DIRCO response to Committee Recommendations; Zondo Commission & Sudan Acting Ambassador allegations

This premium content has been made freely available

International Relations

20 October 2020
Chairperson: Ms T Mahambehlala (ANC)
Share this page:

Meeting Summary

In this virtual meeting, the Committee was briefed by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation on recommendations made to the Department by the Portfolio Committee, allegations submitted to the Zondo Commission and media reports about Acting Ambassador to Sudan.

The Department gave the Committee an update on how far the Department was on implementing Committee recommendations and addressing other issues raised by the Committee. The outdated ICT strategy and system was being addressed and the Digital Strategy had been finalised. The implementation plan was in the final stages of development. The Department has established an Implementation Task Team for the coming into force of the Foreign Service Act, chaired by the Director-General, to develop the necessary implementation measures. The Task Team would oversee the work of five Work Streams that had been established to prepare the necessary draft Regulations, Codes and Directives.

The Department was developing a plan to manage the budget ceiling for the compensation of employees over the MTEF period. The draft plan had been shared with National Treasury. The plan included adjustment of cost of living allowances for transferred staff serving abroad, reducing annual leave encashment, and vacancies that occur through natural attrition would be unfunded and therefore not filled.

On the allegations submitted to the Zondo Commission, the Department said a letter had been written to the Minister on 08 October 2020 stating the officials’ intentions to write to the Zondo Commission on issues relating to ambassador appointments, procurement processes under the African Renaissance and International Cooperation Fund and procurement of ICT computer equipment and hardware, the contract for removal and storage of goods  and the acquisition of office space and residential properties in New York.

The matter of South Africa’s Acting Ambassador to Sudan being involved in an assassination attempt on an intelligence officer had arisen in media reports. There were also allegations against the life-partner of South Africa’s Acting Ambassador to Sudan. The Department saw the issue as a pending matter and further investigations were being made. The matter was also referred to security agencies in South Africa and Sudan.

Members were concerned about the issues arising within the Department, specifically the letter written to the Zondo Commission and the Sudan matter as they had the potential to tarnish, not only the Department’s name, but also South Africa’s image in the international arena. Members asked the Department to be transparent with the Committee. Members asked why the report given by the Department was broad and vague and the Committee wanted more information. Members said the Department should clearly convey to the Committee what problems it faces, so the Committee could adequately assist the Department is solving these issues. Members also asked why the Auditor-General findings related to recurring issue and why the Department was not implementing recommendations. Members also raised the issue of the property management unit being separated from the finance unit and asked why the Department had not made progress in that regard.
 

Meeting report

The Chairperson opened the virtual meeting and welcomed everyone. She said it is the Portfolio Committee’s responsible to perform oversight, take decisions and implement them and that has to happen with or without the Minister and the Deputy Ministers being present in the Committee meetings.

She asked the Department to finish all the presentations and then after Members will ask questions on all three items. This will allow enough time for a full engagement. She advised Members to take notes.

Committee Recommendations
Ms Delores Kotze, Chief Director: Monitoring and Evaluation Directorate, DIRCO, made the presentation of behalf of DIRCO.  She responded to recommendations made by the Portfolio Committee and gave the Committee feedback on what had been done to implement these recommendations.

Recommendation 1: Fast tracking the modernisation project of the ICT infrastructure and related matters to minimise the risk to security of information and DIRCO’s response to COVID-19.

The Digital Strategy has been finalized and the implementation plan was in the final stages of development.
The Department has begun to digitalize some of the manual processes through Microsoft Enterprise Agreement, in response to the challenges posed by COVID-19.
The Department has adopted the use of Microsoft Teams as a means of virtual interaction and collaboration with stakeholders, and to ensure business continuity.

Recommendation 2: Investigate the root causes for the non-payment of service providers within the required 30-day rule. SMMEs are unfairly disadvantaged by this practice.

The Director-General has appointed an investigation officer to undertake the investigation. The report is in draft form and will be finalised soon for implementation.

Recommendation 3: Expedite the coming into force of the Foreign Service Act and prioritising the development of a property management strategy.

The Department has established an Implementation Task Team for the coming into force of the Foreign Service Act (FSA), chaired by the Director-General, to develop the implementation measures. The Task Team oversees the work of five Work Streams that have been established to prepare the necessary draft Regulations, Codes and Directives.

The Department has a Work Plan and deliverables with a view to ensure that the FSA will come into operation in April 2021.The Work Streams are in the process of assessing the provisions of the FSA. Work of the Work Streams is planned to be finalized by 30 October 2020. The development of the property management strategy is included in the task of the Workstreams.

Recommendation 4: Review the structured bilateral mechanisms entered into by the country with its counterparts, to ensure they advance national interest and address domestic imperatives.

The review of structured mechanisms is included as a target in the annual performance plan 2020-2021.  The target reads as “100% of structured mechanisms reviewed”.

