Committee Report on Public Works 201 Budget

Meeting report

The Chairperson opened the meeting and asked the Content Advisor of the Committee to go through the report which was based on the meeting that took place on 8 July with the Department of Public Works.
 

Committee Report on Public Works 201 Budget

Mr Shuaib Denyssen, Content Advisor, read through the report and highlighted the five recommendations made by the Committee to the Department.

The committee recommends to the Minister of Public Works that:

1)      the key performance areas as stated in the department’s Annual  Performance Plan be redeveloped to be specific, measurable, achievable,  relevant and time-bound by March 2015.

2)      the review of the White Papers dated 1997 and 1999 be speedily processed  so that legislation that describes the department’s mandate and its role as  regulator and driver of transformation in the built environment and  construction industry is completed by the end of the current financial year,  2014/15.

3)      the impact of collusion in the construction industry be investigated. This investigation should specifically focus on the impact that practices of collusion amongst higher graded contractors might have had on the advancement of contractors that fall in grades 3 to 5 on the cidb’s  Contractor’s Register.

4)     the training and skills development component of phase three of the  Expanded Public Works Programme to be enhanced to ensure longer term  future employment and entry into the artisan  field of the built environment  and construction industry; such efforts should specifically target the

vulnerable categories of the youth, women and the disabled; finally, definite efforts be designed to increase the number of disabled participants  in the EPWP phase three.

5)     the department regularly reports to the committee on the efforts it is making to fill management and specialist positions within the PMTE as  well as on the financial accounting and reporting structures it is putting in place to ensure value for money is achieved in the work to augment the PMTE.

Discussion

Mr K Mubu (DA) said the report was a reflection of the discussion the Committee had with the Department and also took into consideration a number of details that were discussed in the meeting. He asked that the date of the public meeting referred to in the document be reflected. Mr Mubu also asked that the six entities of the Department and the guiding legislation of each entity be listed in the report.

Mr M Filtane (UDM) said the impact of collusion in the construction industry left a big dent on the fiscus. He recommended that there be an investigation into this. Government needed to get to the root of the matter and thoroughly investigate the matter and see if there were government officials that collaborate with the contractors. He also raised a concern that the Extended Public Works Programme (EPWP) excluded men which was a different concept from prioritising vulnerable groups. Men needed jobs as much as women and the disabled needed them, he expressed that he was not happy with that concept.

The Chairperson said that point (4.3) stated that the impact of collusion in the construction industry was being investigated, the investigation was not concluded. When the reports were tabled and available the Committee could invite the officials of the Competitions Committee to meet and discuss the report and any issues related to that. Regarding the EPWP, the Chairperson expressed that men were not excluded; rather a special emphasis was placed on women because when jobs were allocated they were normally the last to be considered. The programme merely emphasised on giving women an equal opportunity.

Mr Filtane also proposed that the reports that the Committee received from the Department should be time bound and that should be clearly expressed instead of merely stating “the Department regularly reports to the Committee”.

The Chairperson said that the Committee determined when and what the Department should report on to the Committee. The Committee based their agenda based on a certain issues that they wanted to be addressed and the Committee determined when the Department should come report to them.

Mr K Sithole (IFP) wanted to mention that the Department had always failed to meet the target on disabled people. He asked how the Committee would highlight this for the Department.

The Chairperson said the avenue that the Portfolio Committee was once they had the programme; the Committee could ask the relevant units to report on what the Department was doing to reach their Constitutional imperative to empower people with disability. The matter could be a specific agenda item and not just by dealt with “by the way”. Also, during the debate, a Member of the Committee could bring the issue up on behalf of the Committee and highlight its importance of the matter.

Mr Filtane asked if it was possible to structure a sentence on the EPWP that would reflect an instrument that would speak to the National Development Plan (NDP). It seemed as though it was left to the discretion of the municipality on what programme they wanted to implement using the EPWP. There was no linkage between the national fiscus, the municipalities, and economic development in creating sustainable jobs.

The Chairperson said that the points raised by Mr Filtane were relevant, however the draft report that the Committee was busy with was based on the interaction between the Committee and the Department and what was agreed upon during that meeting. But to put things into perspective, the President had a performance contract with all the Ministers where he asks that every department showed how they would implement the NDP as adopted by South Africans. The departments needed to produce plans on how they would enhance job creation, skills development, stretch skills development programmes within the Department, give opportunity to the youth and women. These were basic standards set for each department.

Regarding the concern raised about municipalities, Parliament consisted of two houses – the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces (NCOP). The NCOP had more interaction and direct link to provinces and local municipalities than the National Assembly. But the National Assembly interacted with the NCOP and where the National Assembly knew of such municipalities, the NCOP would be alerted.

Ms N Sonti (EFF) said she was not clear on what collision was.

The Chairperson explained what collision was, it was companies that were that were working with each other to set prices and whichever company received the tender all of them ended up benefiting.

Mr F Adams (ANC) proposed the adoption of the report.

Mr Filtane seconded the proposal to adopt the draft report.

The report was adopted with amendments.

The meeting was adjourned.