Thank you, Chairperson. To test whether the allocation of the people's money to this department has been wisely spent, we need to ask whether service delivery is improving and whether the people are getting value for their money. Unfortunately, the answer is no. Government cannot operate without consultants.
In its performance audit of the use of consultants at national departments, the Auditor-General noted his concern over duplicate costs incurred, value for money spent on consultancy, inefficient government systems, inadequate financial and performance management, inadequate planning, and high turnover of employees in key positions. He suggested that regular performance audits could become very handy in uprooting corruption, and that these should be mandatory and part of regular audits such as financial statements, financial management and accounts. The simple fact of the excessive, inefficient and ineffective use of consultants tells us that government is failing the people. We don't need to spend another R192 million to tell us this fact.
Corruption isn't a one-way street. Consultants do exploit government incompetence, and they do this because they can get away with it. A properly managed Public Service would be able to properly manage its consultants when they were required in certain instances. The Department of Correctional Services appointed consultants to manage its consultants! The Minister might not know this, because he doesn't monitor this either.
Scopa itself has failed. The measurement of its success cannot be based on whether it meets or whether it holds hearings, but rather on the outcome of its work over time. Audit outcomes are not improving. The more than R30 billion per annum haemorrhage from the public financial system hasn't been stemmed. Ministers, with few exceptions, treat Scopa with disdain. The Minister doesn't monitor their attendance at Scopa hearings. Scopa is indeed a sad shadow of its former self, much like the ANC, an internationally admired liberation movement that lost its way when it forgot that government doesn't have any money of its own, that it all belongs to the people, that government is its custodian, and that you shouldn't steal what isn't yours!
With R300 million over budget, and five years late, the construction of the Zola-Jabulani Hospital in Soweto is an example of government's incompetence that is impossible to hide. Scopa was promised that 1 April would be the delivery date. It didn't happen, and still it hasn't happened today. The Gauteng provincial government disclaims accountability, as does the Department of Health. I have no doubt that the Minister does, too.
Our analysis of the value added by the Department of Performance Monitoring and Evaluation points to a simple conclusion, namely that this department doesn't yet justify its existence.
The Zuma administration has failed to deliver in its term of office. The problems are clearly identified, but political will is missing. A fish rots from the head. The people can smell the rotting fish and will have an opportunity to tell us what they think of this stink next year when they choose who will govern them. The people won't wait forever. The irony of ANC-led protests against the DA-governed Midvaal, the best run municipality in Gauteng, isn't lost on them - they have seen you for what you are! Thank you, Chairperson.