Department of Social Development revised Programme 1: Administration

Meeting report

Briefing by Department of Social Development (DSD) – Annual Performance Plan 2015/16: Programme 1

Ms Nelisiwe Vilakazi, Deputy Director-General: Strategy and Organisational Transformation, DSD, thanked the Committee for the invitation. She explained that Programme 1 (Administration) provided leadership, management and support services to the Department and the social sector. The Department planned to improve Social Development Sector planning and programme implementation by 2019 through implementing a Complaints Management System and 150 officials would be capacitated on gender mainstreaming. The Department was also committed to improving Social Development offices. The Department had an effective Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) system; however the Department would implement the National Integrated Social Protection System throughout the medium term framework.

The Department was also committed to improving integrated oversight and coordination through the development of Performance Information Management System for public entities. The Department had a responsibility to ensure adequate capacity and sound employee relations for the department to deliver effectively on its mandate, this would be done through posts being filled within four months, reducing the vacancy rate to 5%, developing a Five Year Human Resource Plan (2015-2020) and implementing the Annual Work Place Skills Plan. Grievances, complaints, disputes and disciplinary cases would be concluded within the prescribed time frames. The Department was committed to improving public access to information and services and to sustain employee engagement by 2017, this would be done through marketing and advertising, public liaison activities and through funded Not-for-profit (NPOs) incorporating the Department’s branding. For the 2015/16 financial year the Department had a target of incorporating five NPOs in the department’s branding. The Department was also committed to providing an efficient Information Communication Technology (ICT) system which would enable for proper planning and implementation of the Department’s mandate by 2019. For the 2015/16 financial year the Department would implement the Social Integrated Information System, upgrading the Department’s Local Area Network Infrastructure and implementing an information management strategy.

Ms Vilakazi said for the 2015/16 financial year the Department had a target of auditing 24 risk-based projects. The Department received an unqualified audit report with no material misstatements. The Department received R30 million for the Ministry, R 69.9 million for management, R 101.3 million for Corporate Management, R55 million for Finance, R9.5 million for Internal Audit and R31 million for Office Accommodation.

Discussion

Ms H Malgas (ANC) indicated that Members had already interacted with the presentation before; it was Programme 1 which the Committee asked the Department to redo. Members had therefore already asked their questions to the Department, except for questions on Human Resources. She referred to the presentation and asked about the Department’s 5 year human resource plan; what was this plan about and when would it be officially presented to the Committee?

The Chairperson said Members wanted to see the actual impact of the whole process of the Department and how these processes improve the lives of ordinary South Africans. She thanked the Department for its Human Resource Development Plan. She said the Department needed to communicate properly to the Committee regarding its accommodation costs. The Department also needed to ensure that all its vacant posts are filled. She said the Committee also wanted to establish a relationship with internal audit so that Members are reassured that the division is doing its work. The Committee was committed to seeing through the Department’s transformation process. She advised the Department to build a stronger working relationship with the Committee’s Content Advisor to create more synergy between the work and plans of the Department and that of the Committee. The work of the Committee also needed to be integrated with the work of provinces.

Mr Thokozani Magwaza, Acting Deputy Director-General: Comprehensive Social Security, DSD, thanked the Committee for acknowledging the work being done by the Department. He assured the Committee that the Department has had meetings with the Heads of Department and there was agreement that the Department would review the way meetings between the two entities were taking place. He suggested that the Committee invite Heads of Departments to be part of a workshop which would take place between the Committee and the Department. He said it was a problem that the annual planning process at provinces took place at a different time then that was a problem; he hoped that the Committee would intervene.

The Chairperson agreed that it was a problem was local government budgetary processes took place in June, which made it difficult for national government to align its own programmes because the cycles were not the same. It was important that the priorities of provinces be adequately understood so they could become priorities of national government as well.

Adoption of Committee Minutes

4 March 2015

Mr S Mabilo (ANC) moved for the adoption of the minutes without any amendments.

Ms V Mogotsi (ANC) seconded the adoption of the minutes.

11 March 2015

Ms Malgas moved for the adoption of the minutes and asked that the Committee Secretary pay more attention to the spacing and paragraphing.

Ms K De Kock seconded the adoption of the minutes.

18 March 2015

Ms B Abrahams (ANC) moved for the adoption of the minutes without any amendments.

Ms S Kopane (DA) seconded the adoption of the minutes.

The meeting was adjourned.