Hansard: NA: Mini-Plenary 3

House: National Assembly

Date of Meeting: 08 Sep 2023

Summary

No summary available.

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Minutes

UNREVISED HANSARD
MINI PLENARY 3 - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY (VIRTUAL) FRIDAY, 8 SEPTEMBER 2023
PROCEEDINGS OF THE MINI-PLENARY SESSIONS OF NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
Watch video here: NA: Mini-Plenary 3

The mini-plenary session met on the virtual platform at 10:01.

 

The Acting House Chairperson Mr S O R Mahumapelo took the Chair and requested members to observe a moment of silence for prayers or meditation.

The ACTING CHAIRPERSON (Mr S O R Mahumapelo): Today is a consideration for the request for the approval of the Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education. And our first speaker will be hon Mkhatshwa. You have got four minutes. It looks like there is a problem here.

CONSIDERATION OF REQUEST FOR APPROVAL OF GLOBAL CONVENTION ON THE RECOGNITION OF QUALIFICATIONS CONCERNING HIGHER EDUCATION (REPORT OF PC ON HIGHER EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND INNOVATION)

Ms N T MKHATSHWA: Thank you very much, House Chair. Can you please indicate to the IT team that the system when we try and unmute ourselves is requesting that we be unmuted by them? So can they please be ready when we request to be unmuted? That is what is causing the delay, House Chair.

The ACTING CHAIRPERSON (Mr S O R Mahumapelo): Thank you very much hon member. Yes, that has been the problem on my side also. I cannot unmute. Please make sure that you do unmute on time. Thank you very much and over to you, hon Mkhatshwa. You have got four minutes.

Ms N T MKHATSHWA: Thank you very much. Hon House Chairperson, hon members and citizens of South Africa good morning. On the 15th of February 2023, the committee received a briefing regarding the Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education as it was referred to the committee by the Speaker. South Africa is one of 193 member states that unanimously adopted the Global Convention at the 40th session of the UNESCO General Conference.

Hon members, the committee, having considered the request for Parliament to approve this global convention, recommends that

the House in terms of section 231(2) of the Constitution, approves the said convention.

Before I outline eight of the objectives of this convention, allow me to share with you two very relatable reasons as to why we as the committee support this convention. On a number of occasions hon members, we have received communiques from citizens, young and old, who have left the country to study abroad through scholarships, crowdfunding and so forth. Upon their return, they are unable to further their studies because the qualification framework of the country they went to study in and our national qualification framework, NQF, don’t necessarily correlate. We essentially as a country would not recognize that particular qualification. And so a young person who did an equivalent of an honours degree in another country now trying to articulate into a higher NQF like a master’s degree would not be able to do so, and this leaves citizens very frustrated. At times they aren’t even able to find employment. So the convention seeks to address such.

We have also had instances where we acknowledge that the South African higher education system, attracts students, researchers and academics from all over the world. Sometimes we have cases where people apply using bogus international

qualifications and these bogus qualifications have placed our institutions of higher learning in very compromising positions, where we find out that a person who is just about to conclude their Doctor of Philosophy, PhD, in fact, applied using a bogus or a master’s qualification that was not legitimate. And so the convention seeks to minimise such instances as well.

Above all that, the convention seeks to promote and strengthen international co-operation in higher education to support inter-regional initiatives, policies and innovations for international co-operation within the sector to facilitate global mobility of students, researchers and academics.

To provide an inclusive global framework for reliable and coherent recognition of qualifications. To foster trust and confidence in the quality and reliability of qualifications through promoting integrity and ethical practices.

To develop the capacities necessary for ensuring reliability, consistency and complementarity in quality assurance and qualification frameworks and the recognition of qualifications to support international mobility. It also seeks to promote the development, collection and sharing of relevant knowledge

and best practices across the member states. And to promote equitable access to higher education and lifelong learning opportunities for all, including refugees and displaced persons.

Hon members, our policies as South Africa have always been geared towards ensuring that South Africa’s higher education sector plays a role in the international space. So, the internationalization of the sector, if done correctly, can have huge benefits for local institutions and the country’s developmental agenda. As well as exposing South African knowledge systems which are something that we need to load ourselves as a country to the world. We thus move for the approval of this convention. I thank you, House Chair.

Ms C V KING: Good day everyone and good day, Chairperson. Six million students worldwide are studying abroad and more than half of these students are studying outside their regions. The significance of academic recognition has become apparent with a growing number of international students studying in various countries.

This has led to a rising demand to access foreign qualifications by local students, ensuring the equivalence

with domestic qualifications. South Africa is a preferred country for international students, academic researchers and many people seeking employment opportunities. South Africa is a signatory to the Addis Convention United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, revised convention on the recognition of studies, certificates, diplomas, degrees and other academic qualifications in higher education in African states as well as the Southern African Development Community, SADC, Protocol on Education and Training.

The emergence of these second conventions of regional recognition can be attributed to regional integration, technological advancement and globalization. This development paved the way for the development of the Global Convention on Higher Education, which was adopted by 193 member states at the 40th session of the UNESCO General Conference. This essentially became the First United Nations Treaty of Higher Education with a global scope. This convention came into force on the 5th of March 2023. South Africa is a member state and rectifying this convention can collaborate with other parties to foster mutual recognition arrangements, advanced development of recognition tools and excess capacity, building opportunities thereby expand ... [Inaudible.] ...

The ACTING CHAIRPERSON (Mr S O R Mahumapelo): It looks like we have lost hon King. If our admin and our technical team can just check what may be the problem. Hon king.

Ms C V KING: ... [Inaudible.] ...

 

The ACTING CHAIRPERSON (Mr S O R Mahumapelo): Are you back now?

Setswana:
LELOKO LE LE TLOTLEGANG: Neteweke e dira jaana fa o bua maaka.

 

English:

Mr M S MALATSI: Chair, it seems like she is struggling with connection, so let’s find her and then we’ll give an update for ... [Interjections.] ...

The ACTING CHAIRPERSON (Mr S O R Mahumapelo): Is she struggling with the connection? That’s fine. We will call the next speaker from the EFF for four minutes. Then we will go back to hon King.

Mr M S MALATSI: Thanks, Chair.

The ACTING CHAIRPERSON (Mr S O R Mahumapelo): EFF, I didn’t have the name. Thank you. You have got four minutes. It doesn’t look like we have got the EFF. We will go back to the next speaker from the IFP. Hon Zondo, you have got three minutes.

Mr S S ZONDO: Greetings to everyone. The Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education is an important step forward for South Africa and the rest of the world. Its importance, which is often overlooked bears a great potential for South African youth who wish to or are required to study abroad.

The essence of the approval is the world first under the UN banner... [Inaudible.] ... It is supposed to set up a global
... [Inaudible.] ... programme among students from all over the world.

However, the task is not yet done for us. There is an opportunity to be part of this contract, but given the poor state of our economy and the currently stressed higher education system in South Africa, we must seize the opportunity and use our membership to get started.

Our higher education system suffers from significant challenges beyond that of basic education. We are overcrowded, underfunded and generally have too little space to accommodate our youth at the higher levels of education. The continued lack of funding from the National Financial Aid Scheme, NSFAS, is hindering our development goals of providing opportunities to those who cannot afford it but who deserve it.

