e-Invoicing system critical to ensuring suppliers are paid on time

The Democratic Alliance is concerned that the Department of Agricultural and Rural Development is only at a 63% compliance rate when it comes to e-invoicing.

This despite the department not having any capacity constraints.

This was revealed by the Gauteng MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, Kgosientso Ramokgopa, in a written reply to my questions tabled in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature for written reply.

According to the MEC the department has been using the e-invoicing system since 22 January 2008.

In addition, of the 1 262 invoices received by the department, 801 were processed through the e-invoicing system and only 461 payments were processed as non-purchased order-based payments.

These are for payments such as water and electricity, bursary payments, payments made to ex-employees and payment to other departments.

e-Invoicing plays an important role in ensuring that suppliers are paid on time. Furthermore, it also ensures that the department is able to account for the money spent on goods and services.

During Premier David Makhura’s State of the Province Address (SOPA) in July he reiterated that the e-invoicing system must be used as it will assist in eliminating human intervention where possible irregularities could arise.

I have already tabled follow-up questions to the MEC regarding the compliance rate with the e-invoicing system, to determine exactly why there is not a 100% compliance rate.

Tshwane Budget: DA’s Pro-Poor, Pro-Jobs Alternative

Jobless Tshwane

Tshwane is in the midst of an unemployment crisis with 1 in 3 of the working age population jobless, or without the hope of finding a job. This is a total of 517 000 residents who do not have the means to support themselves or those who depend on them.

At the heart of this problem is Mayor Ramokgopa who has, despite his many promises, consistently failed to turn Tshwane into a City at work.

Tomorrow Mayor Ramokgopa will table a Band-Aid budget in the desperate hope that it will convince voters to give the ANC another chance.

But the truth is that all indications suggest that Sputla’s budget will be too little, too late and will not go far enough to prevent the City from haemorrhaging more jobs, having lost 31 000 in the first quarter of 2016 alone.

Fruitless and Wasteful Endeavours

Yet while the residents of Tshwane suffer from continued job losses, inadequate service delivery and rampant corruption, Mayor Ramokgopa continues to spend a fortune on vanity projects and other fruitless and wasteful endeavours.

The crisis in Hammanskraal this week is a symptom of the continued failure of Sputla’s government to serve the people of Tshwane, and giving them a life of dignity and opportunity.

Enough is enough. The residents of Tshwane deserve more than an uncaring and corrupt government that has seen progress in the Capital stall.

As tens of thousands lose their jobs in Tshwane, it should be Sputla who loses his job.

The residents of Tshwane deserve an honest and responsive DA government that will move this City forward again; a government that will stop corruption, deliver better services and create jobs.

DA Government in Tshwane

A DA government in Tshwane would table a pro-poor, pro-jobs budget and programme of action aimed at arresting the decline of the Capital. This would include:

