Thank you, Madam Speaker. Before I introduce the report, I would like to start by congratulating all parties that will hold conferences during this month and next month, because you did not do it, but every one is so quite about them; they only speak about one important conference that is coming up. [Laughter.]
The oversight visit to the northern areas of Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape took place from 19th to 20th June 2012. The Portfolio Committee on Basic Education received information regarding problems that were experienced in schools in the northern areas of Port Elizabeth, which were the possible suspension of classes, protest action, picketing, and marches of various stakeholders within the community. Although the portfolio committee had not conducted oversight in these areas, to date, it was important to meet all the relevant stakeholders as reported in the report.
The main objective of the visit was to assess the gravity of the challenges that are faced in the affected areas, and to gain first-hand experience and information from those who are affected and give them necessary support and advice in dealing with the challenges. The challenges that were experienced in the northern areas were: payments of serving educators and payments that are still to be backdated; permanent appointment of educators; the appointment of support staff; providing a teacher for every class; eradicating overcrowding in schools; transfer of funds that were due to the schools; the paper budget; and the nutrition programme. Other challenges include school infrastructure to some schools that were built within the past 10 years instead of renovating the schools that are 61 years old; incorrect delivery of Learner Support Material, LSM, and Learner Teacher Support Material, LTSM; and the correct quintile classification.
The district itself, after seeing that the problems were experienced in the northern areas as well as the southern suburbs and to a certain extent within the western suburbs, gave the committee a report on human resource capacity and finance because they are only operational and the powers were not delegated to the district; the infrastructure report because 20 new schools are needed within the northern areas of Port Elizabeth; and school nutrition; and transport.
The committee agreed that its recommendation would that the department would look into concerns identified and have them resolved within 10 days from the date of the oversight. On 9th July, ten days later, we received the departmental report on the programme of action to resolve the problems experienced within Port Elizabeth itself. Some of the timelines attached to it will continue into the new financial year. I am therefore tabling this report to Parliament for consideration. I thank you, Deputy Speaker. [Applause.]
Speaker, I move -
That the Report be adopted.
Declarations of vote:
Deputy Speaker, Cope supports the Bill on that there are serious problems in South Africa today and are not challenged. The Eastern Cape must be cited as one of the provinces that contribute to the problems we face as a country. Although the largest amounts of our annual budgets go to education, the Eastern Cape is one of the provinces that lead in respect of: Firstly, South Africa occupying the last position in Maths and Sciences, even around the lowest and poorest provinces of our subregions such as Swaziland, Mozambique, etc.
Secondly, the World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Index currently rates South Africa at position 132 out of 144 countries. Both human resources and human resource development are neither properly done nor not. Above all, the fact that infrastructural development literally plays the second fiddle means there is a problem. Now, put together what Cope says is that we cannot really allow this because hundreds of schools need either to be build there or to be renovated, etc. We are absolutely unhappy albeit that finances and budgets are there, but the province is really unable to move forward. We, of course, look forward to work very hard in order to save South Africa. We therefore need some emergency ... and we support this Bill. I can say that we are quite happy to be able to work together and look forward to save. Thank you. [Applause.]
Sekela Somlomo, ngiphakama ngibuhlungu ngoba ngilandela ilungu elihloniphekile le-Cope elikadelikhuluma.
Okubuhlungu ukuthi lisuke lakhuluma ngoMthethosivivinywa esingekho kuwona namhlanje. Angazi ukuthi ubekhuluma ngani kulokhu ebesikukho namhlanje, ngoba bengithi sibhekene nombiko wezinto ezenzekile ngesikhathi sivakashele isiFundazwe sase-Mpumalanga Koloni. Akuluthoke-ke, Sekela Somlomo, mhlawumbe kuye kufanele ukuthi abantu bakhulume nje ukuze babekhona phambili, kubonakale ukuthi kukhona abakushilo.
