Chairperson, I thank the hon Minister for the answer. We are all aware of what the budget was for her department. I would also like to pop the question. Your department overspent its total budget whereas you achieved only 40% of the target that you set for yourself.
The Auditor-General clearly indicated that your accounting officer did not take appropriate steps to prevent overspending. This resulted in R35 million in irregular expenditure. The bulk of this relates to overspending on compensations. Will the Minister explain what prompted the overspending on salaries, and how has this helped the department to deliver on tangible benefits to vulnerable groups? I thank you.
The MINISTER OF WOMEN, CHILDREN AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: Chairperson, according to the Auditor-General we have delivered 60% of our target, and not 40%. The hon member will remember that with the small budget that we had we were able to employ about 50% of the staff required. This means that the department is running on a skeleton staff. Therefore, it becomes difficult for the department to deliver. However, because of the support we receive from National Treasury, we'll be able to add more people to the department and I'm sure we will be able to improve on delivery. Yes, the accounting officer has received a very negative report from the Auditor-General. I have written and asked her to put in writing her responses to the Auditor-General's report. I've sent her a letter as she is also implicated in investigations that have been conducted relating human resource issues.
I have already answered the issue of overspending and also what steps the department has taken to avoid this in future. I thank you, Chairperson.
Hon Chairperson, I thank the hon Minister. Hon Minister, you have just acknowledged that your department's critical challenges included some of the issues you've just explained, for example overspending. You have alluded to the fact that one of the officials, the accounting officer, had allegedly misled and defrauded your department.
The IFP has welcomed your investigations into nepotism, mismanagement, fraud and corruption. However, you've reported to the Portfolio Committee on Women, Children and People with Disabilities that this individual, instead of being retained in your department to face the music, has simply been transferred to another government institution while your department was finalising investigations.
Minister, don't you believe that this incident sends out the message that corruption and mismanagement are condoned? As a senior member of the ANC, can you give us the assurance today that you will raise your voice strongly against what seems to be the redeployment of officials without any regard for the alleged crime that they have committed? I thank you.
The MINISTER OF WOMEN, CHILDREN AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: Chairperson, wherever officials are deployed, they must still account, as they are still members of the Public Service. The transfer took place before the report of the Auditor-General came out and before the report of the investigation was finalised.
It's not only the accounting officer, but the chief financial officer, CFO, also resigned before the Auditor-General completed the audit. We spoke and asked her to stay on, but she jumped ship. There's no way that I can stop officials if they decide to resign. They have the right to do so, but we are following up on any offence that has been found through the investigation. Thank you, Chairperson.
Chairperson, the Minister refers to her inadequate budget. I was interested in this and read in her annual report that her department managed to spend R4,5 million on catering last year; R2,6 million on entertainment; and R18,8 million on travel and subsistence. So, she spent one rand out of every five rand the taxpayer gave her department on parties and travel. My questions are: Firstly, how could the Minister allow spending on parties and travel to reach such levels? Secondly, will she commit to shifting her department's spending on parties and travel to real delivery in next year's budget?
The MINISTER OF WOMEN, CHILDREN AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: Hon Chairperson, my department has never had a party. It commemorates important historical days to the people of South Africa, for example National Women's Day. Parties, like the DA, have no history, have no heritage, and abanazinyanya abanamadlozi [they do not have ancestors]. We are proud of OR Tambo, Chris Hani, Lilian Ngoyi, Dora Tamana, Charlotte Maxeke and Solomon Mahlangu. We are proud of them. We are going to make sure that our children know their history, know who their leaders are know where they come from, and know how their freedom and democracy was won by their mothers, grandmothers and forefathers ... [Interjections.]
House Chairperson, on a point of order: Actually, I would like you to rule on whether or not the Minister is misleading the House in her statement that this party, on the other side of the House, has no history, considering that Helen Suzman was sitting here all those years ... [Interjections.]
Hon member, you wanted to raise a point of order and not to make an intervention. I'll make a ruling. Hon member, the reference is made to the party and not to a person in the House. So, she is in order. Position regarding analysis of drivers of development in National Development Plan 2030
285. Ms S C N Sithole (ANC) asked the Minister in the Presidency - National Planning Commission:
Whether, given the challenges that were outlined in the Diagnostic Overview in June 2011 and the remarks contained in the National Development Plan 2030 that such capabilities will not emerge if the country continues on its current trajectory, he has found that the analysis of the drivers of development in the Plan (details furnished) will achieve faster economic growth; if so, what are the relevant details; if not, what are the other critical capabilities that are required in this regard?