SAPS Strategic and Annual Performance Plan 2013: Administration & Protection Services

Meeting report

Introduction
The Acting Chairperson introduced the meeting, saying that Parliament had a duty to exercise constructive oversight above and beyond legislation to ensure that Departments were operating in line with Government policies. The Committee was therefore entitled to request any person or body to present information and be held accountable for actions or decisions taken. She reiterated that the Committee was well within its mandate in doing so. The Committee amounted to an extension of Parliament, and any recommendations made to the General Assembly, once adopted became an instruction.

Presentation from SAPS
Lt-Gen Stefan Schutte, Chief Financial Officer at SAPS, introduced the delegation.

Maj-Gen M Menziwa, of Strategic Management at SAPS, said the SAPS’ constitutional mandate was derived from Section 205(3), and related to the maintenance of public order and prevention of crime. The guiding values of the Department included a high standard of ethics, efficient use of resources, impartial service provision, responsive and accountable administration and good resource management.

Of South Africa's 12 performance outcomes,  Outcome Goal 3 was for all people in South Africa to be and to feel safe. SAPS had a series of outputs relating to crime reduction and improving security perceptions. Outcome 11 was to enhance the African agenda of sustainable development. Outcome 12 was to create an efficient, effective and development oriented Public Service, relating particularly to the reduction of corruption. The State of the Nation Address had a renewed focus on Police Visibility and Gender Based Violence, the latter of which was accompanied by the implementation of various pieces of legislation and the reintroduction of Sexual Offences Courts. Public Order policing was also emphasised, as was fighting corruption. To this end senior posts in the Criminal Justice System (CJS) were to be filled, the private sector engaged with and Anti Corruption Task Team (ACTT) stakeholders would be capacitated. Other areas would be the implementation of the Bill on Gender Equality, addressing youth unemployment and supporting the vision for a better Africa in a better world.

The National Development Plan priority areas included strengthening the criminal justice system, professionalising the police service, emphasis on Code of Conduct and Professional Police Ethics when making appointments or exacting discipline, making selections for professionalism and excellence, training for professionalism, strengthening capacity and increasing community participation in community safety programmes. On fighting corruption, it would be important to strengthen accountability and transparency, centralise awarding of tenders and increase security for whistle-blowers.

Lt-Gen Schutte gave an overview of the SAPS Budget Plan, saying that the Strategic Plan still embodied the Annual Performance Plan. To a certain extent, performance targets had been revised but there had not been any major changes. The estimates of National Expenditure showed allocation per programme and by economic classification. They contained a strategic overview, expenditure estimates and expenditure trends.

The spending policy direction for the relevant financial period showed an increase in police access points on a geographical basis, the maintenance of a level of spending to replace boarded vehicles, the provision for specialised equipment and training for detectives, the training on various aspects of crime and expenditure in relation to the deployment of new recruits. These were all ongoing costs expected to arise from time to time. The detective department had been heavily funded, as had vehicle resources. The appointment of new recruits had been a necessary directive from the Committee to properly capacitate the CJS. The integration of the CJS so as to ensure coordinated management of crime scenes was also a necessary spending trend and had essentially focussed on forensic services and detective environments. The Anti-Corruption strategy spending had focussed on capacitating proper vetting so as to avoid corruption.

Other spending directions included the implementation of Service Delivery Improvement Programme, the establishment of victim-friendly facilities , investment in capital equipment, maintenance of the aircraft fleet, policing of major events, purchase of firearms, implementation of CCTV in high crime areas, youth crime prevention, resourcing of Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Units and finally Intensifying attention in relation to Firearms, Liquor and Second Hand Goods Control (FLASH). The list also included mobilising communities, focusing on Stock Theft Units, capacitating the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), roll-out and implementation of war rooms, strengthening of equestrian capabilities, conducting of high risk operations and more.

In terms of the budget there had been a consistent increase in allocation since 2009/10. That year had seen an allocation of R47.7 billion which grew to R53.5 billion, then R57.9 billion and finally to R63.4 billion. Subsequent predicted allocations were subject to lower percentage increases. The 2013 MTEF allocations included amounts which had been reprioritised to the Department of Justice so as to improve the efficiency of the CJS. There was also an amount of R72.5 million allocated for the security requirements for the 2014 African Nations Championships.

