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ATC210223: Report of the Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure on an Oversight Visit to the Parliamentary Villages (Acacia And Pelican Parks), dated17 February 2021

Public Works and Infrastructure

REPORT OF THE Portfolio Committee on Public WorksAND INFRASTRUCTURE on aN Oversight Visit to THE PARLIAMENTARY VILLAGES (ACACIA AND PELICAN PARKS), DATED17 FEBRUARY 2021

 

The Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure, having undertaken an oversight visit to theParliamentary Villages on 4 November2020, reports as follows:

 

ATTENDANCE

  1. Ms N Ntobongwana, MP (Leader of the Delegation)
  2. Ms L Mjobo, MP
  3. Ms S R Van Schalkwyk, MP
  4. Ms S Graham-Maré, MP
  5. Ms P Kopane, MP

 

  1. INTRODUCTION

The purpose of the visit was to gather insight into the work done by the Prestige Programme of the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) and the Property Management and Trading Entity (PMTE) while focusing on the following:

  • The condition of the houses in which Members of Parliament (MPs) reside.
  • The renovation and maintenance work that was done/or required to be done,toensure that the residents are not housed in prefabricated houses with asbestos roofing, which is not only harmful to the health of inhabitants, but is illegal in terms of the law.
  • Safety and security measures.
  • Illegal inhabitants at the villages.
  • Strengthening Information and Communication Technology (ICT) systems for functional communication connectivity for residents to perform their work optimally from within the villages.

 

Additional to the DPWI officials, the South African Police Services (SAPS) and Parliamentary Officials led by the Acting Secretary to Parliament were amongst stakeholders that were present during the visit.

  1. MANDATES AND FUNCTIONS

 

  1. The Mandate of the DPWI - the relationship with the PMTE

The DPWI is mandated to be the custodian and portfolio manager of national government’s immovable assets.

Following the operationalisation of the PMTE, the department’s role shifted to policy formulation, coordination, regulation and oversight relating to the provision of accommodation and expert built environment services to client departments at the national government level. The PMTE took over the actual planning, acquiring, managing and disposing of immovable assets that were in the department’s custody.

The DPWI is further mandated to coordinate, ensure national regulation, and provide strategic leadership in employment creation initiatives for indigent households through the expanded public works programme (EPWP) that are implemented by several national, provincial, and municipal government departments. Public works is constitutionally designated as a concurrent function exercised by both the national and provincial spheres of Government.

Additional to this, the infrastructure role was added at the start of the sixth administration in 2019, as guided by the Infrastructure Development Act of 2014, so that currently, the role of the DPWI also included the coordination of infrastructure projects atthe three levels of government.

 

  1. The Mandate of the Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure

The committee conducts oversight over the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure as the executive authority that provides policy leadership over the programmatic deliverables of the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) and its entities. Much of the committee’s oversight work focuses on how the Director-General leads the departmental administration to interpret the policy, turn it into programmed plans using the allocated budget to implement the policies as per the mandate of the DPWI. The Constitution (Schedule 4, Part A), and the Government Immovable Management Act (GIAMA, Act 19 of 2007), describes the mandate of the DPWI.

  1. SITE VISIT AND BRIEFINGS

 

  1. Pre-site visit briefing (3 November 2020)

Officials from the DPWIand SAPSbriefed the committee on the state of Parliamentary Villages.The Acting Secretary to Parliament was also present during the meeting to address functional issues related to Parliament’s responsibilities at the Parliamentary Villages.

 

  1. Presentation by the DPWI:

 

  1. Occupancy at the Parliamentary Villages

The table below provides an overview of the number of units, as well as the current occupancy rate at each of the three Parliamentary Villages.

 

Table 1: Occupancy of the 3 Parliamentary Villages

 

Source: Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (2020).

 

  • There is a total of 666 units at the three Parliamentary Villages of which 337 are occupied by MPs; 257 by sessional officials; 23 by political support staff; two by support staff to MPs with disabilities; and four by the DPWI officials who are station forstandby duties. In addition, three units are utilised for office space; while the threeparliamentaryvillages have a total 112 domestic rooms.

 

  • Of the 666 units, the largest number is situated at Acacia Park (493); followed by Pelican Park (108); and the least number at Laboria Park (65). In additional, of the 112 domestic rooms, the highest number (90) are found at Acacia Park; followed by 12 at Pelican Park and 10 at Laboria Park. The department reported that the 90 domestic rooms at Acacia Park were vacant at the time of the visit.

 

 

  • 257 sessional officials (224 at Acacia Park; 27 at Pelican and six Laboria Park) occupy the other 286 units not occupied by MPs; while 25 units are occupied by political staff, of which two provide support for MPs with disabilities in Acacia Park.

 

  • Of the four DPWI officials that are on standby, two are stationed at Acacia Park; and one each respectively at Laboria Park, and Pelican Park.

 

  • The department also reported that the staff complement at the parliamentary villages comprised of administrative officers stationed at the different offices (three in Acacia Park, one in Laboria Park and one in Pelican Park).

 

 

  1. Demolition and Maintenance Projects

The department reported on the demolition and maintenance projectsscheduled and undertaken at the parliamentary villages as follows:

 

  • MPs occupy a total of 112 prefabricated units at Acacia Park, including units that are under the Eskom servitude.The prefabricated units are relatively habitable, while the building structures require ongoing attention as these have reached the end of their life span. At present ongoing maintenance is carried out as and when required. A project to demolish and rebuild has been registered and is in the planning stage.
  • Maintenance is planned/scheduled for 245 brick and mortar units (i.e. for Members of Parliament) across the three Parliamentary Villages at a total project cost amounting to R88.9 million (i.e. R88 997 040.93). The department found that some units are uninhabitable. It also identified maintenance of the following living areas that require urgent attention: kitchens, bathrooms, floors, walls and roofs. Day-to-day maintenance and minor works are being carried out as and when required. The maintenance project has commenced and the first phase will be completed by 30 March 2021.
  • The units accommodating sessional officials have been upgraded and are in a relatively good condition. The department indicates that it experiences challenges in the allocation of accommodation to sessional officials for that specific parliamentarysession due to late confirmations of sessional officials by the various departments. This creates an unnecessary bottleneck for the department as preparations for occupation of the allocated units sometimes require that the department repeat the same cleaning and preparation for occupation more than once.
  • The department highlights that all departments are given a submission deadline of their lists of confirmed sessional officials at the beginning of each parliamentarysession. Failure to do so, the department commences with its eviction process for the unconfirmed sessional officials. The deadline to take occupation for an allocated house is 30 days, failing which, the official forfeits their allocation to the next Sessional Official in line for accommodation.

 

  1. General challenges

The department highlighted the following challenges experienced in the Parliamentary Villages:

  •  Inability to attend to the general upkeep of the rooms and communal areas of the domestic quarters in Acacia Park due to overcrowding and ongoing occupation resulted in deterioration of the structures including health and safety risks posed to tenants over time.Eviction letters were issued in Pelican Park 2019, seven (7) rooms are still occupied. Only one room is still occupied in Laboria Park even though the eviction letter was issued. Final eviction letters were issued for both Pelican and Laboria Park with the deadline of 31st March 2020. Due to the lockdown, no further progress had been made in this regard.
  • Lack of cooperation by residents who refuse to declare their visitors.
  • The grounds at the Parliamentary Villages are not in a good condition, due to the water restrictions, as a result of the drought.
  • The conditions of some of the housing units are reportedly in poor condition, not due to lack of maintenance, but negligence and vandalism, such as, the burning of kitchen tops floors and curtains.  
  • Late occupation of assigned units by some sessional officials creates unnecessary duplication of cleaning and occupation preparations for the department.  
  • Residents do not report day - to - day maintenance issues to DPWI site offices.
  • Maintenance work that falls out of scope for the Facilities Management Contract i.e. upgrades and new installations.
  • Vehicles that are parked on the grass damage the irrigation system including SAPS vehicles.
  • Cable theft causing damages to access control equipment.
  • Unruly behavior of some residents and abuse of alcohol and drugs.
  • There are dependents over the age of 18 who are not engaged in further education or are unemployed that are roaming around the Parliamentary Villages.
  • Some undeclared long- term visitors who are usually left alone in the houses during the day and/or weekends, in the absence of tenants.
  • Some dependents of the tenants engage criminal activities such as breaking-in into tenants’ vehicles, jumping over the fence of the swimming pool to gain access, knock or ring bells on the doors and break windows of the units.
  • Poor coordination of transport for the MPs during late sittings of parliament.
  • In terms of the Learner Transport Service, leaners delay the drivers due to not being punctual when being collected to and from schools.

