Issued by African National Congress - Parliament
3 June 2003
Madam Speaker
Honourable Members
The Honourable Minister and Deputy Minisiter have outlined the major achievements and activities of this important portfolio - for which we applaud and support them in the vote.
During the course of the year we have regularly interacted with the management through the respective Parliamentary Committees and we have been informed on both challenges and achievements.
It is a long way we traveled since 1994, we moved from the white male dominated empire to the Department that represents all the tapestry of all the people in South Africa.
We changed the face of nepotism to that of all young and vibrant community with women taking central position which were reserved for whites only. Our symbols represent unite nationwood at work as enshrined in our policy.
We grappled with the tasks and expanded on mainline function to include community based public work programme, which has gone a long way in poverty alleviation and transfare of skill to the deprived, and formerly disadvantaged communities in cities and towns alike. In informal settlements and rural areas.
People have water and electricity. Access roads are created where none existed.
Bongi and Jan can be heard talking in the single classroom trying to share common ideas on the problems before them. State which before them was regarded as anormally.
Mama Shenge and Annikie Van Wyk can today share a common topic from their television episode of Madam and Eve. Which was uncommon in the days of our dictators. Even Van der Merwe feels uncomfortable with the term BAAS.
MRS now applies equally to all those who have celebrated matrimony. South Africa is at work. Apartheid is behind us, but there are challenges to face still.
Poverty and unemployment are still dogging all we have done and must the removed henceforth.
It is my task and yours to not threaten the poor with 150 000 police but poverty with decisive strategy.
The planned job summit must have the support of all right thinking South Africans.
Let us not fight back those who have brought about the system that is envied by most people world over, Let us expand the programme to include all those we have not reached today.
Let us isolate the lunatics who continue to advocate separate an unequal development between Sandton and Diepkloof.
Bongi whom I talked about has been accepted as a pupil in the nearest school
She does not have to walk the long road in the Platteland whilst her counter part who is also her play mate enjoying the free ride in the bus.
Jannie who was a student at the university of Pretoria who studied engineering is now a Proud South African. He has no plan to leave his fatherland. He does not respond to the false drum beat by some amongst us of the unrythmatic music of Brain drain.
He does not want a homeland. He wants a country and to serve his people.
Difficult and windy as the road to nation building has been. We are happy that progress has been made. Apartheid and descrimination are on their way out.
In comes non-racial, none sexist democratic despansation and enshrined in the freedom charter.
Slowly doctrines of Verwoed and Malan are fading away. In comes equality and self-respect of each other's culture and values.
Lack of ownership is declining as Miss Ditodi gets a house that she can call her own at the age of 73.
Tibane in Ga-Matla People have running water and some have electricity or both.
Community based Public Work Programme has created assets where none existed. ,clinics, schools and multi-purpose centres.
There is an access road in Mmadietane. The multi-purpose centers have been completed in Maluti and Thabo Nchu.
Nine years ago some of these areas were dumping ground for surplus people for Johannesburg and Welkom mining giants.
Today the roots are strengthening and the bond is made. Amongst other challenges we need to reflect on today, is the full compliance with requirements by the Auditor-General, in accordance with the Financial Management System (FMS), the Property Management Information System (PMIS) and Works Control System (WCS) utilized by the Department. The Auditor-General's report for the financial year 2001/02 identified gaps of unmatched transactions, but the Department was able to address these through an action plan.
The Department of public works set up a task team of both Finance and Operations personnel to tackle weaknesses identified by the Auditor-General and have informed us on some of the milestones in response:
The Honourable Minister also referred to the Repair and Maintenance Programme (RAMP) which is a brainchild of the Department of Public Works to address the acute deterioration of buildings and general backlog in maintenance on State-owned property. Reports received indicate that the programme is indeed bearing fruit and that client satisfaction levels have increased where RAMP had been introduced. The Honourable Minister also referred to the reduction of complaints from client departments in her presentation today.I would therefore support a motion for the increment of the budget for the Repair and Maintenance Programme.
I would in fact recommend that other spheres of government learn from the national Public Works on how they can address deterioration on their properties.
Madam Speaker, We all know that it is not the function of the Department of Public Works to address the problem of deterioration of our central business districts (CBD), but I would like to make a call to all levels of Government to begin to address this monster facing our country. Companies are fleeing central business areas and buildings are left empty. We cannot allow this to continue.
Honourable Members, I believe that the Department of Public Works has laid a concrete foundation for a better life. It is upon this background that the Expanded Public Works Programme has firm grounds to deliver our people from poverty. The tried and tested methodologies and mechanisms of both the Repair and Maintenance and the Community Based Public Works Programmes stand as foundation and reference for other organs of State to participate in the Expanded Public Works Programme.
Allow me to extend a word of welcome to the new Director-General for the Department, Mr James Maseko I hope and believe that he is going to steer the Department towards realisation of its vision of being a leader in Africa and the developing world in the provision and management of State property and the implementation of Public Works Programmes. Turnover of top management in an organisation is more often than otherwise of some concern, although it brings new ideas and minds aboard, it also may create a vacuum and settling-in period of learning and adjusting that could compromise continuity and strategic direction of the organisation. I hope your stay will be long and of good benefit to your colleagues in the Department and those in client departments, also in terms of the continued relationship of the Department with the respective Parliamentary committees, government and other role players.