Modern, Growing, Successful Province

Budget Speech of the MEC of Roads and Public Works Honourable Dawid Rooi

Honourable Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Northern Cape Provincial Legislature
The Honourable Premier of this great Province Mme Hazel Jenkins in absentia; we love you and wish you a speedy recovery, and we pray to the almighty to grant you strength together with your family and the people of the province.

jordan Release Dates


Acting Premier Hounarable Mme Grizelda Cjiekella
Members of the Executive Council
Members of the Provincial Legislature
Our esteemed District and Municipal Mayors
Our Traditional Leaders and Dikgosi
The people of the Northern Cape
Distinguished guest
Members of the media
Ladies and Gentlemen
Fellow South Africans
Comrades and friends
Ndiyanibulisa nonke


Molweni, dumelang, goeie more, good morning.

We gathered here today, as you would know, in the year when the African National Congress (ANC) celebrates 100 years of the existence of a selfless struggle by the people of this country against an oppressive and evil system of apartheid that was meant to destroy a sector of our people and reduce them to the status of sub-humans and mere tools of work and slaves for those who falsely assumed the status of being superior than others based on the colour of their skin.
It is this false believe of superiority by one over another that prompt the beginning of the struggle against an evil system that saw many heroes and heroines of our liberation struggle paying with their blood and lives for the emancipation and liberation of South Africans and blacks in general.
We gathered here today liberated, because of those who chanted the way before us continuously displayed against all odds, the untiring zeal to liberate the human race from oppressive tendencies perpetuated by one against the other. I want to remind this house that the generations before us, paid with their blood and life for the freedom that you and I enjoy today.
The freedom that these selfless martyrs’ of our liberation struggle attained, but some never tasted, will be meaningless if the majority of our people are still exposed to social illness such as poverty, unemployment and economic oppression.
In his inaugural address to the nation President Mandela said and I quote, “Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by the other.”
This was an assuring voice not only to the people of this country but also to the people of the universe, that South Africa will never be the same again. It is therefore befitting Honourable Speaker to remind this house and those who have the privilege to lead our people not to forget that we are charged with the responsibility to eliminate any tendencies from within all sectors of our society that will reverse the gains of our democracy and the efforts to create a society free from poverty, unemployment and economic oppression.
In the same vain, we are to ensure that the people of South Africa and this province are graduating from being unskilled job seekers to skilled job creators and entrepreneurs, and have the ability for self-economic sustenance.
Indeed Honourable Speaker, we are free politically, from a repressive system of apartheid. As we build on the legacy of the fathers of our liberation movement, we need to be cognisance of the plight of the people of the country and this province.
Agbare lede van die Huis, ons het nodig om te verseker dat sukkelende gemeenskappe bevry word van armoede; anders was ons stryd teen die apartheidstelsel tevergeefs.
This province is a province with great mineral resources and riches that, if these mineral resources, do not benefit the people of this province and country, we would have failed in our endeavours’ to create a better life for all. I am very passionate about the development and the empowerment of our people in all spheres of life, to enable them to fulfil their economic and socio-economic needs. To enable them to play an important part in the economy of the province and country so that they are able to contribute meaningfully to the GDP of the country, to improve their life expectancy and literacy levels and skills levels.
Ladies and gentlemen our task as leaders and representatives of the constituencies we represent here today is to ensure that, we lift our people from poverty, hunger and unemployment and to create a platform to enable them to be the masters of their own economic destinies.
The ANC led government, has put in place policies aimed at discarding unfair discrimination in all socio economic aspects of life and the promotion of access to opportunities and resources for the people of this country with the aim to restore the dignity our people and for them to participate fully in a civil society without fear of hunger, poverty and unemployment.
It is disturbing to observe Honourable Speaker that there are still private sector organisations who are partners with government that have not changed their organisational policies and business practices to complement the policies of government and also the endeavours of the ANC in creating a better life for all.
I am saying this because, the Department of Roads and Public Works relies mainly on private sector organisations to build government driven infrastructure such as, public roads and state buildings to ensure for proper service delivery.
However, my observation is that some of the private companies that we contract continue to exploit our people by creating barriers to new entry, resulting in our people to be providers of labour only. For example, emerging contractors subcontracted by the main contractor do the excellent work of building a road on the ground, but do not benefit the full economic output of their work because of afore-mentioned exploitation tendencies.
It is also my observation Honourable Speaker that the requirements for qualification for the cidb-grading system are not assisting to transform the construction industry. For example, before a contractor can ascend to a higher grading the requirement is that, the contractor must have certain cashflow in the bank or the balance sheet of the contractor should prove to have assets equivalent to millions of rands. The question now, arise: ‘How would a black emerging contractor from Garies, Paballelo, Nonzwakazi, Galeshewe or elsewhere in the rural places of our province pass this hurdle in order to be upgraded? This explains the high concentration of cidb-grade 1’s and no grades 8’s and 9’s in the province.
This therefore calls for rigorous shift in how we conduct business to ensure that these barriers to new entry are eliminated. Deliberate intervention programmes and direct targeting procurement processes will have to be implemented unapologetically so. This must be done, to ensure that young aspirants and new emerging entrepreneurs are given the advantage to compete equally in the construction industry.
In his state of the nation address President Jacob Zuma indicated the focus on infrastructure development in South Africa. The Provincial Department of Roads and Public Works need to ensure that this infrastructure development in the province is driven, with the understanding of people empowerment through various departmental programmes such as, emerging contractor development programmes, EPWP and labour intensive programmes that will in the main benefit emerging contractors and the people of the province.
It is therefore befitting, to outline the plans and programmes of the Department of Roads and Public Works as a measure to achieve the dream of a better life for all as indicative also, of the vision for this country as outlined in the Freedom Charter, the Bill of Rights and the Constitution of the Republic.