From 2009/10 to 2012/13 expenditure had increased from R47.6 billion to R63.4 billion, at an annual rate of 10%. This was explained as being due to increased expenditure in employee compensation. Expenditure was expected to grow in the medium term by 6.2% to R75.8 billion, primarily due to investment in capital infrastructure and technological advancements, as well as the implementation of upgraded IT network. Compensation for employees would increase to R50.4 billion in 2013/14 from R46.8 billion in 2012/13.

A breakdown of the increases by programme was shown, all between 5.2% and 5.7%. The increases in current payments, transfers and subsidies and payments for capital assets were shown to total 5.5%. An overview on the compensation budget showed that wages amounted to R41 billion. Medical schemes came to R5.8 billion and Housing Allowance cost R1.8 billion. Personnel was the primary cost driver and was therefore annually determined from zero per category taking into account existing personnel and new personnel. Personnel were allocated to provinces and other organisational components according to the Resource Allocation Guide (RAG). Operational expenditures dealt with goods and services including machinery or equipment. Apportioning was based on Treasury recommendations and inputs from centres. The budget approach was not to apply the budget too rigidly or too leniently so as to allow for full utilisation of opportunities as they arise but also to reduce the authority of the budgetary system and voted thresholds.

Specific budgetary challenges were discussed, especially price fluctuations on fuel and oil. The upgraded fleet used enormous amounts of petrol and even mild price changes had a large effect. Intensified service delivery protests were also straining budget allocations, especially for overtime compensation. This also applied to unforeseen big events. There were also pressures relating to overtime, subsistence allowance, travel and delivery arrangements in respect of the building of police facilities.

Programme 1: Administration was broken down into its four sub-programmes and the total expenditure estimate came to R17.3 billion. The purpose of this Programme was to develop departmental policy and manage the department including administrative support. The Management sub-programme included the provision of the Civilian Secretariat and would receive R111 million. Corporate Services incorporated the Human Resource Development and Supply Chain Management and would receive R14 billion.

Maj-Gen Menziwa said that most of the Programme indicators were drawn from strategic imperatives. Ultimately, it served to regulate the overall management of the Department and provide centralised support services. The first strategic priority was Human Capital Development, Budget and Resource Management. The first performance indicator in this priority was the percentage of personnel in terms of the approved establishment. This was expected to be maintained at a minimum of 98%. The percentage of learners declared competent upon completion of their training in terms of the Training Provisioning Plan was expected to increase from 92% to 98% in the medium term. Percentage of learners declared competent in line with the SASSETA Skills Plan was expected to increase from 80% to 905. The percentage declared competent upon completion of K53 driver training was expected to increase from 90% to 94%. The percentage of bursaries offered was expected to be maintained at 70% for policing related qualifications and 30% for scarce skills areas. The number of internships undertaken was to increase by 10% annually.

The second Strategic Priority was the improvement of capital infrastructure and asset management. The ratio of personnel vehicles was expected to be maintained at 4.51:1. The percentage of budgeted planned police facility projects would be100% in the medium term, as would be the percentage of total devolved facilities projects. Percentage variation from approved infrastructure budget was not expected to be different from 20% in the medium term. Budget and Resource Management, in the form of percentage compensation versus operational expenditure would be maintained at 74%:26%.

Discussion
Ms M Molebatsi (ANC) asked about the boarded vehicles, specifically what happened to them and if they were sold when no longer needed. She wanted to know what it meant to 'add security guards'.

Ms D Kohler-Barnard (DA) asked what the situation was in the drawing up of regulations for legislation. She wanted to know how personnel numbers could drop but compensation still increased by 10.9%.

Mr G Lekgetho (ANC) asked about the bursaries being offered and who was eligible. He asked how police response times were being improved according to geographical area, saying that this was not being noticed by the Committee on site visits.

