ATC210514: Report of the Portfolio Committee on Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities on the Annual Performance Plan (Budget Vote20) of the Department of Women,Youth and Persons with Disabilitiesfor financial year 2021/22, dated 14 May 2021
Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities
Report of the Portfolio Committee on Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities on the Annual Performance Plan (Budget Vote20) of the Department of Women,Youth and Persons with Disabilitiesfor financial year 2021/22, dated 14 May 2021
The Portfolio Committee on Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, having considered theAnnual Performance Plan and Budget of the Department in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities for 2021/22on the 4 May 2021, the National Youth Development Agency on 5 May 2021 and the Commission for Gender Equality on 11 May 2021, reports as follows:
- Introduction
As per the Announcement, Tablings and Committees (ATC) No. 45 of 1 April 2021, the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities2021/22and the National Youth Development Agency’s Annual Performance Plan’s (APPs) were tabled the for consideration and report. The CGE’s Amended 5 Year Strategic Plan of the Commission on Gender Equality for 2019 – 2024 and the Annual Performance Plan of the Commission on Gender Equality for 2021 – 2022 was tabled for consideration and report as per the ATC No. 49 on 15 April 2021.
The Portfolio Committee on Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, in performing its constitutional oversight mandate, engaged with the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (hereafter referred to as the Department), the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) and the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) on their respective Annual Performance Plans for 2020/2021 and amended Strategic Plans on 4, 5 and 11 May 2021 respectively. This report considers all matters pertaining to the Department, and thereafter the CGE and NYDA insofar as the tabled documents are concerned.
- Mandate and strategic objectives of the Department
The Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities was Gazetted on 26 June 2019 following the Presidential Announcement of the sixth administration.At that stage, the Department was once again reconfigured and was charged with “taking the lead on socio-economic transformation and implementation of the empowerment and participation of women, youth and persons with disabilities through mainstreaming, advocacy, monitoring and evaluation.”[1]Of importance to note is the change to the Department’s mandate as articulated in the amended Strategic Plan and APP 2021/22, from a paradigm shift from being a facilitation department to a regulatory one. To this end, Minister MaiteNkoane-Mashabane stipulates in her foreword of the current APP this shift from being a facilitation department to one that regulates government programmes and monitors the empowerment and prioritisation of women, youth and persons with disabilities in these programmes.
(a) Vision
The Department indicated that its revised vision is “Rights of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities realized.”[2]
(b) Mission
The revised mission of the Department will by undertaken “By regulating the rights of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities.”[3]
(c) Constitutional mandate
“The department derives its mandate from the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, in
particular, section 9 (3) which states that “the state may not unfairly discriminate directly or indirectly against anyone on one or more grounds, including race, gender, sex, pregnancy, marital status, ethnic or social origin, colour, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, conscience, belief, culture, language and birth; and section 10 states that Everyone has inherent
dignity and the right to have their dignity respected and protected.
Therefore, the mandate of the department is to regulate the socio-economic transformation
and implementation of the empowerment and participation of women, youth and persons with
disabilities.”[4]
In order to give effect to its mandate, the Department will implement the following programmes as outlined in the APP of 2021/22:
- Programme 1: Administration, managed by three (3) sub-programmes – Departmental Management, Financial Management and Corporate Management.
- Programme 2: Social Economic Empowerment and Participation, with three sub-programmes which are Economic Empowerment and Participation; Social Empowerment and Transformation; and Governance Transformation, Justice and Security.
- Programme 3: Policy, Stakeholder Coordination and Knowledge Management, with four sub-programmes which are Research, Policy Analysis and Knowledge Management; International Relations; Monitoring and Evaluationand Stakeholder Coordination and Outreach.
- Programme 4: Rights of Persons with Disabilities: This programme will be realised with 3 sub-programmes namely Management; Advocacy and mainstreaming RPD and Governance and compliance RPD.
- Programme 5: National Youth Development Programme with two sub-programmes which are the National Youth Development Programme and the National Youth Development Agency.
3. Analysis of Budget for the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities
The ENE (2021) indicates that the Department will focus on the following over the medium term:
- addressing gender-based violence and supporting empowerment,
- promoting gender-responsive planning, budgeting and monitoring and evaluation across Government,
- promoting the rights of persons with disabilities and
- supporting the empowerment of young people.
In reflecting on the budget allocation and expenditure for the Department for 2020/21, the following Table provides a summary to illustrate the allocations, reprioritised budgets and expenditure as presented by the Department during its third quarter presentation of 2020/21.
Table 1: Department budget 2020/21[5]
|
Programme |
Programme operational budget Q1 |
Revised budget as per presentation |
Q3 Exp. |
Expenditure as % of budget |
Remaining budget |
|
1.Administration |
R93.3 m |
R90.8 m |
R70.8m |
78.0% |
R19.9m |
|
R124.7m – R89.9 CGE transfer = R34.9m |
R27.3 m |
R12.0m |
44.1% |
R15.2m |
|
R49.1m |
R39.3 m |
R18.1m |
46.1% |
R21.1m |
|
R19.9m |
R15.9 m |
R7.6m |
47.9% |
R8.3m |
|
R493.3m – R 478.7m NYDA transfer = R12.7m |
R10.5 m |
R3.8m |
36.6% |
R6.6m |
|
Total |
R209.7m |
R183.9m |
R112.5m |
61.2% |
R71.3m |
According to the National Treasury 2020 Estimates of National Expenditure (ENE) released in February 2020, the Department under Vote 20, initially received an annual appropriation of R778.5 million. Transfer payments are then done for two entities, namely the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) and the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA). Hence R89.9 million is to be transferred to the CGE and R478.7 million to the NYDA. This amounts to R568.8 million. As such, the Department was left with an operating budget of R209.7 million to undertake its programmes and meet its targets for 2020/21.
However, Government budgets were reprioritised towards funding to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. To this end, the Department reported in July 2020 that the revised or reallocated budget amount was R27.228 million, thus cutting the Department’s operating budget and leaving it with an operating budget of approximately R183 million for the 2020/21 financial year. Table 1 therefore reflects the reprioritised budget amounts which were extracted from the Department’s reprioritisation presentation in July 2020. The adjusted appropriations as presented in the 2021/22 Estimates of National Expenditure indicates a total appropriation of R621 million (and a calculated operational budget of R174.6 million), hence further reductions and adjustments were made.
While a reduction has been recorded in the Administration programme (R2.9m), the bulk of the reduction (R23.6 million) was found across programmes 2 to 5, which are the “service delivery/output/outcome” programmes. In terms of expenditure up until the end of Quarter 3 of 2020/21, Programme 1 has spent the highest proportion of its budget out of all the programmes as at the end of quarter 3 at 78%. The Department indicated that there were a number of outstanding invoices and items for procurement that will impact on the 4th quarter budget. For the remaining programmes, under-expenditure is indicated in the table above, with the National Youth Programme (Programme 5) spending the least of its overall budget as at 31 December 2020 only 36.6% (R3.8 million). Savings/under-spending was recorded across all programmes, primarily as a result of vacancies and restrictions on travel and public engagements.
