Hon Chairperson, during a presentation to the Portfolio Committee on Public Works, the acting director-general said: If MPs knew the full extent of the problems, they would be shocked. She was right.
The sad reality is that the disintegration of state institutions directly impacts on service delivery. The National Planning Commission underlines the importance of a capable state in delivering quality services and says that without a capable state, there can be no service delivery.
While the DA government in the Western Cape complies with and implements the government's Immovable Asset Management Act, this department does not have a reliable immovable asset register after two years in office.
We therefore understand why the Minister says that nobody wants to associate himself with this department. Our major clients are running away from us because they don't get the services they expect.
A dysfunctional institution also encourages corruption. The acting director- general underlined this when she said: "The scale of corruption is so wide and goes so deep, it is scary, and if this department were a business, it would have been bankrupt."
To fix the department, the Minister must appoint skilled and technically qualified people. As the Minister said: This department is a technical department. It requires skilled people such as architects, engineers and quantity surveyors, yet this department has almost none.
While we appreciate the Minister's candid openness about this department, we need to see action and results. Until such time, the DA will not support this Budget Vote. I thank you.