/ MEDIA STATEMENT / The content on this page is not written by Polity.org.za, but is supplied by third parties. This content does not constitute news reporting by Polity.org.za.

A joint meeting of the Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure, and the Select Committee on Transport, Public Service and Administration, Public Works and Infrastructure has strongly objected to the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure’s releasing of information on the Independent Development Trust’s (IDT’s) exit strategy in the media before informing the committees that she was dissolving the entity.
 
The committees were scheduled to receive a briefing on the strategic plans and annual performance plans of the IDT today. However, they were informed that those had been withdrawn due to the fact there is an exit strategy in place for the dissolution of the Trust. Another concern is that the committees have not seen this exit strategy and therefore have no idea what is contained in it. The committees are not treating the withdrawal of the IDT’s planning documents as the end of the process, but rather as the beginning. The committees will still consider whether this suggested exit strategy is the best solution for a department that should drive social infrastructure development.
 
The committees have also requested the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure to look carefully at the issue of the IDT Board. There have been concerns raised about the current board which only consists of three members, and the legal standing of the decisions they are making. The Interim Board Chair confirmed to the committee today that the Minister and the department knew of the board vacancies and that no appointments were made to ensure that the governance structure remained in place.
 
The challenges experienced by the IDT, which have led to the current situation, also expose the weak monitoring and evaluation controls in the department. The committees have emphasised that the Minister needs a stronger monitoring and evaluation unit in her office that can timeously alert her of challenges in the governance structures of the Public Works and Infrastructure entities, as well as problems in her department. The committees have also requested a comprehensive report on consequence management to deal with irregular expenditure, and possible malpractice in the IDT, to be submitted to the committees by next week.
 
The committees also received a briefing from Agrément SA (ASA) today. The committees encouraged ASA to inform stakeholders and the public about its innovative fit-for-purpose building materials and systems. The systems and building products that ASA develops could result in speeding up the completion of high-quality, environmentally friendly houses, and social infrastructure amenities such as clinics, hospitals, police stations, and courts. Given the objectives of the National Development Plan (NDP), and Vision 2030, ASA therefore has a crucial role to play in the public works and infrastructure sector.
 
The committees made it clear that without sister departments such as the Department of Human Settlements and Sanitation services, and municipalities using these products, ASA would be operating in a vacuum.  The committees believe that ASA must make its products and services to the public works and infrastructure sector known, and government departments at all levels must start using its certification services and products to reach the objectives of the NDP and Vision 2030.

issued by The Chairperson of The Portfolio Committee on Public Works And Infrastructure, Nolitha Ntombongwana And The Chairperson of The Select Committee on Transport, Public Service And Administration, Public Works And Infrastructure, Kenneth Mmoiemang