  1.  Reforming service tariff structure to be pro-poor. While recognising the responsibility of residents to pay for municipal services, the current tariff structure does not make adequate provision for those who cannot afford them. A DA government would implement a revised tariff structure based on consumption that will allow the poorest of the poor to benefit from free basic services with tariffs increasing as usage increases.
  1.    Prioritising the transfer of title deeds and accelerating housing provision. The protests in Hammanskraal have underscored the failure of Mayor Ramokgopa’s office to address the housing crisis in Tshwane. A DA-government would prioritise the transfer of title deeds as we have done in the City of Cape, who transferred the most title deeds in the 2013/14 and 2014/15 financial year. We would also ensure that housing lists are open and transparent to prevent corruption by councillors, an accusation that has been lodged against the ANC in Hammanskraal. Any councillors found guilty of this will be fired immediately, as should be done with any ANC councillors found guilty of allocating land illegally in Hammanskraal.
  1.    Increasing spending on projects that directly address skills development and job creation. In the 2015/16 financial year, the City of Tshwane spent R35.9 million on programmes to assist unemployed matriculants or young people to gain employment, half the amount spent by the DA-run City of Cape Town, despite its higher unemployment rate. In addition to increasing funding to these programmes we would invest in projects aimed at skills development such as the Premos Training Centre in Pretoria West. The Centre was once responsible for providing jobseekers with apprenticeship training in technical skills such as plumbers and electricians, but has been defunded by the ANC and become dysfunctional.
  1.    Cutting unauthorised, irregular, fruitless and wasteful (UIFW) expenditure. In the 2014/15 financial year, the City of Tshwane lost R785.5 million due to unauthorised expenditure, R1.537 billion due to irregular expenditure and R18.6 million due to fruitless and wasteful expenditure – a total of R2.341 billion. As Mayor, I would endeavour to cut this by half in my first year in office and reduce it to below R1 million over the course of my term with a view to eliminating it entirely. In the 2013/14 financial year, the DA-run City of Cape Town managed to bring UIFW down to R339 000. This shows that where the DA governs this can be done.
  1.   Increasing the budget for Repairs and Maintenance (R&M) by R500 million. With the money saved from reducing UIFW, we would seek to increase the R&M budget by R500 million in order to make sure that Tshwane’s infrastructure is able to support economic growth, attract new businesses and provide better services to residents. The current budget of R1.5 billion is far below the National Treasury benchmark of R2.8 billion, a trend which is continued over the MTREF.
  1.    Increasing expenditure on strategic capital projects, such as the Rooiwaal waste water treatment works (WWTW). R1.5 billion in capital expenditure is required to overhaul the dysfunctional Rooiwaal WWTW alone, but only R1.55 billion has been allocated to the whole Water and Sanitation department over the next three years. The DA would prioritise essential capital projects that will boost service delivery in water, sanitation and electricity supply, to enhance infrastructure service delivery across the whole City.
  1.    Restructuring the City’s bloated bureaucracy. The City of Tshwane currently spends R258 million on operational expenses between the Chief Whip’s Office, the Speaker’s Office and the Mayor’s Office, with the Chief Whip’s Office alone employing 64 staff members. The DA would embark on a process of restructuring to streamline the operation and reduce expenditure while retaining skilled staff in positions currently vacant in other departments.
  1.   Prioritising the reduction of the City’s vacancy rates in key departments. The overall vacancy rate in the City is over 40%, while in some departments it is a high as 60%. Filling key positions in the short term will both reduce the cost of using external consultants, but make the City more efficient and responsive in addressing problems. These departments would include City Planning and Development, responsible for creating the environment for economic growth; Energy, Electricity, Water and Sanitation, which are central to service delivery; and Group Financial Services, responsible for financial management.
  1.    Streamline the supply chain management (SCM) system and open the attendance of the Bid Adjudication Committee to the public. The current SCM system is bureaucratic, unresponsive, lacks transparency and is plagued by largescale corruption. Correcting these problems will not only result in more efficient service but reduce corruption making more money available for job creation and service delivery.

Corruption and Joblessness

On August 3 the residents of Tshwane will be given a choice to take Tshwane back from the ANC and empower a DA government to start making progress in the Capital again.

The DA can win Tshwane, and when it does it will bring change that stops corruption, delivers better services and creates jobs.

Together we will turn this city around and enact a programme of action to make sure that the corruption and joblessness that is synonymous with Sputla’s government is put to an end.

 

Media enquiries:

Motheo Mtimkulu

Media Manager: Tshwane Mayoral Campaign

083 728 0554

Tshwane Budget: Msimanga To Set Out Expectations

Tomorrow, Wednesday 25 May 2016, DA Mayoral Candidate for Tshwane, Solly Msimanga MPL, will brief the media on what Mayor Ramokgopa should announce in the 2016 Budget Speech to get Tshwane working, if he is serious about solving the jobs crisis in Tshwane.