According to the National Treasury 2021 Estimates of National Expenditure (ENE) released in February 2021, the Department under Vote 20, received an annual appropriation of R763.5 million. However, it must be noted that the Department facilitates transfer payments to two entities, namely the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) and the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA). During the 2021/22 financial year, the Department was expected to transfer R91.4 million to the CGE and R471 million to the NYDA. This amounts to R562.2 million as reflected in Table 1 below. This means that the Department would be left with an actual operating budget of approximately R201.1 million to undertake its programmes and meet its targets for 2021/22.
Table 2: Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Budget Summary[6]
|
Programmes |
2021/22 |
2022/23 |
2023/24 |
|||
|
Total |
Current Payments |
Transfers Subsidies |
Payment for Capital Assets |
Total |
Total |
|
|
98.0 |
95.8 |
0.0 |
2.2 |
95.3 |
95.5 |
|
124.2 |
32.4 |
91.4 |
0.5 |
128.0 |
128.7 |
|
40. |
39.8 |
– |
0.9 |
43.0 |
43.4 |
|
17.4 |
16.8 |
0.2 |
0.3 |
17.9 |
18.1 |
|
483.3 |
12.3 |
471.0 |
0.0 |
494.1 |
496.1 |
|
Total Expenditure Estimates |
763.5 |
197.1 |
562.6 |
3.9 |
778.3 |
781.9 |
Of the R201.1 million, R111.2 million (55.2%) of the Department’s operating budget is allocated to Compensation of Employees and R85.8 million (42.6%) to Goods and Services. The key cost drivers under Goods and Services for the Department is as follows:
- Travel & Subsistence: R18.6m
- Property Payments: R18.5m
- Consultants: R16.4m
- External Audit Costs: R4.3m
- Venues & facilities: R4.2m
The aforementioned cost drivers consume approximately 72% of the Goods and Services allocation.
The next section provides a more in-depth analysis of the budgetary allocation per programme for the Department and a reflection of the targets.
3.1 Programme 1: Administration
The purpose of the Administration programme is toprovide institutional overarching support to the Department. The sub-programme objectives are:
- Departmental Management: The purpose of the sub-programme is to provide executive support, strategic leadership and management of the DWYPD.
- Financial Management: The purpose is to provide and ensure effective, efficient financial management and supply chain services. This includes budget planning and expenditure monitoring; and the management of procurement, acquisition, logistics, asset, and financial transactions.
- Corporate Management: The purpose of this programme is to provide effective human capital management, facilities and auxiliary management and ICT systems enablers for the DoW.
(The Department still makes reference to the former Department of Women under the Corporate management sub-programme with no explanation as to why.)
The total allocation for this programme is R98 million which constitutes 49% of the Department’s operational budget. This allocation is R5.4 million more than in the 2020/21 financial year. However, when taking into consideration the Real Rand change, this programme only sees an increase of 1.57% to its allocation which amounts to R1.4 million.
Expenditure under Programme 1 is allocated to:
Table 3: Sub-programme allocations for 2021/22
|
Sub-Programme |
2021/22 |
|
Ministry |
R22 579m |
|
Departmental Management |
R17 038m |
|
Corporate Services |
R24 269m |
|
Financial Management |
R15 835m |
|
Office Accommodation |
R18 296m |
|
TOTAL |
R98 017 million |
|
Compensation of employees |
R57 414m (58.5%) |
|
Goods and services |
R38 397m (39%) |
The key cost drivers as per the APP 2021/22 are as follows:
- Compensation of Employees (R 57.4 million) which constitutes 60% of the overall allocation for this programme.
- Good and services (R 38.4 million) which constitutes 39% of the overall allocation for this programme.
As per the ENE 2021, the main cost drivers for Good and services are as follows:
- Property payment R18.5 million
- Audit costs: External R 4.4million
- Computer services: R3.7 million
- Travel and Subsistence R 4.4million
This programme has a staff compliment comprising of 76 posts and is earmarked to achieve 6 targets. Most of the targets are compliance related as listed below.
- Unqualified Audit opinion on predetermined objectives
- 100% payment of all valid invoices within 30 days
- Unqualified Audit opinion on Annual Financial Statements
- Maintain a vacancy rate of less than 10% annually
- Human Resource Plan developed and implemented
- Approved Master Information Technology Strategy and Plan (MITSP)
The last two targets that were also identified in the previous financial year was unmet by the end of Q3 of 2020/21.
3.2 Programme 2: Social Transformation and Economic Empowerment
The purpose of the programme is tomanage policies and programmes that mainstream the social transformation and economic empowerment of women in South Africa. The programme consists of three sub-programmes:
- Management STEE: Strategic leadership and management
- Economic Empowerment and Participation: To provide intervention mechanisms on policies and program implementation for mainstreaming the economic empowerment and participation of women towards economic transformation and development.
- Social Empowerment and Transformation: To provide intervention mechanisms on policies and program implementation for mainstreaming the social empowerment and participation of women towards social transformation.
- Governance Transformation, Justice and Security: To provide guidance for enhancing existing systems and procedures, addresses barriers to the equal participation of women in the public and private sectors, and contributes to the elimination of gender based violence.
Expenditure under Programme 2 is allocated as follows:
Table 4: Sub-programme allocation for 2020/21 and 2021/22 in Programme 2
|
Sub-Programme |
2021/22 |
|
Management: Social Transformation and Economic Empowerment |
R 6.367 |
|
Social Empowerment and Transformation |
R 7.630 |
|
Governance Transformation, Justice and Security |
R 13.701 |
|
Economic Empowerment and Participation |
R 5.167 |
|
TOTAL |
R 32.865million |
|
Compensation of Employees |
R14.603 (44.4%) |
|
Goods and services |
R17.804 (54.3%) |
This programme’s operational budget (less the CGE transfer) increased by R6.9 million from R25.9 million in 2020/21 to R32.8 million in 2021/22. However, the Real Rand change was R5.6 million (21.54%).
Although the total programme allocation as per the APP is R124.2 million for 2021/22, it must be remembered that R91.4million constitutes the transfer payment to the CGE, leaving the programme with an operating budget of R32.865 million. Of this, R14.603million (44.4%) is for Compensation of Employees and R17.804million (54.2%) will go towards Goods and services. This programme consumes 16.3% of the Department’s operational budget. The main cost driver under Goods and services is Consultants: Business and advisory services at R8.6 million (48%) as per the Estimates of National Expenditure 2021.This is a significant increase from the previous financial year 2020/21 when R5 million was allocated. In addition, the other key cost driver under Goods and services is Travel and subsistence, which is allocated R5 million (28%).
