Hon Deputy Speaker, hon members, the Acting President and hon Ministers, generally, on our visit, we discovered that there was wonderful progress in tourism in the different provinces. The last ones we visited were the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal.
The Portfolio Committee on Tourism, during this tour, found that there were instances of good achievement. There were challenges, like poor governance, as well as obstacles, like poor roads in some areas. We were guided by the five priorities of government, as well as industry-specific requirements in our oversight. These include road signage, the state of roads, quality of service, responsiveness of government at three levels, as well as the co- ordination of tourism and stakeholder relationships. We made observations on a number of these areas, including social responsibility initiatives which are under the Expanded Public Works Programme.
There were examples of good implementation, as well as implementation with a number of challenges, particularly in areas of project management and financial control. However, there were areas of fruitless and wasteful expenditure of millions of rand, and in some instances, there was no satisfactory value for money. However, there were cases of excellent implementation, like in KwaZulu-Natal, that could be used as a working model as it benefited a number of rural areas and rural villages under a number of chiefs. They benefited with jobs and sustainable livelihoods.
With regard to fruitless and wasteful expenditure, the committee was impressed and encouraged that the department was already taking steps against abuse of funds. There were already people who were being investigated forensically and criminally, and that had resulted in some people being charged and the department putting in place controls and proposals for the control of the Expanded Public Works Programme initiatives as well.
We were very impressed with developments between the KwaZulu-Natal province and Mozambique. They have formed a partnership in tourism which will increase the value of our tourism products and attract more people to our shores. That will result in more jobs and more small businesses.
The portfolio committee found that there were wonderful products in the Free State which have become the talk of every town. These include the Macufe Festival and the gigantic statue of uTata Mandela high on Naval Hill overlooking the whole of Mangaung and surrounding areas. In the Golden Gate Park around Qwaqwa, the committee found a well-run and wonderful heritage village in terms of its authenticity and management.
The above continue to yield results in terms of rural development. They contribute to accelerated growth, the creation of jobs and small business, and the fight against crime and corruption. A lot has been done and a lot still needs to be done better, but overall, we were satisfied that South Africa was working and people were trying their best in their small nooks and crannies.
We propose that this report be adopted. I thank you, Deputy Speaker.
There was no debate.