Hon Chair, I am not sure where the spin comes from because in the report we gave to the NCOP, we spelled out what progress we've made. We've conceded that a lot of work still needs to be done and that is why, even in the response here, I said we are not as yet ready to leave the province, because there are still a number of issues to be addressed. The member is raising some of the issues, and not raising others. It is a problem. If you are going to spell out our remaining problems, identify those things and deny - if indeed they are not true - what we say we have achieved, so it's not a spin put on events, but facts; we can verify.
I don't want to repeat the Auditor-General's report and quite a number of things. We have stabilised the province. It is no longer bleeding. When we went to the Eastern Cape in 2011, at that time children were not being fed and there were no books. That is why we went there. There was no scholar transport; it had collapsed. When we went to intervene in the Eastern Cape, we specified five areas, hon member. We didn't say that we were going to take over the whole department. We said that we were going to assist in terms of scholar transport, school nutrition, HR issues, and finance. Things which you raised about desks were not part of the intervention. I don't want it to seem as if I am in denial of what is there.
We are not taking over the department. We have identified specific areas in which we are going to intervene, and those are the areas that we are reporting on. All the other matters you raised are the issues that we are assisting the province to work with. That is why we are saying we don't think it is correct for us to leave now. You are quite correct. There is quite a number of issues that still need to be addressed in that province. What you can't deny is that, indeed, we have stabilised the situation. The bleeding is over.
The results are what we assessed the system on. There is an upward trajectory. We didn't deny the fact that not all teachers were paid; there are 27 that have not been paid. There are quite a number of cases. If you look at the report, we even tell you how many legal files we've closed. We sent our own lawyers to go and assist, but there are still some files which are open. The Auditor-General says that, if they were auditing for us in 2013, we would have got an unqualified report. However, because there are quite a number of issues that date back, they are not even able to give us a clean audit. So, this means that there is still a backlog, which is historical and we have to work with the province to address it. There is no spin about it; it's factual. We've made progress, but we are conceding there are still a lot of things that still need to be done in the province. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Particulars regarding decision to distribute food parcels in Ward 9 in Tlokwe Municipality
272. Mr M Waters (DA) asked the Minister of Social Development:
On what (a) date and (b) basis was it decided to distribute food parcels in Ward 9 in Tlokwe Municipality in North West on 6 and 7 August 2013? NO2807E