Prestige Programme for Parliament & Parliamentary Villages: DPW and PMTE briefing

Meeting report

The meeting started late due to the lack of space to seat both Members of Parliament and officials from the Department of Public Works. The First item on the agenda was to nominate and elect a new Committee Chairperson. The outgoing Chairperson, Mr F Adams (ANC), explained the selection process and stated the party had already decided who they wished to head the Committee henceforth.

Mr M Filtane (UDM) complained about the size of the venue and how they had been delayed by the state visit of the President of Senegal.

Mr Adams apologised for the situation and said they could not obtain a bigger venue because authorisation was not received to host the meeting in an external venue; all the committees were deliberating that same day and it was difficult to book a venue.

Election of Chairperson

Mr H Mmemezi (ANC) was nominated and elected as Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Public Works. Mr Mmemezi thanked the Committee and the ANC for having confidence in his abilities. He outlined the need for Members to ensure that the Department worked to improve people’s lives and livelihoods, and pleaded for full cooperation in order to ensure that his previous statement becomes a reality.

Mr M Figg (DA) thanked the outgoing Chairperson for his work and promised full cooperation with the incoming Chairperson.

Mr Filtane expressed his desire to have a good working relationship with the new Chairperson.

Mr D Ryder (DA) also thanked the outgoing Chairperson for the leadership he provided during his term of office.

Briefing by Department of Public Works (DPW)
Mr Samuel Vukela, Acting Director General, DPW, provided an overview of the five projects taking place within the parliamentary precinct, which were: 

• Marks Building: External repairs and renovations – roof replacement/waterproofing, repairs to sandstone walls, replacement of windows, repairs to windows and repairs to cooling towers:  Budget R36 055 339 million.
• NCOP: Total refurbishment including HVAC, electrical and electronic installations: Budget R102 112 409 million
• Parliamentary Precinct: Maintenance contract for Security/Access Control on the Parliamentary Precinct: Budget R47 445 090 million
• 90 Plein Street: Lift modernisation and refurbishment: Budget R9.2 million
• 90 Plein Street: Total redesign/refurbishment. Budget R25 929 329 million

Mr Bassie Kgasoane, Chief Director: Prestige, DPW, outlined the objectives of the Parliamentary Villages Management Board(PVMB) as well as the board members according to the Parliamentary Villages Management Act.
- The Minister of Public Works appoints Members of the Board
- The Director General of Public Works shall be the Chairperson of the Board
- Three residents, of whom two shall be Parliamentarians, and one shall be a Sessional Official from each parliamentary village (Acacia, Laboria, and Pelican Park)

The functions of the board were to provide transport to and from parliamentary villages for residents who are in Cape Town; to observe any tariff fixed by the Minister with the concurrence of the Minister of Finance and Minister of Transport in respect of any service referred to in  paragraph (a), and shall be subject to such direction as the Minister may issue after consultation with the Board; and perform such duties as the Minister may determine.

The Regional Manager of the Department of Public Works for the Western Cape, Mr Frederick Johnson explained some of the challenges being faced by the board, such as board members serving for five years instead of one as stipulated in the Act; issues relating to overloading of buses for parliamentarians, only 114 out 315 units being renovated; as well as the non-construction of the gym.

All the currently serving Members were appointed in 2015 and according to the Act, Board Members must be appointed annually. The challenge has been that, Members of the Board are drawn from Residence committees which are also supposed to be elected annually but tenants seldom attend meetings. This has resulted in Board Members serving for a term of Parliament. The Parliamentary Villages Management Board to date has held a series of meetings, the first meeting was on the 03rd June 2015 and the last meeting was held on the 06 May 2016. In 2015 the Board met on a monthly basis and now it meets quarterly. For the whole of 2016 and early 2017, the Board did not meet quorum and that has resulted in the Board resolving to hold its meetings on a Wednesday. This was due to Plenary starting at 15:00 on the day as compared to holding meetings on Fridays as some Members had challenges with flights.Since the change, the last Board meeting met the quorum, the following meeting which was set for the 06th September 2017 had to be postponed owing to last moment cancellation.

The following proposed functions (which are relevant and lacking in the PVMB Act) should be performed by the Board :

• allocation of residences within the parliamentary villages,
• appointment of residents committees for each parliamentary village,
• ensure the provision of security services at parliamentary villages,
• provision for the keeping and maintenance of parliamentary villages.