Mr M George (COPE) said many skilled workers were leaving to go to the private sector, and asked what measures existed to retain them. He asked what was done with those trainees who were not declared competent. He asked specifically how many police officers did not have a driver’s licence.

Mr P Groenewald (FF+) asked what contribution SAPS was making to peace missions financially, and in which countries was this occurring? Secondly, what criteria were applied when purchasing Department vehicles, including luxury vehicles?

Mr V Ndlovu (IFP) asked what the Department's view was of the NDP.

The Chairperson asked if there were SAPS members additional to the RAG, as this had occurred in the past.

Lt-Gen Gary Kruser, Divisional Commissioner of Supply Chain Management, said that the vehicles were crushed when no longer required so as to provide a source of income.

General Schutte said that a number of security guards had been appointed as fixed staff and therefore fell under Staff Compensation rather than Goods and Services.

Lt-Gen Christabel Mbekela, Divisional Commissioner of Human Resources Development, said that all employees of the Department under both Acts qualified for the bursaries upon application. Criteria used in assessing applications included their scarce skills and the relation between the field of study chosen and their current position.

Lt-Gen Schutte referred to the passing of regulations for Bills, saying that would have to be referred to Legal Services. He said that regulations were often pending a National Instruction. Compensation figures were growing due to salary increases and the addition of workers who were previously outsourced such as the security guards. In terms of the civil claim environment, this did entail an unknown cost for the Department and was therefore to be avoided as much as possible but was not entirely unavoidable.

Lt-Gen Kruser said that the discussed police stations in certain areas that were struggling to reach people were being looked into and resolved. The implementation plan overall needed to look at both renovating existing stations and building new ones. There were ongoing discussions with Public Works to this end. 13 new stations should be opened in the course of the year and this would help to increase visible policing and coverage.

Lt-Gen Nkrumah Mazibuko, Divisional Commissioner for Personnel Management, explained that the deployment of newly retired members was not currently dealt with but there were exit interviews conducted when possible. Not all were willing or able depending on the grounds for their departure. Their contribution to communities, or lack thereof, was not up to SAPS. The new compensation model aimed to increase retention of skilled employees.

Lt-Gen Schutte added that retention was aided by the inclusion of specialised skills training. Compensation was based on demand and supply such that the rarer skills were generally subject to higher incentives.

Lt-Gen Mbekela explained that those trainees not declared competent were given remedial training and reassessed. This would all be reported on and if there was insufficient time for it, the period would be extended. There were skills auditors so as to ensure proper allocation of personnel according to skill set.

Lt-Gen Gary Kruser, Divisional Commissioner: Supply Chain Management, discussed the vehicle criteria, saying that an asset register was used according to terrain, amount of crime in the area and other needs. The only vehicles in excess of the R400 000 mark were in highly specialised areas such as Organised Crime. Treasury had set criteria for purchase and the cheapest vehicle meeting those criteria would be the one purchased.

Lt-Gen Schutte said that the National Development Plan had not yet been fully digested but that there were many aspects that had been presented to the Department and the CJS, for example, was already being implemented in line with NDP aspects. He agreed that there were positions surplus to the RAG but that not all these posts were necessarily being filled. These posts were to be phased out.

Lt-Gen Mazibuko said that there were positions surplus to requirements but he was not aware of exactly how much this was costing the Department. However there were instances of individuals leaving the organisation and being reinstated following court action only to find that their positions were already filled. He committed to providing specific details on this question.

Ms Kohler-Barnard asked why vehicles no longer needed were being destroyed rather than auctioned off as in the past. This did not appear to be efficient use of resources and asked for this to be explained. She said that she had received complaints that the previous, private security officers had been paid less than the current officers and asked why this was.

Mr Groenewald said that he was not satisfied with the answer that there were criteria in place for purchasing vehicles and asked specifically what they were. He said that in civil claims, the state attorney should be determining when claimants were entitled to legal costs and asked why this decision was not taken in consultation with the police themselves. He asked if recipients of specialist skills bursaries were contracted to SAPS and at what level those bursaries were applying. He said that in exchange for the bursary, individuals should commit to SAPS for a certain amount of time.