Recommendation 5: Consider using Candidature Diplomacy as a conscious ‘soft power’ strategy to get value-for-money and also address the needs of our country including giving exposure to our youth for internship and future employment opportunities in international organisations the country is party to.

While South Africa would often aspire to be represented in various international organisations, bodies, and committees, it would ordinarily be guided by, and seek to align itself with the rules, processes, procedures and positions of, the Africa Group.

Recommendation 6: Develop, in consultation with National Treasury, a strategy with a detailed implementation plan, to find a workable solution to stay within the ceiling on compensation of employees without compromising service delivery.

The Department is developing a plan to manage the budget ceiling for the compensation of employees over the MTEF period.  The draft plan was shared with National Treasury.  The plan includes:
-Adjustment of cost of living allowances for transferred staff serving abroad and reducing annual leave encashment.
-Vacancies that occur through natural attrition are unfunded and therefore not filled.

Recommendation 7: Increase representability in the Department of the previously disadvantaged group catering for gender mainstreaming, youth development, women, and access for people with disability.

Due to the shortfall on the Cost of Employees’ (COE) budget, posts are currently not being advertised, and this limits opportunities for enhanced employment equity.

Recommendation 8: Consider leading the implementation and domestication of the region’s blueprints in the country, including the Revised Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2015-2020.

In implementing this regional strategy and blueprints, the SADC Secretariat provided Member States with training on the SADC Online Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) System with the ultimate goal to provide responsible officials at national level with the necessary skills to report on the status of the national implementation of the Revised RISDP.

Allegations submitted to Zondo Commission
Mr Kgabo Mahoai, Director-General (DG), DIRCO, said two Chief-Directors within the Department had written to the Zondo Commission about allegations of fraud and corruption within the Department. A Letter was written to the Minister on 08 October 2020 stating the officials’ intentions to write to the Zondo Commission. The letter is based around issues relating to
-Ambassador Appointments
-Procurement processes under the African Renaissance and International Cooperation Fund (ARF) and procurement of ICT computer equipment and hardware
-The Contract for removal and storing of goods and the acquisition of office space and residential properties in New York.

Mr Mahoai said the Committee was aware of those issues and the Department was in the process of investigating the matters and would update the Committee. He said he can’t elaborate further on this matter has the Department has not received new information on the matter.

Media Reports about Acting Ambassador to Sudan
Mr Mahoai said the matter came out of media reports. He said they are allegations that have been made against the life-partner of South Africa’s Acting Ambassador to Sudan. The Department saw it as a pending matter and further investigation were being made. This matter was also referred to security agencies in South Africa and Sudan.

Discussion
Mr B Nkosi (ANC) said the Department should continuously brief the Committee on both matters (Sudan and the Zondo Commission) as the issues have the potential to tarnish the Department and the Country’s image internationally. He said the Department was not responding with urgency to the matters. He asked the Department to be more proactive when it comes to the issues. He was concerned about the implementation of the full audit action plan. He asked the DG to explain how the issue had not been addressed by the Department. On the issue of property management, he asked whether the Department now had adequate capacity has to manage that directorate.

Mr D Bergman (DA) said the information in the report was very broad and the Committee had previously raised the issue of lack of information in reports with the Department. He asked the Department to give the Committee reports with more information. He said the Department should also have exit interviewees with Ambassadors who have left their postings. That would help the Committee and Department as it would reveal what the problem points of DIRCO are. He said the DG should understand that he is the Accounting Officer in DIRCO and every time he presents the letters and reports in front of the committee, he digs a hole for himself. He said there are a lot of disgruntled people in DIRCO who don’t get appointed to Ambassadorships and believe they should because they are career diplomats. He asked the DG to open up and inform the Committee what the issues are within DIRCO so the Committee can adequately help the Department.

Rev K Meshoe (ADCP) asked for transparency from the Department and said the reputation of the country was at stake. He asked if the DG was aware of the problems raised in the letter to the Zondo Commission. He said these officials might have raised the issues with the DG and they were either ignored or swept under the carpet. The Department should deal with those problems speedily. These issues were serious, and he asked when the Department had started investigations into the matters.

Ms T Msane (EFF) asked the Committee to remember Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi. That was the day he had been brutally assassinated. She commented that his undying spirit should live on and Africa reach its goal of a one currency continent. She asked which missions the Department intended reducing and what process the Department used to identify which missions will be reduced.

She said the Department has promised to submit the project management team’s curriculum vitae to the Committee and it had not yet happened. She asked how many of the issues raised in the letter to the Zondo Commission were previous findings made by the Auditor-General (AG).  She asked what success the Department had had in rectifying supply chain management issues as it was becoming a serious problem for the Department. She asked for transparency on the issues of hiring Ambassadors. She said the Department’s public relations strategy was inadequate and unable to deal with issues arising in media reports.