The Board should report to Parliament annually on its activities and management of funds allocated to the Board. The PVMB Act is also silent on the Minister’s powers to make regulations. Consideration should be given to repeal the act and allow Parliament to manage the transport and the Department of Public Works to execute its mandate of providing accommodation in consultation with Parliament.

Discussion
Mr Figg wanted to know where the contractors were from as well as their Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) status. He asked whether any additional costs were incurred due to the extension and wondered why the extension was granted. If members of the board were not fulfilling their duties, they must be relieved of their responsibilities. In addition, I.D checks must be made in relation to people boarding the bus and security at the village must be upgraded.

Ms Q Madlopha (ANC) wanted know, the reason for the project extension as well as why the board members had been in their positions for five years. The relevant authorities need to update the Committee on the status of the budget, especially with the mid-term budget speech coming.
She inquired whether inspection was done after projects because it seemed certain projects were a waste of money, such as a gate at Parliament which was too small to allow the bus to enter the premises. Her impression was that the Department was not following up on projects.
She also raised her concerns that the phones and intercoms were not properly working at the village. Finally, she stated that a clear definition of the role of the board and the institution needed to be laid out.

Mr Filtane asked what percentage of construction work had been allocated to black-owned companies and if transformation was being pursued, because the Department was supposed to have a transformation agenda. Mr Filtane expressed his dismay at the way transport of Members of Parliament was handled, as a set route was not used and this must be sorted out. In relation to the phones and intercoms, he stressed that this was an issue because it affected the privacy and security of MP’s at the village. He noted if the instruments were not working, MP’s might be visited by people with intent to cause harm.

Mr K Sithole (IFP) asked how much was spent on intercoms and did not understand why there was not a precise pick up time for MP’s after the sessions had ended. The cooling system at Marks Building had not been working and the gym situation must be resolved as soon as possible.

Ms P Adams (ANC) said nothing had been mentioned about the renovations at Good Hope Building as well as the costs and it seemed the Department was not doing follow-ups. Contractors must be evaluated because they did a poor job with the toilets and the phones. She suggested the Service Level Agreements must be looked into and asked how long it would take to amend the Act so the Committee could follow up in due time.

Mr Ryder asked why the Cape of Good Hope building renovation was not mentioned and suggested it would be ideal to have the Act available beforehand, even it was an electronic copy, as it would facilitate discussions and allow MP’s to be more prepared. He wondered how board members could be appointed who did not look after the interests of MP’s and the Committee must be informed who such persons are.
He liked the ideas such as a gym and new gates, but their implementation had been very poor, and it appeared that there was lack of management control and middle management and senior management must communicate to resolve this. He suggested the Department needs to do a full review of their legislation and acts.

Ms E Masehela (ANC) said the gate was wasteful expenditure and believed there was a problem with project management. The buses must be inspected before being used to cater to MP’s. She said the scope of renovation needs to be defined at the beginning of each term because 114 out of 350 units was very small and in most cases, the whole unit was not fixed.

The Chairperson reminded MP’s that there was not much time for them to present.

Mr Filtane asked about the safety of the swimming pools.

Mr Ryder suggested water saving showers should be installed.

Ms Madlopha said R102 112 409 million was used for the electrification of the NCOP and enquired whether that was value for money, as well as the R25 929 329 million which was used to refurbish 90 Plein building. She also asked what percentage of contractors were youth and women.

Mr Adams requested that another meeting be scheduled because this meeting would not be sufficient, in order to answer all the questions.

The Chairperson pleaded that management cooperate with the Committee and follow-up the issues which had been addressed because it seemed the Department was not serious. He explained that officials from Public Works had two legacies, a good one concerning the good infrastructure projects which were not found elsewhere in Africa, and a bad one concerning large amounts of wasted money. In this regard he stressed the Department must clarify their actions as a way of bearing account. Moreover, the presentation did not cover a lot of the issues which should be addressed and wished to host a meeting, at a later date. This was also because the budgets and challenges had not been clearly outlined. There must be an improvement in the Department’s responses because they were taking the Committee for granted. He proposed the Department provide written responses because verbal ones would not be sufficient. He emphasised that the Minister and Deputy Minister must present themselves and that more clarity and information should be provided in relation to the real issues not being addressed. He expressed his dismay at the DG as a lot of unnecessary expenditure was taking place.

Mr Vukela did not have a problem providing written answers and would cooperate with the Committee.

Mr Adams wanted to ask the Department of Justice to assist at the Acts because they appeared vague on many issues.

The Chairperson expressed his hope that the next presentation would assist the Committee better.

The meeting was adjourned