Question NW857 to the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure
23 April 2021 - NW857
Hicklin, Ms MB to ask the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure
(1) With reference to the fitment of all the houses within the Parliamentary villages, and in Acacia Park Parliamentary Village in particular, with alarm systems, but without one of these systems having been activated, what are the reasons why the alarm systems were installed without any means for them to contact either the SA Police Service (SAPS) office or an external security company; (2) whether an appropriate study was conducted prior to the installation of perimeter beams along the perimeter wall of the Acacia Park Parliamentary Village; if not, why not; if so, (3) was the terrain along the perimeter walls of the Acacia Park village ascertained through a surveillance study to be suitable for the installation of the perimeter security beams; if not, why not; if so, (a) what are the relevant details and (b) which company was approved to install the security systems and perimeter security beams at Acacia Park; (4) whether the correct supply chain management and/or tender processes were followed; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:
- I have been informed by the Department that the intruder alarms were removed and re-instated as part of the scope of work under contract WCS 045661/002 which was the refurbishment of Sessional Officials’ accommodation. The challenge however, was the ageing infrastructure at SAPS Rondebosch Static Protection Service, where not all intruder alarms reported the signal to the SAPS site office at Groote Schuur Estate. The Department is currently attending to these challenges and will resolve the intruder alarm and signal under the current MP maintenance project, WCS 046748.
- Yes, at the inception of the project in 2015, the appropriate study was done through the SAPS Security Assessment Report.
- Yes, the appropriate study was done through the SAPS Security Assessment Report. (a) It was recommended that the perimeter of the park must consist of the following:
- Single welded mesh fence (high security fence);
- Concrete plinth underneath;
- Effective perimeter illumination for easy patrol and enhancement of cameras either during the night or adverse weather conditions, SANS 10389-2;
- Beams were already fitted for detecting would-be intruders trying to tamper with the fence and/or for zone breaching;
- The fence must, at all times, be free from holes and/or any sort of damages,
- Vegetation around the fence was also not recommended; and
- The placing and number of cameras, namely 17 (PTZ) Pan Tilt Zoom in Acacia Park, 6 fixed and 5 (PTZ) in Pelican Park and 7 fixed and 5 (PTZ) in Pelican Park.
- (b) Liberty Technologies was sub-contracted by Bambana Management Services to install the security system and perimeter security beams at Acacia Park.
- 4. Yes, the correct tender process was followed. The open tender was advertised in line with sound supply chain management processes. The contract for the upgrading of the access control at the three Parliamentary Villages undertaken in 2015 amounted to R32 231 266.29 and the successful bidder was Bambana Management Services.