Honourable Speaker, as custodian of all immovable assets the mandate of the Department of Roads and Public Works are to maintain and construct public infrastructure relating to road infrastructure and state buildings. I stand before you to come and account for the past financial year 2011/12 and getting a fresh mandate for the financial year 2012/13.

The department and I pledge to continue building on our achievements since I took office in 2009. We will intensify our efforts to improve and speed up our pace of delivery and we will continue to design and implement all our projects with the sole purpose of growing the economy and reducing poverty and unemployment in the province.

Honourable Speaker, in fact we would have overspent as a result of the Mittah Seperepere Convention Centre and the Maloof Skate Park project. Although the financial report would reflect that we underspent by R36 million of its total budget allocation of R1, 006 billion in comparison with under-spending of R128 million during the previous financial year. This under-spending is earmarked funds allocated for the white fleet. A total of R41 million and Conditional Grant for rates and taxes which was part of an additional allocation received from National Public Works.

We will continue to broaden access to the constitutional rights through our Public Works, Roads and Expanded Public Works Programmes (EPWP). We remain steadfast in addressing the challenges of creating jobs, reducing poverty, building infrastructure and expanding our economy.

Through effective resource management I can without equivocation, share the following achievements with this esteemed house:
• The hosting responsibility of the Uruguay team that resulted in a number of legacy projects
• The implementation of Rooting out the Dust
• The successful completion of the following projects:
o Mittah Seperepere Convention Centre
o Libraries in Nababeep
o Maloof Skate Board Park.

Central to the New Growth Path is a massive investment in infrastructure as a critical driver of jobs across the economy. Further stemming from the State of the Nation Address and State of the Province Address it means that we can no longer tackle poor and limited infrastructure in the province in the same manner. We will have to think out of the box. In doing that, we need to develop a Provincial Infrastructure Master Plan. The plan will bring coordination to all infrastructure planning and delivery within the province. It will also guide the provincial government on identification of infrastructure demands and investment requirements. This new mandate requires the department to extend its interaction beyond its traditional client departments. The facilitation extends to all role players in infrastructure development. A task team comprising of all government departments, municipalities and some government funding agencies will be established to deal with the work at hand.

The infrastructure sector is characterised by serious challenges which limit its full contribution to the economy. These challenges range from the dominance of monopoly suppliers, lack of competition and weak regulation. In addition, the maintenance over the years has been characterised by inadequate investment in economic infrastructure and this results in a continuous growth in backlogs. Consequently, economic growth has been constrained by a lack of infrastructure in some instances, and in other instances by the infrastructure going into disrepair due to inadequate investment in maintenance.

This problem stems from a lack of long term planning in a manner that takes into account projected economic demand growth.

The Road Infrastructure Programme is responsible for the proclaimed rural road network within the Northern Cape Province. The Provincial Road Network comprises of 3 360 km (12%) of paved roads and 22 812 km (88%) of unpaved roads. The Department has a fundamental task of ensuring that road users travel safely and that the provincial roads are improved.
This key task has now been compounded by the additional 37 000km of Minor Roads. Due to inadequate funding for maintenance over several years, the current condition of the network is generally poor.
A total of 54% of the unpaved roads is in urgent need of regraveling which translates to 12 371 kilometres. To eradicate this backlog would cost the Department of Roads and Public Works an estimated R 5.8 billion.