Ms D Chili (ANC) asked what kind of long term tenders were awarded.

Mr George asked what was the estimated number of vehicles to be bought in the next financial year. He said that there should not be a short turnover of vehicles.

Mr Ndlovu asked what was being done to further the professionalization of the police that was not costing anything.

The Chairperson asked what was being received for the scrap metal produced by vehicles. She asked about the number of positions additional to the RAG that were filled, and the financial implications thereof. These details were expected by the end of the week. The ratio of the vehicles required an explanation, especially which figure was being used for police officers.

Lt-Gen Mazibuko said that he had been given the impression that the former private security guards had been paid far less than the permanent employees now used. They were entitled to SAPS benefits and were therefore in a better position.

Lt-Gen Kruser said that there had previously been serious corruption in the auctioning of cars which had been reported as destroyed. Destroying them was an effort to avoid this problem and avoid conflicts of interest. He did not have the exact value of the profit obtained by this practice.

Lt-Gen Schutte noted that there had been 1 986 private security guards employed under Goods and Services. There were currently about 2 100 security positions under permanent employees. The legal costs for civil claims were not up to SAPS and were in fact governed by statute. State legal cover was generally used when high profile members were involved, but this had to be applied for. If they qualified, a legal representative would be appointed. All appointments of legal counsel by and for SAPS had to go through the State Legal Advisors.

Lt-Gen Mbekela referred to an earlier question, saying that as of 8 April, there were approximately 155 540 SAPS members and 129 603 of them were operational members. 119 251 of these had a driver's licence. There were 10 352 operational members without licences at national level. This figure took into account a relaxation of the requirements for recruitment. Those recruits who did not already have licences were being focussed on. Approximately 7.98% did not have a driver’s licence. Bursaries were being allocated to people doing university studies, either diplomas or degrees. Especially where the skills training would take a long time, there would be a contract in place for the recipients. In the event of failure, the bursary would generally not be maintained. Recipients who failed may be forced to reimburse the Department. Not all recipients were held to post-graduation employment contracts, as often they were only assisted with the registration fees.

The Chairperson requested the number and description of bursaries for the current year, the type of bursaries and the number of bursaries failed in the previous year and the amount of money recovered by the Department as a result. Finally, she requested to see the standard contract used for the bursaries.

Ms Kohler-Barnard noted that bursaries were usually only awarded on condition of passing. If this was not met, the money paid was owed back. Those bursary recipients who failed to graduate should be reimbursing SAPS.

Mr Groenewald asked if only scarce skills bursary holders were held to a contract of employment after graduation or if this applied to all holders.

Mr George said that the premise of a bursary programme was that it was essentially a loan that would be repaid in the form of employment.

Lt-Gen Mbekela said that applicants for bursaries were asked to sign contracts, a sample of which could be supplied. They were required to provide reports on their progress. SAPS would act on the contents of these reports. She noted that many bursaries did not extend to tuition fees, only to registration fees. Following graduation, recipients were required to work for SAPS. She committed to providing the Committee with details about the bursaries and the accompanying contracts. The socio-economic background of many SAPS applicants had been taken into account when relaxing the requirement of a driver’s licence. The figure was therefore not necessarily attributable to inadequate training levels, but it was being addressed.

Lt-Gen Kruser said that the vehicle register ascribed different criteria for purchase at each individual station according to its needs. The ratio was based the total number of members in the force.

The Chairperson asked if the ratio was not inflated, seeing as most senior officials already had vehicle allowances, not all remaining members were operational and those operational members worked in shifts. It seemed like the need for vehicles was being overestimated and draining resources.

Lt-Gen Kruser replied that going forward, the needs of the station would determine vehicle numbers rather than the number of members employed at the station and that this would avoid the problem of double-counting.

Lt-Gen Schutte added that the compilation of the ratio was used in conjunction with the RAG which prescribed certain amounts. The ratio was not standard across the board, it was an average. He admitted that taking into account the shifts would cast doubt on the ratio of vehicles required. The number of vehicles should be stabilised as the number of members was stabilised.

