Department of Women Annual Performance Plan: Content Adviser and Researcher input

Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities

02 May 2018
Chairperson: Ms TC Memela
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Meeting Summary

The Committee Researcher reported that the expenditure report indicates under Vote 13 that the Department for Women has spent R150.2 million of its available budget of R206.2 million. The expenditure represents 98.3% of the R152.8million projected expenditure for this period. Strategic objectives include the promotion of strategic leadership, gender knowledge, gender mainstreaming of socio-economic programmes and promotion of public participation. The 2018 estimates of national expenditure indicate that the Department receives a budgetary allocation of R230.2 million for the 2018/19 financial year. On budget allocation, there has been a year-on-year decrease in the Administration programme (less than (R5.1million), while there has been an increase in programmes two and three.

The Department tabled its Annual Performance Plan very late and the Office of the Auditor General noted that this will result in an audit finding against the Department for non-compliance. It was noted in the Annual Performance Plan that the Department has refined its strategic plan by refining the vision, mission and strategic objectives. Also noted were several challenges and reasons for not being able to achieve its targets within the quarterly report briefings to the Committee. On investigations, the Committee was informed that investigations were underway and on completion reports will be shared of the outcomes and Members will be briefed accordingly.

The Committee voiced its dissatisfaction with the Department’s performance. The Department has been non-compliant, never meets targets and never invites the Committee to any of its events. It has to pick up speed because the Committee is left with a few months and if nothing improves the Department may have to be shut down. Members said they need to have a strategic plan for the targets set for the Department; the role of the Department will be redefined so that it is fully aware of what is expected of it and clear timeframes for what the Committee wants to achieve will be put in place.

The Department of Women’s situational analysis shows that there has been a consistent unease with a range of matters regarding the institutionalisation of the transformation agenda for women and inalienable realisation of their human rights.  The 2017 poverty trends report shows a significant disparity in poverty levels between population groups and sex of individuals. In general, black females, children, people from rural areas and those with low levels of education are the main victims of poverty.  There is a strong link between food security nutrition and gender, therefore the land issue becomes critical in ensuring a gender approach to food security.

For programme one the adjusted appropriation is R84.7 million with actual expenditure of R82.5 million. The under spending of R2.2 million is due to a director post which was transferred to programme three during the financial year and software for antivirus. The underspending will be utilised to augment the over spending in programme three during the year end period.
For programme two the adjusted operational budget is R21.5 million for the programme with actual expenditure of R15.9 million. The under spending is due to the delayed implementation of the Sanitary Dignity Indaba and consultations of gender Based violence against women and sexual offences with other departments which are part of national dialogues. The under spending will be utilised to augment the over spending in programme three during the year end virement period.
For programme three, the adjusted appropriation is R21.7 million with actual expenditure of R28 million. The over spending of R6.4 million is attributed to a director post which was transferred from programme one during the financial year. Invoices for the Sanitary Dignity drive packs procured in March 2017 amounting to R408 000 and paid in April 2017. Invoices for the previous financial year for PRASA amounting to R824 000 that was paid in the current financial due to continuous rejection of the banking details upon verification.  Funds will be shifted from programme one and two to offset the overspending during the virement period.

The Committee reiterated that it has had a bad relationship with the Department. The Department is slow marching and is producing no results. It asked how many investigations have been carried over from previous years and how much was spent on service providers.

Meeting report

Ms Crystal Levendale, Committee Researcher, said that the expenditure report indicates under Vote 13 that the Department for Women has spent R150.2 million or 72.2% of its available budget of R206.2 million. The expenditure represents 98.3% of the R152.8million projected expenditure for this period.  The Department has prioritised the following strategic objectives from its 2015-2020 strategic plan:

  • Promotion of strategic leadership and efficient use of resources
  • Promotion of gender mainstreaming of socio-economic and governance programmes such that they accelerate an equitable society for women
  • Promotion of gender knowledge and analysis of policy and policy implementation for the socio-economic empowerment of women
  • Promotion of monitoring, evaluation and reporting systems
  • Promotion of public participation through outreach and advocacy work

Another noticeable area of focus is resuscitation of matters related to gender-based violence. It notes that it is in the process of establishing an inclusive high-level Committee on gender-based violence. Through this Committee and engagement with relevant stakeholders, the Department intends to address the root causes of violence which inhibit the advancement and empowering of women and girls. This is a significant change from the Department’s inception in 2014 when issues related to gender-based violence were seemingly transferred to the Department of Social Development. The Department also indicates that it will be working towards the revival of the national gender machinery, recognising it as a mechanism to advance and promote women’s protection and empowerment.