Agbare Speaker, gun my die geleentheid om toe tevoeg dat die instandhouding van grondpaaie nie langer die verantwoordelikheid is van die Distriksmunisipaliteit nie; maar wel dié van Departement van Paaie en Openbare Werke. Die department het dié funksie oorgeneem om die optimale benutting van fondse te verseker.
As ‘n Lid van die Uitvoerende Raad (LUR), het ek as voorganger inisiatief geneem om die paaie funksie van distriksmunisipaliteite oor te neem en deel te maak van die daaglikse operasionele dienslewering van die Departement Paaie en Openbare Werke. Sedert 1ste Julie 2011 is amptenare van die distriksmunisipaliteit wat verantwoordelik was vir die vervulling van die paaie funksie in ons department opgeneem.

Ons nuwe toevoeging van geelvloot ter waarde van R103 miljoen, bestaande uit trokke, trekkers, padmerkingsmasjiene en stootskrapers, sal die departement in staat stel om die bestaande provinsiale agterstand wat die onwettige apartheidsregering gelaat het.

Die Department van Paaie en Openbare Werke staar ‘n groot finansiële uitdaging in die gesig weens die stygende koste van boumateriaal. As ‘n alternatief is ander opsies van finansiering ondersoek. Dit is ons trots om vandag te kan rapporteer dat die departement het reeds ‘n spektrum van rolspelers met wie dit vernootskappe aangaan om die paaie te rehabiliteer en in stand te hou.

The rehabilitation of Trunk Road 5, Section 5, between Kuruman and Hotazel is as a result of a partnership between various mines and government and it will entail the widening and the resealing of the road which amounts to R67 million. The mines (Assmang Manganese Mine, BHP Billiton, United Manganese of Kalahari Pty Ltd) contributed R59 million and the Department of Roads and Public Works contributed R 8 million.

The Department and BHP Billiton agreed to contribute on a 50/50 basis financially to the upgrading of the Hozatel - Tsineng Road.

The Postmasburg – N14 a 15 km trail section of rehabilitation will be constructed and will be funded by partnership between Kumba Iron Ore and Assmang Manganese Mines. The designs have been completed.
Major projects under construction:
On 13 January 2010 the department commenced with the upgrading of the 44 km road between Churchill – Bendel at an estimated cost of R 89 million. We successfully created job opportunities for 16 females and 40 males, of which 24 are youth.
The construction of the Carnavon-Vosburg Road project started on the 29th November 2010 and is anticipated to be completed by January 2013 at a cost of R183 million. The project is progressing well.

Agbare Speaker, ek het tydens my vorige Begrotingsrede aangekondig dat die departement hul gaan toespits op ontwikkeling in Hondeklipbaai en die omliggende gemeenskappe deur die opgradering van die verbygaande pad. Die ontwerp is reeds voltooi, maar weens ‘n finansiële inkorting kon ons nie die proses voltooi soos ons beplan het nie. Die department het alternatiewe metodes ondersoek. Die bou van die pad sal in fases plaasvind volgens die huidige belyning van die pad. Sodoende bespaar die department in terme van die konstruksie onkoste.

The following maintenance projects consisting of base and surface repairs, reseal and re-gravelling were completed on the following roads:
• Steinkopf TR8201
• Prieska - Spitskop
• Mothibistad - Maphiniki
• N14 - Dithakong
• Calvinia and Williston
• Witsand DR 3300
• Upington – Askham

Honourable speaker, ladies and gentleman, the Department of Roads and Public Works will invest a total of R 2.2 billion on road infrastructure development for the 2012/13 MTEF period (This amount increase from R1.7 billion to R 2.2 billion with the addition of the funding of flood damage). The Condition of the Grant has been changed from construction and rehabilitation to preventative and routine maintenance therefore the focus of the department has shifted from roads construction to road maintenance in order to preserve these assets.

Honourable Speaker, during the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2011 the province has experienced severe floods and was not spared by the devastation. These rains have caused widespread damage to infrastructure and mainly road and bridge network and lot of communities were totally cut from main towns.
The estimated cost for flood damage to our road infrastructure was estimated at R367 million which was approved by National Treasury. An amount of R 61 million was allocated for the 2011/12 financial year which was spent on the following projects:
• Theekloof Pass
• Kanon Eiland
• Barkly West
• Williston – Calvinia
Honourable Speaker, for the 2012/13 financial year the allocated budget is R124 million. Most of the projects are aimed at job creation in communities around where the damages had occurred.
The original damage to the Theekloof Pass amounted to R32 million, the damages were repaired. Other parts of the pass were damaged which were not part of the initial damages. In trying to get a permanent solution, we instituted an investigation with the aim to address all defects of the pass. The estimated cost of these repairs and further preventative measures amounts to R 26 million.

