1. With reference to his various addresses to South Africans where he emphasised the need for commitment from all levels of government to accelerate service delivery in order to leave behind a legacy whereby the Fifth Parliament can be regarded as a turning point in politics in terms of service delivery, what action does he intend to take against those who are failing to comply at every level of government;

2. Whether he intends sanctioning those who are failing without fear or favour;

3. Whether he will ensure that all persons who are (a) found guilty of fraud, corruption, maladministration and tender fraud and (b) failing to implement strategic plans face the consequences; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details in each case? NW2251E

REPLY:

I share the Honourable Member's concern that there should be consequences for poor performance, and that there should be zero tolerance for fraud, corruption and maladministration. I also fully agree with you that those found guilty of these offences should be sanctioned without fear or favour.

We have a range of legislation in place in South Africa, which collectively governs the career incidents of public servants, such as the Public Service Act and the Labour Relations Act. Any public servant or official who is found to have committed any form of misconduct be it fraud, corruption, dereliction of duty or poor performance will have to be disciplined in terms of the disciplinary Code and Procedure of the public service and Chapter 7 of the Senior Management Services Handbook or any other disciplinary prescript applicable to that sector without any fear or favour.

Cabinet has recently considered the Sanctioning Guidelines from the Department of Public Service and Administration and have agreed that Minister Chabane continues to consult stakeholders in order for them to be approved so that we can have consistency in our sanctions for these serious forms of misconduct.

In terms of the Public Service Act and its subsidiary regulations and frameworks, it is the responsibility of a supervisor or Head of Department to take disciplinary action against an official accused of such a transgression. If this fails, it becomes the responsibility of the Executive Authority (Minister or Premier) to take action against the Head of Department.

Improving the management of discipline in the public service is one of the key sub-outcomes in the Medium Term Strategic Framework (MTSF) chapter on improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the public service. Improving the management of discipline and the quality of other administrative practices is also one of the goals of the Back to Basics programme that the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Mr Pravin Gordhan is leading at the municipal level.

The MTSF includes actions to strengthen the implementation of the financial disclosure framework for senior managers and officials working in procurement, introducing measures to prohibit public servants from doing business with the state, to strengthen protection of whistle-blowers, and the establishment of the Technical Assistance Unit in the DPSA so that departments are able to draw on specialist technical capacity in order to investigate issues relating to ethics, integrity and discipline.

It also includes measures to strengthen and professionalise procurement and supply chain management and to increase the monitoring of these areas, where most corruption occurs. The professionalisation of procurement will make it easier to keep track of supply chain managers in order to ensure that people found guilty of corruption cannot simply relocate to a new department. The MTSF also includes measures to improve the coordination of all anti-corruption responsibilities and structures.

Mr G Mackay (DA) to ask the President of the Republic:

With reference to the reply by the former Deputy President to question 2003 on 15 August 2013, regarding the change in the composition of the National Nuclear Energy Executive Coordinating Committee (NNEECC), (a) why did the NNEECC recommend a change in its composition in April 2013, (b) what were the specific reasons stated by the NNEECC for this change and (c) why did he assume the chairpersonship of the NNEECC after the change in its composition?

REPLY:

Honourable Member,

In endorsing the NNEECC Terms of Reference, Cabinet expressed a concern that the committee membership was too broad and would not provide an optimised structure and efficient process for a new nuclear build programme. The NNEECC structure needed to be a manageable in terms of size and also to be more focused in terms of the subject and priorities.

The new structure of the NNEECC comprises the following:

• The President - Chairperson
• Minister of Energy
• Minister of Public Enterprises
• Minister of Finance
• Minister of State Security
• Minister of Defence
• Minister of International Relations and Cooperation.  

The President assumed chairpersonship in order to provide political direction and executive leadership on energy matters in general, and nuclear issues included, given the fact that energy security is an apex priority in the country especially for economic growth and socio-economic development.

The Leader of the Opposition (DA) to ask the President of the Republic:

a) How many international trips did he undertake in the 2013-14 financial year?

b) In respect of each trip, what (i) was the date of the trip, (ii) was the destination of the trip, (iii) was the purpose of the trip and (iv) are the (aa) names and (bb) positions of the persons who accompanied him and 

c) what was the (i) total cost and (ii) breakdown of the costs of all the specified trips?

REPLY:

I undertook 44 international visits last year. Depending on the nature of the visit, I am accompanied by Ministers, advisers as well as support staff responsible for functions including communications, protocol, research and administration. The Annual Report of the Presidency provides information on the visits each year.