Students who are ... [Inaudible.] ... while studying ... [Inaudible.] ... qualifying students in South Africa have ... [Inaudible.] ... terms of payment from NSFAS for their funding. Recently, direct payment has increased their burden as they see less money in their account than promised due to the high fees.

Hon Chair, we need to rectify our programmes at the higher education level to provide education to all South Africans regardless of their income status. In addition, we must strive to build the capacity and standard of our institution to attract academics and students from other countries to our institutions. We must act in such a way that knowledge generation is promoted where there are gaps and ... [Inaudible.] ... of financial benefit of making South Africa
... [Inaudible.] ...

The ACTING CHAIRPERSON (Mr S O R Mahumapelo): Okay. It looks like we have lost you but your time was up anyway, hon Zondo.

Mr S S ZONDO: Sorry, it’s the network glitches on my side. But let me conclude.

IsiZulu:

USIHLALO WESIKHASHANA: (Mnu S O R Mahumapelo): Lungu elihloniphekile Zondo isikhathi sakho siphelile baba.

Mr S S ZONDO: Alright.

 

USIHLALO WESIKHASHANA: (Mnu S O R Mahumapelo): Ngiyabonga.

 

English:
Hon King, are you back?

The ACTING CHAIRPERSON (Mr S O R Mahumapelo): Hon King, are you back?

Ms C V KING: I’m back. I’m not going to put on my camera though, we have loadshedding. Can I start all over, Chairperson?

The ACTING CHAIRPERSON (Mr S O R Mahumapelo): Yes! When you were offline I indicated that you’ll have to start from the beginning, with your five minutes.

Ms C V KING: Chair, six million students across the world are studying abroad and more than half of these students are studying outside of their region.

The significance of academic recognition has become apparent with a growing number of international students studying in various countries, that has led to a rising demand to access foreign qualifications by local students, ensuring the equivalents with domestic qualifications.

South Africa is a preferred country for international students, academic researchers and many people seeking employment opportunities.

South Africa is signatory to the Addis Ababa Convention, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, Revised Convention on the Recognition of Studies, Certificates, Diplomas, Degrees and other Academic Qualifications in Higher Education in African States as well

as the Southern African Development Community, SADC, Protocol on Education and Training.

The emergence of these second conventions of regional recognition can be attributed to the regional integration, technological advancement and globalisation. These developments paved the way for the development of the Global Convention of Higher Education, which was adopted by a
193-member states at the 40th session of the UNESCO General Conference.

This essentially became the first United Nations Treaty on Higher Education on the global scope. The convention came into force on the 5th of March 2022.

South Africa as a member state and ratifying this convention can collaborate with other parties to foster mutual recognition arrangement, advance development of recognition tools and excess capacity, building opportunities thereby extending influence and contributing to the international higher education community.

The global convention sets out universal principles for fair, transparent and non-discriminatory recognition of higher

education qualifications. The global convention also facilitates the recognition of qualifications, prior learning and study periods earned remotely, as well as promoting the recognition of refugee qualifications.

The main objective is promoting and strengthening international co-operation in higher education, ensuring that academic recognition, quality assurance and mobility resonate simultaneously, leading to a more accessible and global connected higher education.

This convention is relevant as numerous countries aspire to become newer higher education hubs. Enhancing the recognition of qualifications offered by ... [Inaudible.] ... is crucial to bolster their appeal to both local and international students.

This convention is also linked to the Sustainable Development Goal, SDG 4, which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning.

However, South Africa’s unresolvable loadshedding crisis is infringing on the ability to offer quality education and the approach to transformation in higher education is veering on

the edge of racial exclusion, placing questions on the stance of equality in higher education.

Recognition of higher education qualifications is dependable on a quality assurance system that is reliable and efficient. But SA Qualifications Authority, SAQA, is grossly underfunded and understaffed, which is creating challenges to have a faster turnaround time to approve international qualifications.

What is also tainting our ability to attract international students is the brand damage that internationally recognised South African institutions to sort out their governance challenges are posing.

We need to shift our minds regarding online and blended learning, integrating them seamlessly into the higher education eco-system. They should not be seen as merely contingency or backup plans for emergencies, but as essential and integral parts of higher education. And again, our lack of sustainable energy supply is hindering this criterion.

Skills recognition play an important role in facilitating migration, particularly in countries that are facing labour

shortages. Our critical skills list highlights the importance to attract skilled foreign professionals to impart their skills and knowledge. But this is depending on a functional Home Affairs Department to fast-track visa applications to enter as international students.

Implementation of a well-balanced policy is crucial to give credence to this convention. But the ANC will not disappoint us. Where the socialist apartheid policies leading to increased crime, joblessness and poverty.

So, South Africans, in 1994 you voted for your freedom. I implore on you, 2024 [Time expired.]

Mr B S YAKO: House Chairperson and hon members, the Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education is a critical convention we should adopt as this National Assembly as part of our international obligations. This is critical to streamline our higher education recognition of qualifications with international standards.

The objective, amongst other objectives of the convention, is to support interregional initiatives, policies and innovations

for international co-operation in higher education, which will enhance our efforts of harnessing our original capabilities and knowledge sharing. For example, South Africa has the most competitive higher education sector within the SADC region and the convention advances co-operation which focuses on harmonising various aspects such as policies and innovation.

We believe that this will ensure our country plays a critical developmental role in the continent across the various regions. Another key objective of the convention is to promote the development, collection and sharing of accessible up-to- date, reliable, transparent and relevant information and the dissemination of best practices among stakeholders, state parties and regions.

Our strategic focus as a nation has also been on strengthening south to south co-operation, which will play a critical role in creating global equity and advancing the inclusion of knowledge and practices which have not enjoyed that prominence.

Our recent Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, BRICS, summit and its expansion to BRICS-Plus will create a

lot of opportunities for co-operation in line with the convention.

Some countries in other regional areas in the continent have distinct capabilities and the convention enables the expansion by sharing best practices in a leap from a silo approach to harnessing national capabilities. The convention has many obligations which will enhance our students’ mobility globally and enable students in other countries to access our education system, which enhances the diverse nature of our higher education institutions, enriching the experience of over students.

The ratification of this convention amplifies the need to streamline our own academic articulation framework as a country to enable interoperability of the recognition of qualifications across the university and vocational streams globally.

As the ANC we shall have engagements with the department to ensure plans are developed to give effect to the convention. As a nation we pride ourselves on the competitiveness of our higher education system and we ought to ensure our government adapts its system to global best practices.

Ratifying the convention will make us join 22 nations who have already ratified the convention.

We, therefore, support this report. Thank you very much, hon Chairperson.

The ACTING CHAIRPERSON (Mr S O R Mahumapelo): Hon members, this concludes the debate. Just before we go to the next Order I would like to remind you that the virtual mini plenary is deemed to be in the precinct of Parliament and constitutes a meeting of the National Assembly for debating purposes only.

In addition to the rules of virtual sittings, the Rules of the National Assembly, including the Rules of the debate, will apply.

