Committee Report on Oversight Visits to North West, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo: discussion

Meeting report

PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE
12 September 2005
COMMITTEE REPORT ON OVERSIGHT VISITS TO NORTH WEST, EASTERN CAPE, KWAZULU-NATAL AND LIMPOPO: DISCUSSION

Chairperson: Mr J Gomomo (ANC)

Documents handed out:
Committee Report on provincial oversight visit: 31 July - 12 August 2005 (available shortly at Committee Reports)
Public Service Annual Report 2005/05 presentation
Public Service Commission Fact Sheet

SUMMARY
The Committee held an all day workshop with the Public Service Commission to discuss the findings and recommendations of their joint study tours to North West, Eastern Cape, Kwazulu-Natal and Limpopo. The Chair commented that municipalities and departments should be able to isolate political issues from administrative matters that were causing slow delivery on their part. The reports identified the challenges and backlogs faced by the departments in those provinces. The framework for a follow-up plan based on their observations was discussed. The Committee complained that the Report lacked essence as it did not clearly reflect observations they had made during the study tour and the committee researchers were asked to correct this before the Committee could adopt it. The Committee decided to hold a closed meeting on 13 September to adopt the reports.

MINUTES
KwaZulu-Natal Report
Mr Gcwabaza (ANC) took the Committee through the KwaZulu-Natal report. He noted several findings pertaining to successes by some government departments. The performance of the education system had improved over the last five years. Since 1999 the results of senior certificate candidates had increased from 49% to 73% for last year's results. One of the major challenges faced by that province was housing delivery by the Department of Housing. The cause for that was the strained relations between traditional leadership and elected leadership.

Limpopo Report
Mr Skhosana (ANC) presented on the findings and recommendations of the visit to the Limpopo province. He gave attention to some of the challenges faced by the departments, and noted the breakdown and ineffective consultations between departments and the private sector. The Committee had visited the Social Security Pay Points. They said that government should be doing this task not private companies as they were not properly fulfilling their duties. The Department of Education was faced with a lack of infrastructure and stationery at schools. The discipline among both learners and teachers needed to be addressed.

Eastern Cape Report
Mr Ntuli (IFP) said the Education department in the Eastern Cape was the worst performing department in South Africa. Members stressed the need to have a bilateral meeting with the national structure of the South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU). The Committee made an unannounced visit to the Cecilia Makiwane Hospital. The hospital had clear signs of debilitation although it was kept clean. Issues that emerged related to staff retention, staff shortages and lack of resources. The Department of Housing was faced with the challenge of clearing slums by 2010. Since 2003, the local municipalities had assumed responsibility for the provision of water, while the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry remained the regulator.

North West Report
According to Mr Mthembu (ANC), the Public Service Commission would have to investigate the nature of the relationship between the Department of Public Works and Black Emerging contractors (BEC) in North West. There was poor communication between district and local municipalities. There needed to be more training for officials so that municipal management in delivering houses could be improved.

Professor Stan Sangweni, Chairperson of the Public Service Commission, said those municipalities and departments that had been visited should be given a chance to study the reports. The Public Service Commission and the Committee agreed that they would revisit those provinces to follow up and check that their recommendations had been implemented. The Committee thanked all the Commissioners from the Public Service Commission who had accompanied the members to different municipalities and departments during the oversight visits.

The Committee complained that the Report lacked essence as it did not clearly reflect observations they had made during the study tour and the committee researchers were asked to correct this before the Committee could adopt it. The Committee decided to hold a closed meeting on 13 September to adopt the reports.

The meeting was adjourned.