Report on Strategic Planning Workshop; SCOPA hearing and Committee Programme: discussion

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Meeting report

PUBLIC WORKS PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE

PUBLIC WORKS PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE
25 October 2004
REPORT ON STRATEGIC PLANNING WORKSHOP; SCOPA HEARING AND COMMITTEE PROGRAMME: DISCUSSION

Chairperson:
Mr F Bhengu (ANC)

Documents handed out:
Consolidated report of the Department/Committee workshop

SUMMARY
The Committee considered the report of the Committee workshop on the Department's activities. Members agreed that the major Department problems were asset management and insufficient co-ordination between departments. Further concerns included the rental debtor revenue; capacity within the Department, the appointment of a Deputy Director-General, and the tendering process. The Committee would divide itself into two subgroups to tackle each of these issues separately.

MINUTES
The Chairperson pointed out that the report of the Department workshop would be structured differently when tabling the final report to Parliament. The layout would be finalised by a Committee team. The Committee still needed to strengthen the recommendations.

The Chairperson said that they had met six Members of the Executive Committee (MECs) thus far to discuss the Expanded Public Work Programme (EPWP) and the Strategic Plan. The outstanding briefings of the Western Cape, Northern Cape and Gauteng were intended to take place this week, preferably on 27 October. However, the provinces had not confirmed the meeting. If they were unable to attend, they would be requested to submit their report.

The Chairperson highlighted that their goal was a consolidated report that included the MECs briefings, the report of the Department of Public Works Committee workshop, and the SCOPA hearings from the previous week. This Annual Report should be tabled in Parliament before 19 November 2004. Hence, a meeting with the Department had to take place soon, possibly the following week. Furthermore, a public hearing with stakeholders, construction industry and clients regarding the Annual Report was required. The aim was the adoption of the report by the House, and not merely consideration.

The Chairperson said that a fortnight ago, the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) subgroup that dealt with public works, had invited the Committee to be part of their deliberations. Even though the meeting had taken place with the understanding that it was a closed meeting, the contents had been subsequently disclosed to the media. This was cause for concern. The Chairperson said that the matter would definitely be dealt with.

The Chairperson felt the Committee should address the issue of rental debtor revenue and the concerns about the construction industry. Regarding the EPWP, they had to investigate the Department's capacity and the reason for the delay in appointing a Deputy Director-General. Co-ordinating departments, such as the Department of Land Affairs, had to give urgent attention to concerns around asset management. In order to investigate the tendering process, other Departments had to be engaged. The Committee had to set up teams and diligently investigate each of these concerns.

Mr T Anthony (ANC) raised a concern that the Committee had not met certain deadlines promised to the Department. The Committee needed accurate timeframes in order to meet its commitments. The report of the Department and Committee workshop had included such a timeframe. Over the last five years, lack of deadlines had hampered the establishment of a proper asset register. Another example of such a delay was the advertisement for recruiting a Deputy Director-General, which had already taken more than six months.

Mr L Maduma (ANC) emphasised that there were two major challenges: co-ordination regarding the EPWP, and asset management. The co-ordination issue had been raised during the MEC briefings. The problem lay partly in the Department, which had not given high enough priority to the EPWP, even though the programme had been launched in almost every province. The establishment of asset registers was another real problem. A national workshop had to be established, involving all MECs of Public Works and the South African Local Government Association (SALGA). However, the tendering process was not a real worry, but rather a challenge. Hence, not as much time should be spent on that issue.

Mr E Magubane (ANC) commented that the issue of asset management had loomed large for ten years. Hence a Committee should be established, comprised of both stakeholders and the provinces. He felt that the tendering process was a serious problem. Taking into account the high illiteracy rate, he asked how the tendering process could be simplified.

The Chairperson commented that the Department was still trying to find a Deputy Director-General for the Expanded Public Works Programme. This vacancy had to be filled before next year, as this was crucial for the effectiveness of the EPWP.

The Chairperson conceded that many deadlines had not been met. However, they needed statistics to avoid generalisation. A Committee needed to be established to investigate these issues. For instance, if the local municipalities were asked to provide information about their asset register, some would be able to do so, but had kept it secret to avoid lobbyists. Information about the asset register had to prevail before the asset management could be handed over to the municipalities.

The Chairperson emphasised that it was crucial to table the report soon, as they would be involved in the EPWP for the next five years. Many people would still not be sure about the objectives of the programme. The Committee had agreed upon that the national and provincial departments had to be visited, but this was hindered by the Departments capacity. The Chair commented that the inefficiencies of the department lie within the people of the department.

Mr N Gogotya (ANC) commented that over the last eight weeks, the ministers of Sport, Education, Provincial and Local Government, and Safety and Security had advertised their current activities, pointing out their involvement with the EPWP. Yet the Minister of Public Works himself had not appeared in any of these advertising. Hence, they had to investigate the marketing in the Public Works Department.

The Chairperson agreed and added that the Department had not provided enough information and that this issue had to be addressed.

Mr T Anthony (ANC) remarked that outside experts who assisted the Department were not necessarily needed, especially for a short time. He further questioned whether the use of consultants in the employment strategy was efficient and cost-effective. The affirmative action processes in place had to be utilised.

Mr L Maduma (ANC) said that incomplete projects in provinces had lead to occasional accusations levelled at the Department. The MEC briefing had shown that the provinces had not been informed sufficiently on the EPWP. This had to be taken into account when tabling the recommendations in Parliament.

Ms P Sekgobela (ANC) asked about the responsibility of maintaining multi-purpose centres. There was not enough co-ordination among Departments on provincial level.

The Chairperson reiterated that the Management Committee was going to divide the Committee into two groups, and each group would focus on a different issue. The Annual Report also had to be divided. The division of the Members would be decided upon with the DA, who had been unable to attend this meeting.

The Chairperson said that a co-ordinator was needed to commission the consolidated report. There was general consensus that nationally, the initiating process had been hampered by a lack of co-ordination. The Committee had to take into account the decentralisation of the Department, and the role of the regional offices. They had to consult the NCOP on investigating the capacities of the provincial departments and the co-ordination between them. He emphasised that the forthcoming workshop intended to create a forum for effective communication. Based on that, strong recommendations could be made when tabling the consolidated report in Parliament.

The meeting was adjourned.


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