Ke a leboga Rre Modulasetulo. Le seka la rwala dilo tseo gonne ga ke ye go bua Setswana. [Thank you, Chairperson. Don't put on your earphones, because I'm not going to speak Setswana.]
I want to start by thanking profusely members of the portfolio committee under the able leadership of our chairperson. When it comes to being monitored by a leader of this nature, you can't go wrong. He gives you direction where you may be going wrong and in terms of what you should do. I think that's a lesson; that's what people should do. I thank him very much. I think our shadow Minister from the DA also learned a bit from you. Thank you very much. [Laughter.] [Interjections.]
Regarding fracking in the Karoo, we have not yet had any discussions about fracking in the Karoo. We read all about fracking in the Karoo in the newspapers. Even at other levels of meetings where we need to share information - involving the Minister of Mineral Resources - this has not happened.
What our role is as a collective - and this is what is required in terms of the law - is that every process entails public participation. When that process starts, the Department of Mineral Resources will be required to take that process through the public-participation process. There are very able men and women behind me here from this department, hon Dudley, who will also formulate our position and our thinking as Water Affairs when the time comes. I don't want to debate this matter in the public arena when I don't know who is starting it.
When the Minister puts it forward here, we will definitely say something about it, but not me. Why not me? Hon members, I wear two hats. The case in point may come to me for adjudication at some stage in my capacity as Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs. Therefore, please don't compromise me. I would like to stay uncompromised. Let's go through the process of public participation as and when the process starts.
Regarding issues of water allocation, I would like to say that people who are saying water has been allocated to the tune of 98% in our country are right. However, there are entitlements. However, listen carefully when you go around. Just this week, for instance, I was in the Eastern Cape, where the Fish River farming community has been allocated entitlements. "Are they using these entitlements?" is a question I asked. No, they have not taken up that water usage. This means that there is water that has not been used.
Somewhere around this country there is an industry that needs growth and requires this water, but it is hoarded elsewhere. This is something that we are talking about when we refer to legislative review. We will do it sensitively with our good South Africanness, but we will direct where this water should be used because we need this water.
Concerning the issue of management in the department, I think we are the first, as the hon Chair said, to come to you and tell you what actions we are taking in this department. I would really appreciate it very much and would relax if I heard hon members saying, especially in the opposition, "Yes, we appreciate what you are doing", because you stand up and say the ANC is not doing anything about people who are corrupt in the departments.
When we do something, the hon Kalyan says that there is very, very serious chaos in the department. There is chaos, because there are people in acting positions or whatever. Of course, people must be put in acting positions when the management has been dismissed, or when management is still on trial. They have to be in those acting positions until the laws of this country allow us to be able to make appointments. At that time, we will definitely do so. The chief financial officer and the director-general have been released. We are advertising and we will fill those posts.
As a matter of fact, I can't function without four top managers, because they are not just seniors. They are the first four at the top. This is not something that people joke about. It's a serious matter. We intend to deliver as this department, and that's the direction we are going in. We would like to have your support, hon members, in all instances.
Coming to the skills shortage, I have my own argument with everybody and anybody who says "skills shortage". My gripe, my issue about the skills shortage in this department is that, yes, indeed, hon Dudley, there may be here and there a shortage of that particular skill that you raised, which we have to attend to. I agree. But I don't agree with the sweeping statement that there is a terrible skills shortage. I don't agree with that.
I do know the men and women that I work with every day. As a matter of fact, people who complain about the skills shortage are highly skilled people who are the capacity of this country, who we rely on. The issue is how we deal with our value chain in utilising our skills in the country. Do we utilise that correctly? Perhaps that's the issue, and that's the area we are attending to.
Let's not make sweeping statements all the time, and, of course, we are attending to our vacancy rate. It's not a nice thing to have to say that we are still below the limit that is allowed by the Department of the Public Service and Administration, DPSA. I should say this. It's not a nice thing to say, but, yes, we are dealing with that matter.
The issue of pollution in our water is a very, very serious thing. I think it has been raised by all the hon members who debated in this august House. We have raised it ourselves, and we are saying: Let us do something about it. The Green Drop and the Blue Drop issue, but particularly the Green Drop issue, is intended to deal with this challenge. Of course we do know where those people live. This is why the hon Deputy Minister is moving on this programme of saying, let us work together to sensitise our people to the need to actually identify those of our people who are polluting our water.
This thing that hon members call the "Green Scorpions", we call the compliance team. We have actually moved towards strengthening that compliance team by separating it from the other units. It is now going to be a stand-alone entity to do the work of monitoring whenever anything goes wrong with our water. And we will definitely take action. There is no doubt that we will take action everywhere we see fit. It is for that reason that we are not even hesitant to issue compliance notices to our own municipalities, but of course we have to help them and support them. In terms of the lack of engineers we have been complaining about, we might not be able to support our municipalities in that regard. But, as a matter of fact, we have 309 ...