A total amount of R563 million is allocated for the 2012/13 financial year for road infrastructure development which is allocated for upgrading, maintenance and flood damages. This allocation will assist with regards to the linking of communities and the creating of job opportunities and empowering of small contractors. An estimated cost of R145 million is allocated for upgrading of the following roads.
o Asbestos roads
o Vosburg – Carnarvon
o Hotazel - Tsineng
o Hopetown – Douglas

The following roads have been identified for rehabilitation, renovations and refurbishments at an estimated cost of R33 million:
o Hartsriver - Danielskuil - Postmasburg
o Hotazel – Kuruman
The department envisage road maintenance projects at an estimated cost of R 250 million:
o Routine Road Maintenance & Contractor Development
o House hold Contractor maintenance
o Reseal
o Fog spray
o Roads furniture (such as road signs and guardrails)
o Bridge Maintenance
o Eradication of potholes
o Routine & preventative maintenance
As our population grows, our economy expands and our transport demands increase, the department is constantly placed under pressure to provide and to upgrade road infrastructure. The department will create an estimated total of 1580 job opportunities on the maintenance of roads in the province. These road projects will bring forth the improvement of safety and community development. The department will also upgrade or improve access roads to hospitals, schools or clinics in all districts on an annual basis and most of the work will be done by communities along the affected roads.

Honourable Speaker one of our flagship poverty alleviation interventions is the Household Contractor Programme. While we are proud of the numbers currently engaged in this Programme, we are also mindful of the fact that we need to diversify and sustain the Household Contractor Programme. In the same vain the department is poised to recruit 20% Household Contractors into the National Youth Service Programme. This will no doubt ensure that young people, mostly in rural areas, and from the poorest of the poor households are given a hand-up to break the cycle of poverty in their households. The target area where this project will be implemented is in Bathlaros in the John Toalo Gaetsewe District.
Honourable Speaker, another initiative is our road maintenance programme in which we aim to create at least five 500 job opportunities. In addition, this programme must help to capacitate and empower emerging contractors. I must emphasise, though, that as much as the department wishes to do business with and to empower credible, small-scale road contractors, we will not tolerate shoddy work from any of them. We, and the public at large, demand fair value for money. It is not acceptable that a pothole repaired today is a pothole again two days later.

Honourable speaker, regarding Public Works there is a lack of clearly defined roles and responsibilities of departments in relation to infrastructure delivery resulting in failure to implement effectively our core mandate as custodians of government immovable assets. Forward planning and the full implementation of Integrated Development Infrastructure Plan (IDIP) by all departments is imperative to ensure a seamless process between client departments and the Department of Roads and Public Works as the implementing body.

Honourable Speaker, as I have indicated earlier, one of the key tasks of the Department of Roads and Public Works is to manage the state’s immovable assets. The total number of state owned immovable assets has increased from 2 039 in 2010/2011 to 2 102 in 2011/2012. We have received a favourable report from the Auditor General in the previous financial year on our immobile asset register. This is not to say that everything is in order, but there is a huge improvement in accounting for immovable assets.

Honourable speaker, in terms of the Government Immovable Asset Management Act (GIAMA) the department - as the custodian of the state’s immovable assets we are required to do conditional assessments of all state properties. The department is currently busy with the conditional assessments for the Department of Health. We are also continuing to assist all client departments with their user Asset Management Plans (U-AMPS).

The function for the payment of rates and taxes on all state own immovable assets, has been devolved to provinces. The Department spent 100% of the original allocated grant for the financial year 2011/2012. An additional R 25 million was allocated to the department to address the shortfall of rates and taxes grant. However, the continued under-allocation of the grant by the National Department of Public Works hinders our efforts to pay all rates and taxes accounts owed to municipalities.

According to our calculation, since the department took over the payment of rates and taxes from the National Public Works the municipalities have increased their rates from R 24 million 2008/09 to R 59 million for the 2011/12 financial year; whilst the allocation for the province increased from R 24 million to R 41 million in the same period, which is not sufficient to cover all state owned properties. A disturbing trend has been noticed where certain municipalities rely on the payment of rates and taxes from government to leverage their service delivery priorities.