With 517,000 residents of Tshwane without jobs, after the number grew by 40,000 in the first 3 months of the year, Mayor Ramokgopa has no choice but to announce serious interventions to create jobs and grow the Tshwane economy. Based on the draft budget tabled by the Mayor in March, too little is being done by the ANC government of Tshwane to provide hope to hundreds of thousands of jobless in Tshwane.

The briefing will take place as follows:

Date: Wednesday, 25 May 2016

Time: 10:00

Venue: DA Gauteng North Regional Office

Address: Midcity Square, 501 Jorissen Street, Sunnyside, Pretoria

 

Media enquiries:

Motheo Mtimkulu

Media Manager: Tshwane Mayoral Campaign

083 728 0554

Sputla, Hands Off Historical Caledonian Stadium

Arcadia Shepherds – Caledonian Stadium

The DA condemns the decision by Mayor of Tshwane, Kgosientso Ramokgopa, to proceed with plans to evict the Arcadia Shepherds from Caledonian Stadium and demolish their home of 113 years. Not only will this leave the Shepherds without a home, but deprive hundreds of children from under-resourced schools from sporting facilities to develop their skills. This is a crime against the children of Tshwane.

Rebuttals by the Mayoral Spokesperson regarding the proposed vanity project of Mayor Ramokgopa on the Caledonian site are disingenuous and once again exhibit the Tshwane administration’s sheer disregard for the concerns of its residents.

The Caledonian site development, and the process surrounding it, has been marred by secrecy and a lack of disclosure, showing that the ANC government does not believe in honest and open government.

Provincial Heritage Resources Authority – Gauteng (PHRA-G)

The DA has confirmed with the Provincial Heritage Resources Authority – Gauteng (PHRA-G) that approval for the Mayor’s project has not been granted. The record of decision issued by the PHRA-G states that the application by the City for the new development has not been approved and that the City must restart its application. The Mayoral Spokesperson however defiantly proclaims that the project will continue.

While the City claims to have consulted with all stakeholders, the tenants of the stadium informed me at a meeting earlier this week that their concerns have not been taken seriously. Further to this, children from poor schools without sporting facilities who make use of the stadium for soccer practice and coaching, as well as the local Women’s Soccer Association, are on the record against the proposed development and the loss of the use of the stadium.

DA’s Manifesto for Change

The DA will not sit idly by and see the most vulnerable residents in our City being traded off so that a select few can enrich themselves in another potentially corrupt Tshwane deal, like so many before it.

The DA’s Manifesto for Change details our plan to replace the ANC with an honest government that will stop corruption, deliver better services, and most importantly, create jobs. A government that will not make empty promises but deliver results.

Change is desperately needed in Tshwane, and the DA is set on bringing change to Tshwane after this year’s elections to stop corruption, restore service delivery and create jobs.

 

Media enquiries:

Motheo Mtimkulu

Media Manager: Tshwane Mayoral Campaign

083 728 0554

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Tshwane Mayor delays State of Metro Address with no good stories to tell

It comes as no surprise that Tshwane Executive Mayor, , has delayed his State of the Metro Address. Mayor Ramokgopa is hiding from accountability, and is avoiding answering to the people of Tshwane.

This further adds to the growing list of ANC broken promises in Tshwane.

Clearly Mayor Ramokgopa has run out of good stories to tell to Tshwane, as he finds himself at the centre of multiple scandals and failures of governance.

Most recently, National Treasury rejected Tshwane’s adjustment budget and returned it to the City to redo.

With an unacceptably high unemployment rate of 32.6%, as well as drastically declining levels of service delivery, the people of Tshwane deserve accountability and responsiveness from Mayor Ramokgopa; instead the people of Tshwane are left counting his broken and empty promises.