Thisprogramme has 18 posts and is earmarked to achieve 9 annual targets for the current FY as listed below:
- 1 research report on the development of a socio-economic index developed
- 4 interventions to support economic empowerment and participation of WYPD implemented
- 4 progress reports on implementation of the Sanitary Dignity Implementation Framework by provinces produced
- 4 interventions to support social empowerment and participation of women, youth and persons with disabilities implemented
- 12 national departments monitored on implementation of NSP GBVF, 9 provincial departments and 4 municipalities’ plans monitored on the implementation of NSP GBVF
- 9 Rapid Response Teams established
- Comprehensive National GBVF Prevention Strategy approved
- NSP GBVF Monitoring and Evaluation Framework approved
- Integrated Gender, Youth & Persons with Disabilities Framework approved
3.3 Programme 3: Policy, Stakeholder Coordination and Knowledge Management
The purpose of programme 3 as per 2021/22 APP, is toensure policy and stakeholder coordination and knowledge management for the social transformation of women in South Africa.
The Programme consists of four sub-programmes:
- Research, Policy Analysis and Knowledge Management: To promote the development of gender-sensitive research and knowledge, and conducts policy analysis to effect transformation for the empowerment of women and gender equality.
- International Relations: Promotes international engagements on women, youth and persons with disabilities and South Africa’s compliance with international treaties on women.
- Monitoring and Evaluation: To monitors and evaluates progress on the social-economic empowerment of women in line with national laws, regional, continental and international treaties and commitments.
- Stakeholder Coordination and Outreach: To conduct public participation and outreach initiatives to promote the empowerment of women and gender equality.
The total allocation for this programme is R40.632 million which constitutes 20.1% of the Department’s operational budget. This allocation is R6.5 million more than in the 2020/21 financial year. However, when taking into consideration the Real Rand change, this programme only sees increase of 14.26% to its allocation which amounts to R4.9 million.
Expenditure under Programme 3 is allocated as follows:
Table 5: Sub-programme allocation for 2020/21 and 2021/22 in Programme 3
|
Sub-Programme |
2021/22 |
|
|
R 4.561 |
|
|
Research, Policy Analysis and knowledge management |
R 7.884 |
|
|
Stakeholder Coordination and Outreach |
R 18.385 |
|
|
Monitoring and Evaluation |
R 9.802 |
|
|
TOTAL |
R40.6 million |
|
|
Compensation of Employees |
R14.603 (57.7%) |
|
|
Goods and Services |
R17.804 (40.1%) |
The programme has a total allocation of R40.6million, of which R14.603 million (57.7%) is allocated for Compensation of employees and R17.804 million (40.1%) is allocated for Goods and services. Of the Goods and services budget, R4.4million or nearly 11% is allocated for Travel and subsistence as per the Estimates of National Expenditure for 2021. The other main costs drivers under Goods and services are as follows:
- Catering: Departmental activities – R1.7 million
- Consultants: Business and advisory services – R3.6 million
This programme has 27 posts and is earmarked to achieve 13 annual targets for the current FY as listed below:
- National Gender Policy Framework
- Regulations on the socioeconomic rights of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities
- Integrated knowledge hub
- Research reports on government priorities
- Reports on the implementation of international and regional commitments on women’s empowerment and gender equality
- Gender Responsive, Planning, Budgeting, Monitoring, Evaluation and Auditing Framework Implemented
- Annual monitoring report on government performance in realising the rights of women, youth and persons with disabilities
- Gender responsive evaluation undertaken
- Bilateral partnerships, collaborations, coalitions and alliances established and strengthened
- Representation and participation at global, continental and regional multi-lateral and bilateral engagements on women, youth and persons with disabilities coordinated
- WYPD Stakeholder Management Framework
- Stakeholder engagements on the empowerment of women, youth and persons with disability
- Hybrid community mobilisation initiatives on the rights of women, youth and person with disabilities coordinated
Targets in programme 3 are fairly similar to the 2020/21 targets, with the Regulatory framework for WYPD Mainstreaming and the Stakeholder Management Framework being new targets.
3.4 Programme 4: Rights of Persons with Disabilities
The purpose of Programme 4 is to oversee the implementation of programmes pertaining to the rights of persons with disabilities.
The programme consists of three sub-programmes namely;
- Management of RPD: Management of the Branch
- Advocacy and Mainstreaming RPD: To develop, maintain and implement advocacy and mainstreaming guidelines and frameworks for the rights of persons with disabilities.
- Governance and Compliance RDP: To promote good governance regarding the rights of persons with disabilities.
The total allocation for this programme is R17.4 million which constitutes 8.6% of the Department’s operational budget - the smallest allocation. This allocation is R4.4 million more than in the 2020/21 financial year. However, when taking into consideration the Real Rand change, this programme only sees an increase of 28.45% to its allocation which amounts to R3.7 million. Even though this programme is comprised of sub-programmes the budget allocation has not been delineated as such.
Notwithstanding that, of the total allocation of R17.4 million, R8.5 million (48.9%) is allocated for Compensation of employees and R8.3 million (47.7%) is allocated for Goods and services. Of the Goods and services budget, R4.3 million (24.7%) is allocated for travel and subsistence as per the Estimates of National Expenditure for 2021. The other main costs driver under Goods and services is for Consultants: Business and advisory services, R2 million (11.5%).
This programme has 9 posts and is earmarked to achieve 5 annual targets for the current FY as listed below:
- Frameworks on Disability Rights Awareness raising on rights of Persons with Disabilities developed
- Framework on Self representation for persons with disabilities developed
- Reasonable accommodation framework developed
- Universal design and access framework developed
- One status report on national/international obligations on the rights of persons with disability produced
3.5 Programme 5: National Youth Development Programme
The purpose of the programme is to promote the development and empowerment of young people by reviewing the legislative framework and other interventions to advance youth rights.
The Programme has two sub-programmes namely:
- National Youth Development Programme: To facilitate the development and implementation of national youth strategies and policies and provide aimed at young people
- National Development Agency: Oversees the transfer of funds to the National Youth Development Agency.
The total allocation for this programme is R483.3 million of which R471 million (97.4%) is transferred to the NYDA leaving the programme with an operational budge of R12.3 million to action and implement outputs and targets set in the APP 2021/22. Thus when considering this programme’s operational budget, the allocation is R3.4 million more than in the 2020/21 financial year. However, when taking into consideration the Real Rand change, this programme only sees an increase of 32.22% to its allocation which amounts to R2.9 million.The total allocation of R12.3 million constitutes 6% of the Department’s operational budget. Expenditure under Programme5 is allocated as follows:
Table 6: National Youth Development expenditure trends by sub-programme
|
Sub-programme |
2021/22 |
|
Management: National Youth Development |
R12.329 million |
|
Youth Development Programmes |
R470.962 million |
|
Total |
R483.291 million |
|
Compensation of Employees |
R7.313 million |
|
Goods and Services |
R4.972 |
Of the R12.3 million, of which R7.3 million (59.3%) is allocated for Compensation of employees and R5 million (40.7%) is allocated for Goods and services. Of the Goods and services budget, R1.7 million (34% of Goods and services) is allocated to Consultants: Business and advisory services as per the Estimates of National Expenditure for 2021. The other main costs driver under Goods and services is for Operating payments R1.5 million (30% of Goods and services).
