Gauteng Cabinet Scorecard: More of the same complacency and failure
14 February 2022
Last year continued to be a difficult year for the residents of Gauteng and the entire country battling with the Covid-19 pandemic that has taken thousands of lives and negatively impacted livelihoods. The role of government became critical as it was the only available hope to protect lives, curb the spread of the virus, and ensure that they sustain the livelihoods of our people. However, during this difficult time the Gauteng government has not stepped up to assist its residents instead, the complacency that existed long before the pandemic in managing public funds and ensuring service delivery has continued unabated.
The Covid-19 has exposed the rotten corruption within the Gauteng government departments and highlighted the severe lack of political leadership. The monies meant to buy life-saving resources were stolen by a few individuals who are tasked with the responsibility to ensure service delivery. The Special Investigative Unit (SIU) report into Gauteng PPE corruption has revealed the department's failure to adhere to supply chain management processes, Public Finance Management Act and Treasury Regulations, and opening doors for corruption.
The covid-19 lockdown has been used by all the departments as an excuse for not meeting targets and failing to deliver services, yet money has been spent during the Covid-19 period.
After assessing the Gauteng departments response to the Covid-19 crisis and service delivery, here is a scorecard of the Gauteng Premier and his cabinet for 2021:
Premier David Makhura
Another year with Premier David Makhura leading our province, we still find that several departments in Gauteng are in shambles in operations. According to the SIU, Gauteng had the highest number of "reported allegations of corruption regarding PPE tenders". Of the investigations conducted by the SIU, two-thirds have focused on Gauteng. While Gauteng and the rest of the country faced a once in a lifetime pandemic that devastated the lives and livelihoods of millions, there was wide-scale looting of public funds under the watch of Premier Makhura.
Whistle-blowers are not merely under threat, but these threats are actioned, as seen with the murder of Babita Deokaran, a former chief director of financial accounting at the Department of Health. Premier Makhura has shown no urgency to deal with these issues as he has sat on the reports by the SIU, refusing to release them to the public or the Gauteng legislature to ensure accountability. All this does is encourage the corrupt and ensure that there are no incentives for officials to do what is right in service to the public.
The PPE corruption scandal is ever more concerning when there are signs that the Office of the Premier is directly involved. This means that the office did not merely fail in its oversight role but participated in the looting. An individual in the Office of the Premier is implicated in the PPE saga. However, the Premier has not convinced us that he has done anything with this individual.
Makhura has also presided over a cabinet with one of the most destructive individuals in MEC, Lebogang Maile, who unlawfully put the city of Tshwane under administration. There has been no reprimand from the Premier for the actions of Maile, whose efforts in Tshwane were not merely problematic in terms of law but cost taxpayers millions of rands, which can be designated as a fruitless expenditure. Maile's dismal failures also include the deterioration in local municipalities such as Emfuleni. Instead, Premier Makhura has sat by while MEC Maile has swung across the province like a wrecking ball.
Several municipalities that the Premier's office is supposed to assist through Nthirisano have not improved.
The Office of the Premier received a clean audit, but we should ask what a clean audit means when there is a failure across departments and the state of the province is dire.
In summation, the Premier has presided over a cabinet that has failed in its mandate across most departments. The Premier does not appear to be in charge, as MECs continuously fail in their department. There is no accountability within the Gauteng Department, with the Auditor General reporting in several departments about the failure of implementing consequence management. There are no consequences for failing MEC, which leads to no consequences for failing senior managers, which permeates across the Gauteng Provincial government in terms of lack of accountability.
Ultimately the Premier must be held accountable for the state of the provincial departments. The score state reflects his failure as the leader of this province to ensure things are run as required and desperately needed by the residents of Gauteng.
Score: 3/10
Nomathemba Mokgethi - Health
Mokgethi was appointed in dire circumstances in December 2020 after the former MEC Bandile Masuku was fired for his involvement in the PPE corruption scandal. Nevertheless, MEC Mokgethi has been diligent in visiting health facilities and answering questions in the Gauteng Legislature.
Unfortunately, little progress has been made in fixing a department with deeply entrenched problems. This was highlighted most terribly with the assassination of senior official Babita Deokaran, a dedicated and honest official who was a threat to corrupt people in the department.
Under her purview, budgetary control is still poor, with vast underspends and overspends in the various departments under the health portfolio. For example, despite crumbling hospitals and a dire need for more beds, the Health Facilities programme underspent R201 million. Overall, the department failed to spend R1.1 billion of its total budget.