Lt-Gen Kruser moved on to long term tenders, saying that two or three year contracts were generally the maximum. He outlined the amounts spent on contracts in the various sub-departments. Approximately R4 billion had been spent on contracts the previous year.

Lt-Gen Mbekela said that intern placement in the Department was done in the Human Resource Management environments rather than the specialised environments. The internship programme was to aid service and skills provision.

Lt-Gen Schutte dealt with the question of making SAPS more professional without spending more money. It was necessary to reinforce and strengthen the culture of policing, intensify communication and emphasise certain modules in training.

The Chairperson asked why some performance indicators had been omitted. Firstly, firearms dot peen marking figures were not given, despite having been requested. The same applied to basic services for stations. The Committee knew that not all stations had basic services and wanted to know exactly what the figures were for this. She wanted to know why the performance indicators for basic services, awareness campaigns and other areas were omitted from the report.

Mr Lekgetho asked about public order policing, including the encouraging of constitutional values during protests. He asked who was responsible for ensuring this behaviour.

Ms Kohler Barnard said that the National Police Days had been very expensive and that there was a great deal of controversy surrounding them. However, there were many low key events in provinces and asked if they were subject to strict control. She asked how much was spent on basic literacy training and queried how it was possible that the standard for recruitment had been dropped to such a low level.

Ms Chili asked if training costs included the training of dogs and if they were covered by medical insurance. She asked how long vehicles were used before being crushed.

Ms Molebatsi asked why there was an increase in the amount spent on machinery and equipment following a decrease in the previous year. She asked how many CCTV cameras were installed nationally.

The Chairperson said that percentages could be misleading. There had been no police stations built in the previous year, so any increase was impressive percentage wise, but there was only one being built in the current year, which was not impressive. She complained that annual targets were being presented rather than quarterly targets as was required by Treasury. Finally, she asked what constituted entertainment costs.

Mr Groenewald asked after the upgrades to the fleet, whether there were new units being purchased or if it was routine maintenance.

The Chairperson asked what the situation was about the court case that had arisen over retired police officers being denied their medical aid insurance under Pol-Med. There had been a number of complaints resulting in a court order which to her knowledge had not yet been acted upon.

Lt-Gen Kruser said that there had been a decision in the past to close down all barracks. That decision was subsequently reversed. At present a number of barracks were undergoing construction and renovation, much of which had already been completed.

Lt-Gen Schutte discussed the Pol-Med scenario, saying that it was a comprehensive scheme. However, there had been something of a loophole with individuals resigning from one environment and losing their coverage despite being retained in another environment. Overall it was a healthy and financially sound medical aid scheme.

Lt-Gen Mazibuko said that there had been problems in distinguishing between retired and resigned members. When resigning members were treated differently to those who had retired there had been legal challenges but the majority of them ended up in new employment where they should be given the same benefits. In terms of the court process the matter was due in court later in the year following numerous postponements. The whole matter had been an administrative error that would not be repeated.

Lt-Gen Schutte said that in terms of entertainment costs, they had to be distinguished from catering costs. Until this distinction was made he did not feel comfortable making a judgment on the propriety of expenditure.

Lt-Gen Mbekela said that the adult literacy training was for those members whose qualifications were less than a matric. This included Public Service Act employees, such as groundsmen, so not just officers. Applicants to become actual police officers required matric certificates. Dog training was taking place in a number of ways but the dogs themselves did not have insurance. They were naturally given medical attention though. The reason for giving national performance indicators rather than quarterly ones was due to the lengthy nature of most training modules. If this were done only for one quarter, they would not have any meaningful training statistics. Some modules even lasted 18 months to two years, which was why comparative statistics did not show steady increases. It was difficult to distinguish between one person doing two modules, and two people doing the same module.

Lt-Gen Schutte explained the 4% reduction in machinery and equipment, saying that it was a revised estimate and that there had been a rollover amount in the previous year which was not present in the current year.

Lt-Gen Kruser said that cars were demolished when it became too expensive to repair them, so there was no set age at which this was done. There were no CCTVs deployed yet as the tender had only recently been awarded. High priority areas had been identified for this purpose.

