Chair, before I respond to some of the issues, I just want to inform the House about an issue regarding the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. To date, we have ensured that 16 837 beneficiaries have received reparations, to the value of R541 million, from the President's Fund, and further, that regulations to provide medical and educational benefits and other forms of social assistance will be finalised before the end of this year. [Applause.]
Several members raised the issue of the department's vision, or target, to reach an unqualified audit. We are committed to reaching this in the current financial year. I have been having a lot of meetings with the Auditor-General, and the director-general is also in contact with the Auditor-General. We are currently drafting the financial statements, especially around third-party funds, which has not happened over the past few years.
We have also employed a lot of staff in the third-party area - directors, deputy-directors and a range of other officials - to increase our capacity to deal with this issue. At the same time, we have also employed administrators, managers and administrative staff, and there is a lot of talk and dialogue with the Accountant-General and the Auditor-General, as well as National Treasury on the accounting framework. That is why the points made by the hon Sithole are highly appreciated. Maybe she should be recruited to the department. [Laughter.] Regarding missing court records, we concede that it is an issue. However, there is a five-year project in the department to digitise all court records. We have already implemented this digitisation in the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court, Durban Magistrate's Court, Cape High Court, South Gauteng High Court and North Gauteng High Court. In the next few months, we will be rolling it out to many other areas. One of the challenges was funding, but those teething problems are almost over, despite the fact that we have a R6 million deficit, as members are aware.
Regarding ICT, that is probably one area where I agree with my colleague on my right. The State Information Technology Agency ...
Hhayi, nami angisithandi isiKhungo sikaHulumeni soLwazi lwezobuChwepheshe, Sita. [I also don't like the State Information Technology Agency, Sita.]
Sita doesn't rock at all. [Applause.] Before my colleague, Mr Padayachie, died, I had also raised very serious concerns about the inability of Sita to serve government, in particular our department. I will just quote one example. We are told that we have to do things through Sita. They do the specifications, and then they put those out to tender. They, as Sita, tender or bid to the same specifications that they have prepared. [Interjections.] It's indeed outrageous. I do agree with what you are saying, but I am sure I'm becoming a political commissar. I will mobilise my colleagues that we deal with Sita effectively.
Regarding the JSC, there's nothing more to add. There is no political agenda behind it. The JSC is chaired by the Chief Justice and it consists of the President of the Supreme Court of Appeal, other judges of court, Members of Parliament and legal practitioners. It is ridiculous to think that all those people could be led by the nose to vote in the way that is being suggested. Even the notion that we do not choose competent people is actually an insult to the judges who have been appointed. For example, I read in the Mail & Guardian about two weeks ago that certain Senior Counsel members complained that when we recommended people for the Constitutional Court, we overlooked highly competent people. Does that suggest that Judge Froneman, who has been a judge in the Eastern Cape for many years, is less than qualified? [Interjections.] That's what you are suggesting.
Regarding the issue of South Gauteng High Court, it is true that there have been issues there, but we are dealing with them. For example, in the Johannesburg Court a court manager and two administrative staff members were fired. If hon Smuts had been attending meetings of the portfolio committee, she would have been informed because this had been reported. [Interjections.]