Members enjoy the same powers and privileges that apply in the sitting of the National Assembly. Members should equally note that anything said in the virtual platform is deemed to have been said to the House and may be ruled upon.

All members who have logged-in shall be considered to be present and are requested to mute their microphones and only unmute when recognised to speak. This is because the mics are

very sensitive and will pick up noise which might disturb the attention of the other members. When recognised to speak please unmute your microphone and where connectivity permits, connect your video.

Members may make use of icons on the bar at the bottom of their screens, which has an option that allows a member to put up his or her hand to raise a point of order.

The secretariat will assist in alerting the Chairperson to members requesting to speak.

When using the virtual system members are urged to refrain or desist from unnecessary points of order or interjections.

Lastly, I wish to remind you that we are in a meeting of plenary session and therefore, any decision will be taken a full plenary session.

CONSIDERATION OF REPORT OF PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON WATER AND SANITATION ON FOLLOW-UP VISIT TO LIMPOPO PROVINCE TO ASSESS PROGRESS ON THE GIYANI BULK WATER PROJECT FROM 18 – 19 April 2023

Ms G K TSEKE: Thank you Chairperson, hon Mahumapelo. Hon Chair, the Constitution gives us the authority to oversee the activities of the Department of Water and Sanitation as the portfolio committee. Part of overseeing the work of the department is to receive reports and conduct oversight visits on the and make necessary recommendations on how best to improve the work of government in ensuring that all citizens have access to clean and safe drinking water and adequate sanitation infrastructure project.

Setswana:

Porojeke ya go tloga letamong la Nandoni go ya Nsami, e sale se simolotse ka ngwaga wa 2014. E nnile le mathata a mantsi mo go yona a bogodu le borra dikonteraka bao ba senang bokgoni.
Mathata a mangwe ke di mmasepala tse di senang kitso ya mafaratlhatlha a metsi. Ke ka moo mathata a lefapha a bonagala a golela pele. Fa re bua jaana Modulasetulo, ...

English:
 ... the 40,5 kilometres Nandoni and Nsami Bulk Water pipeline that transfers raw water from the Nandoni Dam to the Nsami Dam has been completed and it will benefit the communities of Vhembe and Mopani District. The refurbishment and upgrading of the Nsami Water Treatment Works was on course at that time and

the construction of approximately 325 kilometres of bulk pipeline to distribute portable water from the commanding reservoir at Nsami Water Treatment Works to the reservoirs supplying the Giyani, including the 55 villages was on course.

When we conducted oversight, water reticulation had started in the 24 villages with the completion date of June 2023. Members of the committee had an opportunity to visit some of the villages like Homu 14A and Homu 14B and others where reticulation was underway. Boreholes that were drilled to assist communities in other areas where vandalised. We noted that most of the projects’ delays are attributed to community unrest, theft and vandalism of government properties. We call on the law enforcement agencies to act swiftly against all those who are involved in corrupt practises.

As the portfolio committee, we further observed that there is lack of co-operation between the various spheres of government, which has negatively impacted the implementation of this project. We have called upon the three spheres of government to utilise the District Development Model to improve working relations towards the completion of these projects. On behalf of the Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation, I hereby table the portfolio committee report on

the oversight visit to the Giyani Bulk Water Project as adopted in our committee meeting on June 6 2023. I thank you, Chairperson.

Mr N G MYBURG: Chairperson, can you hear me?

 

The ACTING HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr S O R Mahumapelo): Yes,

proceed hon Myburg.

Mr N G MYBURG: Thank you Chairperson. My video is off with your permission because again, its loadshedding. Chairperson, the latest report on the Giyani Bulk Water Project is further testimony to the inability of water authorities to meet their constitutional obligations. And it does little I am afraid, to the latest suspicion that the Department of Water and Sanitation itself remains in breach of its legislative mandate as ... [Inaudible.] ...

The report concludes with no less than nine recommendations, none of which are new or contestable. It says nothing that we have not seen or heard before, or that any reasonable person could possibly object to. The report correctly identifies all the known problems associated with water and sanitation in this country from corruption and mismanagement, vandalism and

wasteful expenditure to incapacity and unaccountability. Chairperson, it’s all there.

The report into interalia, clearly demonstrates how the Mopani District Municipality has failed in its constitutional responsibility to provide residents with access to water and sanitation services. Most people in the district still use pit latrines. Water losses stand at 40%. The Giyani Wastewater Treatment facility is dysfunctional with waste water spillage everywhere, polluting streams and rivers, and posing a growing health risk to residents.

In addition, the Giyani water purification plant is a shadow of its former self running way below capacity and arguably reducing the entire Nandoni Bulk Pipeline Project to an exercise in wasteful and fruitless expenditure. Why do I say that? Well, what would be the point of bringing large amounts of water at great expense and over long distances to a water treatment plant, which is essentially dysfunctional or struggling to operate at best? This project, which started in 2014, way over budget, and years behind schedule, is now finally coming to ... [Inaudible.] ... glorious conclusion, and still thousands of people remain without potable water.

The extent of water and sanitation mismanagement is an horrific scourge on the human and environmental landscape of on this country. On its recent visit to the gold fields of the Free State, I saw firsthand the large ... [Inaudible.] ... collapse of basic sanitation services. It is no exaggeration to say that Welkom - which at one stage you will know produce 25% of the world’s gold - and its surrounds are gradually becoming one huge sewerage pan. Naturally, it poses not only great risk to human health, but also inflicts serious damage to the environment on a daily basis.

Rivers like the Sandrivier and its tributaries, along with virtually every store water canal, have been reduced to mere spillways for raw sewage. In short Chair, it is places like Mopani District Municipality, and the gold fields of the Free State, and many other areas I am afraid, where the ANC’s much vaunted District Development Model falls flat on its face ... [Inaudible.] [Time expired.]

Ms M R MOHLALA: Let me take an opportunity and greet you, Chairperson, together with the members of the EFF and the president of the EFF, the commander in chief, and the officials. Chairperson, the committee took an extraordinary step to conduct a follow up visit to the Giyani Bulk Water

Project. Is this because this project had remained a monumental blight and the most important indicator of what happens when the government takes its eyes off the ball and prioritise corruption over the delivery of services to our people?

To this day, so many years after the project was started, there is still no reliable supply of water to the people of Giyani. We found that the communities in and around Giyani are still buying water from those that have borehole at R3,50 for 20litres. In addition, the borehole water quality is poor, as it has high sodium content, making it unsuitable for drinking and preparing baby milk. Kids spends more time fetching water with wheelbarrows than studying at school.

We also find that whenever the committee visit, the department keeps shifting goal post because they make commitments, they themselves know they have no capacity to deliver on. This lies leave the people of Giyani without any hope of ever getting a reliable clean supply of water. We reject this report. We reject it because it does not take a firm enough position on the negligence and the sheer incompetence of the department which has led to the calamity of the people of Giyani. Thank you, Chairperson. My name is hon Mohlala. Thank you.