 

  1. Proposed interventions

 

  • The department has started to investigate each case of loitering and roaming of the streets, which will be addressed with the relevant tenant.
  • The department compiles reports on damage per unit and village that holds the allegedperpetrators accountable.
  • On-going meetings with SAPS have commenced in addressing the access control issues and to minimise such complaints or acts.
  • The intervention of the Residence Committees to deal with the unruly behaviour of residents’ dependents.
  • The department wrote to parliament for the appropriate intervention regarding dependents that are over 18-years and roaming around the Parliamentary Villages.
  • Facilities Management contract and the department will monitor the grace period given by the City of Cape Town on irrigation for one per property on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, before 09h00 or after 18h00.
  • The department and parliament wouldwork closely and jointly to resolve the challenge of coordinating bus service availability during late sittings of parliament.
  • Tenants will submit their applications on time and also check/confirm existing or pre-determined routes with the parliamentary office staff. 
  • Learners who delay learner transport or drivers that behave unprofessionally will be held accountable.

 

 

3.1.2.Presentation by the South African Police Service (SAPS)

 

  1. SAPS mandate

The South African Police Service (SAPS) presentation highlighted that its mandate came from the Constitution; the South African Police Service Act; and the Risk Management Support System articulated below.

Section 205 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 states that the object of the Police Service is:

  • To prevent, combat and investigate crime,
  • To maintain public order,
  • To protect and provide security to the inhabitants of the Republic and their property,
  • To uphold and enforce the law.

 

While, Section 11 (1) of the South African Police Service Act, (No 68 of 1995) elaborates on the role of the National Commissioner for the SAPS stating that the Nation Commissioner shall be responsible for the National Protection Services (Section 218 (1) of the Interim constitution, 1993 continued to be of force by virtue of Section 24 (1) of Schedule 6 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa 1996.

The SAPS provides protection and security in accordance with the Risk Management Support System (RIMAS) as follows:

  • Close protection provided to identified VIP’s.
  • Venue protection from Deputy Minister level.
  • Vulnerability criteria: Low/medium/high risk.
  • General risk impact.
  • Category based on risk profile and protection afforded.
  • Parliamentary Villages currently still not included within RIMAS, but it is in the Cabinet Memo of 2004.

 

 

 

 

  1.  Progress to date

The SAPS reported on the progress to date on the commitments made to the Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure (PC on PWI) by the SAPS National Commissioner on 10 March 2020, which include the following:

 

  • The SAPS completed the Security Advisory Audit reports for the Parliamentary Villages as follows, (Pelican Park – 21 April 2020; Acacia Park – 30 June 2020 and Laboria Park – 09 July 2020).
  • Provided an additional vehicle at Acacia Park for increased visibility.
  • Addressed the inconsistencies with regard to visitors’ verification.
  • Identified illegal inhabitants: Visitor confirmation and period of visit recorded at DPWI Offices and liaised with the SAPS. 
  • SAPS land numbers are provided to Members of Parliament (MPs).
  • Five members of the SAPS are deployed daily at Acacia Park, (while there are three members each are at Pelican Park and Laboria Park), on a 24-hour basis as part of the visible policing strategy.

 

  1. Responsibilities

Apart from the above, the SAPS are also responsible for the following operational functions in the three Parliamentary Villages:

  • Access control at all three main entrances to the villages
    • Positive identification - (Parliament Gold Card / RSA Identity / Passport / Driver’s License).
    • Reason for entry - (Resident / Visitor).
    • Authority given - (Resident permit / Visitor permit).
  • Visible Policing
    • Inspection of village precincts.
    • Observation.
    • Reporting and recording of incidents.
  • Emergency response
    • Medical emergency response.
    • Panic and burglary response.

 

The SAPS reported on three criminal cases at two of the Parliamentary Villages between 2014 and 2019. These include two incidents at Acacia Park: a drowning (2014-12-02. CAS 29/12/2014), with an inquest investigation; and housebreaking at A6 (CAS 77/12/2019) which is still anongoing investigation at the time of reporting. While the incident involved a suicide at Pelican Park in March 2019, resulting in an inquest investigation.

The SAPS is responsible for overall controls to the Parliamentary Villages. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and regulations, a no mask no entry and sanitisation policy is practiced.

 

  1. Security deficiencies

 

The Security Advisory Assessments completed by the SAPS on the threeparliamentary villages highlighted a number of deficiencies as outlined in the table below.

 

Table 2. Deficiencies in Parliamentary Villages

 

  1.  SAPS improvements

 

The SAPS reportedly addressed improvements on service delivery within the Parliamentary Villages through the establishment of the Integrated Collaboration Policing Approach consisting of: Protection Services; Visible Policing; response capacity and PSS K9 – explosive detection K9s. The table below outlines what these measures consist of.

Table 3: Overview of SAPS Improvements

 

 

The SAPS further indicated that the following actions from the department as well as the residents would assist in its efforts to improve on the service delivery at the Parliamentary Villages. The department of Public Works and Infrastructure’s responsibilities include:  

 

  • Coordination of the Parliamentary Villages Management Board (as per the Parliamentary Villages Board Act, No. 96 of 1998).
  • Occupancy verification.
  • Residential Committees.
  • Rules and conditions for Parliamentary Villages.
  • Maintenance of alarm announcement systems.
  • Maintenance contractor for electronic access control systems. 

 

The residents or occupants at the Parliamentary Villages are responsible for: 

 

  • Reporting of all expected visitors.
  • Interaction with SAPS on crime awareness.
  • Selection of Residential Committees.
  • Setting of alarms.
  • Adoption of Rules and Regulations for the Parliamentary Villages.

 

  1.  Future plans

 

The SAPS further reported on the following future plans:

 

  • Conducting of Annual Security Audit to ensure compliance.
  • Activation of monthly / quarterly Residential Committees for the threeParliamentary Villages.
  • Review of rules and conditions for Parliamentary Villages.
  • Communication (electronic Newsletter suggested with Residents).
  • Introduction of License Identification System for all vehicles entering the Precinct  (visitors).
  • Establishment of the Parliamentary Villages Unit.
  • Increase visibility at other Parliamentary Villages.
  • Induction on Protection Services (Static Protection Service).

 

  1. Parliament support to Parliamentary Villages

 

The Acting Secretary to Parliament had to clarify the role of parliament in terms of the provision of certain movable assets, as well as, improved connectivity at the Parliamentary Villages.

  • A gym facility at Acacia Park was provided by the DPWI however, the required gym equipment (such as treadmills and cardio-equipment) was not provided. The department maintained that it is solely responsible for providing the immovable infrastructure, but is not tasked with the provision and maintenance of movable assets.
  • Connectivity at the Parliamentary Villages is of a poor quality, with MPs experiencing poor sound quality, the dropping and/or loss of connection during meetings, as well as instances where MPs struggle to get online.
  • The issue of Wi-Fi or optic fibre connection was also identified as an area of utmost importance.

 

 

 

  1. The site visit (4 November 2020)

 

  1. Acacia Park

The committee met representatives of the department; the Cape Town Public Works Regional Office; Park Management; Project Manager of the COEGA Development Corporation (CDC, hereafter referred to as Coega); and the SAPS at the Bowling Club at Acacia Park. The purpose of the meeting was to outline the logistics of the on-site visits to the two Parliamentary Villages.

The committee first visited units, the gym facility and sites where security breaches were observed.

  • House No A9

The windows cannot close and the tiles on the floors are cracking. The house had not been painted for the past 12 years. The structure is currently being renovated with the removal and replacement of the tiles, with new uniform coloured ones. The defective window frames will be replaced by aluminium ones. The exterior wall will include a concrete apron to ensure that water recedes, thereby addressing the rising damp in the interior.

According to the Coega Project Manager, the unit does not meet the electrical standards because the distribution board sits too high.

For this unit, the other work issues are on the outside, including defects of the substructure.  

The roof space and damaged guttering will be replaced with aluminium gutters. The asbestos gutters are not a health hazard if the guttering is well maintained and undisturbed.

  • House No A6

Unit A6 is an example of a refurbished and maintained structure. The unit comprises of timber wooden windows that are in good condition. The Project Manager indicated that if at some Units some of the wooden frames of the windows are damaged or rotting, all the windows will be replaced, with aluminium ones for example, to ensure uniformity and an overall aesthetic. This will also ensure that once a Unit’s maintenance has been completed, the Department does not need to return in future to address a similar issue for the other windows.

  • House A38

The unit showed signs of gross internal neglect. Damping and moulding are major issues in the unit. The building’s shell is made of brick and mortar, while some of the internal spaces arecomprised of prefabricated dry walling. This unit will be reconfigured to utilise the space optimally.     