Lt-Gen Schutte noted that the fleet was primarily being maintained, and that upgrading would need to occur at some point but was not the main cost at this stage. It was not yet clear if a purchase order would be made. In terms of pensions, there was a potential for problems to arise when members were deceased. There was a lot of paperwork required to cancel payments and demand debt and although progress had been made, there would always be problems with deceased pensioners.

Lt-Gen Menziwa dealt with the use of percentages rather than figures as targets. The targets had been developed in consultation with Treasury. Percentage targets were better for showing comparative growth and had greater relevance in context. According to guidelines, national targets should be broken down into quarterly figures unless inappropriate to do so and this was often the case.

The Chairperson said that the list of performance indicators was woefully inadequate, as there were many areas, such as the shutting down of illegal liquor retailers, which were not dealt with. There was therefore no indication of performance in many aspects of the Department’s legislative mandate.

Lt-Gen Kruser said that registration and testing of seized firearms was an ongoing problem. Guns would be better controlled through scanning and proper registration, even though the figure was not shown in the performance indicators.

Lt-Gen Mazibuko discussed station structure, saying that there had been unanticipated need to reduce numbers. The new structure was yet to be implemented for that reason.

Lt-Gen Schutte said that strengthening and deepening deployments outside of South African borders was one of the SAPS outcomes, but the contribution in terms of numbers would not be changing. This would be dealt with in greater depth in the other environments.

Lt-Gen Arno Lamoer, Provincial Commissioner of the Western Cape, said that the organisers of protests were responsible for the behaviour of the participants and that SAPS did not bear responsibility.

Mr George said that mention had been made of barracks being renovated, but there were many that were not in good shape. He asked how much it would cost to make them liveable. Not all members were satisfied with Pol-Med but they had no choice. Were they forced to be on the official insurance scheme or face ejection from the force? He commented that delays in paying retired members their pension was unacceptable and said that SAPS had plenty of notice when a member retired and there was no excuse for not paying them.

Ms Kohler-Barnard said that she had not been given an answer to the controversy surrounding the National Police Days and insisted that she be given specifics over what disciplinary action had followed. There should not be any SAPS members who did not have valid matric certificates and asked that it be clarified whether there were any such members. If this were true, there would not be a need to teach basic literacy. She asked how many leaders of protests had been arrested following violent protest.

Ms Molebatsi said that the appalling conditions of the Wynberg Barracks had been brought to the Department’s attention on numerous occasions but had not been mentioned. She asked if the conditions had changed.

The Chairperson asked the same question about Cape Town Central Barracks. She demanded an email address to which complaints could be forwarded. On entertainment expenditure, she was not content to hear that "these costs were normal". Why was so much being spent, and what specifically was it spent on?

Lt-Gen Kruser said that the named barracks had been reviewed. The new Director General of Public Works had met with the National Commissioner on the topic. He would give a more comprehensive report at a later time. In terms of new development, especially in rural areas, there had been consultation with local leaders and it was hoped that greater access would be available in such areas soon.

Lt-Gen Schutte said complaints coming through the Committee would be accepted and dealt with. He reiterated that Pol-Med had been a very successful insurance fund and it was financially sound.

Lt-Gen Mbekela said she did not have the figures of operational members who were undergoing the ABET training programme. Some of the old dispensation members did not have matric certificates, but all the new recruits did.

The Chairperson said that if no new recruits were hired without matrics but some operational members still underwent ABET, that indicated that there were members aged approximately 50 who were still not fully literate.

Lt-Gen Mazibuko said that the updated RAG would be available by the end of June in the current year.

Ms Kohler-Barnard asked why building expenditure had increased but was forecast to decrease again, and if this meant that they Department would not be staggering building projects over the next few years.

The Chairperson asked if senior members’ accommodation was being paid for by SAPS.

Lt-Gen Schutte replied that many of them did qualify for the housing allowance. He did not know exactly how many of the Provincial Commissioners were enjoying that advantage, but did note that there was a direct link between the rent paid and the tax deductable amount. The more rent paid on behalf of the officer, the higher the tax they had to pay.