Sekela Somlomo, singuKhongolose, nathi sithi siyakusekela kakhulu futhi sikubonile ukuqhubeka kancane kokwakhiwa kwezikole. Kepha ngenqubekelaphambili esesiyitholile, egcizelelayo ukuthi ngempela kuyothi uma kuphela unyaka zonke lezi zikole ebezihlonziwe ukuthi zizokhwakhiwa sesiyakuthola impela ukuthi sizokubona kwenzeka ngoba indlela okuqhubeka ngayo zonke ezingama-45 sizibona seziyela ngasekupheleni.
Lokhu kusinika isibindi sokuthi kuzothi kuvula izikole, kuqala unyaka omusha wezi-2013, sibone abafundi bethi befundela ezindaweni ezinhle futhi ezihloniphekile okuwumngomonqangi wenhlangano yethu ukuthi kwenziwe isikhathi sokuthi abantwana bethu, njengoba imfundo yabekwa yaba seqhulwini nje, bathole ukufunda ezindaweni ezihloniphekile ngendlela efanele.
Ngiyajabula-ke ukuthi, sisonke siyikomiti, izinto lezo esizibukile, zasiphatha kabuhlungu, sazilandela sase sivakashela esifundazweni. Siyayibona inqubekelaphambili. Sengathi lokhu kubambisana obekukhona kungaqhubeka ngoba siyaqhubeka sithi uma sibambisene, sisonke, ukhona umehluko ozokwenzeka, lo esiwubonayo. Ngibonga kakhulu Somlomo. [Ihlombe.] (Translation of isiZulu speech follows.)
[Ms A C MASHISHI: Deputy Speaker, I am unhappy that I have to speak after the honourable member of Cope that was on the floor.
What makes me so unhappy is that the member spoke about a bill that we are not discussing today. I cannot tell what he was saying regarding the matter at hand at the moment. I thought we were reviewing the report on our visit to the Eastern Cape. It does not matter though, Deputy Speaker, I guess some people want to speak just for the sake of being visible and being heard, no matter how insignificant what they are saying might be.
Deputy Speaker, as the ANC we support the construction of schools and we are well aware of how slow its progress is. According to the progress report we have received, we are certain that the construction of 45 schools which were identified will be completed soon.
We are almost certain that the schools will be ready by the beginning of the 2013 school year; our children will be provided with proper schools as befits their human dignity. It is the basic principle of our political party that our children must be provided with proper schooling since education is very important for them.
I am happy that as the committee we looked into all those factors and decided to do something about the situation. We were not happy with what we had discovered and then decided to visit the province. We can already see a great deal of progress. If we continue working together we will make a significant difference which is already apparent to everyone. Thank you very much, Speaker. [Applause.]]
Deputy Speaker, we have visited the Eastern Cape several times and observed very worrying trends in that province. Firstly, the shift in the authority seems to be a shift towards unions in that province, taking all the administrative powers from the rightful administrators to unions. For instance, it is worrying to observe that the department or the officials in the province cannot do anything without the concurrence or agreement of the unions. That is a worrying trend indeed.
Secondly, there is a large proportion of political decay in that province, where major areas cannot be managed. For instance, the province has failed to meet its planned targets because it has not been able to achieve 65% of its planned target. That is a very worrying trend.
Thirdly, as regards compliance with laws and regulations, this is another worrying trend. We have observed that tenders have been given to suppliers who have no contracts at all. Others have received money and disappeared into a thin air.
Fourthly, we have observed that there is political timidity. Officials are very timid about taking decisive decisions. For instance, the unions refused that teachers undergo Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement, Caps, training. Nobody could take any decision against those teachers and of course that is a worrying trend. In fact, we need a political decision in that province. There has been section 100 in that province, but nothing has improved so far, and until a political decision is reached, things won't improve in that province. Perhaps, as my colleagues had already said, we have to wait until the Mangaung Conference before any political decision which could improve the delivery of education to millions and millions of young ones in that province can be taken. I thank you, Chair.
Motion agreed to.
Report accordingly adopted.