Honourable Speaker the department constructed the following projects on behalf of its client departments:

The Department of Education has identified a total number of 50 infrastructure projects for the 2011/2012 financial year; of these, 2 are in design phase, 27 in construction and 21 have been completed.
• 10 Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres have been completed and 3 are nearing completion.
• The construction of 8 Ablution Blocks, of these projects, 5 are under construction and are nearing completion and 3 have been completed.
• The construction of 4 units Administration Blocks of these projects, 3 are under construction and 1 has been completed.
• The construction of 6 Classroom Blocks, of these projects, 1 is under construction and 4 have been completed.
• The construction of a Computer Classroom Block, the project 90% complete.
• The construction of 2 Science Laboratories, all of these projects are under construction and between 70% and 80% complete.
• The construction of 7 Media Centres (Libraries) of these projects, 6 are under construction and 1 has been completed.
• The construction of 5 office blocks, of these projects, 2 are in design, 2 are under construction and has been completed
• The construction of 5 new schools of which 2 is in John Taolo Gaetsewe District, 2 in Pixley Ka Seme District and 1 in Frances Baard District. 4 of these projects are still under construction and 1 has been completed.

A total of 34 infrastructure projects were identified by the department of Education for the 2012/2013 financial year.
• The construction of 12 Early Childhood Development (ECD) Classrooms
• The construction of 4 Ablution Blocks
• The construction of 3 Administration Blocks.
• The construction of 2 Classroom Blocks.
• The construction of 2 Computer classrooms.
• The conversion of Offices
• The construction of 3 Media Centres (Libraries)
• The construction of 4 Science Laboratories
• The construction of 3 new schools

The Department of Health has identified a total number of 24 infrastructure projects for the 2011/2012 financial year. Of these, 2 are in tender phase, 16 in construction and 6 have been completed.
• The Upgrading of the pharmacy unit at the Galeshewe Day Hospital is 90% complete.
• The Upgrading of Tshwaragano Hospital of a new Out Patient Section, Guardhouse and Siteworks is 35% complete.
• The Upgrading two wards blocks for state patients at West End Hospital have been completed.
• The construction of 4 new clinics in Novalspond, Boitshoko, Gamopedi, and Deurham clinics, of these 3 are under construction and 1 has been completed.

Honourable Speaker, with regards to the New Mental Health Facility (Multi-year project) is on schedule and is expected to be completed in March 2014. We are aware of the down grading of the contractor. The matter is between the contractor and the cidb and we expect it to be resolved.

It pleases me also to report to this house that the New Upington Hospital (Multi-year project) the main building is 96% complete. The Staff Accommodation, a Tuberculosis (TB) Unit, the internal and external roads are still in construction.

The New De Aar Hospital site was handed over during 2011 and the main building is scheduled for completion in May 2014. The project is divided into 6 phases with the progress to date and multi-year project costs as follows: The main building is 5% complete and the staff accommodation is still in construction.

With regards to projects involving the Department of Sports Arts and Culture a total number of 4 infrastructure projects were identified for the 2011/2012 financial year. Of these, 3 are under construction and 1 is completed.
• Construction of the District and Community Libraries in Nababeep is complete.
• The Provincial Archives Repository is 30% complete.
• The Repairs and Upgrading of the Kimberley Theatre is 75 % complete.
• The A.R Abass Stadium is 98% complete.

Honourable Speaker for the 2012/2013 financial year two District and Community Libraries was identified for construction in Kuruman and Sternham in Groblershoop at an estimated cost of R 28 million.

The Mittah Seperepere Convention Centre project consists of the construction of a 2 500 seater with a budget amounting R 98 million has been completed. All major work on the Mittah Seperepere Convention Centre has been done. This Centre was officially opened by our honourable Premier Hazel Jenkins on the 15th February 2012.

Honourable Speaker, as we all know, we are now in Phase 2 of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) and the Honourable Premier has committed in a protocol document signed with the Minister of Public Works, that the Province will create 135 296 work opportunities for the 5 year period of phase 2 (106 194 for Provincial Departments and 25 102 for Municipalities). The percentage of designated groups to be achieved on EPWP Projects is for women 55%, youth 40% and people with disabilities 2%.

Phase 2 started in the 2009/10 financial year, and during this specific year the province exceeded its target of 13, 031 work opportunities by creating 13, 840 work opportunities. The municipalities created only 2,000 work opportunities against their target of 3,678 work opportunities. Non-State Sector created 995 work opportunities against their target over 600 work opportunities.

In Year 2 of Phase 2 (2010/11 financial year) Provincial Departments failed to reach their target by creating 9,803 work opportunities against a target of 14,696. Similarly, municipalities also failed to reach their target by creating 3,821 work opportunities against a target of 4,192. Non-State Sector continued to over perform however, by creating 1,863 against a target of 1,600.