This programme has 9 posts and is earmarked to achieve 4 annual targets for the current FY as listed below:
- Produce 2 National Youth Policy implementation monitoring reports
- Submit the NYDA Amendment Bill to cabinet
- Produce 4 NYDA quarterly monitoring reports
- Convene 4 national youth machinery meetings
4. National Youth Development Agency
4.1Mandate of the NYDA
The mandate of the NYDA is to create and promote coordination in youth development matters. The agency derives its mandate from legislative frameworks such as the NYDA Act (54 of 2008), the National Youth Policy (2009-2014) and the draft Integrated Youth Development Strategy as adopted by the Youth Convention of 2006.
The NYDA values have been updated from Integrity and Honesty, Excellence, Respect and Humility, Professionalism and Accessibility to the new values of Accountability, Respect, Professionalism and Integrity.
As per the amended Strategic Plan (2020-2025) and APP 2021/22, the NYDA has now three programmes namely:
- Programme 1: Administration - The purpose of this programme is to enable effective and efficient capabilities for service delivery and supporting functions.
- Programme 2: Program Design, Development and Delivery (includes: economic development through youth entrepreneurship, Jobs programme, and National Youth Service) Purpose: The purpose of the programme is to enhance the participation of young people in the economy through targeted and integrated economic programmes, including skills and education programmes, and national youth services. Facilitate and co-ordinate the effective and efficient implementation of the Nation Youth Service Programmes across all sectors of society.
- Programme 3: Integrated Youth Development - The purpose focuses on fostering a mainstreamed, evidence based, integrated and result oriented youth development.
- Analysis of Budget of the NYDA for 2021/22
“According to the National Treasury 2021 Estimates of National Expenditure (ENE), over the MTEF period, the NYDA will focus on providing comprehensive interventions to support decent employment, skills development and entrepreneurship for young people. This will include partnering with different sectors to provide training in technical and vocational skills through sector education and training authorities, providing grants to young people for enterprise development, and coordinating the national youth service programmes.[7]
Over the medium term, R762 million is allocated to enhance the participation of young people in the economy; R230 million is allocated to ensure that young people serve their communities to build the spirit of patriotism, solidarity, social cohesion and unity in diversity; and R207 million is allocated to help young people find employment through jobs programmes. The NYDA will provide support services to enable them to gain direct access to markets and relevant entrepreneurial skills, and provide financial and non‐financial support.[8]
Finally, expenditure is expected to increase at an average annual rate of 14.5%, from R367.4 million in 2020/21 to R551.6 million in 2023/24, with spending on Compensation of employees accounting for an estimated 40.6 % (R598.5 million) of the NDYA’s total expenditure over this period. The NDYA is set to derive 89% (R1.4 billion) of its revenue over the MTEF period through transfers from the Department.”[9] In addition to the transfer payment received, the NYDA’s overall budget also includes interest income of R3 million and donor income of R33 million thus giving an accumulative budget of R507 million for 2021/22. Of importance to note, the research analysis revealed an inconsistent reporting style insofar as reflecting the budget allocation within the ENE 2021, the NYDA’s APP 2021/22 and the presentation submitted to the Committee by the Agency with no explanation provided as to why the figures varied. The table below thus reflects what was presented to the Committee by the NYDA.
Table 7: NYDA Expenditure per Programme for 2021/22
|
PROGRAMME |
2021/2022 |
|
Administration |
R 77 363 486 |
|
Economic Participation |
R 163 588 554 |
|
Integrated Youth Development |
R 720 000 |
|
Jobs Programme |
R58 672 500 |
|
National Youth Service |
R 19 816 200 |
|
Sub-total of programmes |
R 320 160 740 |
|
Employee costs |
R 187 158 760 |
|
Total |
R 507 319 |
Based on the aforementioned table, the Economic Participation programme constitutes 32.2% of the NYDA’s total allocated budget. Compensation of Employees is a key cost driver accounting for 36.9% of the total budget.
For the current FY, the NYDA has earmarked to achieve 22 targets across three programmes as outlined below.
Programme 1: Administration
- 1. 4 NYDA Quarterly Management Reports 2. Reviewed and Implemented Annual Workplace Skills Plan 3. R 70 million in funds sourced from the public or private sectors to support youth development programmes 4. 6 SETA partnerships established 5. 2 partnerships signed with technology companies 6. Review and implement ICT Strategic Plan indicating 50% achievement of ICT targets in the plan by end of the financial year 7. Reviewed and implemented Integrated Communication and Marketing Strategy 8. Produce and approve the NYDA Strategic Risk Register by Ops Exco 9. Reviewed annual SCM Procurement Plan and produced quarterly reports 10. Annual Report on partnerships established with Disability organisations to promote youth development
Programme 2: Program Design, Development and Delivery
- 1. 1100 youth owned enterprises supported with financial interventions 2. 20 000 youth supported with non-financial business development interventions 3. 5000 jobs created and sustained through supporting entrepreneurs and Enterprises 4. Participate on the National Pathway Management Network to facilitate youth job placement opportunities 5. 50 000 young people capacitated with skills to enter the job market 6. 40 organistations and departments lobbied to implement NYS 7. Produce an annual report on the NYS Programme 8. 10 000 young people participating in NYS Expanded Volunteer Projects
Programme 3: Integrated Youth Development
- 1. 2 impact programme evaluations conducted 2. Produce annual report on Integrated Youth Development Strategy 3. 3 youth status outlook reports produced 4. Develop a discussion document on youth development in the country
- Commission for Gender Equality
- Mandate of the CGE
The background and context of CGE’s work emanates from Section 181 of the Constitution (1996) and it is one of the Chapter 9 institutions which are independent entities for strengthening democracy. The CGE is therefore required to report to the National Assembly at least once a year regarding the progress of carrying out its strategic objectives. Section 187 of the Constitution stipulates that the Commission should promote respect for gender equality, and protect and develop its attainment, as well as monitor, educate, lobby, advise and report on issues related to gender equality.
In line with the CGE’s obligation to strengthen constitutional democracy with a focus on the attainment of gender equality, the CGE has a legislative mandate and functions which include the following:
- Monitor, evaluate and make recommendations on:
- Policies and practices of organs of state, statutory bodies and functionaries, public bodies or private businesses, to promote gender equality.
- Any existing law including indigenous law and practices.
- Government’s compliance with international conventions with respect to gender equality.
- Propose/recommend on:
- New law that may impact on gender equality or the status of women.