Another area of failure is the 7,000 vacancies in critical occupation posts, including a shortage of 2,550 Professional Nurses, 1,350 student nurses, 900 vacant posts for Emergency Care Practitioners, and 450 vacant posts for doctors. There is one in seven vacant critical posts (14%). This has hampered the treatment of Covid-19 patients and shortages of ICU beds at peak infection periods, which has led to lives being lost that could have been saved with better care.
There is a backlog of about 20,000 patients waiting for operations, some for as long as five years.
Many senior positions still have acting personnel, including the Head of Department and Chief Financial Officer, for more than a year.
The fire at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital was a devastating blow, but there is no clear indication of when it will return to full function.
The Covid-19 vaccination programme is lagging, with only 4.1 million adults fully vaccinated, which is way behind the 10 million targets. The leading provinces have close to 50% of all adults fully vaccinated, whereas Gauteng has only about 36%.
Score: 8/10 for diligence and responding to questions
1/10 for a department in a continuing crisis
Panyaza Lesufi – Education
There have been several issues of concern in the Education Department led by MEC Lesufi. These include the MEC failing to decisively act against senior officials implicated in the corrupt tender for decontamination of schools despite the preliminary report given to him by SIU. He has also refused to make public the SIU report, inexplicably claiming it is classified. Yet, at the same time, it is a document that contains evidence about the theft of taxpayers' money, making it a public concern.
MEC Lesufi is battling to place learners who applied on time to start the academic year on the first day of schools opening. The DA has asked him to begin the process much earlier to conclude placements before beginning a new academic year. In addition, the department has not prepared the necessary resources to ensure that all primary school learners return to school, choosing instead to continue with rotational learning. This rotational process is ineffective and not conducive to learning. The rotational plan is also exacerbating inequality amongst learners in the province.
Another area of concern is funded vacancies that have not been filled, leading to unnecessary pressure on teachers who carry a greater load of work.
Considering the immense demand for schools and the construction of more classrooms in the province, it is astonishing that Lesufi's department failed to spend R1.7 billion of its budget. The MEC is silent when the Department of Infrastructure Development dismally fails to deliver quality school infrastructure. This has led to many projects being on hold for many months while other schools have defects like Mayibuye Primary and Nokuthula LSEN school.
The MEC has failed to ensure school safety as there has been a significant loss of assets and damage to school facilities and infrastructure due to vandalism, theft and arson. There have been no consequences for these acts of terror against school assets, which will likely encourage a continuation of this behaviour.
Lastly, under the watch of MEC Panyaza Lesufi, the Department of Education has incurred R922,877 million in irregular expenditure.
Score: 5/10
Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko: Treasury and e-Government
Regarding the Gauteng Provincial Treasury, several issues of concern have been observed.
Despite numerous requests from the DA, the MEC has refused to publicise the PPE procurement expenditure disclosure report. This raises questions on whether the MEC has something to hide.
The MEC has been referring matters of consequence and accountability onto the "shoulders" of the relevant departments as if Gauteng Provincial Treasury does not have any mandate to act on them as the ultimate custodian of the province's coffers.
Another issue has been how the MEC aggressively defends the Gauteng Infrastructure Financing Agency (GIFA). MEC Nkomo-Ralehoko often refers to GIFA as her stepchild, and she has covered for the agency's lack of performance and getting projects from initial to financial close-stage. The DA has called for this agency to be re-introduced to GDID, where it belongs and where we might see some value for money in its annual budget allocations.
Under the MEC, it seems the rest of the departments in Gauteng have lost respect for the provincial treasury with no expectation that they will face discipline in failing to follow National Treasury instructions and regulations and preventing irregular expenditure.
MEC Nkomo-Ralehoko has shifted responsibility by blaming accounting officers regarding companies still receiving government tenders.
As far as E-Government is concerned, under MEC Nkomo-Ralehoko's watch, a loss of R6.8 million was suffered due to a transaction done in US dollars instead of South African Rands last year. The DA has persistently requested outcomes of forensic reports, but nothing has been received to date. Instead of delivering outcomes of the report, the MEC has referred us to the Office of Premier, where the investigations have been moved.
E-government has recorded an irregular expenditure of millions of rands, with SITA's procurement processes a significant challenge. The DA's request to get information has again been ignored. However, we now know that the MEC wrote a letter to the State Attorney and had a meeting with the Minister of Communications regarding the compulsory procurement of all information and communications technology through SITA.