At the end of the third quarter of Year 3 (2011/12 financial year), provincial departments collectively achieved 14 030 work opportunities representing 73% of the year target. Municipalities achieved 3 275 work opportunities towards a Year target of 5 394 work opportunities representing 61% of the annual target.

Overall the Province has created 27 962 work opportunities. This includes contribution from National Departments in the Province, Provincial Departments, Municipalities and Non-State Sector. These work opportunities were created from 353 projects implemented throughout the Province. From the 27,962 work opportunities; 44% were youths; 56% were women and 0,1% were people with disabilities.

In the previous financial year only 8 Municipalities qualified for incentives and in the current financial 13 Municipalities are eligible for incentive payments upon sufficient reporting. To date the number of reporting Municipalities has grown tremendously from 13 to 26 and Provincial Departments from 4 to 9. This indicates that Municipalities and Government Departments are now taking EPWP serious and are committed to reducing poverty through this vehicle.

The target is to have all provincial departments and all 32 Municipalities report on the EPWP MIS Reporting System, in order to ensure that the chronic challenge of under reporting and lack of capacity cited by most public bodies is eliminated.

The accessing of additional incentives has however not been encouraging as Municipalities’ performance declined. The Province became the 1st Province to host the first EPWP Summit following the National Summit that was held in Durban in 2010.
As a result of the challenges identified at the Provincial Summit the department has assigned additional technical support to enhance the efforts of the departmental team and to provide technical support to Municipalities in order to streamline business processes and standardising performance from all public bodies.

Challenges cited includes:
• Erratic and inconsistent reporting by municipalities and provincial departments.
• Capacity in municipalities and other departments to ensure that their projects have the maximum labour intensity to maximise work opportunities.
• Capacity in municipalities and other departments to ensure that maximum labour intensive projects are designed and reported on.

The Province is required to create 25 705 work opportunities for 2012/2013 financial year of which
• Infrastructure sector 12 464
• Social Sector 6 193
• Environmental Sector 7 048

Rooting out the Dust Programme entails targeting towns in all the municipalities in the Northern Cape. To be able to do so, the department has up scaled its efforts and implemented new EPWP infrastructure projects. Phase 3 of the program is commencing during this financial year and R42 million has been allocated for the implementation of these projects in impoverished areas. It is anticipated that these projects will create an additional 1 750 work opportunities across the 5 districts.
Die department sal die ‘Rooting out the Dust’ Program integreer met die ‘Operation Kgotso Pula Nala’ program deur:
• die skoonmaak van dreineringstelsels en die beheer van plantasie groei langs pad reservate,
• die opgradering van toegangspaaie
• die vervaardiging van randstene
• asook skool meubeleringsprogramme
• en die vernuwing en opgradering van townships
As indicated by Honourable MEC John Block in his Budget Speech that this department together with Department of Co-operative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA) were been mandated to prepare a business case that outlines what needs to be done to revitalise our townships. I can report today that the two departments have started already with the first plans, which will be submitted to EXCO once completed.

The Department of Roads and Public Works together with cidb have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the South African Women in Construction (SAWIC). The department had a number of Entrepreneurship and Financial Management workshops targeting women and youth contractors and aspiring entrepreneurs in Kuruman, Williston and Upington.

Honourable Speaker, the Department has been tasked with the responsibility of track preparation, for the Bloodhound Supersonic Car Land Speed Record Event. The cost estimate for the project amounts to R5.2 million and 350 job opportunities have been created.

Honourable Speaker, the department has vested its efforts in the development and skilling women, youth and all other target groups through the National Youth Service (NYS).
As part of this programme we have initiated the following interventions:
• The internship and learnership programmes focuses on structured accredited training to ensure that learners acquire the relevant practical skills. We have enrolled 9 students in the fields of Information Technology (IT) and engineering.
• The Phakamile Mabija Learnership Programme seek to address the ever diminishing numbers of artisanal skills in our province. Phase 1 of the programme has been completed and the learners are expected to undertake trade tests.
• As part of its contribution to the transformation of the transport sector, the department has awarded 14 bursaries to deserving youth of the province in this academic year. These bursaries were awarded on the following fields of study:
o Civil Engineering
o Mechanical Engineering
o Quantity Surveying and
o Architecture.