Ms Z MAJOZI: House Chair, I'm standing in for Princess Buthelezi, it’s hon Majozi. Hon Chairperson, section 27(1)(b) of the Constitution guarantees everyone the right to have access to sufficient food and water. Therefore, we cannot find ourselves in a situation where we deny the people of Giyani that basic right.

It raises great concern to me than more than R3 billion later, more than 250 000 people in Mopani and Vhembe will still not receive clean running water from the comfort of their homes by September this year as was promised by the Minister.

It is an embarrassment that this project, which had intended to provide clean, safe, drinkable piped water to more than 55 villages in the Limpopo province, has been ongoing for more years and equally stalled from time to time due to corruption, fraud, mismanagement and a blundered lack of political will from the government.

It is unfortunate that the actions of those elected to power to serve the people are exactly what has led us here today, with no tangible progress made. Almost a decade after the inception of this project, over the years, South Africans have

had to sit and listen to excuse after excuses as to why the project has not been completed.

Residents, school going, and the elderly sometimes find themselves without water for months on end. House Chair not only is this unacceptable, but it is utterly inhumane to subject our people to such despicable conditions.

Load shedding has been blamed for blunt and broken submerged pumps which untimely has an impact on the functionality of the Giyani water treatment plant. The COVID-19 virus has suffered the same fate. A lack of this and that has also been pointed to as the culprit, but the truth is that the government has failed to deliver on its constitutional obligation to ensure portable water because of the corruption by leaders who have turned public funds into their own personal treasure chest.

With every passing financial year, government spends a huge amount of money establishing endless task teams as part of the alleged fight against their own corruption, which has led to the stagnation of inter alia on this project. This failure is one of many exercises that provides to us that the ability of political leaders in power to ensure the timeous and effective

delivery of programmes meant to provide life to our people is simply non-existent.

I implore the department to refrain from over promising and under delivering. If certain self-inflicted factors have prevented the completion of this project in a span of nine years, I am quite confident that we can all agree that a few months will not realistically be enough as long as the government does not make it a priority. The IFP supports the report.

Mr W M THRING: It's member Wayne Thring from the ACDP. I just wanted to know whether you've received my name because normally the ACDP would come before GOOD?

The ACTING CHAIRPERSON (Mr S O R Mahumapelo): It's my mistake. Thank you hon member. Apologies for that mistake. After the IFP, it is the ACDP. I'm sorry for that, you may proceed hon member.

Mr W M THRING: Hon House Chairperson, the ACDP welcomes this frank report from the department on the progress made and challenges faced in the Giyani Bulk Water Project in Limpopo. The project was intended to supply portable water to some 55

villages. The Nandoni Dam was completed in 2005 to augment the Msani and Middle Letaba water systems in the greater Giyani municipal area. To date, the majority of the residents in the said 55 villages still use pit latrines and do not have sufficient access to portable water.

Challenges at the Giyani Bulk Water Project is like a cut and paste of those found around the country, which include corruption, which has become public enemy number one in South Africa. A lack of consequence management, a misalignment with the department and the and the municipalities’ inability or incompetence to do its work. A lack of maintenance of old treatment works and dysfunctionality of new treatment works. Theft and vandalism of 68 of the 154 boreholes, which are meant to benefit the people, and some municipalities lack the ability to function as water authorities or water service providers.

Chair, these challenges in Limpopo are also played out in Mpumalanga, where for the past few months the residents of White River have had little to no water, especially in the elevated areas of the town. When water does come from the taps, it looks like sewer water. Currently, there is no water. coming from the Boschrand, Phumlani and Sand River pump

stations allegedly affected by load shedding. A crisis far bigger than Eskom is looming in South Africa. It is a water and sanitation crisis.

The National Water and Sanitation Master Plan makes for some sombre readings. As a water scarce country, South Africa loses 35% of its water through leakage. In Limpopo, more than half of all water supply is lost. Operationally, local government infrastructure is a mess, with about 44% of the 962 water treatment works and 56% of the 1 150 municipal wastewater treatment works in a poor or critical condition.

They are described by the report as in need of urgent rehabilitation and skilled operators. Some 11% of the infrastructure is completely dysfunctional. It is time for change and solutions and the ACP presents itself as that solution. Thank you, Chair.

Mr M R MASHEGO: Hon Chair, I think we need to realise that the Department of Water and Sanitation purview in as far as water is concerned is to supply bulk water to the municipalities and for the municipalities to reticulate water unto the end user. So therefore, the assertion that because of lack of

reticulated water system must subscribe to the Department of Water and Sanitation is farfetched.

However, hon Chair, the ANC fully supports the oversight report on the progress of the Giyani Bulk Water Project in Limpopo, as adopted by the portfolio committee on 6 June 2020 and 2023, and I'm saying, as adopted by the portfolio committee on the 6 June 2023.

The ANC pushed for a democratic government to make it a constitutional requirement to guarantee everyone in South Africa the right to safe drinking water, regardless of race, gender, or creed. Section 27(1)(b) of the Constitution provides for the right to sufficient food and water and says that the democratic government should take all reasonable and practical measures to ensure the gradual realisation of this right.

This means that the ANC led government has a responsibility to ensure that it brings safe drinking water to all our people, irrespective of where they are in the in the country, whether in urban or in rural areas

The Giyani Bulk Water Project in Mopani District, Limpopo province is one of government’s programme that seeks to realise the constitutional obligation of progressively realizing the right to access clean drinking water for rural communities. When the Giyani Bulk Water Project is completed, it will supply safe and clean drinking water to 55 villages in Mopani District. This means that more than 60 000 households will have access to safe and clean drinking water.

Just to address what the hon Mohlala was raising, this is the answer: We have ensured that through the implementation of the important bulk water infrastructure project, local small and medium enterprises are benefiting from the procurement spend and that these SMMEs should prioritize the employment of local residents from the affected villages.

As we as we sit here in this august House today, we are happy to report that the Giyani Bulk Water Project is implementing a reticulation programme in at least 22 villages of the 55 that they are benefiting from the project to the Mopani District, even though the reticulation is not part of our job because of the district development model, DDM, we are doing it.

Our role as a portfolio committee is to ensure that we do not leave anyone or any household behind. The ANC wishes to acknowledge the fact that the Giyani Bulk Water Project faces challenges that affected the implementation of this important project and the challenges were maleficiated and our caring government, led by the ANC, has managed to resolve some of those challenges.

Hon members, collaborations by private players and others in the state have acted in a manner that has delayed the residence of Mopani to receive water. We applaud the Department of Water and Sanitation and law enforcement authorities’ effort to root out all corrupt personnel from the department as well to ensure that those discovered to have participated in corrupt activities face the full might of the law.

Once again, the ANC wishes to affirm its support for the portfolio committee oversight of the Giyani Bulk Water supply and we must say that we all have visited these areas together with the all the parties that are saying there is no progress, there is progress in this project. Therefore, the ANC supports, the report as written. Thank you Chair.

