Hon Chairperson Tau and hon members, I have the honour of informing this honourable House that the Limpopo legislature convened a special sitting on 3 November 2009 to consider the report of the NCOP that we are considering this afternoon.
In our deliberations the Limpopo legislature welcomed this report as a very helpful instrument and as a very objective and honest instrument that will help us in our oversight work.
In considering the report we made certain observations. One of the observations is about a paragraph contained in the report on page 32, which says:
The NCOP delegation of Limpopo has noted the progress made by the province to improve service delivery. The province has overcome a number of obstacles and met a number of challenges facing service delivery. It was noted that the provision of basic services continues to reach people on the ground. The Polokwane welfare complex was noted as one of the best in the country, with similar arrangements established in Gauteng and the Free State.
In general, the delegation noted the delay experienced in the province with housing delivery, the challenges faced with access to water and sanitation, electricity and roads and inadequate storm-water drainage systems.
In addition, the condition of schools and the performance of matriculants are serious cause for concern, while there is also a need to make serious interventions at Philadelphia Hospital.
This summarises the essence of what is contained in the report about Limpopo. In our reflections we made certain observations, which are contained in the report. Among other things, we placed strong emphasis on the areas of housing, health and social development.
One of the concerns that the report notes is that of contractors who leave RDP houses incomplete. It has been reported and brought to our attention that all the contracts of all the nonperforming contractors in the province have been terminated henceforth and replaced with well-capacitated contractors.
Another concern was around the quality of the houses that are being built by contractors. It has been reported that all urban and rural projects have enrolled with the National Home Builders Registration Council for warranty purposes.
Another concern raised was around the lack of commitment by contractors, leading to spending without them necessarily completing the houses they have been building. The Limpopo department of local government and housing has assured us that they only release payments for contractors that have completed their work. Payments are only made for work that has been completed.
A concern has also been raised around the issue of the lack of monitoring and evaluation of projects. Of course the work that is being done by our government includes, amongst other things, the joint inspection that is conducted by the Limpopo department of local government and housing, project managers together with municipal inspectors, and the NHBRC project inspectors.
Furthermore, a concern has been raised in the report around the design of houses that do not necessarily take into account the challenges facing our people living with disabilities. The department looks at the beneficiary list in terms of the work it is providing, and if houses are sought for the benefit of members of the community living with disabilities, particular adjustments are made to the designs, including the provision of ramps.
There have been reports on the so-called blocked housing projects in the province. I wish to report to this House that indeed the blocked project problem in the province is history. That is yesterday's story. All the previously blocked projects have been completed successfully. [Applause.]
The problem of contractors that run away, leaving behind projects for which they have already been paid, is also history because we have tightened the system and it no longer accommodates such unscrupulous contractors.
The concern that was raised with regard to the standard of buildings observed in Extension 44 has been dealt with successfully, including the completion of outstanding projects which were meant to be completed by December 2009.
We wish to report to this House that the contracts of nonperforming contractors at Extension 44 have been terminated with immediate effect and replaced with a well-capacitated contractor. [Applause.]
The hon member Makhubela raised a concern here regarding the Tau and Sebaila family in GaMaponto. We wish to report to this House that the Tau family house will be completed, according to the report that we got from the service provider, by Friday this week. [Applause.] The house that is meant to benefit the Sebaila family will be completed by next week Friday, according to the commitment made by the service provider. [Applause.]
Another concern that has been raised in the report relates to the challenge with regard to qualified audits that our municipalities are continually receiving. During the month of September the province launched what we call the "clean audit operation", which seeks to ensure that, as we move towards the end of the financial year, we reduce the number of municipalities that continually receive qualified reports.
Again, in terms of health and welfare, the report noted the strides that we have made with regard to the Expanded Public Works Programme. The department of health and social development has contributed to the national target of job creation by creating 8 482 work opportunities through the following work programmes of the EPWP: Home-based care created 4 698 job opportunities; malaria control created 252 job opportunities; the social development branch created 2 937 job opportunities; the Masupatsela Youth Pioneer Programme created 275 job opportunities; the Manyeleti Youth Academy created 220 job opportunities; and the substance abuse programme created 100 job opportunities. These are some of the interventions that our government is making to improve the quality of life of our people.
The report raised an observation regarding the Katlehong drop-in centre, with regard to the issue of the acquisition of land. When we made investigations, we discovered that indeed the centre does not own the site on which it is located, and the department, working together with the local stakeholders, has engaged the local school, Molamu School, which will provide a piece of land inside the school, particularly in view of the relationship between the school's facility and the drop-in centre.
Our department is also making efforts towards helping with the funding of that drop-in centre. The department will strengthen the current monitoring and support system for the drop-in centres through the involvement of the local NGO forums and the local municipalities to ensure that they receive the necessary assistance.
On the question of the mushrooming of drop-in centres, the department will be implementing the new Children's Act. The regulations on the registration of drop-in centres to curb the mushrooming of centres will come into effect from 1 April 2010.
The report also raises an issue regarding adoption services. The challenge around the adoption of children is recognised. The department is not making significant progress in this regard, because adoption is the permanent placement of children with families and most African families are still reluctant to adopt, because adoption comes with added responsibilities for the family, especially recognising that there are still high levels of poverty in the province, particularly within the African communities.
The department will intensify the marketing of adoption services through campaigns so that our communities do understand the importance of this programme.
With regard to primary health care, the number of clinics that provide 24- hour services had risen from 74% to 81% by the second quarter of the 2009- 10 financial year. The availability of medicines at clinics stands at 88%, although it remains a concern to us as the legislature. We still have a challenge with the distribution of medicine, and the system is being reviewed.