Lt-Gen Kruser did not have those figures, but said that Provincial Commissioners were covered by the allowance. Tax was payable on the difference between the rate paid, as set by policy, and the value of the house. He committed to sending a list of the individuals benefitting and the policy.

Lt-Gen Schutte said that other departments enjoyed similar arrangements although he admitted that a comparative analysis had not been done.

Lt-Gen Mazibuko said that the Committee had allowed the Department to revise IT targets and following a series of workshops a divisional scorecard had been developed. He was happy to present this in greater detail at some stage. The integration of systems was one of the categories on the scorecard.

Lt-Gen Schutte listed a wide range of items that were included under entertainment including transport and accommodation for conferences. He added that building and fixed structure expenditure had increased and that this was to a large extent a positive development as it meant that fewer capital projects would need to be undertaken in the future.

The Chairperson said that there remained concerns about corruption and fraud within SAPS. These were critical flaws within the Department and she asked how such low percentage success rates could be presented in an annual plan. The lack of accreditation for the targets spoke to corruption and incompetence.

Lt-Gen Schutte agreed that there should be more substantial decreases sought rather than merely better methods for bringing about reductions.

Programme 5: Protection and Security Services
Lt-Gen Schutte began by introducing the four sub-programmes: VIP Protection Services, Static and Mobile Security, Government Security Regulator and Operational Support. The relative growth in this programme was essentially due to carry-through effects from the compensation element, and that it was necessary to strengthen capacity due to increased demand for protection services. The vehicle fleet would need to be upgraded and this would require increased payments.

Maj-Gen Menziwa said that the strategic priority of safeguarding identified VIPs had a performance indicator of 'percentage of security provided without security breaches' and that this was expected to be maintained at 100%. In terms of provision of static security, a 100% protection rate expected. In the regulation of physical security in identified government buildings and strategic installations, this was measured according to the percentage of National Key Points and Strategic Installations both audited and evaluated. These two figures were 50% and 100% respectively.

Discussion
Ms Kohler-Barnard asked which VIPs were being protected and why there was an R80 million increase in this sub-programme.

The Chairperson asked about the increase in expenditure on compensation for Protection Services and said that there had been complaints from SAPS members in this sub-programme and from Static Security that they were being ignored for changes and promotion. She asked what channels existed for mobility between the sub-programmes.

Lt-Gen Schutte said that Programme 5 increases included carry-over from the previous year. The 10.9% increase was justifiable. In terms of VIP Protection the fleet was being upgraded and there was increased demand for services, hence the rise in expenditure. There had not been any abnormal rises and it was all within reason. There had been an influx of big events in South Africa and that meant more overtime for members in this Programme.

Maj-Gen Chris Ngcobo, Acting Divisional Commissioner for Crime Intelligence and Protection and Safety Services, explained that there were 185 people being protected at the time, some of whom were foreign. He did not have the exact figure for the number of cars in the fleet but he would make it available as soon as possible.

Maj-Gen Menziwa said that in terms of legislation, security compliance audits would be conducted every second year, hence the 50% target threshold.

Mr Ndlovu asked what happened when National Key Points were declassified.

Mr George asked about the entertainment budget for the Minister and particularly who he was entertaining. He asked when was the last time that Parliament had been subject to a security compliance audit.

Ms Kohler-Barnard asked which criteria informed the decision to declare a property as a National Key Point and who was responsible for making such a decision.

The Chairperson said that the amount of information requested that SAPS had promised in writing was unacceptable. This was a budget meeting and the delegation should have all this information available to them. The number of staff in Protection Services had decreased, but the expenditure on compensation had increased by 10%. She asked why capacity had decreased so much, and if the members who had left positions had moved to other environments or had been dismissed.

General Ngcobo said that the decision to declare a property as a National Key Point was taken by Cabinet.

The Chairperson told the Department that they would have an opportunity on 19 April to answer the outstanding questions, especially regarding career pathing. She adjourned the meeting.