The ANC administration led by Mayor Ramokgopa has neglected to fulfil its promises, amongst which is the failure to put an end to the City’s expenditure of PEU – which has been deemed irregular, it has failed to  provide clean drinkable water to the people of Hammanskraal, it has failed to provide cogent answers as to the Adjustments Budget which was returned to Council, it has failed wage a war on water leaks and rectify the more than 40,000 poorly built RDP houses.

The people deserve answers for the ANC’s failure to deliver, and now Rampkgopa is hiding from scrutiny. The ANC administration in Tshwane is failing the City’s residents by being unable to fully fund the bare necessities of service delivery, as corruption is the order of the day.

The DA believes that a new and inspiring vision for Tshwane is needed in order to kick start economic growth and get the City out of its current state of stagnation.

With this clear vision in place, residents will live in an inclusive city where they feel safe. Our people will live in a Metro that is forward thinking in its planning, and that cares about its residents and about their well-being.

Tshwane can and will become a municipality of rising opportunity under a DA administration.

The DA is determined to win Tshwane at this year’s municipal election to usher in a government that delivers better services, cuts corruption and creates jobs.

Together, with Tshwane residents the DA will stop the cancer of corruption, grow the economy and create jobs.

Change is coming to Tshwane, with a new DA government, after Election 2016.

 

Solly Msimanga

Tshwane Mayoral Candidate

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Tshwane delays dodgy R4.65 billion broadband deal after DA reveals scandalous details

Moments after I briefed the media this morning on the attempt by Executive Mayor of Tshwane, Kgosientso Ramokgopa, to force through Council a dodgy broadband deal, without disclosing that National Treasury had raised major objections to the legality of the contract, the City released a statement withdrawing the tabling of the contract, at tomorrow’s council sitting.

This is an admission by Mayor Ramokgopa, and the City of Tshwane, that the concerns raised by the DA this morning are legitimate and fatal to the ANC attempts to force this contract through. Mayor Ramokgopa has buckled to the DA’s pressure on this matter.

It was no mistake that Councillors had not been informed of any of the serious objections to the contract, from National Treasury, Gauteng Provincial Treasury and the National Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services.

This latest summersault by the Mayor and his administration is a vindication of the DA’s pursuit to ensure that proper tender processes, procedures and regulations are followed by the City of Tshwane.

The DA is committed and will continue to advocate for the fair allocations of public money, to benefit all people in Tshwane and we will not allow dodgy deals to be railroaded through Council.

Media enquiries:

Motheo Mtimkulu

Media Manager: Tshwane Mayoral Campaign

083 728 0554

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Tshwane’s Ill-Conceived BRT Plans Set To Increase Traffic Congestion

The decision by the City of Tshwane (CoT) to reduce lanes along Lynnwood and Atterbury Roads to single lanes to accommodate its bus rapid transit system is short sighted and will have a major impact on commuters to and from the Tshwane CBD.

The CoT has indicted that escalating costs are the driving factor behind the decision, however, the DA is of the opinion that poor planning and a lack of adequate consultation is to blame.

Studies produced by independent traffic engineers have warned of catastrophic consequences which are likely to cripple two key routes to and from schools, the University of Pretoria as well as Gautrain services.

Thousands of residents have voiced their disapproval by signing a DA petition which has been submitted to the Gauteng Provincial Legislature’s Petitions Committee.

In response to the public outcry, Tshwane Mayor, Kgosientso Ramokgopa threatened motorists by stating they would be “forced on to the busses”.

The DA will not condone the misuse of public funds on an unfeasible, and ultimately untenable project.

Threats by the Tshwane Mayor will also not go unchallenged. Residents have the right to choose how they commute, regardless of the Mayor’s ideological bent.

If the city does not come up with a more workable solution, years of traffic jams and billions in lost productivity for the nation’s capital lie ahead.

Surely the lessons learnt from the recent prepaid meter debacle should give the city’s management pause to question the error of its ways.

 

Media Enquiries:

Justus de Goede MPL

DA Gauteng Spokesperson on Transportation

060 558 8305

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