- Develop, conduct or manage
- Educational strategies and programmes that foster understanding about gender equality and the role of the CGE.
- Investigate and resolve conflicts
- On gender matters and complaints through mediation, conciliation and negotiation or referral to other institutions.
- Liaise and interact
- With institutions, bodies or authorities with similar objectives to the Commission.
- With any organisation which actively promotes gender equality and other sectors of civil society to further the objectives of the Commission.
- Prepare and submit reports
- To Parliament on aspects relating to gender equality.
In addition, the Commission for Gender Equality may:
- Conduct or order research to be conducted;
- Consider recommendations, suggestions and request from any source.
The Commission is publicly funded and is thus subject to the reporting requirements of the Public Finance Management Act (Act No 1, 1999). The obligations of the PFMA include an audit by the Auditor General. In line with its Constitutional mandate, the vision of the Commission for Gender Equality remains to strive for “a society free from all forms of gender oppression and inequality”, while its mission includes to “advance, promote, protect, monitor and evaluate gender equality through undertaking research, public education, policy development, legislative initiatives, effective monitoring and litigation”.
5.2Analysis of the Commission for Gender Equality’s Budget 2021/22
For the 2020/21 financial year, the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) received an allocation of R91.376 million through a transfer payment from the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities. Of the total allocation, R63 474 100 (69%t) of the CGE’s budget is allocated for Compensation of employees, while R27 901 900 (31%) is allocated towards Goods and services. “The Commission has repeatedly reiterated that it is a “human capital driven” institution, with its employees carrying out the bulk of its services, and as such the bulk of its funding is allocated for compensation of employees. Outcome 4, which is the outcome focusing on the operations and systems of the Commission, receives the largest proportion of the budget.While the nominal rand change between 2020/21 and 2021/22 is approximately R12.7 million, when taking into account inflation, the real rand change in allocation is R9 million.”[10]
|
Budget (R’m) |
Nominal Rand Change |
Real Rand Change |
|||
|
2020/21 |
2021/22 |
2022/23 |
2023/24 |
||
|
615m |
91 375m |
93 780m |
94 139m |
12 760m |
9 076m |
Key Cost drivers year-on-year[11]
“As at 31 December 2020, the Commission identified the following as Key Cost Drivers:
|
Key Cost Drivers |
|
|
Professional and consulting services |
R5 001 966 |
|
Office cleaning, maintenance, plants & security |
R 2 052 128 |
|
Advertising, promotion and publicity |
R 1 716 102 |
|
Depreciation and amortisation |
R 1 453 750 |
|
Report writing, printing and publishing |
R 1 049 330 |
|
Computer Servicing |
R 1 000 977 |
For the 2021/22 financial year, the following are identified as Key Cost Drivers;
- ICT (computer servicing, IT and website) - R 3 128 500
- External Auditing fees - R 2 812 000
- Professional and consulting services - R 1 446 000
- Staff training and development - R 1 001 000
- Bursaries - R 1 000 000
The CGE’s allocation for professional and consulting services sees a significant decrease year-on-year, while there is an increase in computer servicing. It should also be noted that in 2020/21 the CGE reprioritised its funding for staff development and training as a result of the COVID-19 budget reductions, and as such this line item now reappears.”
Furthermore, the CGE notes in its revisions to its 2020-2024 Strategic Plan that it has moved from “strategic objectives” to “outcomes” to align the approach of the Commission with towards outcomes based planning. The 4 outcomes are as follows:
- Strategic Outcome 1 (SO1): An enabling legislative environment for gender equality
- Strategic Outcome 2 (SO2): Gender Equality Promoted and Protected through information, education, investigations and litigations
- Strategic Outcome 3 (SO3): Monitoring and research investigations on issues that undermine the attainment of gender equality and women’s empowerment conducted
- Strategic Outcome 4 (SO4): An efficient, effective & sustainable organisation that promotes good corporate governance
In terms of budgetary allocation per Strategic Outcome:
- SO 1: R11 526 564 has been allocated of which R4 308 063 is for Compensation of Employees, Direct expenses R2 366 912 and Office overheads R4 851 589
- SO 2: R33 388 471 has been allocated of which R26 880163 is for Compensation of Employees, Direct expenses R 2 134 043 and Office overheads R 4 374 266
- SO 3: R 7 674 624 has been allocated of which R 6 327 313 is for Compensation of Employees, Direct expenses R 441 777 and Office overheads R 905 534
- SO 4: R 38 786 341 has been allocated of which R 25 958 561 is for Compensation of Employees, Direct expenses R 4 206 168 and Office overheads R 8 621612.
The following section provides an overview of annual targets related to the 4 outcomes.
- The CGE has increased its targets from the previous financial year 2020/21 of 26 to 38 in 2021/22.
- Outcome 4, which focuses on operations and systems in the institution, sees the largest increase in targets year-on-year from 6 to 13.
- Many targets appear similar to those presented in 2020/21 and in other instances, targets appear to have been condensed.
- While there are no glaring changes or omissions in terms of 2021/22 targets, there are areas where content is vague.
- Observations
Having met with the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, the NYDA and the CGEto scrutinise the respective amended Strategic Plans and Annual Performance Planincluding the budget for 2021/22, the Committee made the following observations:
6.1 Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities
In terms of the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities
General matters
6.1.1 Mandate
- The Committee noted that the mandate of the Department has been reviewed to that of a regulatory Department and requested the Department to provide more clarity in this regard as the requisite detail was lacking in the amended Strategic Plan and the APP.
- The Committee noted the regulatory role of the Department is not incorporated in Programme 2-5 and requested explanation on the matter.
- Given the change in mandate, the Committee enquired as to how willDepartmen the continue with awareness campaigns and working with other stakeholders as well as mainstreaming gender, youth and disability.
- The Committee noted with concern that the core mandate of the Department was not clearly articulated in the amended Strategic Plan and APP hence impeding oversight
- The Committee was concerned that there is misalignment between Programmes 1 -5 of the Department and its mandate.
- The Committee was also concerned that the Department changed its mandate from facilitating to regulating.
- The Committee was concern that targets planned by the Department are not SMART and therefore oversight is impaired.
6.1.2 Unmet Targets
- The Committee questioned whether the Department plans to meet the unmet target in 2020/21 during 2021/22 financial year and what the time frames were in order to do that.
6.1.3 Dysfunctional Website
- The Committee was concerned that the website of the Department that has not been functionally for months and questioned how civil society would gain access to information virtually about programmes, activities, policies etc.
Programme 1: Administration
6.1.4 Human Resources
- The Committee noted that the Department continued budgeting for consultants and raised this as concern given that it has been matter that the Committee did not support. The Committee had on numerous occasions outlined to the Department why it should desist from using consultants given its limited budget and provided recommendations on how to address the matter. To this end, the Committee also enquired as to when the Department would stop procuring the use of consultants given the fiscal constraints.