CONSIDERATION OF REPORT OF PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON BASIC EDUCATION ON OVERSIGHT VISIT TO MPUMALANGA PROVINCIAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

Ms B P MBINQO-GIGABA: Hon Chair and the members on the platform, good morning. Chairperson, Mpumalanga is largely a rural province and we are tabling this report making the members to understand that the department is doing its best to transform the lives of our children for a better future. The oversight visit took place in Mpumalanga province from 21-25 August 2022. We have visited 15 schools in four districts: Bohlabela, Ehlanzeni, Gert Sibande and Nkangala districts. We ensured that we visited primary schools, technical schools and special schools. To ensure that we have an involved visit, the committee was joined by the provincial Portfolio Committee on Education and we informed various education stakeholders such as school governing bodies, the SA Principals Associations and the labour organisations.

We must acknowledge that we have identified a number of challenges impacting various schools. There are several areas of progress which the department reported and as a committee we welcome the progressive development such as the partnerships of the department of upgrading special schools

and working with Autism South Africa to train teachers to work effectively with learners with different disabilities. The department is also focusing on mental health matters and students wellness.

In respect of infrastructure challenges, the department has a programme to eradicate all unsafe structures including asbestos structures and we will support 30 early childhood development centres. The infrastructure backlog to eradicate inadequate infrastructure by 2030 was estimated at
R40 billion. A total of 1088 schools were found to have inadequate sanitation facilities, ranging from one toilet seat upwards. However, the department reduced the backlog baseline from 1088 to 345 after deducting 542 schools addressed since 2018/19 financial year, including 45 projects that were withdrawn.

Having engaged with the Mpumalanga Department of Education, the portfolio committee recommended that the Minister of Basic Education, in collaboration with the Mpumalanga Department of Education, amongst others, need to ensure schools with infrastructure challenges receive priority attention from the department. They need to ensure that they consider the budget allocation to be made for training development centres. They

must ensure plans for a technical high school in every circuit is realized. They must ensure systems are in place to track, trace and retain learners, especially those that may have failed or dropped out of the systems. They must ensure adequate engagement and consultation with relevant communities and stakeholders with respect to rationalisation or merging of schools affected by these communities. These included issues of scholar transport, teacher allocation and budget to ensure focused support for special schools with challenges with respect to shortage of teachers, classrooms and equipment for practical as indicated by these special schools.

Chair, in our concluding remarks, we want to say that one of the transformational leaders, Langley Tamper, once said:

We have the ability to free negative mind-set by eliminating all diluted minds so as to experience peace and see reality the way things are. We also, we can also use obstacles we encounter to transform our adversaries...

Hon member, I tried to be flexible with you on the time shame...

IsiZulu:
... wahamba kancane...

English:

We hope you consider the report. Thank you very much hon member.

Ms D VAN DER WALT: Good morning, Chair and colleagues. Chairperson, in the global knowledge economy success depends on quality education. Those with quality education can fulfil their potential. Those without it are destined to remain excluded from opportunities and will be dependent on the state to survive. The constitutional rights of our children and equal opportunity for them is indeed not what we found during this oversight in Mpumalanga. As this report is discussed today over a year from their actual oversight and seeing that our portfolio committee discussed special needs schools on Tuesday, I will focus on the three special needs schools we visited. In Tsakane, which is a combined school for learners between the ages of five and 18 years with severe intellectual needs, we found the following: no learner workbooks, textbooks or even teacher guides for the District Curriculum Accommodation Plan, D CAPS Curriculum. There were no formal guidelines for learner assessments as this section was never

included in D CAPS Curriculum. Limited curriculum implementers for special school skills and core subjects, the Nated Courses, N3 to N6 are not recognised by SA Council of Educators, Sace for employment in Department of Basic Education for skills subjects at special schools. Learners also do not receive a Seta accreditation for work placement or even a formal school certificate from the Department of Basic Education when they leave schools.

Chairperson, the second school was Silindokuhle Special Needs School. This school was officially founded or established in 1995 with 69 learners and today they have over 200 learners, of which 51% of them actually live in the hostel. Now, there is around this area not even close, a secondary school for the deaf and blind in Mpumalanga. They are in desperate need at the time for therapist assistance and learners actually had to be referred to other provinces just for these therapist treatments and assistance as well.

There was a major issue because these learners with their disabilities still had to make use of pit toilets and water, a basic right was a problem as the borehole water in that area was not at all suitable for human consumption. There was no assistance from the local municipality. The school only

enjoyed clean water for a limited time every second day. Currently, at that time when we did the oversight, water was being bought at R15 000 a month. To date, by then, a pipeline has been connected to the school, but there has been no positive response from the local municipality.

Chairperson, on a hostel supervision, there was no accommodation for them, how do we leave these kids on their own? Chairperson, there were no Braille textbooks in foundation phase and Grade 7, especially maths and isiSwati. We really found that there was a shortage of teacher assistance for the deaf phase and they were in desperate need for Braille resources.

Chairperson, we will never stop the fight for special therapists, for children with special needs. In our recommendations we actually state that this school in 60 days within adoption of this report, these things must be fixed, but a year later are we now giving them another 60 days? A whole academic year has been wasted by now. It is really shocking from that province.

Chair, the last school is Thanduxolo Special School. This school was in need of additional six classrooms, an

occupational therapy room and a school hall as teachers were sharing classes and occupational therapy room in a very small office. There were too many learners in a classroom, Chair, and the department promised more classrooms with toilets and even the ground on which it would be built. There is a major shortage of workshops and that was also promised to be addressed by the day department.

Chairperson, the school also had no kitchen to cook for their learners. In fact, they had to put out a Wendy house, which is, as we all know, a danger in itself when you are cooking. Chairperson, can you imagine this is a school for our learners with severe intellectual abilities and it was quite clear that the Mpumalanga Department of Education has not been visited that school as some of the challenges were recognised for the very first time only by that department.

Chairperson, it is one thing to support a report where you write about what your findings was and you see for yourself and you can make recommendations. In closing Chair, what we cannot support is the rights of our children not being adhered to as per our Constitution. Thank you, Chair.

Mr B S MADLINGOZI: Chairperson, the committee went to Mpumalanga, particularly to assess the overall state of schooling in the province. We wanted to see if learners and educators are in school, in class or in time learning and teaching seven hours a day, as pronounced by the President in previous state of the nation addresses.

While we were not part of this specific oversight visit, we know fully well what is the true state of education in that province. The committee itself found that in some schools there were classrooms without electricity, there were instances where there was no water at schools and there were schools without ablution facilities. It was also found that there were no proper provisions for scholar transport, particularly for children who use wheelchairs, and not enough schools for children with specific needs. On rainy days, teachers and learners struggle to access some of the schools because of the poor state of the roads. The teachers themselves were crying out for some teacher development and constant training.

All these problems are exclusively the problems of black schools. It is black children that have to endure this indignity, so many years after freedom. The ruling party would

never dare subject whites to these conditions. The ruling party hates black children, and does not care about their wellbeing and the future of this country. This report sanitises this cruel treatment of black youth and children by the government. We reject this report. Thank you, Chair.

Mr S L NGCOBO: Chairperson, as a party we cannot overemphasise the importance of an educational system that is not only functional but that can produce leaders who are globally competitive. Quality education has proven to be the lifeline for many destitute persons throughout the country.