Analysis of the Budget
The 2018 estimates of national expenditure indicate that the Department receives a budgetary allocation of R230.2 million for the 2018/19 financial year. Of that amount, R80.7 million constitutes the transfer payment to the Commission for Gender Equality, leaving the Department with an operating budget of R149.5 million. This is an increase of R21.7 million in the its operating budget as compared to previous years.

On budget allocation, there has been a year-on-year decrease in the Administration programme (less than (R5.1million), while there has been an increase in programmes two and three. When looking at key cost drivers, R57.1% of its operating budget is allocated to compensation of employees and 40.7% is allocated for goods and services. On spending under goods and services the main cost drivers are travel and subsistence, property payments, spending on venues and facilities and spending for external audit costs.

Key issues for consideration by Parliament are as follows:

  • Although there has been a decrease in the allocation for administration, it still receives the greatest proportion of the budget and has the highest proportion staff.
  • Programme two encompasses the core of the departments mandate. It however receives the smallest operating budget.
  • The department commits to a number of reports under programme three however details in this regard are unclear.
  • The department needs stringent monitoring of the majority of its targets.

Ms Kashifa Abrahams, Committee Researcher, presented on the general matters of the Department.  The Department tabled its Annual Performance Plan (APP) very late and the Office of the Auditor General noted to the Committee in its briefing last week that this will result in an audit finding against the Department for non-compliance. It noted in its APP that it has refined its strategic plan by refining the vision, mission and strategic objectives. It noted several challenges and reasons for not being able to achieve its targets within the quarterly report briefings to the Committee.

On the financial overview, Vote 13 was allocated R203.2 million for the 2018/19 financial year. Out of the 40 votes with a total cost of R814 508.9 million, Vote 13 got 0.03% of the allocation. It is the smallest allocation. On closer examination of Vote 13, R80.7 million is transferred to the Commission for Gender Equality leaving the Department with an operating budget of R149.5 million which translates to 65% of the total budget appropriated for Vote 13. The Department has a total staff compliment of 106 (number of funded posts, three of which were additional to the establishment) at the end of March 2018 and would increase the workforce to 121 in the 2018/19 financial year.

On investigations, it informed the Committee that investigations were underway and on completion reports will be shared of the outcomes and members will be briefed accordingly.

Discussion
Ms P Bhengu (ANC) asked whether there were any changes made to APP’s because the Department always changes them at the last minute.

Ms Abrahams said she did not know. Violence is back on the agenda machinery. Social development is the holder of the policy. Department of Women is supposed to partner Social Development because this department (Department of Women) does not deliver frontline services. There is no certainty whether there will be changes but for now things remain the same. The Department says it is refining its vision and mission and for now that is not clear.

Ms Levendale added that since 2014 the Department has not met any of its targets so it does not make sense to make changes.

Ms M Chueu (ANC) said that awareness and consciousness have not been addressed. Violence against women in South Africa has been institutionalised and consciousness must be added to the curriculum. Currently the Committee’s approach is very superficial, even with the budget. National Treasury said if the Department does not state what it wants to do it will not get money. The Committee does not have time frames for the work that needs to be done. There is no clear strategic plan. A case in point, the job summit, we have not stated how many we want, when, from which streams, how many women per year and on which levels. Where are women featured in industrial hubs? Are women featured in youth employment? How many females do we want in varsity? Women engineers are frustrated by the system. The Committee has no vision as to how it will move forward. If it is not detailed about its plan it will always cry about women being at the bottom because they are not being evaluated.

Ms G Tseke (ANC) said it is almost the end of the term but there are still questions left unanswered. The Committee was supposed to collaborate with other committees to ensure that the women there benefit. We were supposed to follow up on oversight. As a Committee we have failed.

