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MEC Lesufi, Where Is The R90 Million For Noordgesig Primary School?

Noordgesig Primary School

Construction at Noordgesig Primary School in Soweto which was promised to commence in September 2016 has still not started.

Gauteng Education MEC, Panyaza Lesufi, made this promise in the Provincial Legislature in March this year.

R90 million was set aside to fix the school which has remained desolate for over six years.

Millions of rands have been budgeted for the renovation of the school since the 2010/11 financial year.

In November 2014 a contractor was awarded a R17.8 million tender to fix the school.

Infrastructure Related Projects

The department tabled in its quarterly report last year, recognising the project was “completed” in August 2015, however not a single brick was delivered to the school.

Today, we are back at the very same place we started. I am extremely disappointed in the MEC for not keeping his promise.

The department allocated R2.6 billion for infrastructure related projects in the 2016/17 financial year, yet it seems Noordgesig Primary School is not a priority.

We are fast approaching the seventh year of “renovations” at this school.

Thousands of learners’ education has been disrupted due to the lack of urgency to have the school completely renovated.

A poor teaching and learning environment has become the norm at Noordgesig.

The DA has been monitoring the lack of progress for the renovations at the school.

School Falling Apart

I will write to MEC Lesufi, demanding an explanation for the delay in construction and I will table an urgent question for oral reply to the MEC in the Legislature for the 13th September sitting of the house.

I also urge him to communicate with the teachers, learners and parents to properly inform them as to when the renovations will start and be concluded.

It is completely unacceptable that learners continue to attend a school that is near to falling apart.

MEC Lesufi, it is high time that you pull up your sleeves and prioritise this project.

 

Media enquiries:

Khume Ramulifho MPL

DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Education

082 398 7375

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DA Petition Leads To Construction Of Clinic In Evaton West

DA-led Petition

The community of Evaton West will finally receive their own clinic after a DA-led petition was accepted by the Provincial Departments of Health and Infrastructure Development.

Hezekia Shabalala, PR Councillor for wards 24, 26 and 28 in the Emfuleni Local Municipality, and I, petitioned the municipality last year to construct a new clinic as the Bophelong mobile clinic service in Vanderbijlpark remains overcrowded.

Evaton West is growing with a total population of 17 342 residents. The need for a new clinic was dire and the DA is happy to announce that a clinic will be constructed as of October 2016.

Quality Primary Health Care Services

The Department set aside R5 million for the first phase of construction and a further R50 million will be spent over the next financial year.

The DA will monitor the progress of the project and ensure that service providers do not unnecessarily inflate costs and delay its completion.

The residents of Evaton West are the ultimate victors as quality primary health care services will finally be provided within walking distance.

 

Media enquiries:

Kingsol Chabalala MPL

DA Gauteng Constituency Head – Emfuleni North

060 558 8299

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DA To Conduct Oversight Visit At Noordgesig Primary School

Today, Wednesday 7 September 2016, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Education, Khume Ramulifho MPL, will conduct an inspection visit at Noordgesig Primary School in Soweto.

The purpose of the visit is to monitor the commitment made by the Education MEC, Panyaza Lesufi in starting construction at the school this month.

It has been three years since the initial construction was planned, the department has been making promises to fix the school, yet no action was taken, classes remain desolate and learners are subjected to poor conditions daily.

Date: Wednesday, 7 September 2016

Time: 10:00

Venue: Noordgesig Primary School, Soweto, 1804

There will be opportunities for interviews and photographs. Members of the media are welcome to attend.

 

Media enquiries:

Khume Ramulifho MPL

DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Education

082 398 7375

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Fiscal Crunch Hits Gauteng Housing, Health And Agriculture Grants

ANC National Government Failure

The failure of the ANC national government to effectively manage the country’s finances is filtering down to Gauteng, with the Provincial Government seeing a reduction in the grants it receives from National Government for service delivery cut by massive amounts over the next three years.

The following departments would see reductions in grants:

  • The Human Settlements Development Grant will be reduced by R1.6 billion in the 2016/17 Financial Year;
  • Comprehensive Agriculture Support Programme Grant reduced by R210 million over the next three years; and
  • Health Facility Revitalization Grant reduced by R365 million over the next three years.

This will greatly impair the provincial government’s ability to deliver on its promises to provide housing and upgrade human settlements as outlined in by the Premier during the tabling of his office’s Annual Report last week.

In 2015/16 the Gauteng Human Settlements Department underspent on its grant and as a result under-delivered on its housing promises.

Agricultural Support Needed

The Premier pointed out in the same speech that he was unhappy with the performance of the Human Settlement department. This reduction will further impair the provinces performance in terms of housing.

Furthermore, in light of the severe drought, agricultural support is needed now more than ever in Gauteng to ensure that the sector remains viable. Drought has been cited as one of the reasons the South African economy is struggling.

The Gauteng province is similarly under pressure to ensure that its healthcare facilities are able to accommodate the needs of over 13 million people in the province, and the reduction in this grant will severely impact the provinces ability to deliver quality healthcare.