It is for this reason that we were disappointed with the state of some of the schools in the four districts in Mpumalanga. It is both concerning and shameful that the issues faced by the learners in both primary and high schools in Mpumalanga are not unique to the province. In fact, these are issues that are so deeply entrenched, so much so that they have become part of the norm in schools throughout, even KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, the Eastern Cape, as well as the other provinces under this government.

Infrastructure remains one of the biggest challenges in our schools. Our children are either presented with ailing and

dangerous infrastructure or in some cases almost nonexistent infrastructure. The Department of Education in Mpumalanga has had what almost seems like, at its best an inability, at worst a disinterest in addressing school infrastructure challenges in the province, which has fuelled an incompetent ... which has in turn disrupted teaching and learning.

More than a year since the oversight visit that has brought us here today, the state of schools in the province has deteriorated to such a point that as I stand here today, more than 4 000 learners have not been able to attend the school in Driekoppies in Ehlanzeni since July. This stayaway is taken as a last resort by desperate parents who have exhausted all other methods to get the Department of Basic Education to act and rebuild these dilapidated schools, evidently to no avail.

Primary school learners are forced to attend in old, degenerated structures which have not undergone any form of maintenance since the 1970s and as a result pose a danger to their lives. The department has failed to provide mobile classrooms to these schools, which leaves them with no choice but to use old, ailing and overcrowded classrooms, which at times reportedly accommodate up to 150 learners in a classroom that should only accommodate 40 learners.

The issues faced by learners in the province do not end here. In some schools they travel from remote areas ... can be as much as a 190 kilometre return trip daily, forcing learners to forfeit valuable time to learn by spending an unreasonable number of hours travelling to and from school.

We have also noted with concern that special schools are not fully equipped to prepare learners with severe intellectual disability, other impairments and medical conditions ... [Inaudible.] We support the report, Chairperson. Thank you very much.

Dr W J BOSHOFF: Hon Chair, it is impossible to deal with the detail of this visit in three minutes. Therefore, we will look at some recurring themes.

Afrikaans:
Daar is nie genoegsame gekwalifiseerde onderwysers by skole nie. Die infrastruktuur wat beskikbaar is, is nie geskik nie en heeltemaal onvoldoende. Te veel persone in leierskapsposisies is in ’n waarnemende hoedanigheid.
Bendegeweld kom voor, vandalisme kom voor, inbrake kom voor en gemeenskappe is nie genoegsaam betrokke by die beveiliging en die algemene bestuur van hul skole nie. Daar is ook nêrens ’n

plan om moedertaalonderrig vir leerlinge verby die vlak van Graad 3 of ’n oorgang in Graad 4 te neem nie.

As dit oor plattelandse skole gaan, dan is daar ’n neiging om te sê dat skole wat nie lewensvatbaar is nie gesluit en saam moet smelt, en dan moet kinders na koshuise toe gaan wat dan sogenaamde ...

English:

... safe spaces conducive to learning ...

Afrikaans:
... behoort te wees. Maar, as ons met bendegeweld en met inbrake en met vandalisme binne skoolure sit, hoe op aarde gaan ’n koshuis vir ’n laerskoolkind ’n veilige omgewing wees? Dit maak eenvoudig net nie sin nie.

Wat ons moet doen is ... dat daar genoegsame gekwalifiseerde onderwysers gelok moet word, maar dit is nie so ’n eenvoudige antwoord nie. Die sentrale probleem waarmee ons sit is dat onderwys die gemeenskap in die breë en veral die ekonomie weerspieël. In Suid-Afrika het ons ’n klein formele sektor wat relatief goed betaal word en dan ’n baie groot informele

sektor van die bevolking wat afhanklik van toelaes is. [grant dependant]

Nou, die onderwys is veronderstel om as ’n oorbrugging ... te wees tussen hierdie informele en swak betaalde groep wat afhanklik van toelaes is na die formele groep waar ’n mens beter betaling kry en in die groter ekonomie opgeneem kan word. Dit lyk egter nie asof skole daardie rol vervul nie.
Inteendeel, as ons na hierdie verslag kyk, verskans skole presies daardie rol om kinders wat uit die informele sektor kom presies daar te hou en om toegang na die formele sektor eintlik af te breek of ontmoontlik te maak.

Wat belangrik is, is dat onderwysers as professionele mense moet optree, wat nie binnegevegte het wat skool ontwrig nie, wat nie tipiese vakbond optrede volg nie en dat gemeenskappe oorreed moet word om skole as die oorgang tussen die informele en die formele sektor te beskou. Ek dank u.

English:

Ms N G ADOONS: Hon Chairperson, good morning to your good self and all hon members on the platform. Chair, the ANC supports the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education’s report on its oversight visit to Mpumalanga. As Parliament, our oversight

function should at all times be guided by improving the living conditions of our people. The oversight visit enabled us to make various interventions to resolve matters impacting schools, such as funding, infrastructure, teaching and training capacity and various aspects that impact teaching and learning. The provincial Department of Education has demonstrated the impact of our policy priority of education.
Indeed, infrastructure projects have been planned for and sanitation is a key priority in that regard.

We have also visited technical schools which prioritise maths and science. We must increase teaching and teacher training in maths and science as some schools do not have the required teachers. We have recommended their increase to ensure access in all circuits that we visited. Focus schools are critical in advancing the Three Stream Model of our education system. Key vacancies such as circuit managers and principals are critical and require urgent interventions. Though the scholar transport benefits many needy learners, its expansion is required and the government should allocate more resources to make sure that they meet the needs of all the learners that require scholar transport. Special schools should be the most resourced schools as they cater for fewer learners and face various constraints which require support.

In terms of the other schools we visited, we have made school specific recommendations, like in Tsakane Special School, scholar transport should be prioritised as ... ensuring good sanitation facilities. For Mpumalanga’s education development centres, funding is critical and requires updated ICT facilities. Lekete Technical School is impacted by over admission, creating challenges of infrastructure. So there is also a need to increase infrastructure in that school.

Overall, the recommendations of the report for all the
16 schools visited will make a positive impact and we shall follow up on the recommendations to ensure that the department implements interventions. A rejection of this report is to deprive the children of Mpumalanga of much-needed interventions to improve the quality of teaching and learning. As the ANC, we support this report. Thank you very much.

CONSIDERATION OF REPORT OF PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND INNOVATION - 2021-22 ANNUAL REPORTS OF NATIONAL SKILLS FUND, SERVICES SECTOR EDUCATION AND TRAINING AUTHORITY, INSURANCE SETA AND CONSTRUCTION EDUCATION AND TRAINING AUTHORITY

The ACTING CHAIRPERSON (Mr S O R Mahumapelo): Hon Mananiso!

Ms J S MANANISO: Hon, Chairperson!

 

The ACTING CHAIRPERSON (Mr S O R Mahumapelo): Yes, we did hear you that you will not be on camera. That is understandable.
Proceed, hon member.

 

Ms J S MANANISO: Okay! Thank you, House Chair. Hon members, the Report by the committee assessed the National Skills Fund Service Seta, Insurance Seta and Construction Education Training Authority Annual Reports for 2021-22 financial year, which was informed by the Auditor-General’s assessment for the Higher Education and Training portfolio performance for the year under review.

