PC Public Works: Second-Term Committee Programme & Outstanding Minutes

Meeting report

Adoption of minutes for 15 and 22 February 2011       
Minutes of Committee meeting held on 15 February 2011 were adopted with amendments.

Ms C Madlopha (ANC) made a correction to her initials.

The Chairperson asked for clarity whether the investigation was a collective effort between the Special Investigating Unit and the Public Protector.

Minutes of Committee meeting held on 22 February 2011 were adopted with amendments.

Mr N Magubane (ANC) asked who was responsible for poverty alleviation; he was concerned about the lack of reporting on projects that had been completed and the outcomes thereof.

The Chairperson said that the municipalities were not complying and were not getting funds because they were not accounting. She cited that one municipality had been given R1.9 million and had only used R49 000. Out of the 14 projects that it had been given, it had not accounted for a single project. Municipalities were not utilising the funds given to them. The food for waste project was not being utilised, yet at the end of the financial year the municipalities would send back money and end up blaming the Department of Public Works.

Ms Madlopha said that the Department of Public Works was accountable because it came up with programmes and sent money to municipalities without checking what they wanted to do with it and without them having an understanding of the objectives. At times the Department felt that the money was being dumped towards the end of the financial year and had no time to utilise the funds as they were meant to do.

The Chairperson said that it had been emphasised that they did not have a monitoring system in place and that was a problem.

Ms Madlopha said that if there was no memorandum of understanding, the operations were prone to have problems.

Ms N Ngcengwane (ANC) commented that the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) had started in 2007 and was meant to alleviate poverty, but the Department had failed to ensure that happened and municipalities did not know how to go about with the programme. That had set the programme to run slow and the Department was accountable.

Mr M Rabotapi (DA) said that the municipalities did not show commitment. It was important to have a monitoring tool and it was the Committee that had to come up with that tool, which would make sure that municipalities accounted.

Ms N November (ANC) said that the problem was caused by not reading. The agendas were made by officials but because people did not read, they got to the meeting and agreed with whatever had been said without a full understanding. That was the reason most municipalities were failing.

Ms P Ngwenya-Mabila (ANC) asked for the list of municipalities to be distributed and have areas of visits identified and also what purpose the funds had to serve.

The Chairperson said that Members should go to their provinces and look at the shortfalls in places where money had been allocated.

Mr Rabotapi said that the Department of Public Works were the ones dealing with potholes yet money was given to the EPWP and that should be their responsibility and have the Department deal with other issues.

The Chairperson said that the roads were classified and only those in municipalities were done by the EPWP.

Mr Magubane said that the Committee did not go back to check on what had been done and that was a problem, no follow-up had been done Health facilities that were built.

Ms Ngcengwane said that not having Members of Provincial Legislature (MPL) that accompanied them when they went to pick up issues was a problem because they were the ones that had to assist.

Ms Madlopha asked for a clear indication of the decisions made, what had to be done, what was outstanding and the results of projects.

The Second-Term Programme
The briefing on 12 April 2011 by the Department of Public Works onits strategic plan and budget for the 2011/12 financial year was moved to a further date because that would have been the first day back from the constituency break, and was reserved for other issues of discussion.

The meeting was adjourned.