Public Works Committee Reports on Department Annual Report 2006/7 & Budget 2007/08

Meeting report

Opening Remarks
The Chairperson informed Members that the Committee would look at the Department and its Entities Annual Report 2007/08 in the first week of February 2009. She said that Members were expected to have read the reports beforehand.
 
Committee Report on Department and Entities Annual Reports 2006/7
The Committee read through this committee report, making amendments and suggestions:

Page 3 The Chairperson suggested that the Committee should follow up the issue on Asset Management Draft Turn Around Strategy.

Page 4 The Chairperson felt very strongly that the Department should make a presentation on the progress made by the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP). She said that the EPWP was the most important government job creation programme thus far. The report should include the number and the type of jobs created.

Page 5 The Chairperson mentioned that the Independent Development Trust (IDT) had been building schools in provinces such as Limpopo and North West. She suggested that the IDT should be utilised to build schools. The Committee would work with Provincial Departments of Public Works to realise that goal.

Page 6
The Chairperson said that the Auditor General should do the books of Agrément South Africa (ASA)

Mr P Maluleke (ANC) moved for adoption and Mr J Blanche (DA) seconded the motion.

The report was adopted with minor technical amendments.

Committee Report on Strategic Plan of Department of Public Works (DPW) 2008-2011 and Budget Vote 2007/08
Mr J Blanche (DA) asked what the government was doing to train unemployed South Africans rather than importing skilled labour such as the Cuban engineers that were working with the Department.

The Chairperson said that even though the question was not directly related to the report she would attempt to answer it. She explained that Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (ASGISA) and the Joint Initiative for Priority Skills (JIPSA) were very specific in addressing skills shortage.

Mr J Blanche (DA) suggested that the government should provide bursaries at local government level to train more South Africans on priority skills.

The Chairperson replied that there were many South Africans who were trained graduates in priority skills but were not registered. The problem was that the Councils In The Built Environment field did not recognise graduates from Historically Disadvantaged Tertiary Institutions. She said that it was for the same reason that the Committee took up the Built Environment Professions Bill [B53-2008].

Mr J Blanche (DA) suggested that the Department should get more money from the Minister of Finance to fund skills shortage.

The Chairperson replied that the reason the Department got a marginal increase in its budget was because it was not viewed as a “poverty alleviating” department. She also reiterated that Mr Blanche‘s concern was not related to the report however the Committee should lobby for more funds. The increase in the budget of the Department was linked to inflation unlike other Departments such as Health, Education and Housing.

Mr Adam Mthombeni, DPW Parliamentary Liaison Officer, said that the Department would brief the Committee on the skills shortage.

Mr S Opperman (DA) moved for the adoption of the report and Mr P Maluleka (ANC) seconded the motion.

The report was adopted with minor technical amendments.

The meeting was adjourned.