Deputy Speaker, I am not sure of the process. We want to make a declaration. You are moving very strangely today.
No, I move with speed.
No, it is strange. [Laughter.] Deputy Speaker, once there is an objection, you must put the question and all of that. You are not doing that. You are moving to the second report and we have not exhausted the first report.
No. Hon member, when you rise to an objection, you do indicate, as you always do, that we must call for a declaration. That is all you have to do. I don't even have to ask you. Take your seat.
Declarations of vote:
Deputy Speaker, while the DA supports the Budgetary Review and Recommendation Report, BRRR, being tabled today, we do so with the following riders.
Firstly, the absolute failure of the Fifth Parliament to finalise legislation for the Department of Public Works, the Property Management Trading Entity and the Independent Development Trust cannot and will not be repeated by the Sixth Parliament.
Minister De Lille, this is your responsibility. The department cannot continue to function on the outdated White Papers, if it is to improve both audit outcomes and service delivery.
Secondly, the infrastructure component of this department remains a question mark. The failure of the President to do proper planning and interrogation prior to adding the infrastructure to the department's mandate has meant that one of the critical deliverables of government is in limbo. The infrastructure mandate and the budget for implementation must be incorporated into the department as a matter of urgency.
Thirdly, transformation in the built environment is an imperative. The idea to hold the Public Works Academy is supported, but more must be done to partner with
education establishments to ensure that people from previously disadvantaged backgrounds have fair access to the opportunities in the built environment.
Furthermore, the immovable asset register continues to be a cause for concern although great progress has been made. Failure to keep accurate record of assets is costing the department and is hampering the ability of municipalities to collect revenue on these properties.
Finally, EPWP should be properly monitored at implementation. It should be a fair and free mechanism, combining poverty alleviation with infrastructure development, and not a vehicle for political patronage and a reward for supporting the ANC. Policy must be developed to ensure proper implementation, monitoring and oversight. Implementers at local government must be held accountable in terms of expenditure, reporting and proper management of the programme. The DA supports this report. Thank you.
Deputy Speaker, every year in the Fifth Parliament, the EFF has raised the issue of the
establishment of a state-owned construction company and other proposals and made this recommendation in the portfolio committee. However, the committee refused to see the basic logic, and instead, we ended up with site issues, which will not change how the Department of Public Works must do its work. The committee refused to see this basic logic.
This is what we proposed in the committee. Firstly, we need a state-owned construction company to build all state infrastructure including roads, houses offices and recreational infrastructure.
Secondly, we need a database of all state-owned buildings that are available, especially close to the institutions of higher learning, for them to be converted into suitable use for the different purposes for free. This database must be publically available for the entrepreneurs to apply for use of these buildings at no cost.
Thirdly, government must build shopping malls, manage these facilities and invite local manufacturers, companies to sell their products in these malls.
Furthermore, government must move away from renting offices and build their own offices. It is much cheaper and sustainable.
Lastly, the EPWP is a programme that has failed and there is overwhelming evidence that the programme will never achieve its intended results. What we need to do with the programme is to absorb all workers into jobs that do not demand skills, pay the minimum wage, provide them with structured training, together with education opportunities so that they can find employment elsewhere in future.
We continue to make these proposals because they will solve most of the problems facing government infrastructure, and the report again failed to appreciate these realities. On that note, we reject the report.
Chairperson, there has been a spate of recent incidents in which public-owned infrastructure, mainly buildings, have been in serious structural deficiencies and health hazards. Now, more than ever, due to slow economic growth and increased migration to urban centres, our public infrastructure must be a vehicle that drives economic and job-generating activities.
Furthermore, as we move towards a more inclusive and integrated population residing in urban centres, our public buildings, property, plant and equipment need to be adequately maintained. The maintenance of public infrastructure must ensure public confidence and agreement that all government buildings can indeed be centres that stimulate economic growth and creation.
The committee report, in turn, does not reflect sufficient efforts to address the problems of poor maintenance of public buildings. On the part of the Property Management and Trading Entity, PMTE, of its 42 targets, almost half of them were not met and one of the main PMTE core functions, amongst others, is maintenance.
We see that there has been ... In 2018-19, it is reported that the PMTE had a surplus of R1,1 billion. An underexpenditure in this regard is unacceptable, as our buildings require serious attention to maintenance and repair. The underexpenditure further impacts on job creation, as this programme must employ more skills required in trades to maintain public infrastructure.
There seems to be a lack of awareness in the executive with regard to the true state of public infrastructure. The IFP calls on you to make known and lead the executive to a common understanding of a list of public buildings and assets that require urgent or upcoming attention.
This, in turn, will aid the collective effort of all departments to ensure a focus on true service delivery to our people. Thank you.
Afrikaans:
Agb Adjunkspeaker, the V F Plus het kennisgeneem dat die Departement van Openbare Werke en Infrastruktuur in die besit is van nagenoeg 81 000 geboue, maar die ontstellende nuus is dat 703 van hierdie
geboue nie geokkopeer is nie en leeg staan. Behalwe dit, betaal die belastingbetaler eiendomsbelasting op hierdie le geboue en in die 2018-19 finansile jaar het dit 'n bedrag van R36 miljoen beloop.
Op al hierdie geboue is daar 'n agterstand met die instandhouding daarvan en die bedrag om die agterstand in te haal kom op 'n skrikwekkende geskatte R74 miljard neer.
Daar is ook verskeie staatsdepartement wat se maandlikse huurgeld vir langer as 'n tydperk van vyf jaar uitstaande is, wat 'n enorme bedrag van nagenoeg R600 miljoen beloop. Die Tesorie skuld self 'n enorme R127 miljoen. Die vraag is: As Justisie, Korrektiewe Dienste en Hor Onderwys maandliks hulle huur kan betaal, hoekom kan ander staatsdepartemente dit ook nie doen nie?