Ms L Van der Merwe (IFP) said the Committee has been consistent with its follow up and disagreed with Ms Bhengu. The biggest problem is that the Committee has had a different view of what the Department could be rather than what it is. The Department now pays salaries but there is no work being done. It has to redefine its role because it acts as a spokesperson for women. It has always been confused about its mandate. It did not know what to do and therefore did nothing. If it does not fix this then it begs the question of whether it is worthwhile.

Ms T Sandler (DA) said when she joined the Committee in 2016 she asked what the Department had done and discovered that it had done nothing. It has blatantly disregarded this Committee. It ignores and excludes us. What can the Committee do to punish this Department because the next Parliament will go through the same thing.

Ms Tseke said the blame should not be shifted to the Committee because it has done its work. It is the Department that failed.

Ms D Robinson (DA) endorsed what has already been said. There is a short amount of time left and the Committee’s reputation is on the line. The Department has to step up the pace.

Minister Ms Bathabile Dlamini reported that Ms Shabalala is the new acting DG. The APP cover has Nelson Mandela and this year we are celebrating him and Albertina Sisulu but she is not on the cover yet. We are fighting for a non-sexist and non-racist country. Our responsibility is to focus on issues that affect women on planning, monitoring and evaluation of this and other departments and how they have changed the lives of women. Gender budgeting is the core of our success. All budgets must focus on gender. All women in business no matter how small must be assisted. Women and children violence is a priority and we must work together in a coordinated way to fight against violence. Gender machinery is what we want to look into.  Poverty has always been the face of women. We have dialogues in provinces but we do not know the nature of the dialogues yet. The Committee will get a preliminary report soon.

Department of Women
Ms Val Mathobela, Chief Director Office of the Director General (ODG) of the Department, took the Committee through the presentation.
The situational analysis shows that there has been a consistent unease with a range of matters regarding the institutionalisation of the transformation agenda for women and inalienable realisation of their human rights.  The 2017 poverty trends report shows that there is a significant disparity in poverty levels between population groups and sex of individuals. In general, black females, children, people from rural areas and those with low levels of education are the main victims of poverty.  There is a strong link between food security nutrition and gender therefore that land issue becomes critical in ensuring a gender approach to food security.

Women and children are subjected to patriarchal practices that impact negatively on their lives including harmful cultural and traditional practices; early and forced marriage, violence and inadequate healthcare.

During the 2018/19 financial year the following key performances were prioritised:

  • Strengthening and establishing institutional mechanisms where there a none across government.
  • Coordination of the gender machinery
  • Collaboration with DPME on infusing the current monitoring and evaluation framework of government with indicators responsive to issues of empowerment and equality for women.
  • National Treasury clear targets will be set to the implementation of gender responsive budgets in the country embedded on the MTSF planning cycle of government.

On the organisational environment policy, stakeholder coordination and knowledge management were reviewed and new sub programmes created.

For programme one the adjusted appropriation is R84.7 million with actual expenditure of R82.5 million which translates into 97%. The under spending of R2.2 million is mainly due to a director post which was transferred to programme three during the financial year and software for antivirus. The underspending will be utilised to augment the over spending in programme three during the year end period.

For programme two the adjusted operational budget is R21.5 million for the programme with actual expenditure of R15.9 million which translates to 74%. The under spending is due to the delayed implementation of the Sanitary Dignity Indaba and consultations of gender Based violence against women and sexual offences with other departments which are part of national dialogues. The under spending will be utilised to augment the over spending in programme three during the year end virement period.

For programme three, the adjusted appropriation is R21.7 million with actual expenditure of R28 million which translates to 129%. The over spending of R6.4 million is attributed to a director post which was transferred from programme one during the financial year. Invoices for the Sanitary Dignity drive packs procured in March 2017 amounting to R408 thousand and paid in April 2017. Invoices for the previous financial year for PRASA amounting to R824 thousand that was paid in the current financial due to continuous rejection of the banking details upon verification.  Funds will be shifted from programme one and two to offset the overspending during the virement period.

