Committee minutes

Meeting report

Mr M Sibeko, Acting Committee Secretary, apologised for the Chairperson’s absence and called for nominations for Acting Chairperson. Mr F Adams (ANC) was elected Acting Chairperson.

Ms D Kohler-Barnard (DA) suggested she read out grammatical errors she spotted since English was her home language. The Acting Chairperson agreed on account that it might go quicker.

The Acting Chairperson suggested that there should be monthly review of minutes and asked the Committee what their view was.

Ms Kohler-Barnard proposed a weekly review of minutes.

Ms E Masehela (ANC) proposed that the Committee try a weekly review and in the event that it did not happen, opt for a monthly review.

16 August 2016

Ms Kohler-Barnard noted a few minor grammatical errors which the Committee agreed on the changes.

There were some grammatical errors. The Acting Chairperson pointed to paragraph 2.6 and highlighted that public works deals with built environments.

Mr S Denyssen (Content Advisor), commented that it was not just built environments but finance, administration etc. were also involved in the process.

The minutes were adopted minutes with corrections.

23 August 2016
There were minor grammatical errors.

Ms Kohler-Barnard suggested a two-day workshop where entities would sit in and could report on what was happening.  She expressed concern in the way the view of the Committee was expressed in terms of the Department provided oversight. She suggested the report should rather say most Members.

Ms Masehela commented that that would be incorrect.

Ms Kohler-Barnard said this should be guided by the Department.

Mr Denyssen advised that the line should rather say the Committee was aware of its oversight role.

Ms Kohler-Barnard said there this workshop needed to happen as the Department of education was in trouble because schools were not being built because public works was not talking to them.

The minutes was adopted with amendments.

30 August 2016
There were grammatical errors. There was a question on the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB), Mr S Denyssen said he would redraft it.

The minutes was adopted with changes.

6 September 2016
Apart from grammatical errors, Ms Kohler-Barnard pointed out that line one reverted to the Committee as a deadline but it was not mentioned in minutes.

The minutes were adopted with minor amendments.

13 September 2016
Ms Kohler-Barnard said she was against involving the Department on oversight. She suggested it might be better to report in the minutes that most Members wanted to involve Department, not Members, as that would include her.

Ms Masehela said that would be wrong, it was not that most Members wanted that. She suggested that the Department would not be able to trick the Committee if it asked to see three areas; good, bad and developing.

The Acting Chairperson interjected that it would be better to emphasise that the Committee understood its oversight responsibility.

Ms Masehela asked for clarification on page 3, number 2.4. She asked if there were an existing policy that said if one found work they could not receive their grant, as some feared losing their grant.

Mr Denyssen, stated that the grant remained and that would be clarified in minutes.

18 October 2016
The Committee decided to reshuffle the report, the second bullet point was decided to be the starting matter. Recommendations should be added and a closing.

15 November 2016
Ms Kohler-Barnard questioned the report as it mentioned that the Department could not defend themselves in a court of law. It seemed strange that a court of law would not allow them to have a defence.

Mr Denyssen clarified that judgements were made on the basis that the Department did not defend itself.

Ms Kohler-Barnard pointed to the area where the registrar claimed the buildings were complete; she could not understand how one could say something is complete when it is not. She could name so many buildings they had abandoned

Ms I Stephanie (Committee Researcher), further pointed that the Department of Public Works used to be one with the Department of Rural Development, now because of the split buildings were hanging in the middle.

There were questions as to when the disciplinary steps would be taken.

22 November 2016
The minutes were adopted unamended.

The Acting Chairperson said the Committee should reflect and decide how to intensely deal with the Department and do more oversight.

Mr Denyssen said the Committee did not do well on quarterly reports, only the first quarter was seen, whereas by now at least three reports should have been seen.  These issues were only resolved in yearly reports but were also in quarterly reports because the Committee only reviewed these later.

Ms Stephanie suggested that when reviewing reports, it must be online with National Treasury so a comparison could be done. The issue with the quarterly report was that National Treasury’s report was not yet out.

The meeting was adjourned.