As deel van ons departementele verbintenis tot die ontwikkeling en die bemagtiging van jeugdiges in die provinsie; beoog ons om met die Nasionale Jeug Ontwikkelingsagentskap ook bekend as NYDA ‘n memorandum te teken. Hiervoor het ons R1.2 miljoen begroot. Dit sluit onder meer in:
• ons verbindtenis tot effektiewe implementering van Nasionale Jeug Vaardigheidsontwikkelings Projekte
• die tot standkoming van jong ondernemers in die konstruksie industrie en
• die stigting van kooperatiewe
Ons beoog om ons eie leerlingskappe vir jeugdiges te hê; om bemagtig te word in die volgende rigtings:
• Houtwerk
• Loodgietery
• Steenlegging
• Dakwerk
• Elektriese werk

Honourable speaker, we were all shocked by the news of the liquidation of Nyumbane Fleet Service which the departments paid religiously. Consequently we were forced to rent from the private companies. We never viewed this as a permanent solution due to the huge financial implications; but an interim measure to prevent a total collapse of service delivery by provincial departments.
The Executive Council took a decision that we should revert back to government owned fleet based on the principles of a Trading Entity. The new entity also known as the Northern Cape Fleet Management Trading Entity can be labelled as an effective government transport system that is managed properly and competently. By reducing the cost of the fleet, more funding would be available to pursue the strategic objectives of departments, thereby enabling them to concentrate on their core business. The bulk of its finances are invested in operations, which includes the maintenance of vehicles; transport support services; and the purchasing of new vehicles.

This cost effective fleet management will have other spin-offs, which includes, inter alia, the following:
• Departments would therefore no longer have to budget for capital expenditure, because the trading entity would replace vehicles at the end of their useful economic life.
• Vehicles are procured at a reduced rate by buying directly from the manufacturers through the national contract.
• With the established trading account we can now increase the fleet size, thus increasing the mobility of various departments towards achieving their respective service delivery targets.
• As a department we are extremely elated at the fact that the trading entity has hit the ground running. I am sure the honourable members have already seen this.

Agbare Speaker, huidiglik is ons reeds in besit van meer as 90% van die totale vlootkomponent van 734 voertuie. Ons kan met sekerheid sê dat ons by Mei maand in besit van alle voertuie sal wees. Verskeie provinsiale departemente trek reeds finansiële voordeel aangesien die tot standkoming van die Noord-Kaapse Vloot Entiteit die algehele begroting vir staatsvervoer aansienlik verminder het.
To mitigate the possible abuse and to improve the control environment of the fleet the following interventions will be introduced:
• the vehicle tracking system
• toll free number to report misuse and abuse
• making use of our state security agencies
• and the public in general.

Verder, Agbare Spreker, moet ons in oënskou neem dat die department sy projek bestuursvaardighede moet verbeter en bemagtigingsprogramme moet hersien word in terme van hoe dit teikengroepe akkomodeer. Die verbetering van infrastruktuur ontwikkeling en belangriker die grootskaalse uitbreiding van werkskepping, soos ondersteun deur die ANC se Manifes is prioriteite wat dringend aandag geniet.

Honourable Speaker, we will continue to contribute in building human resource capacity, better organisation and management of the department. The department was assessed by the Office of the Premier in conjunction with the Monitoring and Evaluation Department in the Office of the Presidency. During the assessment it became evident that the department should improve on issues pertaining to corporate governance in the following key performance areas:
• Strategic Management;
• Governance and Accountability;
• Human Resource Management and Employee Systems
• Financial Management.

Honourable Speaker, I do wish to report briefly on the progress we have made to re-structure the Department. Broadly, the structure has been agreed upon by all the stakeholders. The outcome of this exercise has produce two important results. Firstly, we had to establish a structure for the district offices which were non-existent and secondly we took under the microscope: How do Roads and Public Works strengthen our monitoring and oversight functions as a department?
I am also pleased to report that the entire Senior Management submitted their Declarations of Interest and these have been forwarded to the relevant authorities for scrutiny.
Honourable speaker, the department has taken a stand against corruption which is hampering service delivery. We have decided to blacklist all contractors that we found to be dishonest by fronting, colluding with staff and other contractors and those that do shoddy work. I must announce that we have found that some contractors appoint illegal immigrants for cheap labour purposes, despite the team of professional consultants on these projects. We have identified those and accordingly together with the Departments of Home Affairs and SAPS took the necessary action to admonish those involved. There might still be others and we want to warn them that it would not be too long until they are also caught.
We are also in the process to establish a financial Misconduct Committee that will inter alia look at the following:
• It refers to any falsification of records, deliberate misrepresentation in financial reporting to the department’s management or external bodies, any material losses through criminal conduct and the commitment of unauthorised, irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure.

