. She did not think so. She conceded that the Committee could note international agreements and could perhaps consider its impact.

Ms S Xego (ANC) said in the previous meeting of the Committee the Office of the Auditor General of SA (AGSA) had made the point that targets needed to be set according to the SMART Principle.  On page 38 she appreciated the provision of resources for international study tours but asked what about oversight visits to the offices of the NDT, its entities and other organisations. The Draft Strategic Plan pretty much reflected what the Committee and its support staff had discussed.

Mr Dolo said there were criteria in place to ensure that SMART principles were adhered to. When the Committee undertook study tours then oversight visits could also be included.

Ms E Masehela (ANC) referred to page 29, which spoke about jobs to be created by the NDT. She asked if it were better to set the baseline target of jobs.

Dr Sibusiso Khuzwayo, Committee Content Adviser, on the setting of a figure for the baseline of jobs to be created, aid the National Tourism Sector Strategy (NTTSS) had set a target of 225 000 additional jobs to be created. The NTSS was however under review and he was not sure whether the target would remain or be changed. The NDT were required to work towards attaining the target. Over the past few years the NDT had not reported on the creation of the 225 000 NTSS jobs but had only spoken about the 2500-3000 jobs that had been created by the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP).

Mr Dolo confirmed that the NDT only reported on jobs created by the EPWP. This needed to change. It was however difficult to have a figure on the jobs created in terms of the NTSS.

The Chairperson agreed with Ms Adams that the Committee only adopted international agreements and treaties. By the time they came to the Committee they were a done deal. She asked Mr G Krumbock (DA) whether the previous Committee had processed international agreements.

Mr Krumbock responded that he could not remember the previous Committee processing international agreements. The previous Committee had only noted them. International agreements were never presented to the Committee in their embryonic stages and hence the Committee never processed them.

Mr Dolo, on the processing of international agreements, said the baseline on page 34 was saying that the Fifth Parliament wished to change things. The intention was to bring international agreements in their early stages to the Committee for consideration. There would simply not be a rubberstamping of international agreements as was the case in the past. The idea was for Parliament to be part of the process on international agreements. The status quo needed to change. 

Mr Ngwane added that Parliament had an initiative where it identified the need for it to get involved in international agreements at an embryonic stage. Parliament wished to make inputs on it.

The Chairperson agreed that SMART principles had to be adhered to. One study tour on domestic tourism was problematic. There were countries that had made huge strides in promoting domestic tourism. These included Turkey, Australia and Kenya. She suggested that the Committee undertake a study tour to a country in Africa and another country beyond Africa.  

The meeting was adjourned.