By Hon. KP Sithole MP
Spokesperson Public Works
Delivered at Parliament in the Old Assembly Chamber
15 May 2018
Vote 11: PUBLIC WORKS
Honourable Chairperson,
2745 is the number of properties vested in the Department of Public Works according to the records obtained from the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform do not appear anywhere in the Departments immovable assets register?
2451 is the number properties that are identified on the department’s property management system, but that are no longer part of the department’s portfolio but that the Department continues to pay rates and taxes upon.
1299 is the number of properties currently controlled by the Department that are illegally occupied which include large tracts of vacant land that is currently being occupied by landless informal settlement dwellers.
99 is the lease year period for existing leases on some state owned wine farms.
7 is the number of years since this department planned its turnaround strategy.
R1 is the sum being paid by some lessee’s to the state in respect of 99yr tenancy leases.
The very evident truth though is that this Department continues to show a lack of strategy and planning, and rarely meets the targets that it sets itself.
Cadre deployment remains high which comes at the expense of a skilled and competent workforce. This is also evident in Departmental programmes such as the EPWP and CWP which in many areas are nothing more than jobs for card carrying members of the ruling party forming a part of its membership drive.
Under-spending on budget is high and there remains great instability in respect of departmental leadership. It fails to collect revenue due from sister departments and vacancies remain unfilled which together make up the prime reasons as to why this department cannot fulfil its mandate.
Disclaimers abound with PMTE and Independent Development Trust which has received a disclaimer for the past three consecutive years.
The Inner City Regeneration programme remains unreported upon and there is no departmental cohesion between the three spheres of government.
Into embi kulomnyango emva kokushitsha kogqogqoshe uformer President kwabuya ama senior officials ayenukeka enkohlakalweni kwase kuba yiwo futhi athatha izikhundla eziphezulu asazi noma iyona dlela yokubonga inkohlakalo kule Department.
The IFP will support this budget vote debate.
I thank you.
Hon KP Sithole, MP