The review of the entities showed that they had obtained qualified audit opinions The committee was greatly concerned with many discrepancies as they were top contributors to irregular expenditure for the year under review, amounting toR1,7 billion. Upon engaging the Reports and considering the recommendations from the Auditor-General of South Africa, the committee will closely monitor the entities on their performance and audit outcomes.

The top contributors mentioned were, the NSF, Services Seta and Seta in irregular expenditure in the prior year. It was essential for the committee to monitor the implementation thereafter and find ways of mitigation strategies to improve all entities’ audit outcomes. Hon members, regarding the NSF, the biggest challenge has been the entity receiving unfavorable audit outcomes over the past five years due to a number of issues presented. However, what is of concern is high vacancy rate, which is affecting the entity to function optimally, noting that it has many channels that work together to have adequate administration.

Hon members, many stakeholders called for an investigation, including the Committee on Maladministration of Funds of the NSF, where the Minister acted on and appointed a Ministerial Task Team on Strategic Review of the NSF, to uncover these irregularities as they would hinder the skills development programmes that would need to be funded and functioned. Having alluded to the importance of skills development for their respective sectors, the committee committed to monitoring Setas as well as they play an important role in functioning of skills development.

The committee further requested the revised audit action plans to assist them in improving the failed audit outcomes. Hon Chair, the Report on the importance of the department’s involvement in assisting the committee reflects that there were recommendations, to the department to develop an integrated management information system for Setas. This will assist in alleviating corruption related to the funding and implementation of the skills programme.

Amidst this, we note that Seta recorded as per 40% increase for 2020-21. The Report includes the process of NSFAS as an entity to take over the disbursement of bursaries offered by Setas. This will assist in issues relating to inefficiency and minimize duplication.

Hon Chairperson, the department should further be assisted in the possibility of utilising universities, TVET and CET colleges to deliver skills development programmes that are monitored, not to be exorbitant costs, so as to be able to account for and be consistent in proper financial spending.

Hon Chairperson, there has been seen a steady improvement in the reach of education, although it is acknowledged that it is inadequate. This continued focus in inclusive growth is about

the critical action required to build a capable state and place the economy on the path to recovery.

The Department of Higher Education and Training and its entities are required to implement programmes to contribute to the acceleration of economic recovery. Hon Chairperson, as the portfolio committee we would want the Report to be considered and supported, as a crucial tool for us to keep conducting our robust oversight and accountability in bettering the lives of our people. I thank you.

The ACTING CHAIRPERSON (Mr S O R Mahumapelo): Ke a leboga hon member. For the next five minutes it is hon Khakhau of the DA.

Ms K L KHAKHAU: It is Khakhau, Acting Chairperson.

 

The ACTING CHAIRPERSON (Mr S O R Mahumapelo): My apologies. I apologise profusely for not pronouncing your surname correctly, hon Khakhau. Over to you.

Ms K L KHAKHAU: Thank you, Acting House Chairperson. Chair, hon Mananiso is sanitising the House and by extension, the funders and beneficiaries of the NSF and the Setas on today’s agenda, those being the South African taxpayers. There is

absolutely no way that the ANC can shy away from the fact that this entity and its Setas are not functioning optimally, with tangible results that contribute towards organisational sustainability, a skilled and capable workforce for an inclusive growth path and an improved postschool education training system.

We know this, because NSF incurred over R400 million irregular expenditure on the appointment of TVET colleges construction contractors that to date no one is able to account, as to: Where these constructions took place; what the outcomes of these projects are; and who the contract of these projects are. All, while infrastructure is collapsing at TVET colleges across the country, and while we have students living in
Nsfas-funded shacks in areas surrounding the Letaba TVET College in Tzaneen.

The entity is on a downward spiral. We see it in their lack of administrative and political will to at least meet performance targets that they set for themselves. In the 2018-19 financial year, they achieved 63% of their targets; in the 2019-20 financial year it was 56%; in the 2020-21 financial year, 23% of these targets; and then in the 2021-22 financial year, they only achieved 24% of their targets.

Moreover, only 13% of the audit outcomes from the previous financial year were addressed. So, this points clearly to the creative, intellectual and capacity deficiency that exist within this entity. The entity was meant to ensure that there were 35 000 NSF funded beneficiaries who completed their education and training, but only 13 639 of them saw the light.

They were also supposed to ensure that 10 500 NSF-funded learners completed their education and training towards occupation in high demand, but even there they only achieved
4 000. On the number of small, medium and micro enterprises and co-operatives funded by NSF for skills development, they were meant to achieve a thousand, but achieved zero.

Another zero for the number of learners funded by NSFAS through SMMEs and cooperative skills development; zero for the number of learners NSF funded who completed their education and training to the SMMEs and co-operative skills development initiatives. So, they did not even lift a finger. And so, yes, Chair, we are right: The ANC has never cared about the development and success of young people, and they never will.

House Chair, the Social Service Seta was meant to ensure that in the previous financial year, 8 000 learnerships were

completed, but failed dismally, because only 262 of this target was met - a mere three per percent achievement of a target that seeks to capacitate young people with the necessary tools for economic participation, in a country where seven out of 10 young people are unemployed, unable to put food on the table and are hopeless.

As if this is not enough, the MTT also failed at overseeing the complete of adult education and training for their planned
386 South Africans, because against this target they achieved zero. All, while the Setas total irregular expenditure amounted to R2 billion, comprising of R1,8 billion carried from previous financial years and R138 million incurred in the 2020-22 financial year.

House Chair, the Insurance Seta has a total irregular expenditure that amounts to R18,9 million. Included in the reasons for this are irregular lease contracts and irregularities relating to contract variations.

So, the bottom line here is that synonymous to the ANC’s inability to manage funds correctly, there are a lot of dodgy dealings in these entities. Cadres are unable to produce successful administrative outcomes and the Ministry’s

leadership under Minister Blade Nzimande is not only poor, but lacks sobriety, vision and compassion. Thank you, Chair.

Mr B S MADLINGOZI: Thank you, Chairperson, the first question must be: Why it has taken this long for these reports to be tabled? We know for a fact that these entities have long been used as a feeding trough for the comrades of the guy in charge of this department. A short while ago, it was reported that the national skills funds could not account for over
R5 billion that simply disappeared over the past two financial years. The forensic investigation that Mr Nzimande promised to undertake in May this year will simply cover up this corruption. Because he knows that he has stuffed all these skill-development entities with his communist cronies who use these entities to loot state funds.

In 2021 he did the same thing and sought to appoint a private investigator. Instead of letting the SIU to investigate these chronic corruption problems at the NSF. All these other sector, education and training authorities, Setas are no different. They have done next to nothing to build the capacity of their respective areas of interest for the past few years. The NSF and most of these sector, education and training authorities need to be repurpose so that they align

with the developmental aspirations of the country. A more urgent need though to remove Mr Nzimande as a person in charge of these entities because he uses them to disperse patronage to his SACP cronies, Thank you, Chairperson.

