Chairperson, Minister and hon members, Cope is encouraged by the honest and public acknowledgement by the Minister that this department has failed in its constitutional mandate and its obligations. We believe that the turnaround strategy is long overdue. The public acknowledgement of the dysfunctionality of the department is meant to say that all stakeholders must find a way to help.
This department is key, given its asset portfolio and its ability to generate revenue from those assets. Hence, we cannot afford wastage, corrupt activities and maladministration, which paralyse and minimise the effectiveness of the department. We wish to state categorically that the call from the Minister to the Treasury and to the Auditor-General to assist was the correct one. However, we wish to raise our concern about the staff who contributed to the downfall of this department still being in the department. We agree that not all of the staff were involved, but regarding those we can identify, why not put them aside to allow for a hindrance-free turnaround strategy to be effected?
This department has been getting a qualified audit report almost every year. This financial year, of 2011-12, the department received a disclaimer, meaning that the Auditor-General does not know what is happening in this department. Every department that depends on this department has a problem, including its own entities created by this department. Some departments have decided to perform the functions of this department themselves.
Hon Minister, the staff of this department are the very ones who were in the employ of the department when the first qualified audit report was tabled. What have they done differently? Nothing. Come the next financial year, they will do the same. They will continue to do the same in the next financial year and we will get the same result: a qualified audit report. [Interjections.]
In 2011-12, they decided to go deeper because no one is holding them accountable. [Interjections.] Now that we have a disclaimer, the question is: What will happen? Are we still going to get the same inefficient service from the same inefficient staff? [Interjections.]