- Moreover, the Committee noted that the Department has 41 staff who are paid more than R1,3 million per annum and thus questioned why the budget was still allocated for consultants to implement programmes of the Department.
- The Committee noted with concern that the majority of staff were employed within the Administration programme as opposed to the core programmes and requested an explanation in this regard.
- The Committee enquired as to what mechanisms are implemented to deal with lack of capacity and resources in the Department.
- The Committee expressed its dissatisfaction and contempt at the explanation provided by the Department on justifying its use of consultants; the comparison with DPME and the budget for contractors not coming from Cost of Employment but Consultants -Business & Advisory Services. This was noted as misleading.
6.1.5 Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality (WEGE) Bill
- The Committee was also concern that there was no target on the proposed WEGE Bill within the APP hence it would appear that this has not been planned for in the current FY. As such, the Department was requested to provide the Committee with report on status of the WEGE Bill.
Programme 2: Social Transformation and Economic Empowerment
6.1.6 Frameworks and Socio-Economic Empowerment Index
- The Committee queried the difference between the Socio-economic empowerment index (SEEI) and the Gender Barometer developed by the Commission for Gender Equality.
- The Committee was concerned that the new SEEI did not link and build onto the Country Gender Indicator Framework; Women’s Financial Inclusion Framework and the Gender Responsive, Planning, Budgeting, Monitoring, Evaluation Framework.
- The Committee noted with concern that the proposed new framework would only be finalised, implemented and monitored in the outer years of the MTSF cycle.
6.1.7 Interventions
- The Committee requested clarity on the 4 intervention to support socio empowerment and participation of women, youth and persons with disabilities.
- The Committee asked who is implementing the 1 intervention per quarter to support socio empowerment of women, youth and persons with disabilities and where is the regulatory part in the interventions.
- The Committee also enquired as to how are the interventions regulatory for example, attending a conference is not regulatory.
6.1.8 Sanitary Dignity
- The Committee question how the Department conducts the monitoring and evaluation of the roll out process and the usage of the equitable share allocation given the Committee’s engagement with the provinces on the Sanitary Dignity Programme and all the challenges raised.
- The Committee noted that production of progress reports in and by itself is not a true reflection of whether the Sanitary Dignity Framework has been successfully implemented or not, what the challenges are and what the Department has done to address these. Hence the progress on the implementation of the Sanitary Dignity Programme across Provinces was not accurately or clearly reflected in the APP which was concerning to the Committee.
- The Committee was also concerned that there was no target in the APP that relates to the total number of beneficiaries that would be reached through this programme -nationally and provincially. Based on the Committee’s prior engagements with the Provinces, there appeared to be no uniformity or informed choice for deciding on the number of beneficiaries to target.
6.1.9 Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF)
- Finance: The Committee requested the Department to explain what the R5 million that was allocated to implement the NSP on GBVF in 2020/21 would be spent on.
- The Committee was also concerned that there were no clear activities to achieve programme of Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF).
- National Council on GBVF: The Committee requested the status report on the establishment of the National Council on GBVF.
- National Strategic Plan on GBVF: The Committee questioned how it is meant to hold the Department accountable for the development of guidelines on GBVF and a requisite Bill when these are not reflected as targets in the APP.
- M&E: The Committee queried what the Department is doing to monitor the implementation of the National Strategic Plan (NSP) on GBVF. The Committee noted that government has committed R12 billion to implement various components of the NSP on GBFV and questioned how the Department was monitoring expenditure in this regard as well as the time frame in which the funds should be spent.
Programme 3: Policy, Stakeholder Coordination Knowledge Management
6.1.10 Monitoring and Evaluation
- The Committee questioned what the difference is between the roles of the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation and the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities with regards to the new mandate of the Department.
- The Committee also queried what the difference was between the new mandate presented to the Committee and the Frameworks that were previously presented to the Committee.
6.1.11 Programme 4: Rights of Persons with Disabilities
- Finances: The Committee was concerned about the budget allocated to Programme 4 which was miniscule given that the Department spends at present more money on office accommodation (R18.3 million) than it does on the entire national programme dedicated to persons with disabilities. To this end, the Committee questioned why the Department has allocated such a small budget to this Programme.
- Absent Role of Regulator: The Committee was also concerned that the regulatory role of the Department is not incorporated in Programme 4.
- Disability Rights Bill: The Committee was concerned that there was no APP target on tracking the development of the Disability Rights Bill. In addition, the Committee questioned why the Department indicated within its APP that the South African Law Reform Commission was developing the Bill and not the Department.
- Presidential Working Group: The Committee queried whether there is a working relationship between the Presidential Working Group on Disabilities and this programme.
- M&E of DSD: The Committee queried whether the Department monitored the work done by the Department of Social Development in terms of services rendered to persons with disabilities.
6.1.12 Programme 5
- Finance: The Committee noted that Programme 5 has a budgetary allocation of R12,3 million and noted this Programme will also procure the use consultants. More clarity was sort in this regard.
- Targets: The Committee also noted that the Programme 5 has only 5 targets planned for the current financial year and enquired as to whether the targets will be met with the budget allocated to the Programme. Furthermore, the Committee also noted with concern that the Programme referred to additional activities it intends undertaking for the current FY but this was not reflected in the current APP thus holding the Department to account in this regard would be difficult for the Committee to do.
- The Committee also enquired as to whether the objectives of the Department is aligned to the 5 targets of the Programme.
- National Youth Policy (NYP): The Committee also enquired as to whether the National Youth Policy Implementation Monitoring reports were any different to that of the NYDA’s quarterly reports submitted to the Committee.
- NYDA Amendment Bill: The Committee enquired as to whether the Department has engaged with youth in communities especially youth in rural areas on the National Youth Development Agency Amendment Bill.
- Relationship with Department: The Committee was concerned about the lack of a working relationship between the National Youth Development Agency and the Department especially Programme 5.
6.2 National Youth Development Agency
In terms of the National Youth Development Agency, the Committee made the following observations:
6.2.1 General matters
- Standardise reporting: The NYDA was urged to standardise the budget reporting style so that information contained in Estimate of National Expenditure (ENE) in National Treasury reports should be the same as contained in the APP of the NYDA.
- Local Government Elections: The Committee asked whether there were any plans in place by the NYDA and the Department to encourage young people to register for the local government elections 2021 as this was an important component of building social cohesion and patriotism.
- Inclusion of Youth with Disabilities: The Committee welcomed the inclusion of a target for youth with disabilities in the APP of the NYDA but urged the NYDA to do more especially for ensuring access for persons with disabilities at branch level.
- Access to NYDA offices and services: The Committee was also concerned that the satellite offices in rural areas do not provide full service for youth in rural areas. In addition, the Committee noted that during a constituency visit to certain branch offices computers were not operational thus bringing into question how youth would be able to access online information or to be assisted with NSFAS applications by the NYDA.The Committee enquired as to why young people were not able to submit their applications for grants through NYDA website. The inaccessibility of the online application process during COVID-19 pandemic has left many young people unfairly disadvantaged.
