Title deed ownership for housing beneficiaries in Eastern Cape

The following is an extract from a statement issued by Dacre Haddon (MPL), provincial spokesperson on housing, 7 December 2011:

"The annual- and financial oversight reports of the Department of Local Government was debated in the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature this afternoon.

According to an article in Financial Mail, the number of housing beneficiaries without title deeds is a major concern.

The article states that the low transfer rates of subsidised homes can be blamed on flawed administration processes which in turn delay the flow of subsidy funds from provincial housing departments to developers.

It is pointless for a housing beneficiary to receive a house but no title deed to prove ownership.

I have asked the MEC for Human Settlements, Helen Sauls-August, to inform the legislature when she replies to her department’s 2010/11 annual report, to inform us about future plans and how this process can be fast tracked.

Next year I will be specifically focussing on this issue and asking for regular progress reports at portfolio committee meetings and community outreaches.

This is a serious issue and the province cannot fail the people on this matter."

Creative accounting to fund ANC centenary celebration

Below is an extract from a media statement issued on 23 November 2011 by Bobby Stevenson (MPL), DA Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature Leader and spokesperson on finance:

“The  R1, 683 billion Adjustments Appropriation Bill tabled in the Eastern Cape provincial legislature today (subs:  23 November) has an amount of R27,5 million for transfers to all political parties for the political party fund, constituency- and caucus funds. 

This Christmas bonus has come as a result of under expenditure in the legislature for the 2010/11 financial year.  This money is now being rolled over.

There is no doubt that this unexpected additional allocation is because of the ANC centenary celebration.  They will get the lion's share of the money and the bulk of this adjustment is nothing more than creative accounting to fund their celebrations through the party-political fund which is the mechanism by which the legislature legally distributes funds to political parties.”

Life saving medication left to expire by the ton

The following is an extract from a statement issued on 21 November 2011

by John Cupido (MPL), acting provincial spokesperson on health:

“In the last six months the Eastern Cape Department of Health has destroyed almost 50 tons of medication, most of which is expired goods.

Allowing vast amounts of medication to expire and go to ruin is the same as withholding treatment and is tantamount to a human rights violation.

The majority of the expired medicine that has been destroyed by the Department of Health comes from state hospitals within the province. If even the most simple of stock control measures were exercised then millions of Rand worth of medication could have been redistributed to clinics across the Eastern Cape.

I will be submitting questions for oral reply by MEC for Health in the legislature scheduled for 7 December to ascertain exactly why this travesty was allowed to happen and will demand that the department makes the relevant changes to not allow this to happen again.”

Eastern Cape set to yet again under spend on capital budget and overspend on personnel

The following is an extract from a media statement issued by Bobby Stevenson (MPL), DA Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature Leader and spokesperson on finance, on 18 November 2011:

“People are crying out for houses.  People are crying out for decent schools.  Yet the Eastern Cape Provincial Government continues to under spend capital expenditure and conditional grants.

On the other hand, the province has overspent on personnel for the first six months. This means more and more is spent on personnel and less and less on service delivery.

What is truly alarming is that people are paid to spend the capital budget but they are failing to do so.  The reason why this continues to happen is that there are no consequences for non-performance.

A DA government will use the full force of the Public Finance Management Act to hold non-performers accountable.”

Red lights flashing for blue light bullies

Issued by: Bobby Stevenson (MPL)

DA Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature Leader and Spokesperson on Safety and Security

13 November 2011

The red lights are flashing for the blue light bullies in our province.  I have tabled a question for written reply to the Premier, Noxolo Kiviet, to ask how she is going to stop this practice.

Last year Western Cape cabinet passed a resolution which ordered that all blue lights and sirens be removed from the vehicles of provincial ministers.

Our own blue light bullies must be stopped.  This practice is simply an abuse of power and privilege.

DA beplan provinsiale kongres

Barry Vosloo

Die provinsiale kongres van die Demokratiese Alliansie sal op 30 en 31 Maart 2012 by die 1820-setlaarsmonument in Grahamstad plaasvind

Additional R520 million for Eastern Cape Education

Bobby Stevenson (MPL)

DA Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature Leader and Spokesperson on Finance

30 October 2011

In terms of the Division of Revenue Amendment Bill tabled in the National Assmebly last week, the Eastern Cape will receive additional funding of R520 million for education in the province.

The grant is for the eradication of poor school infrastructure and provision of water, sanitation and electricity to schools.

The DA welcomes the additional allocation. However, with effectively four working months left to the end of the financial year, the department will have to step up a gear and burn the midnight oil if it is going to successfully spend this money.

Last year it only managed to build three out of 17 schools. 

As the Departments of Education and of Public Works lack the capacity to spend, this project should be outsourced to an outside agency with the necessary controls and oversight.