Mr S S ZONDO: Hon Chairperson, as a catalyst in advancing South Africa’s skills development aspirations amidst these challenging economic times when the government is forced to prioritise resources on key priorities, it becomes even more critical that the National Skills Fund is utilised optimally in advancing and creating an enabling environment for post- school education and training to be targeted towards national priorities. In concert with this must be the continued funding of education and training initiatives, through the provision of bursaries and scholarships for university degrees, and occupational training programmes within the public technical and vocational education and training, TVET colleges, importantly including skills development interventions focussing on the youth, small businesses, co-operatives, and rural development.

Critical important is that the funding provided must provide, education and skills training that is relevant to today’s South Africa. Post-school training must be a value added not

only to the individual, but to his or her community and society at large, as we grapple, with the even mounting challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment. To achieve these goals and to bridge the gap between education and employment, work-integrated learning must play a key role.
This is common practice and a requirement of our profession. Why is it not an artisanal skill and post-educational development?

Chairperson, we have recently emerged from a global crisis and pandemic. This period made the situation more difficult than before, and the advent of COVID-19, much worse. The NSF and Insurance Seta and Construction Education and Training Authorities can greatly assist in the reconstruction and recovery plan for our economy in the job creation. If it is aligned with our priority areas that have been correctly identified for intervention. We cannot afford this target not to be met. We cannot afford fruitless and wasteful expenditure. We cannot afford a poor consequence management, material irregular or internal control deficiency. The IFP support the report such that entities under the view action, require change management. Chairperson, ...

IsiZulu:

... asimangali uma sibona wenza kanjena njengoba ngishilo ukuthi indoda ehleli esihlalweni kubukeka sengathi umthwalo ongaphezu kwayo kufuneka siwethule kungaze konakele kakhulu kunalokhu osekuyikona kona. Ngiyabonga.

Dr W J BOSHOFF: Hon Chairperson, in a previous life, I was involved in agriculture. and it was said that you need two things to succeed in forming. That is knowing what to do and doing it.

Afrikaans:

Om te weet wat om te doen, is die Departement van Onderwys nogal goed. Daarvoor is daar Witskrifte, daar is dekadeplanne en daar is allerhande tekens daarvan dat die departement ’n goeie idee het van wat gedoen moet word, maar om dit te doen is heeltemal ’n ander saak.

Dit is waar ons vasval en dit is waar die verslag oor die Nasionale Vaardigheidsfonds, the National Skills Fund, en dan die Setas vir die versekering, die dienste bedryf en die konstruksiebedryf vir ons wys hoe daar eenvoudig nie aan die vereistes voldoen word nie.

Hierdie geweldige groot burokrasie van 19 Setas en die Skills Fund is in 2001 deur die Wet op Vaardigheidsontwikkeling, die sogenaamde Skills Development Act, tot stand gebring. Dit bring ons by een van die grondprobleme van hierdie hele saak en dit is die revolusionêre benadering tot die samelewing. Ons het te doen met regerende party en dan die tweede grootste opposisiepartye, die EFF, wat graag na hulself verwys as revolusionêr en as kinders van die revolusie. Die probleem met ’n revolusie is dat hy dit wat gewerk het en wat bestaan eers tot niet wil maak, om daaruit iets nuuts tot stand te bring.

Die hele burokrasie wat deur die Skills Development Act [Die Wet op Vaardigheidsontwikkeling] van 2001 tot stand gebring is, het gepoog om ’n totaal nuwe stelsel tot stand te bring, wat vaardigheidsopleiding vir diegene wat nie gewoonlik toegang het tot gewone tegniese onderrig nie en enige iemand anders, bemiddel.

Nou, ons sit jaar vir jaar met gekwalifiseerde oudits vir elkeen van hierdie setas en ons sit met die National Skills Fund, wat ongeveer ... [Onhoorbaar.] ... van die totale Suid- Afrikaanse salarisrekening ontvang as ’n begroting. [Tussenwerpsels.] Dit lyk vir my baie dieselfde as ’n kitsbank, want daar word nie deurset gedoen nie.

Die WAARNEMENDE VOORSITTER (Mnr S O R Mahumapelo): Jou tyd is nou verstreke.

Dr W J BOSHOFF: Daar is 26 sekondes oor.

 

Die WAARNEMENDE VOORSITTER (Mnr S O R Mahumapelo): Volgens my watch [horlosie] is jou tyd verstreke, maar maak maar klaar.

Dr W J BOSHOFF: Ek het not 16 sekondes oor. Die punt is dat swak oudits nie sê wat met die onderwys gebeur nie, maar ongelukkig is die onderwysresultate ook glad nie goed nie. Baie dankie. Ek het 10 sekondes oor.

Mr W T LETSIE: Thank you very much, Chairperson, good morning to yourself and all hon members on the platform. Chairperson, to begin with, I think it is important to note that the Youth League of the DA, which is the EFF did not read the report.
All they did here was to come and give blanket approach about the Setas. Secondly, the main party of the moon flop the DA equally came here to do nothing, but to criticise and not give any tangible suggestion as to what should happen. So, they don’t have solutions. All they have is just to criticise.

Thirdly, I think it will help them next time. If you’re not part of the meeting, at least go to PMG website and listen to the contributions made by members so that you don’t come here and embarrass yourself like hon Khakhau was doing here. I mean, telling us that this is an ANC ... [Inaudible.] ... as if she can just go and listen to the meeting there, I think she will come back with a different view.

Chairperson as the ANC, I want to clearly state from the onset that we support this report, that this country is confronted with high levels of unemployment and high levels of unemployed graduate. The lack of skills in alignment with the needs of the economy also impacts the ability of graduate to get opportunities in the market. Our skills development entities are critical in skilling the nation with relevant skills and aligned with our development objective. As the ANC, we have been forthright in addressing challenges, impacting our skills development agencies.

We are concerned that many of our Seta’s have qualified audits this time, but we also welcome the improvement in the performance and financial management of some of the Seta’s, such as the construction Seta, which had a notable improvement from 23% in 2020 to 64% 2021-22, as missed by hon Khakhau. In

relation to challenges impacting the national skills fund, they have a lot of institutional weakness.

We have recommended that 73 vacancies in the entity’s organisational structure be prioritised so that NSF can improve its capacity and operate optimally. Another thing is that we have recommended to NSF the turnaround strategy to improve performance and the business model of the NSF should be submitted to us as a committee. The ANC support this report. Thank you very much. I could not hear hon Boshoff. I suspect he has supported the report, if not, we’ll get him next time. Thank you.

The ACTING CHAIRPERSON (Mr S O R Mahumapelo): Thank you, very much hon member. Just before we close hon members, I really want to take this opportunity to thank the staff, the IT staff, the administrative staff of Parliament for making sure that we've got a glitch free transmission of the debates as they have ensued here today. When you look back at when we started with these virtual meetings to where we are now, you can really see great, great improvement which I think has to be embraced, supported, and good things that when they are been done. I think we should accordingly indicate to the

leadership of the institution that; indeed, we are getting there, the Parliament is up to the challenge.

This concludes the debate and the business of today's virtual mini-plenary session. The mini plenary will now rise. Thank you very much.

The mini-plenary session rose at 11:38

 

 

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