  • House D34

This is a prefabricated Unit, where the stove and oven are not working. The light in the bathroom constantly flickers, despite it being replaced. This is an indication of an electrical fault. Mould is present on the ceilings of the bedrooms.The status of unit indicates that the walls and ceilings are damp, as indicated by the presence of mould. The floors are sagging and the tiles are cracked. The asbestos roof is indicative of an old and worn out housing unit. The asbestos gutter over the walkway is damaged and needs to be replaced.

  • House B18

This unit is a prefabricated structure that will be demolished, and thereafter a new structure will be erected.

  • Unit B11

This unit has rotten wooden windows, which will be replaced by aluminium frames.

  • Gym facility

The facility has not been utilised for its intended purpose since it was built during the FifthParliamentary Administration. Instead, it is currently being utilised as a storage facility newly acquired beds and furniture that has been temporarily removed from the units that are being refurbished.

According to parliamentary officials, parliament is not allowed to spend funds on Parliamentary Villages as per Finance Management of Parliament Act (FMPA).

The DPWI on the other hand, stated that purchasing gym equipment would not only be expensive but would be extremely difficult to maintain and manage. It was also reported that one of the options that the DPWI would want to explore was to contract one of the Fitness Centres to occupy the premises, utilise their own equipment and charge the MPs a minimal fee for membership.The department costed the required amount to equip the gym, which amounted to R1.8 million.

 

 

 

According to the report given by the Coega Project Manager:

  1. The rising damp affecting these units will be addressed by placing a concrete apron around the structure to allow water to drain away from the substructure.
  2. All projects have room datasheets, which include the costing and the work that needs to be done.
  3. Not all the housing units will be reconfigured; it is only those that have ample space for reconfiguration that will be earmarked, e.g Unit A38.
  4. The intercom and alarm systems will be connected to the Main Gate of the Parliamentary Village.
  5. The indicative costs for 9 Units are being refiled with the Quantity Surveyors.
  6. The maintenance and or replacement of gutters are a later addition to the existing project scope.
  7. The indicative costs have been submitted however, the Committee must draw conclusions between indicative versus final costs.
  8. The work at the Parliamentary Villages was identified via the scope of works.
  9. In some instances, the Project Managers could not gain access to all the Units at the Parliamentary Villages to undertake conditional assessments.
  10. The demolition and replacement of prefabricated structures is a long-term solution. The pre-planning phase of project to address the prefabricated structures must still commence.

 

  • Acacia Park Primary School

The Acacia Park Primary School was in the past used for only children of MPs, however it has now been opened to children from the communities outside of the Parliamentary Village because it is a public school that falls under the Western Cape Education Department (WCED).

The children of MPs from all 3 Parliamentary Villages attend the school. 

The opening of the school to children from the communities outside of Acacia Park meant that some MPs who joined Parliament in May 2019 were unable to place their children, as the Principal indicated that the school was full.

The perimeter wall of the school is too low for the required safety standards and needs to be addressed.

Taxis sometimes driven by foreign individuals who do not comply with the South African transportation laws and often are not in possession of professional drivers permits (PrPDs were previously referred to as PDPs), which is illegal, drop off the children attending the Primary School from outside Acacia Park.

The SAPS have a challenge in that the SAPS officials are required to enforce the law when they identify taxi drivers operating illegally.  

  • The E-Block Perimeter Wall

The E-Perimeter Wall is a security risk as the trees from outside Acacia Park are hanging over the electrical fencing and security cameras. This obstructs the installed beams from detecting intruders.

 

  1. Pelican Park

The departmental officials and the Park Manager proposed that the PC on PWI visit the gym, and four houses listed for renovation in the Pelican Park Parliamentary Village. The following issues were highlighted:

  • Gym facility

The gym facility is currently being used as a storage facility for new beds, while the hall attached to the gym is also being used to store furniture (i.e. tables and chairs). The gym does not have any gym equipment. Facilities attached outside the gym include tennis courts and a pool. The aspects covered under the Acacia Park gym facility findings apply on the Pelican Park gym as well.

  • House 59

In this unit, the renovation is minimal and requires that the rising damp be addressed.

  • House 57

The reported rising damp inside the house was evident through sight and smell.

 

According to the Park Manager and CDC Project Manager:

  • Some housing units are built on flood plains and are therefore physically sinking into the substrata (subsiding).
  • At present two units at the edge of Pelican Park have been identified as subsiding.
  • Most of the houses require exterior painting.
  • The ceilings need to be maintained, some of the roof exteriors requiring pressure washing, and painting where required.
  • Plans are in place to replace the existing geysers in the housing units with solar panel and swopping the geysers with solar ones as part of the energy saving plan.
  • One of the houses at Pelican Park was partially burnt, but has since been repainted, and at the time of the oversight was being painted.