Ms Esther Maluleke Chief Director: Governance Transformation, Justice &Security, Department of Women in the Presidency, added that on transfers and subsidies, the adjusted budget is R78.4 million with actual spending of R78.5 million which translates to 100%.  Overspending of R95 000 is due to leave gratuities amounting to R64 000 paid in the current financial year, claims against the state amounting to R100 000 and donation in cash to the value of R100 000 to CEO sleepout as part of the #365 Days of activism of no violence against women and children. Expenditure of R62 000 under leave gratuities which is for leave discounting was journalised to compensation of employees in line with the Standard chart of accounts classification of expenditure. Virement of R33 000 from goods and services will be implemented at year end to cover the overspending of leave gratuity paid.

Discussion
Ms Tseke asked, on programme two, why a service provider was commissioned to do that work and for how much. The Committee needs a revised organogram. She asked for a breakdown of the vacancy rate being at 10%. She also asked that the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) budget be taken out from the main budget because it makes it seem as though the Department has more money.

Ms Robinson said the Committee wants to see action. This Department has been slow marching for a long time, we have asked for invitations to events and dialogues but none of that has happened.  Thankfully the gender machinery is coming because South African women have suffered. Stop working in isolation, interact with other departments such as Justice and Police. On international bodies, the reporting back from South Africa is slow paced.

Ms Sandler said the Committee has had a bad relationship with the Department. It has failed to cooperate, report and provide evidence so much so that in the last meeting it said that it had a sanitary dignity plan but later it was discovered that it only had a memo. It does not implement anything and battles with the same issues time and again. This year it submitted its APP late to the Auditor General and will definitely get a negative finding. It will get cut because it does nothing. It has the women of South Africa. It has not completed any tasks; it has been talking about frameworks for years but produces nothing. What can the Minister do?

Ms Bhengu asked how many investigations were completed and how many were carried over from the previous years.  Are there tools to monitor treaty compliance? How will the Department track how many women have access to land; and how will it prevent corruption on the provision of pads?

The Minister responded that on sanitary pad provision, it is better to bring the framework to Parliament in a week’s time on how they will be purchased and distributed. The drive focuses on girls from poor communities. Schools are categorised into quintiles and the Department will follow those quintiles to provide pads. It is similar to book distribution. The Department have partnered with a company that will supply the pads in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Eastern Cape. Other provinces will be consulted.

The CGE is part of the government programme. When it came in it was factored in that 50% of the budget will be for women. It is important that there be no duplication of programmes. She will have more meetings with the CGE because thus far she only had one. The Department will ensure that there is gender budgeting, there are more women than men in South Africa and the budget should reflect that. Each department should give a report of what it has done with the budget. The structure of the Department will be sent to the Committee in a week’s time.

The Minister apologised for sending the APP late, the Department wanted to make adjustments.  Departments will be pushed to use some of its budget to help with our projects. The Department is not a service delivery structure; it only serves to mainstream the problems that women face.

Ms Maluleke requested that the Department send a report with a breakdown of the vacancy rate, suffice to say that there are director posts. There is also the issue of follow on the Budget Review and Recommendation Report (BRRR). The newly appointed CFO has dealt with most of the issues.

The Department would like to take this issue back for discussion and then provide feedback. The report backs on CSW, the Department will conduct them through the Minister’s office. On dialogues, by the end of the month the Department will send a high-level report on them, as well as on the issue of investigations and submit a report.

Ms Tseke said the Committee is advocating for free distribution of pads to the disadvantaged and zero rates to sanitary pads. How far are we on zero rating of pads? On the M&E framework, please explain the financial inclusion framework.

The Minister said that there will be a workshop so that everyone can have an understanding of gender budgeting. All the questions can be asked there.

Ms Maluleke said that provinces are not allowed to sell government pads as they have clear government logos that prohibit sale. We should be creating employment for women by allowing them to produce and sell the pads.

Ms Bhengu commented that since the Committee is left with few months before the term ends, the Minister should have a working relationship with other departments. Thankfully the Minister is an activist for things that concern women, the rural women must be assisted to use their indigenous skills.

The meeting adjourned.

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