Hierdie krisis moet baie dringend aangespreek en opgelos word en hopenlik sal die saak dringende aandag op die Portefeulje Komitee van Openbare Werke geniet, om te sorg dat hierdie uitstaande gelde ingevorder word. Wat egter die V F Plus bekommerd maak is dat hierdie departement
hom reeds in die hosorgeenheid van die hospitaal bevind. Ons hoop dat dit nie 'n staatshospitaal is nie.
Al hierdie probleme in die departement het 'n uitvloeisel na buite en ons sien dit daagliks in ons stede en dorpe, waar infrastruktuur besig is om inmekaar te tuimel en nie behoorlik instandgehou word nie.
Suid-Afrika sit met 'n enorme krisis met ons geboue, paaie, bre, skole, hospitale en waterpyplynings wat nie behoorlik instandgehou word nie. Hierdie regering gaan nog 'n duur prys daarvoor betaal. Die belastingbetaler in hirdie land is moeg en siek en sat vir die wanbestuur en wanadministrasie waarmee hierdie regering daagliks omgang. Die tyd het aangebreek om die ANC huis toe te stuur. Die V F Plus verwerp die verslag. Dankie.
Hon Deputy Speaker, this BRR report is a culmination of a series of meetings which interrogated the annual reports of the department of public works and infrastructure, PMTE, other entities as well the reports of the auditor general for the 2018-19 financial year.
The ACDP notes that it is the responsibility of the members of public works and infrastructure report portfolio committee to ensure that this report provides an assessment of the department's service delivery performance and an assessment on the effectiveness and efficiency of the department's use as well as the forward allocation of available resources.
It must be pointed out that the final appropriation for the 2018-19 financial year was some R7,48 billion with actual expenditure of some R7,45 billion. The ACDP notes with concern that the department received its fourth consecutive unqualified audit opinion with emphasis on additional matters. One of the serious concerns of the auditor general was on programme three pertaining to expanded public works programme where supporting evidence provided did not agree with the reported achievement of some 997 286 work opportunities as reported in the expanded public works programme.
Additionally, the auditor general could not determine whether the percentage of the EPWP participation of designated groups, of 68% women and 43% youth and 1%
people with disabilities as reported on the EPWP by public bodies required adjustments.
The ACDP and I believe other political parties raised serious concerns about IDT. It needs to go. The ACDP believes that it is now time to stop the talk fully blustering around fraud, irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure and corruption. It is now time to take action. The ACDP supports this report.
Deputy Speaker and hon members in the House, the NFP notes the BRR report on the portfolio committee on public works tabled here today. Allow me hon Deputy Speaker to express our concern at the state of affairs of this department. For years, this department has been performing dismally. Irregularities and the supply chain management continue unabated. We welcome the recommendation set by the committee and call on the Minister to report on the prestige projects in the Western Cape.
Minister, you have had a history of giving contracts people that are close to you. I do hope that you will not
do exactly the same thing here as the Minister of Public Works. One good example was the contract on water metres that was issued to one of the family members and I do hope and pray that you would have turned a new leaf in trying to put this particular department in order.
Infrastructure development is one of the driving forces behind economic growth. If you look at the water crisis that was created in the Western Cape that is one good example but the NFP gave a solution in terms of infrastructure development particularly in the water and sanitation when we said since contractors do not have the resources to get the material what we should be doing is providing them with the resources and material creating an industry where we can manufacture the goods. In that way there can be economic development and job creation in South Africa. We thank you. the NFP very reluctantly will support this BRR report.
Hon Deputy Speaker, the role that is played by the department of public works in providing strategic leadership for the purpose of creating employment cannot be overlooked. This also leads to the
employment of some people who can be employed temporarily. So, that is at least a contribution to the idea of reducing employment in our country.
The departments must co-ordinate and enhance the capacity of the provincial and local government in this regard so as to get into the so called IGR, intergovernmental relations. Properties like old buildings must be renovated and used to generate funds. It is very much disappointing for the long lease that is owned by some people owning these properties because these should now be used for the purpose of generating funds. For instance now in our area we have a property that is owned by golf club people members. We once wanted to build a mall there but we were refused by these people because their lease is very much long. So, that should not be encouraged. So, we support the recommendations and the observations of this committee. Thank you very much.
Hon Deputy Speaker, the report acknowledges the department's implementation of commitments outlined by the ANC manifesto on combating
crime, corruption, restoring dignity of government and job creation.
The committee agreed that the department's turnaround strategy had a positive effect and assisted to improve its audit outcome and that of its entities. As the committee we stated that there is a need to customise performance indicators for spheres of government that are benefiting from the EPWP grant. In this way, figures stated in key performance indicators in the annual performance plans of the EPWP would not lead to what hon Thring was saying here and as such, the audit evidence that the auditor general south Africa required was not in the control of the EPWP itself but in the information that has to be verified by the departments and provinces that are benefitting from EPWP.
As the committee, we also noted and welcomed what the Ministers announced that from the second quarter of the new financial year 2019-20 a key performance indicator would be added to the contracts of its senior manager that states clearly that a clean audit has to be achieved. We welcome that as the committee. We also said
that as a committee, the PSC investigation should be tabled to the committee by February 2020 and furthermore there must be investigation in the supply chain irregularities and prestige projects as highlighted by the auditor general's report.
One thing that has been highlighted by auditor general report is that some of the boards of public works and its entities are not properly constituted and that has a negative impact on the proper accountability. As the ANC we welcome and support the Budgetary Review Recommendations. [Applause.]
Motion agreed to (Economic Freedom Fighters dissenting).
Report accordingly adopted.