 

 

  1. RECOMMENDATIONS

Given the findings that emerged from the deliberations and site visits, the committee recommends that the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

  1. Ensures that the state of the houses is reviewed and a short-term solution isurgently craftedto address some of the urgent needs identified at some of the occupied prefabricated units.
  2. Follows up on the review of the occupancy list so that the residents of the uninhabitable prefabricated units are prioritised for relocation in the short term.
  3. Ensures that the Parliamentary Villages Board is fully functional so that it can work together with the SAPS to maintain order in the Parliamentary Villages.
  4. Ensures that the treesoverhanging the perimeter walls that are preventing the intruder detector beamsfrom functioning, need to be cut and regularly maintained as they can be utilised by criminals to access the precinct from the outside.
  5. Facilitates consultations between the department and parliament to clarify which of the two parties are responsible for providing movable assets (i.e. gym equipment) at the Parliamentary Villages gym facilities.
  6. Finds a workable solution to address the terms and conditions upon which companies can be contracted to necessitate the usage of fully-fledged  gym facilities at a nominal fee by MPs.
  7. Submits a report to clarify what influenced the non-rehabilitation of the grounds at the Parliamentary Villages.
  8. Submits a detailed report on the portfoliothat falls within the responsibility of the Prestige Programme across the country before the end of 2020.
  9. Provides an assessment on the current cost of electricity and to provide a review of the savings to be realisedif the solar panels and geysers have all been installed at the Parliamentary Villages.
  10. Monitors and reports on energy savings and efficiencies, on an ongoing basis.
  11. Provides the actual costing of the maintenance projects at the Parliamentary Villages once these are available as the Project Manager indicated that at present only the indicative costs of the renovations were available for each housing unit.
  12. Provides the PC on PWI with quarterly updates on the maintenance project being implemented by the COEGA Development Corporation at the three Parliamentary Villages.
  13. Investigates the use of alternative construction technologies, as certified by Agrément South Africa, especially in the demolition and construction of the prefabricated phase of the maintenance project.
  14. Submits a report that clarifies who all the sessional officials who are residing at the Parliamentary Villagesare, what rental and rates are payable, and specifically which departments they are assigned to.
  15. Reports on the progress in resolving the implementation of the eviction notices served on occupants of the domestic quarters that were not heeded by some occupants. 
  16. Submits a report on what plans the departmenthas put in place to ensure that the properties are not further vandalised.In some units, negligence and vandalism of State property by the tenants occurs i.e. the burning of kitchen counter tops, floors, curtains and some couches. Damages to the internal doors, stoves that are switched on the whole day in winter as they are used as heaters, the lights that are burning the whole day / weekend and sometimes recess period.
  17. Institutes penalties to residents who have vandalised state property as soon as those have been reported and recorded.
  18. Immediately provides a timeframe upon which the sewerage blockages in the E-block section caused by the main sewerage line outside Acacia Park will be resolved.
  19. Reports challenges with maintenance work that falls out of scope for the Facilities Management Contract i.e. upgrades and new installations to the PC on PWI.
  20. Facilitates a meeting between the department, the SAPS, the WCED, and the Department of Basic Education to address the challenges identified at the Acacia Park Primary School.
  21. In collaboration with parliament, reports on what plans will be put in place to address the poor Wi-Fi connectivity at the Parliamentary Villages. A timeframe should be provided to the PC on PWI on when the Wi-Fi connectivity at the Parliamentary Villages will be implemented to ensure stable, improved, and fully optimal connectivity.
  22. Includes the PC on PWI in all meetings where issues are discussed in parliament pertaining to the Parliamentary Villagesas the body responsible for oversight over the Parliamentary Villages.
  23. Parliament must ensure that the Portfolio Committee is invited to all meetings relating to the work of the Department of Public Works that the Portfolio Committee is responsible for.

 

  1. CONCLUSION

 

The committee felt that some of the recommendations would not need to wait for the report to be adopted by the National Assembly to be implemented. It also stressed the fact that all information pertaining to Parliamentary Villages should be made available and tabled before it as the oversight authority over the DPWI.

As part of its oversight responsibilities, parliament has to hold the executive authority accountable. Therefore, parliament should use its constitutional powers to continue to monitor that the Minister implements the process recommendations of this report.

 

Report to be considered.

 

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