Chairperson, at the outset I want to say that the IFP welcomes the release of this Green Paper. We hope that the public is allowed an opportunity to make an input. We do know that Parliament has set up an ad hoc committee to deal with some of these issues, but we were told that we probably have to deal only with the issue that affects planning, and not monitoring and evaluation. We will probably need some guidance on that.
We also hope that this Green Paper will pave the way for the accelerated delivery of basic services to the poor, and that service delivery protests will become a thing of the past. We are having too many service delivery protests, and rightly so, because people and the promises that were made are not tying up together.
However, we do not think that the establishment of the Ministry will in itself be a panacea to a whole range of serious problems impeding government performance. These impediments relate to a wide range of issues such as corruption, unrealistic expectations, the top-down approach, unfilled vacancies, as well as the quality of leadership, to mention only a few.
This morning, we received a briefing from the office of the Auditor-General on what is going on within the SABC. It really made our hair stand on end. Everybody on that committee wondered if the SABC had any management at all.
The tragedy of it is that it is a post facto report. What we need, Minister, through your Ministry is to ensure that there is on-the-job evaluation. Whilst we have the office of the Auditor-General that focuses on performance of financial management, we need to consider a Chapter 9 institution that will monitor performance on a daily basis within departments. Alternatively, there is the Public Service Commission, PSC. Their role may need to be beefed up.
Lastly, or maybe even better, as hon Sogoni has said, members of Parliament need to play a more active role outside of Parliament than within Parliament where we have structured visits to see whether projects are really happening on the ground, or whether people are saying that they are spending R10 million and yet there is nothing happening.
We also need to ensure that key performance indicators of heads of department are adhered to. At the moment, there is a self-appraisal. We need as Parliament to appraise that.
Again, what we need to consider, hon Minister - and I know it's been on the table for some time - is creating a Public Service academy. All public servants should be put through a rigorous 6-month course where they know exactly how government functions, because the kind of reporting that comes from some of these officials leaves a lot to be desired. If they go through these kinds of schools, then they will know exactly what to produce.
In conclusion, Chairperson and hon Minister, what you need to create is a war room situation where, with a touch of a button in the Presidency, you will know what is happening in Nkandla, in Potgietersrus or wherever. Thank you! [Time expired.]