As much as the ANC in Gauteng tries to distance itself from President Jacob Zuma and the failings his administration, they are still one party with the same governing philosophy, and their ability to govern Gauteng is impacted by the President’s failings.

Gauteng Provincial Budget

The Gauteng Provincial Budget for the 2015/16 financial year does not plug these essential gaps, but the ANC government in Gauteng has still seen fit to ensure that there was a flurry of pre-election billboards marketing the provincial government and the premier.

Despite losing out on grants, the province still saw it fit to spend R100 million on ‘voter education’ for the local government election.

I challenge Gauteng Finance MEC Barbara Creecy and Premier Makura to take the approach adopted by DA Tshwane Mayor Solly Msimanga and slashing spending on lavish parties (such as the State of the Province Address) and unnecessary travel and getaways masked as department “study tours” and “strategic breakaways”.

I further challenge the ANC government in Gauteng to slash advertising in favour of service delivery.

 

Media enquiries:

Ashor Sarupen

DA Gauteng Spokesperson on Finance

060 558 8303

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Gauteng Finance MEC Misleading The Public On Open Tender System

Gauteng Finance MEC Barbara Creecy

Gauteng Finance MEC Barbara Creecy has been misleading the public about the Open Tender System, by stating that the province is the only government in the world that has such a system, and challenged the DA to implement such a system.

Her assertions are factually incorrect.

The Open Tender process involves opening up the various committees that award tenders in government departments to public and media scrutiny, in order to improve transparency and minimise the possibility of corruption in the process.

Since MEC Creecy announced this system would be adopted in Gauteng, it has been implemented at a snail’s pace in Gauteng, and eight provincial government tenders have been adjudicated in an open, fair and transparent manner since 2014.

Gauteng government websites provide little detail about where one can attend these meetings to observe – in effect creating an open process only for those who have access to the information.

Bid Adjudication Committee

In contrast, the DA first pioneered the open tender system in the City of Cape Town on 1 July 2006, immediately after taking office – where all meetings of the committees involved in the awarding of tenders (the Bid Adjudication Committee) were opened to the public and media.

Since its inception in 2006 – R15-billion worth of tenders every single financial year have been awarded in an open, fair and transparent manner.

The DA-led Western Cape provincial government followed suit in 2009, and the policy has been a mainstay of the DA’s election manifesto in 2009, 2011, 2014 and 2016 as one of our key corruption-busting measures.

The City of Cape Town also boasts the best figures for awarding tenders to BBBEE compliant firms, since the DA does not continuously empower the same individuals over and over based on party membership and links to the ruling elite.

State capture does not happen under DA administrations.

Transparent, Open Government

The DA takes transparency seriously, as openness is more than just opening meetings to the public.

Access to tenders is equally important – all tenders and quotes above R2000 are advertised on the City of Cape Town website and companies registered in a given tender category receive a text message whenever a new tender is listed, to maximise the number of bids received.

The Western Cape Provincial Government has adopted a similar approach.

If the ANC is serious about transparent, open government, I challenge MEC Creecy to immediately open all the bid adjudication and bid evaluation committees in every Gauteng Government department to the public and media.

No tender should be awarded in secret, unless the ANC in Gauteng still have something to hide.

I further challenge the MEC to be an honest politician and not claim easy victories or bragging rights that she and the ANC do not deserve.

The DA pioneered and maintains the open tender system where we govern and will continue to use it as part of our comprehensive toolkit to combat corruption.

 

Media enquiries:

Ashor Sarupen

DA Gauteng Spokesperson on Finance

060 558 8303

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DA To Conduct Oversight Visit At Noordgesig Primary School

Tomorrow, Wednesday 7 September 2016, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Education, Khume Ramulifho MPL, will conduct an inspection visit at Noordgesig Primary School in Soweto.

The purpose of the visit is to monitor the commitment made by the Education MEC, Panyaza Lesufi in starting construction at the school this month.

It has been three years since the initial construction was planned, the department has been making promises to fix the school, yet no action was taken, classes remain desolate and learners are subjected to poor conditions daily.

Date: Wednesday, 7 September 2016

Time: 10:00

Venue: Noordgesig Primary School, Soweto, 1804

There will be opportunities for interviews and photographs. Members of the media are welcome to attend.

 

Media enquiries:

Khume Ramulifho MPL

DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Education

082 398 7375

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R500m Irregular And Wasteful Spending By Gauteng Health Department

Irregular, Fruitless and Wasteful Expenditure

The Gauteng Health Department has been criticized by the Auditor General for R500 million in irregular and fruitless and wasteful expenditure, as well as poor controls and failure to follow procedures in a number of key areas.

This is revealed in the A-G’s report on the department for the year ended 31 March which was tabled last week in the Gauteng Legislature.