Ms A T Lovemore (DA) to ask the President of the Republic:

1. Whether, with reference to his reply to question 943 on 26 August 2013, any changes have been made to the terms of reference since the initial gazetting of the establishment of the Presidential Remuneration Commission; if so, what are the relevant details;

2.(a)  when did the specified Commission commence with its work, (b) when is the work of the specified Commission expected to be completed, (c) why was it necessary to appoint additional commissioners and (d) what factors have delayed the work of the specified Commission? NW2564E

REPLY:

1. The Terms of Reference published under Proclamation 33 of the Government Notice 36757 have been amended since the initial gazetting of the establishment of the Presidential Remuneration Commission. The amendments were primarily in the following areas: Firstly, paragraph 7 of the Terms of reference was amended to extend the term of office of the Commission to 6 April 2015.

The amendment also requires the Commission to submit its final report within four months after the date on which it completes its work. Secondly, a new paragraph was inserted to make provision for the Chairperson of the Commission to recommend to the President suitably qualified persons to be appointment as additional members of the Commission.

(a) The Commission was appointed in August 2013. Although the Commission started with its work immediately after its appointment, during the first few months of its existence, the Commission had to focus more on logistical matters such as securing office space and appointing administrative support staff.

(b) The Commission is expected to complete its work by 15 April 2015 and to submit its report within four months after the date on which it completes its work.

(c) In a letter dated 07 August 2014, the Chairperson of the Commission, Justice Sandile Ngcobo recommended the appointment of two additional Commissioners. This request was in accordance with paragraph 11 of the Terms of Reference, in terms of which provision was made for the Chairperson to recommend such additional appointments. This was provided for to ensure that at all times, the Commission has at its disposal, the capacity and expertise it requires to fulfil its mandate optimally.

(d) As the Commission began to execute its mandate, it became clear that in addition to setting aside enough time to establish its administrative systems and infrastructure, the terms of reference themselves would require more time to implement than it was initially provided for.

Mr MGP Lekota (Cope) to ask the President of the Republic:

Whether the substantial increase in the size of the executive arm of government under his presidency has in any way reflected a more substantial attainment of the aims and objectives of the National Development Plan (NDP) and particularly so in respect of (a) achieving an inclusive rural economy, (b) transforming spatial arrangements and spatial governance, (c) keeping with developments in internet and communication technology, (d) building a capable state, (e) intensifying accountability through all spheres of government and (f) vigorously prosecuting corrupt elements in government service; if not, why not; if so, what are the new gains in respect of each of the specified aims and objectives of the NPD? 

REPLY:

The decision on the size and shape of the executive take into account the assessment of performance of the previous administration, priorities of the new administration, the balance in the expertise required to deliver on the priorities and the need to ensure continuity. 

The National Development Plan is the basis of the priorities of this administration as spelt out in the Medium Term Strategic Framework 2014 - 2019, published in August this year. Guided by these considerations, we have combined some ministries, created new ministries, appointed deputy ministers where we believed additional capacity was needed and shifted some functions to ensure more effective delivery. For example, the importance attached to small business development in the NDP informed the creation of the Department of Small Business Development, and the need to institutionalise long term planning in government informed the creation of the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation.

(a) The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform is in the process of initiating a pilot project to test the new land reform proposals contained in the NDP. This is a collaborative exercise together with the Department of Agriculture, other state agencies and representatives of the private sector including commercial and emerging farmers. The NDP proposals in this regard are aimed at addressing weaknesses in the land reform programme. There are various other proposals which will be taken forward through the normal government programmes which are set out in the Medium Term Strategic Framework.

(b) In August 2013, the President signed into law the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act, which aims to help government address the spatial settlement patterns. The Act also proposes measures to improve spatial governance, and these are receiving priority.

(c) In the previous administration, we adopted a broadband strategy which aims to significantly expand access to broadband. The Medium Term Strategic Framework takes this forward and sets specific targets for expanding access to broadband to the majority of South Africans.

(d) Our monitoring and evaluation system will ensure that both government and the public have information about which parts of our government are failing our people and this will be used by Cabinet to take remedial actions.

(e) The MTSF deals extensively with initiatives we have put in place to fight corruption in the public and private sectors. We have committed to build a resilient anti-corruption system and to successfully detect and investigate cases of alleged corruption with a view to prosecute, convict and incarcerate perpetrators. As part of this initiative, we have set targets to prohibit public servants from doing business with the state, strengthen implementation of Financial Disclosure Framework and protection of whistle-blowers. The DPSA is also working on the establishment of a Technical Assistance Unit so that departments are able to draw on the specialist technical capacity in order to investigate issues relating to ethics, integrity and discipline. It also includes measures to strengthen and professionalise procurement and supply chain management and to increase monitoring of these areas, which are where most corruption occurs.

It should also be noted that, whereas the work of government in the previous administration was organised around 12 outcomes, we have increased this to 14 outcomes taking into account the priorities in the NDP. Government will be reporting on progress made in each outcome every quarter and this will enable the assessment of progress by everyone. We have no doubt that the executive we have put together will be able to deliver on the goals of the NDP and in particular the specific issues raised in the question.