- Youth Machinery: The Committee questioned whether the Department and the NYDA participated in the youth machinery meetings as this was not reflected in the APP which was concerning as this was an important platform to engage with youth.
- Vision: The Committee was concerned that the NYDA removed accessibility and excellence in its new vision but provided no reason as to why and thus requested more clarity in this regard.
6.2.2NYDA Amendment Bill
- The Committee was concerned that proper consultation on the Bill has not been conducted. It was noted that the NYDA branches in Provinces were not aware of the process of the Bill. Thus further and broader consultation by the Department is required.
- The Committee was also concerned about the lack of a working relationship between the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (Programme 5) and the NYDA insofar as collaborating on the NYDA Amendment Bill is concerned.
- The APP has no specific target that relates to activities pertaining to the NYDA Amendment Bill even though reference is made to supporting the process in principle by the CEO. The lack of a specific target that can be tracked in this regard is concerning.
Programme 1
6.2.3 Human Resources
- The Committee enquired about the status of Workplace skills plan in Programme 1 as details in this regard was lacking.
- The Committee was concerned about the status of filling of vacancies of branch coordinators in Provinces indicating that there were only 3 branch managers employed in Provinces and how this then impacted on services rendered.
- The Committee also asked what were the delays in the filling of vacancies at branch level.
- The Committee noted with concern the matter of the Gauteng branch office that was closed when visited by Members during constituency which was unacceptable. To this end, the NYDA was requested to provide an update on the disciplinary case in this regard.
- The Committee noted with concern that staffing matters at branch level needed attention as the services rendered was being impeded either by a lack of available staff or dysfunctional ICT equipment.
Programme 2
- Youth Entrepreneurship
- The Committee enquired as to whether there were any private sector partners or stakeholders that will assist to enhance Programme 2 through training in the sub-programme of Economic Development through youth entrepreneurship.
- The Committee enquired about the implementation of 1100 businesses in 100 days’ initiatives by the President and progress in this regard. To this end, the Committee asked how many young people benefitted to date and those that had benefitted, how many are young people with disabilities have benefitted from the programme and how many were repeat beneficiaries.
6.2.5 Donor funding
- The Committee noted that the donor funding the NYDA intended to secure from Provincial Government, Department of Small Business Development and the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention was not made apparent and requested more information in this regard.
6.2.6 Grants Programme
- Disability: The Committee questioned how many new beneficiaries benefitted in Grant Programme especially young people with disabilities as this was not apparent in the targets outlined.
- M&E: The Committee enquired as to whether the NYDA assesses and monitors the impact of the Grants Programme.
- Online Grant applications: The Committee was concerned that there was no online portal available on the website of the NYDA for grant applications particularly during the COVID-19 era thus bringing into question how accessible the services are to youth. The Committee was also concerned that the satellite offices in rural areas do not provide full service for youth in rural areas.
6.2.7 Job creation
- The Committee was concerned that the adjusted target for jobs created and sustained through supporting entrepreneurs and enterprises has been decreased from 26 000 to 20 000 for 2020-2025 period given high youth unemployment rate.
- The Committee noted that 23 500 jobs facilitated through jobs placements opportunities was adjusted but no justification was provided and more clarity was sought in this regard.
6.2.8 National Youth Service (NYS)
- The Committee noted that the NYDA continued to lobby government departments and entities to implement the National Youth Services (NYS) programme which was concerning as the NYS is a priority and more emphasis should be placed on monitoring and evaluating the programme instead.
- The Committee asked what sort of donor funding NYDA is expecting to ensure NYS programme is working and what is the nature of the relationship between NYDA and the existing NYS initiatives implemented by various government departments as the details in this regard was lacking thus impeding oversight.
6.2.9 Presidential Initiatives
- The Committee was concerned about the relationship between the Presidential Yes4youth initiatives, Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (Programme 5) and the NYDA and whether these stakeholders were working collaboratively or in silos.
- The Committee questioned how many young people benefitted from the Presidential Infrastructure and Provincial Infrastructure projects.
Programme 3
6.2.10 Youth Status Outlook Reports
- The Committee queried what the purpose of the Youth status outlook reports were and how the information was being used.
- The Committee also indicated that these reports were produced in the last financial year and questioned whether these reports were useful.
6.3 Commission for Gender Equality
In terms of the Commission for Gender Equality
6.3.1 General
- The Committee noted the importance of implementing the Committee’s Budgetary Review Recommendations Report 2020 and issues raised by AGSA in relation the Annual Report of 2019/20 and enquired whether these have been addressed within the 2021/22 APP.
- The Committee was concerned that targets planned by CGE lacked the requisite details and are not SMART.
- The Committee also was concerned that the technical indicators descriptions lack detailed information and will not assist the Committee in conducting astute oversight.
- The Committee noted that the evaluation aspect of the CGE’s work has been omitted in the amended Strategic Plan and no explanation was provided in this regard.
- The Committee commended the CGE for achieving targets with reduced budgets in 2020/21 financial year. The Committee noted that that 69% of the budget of the CGE was allocated to compensation of employees and 31% to goods and services. When comparing the budget of the South African Human Rights Commission to the CGE, the Committee noted that over the past decade the budget of the former grew exponentially but not for the CGE.
6.3.2 Strategic Outcome 1
- The Committee noted with concern that the Strategic Outcome 1 changed from advanced to enabling legislative environment for gender equality but no explanation was provided.
- The Committee noted that the CGE aspired to adopt only 50% of its submissions which seemed low with no justification provided. In addition, the Committee questioned what is meant by adoption and sought clarity in this regard.
- The Committee noted the lack of detail regarding the purpose of the reports to be submitted to the President and the Speaker of Parliament and also questioned the implications for oversight and accountability by the Committee in this regard.
- The Committee was unclear as to why only one education programme was identified as a target for the 5-year period.
6.3.3 Strategic Outcome 2
- Complaints handling: The Committee noted with concern that the Commission changed the target on handling of complaints which has been identified as a challenge for the Commission by the Committee and the AGSA. The current performance measure now for this important target remained vague and unclear.
- Webinars: The Committee also noted that the Commission will conduct 4 webinars and policy briefs to follow up on commitments made in the 2020/21 webinars. The Committee was concerned that that there was lack of detail on the nature of these webinars and what the policy briefs would also cover. The Committee queried what other platforms were used by CGE to consider people who cannot access technology particularly persons in rural areas, persons with disabilities, persons living in poverty who do not have access to data to access online media platforms.
- Stakeholder engagements: The Committee noted with concern the lack of detail regarding the 36 stakeholders referred to with regard to engagements with like-minded institutions on issues related to gender equality. Without the detail, the Committee’s oversight is impeded.