Mr T Mpanza (ANC) asked what DIRCO’s policy was regarding the conduct on the officials who wrote to the Zondo Commission. He asked if the officials had exhausted all internal avenues in raising their concerns. What would be the outcomes of the process?  He asked under what status the officials had written to the Zondo Commission. He asked the Committee to look into the issue of career diplomats.

He said the Department should be careful about reducing missions in Africa as he was of the opinion that more missions were needed on the continent. Who was the spokesperson of DIRCO?

Ms B Swarts (ANC) said the Committee had continuously recommended that the property management function be separated from the finance unit, but the Department had failed to do so. She said the Committee seemed to go in circles as the same items keep on reappearing. She asked the DG to explain why there was a persistent lack of implementation on recommendations.

The Chairperson said she found it shocking that Ms Kotze mentioned that the Department was in the implementation stage of the 30-day rule payment recommendations. The Committee requested a report on the 30-day rule payment process in August and the Department had not yet submitted such a report. She asked how implementation was possible if the Committee had not yet received a report on the matter. She said the officials who had written to the Zondo Commission was a clear demonstration of anarchy. She said these Officials are not disgruntled; they think they are entitled to positions within DIRCO. This anarchy that is being displayed has no standing and will never be embraced by Members of Parliament. She said there must be no conflict of interest and these officials must be put on leave so they can be able to deal with their Zondo Commission matters far away from the Department. She said the AG raised the issue of lack of skills and capacity within DIRCO’s finance directorate. This has also been a recurring issue identified by the AG. Were there no skills within finance? Staff should be removed and redeployed to where their skills were suited. She asked why the Auditor-General’s findings had not been implemented.

She said the Department must do away with career diplomats.
 
Mr Mahoai replied that the Department had an audit action plan that had been discussed with the audit committee. The plan was revised based on the inputs made by the audit committee. The Department is currently waiting for the outcomes of the plan and said DIRCO should be judged on what it said it would do.

The Department had established a task team that would look at specific arrears and establish which arrears needed more support to implement the Foreign Service Act. One of the arears was the property management unit and beefing up of the finance unit. DIRCO had submitted the qualifications of the project management team to the Committee. There were some issues from the past that the Department needed to revisit and address. He said sometimes dealing with current problems led to the neglect of past problems. He said there is a report on the skills assessment but the audit committee was not happy with the report. The Department was currently making changes to address that. On the matter of disgruntled officials, he said there were government procedures which spelt out collective management and grievance rules. The officials may have submitted the letter to the Zondo Commission as private citizens and not as officials.

The Department had investigated the issue of 30-day payment rule and found a systematic error and had decided to address the issue immediately. He said there were officials that had raised their concerns about the Foreign Service Act and the Department always explained that the Act was a Parliamentary process.

He assured Members that the Department was transparent and would report to the Committee continuously. He said the Portfolio Committee’s oversight work had improved the management practices of the Department. The Sudan matter had only been reported via the media and were only allegations at that point. This matter is with law enforcement agencies in both South Africa and Sudan.

Mr Clayson Monyela, Deputy Director-General: Public Diplomacy, DIRCO, said the Department had been very deliberate with the Country’s Public Diplomacy strategy. The Department was trying to change the idea that foreign policy is an elite issue. DIRCO was informing people on the ground about foreign policy issues. South Africa is one of few countries in the world that has programme of engaging everyone with foreign policy matters. The Department held a lot of public participation forums and had made this an annual target. The targets are spread across the province and the goal is to go down to the grassroots and explain DIRCO’s foreign policy. The Department explained to people how the work of diplomats improved the lives of ordinary South Africans. The Department was working through community radios. South Africa is currently ranked number 1 on the use of digital platforms by its Foreign Service Department. The Department was trying to make sure that no one was left behind and was targeting both domestic and international audiences.  The Department took note of Members’ comments and would make improvements. He said the Minister had a spokesperson who was assisted by him.

Mr Caiphus Ramashau , Chief Financial Officer, DIRCO, said on issue of the audit outcomes, that the Department had been trying its best to change these outcomes and implement the Auditor-General’s recommendations. He said in two weeks’ time the Department would have a report on what progress had been made in implementing those recommendations.

Ms Kotze said the progress report on the 30-day rule was with the DG, and the Department was deciding which implementation plan would be best to address the root causes.

Concluding remarks
The Chairperson thanked the Department for its contributions.

She asked if some issues could be dealt with the following day and said it would be important for the Committee to have an ordinary meeting to reflect on those matters so the Committee could make proper recommendations to the Department.

Minutes
The Committee adopted the Minutes dated 26 June 2020, 02 September 2020 and 07 October 2020

The meeting was adjourned.
 

 

Download as PDF

You can download this page as a PDF using your browser's print functionality. Click on the "Print" button below and select the "PDF" option under destinations/printers.

See detailed instructions for your browser here.

Share this page: