Budget Vote of the Office of the Premier delivered by the Honourable Mr Edward Senzo Mchunu, Premier of the province of KwaZulu-Natal
Chairperson Speaker
Deputy Speaker
Members of the Provincial Legislature
Mayors and Councillors of Local Government
Director-General and Heads of Departments
Chief Financial Officer
Excellencies, Members of the Diplomatic Corps
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
"Africa is for the Africans and the rest is for the guests. We must organise ourselves into a mighty nation. Let us write and work in this second half of the century and stop crying for the white man. Whites talk about white civilisation; we have a black civilisation too. We are fighting against nobody but simply stretching a point for what is ours."
Said Robert M Resha on 5 February 1950 in Johannesburg.
We have since evolved as a nation in the making, comprising of many national groups and cultures. We have to see ourselves through all our turbulence and succeed a nation. It is possible.
The Office of The Premier (OTP) has undergone a restructuring process to align its organisational structure in line with the delivery objectives under the current Medium Term Strategic Framework (MTSF). In this regard we have created four branches, namely: Executive Support and Stakeholder Management, Institutional Development and Integrity Management, Strategic Management and Corporate Management.
If you were to lock at the organisational structure against what we are presenting here today there is a disjuncture. However, it must be stated that this organisational structure Is not aligned to the budget structure as the budget structure Is a generic structure prescribed by National Treasury. For the purposes of this budget presentation we will follow the generic structure.
In our state of the province Address 2015, we outlined key programmes for the administration, as we consolidate the gains that we have made as a province, and committed to move with speed in the delivery of services towards 2020 and beyond. In the process, we set the tone for the first year of the second five year term of the National Development Plan (NDP) and the KwaZulu-Natal Growth and Development Plan (PGDP).To give practical meaning to our interventions, we have put together our annual performance plan (APP) within the context of the new 2015-2020 Strategic Plan for the Office of the Premier.
With the 2015-2020 Strategic Plan for the Office of the Premier aligned to the 2014 - 2019 Medium Term Strategic Framework (MTSF) and the 2015 to 2020 period and targets expressed in the PGDP, this APP sets out what it is that we, as the Office of the Premier have to achieve by March 2016 to remain on track towards ensuring that KwaZulu-Natal will be a prosperous province, with a healthy, skilled and secure population, acting as a gateway between Africa and the world.
We acknowledge that as the centre of governance and leadership in the province, the Office of the Premier has a key responsibility to unite and facilitate synergy between the activities and interventions of government, business, labour and civil society to ensure a concerted and cohesive drive towards our KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Vision 2030. We also recognise that it is not possible for government to do this without the dedication and full commitment of its non-governmental development partners. As the Office of the Premier we will therefore have to ensure that Provincial Government is coordinated, aligned and integrated and is providing sound governance and leadership with a firm focus on poverty eradication, community empowerment and radical economic transformation.
The most immediate priorities we commit to pursue in this financial year will be to address the energy crisis which is currently threatening our drive towards radical socio-economic transformation. We will enhance the full agriculture value chain, moderate workplace conflict, focus on local beneficiation, crowding in private sector investment, unlocking the potential of small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) and cooperatives, as well as focus on consolidating ICT through the Telecommunications Sector and the rollout of broadband.
While implementing the programmes of government, it is imperative to build the required skills and capacity, as well as to facilitate further transformation to ensure that the public service in the province is inclusive and representative of all racial groups, youth, people with disabilities and women. It is also vital to enhance measures for the government to be more accountable and responsive to the needs of the people.
There is a need to understand the implications of policy choices and their social impact on communities in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. It is equally important for the Office of the Premier to be involved in the formulation of economic policy and supporting the private sector to grow the economy of the province, emphasizing principles of shared growth and entrepreneurial development to lead the charge against poverty, to create jobs and to reduce inequality.
The Office of the Premier is committed to providing leadership to strengthen intergovernmental relations and to promote co-operative governance between all spheres of government, whilst recognising the important role of traditional leadership in this province. In this regard, our annual performance plan that informs this budget vote, is also the first to fully incorporate the support to be rendered to the Monarch of KwaZulu-Natal and his Royal Household, as well as some strategic management functions transferred from Provincial Treasury.
In our planning, we recognise the need to strengthen linkages between the urban and rural areas of our province to ensure that we make full use of the full potential of our province and we are able to respond positively to the aspirations of both our urban and rural populations. We equally understand the environmental constraints we face and the need to ensure that our plans are sustainable and responsible to secure a healthy environment for the next generation.
We have aligned our Budget as well as our Human Resource Plan and Organisational Structure to achieve the projected outcomes for this year and we are ready, willing and able to lead by example as we embark on this journey.
Programmes
The programme structure of the Office of the Premier is:
- Administration
- Institutional Development
- Policy and Governance
The total budget for the Office of the Premier for the 2015/16 financial year is R 743,213 million. We will now give an overview of the programme structure and thereafter discuss each programme.
Programme 1: Administration (R120,137 million)
The purpose of this Programme is to provide administrative support to the Premier, Executive Council (Cabinet) and the Director-General in fulfilling their executive functions and promoting co-operative governance and ensuring sound financial management support and advisory services within the Office of the Premier. There are four Sub-Programmes supporting this programme, namely Premier Support, Executive Council Support, Director-General Support and Financial Management.
The Premier Support Sub-Programme has been allocated a budget of R 36,316 million to provide technical, administrative and advisory support to the Premier in executing his constitutional mandate.
The Executive Council Support Sub-Programme has been allocated a budget of R 7,590 million to render secretariat support services to the Executive Council, Cabinet lzindaba, Clusters and key provincial committees.
The Director-General Support Sub-Programme has been allocated a budget of R 14,490 million to provide administrative support to the Director-General in strategically managing the province.
The Financial Management Sub-Programme has been allocated a budget of R 61,741 million to provide sound financial management support and advisory services for the entire department.
Also included in this Sub-Programme is the funding for the Ntambanana Project which is a carryover from the 2014/2015 budget allocation, these funds will be used for the provision of piped water, proper roads and other community projects.
Programme 2: Institutional Development (R297,448 million)
The purpose of this programme is to improve service delivery through institutional capacity building and transformation management in the province.
This Programme comprises of the following Sub-Programmes: Strategic Human Resources, Legal Services, Information Communications Technology, Communication Services, Special Programmes and Intergovernmental Relations.
Sub-Programme: Strategic Human Resources (R103,969 million)
This Sub-Programme's functions is to co-ordinate and monitor the customisation, development and implementation of human resources policies, systems, programmes and plans for the province. The Sub-Programme will ensure that a holistic and integrated approach is implanted in dealing with issues of health and wellness through roadshows, workshops and one on one sessions with employees. Wellness of employees has a large bearing on productivity in the workplace. The mandate of the Employee Health and Wellness is derived mainly from the National Employee Health and Wellness Strategic Framework for the Public Service which was released by the Department of Public Service and Administration.
The state of health and wellbeing of government employees directly affects service delivery. For the state to deliver on its promises it requires healthy and productive employees. The Office of the Premier is working with other departments and the health risk manager to reduce the current high rate of absenteeism due to ill health. The statistics show that the high rate of absenteeism due to ill health is due to the diseases of lifestyle and physical inactivity. The healthy lifestyle will be promoted through the implementation of a draft provincial policy on promoting physical exercises, sport, recreation and relaxation activities in the workplace.
As part of the strategy to reduce the rate of indebtedness, financial literacy summits will be coordinated in all districts. Summits targeting employees who are at risk (such as senior managers, finance and supply chain management practitioners) will be prioritised in order to prevent the cases of fraud and corruption. Key partners include the Provincial Treasury, National Credit Regulator, Justice College, Consumer protection - Department of Economic Development.
The centralised bursary programme now has a total of 583 beneficiaries. The function was transferred to the Youth Chief Directorate with effect from November 2014. The intake for 2015 of 266 students was successfully completed.
The roll out of the Academy's training programmes has continued based on the needs of the Departments and capacity of the Academy. As at the 11 March 2014 a total of 5595 public servants had been trained. Existing training programmes have been reviewed and updated. We are working closely with the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme), based on the memorandum sighed by the Premier, on the development of training material. We hosted a high level Delegation of UNDP experts who sourced information in interactive sessions on governance, fraud and corruption, monitoring and evaluation and results based management from subject matter experts and practitioners. The information will be used to inform the content of the material and approach to training.
The Adult Education and Training (AET) Unit supported Departments through capacity building workshops, the AET forum and learner support material. The literacy celebration which benefitted 3000 learners, community members, educators and schools was held on 18 September 2014 in Mkuze. Computer training continued both at the Academy and in departments. Tradesman aids in Departments have been identified to be trained as artisans.
The Academy continues to coordinate the training of community care givers (CCGs). Donor funding for the training to be rolled out in all districts was sourced successfully. A total of 4 947 community care givers have been trained in 7 districts. The Academy received the Public Service Trainers Forum Award for Excellence in Training Design and Development for the CCG Material it had developed.
Sub-Programme: Information Communication Technology (ICT) (R 611367 million)
The Sub-Programme was established to co-ordinate Provincial Government Information and Communication Technology in the province as well as manage Information Technology in the Office of the Premier. The Information Technology Sub-Programme derives its mandate from the Public Service Act and Regulations. All ICT goods and services are procured via SITA in terms of the SITA Act and Regulations.
The Sub-Programme has conducted an analysis of ICT Governance within the province and will be assisting departments with policies and frameworks to improve ICT Governance. The Office of the Premier will continuously monitor and assist departments to implement the National Governance ICT framework and policies. The Office of the Premier has implemented phase 1 of the ICT upgrade for the Cabinet Boardroom. The technology implemented is a state of the art tele-presence system and the first in the country for Government.
All ICT equipment installed will enable more efficient and effective ways to conduct business in the organisation and for Cabinet members. The thinking behind implementation of video conferencing, tele-presence and applications such as Microsoft Lyne systems from the "do more with less concept". IT systems such as the unified communication and such implemented technology is enabled to cut down travel costs. People can attend meetings via video conference as opposed to traveling several hundred kilometres to attend a meeting. The Office of the Premier has implemented Microsoft Lyne within the organisation and this technology lays the foundation for future plans of collaborating communications in the province.
The IT strategy is geared towards enabling better, efficient and cost effective solutions for service delivery. A key initiative for this unit is to drive down costs using technology. OTP, SITA and the private sector are engaging to set a roadmap and strategy to implement a unified communication network for the province. This will be an ongoing project and requires buy in from all provincial and local government.
Included in this Sub-Programme is the Office Support and Auxiliary Services which is responsible for the management of the departmental fleet, facilities and records management.
Sub-Programme: Legal Services (R11,860 million)
The province of KwaZulu-Natal currently follows a decentralised model in respect of the provision of legal services.
In fulfilling its transversal role State Law Advisory Services must ensure that legislation promoted by the respective Provincial Departments for introduction in the Provincial Legislature complies with the Constitution, the current legal and policy framework of the Provincial Government as well as Parliamentary precepts and format. To this end, State Law Advisors attached to the Chief Directorate: State Law Advisory Services in the Office of the Premier are responsible for legally editing and certifying all legislation (Bills) emanating from all provincial Departments for submission to the Executive Council (Cabinet) and the Provincial Legislature. The State Law Advisors also legally edit and certify other provincial legislation such as Proclamations and Regulations.
Co-ordination and facilitation of Legislative Drafting Training (postgraduate Certificate in Legislative Drafting) in partnership with the University of Johannesburg, successful Legislative Drafting Certificate Courses were, since 2003, facilitated for the benefit of public sector lawyers attached to the various Provincial Departments. Most public sector lawyers in the province have participated in the training which is expected to result in improved skill and proficiency in legislative drafting both within the Office of the Premier and other Provincial Departments.
Given the decentralised system of legal services in the administration of the Provincial Government, we are also are working on an Electronic Legislation and Litigation Management System (ELLMS) which will assist in obtaining up to date information in respect of legislation and litigation and critical information in respect of the implementation of the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) and the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act (PAJA) in the province.
The new Electronic Legislation and Litigation Management System will integrate fully with the Provincial Nerve Centre and authorised users will be able to access the system and draw reports from the database which will, amongst others, incorporate detailed information on the status of litigation in the province, including costs, trends and briefing patterns.
State Law Advisory Services is intent on playing a meaningful role in establishing the legislative framework for public service delivery, good governance and administration in KZN.
Sub-Programme: Communication Services (R50,767 million)
The Provincial Government Communication's mandate is to provide a coordinated Government Communication Service within the province of KwaZulu-Natal, informed by the Strategic Framework for Communication for 2009-2014 and endorsed by the National Cabinet Lekgotla in May 2009. It has also been tasked with improving and sustaining a positive Provincial Government image as well as implementing the Provincial Government Communication Strategy. This will translate to well-coordinated provincial government communication, which is centred on "One Government, One Message” principle. Provincial Government Communications has two major priorities which are development communications and corporate communications.
Our development communications efforts will be driven through traditional forms of engagement like SIMAMA KZN, which is an official provincial government newspaper to communicate government programmes and news material on behalf of all the provincial government departments. Under development communications, we will continue to strengthen community radio through partnership with Vukusimame radio project. This is provincial It is a current affairs programme which broadcast in over 13 community radio stations of KwaZulu-Natal. This programme makes it possible for the Provincial Government to communicate directly with its citizens on service delivery initiatives every Monday. In the long run this programme will eliminate distortions that normally occur in the media about the good work the Provincial Government is doing.
We will also implement innovative communication interventions including launching a KwaZuluNatal Application that outlines all government services. We will also intensify the use of social media. Under our corporate communications, we will intensify our efforts of profiling provincial government and its programmes to showcase government achievements and initiatives on key priority programmes. This will involve proactive engagement with media and other strategic sectors of society in order to position KwaZulu-Natal as a preferred destination for tourism, investment and trade.
Our Communication and Marketing Strategy sets out a two-tiered approach to communication: namely, planned campaigns will run at various times during the set period to promote and market specific services, programs, activities and events; and ongoing media activity underpinned by campaigns with ongoing delivery of key messages to all target audiences. Through communicating ongoing key messages in a positive way, the Premier and Provincial Government will build awareness, stronger links, trust and value perceptions with the public.
Sub-Programme: Special Programmes (R51,727 million)
The Democracy Support Services has developed a 365 Days of Action Strategic Plan on No Violence Against Women and Children in partnership with the Provincial Gender Machinery which aims at giving effect to our collective commitment to the eradication of Gender Based violence. The Strategic Plan has been endorsed by the Gender Based Violence Lab held in December and the KZN Cabinet. As part of the implementation of the Plan the Office of the Premier will roll out the Anti-Rape Campaign to combat the systemic violence against women, rape in particular and to change community attitudes to violence against women such as attitudes of entitlement to sex and victim blaming and to break the silence.
We condemn acts of sexual violence and abuse in any form, of great concern is incidences like the one we encountered at Nkundusi directed at elderly members of our society where allegedly an elderly woman had been repeatedly raped by a family member. Thankfully members of the community and police acted with speed when this incident was brought to their attention. To this end the Office of The Premier will continue to vigorously support campaigns to end this kind of scourge in our society.
The Campaign will be led by the provincial and national First Ladies and Ondlunkulu Besilo. As part of ensuring that most vulnerable are taken care of, there will be a widows Summit in April 2015 to focus amongst other things, the interaction of the National Inheritance Laws and Administration of Estates Act 66 of 1965 in the everyday lives of KwaZulu-Natal women who have been widowed. Property ownership is fundamental to women's economic survival, empowerment, and liberation from abusive relationships. Yet many widows especially those whose husbands were in debt lose their rights to own, inherit, and manage property following their liability to the spouses which has, in many cases, forced them to pay backdated tax bills that pushed them into poverty.
The Office on the Status of Persons with Disabilities in partnership with the Department of Social Development and the Disability Sector will host the Provincial Disability Summit with aim of tabling a draft Provincial Strategy that has been developed through the consultation process with all district municipalities. The strategy will help enhance the coordinating of the mainstreaming of the rights of people with disabilities into government programmes.
To strengthen institutional capacity at a ward level, the Democracy Support Services will capacitate ward committee members who are dealing with of Gender, Disability, Children and Senior Citizens (GDCSC) to strengthen their knowledge in monitoring the human rights of the vulnerable groups in their respective wards and to ensure that GDCSC issues are mainstreamed in war rooms. The programme also continue to capacitate government community workers such as health workers and SASSA door-to-door volunteers.
The Office on the Rights of Senior Citizens will be rolling out the Centenarian Programme where senior citizens I octogenarians who are 100 years and above are honoured throughout the province as part of government ongoing programme to address the unique circumstances and special needs of senior citizens. The programme aims to render tokens of appreciation for the contribution and sacrifices senior citizens have made in building the nation. It further focuses on appreciating and encouraging healthy living and positive life styles and it further empower senior citizens to continue to live meaningfully and constructively in a society that recognises them as important source of wisdom and expertise.
The Integrity Management Unit continues to make strides towards reducing incidents of fraud, corruption and maladministration in the provincial administration.
The provincial anti-fraud and anti-corruption strategy has been reviewed and consultations with provincial stakeholders was conducted. The draft strategy will soon undergo further consultation and approval processes. The media launch for the "I Do Right Even When Nobody is Watching" Campaign has been rolled out. The date and venue for the launch has also been confirmed.
Plans are already underway to host the 2nd Integrity Leadership Conference late in April 2015. We also plan to mark the International Anti-Corruption Day on the 9th of December 2015. The Integrity Management Unit will continue to convene various stakeholders' forums in the antifraud and anti-corruption drive including the one that involves law enforcement agencies and Provincial Treasury. The call centre is now operational and plans are underway to rebrand the centre. We have a draft policy on complaints management and are working on completing a turnaround strategy on the resolution of complaints on service delivery.
The Unit will continue facilitating the Roadshows to create awareness of the existence of the anti-corruption and complaints management (toll free number 0800 596 596) with the aim of enhancing the trust and confidence the citizens of this province have in the Government.
Sub-Programme: Inter-Governmental Relations (R17,758 million)
One of the mandates of the Office of the Premier is to coordinate intra and inter-governmental relations. This is so as to give effect to the imperatives of the Constitution of our country which enjoins the three spheres of government to work together in a coordinated fashion. The importance of coordination cannot be over-emphasised and is necessary for us to improve service delivery and ensure a better life for the citizens of our province.
In this regard, a lot of working has been put into strengthening the intergovernmental relations in the province. This includes the establishment of a Provincial Inter-Governmental Relations Forum, which is now fully functional. The province is also strengthening relations with other provinces. In this regard, we are already working closely with the Mpumalanga province with a view to establishing an Inter-Provincial Forum that will discuss matters of common interest such as (i) enhancing cooperation on the promotion of trade and production of commodities (ii) conservation and tourism (iii) sharing of best practice, amongst other things. Furthermore, a draft IGR strategy has been developed which will form the basis for a discussions at the provincial IGR Workshop to be held in due course. We are also working closely with other sister departments, in advancing the priorities of government in relation to the municipalities, particularly the "Back to Basics" programme, Operation Sukuma Sakhe, etc.
On the international relations front, we will continue to identify and maximise opportunities presented by the twinning agreements that we have with other provinces abroad with an emphasis on promoting the socio-economic development of KwaZulu-Natal. We will also focus on the strengthening of economic diplomacy for the promotion of trade, investment and tourism potential, our priority being BRICS member countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) as well as Africa and the member states of the South African Development Community (SADC).
Through the provincial international relations strategy which is being developed, we seek to coordinate and work closely with relevant stakeholders to pursue the province's interests and to coordinate marketing and branding in relation to KwaZulu-Natal abroad.
The challenge to achieve more effective coordination between the three spheres of government. The solution to this is the development of an IGR Strategy to strengthen this coordination, as well as the strengthening of the IGR structures.
Coordination in relation to the participation of provincial departments and the municipalities in the international arena. The solution to this is the development of an International Relations strategy to foster this coordination.
Programme 3: Policy and Governance (R325,629 million)
The purpose of this Programme is to initiate and coordinate provincial-wide strategic and development planning, implementation as well as monitoring and evaluation of strategies and policies to achieve coordinated and sustainable provincial growth and development.
There are four Sub-Programmes supporting this programme, namely, Provincial Policy Management, Premier's Priority Programmes, Royal Household and Heritage.
Sub-Programme: Provincial Policy Management (R67,460 million)
The purpose of this Sub-Programme is to coordinate provincial strategic management by initiating, supporting and coordinating provincial policy development, research and strategic planning, as well as the monitoring and evaluation of national and provincial programmes, policies and plans to ensure improved service delivery and sustainable provincial growth and development.
The Strategic Management Branch within this Sub-Programme has been redefined to position the Department more effectively in leading strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation, in the province. The Provincial Strategic Planning function and support to the Provincial Planning Commission in managing the refinement and overseeing the implementation of the PGDP has also been strengthened and is now fully internalised in the Department.
The process of transferring the function of coordinating, assessing and guiding the Strategic Plans, Annual Performance Plans, Service Delivery Improvement Plans, as well as the quarterly performance reporting of all Provincial Departments and Public Entities, commenced in the 2014/15 year and will continue to be phased in in partnership with the Provincial Treasury. This has significantly strengthened the ability of the Office of the Premier to ensure that Departmental plans are fully aligned with the PGDP and that the monitoring, evaluation and reporting is better integrated to analyse impact.
In the previous financial year, the Branch worked with Departments to develop a register of different policy and strategic instruments in the Departments and commenced with the verification of the alignment of these tools to key government policies and plans. This work will continue in the new financial year. The Department will be working closely with all Provincial Departments and Public Entities to assist with policy reviews, whilst also building capacity.
As was indicated in SOPA, the next Citizen Satisfaction Survey will be undertaken in the current financial year. This survey will provide a sense of the level of satisfaction of our citizens with government services in the province and will guide service delivery improvement strategies. Work has been ongoing with government departments and the research coordination forum to refine the questionnaires to assist government to streamline surveys of this nature and to reduce duplication and costs.
The Department is committed to the National Development Plan, Medium Term Strategic Framework and Provincial Growth and Development Plan. The Provincial Planning Commission and PGDP Action Workgroups have played a critical role in ensuring an appropriately updated PGDP on an annual basis. The PGDP has been aligned to the 14 Outcomes of the MTSF. The situational analysis that informed the development of the Provincial Growth and Development Strategy and Plan, will be reviewed to ensure relevance and appropriate interventions moving forward. A risk assessment has also been undertaken in partnership with the Provincial Treasury to identify key risks that would impact on achieving Vision 2030.
18 Action Workgroups have been established and membership has been extended to nongovernmental organisations to improve engagement. The Action Workgroups have been recognized as an invaluable tool in supporting integration, coordination and targeted service delivery against the PGDP. The need has, however, been identified to ensure ongoing support to conveners and members and to monitor the functionality of these workgroups.
The Monitoring and Evaluation unit has been strengthened to ensure effective assessment of the implementation of National and Provincial Programmes, quarterly performance reporting of provincial departments, coordinating the application of the Monitoring of Performance Assessment Tool (MPAT) in all Departments, as well as strengthening the monitoring and evaluation of service delivery improvement, including the extent to which Batho Pele principle are being complied with in the province.
Governance and policy issues remain identified as key priorities in both the National Development Plan (NOP) and Provincial Growth and Development Plan. There is still growing discontent with poor governance factors giving rise to poor service delivery in all spheres of government. It is for this reason that there will be an increased focus on supporting departments with governance issues and to improve service delivery capacity in government.
The Premiers Service Excellence awards give recognition and serves as motivation to public servants and provincial departments to improve service delivery in the province. The date for the 2015 Provincial Service Excellence Awards will be announced in due course.
The Provincial Nerve Centre has been re-established as a central data collection point. The 14 MTSF Outcomes, 7 Goals and 30 Strategic Objectives of the PGDP have now been automated in the Nerve Centre and progress reports will be published on the Web. Moving forward into the 2015/16 financial year more emphasis will be put on strengthening the geographic information system to support government planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting on priority programmes such as the Poverty Eradication Master Plan and Operation Sukuma Sakhe.
The Department, through the involvement of this Branch and with the support of the Provincial Planning Commission has also been instrumental in facilitating and coordinating key strategic interventions. These include amongst others the facilitation of engagements on expanding the energy mix and opportunities for the generation of new renewable energy in our province to address our current energy challenges and to grow the green economy. This was done in close collaboration with the Provincial Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs.
The Office of the Premier has also been instrumental in pursuing the development Agri-Villages and the first villages are being designed in Emadlangeni. This process involves the coordination of inputs from all Provincial Departments and a range of National Department, the relevant municipalities, as well as non-governmental development partners and traditional leadership. The intention of this approach, as is also being applied in the Dukuduku and Ndumu projects, are aimed at developing a best practice of improved integration and coordination within a particular geographic area. This gives content and context to the core function of the Office of the Premier as being the Centre of Governance in KZN.
Sub-Programme: Premier's Priority Programmes {R130,925 million)
One of the most significant new developments within this Sub-Programme, and for that matter in the Office of the Premier in the new financial year, is the implementation of the recently adopted Poverty Eradication Master Plan. This Master Plan was developed through an intensive process which followed the Operation Phakisa model.
The institutional arrangements for the implementation of this Master Plan has been incorporated into this Sub-Programme and has been designed to align fully with the processes and structures established to manage the refinement and implementation of the PGDP. This is achieved through the establishment of a Poverty Eradication Operations Centre within the Office of the Premier. This Operations Centre is resourced by fulltime Centre Manager and dedicated specialist resources provided for on the organisational structure of the Office of the Premier, as well as through the assignment of part time departmental specialists, as well as the conveners of the PGDP Action Work Groups.
This approach brings about a situation which substantially improves linkages and alignment between planning, implementation as well as the monitoring and implementation of impact. This approach further builds on the capacity already established through Operation Sukuma Sakhe at district, local and ward level. We therefore now have the ability to translate and implement strategic plans within all spheres of government to programmes and projects aimed at the eradication of poverty through the OSS structures in the province.
In this manner we can target the approximately 3 million citizens of this province who are living below the upper bound poverty line in a structured approach. Guided by the targets we have already set in the PGDP and Poverty Eradication Master Plan, we can now incrementally and deliberately work on eradicating poverty from the face of our province.
Operation Sukuma Sakhe (OSS) was endorsed as the best practice model for service delivery by the Deputy President in January 2014 in a ceremony with the Minister of Health, the Premier. A best practice publication on OSS was unveiled. OSS also won the Health Innovators Review Award in 2014. In 2014/15, the OTP hosted Gauteng, Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, Free State, Limpopo, DPSA, and the Presidency on a benchmarking study tour on OSS. In November 2014, OSS was a finalist in the DPSA Batho Pele Best Implemented Programme Awards.
The priorities and focus will include capacity building for war-room stakeholders by strengthening field worker teams and committees and improving war-room functionality to be fully functional. With regard to the selection of war-rooms to be resourced, focus will be on war-rooms that are in the most deprived wards as per the 2011 Census, to allow the department to address extreme poverty and the burden of disease at household and community level.