- Preferential Procurement: The Committee noted the lack of details regarding which government institutions the CGE will be engaging on the implementation of procurement rules & regulations for women’s empowerment. Without the detail, the Committee’s oversight is impeded.
- Court monitoring: The lack of details was also noted by the Committee regarding which 40 courts will be monitored.
- Training Workshops: The Committee noted the lack of detail regarding the 36 training workshops on gender and sought more information in this regard.
- Interventions: The Committee questioned what the plans of the Commission were to deal with bullying in schools and against discrimination of LGBTQIA+ persons as these were key issues of concern for the Committee that required attention.
6.3.4 Strategic Outcome 3
- NSP on GBVF: The Committee noted the lack of details regarding what reports will be monitored by the CGE on the implementation of National Strategic Plan on Gender Based Violence&Femicide.
- High level meetings: The Committee noted the lack of details regarding the nature of high level meetings and which reports will be tabled at these high level meetings.
- NSP & NCGBVF: The Committee questioned what has the CGE done on monitoring the implementation of the establishment of the National Council Against Gender Based Violence and Femicide and the implementation of the National Strategic Plan on Gender Based Violence and Femicide as details in this regard was lacking.
- Monitoring: The Commission was also requested to give details on the monitoring of 22 government departments referred to during deliberations.
6.3.5 Strategic Outcome 4:
- ICT: The Committee wanted to know what is the status of the ICT and Knowledge Management. The Committee also wanted to know what are the submissions on legislation before Parliament.
- Vacancies: The Committee enquired whether the vacancies of senior managers have been filled and if there were any outstanding vacancies to be filled.
- The Committee also questioned whether the Chief Executive Officer violated the policy of the Commission on establishing an interview panel with external stakeholders for interviews and if so, what has the Commissioners done in that regard.
- Internal Operational Concerns: The Committee was concerned about reports that the Chief Executive Officer violated the policy of the Commission on establishing an interview panel with external stakeholders for interviews and if so, what has the Commission done in that regard.
- M&E Framework: The Committee requested an update on the monitoring and evaluating frameworks.
6.3.6 Role of Commissioners
- The Committee questioned the role of the Commissioners in giving effect to the APP and how they be held accountable in this regard.
- The Committee was concerned that the role of the Commissioners was not clear in the Strategic Plan of the Commission.
- The Committee was concerned that the APP and the Strategic Plan was not aligned and questioned how Commissioners adopted these documents that are misaligned.
7. Recommendations
Having considered the Annual Performance Plan and budget for the Department, the Committee recommends to the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilitiesas follows:
The Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities should:
- Ensure that its key performance indicators and targets are SMART.
- Rework its Annual Performance Plan 2021/22and amended Strategic Plan and present it to the Committee at the next meeting scheduled on the 4th Quarterly report for 2020/21.
- Submit to the Committee the detailed report on the use of consultants, the nature of the consultancy and the cost incurred per programme. The Committee also resolved not to support the use of consultants until detailed information is provided to the Committee for it to assess.
- Respond in writing to questions/concerns that were raised by the Committee and that were not responded to.
- Ensure that the Annual Performance Plan and the Strategic Plan should be aligned and that the regulatory part of the mandate should be incorporated in Programmes of the Department. A detailed report should be submitted to the Committee in this regard within 2 weeks after the adoption of this report.
- Consider optimal use of staff allocated from Programme1 (where most of the staff is allocated) and re-allocate them to the core programmes e.g. Programme 4 and 5.
- Mainstream the implementation of the Sanitary Dignity Programme across the provinces.
- Respond to issues raised in the ERAP report of the Commission for Gender Equality at a meeting to be scheduled by the Committee.
- Present to the Committee progress made with regards to the establishment of the National Council Against Gender Based Violence and the proposed Bill.
- Utilise the NYDA branch offices to publicise the Bill and as platform to consult with youth on the Amendment Bill, the National Youth Policy and the Integrated Youth Development Strategy.
- Utilise the NYDA branch structures to discuss the proposed Disability Bill.
- Look at the budget allocation for Programme 4 (Rights of Persons with Disabilities) given the work that still needs to be done to ensure the inclusion and empowerment of persons with disabilities across the country.
Having considered the Annual Performance Plan and budget for the NYDA, the Committee recommends as follows:
The National Youth Development Agency should:
- Submit a detailed information of posts filled and plans to fill vacant posts as it pertains to the current staffing structure.
- Ensure improved coordination between the Department and itself with regards to consultations on the NYDA Amendment Bill.
- Must ensure that all staff within branches are aware and informed about the NYDA Amendment Bill.
- Assess the functionality of its branches in terms of availability of staff and use of ICT infrastructure.
- Investigate accessibility and inclusivity of offices especially for youth with disabilities in Provinces.
- The Presidential Yes4youth initiatives should be invited to brief the Committee.
g) The Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities and NYDA should work with DeafSA and institutions of higher learning on issues related to disability.
Having considered the Annual Performance Plan and budget of the Commission for Gender Equality, the Committee recommends as follows:
The Commission for Gender Equality should:
- Submit a report to the Committee on the role of Commissioners in Provinces insofar as giving effect to the APP and amended Strategic Plan is concerned, within two weeks after the adoption of this report
- Submit a report to the Committee that expands on the APP targets to ensure it encapsulates the requisite details the Committee had requested within two weeks after the adoption of this report.
- The role of Commissioners should be incorporated in the Annual Performance Plan for 2021/22.
- Present their reports in a timeous manner to the Committee to allow it to effectively engage with its contents
- As needed, request to present relevant and pertinent reports to the Committee to ensure that recommendations and concerns are addressed.
- Conclusion
The Committee remains committed to ensuring that astute oversight is conducted on the Department, the Commission for Gender Equality and the National Youth Development Agency, who all have a significant role to play in improving the lives of women, youth and persons with disabilities and the LGBTQIA+ community.
Report to be considered.
[1]Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Strategic Plan 2020-2025, pg.10
[2]Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Annual Performance Plan 2021/22, pg. 109
[3]Ibid
[4]Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Annual Performance Plan 2021/22, pg. 108
[5]Levendale, C (2021) Overview: Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities - Annual Performance Plan 2021/22 and Budget 2021/22: Programmes 1, 2 and 3
[6]Adapted from Estimates of National Expenditure (2021), Vote 20
[7]Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (2020). Annual Performance Plan 2020/21 in Matthews, T (2021) National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) Annual Performance Plan 2021/22 And Budget 2021/22, Parliament of RSA, Research Unit
[8] National Treasury (2021) Estimates of National Expenditure 2021. Vote 20 in Matthews, T. (2021) National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) Annual Performance Plan 2021/22 And Budget 2021/22, Parliament of RSA, Research Unit
[9]Ibid
[10]Levendale, C (2021) Commission for Gender Equality: 2021/22 Budget and Annual Performance Plan, Parliament of RSA, Research Unit
[11]Ibid
Documents
No related documents