Honouable Speaker, I must acknowledge that my department is still not effecting payment to suppliers within 30 days from receipt of an invoice. This undesirable practice has now reached disturbing levels and besides being in contravention of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) and Treasury Regulations, this practice is severely affecting the cash flow positions and sustainability of businesses, especially the SMME’s. My department will put systems in place that will enable the tracking of each invoice received from the various service providers.

One of the useful measurements of the effectiveness of the Internal Audit is the extent to which the external auditors/Auditor General places reliance on the work/findings of the Internal Audit. In the year under review the shared Internal Audit services has not been effective henceforth the department to convert the Financial Inspectorate into an Internal Audit Unit as a measure to improve effectiveness and efficiency that will lead to improve audit outcomes.

Honourable members, allow me now to take this opportunity to table the budget amount of R953 million for the 2012/13 as follows:
Programme Allocation
Administration (10% of the total budget) R 98 million
Public Works (11% of the total budget) R 104 million
Road Infrastructure (71% of the total budget) R 679 million
Community Based Programme (8% of the total budget) R 72 million
Total Budget Allocation R953 million

Honourable members allow me to conclude in this fashion, during the 2011/2012 financial year the department had been able to deliver on infrastructure despite our financial challenges. The department continues to be the engine which drives service delivery across all departments.

The department aspires to continue to do so in the 2012/2013 financial year; as we aim to engage with our client departments and bring services to poor and underdeveloped rural communities. The department aligns itself with President Jacob Zuma’s State of the Nation address as we focus on expanding and maintaining the roads infrastructure in the province.

Agbare Spreker, die departement beoog om in dié finansiële jaar suksesvolle resultate te lewer in terme van werkskepping as een van die staat se 5 prioriteite. Daarom beklemtoon ek aan alle munisipaliteite en provinsiale departemente die belangrikheid van getroue verslaggewing en rapportering van alle EPWP-werksgeleenthede wat geskep is. Gun my die geleentheid om my dank te betuig aan al die munisipaliteite met die ondersteuning van die EPWP Beraad wat verlede jaar gehou is. Die saamgesnoerde kragte van munisipaliteite, verskeie provinsiale departemente en die departement as die baanbreker van EPWP, stel ons instaat om die platform vir werkskepping te vergroot en veranderinge tewee te bring in die sosio-ekonomiese status van individue in ons provinsie.


In the absence of the mother of our province, the Honourable Premier Hazel Jenkins, and under the leadership of Acting Premier Mme Grizelda Cjikella, I wish to thank them for their leadership and my colleagues in the Executive Council, for continuous support, advice and strategic direction.

Die voorsitter van ons Departementele Portefeulje Kommittee van Paaie en Openbare Werke, Agbare Mev Chotela en lede van die Wetgewer, ek bedank u vir u onbaatsugtige en volgehoue bystand wat ons departement in staat stel om resultate te lewer soos gestipuleer in ons departementele missie: naamlik die konstruksie van paaie en die bou van land infrastruktuur in die provinsie.

The department is proud to be involved in projects of an international status such as Maloof and Bloodhound Projects, which will act as an economic injection in the province. The department is moving faster towards economic freedom.

A special vote of thanks to all our stakeholders such as the mines in the Northern Cape, SETA’s, farmers and all our partners and service providers. Our partnership has been a token symbolising that working together we can achieve more.

I want to thank HOD Kholekile Nogwili for his leadership of the Department as he has already in the short period he has been with the Department made significant changes in the way the Department functions and operates.

I thank the senior management of the Department for their valued and highly esteemed work they have displayed.

‘n Spesiale dank aan al die lede van die Ministeriële span vir hul voortdurende ondersteuning en samewerking. Verder bedank ek ook elke werker (let wel nie net staatsamptenare nie) aan die Departement van Paaie en Openbare Werke aangesien ek elke sekuriteitswag en skoonmaker ook insluit, baie dankie aan Auntie Johanna wat altyd vir ons tee maak. Hartlik dank aan almal en veral die padwerkers wie in temperatuur uiterstes onder moeilike omstandighede goeie werk lewer en opofferings aangaan.

I salute the people of the Northern Cape from where my being was formed.

Finally, I thank my wife, my family and especially my children for their patience and understanding that I am a soldier of the people and therefore time spent away from home but servicing the people of this province and country is time not wasted or laboured in vain.


Re a leboga
Siyabulela
Thank you
Baie Dankie

Mail Us

Office of the Premier 
Private Bag X5016 
Kimberley 
8301

Leave a Comment