While the A-G gave an unqualified report to the department, he criticized several aspects including the following:

  • R493 million irregular expenditure
  • R7.4 million fruitless and wasteful expenditure
  • R1.2 billion payables which exceeded the payment term of 30 days

Sufficient Audit Evidence

The A-G found that there was not sufficient audit evidence that goods and services with a value below R500 000 were procured with the required price quotations, and treasury regulations requiring competitive bids for goods and services over R500 000 were not adhered to.

There was also poor revenue management as “effective and appropriate steps were not taken to collect all money due”, and interest was not charged on patient debts as required by treasury.

Furthermore: “the accounting officer did not exercise adequate oversight responsibility to ensure complete and accurate performance reporting. This resulted in material findings on the annual performance report and non-compliance with key laws and regulations.”

Premature Termination of Contracts

I am concerned that legal claims against the department have grown by R3.8 billion in the last year to an astounding total potential liability of R16.5 billion – R13.45 billion of this is for medico-legal claims, R1.6 billion is for civil claims, and R1.5 billion for premature termination of contracts.

Whilst there has been some improvement in the department, the A-G’s findings show that there is still a long way to go to achieve good management and effective use of funds.

 

Media enquiries:

Jack Bloom MPL

DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health

082 333 4222

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11 People Murdered In Gauteng Every Day

Annual Crime Statistics

The annual release of crime statistics by the SAPS today does not bring good news for the people of Gauteng.

The crimes that people are most scared of, according to the latest Victims of Crime Survey, are contact crimes such as murder, attempted murder, assault and robbery.

In Gauteng, all of these categories have seen an increase totalling 473 incidents a day, up from 458 per day in the previous reporting period of 2014/15.

In addition to the 11 people murdered in Gauteng every day, a further 13 people face murder attempts and another 117 people are grievously assaulted.

Policing and Police Management

The rate of murder is often a reflection of societal pressures and violence which will need to be addressed through social interventions which deal with behavioural issues.

It is important for us to interrogate the reasons behind these increases and how they relate to policing and police management.

The question that must be asked is whether the dissolution of the specialised units has contributed to increases in specific crimes.

Could the lack of a specialised unit to deal with organised crime may be a reason for the increased number of car hijackings in the province to around 20 per day?

Re-introducing Narcotics Units

The increased numbers of people found to be driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol may also be an indicator that many of the other crimes reported may be linked to drug and alcohol use.

How much could this have been addressed by re-introducing the narcotics units?

The crime stats do not paint a pretty picture for Gauteng and create a negative environment for economic investment.

It requires concerted efforts by the SAPS and the community to work together to reduce crime.

 

Media enquiries:

Kate Lorimer MPL

DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Community Safety

083 642 2727

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Concerns Remain About Botched Psychiatric Transfers In Gauteng

Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu

Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu had a press conference yesterday to allay concerns about the transfer of hundreds of psychiatric patients to NGOs, but concerns remain about the quality of care that they receive.

Mahlangu dodged the toughest questions by barring relatives of patients, Section 27 lawyers and the SA Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) from the conference. If she has nothing to hide, why were they not allowed to ask questions?

Last year, Mahlangu said that 591 long-term psychiatric patients formerly cared for by Life Healthcare Esidimeni would be placed in NGOs, and others in a variety of state institutions and renovated facilities including the old Germiston Hospital, Pinnar and Transvaal Memorial Institute.

Poor Medical Attention

None of the promised renovations to the named facilities occurred, and 1 002 patients were placed with 25 NGOs, almost double the number originally announced.

Complaints have poured in about poor conditions at some of these NGOs, including poor medical attention and living conditions and lack of food.

Life Healthcare

Mahlangu has confirmed that some NGOs were not suitable, like Bokang Home Care Centre, where 23 patients were removed, but problems remain at other NGOs.

It is clear that the transfer of patients from Life Healthcare to NGOs was botched in many instances.

MEC Mahlangu should not arrogantly dismiss the concerns raised by relatives, SADAG and Section 27. Problems remain and need to be addressed urgently for many vulnerable patients who are being treated badly.

 

Media enquiries: 

Jack Bloom MPL

DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health

082 333 4222

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Gauteng Government Departments Owe Emfuleni R68 Million

Ailing Emfuleni Local Municipality

National and provincial governments as well as an unknown parastatal owe the ailing Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM) just over R68 million in debt 90+ days.

Gauteng government departments collectively owe the bulk of the debt, to the tune of more than R46 million.

This despite Premier David Makura’s 2016 SOPA commitments that all provincial departments must cover their debt to municipalities and service providers within 30 days.

The report on government debt owed to ELM was tabled and adopted yesterday by the ANC during the local council sitting.

Municipal Finance Management Act

Gauteng provincial departments must pay their debt in order to ease cash flow for the municipality and to clear its debtor’s book.

Emfuleni is already in a dire financial crisis due to the lack of proper financial management and poor adherence to the Municipal Finance Management Act.

I will submit questions in the Provincial Legislature to ascertain the debt owed to date per department and what plans are in place to fast-track the payments to ELM.

 

Media enquiries:

Kingsol Chabalala MPL

DA Gauteng Constituency Head – Emfuleni North

060 558 8299

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