Included in this Sub-Programme is Youth Development which includes the co-ordination for the creation of job opportunities and develop strategies aimed at curbing social ills amongst the youth. This unit facilitates Youth Skills Development Projects as well as provides technical support to the Provincial Youth Development Council. Also included in this Sub Programme is the management of the Premiers Veterans Support Services and the co-ordination and facilitation of a comprehensive, integrated provincial response on HIV and Aids.
Sub-Programme: King Support and Royal Household (R57,604 million)
The Sub-Programme: Royal Household which was created as a result of Proclamation 83 that was gazetted on 12 December 2014, Vote 10: Department of the Royal Household was dissolved resulting in the Department being incorporated within the Office of the Premier. The public entity, Royal Household Trust (RHT) received a transfer from the former Department of the Royal Household, and this will also be transferred to the Office of the Premier with effect from 1 April 2015. The support provided in 2014/15 was to enable the Royal Household Trust to render administrative support pertaining to the activities of His Majesty, the activities of the Queens and other members of the Royal Household and the administration and payment of the Queens' remuneration (salaries, allowances and benefits).The Royal Household Trust is also responsible for the administration and management of Royal palaces and Royal farms, as well as the administration and management of the payment of remuneration, allowances and subsistence and travel expenses and claims of Trustees and staff. It is anticipated that the staff transfer will be finalised during the course of the 2015/16 financial year. Once the staff transfer has been finalised, there will be a small staff complement responsible for rendering administrative support services relating to His Majesty, the King and the Royal Household Trust.
The Office of the Premier, which will now assume responsibility as the parent department of the Royal Household Trust, will give support to the Royal Household Trust and funds will be transferred accordingly. These funds include the remuneration of staff, Board members, and the Queens' expenses. The upkeep of the Royal palaces is the responsibility of the Royal Household Trust. In addition, the Royal Household Trust provides for other costs such as tuition fees, transportation and medical expenses for the Royal Family, as well as the Royal farming activities.
Sub-Programme: Heritage (R69,640 million)
The OTP continued its efforts to co-ordinate the transformation and management of the heritage resources in the province. A few notable achievements include ten heritage events were organised to profile previously marginalised heritage resources such as the unveiling of the tombstone on the grave of King Shaka's Prime Minister, Ngomane Mdletshe. With regard to the Heroes' Acre and lsandlwana Museum projects, the architectural designs are in place and the department is lobbying for funding from the national Lottery and the National Department of Arts and Culture for both of these projects.
It is envisaged that Amafa which is the public entity reporting to the Heritage unit will be amalgamated within the Office of the Premier. The department will, among others, seek to strengthen the District Heritage Forum structures in the province and continue with its phased approach in terms of their establishment. A pilot project, consisting of several District Heritage Forums, is already in place. The department will also continue with the identification, profiling and preservation of critical tangible and living heritage resources.
Revenue
It is noted that the revenue collected has decreased substantially as the bulk of the revenue collected by the Office of the Premier was mainly in respect of Tax receipts, which consists of Casino taxes and Horse racing taxes, and this revenue is now reflected against Vote 6: Provincial Treasury as a result of the function shift during the 2014/15 financial year.
Included in revenue is parking fees, as well as fees for tender documents. Also included is interest on staff debts.
The department is very conservative in terms of budgeting over the MTEF for the sale of capital assets. This is due to the difficulty of anticipating revenue from this category as it depends on the age of the department's assets, as well as price attained at the auction.
Conclusion
We are acutely aware of the challenges ahead. A range of issues will continue to engulf our province and country, which is a result of evolution of our society. We are nonetheless focused on the task at hand and on coordinating an effective delivery of government services. We are determined to lead the process of growing our economy so that it fundamentally improve the lives of the people.
May I take this opportunity to thank my colleagues in the Executive Council, the Director-General, Mr NVE Ngidi and the staff of the Office of the Premier for their commitment and dedication. I also wish to thank my family for supporting me all the time as I go about my duties. With peace, democracy and development having been achieved, KwaZulu-Natal can now only grow further, economically and socially, to achieve a better life for all.
I now formally wish to table Vote 1 with a budget of R743, 213 million before the Legislature.