The DA will strive to ensure that those responsible for the expenditure are held accountable so that the hopes of millions of learners to escape the poverty trap and better themselves can be realised. 

East Cape ‘loses’ more than R5bn

Michael Kimberley and Lindile Sifile
PE HERALD, 12 October 2011

THE Eastern Cape is unable to account for more than R5-billion of its expenditure during the last fiscal year. This was gleaned from a collection of department annual reports for the 2010/11 financial year released at an extravagant “Taking the Legislature to the People” sitting in the Chris Hani District yesterday.

The figure of a whopping R5.3-billion was tallied from all irregular, unauthorised, fruitless and wasteful expenditure in 10 departments across the province. Read more ...

Legislature wates money on clean audit celebration

Dacre Haddon (MPL)

DA Member of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature

6 October 2011

The Eastern Cape Legislature is wasting money on a party for MPLs to celebrate a clean audit outcome for the last financial Year.

The Legislature is to be congratulated on this fine achievement.

However, why is it necessary to throw a party when obtaining a clean audit should be a matter of course every financial year?

Whatever the cost for the event, this money should be spent on providing much needed services to the greater Eastern Cape community.

On a daily basis we hear how budget constraints erode service delivery to all.

Given the harsh economic times we are all experiencing, the throwing of a junket party for MPLs is avaricious and grossly insensitive to the suffering masses in this province who daily have to go without lifestyle basics.

EC education department squanders billions

Statement issued by Edmund van Vuuren (MPL)

Provincial spokesperson on education

22 September 2011

The Democratic Alliance in the Eastern Cape is stunned but not surprised by yet another irresponsible and senseless waste of funds by the provincial Department of Education.

The DA was reliably informed that the Department of Education is on track to overspend its 2011/2012 budget by almost R2,8 billion due to financial mismanagement and maladministration.

However, the Port Elizabeth district office has in its educational wisdom decided to have a Grade R-Indaba at the Eastern Cape Training Centre (ETC), on 21 and 22 September, at a cost of R180 000.

It really boggles the mind that although the district office has limited resources, it spends money on an “Indaba”, when a workshop for Grade R-practitioners could have been held after school hours, at no cost in the available hall at the district office.

It is incomprehensible, to say the least, that while Grade R-practitioners are not paid on a regular basis, money can be found to have an Indaba at the expense of procuring much needed resources for the district office that will enhance its service delivery to schools.

Schools have complained in the past that due to a lack of photostat machines and paper at the district office, important documents could not be copied for dissemination to schools.

This irresponsible management decision constitutes a complete waste of financial resources and this money could have been better utilised.

An anticipated 440 attendees were expected at this Indaba which included Grade R-practitioners, school principals where Early Childhood Development centres are attached, as well as chairpersons of governing bodies. This venture includes the hiring of the facilities at ETC, the hiring of equipment for presentation purposes and the provision of meals for the attendees.

The DA is deeply perturbed by this unnecessary spending of funds. The Superintendent- General, Advocate Modidima Mannya was informed of this ill decision.   In the light of the critical financial position of the Department of Education, I have asked him to thoroughly investigate why such a decision was taken when there are other viable options and to act decisively against those who have plunged this department deeper into a financial mess.

Education fraud and corruption: mandate of SIU must be strengthened

The mandate of the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) currently investigating corruption in the Department of Education in the Eastern Cape should be strengthened in order to summons any official, any time, to provide them with the necessary information and relevant documentation.  The unit needs clout to do its job.

The department has no fraud prevention plan in place and the Risk Management Unit is almost non-existent.  This needs to be rectified as a matter of urgency if the looting is to stop. What is needed is the political will from the ANC-led provincial administration to ensure that this department is placed back on track.  The problems have been identified, so please, do something!

The more cases are dragged out due to uncooperative officials, the more these corrupt officials entrench themselves in illegal activities.

It has been alleged that 90% of officials at Head Office are doing business with the department. 

Ward committee elections

Ward committee elections continue to take place in municipalities without the processes as set out in the Municipal Structures Act being followed.  To date the MEC for Local Government, Mlibo Qoboshiyane, has ignored requests from the DA to address the matter.

The lack of action by Qoboshiyane in not stopping illegal ward committee elections from taking place shows a crisis of weak leadership and an endorsement of illegal ward committee election practices.

Every municipal council must make rules regulating how ward committee elections will be run in their areas.

Where has all the money gone?

The Department of Roads and Public Works could not account for monies paid to contractors during the last financial year.

In response to a parliamentary question by me to the MEC for Transport it was revealed that due to the transition of moving roads from the Department of Transport to the Department of Public Works “there was a non invoice tracking tool for contractors”.  

So in effect the province has no idea of what expenditure it paid to road contractors.

This casual response is unacceptable and I will be following up with the Auditor-General to investigate this matter further.