A lack of funding may halt Gauteng Broadband Network (GBN) phase 2 in its tracks. A solution to this challenge for GBN would be for the MEC to bring in GIFA to try to leverage private investment to fund phase 2. The halting to GBN phase 2 will devastate residents, especially students and poor, who desperately need easy and affordable access to communications. Government services to the residents will also be affected.
It is also important to note that the Auditor-General of South Africa issued an unqualified audit opinion with findings on the financial statements of the Gauteng Department of e-Government. This does not reflect well on the MEC's management of the department.
Score: 4/10
Lebogang Maile: Cooperative Governance, Traditional Affairs and Human Settlements
The Department of Human Settlements entered the second year of the Covid-19 pandemic in a perpetual position of decline and accelerated organisational and political disarray.
The MEC, Lebogang Maile, continued failure to acknowledge nor deal with the fundamental incompetence and systemic lack of performance through an inability to ensure operational and political accountability. Stability has long been one of the causes that prevent the department from achieving its goals. This, together with institutionalised underspending, lack of capacity, inability to complete all projects timeously or at all, and a general state of denial, ensures a continued decline in service delivery.
The pandemic has merely exposed the fragile underbelly of a rudderless department headed by a MEC who is argumentative, antagonistic, defensive, uncooperative, uninspiring and incompetent. No cohesion within the department has been possible where senior staff repeatedly fail to carry out their mandates.
Projects which form part of the core mandate of the department, and which are fundamental to the turnaround strategy of the department, such as the temporary relocation programme, the hostel redevelopment plan, the formalisation of informal settlements, the Mega-city initiative, the provision of land parcels for self-development and the failure to provide land ownership through the provision of title deeds remain elusive, incomplete or abandoned.
The department has continued to deteriorate under MEC Maile's leadership. None of the initiatives the MEC has undertaken has brought about improvement. The department has failed to achieve any of its targets and is unlikely to do so soon. The department remains in serious confusion.
The MEC has failed to express any vision or direction for his department verbally or in writing. The limited input he has articulated is vague confusing and provides little direction for the department's planned outcomes. MEC Maile remains wholly overwhelmed with the complexities of his task and totally out of his depth when attempting to formulate or drive any programmes.
Many of the issues which should be dealt with and debated in the Human Settlements committee continue to be ventilated in the media bypassing the committee.
In the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), MEC Maile has overseen more lacklustre performance.
Instead of embarking on a programme of governance and service delivery, the MEC has overseen a department that has failed to have its organisational structure approved, was unable to launch the pilot of the District Development Model, failed to assess the progress of the Integrated Development Plans (IDPs), and a department which continues to underspend and incurs the irregular expenditure.
MEC Maile's interference in the governance of Tshwane and his inability to provide any meaningful solutions to the cash flow crisis and lack of service delivery in Emfuleni is evidence that he is not suitable for his position. He is a MEC who is out of touch with his mandate, and unable to grasp the challenges of his political responsibilities.
As with the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), the effect of the turnaround strategy has been minimal and primarily ineffective. Again, the failure to effectively consider and/or deal with the long-term consequences of such an initiative accentuates the shortcomings of the MEC and the department.
There is very little hope that any meaningful changes will occur in either department during the coming year, thus preventing the improved supply and implementation of housing opportunities and continued failure to deliver the required outcomes for governance and service excellence in our municipalities.
The score for MEC Maile reflects the severe shortcomings in his leadership and inability to account and be accountable.
Score: 1/10
Faith Mazibuko: Community Safety
The Department of Community Safety, MEC Faith Mazibuko has fallen short in several areas. Her responses on oral questions in the Gauteng Legislature convey an attitude of evading accountability and a lack of a desire to provide adequate answers to issues facing the people of Gauteng.
The department's target for green doors has not been met year after year. Unfortunately, the MEC does not appear to have any desire to remedy this and ensure the delivery of facilities that will deal with matters such as gender-based violence.
The Gauteng Traffic Police is still not on a 24-hour service schedule despite the DA's calls for this for consecutive terms of the Legislature. As the Gauteng Traffic Police is directly under the remit of Community Safety, it can be a tool within the department's control to alleviate hijackings and cash in transit heists in the province.
The lack of SAPS resources such as vehicles and the Gauteng Air Wing is not controlled at the provincial level, but the MEC can do more to liaise with her national counterparts to push for more resources in Gauteng.
The department has planned to collect R37.6 million in the 2020/21 financial period, a five percent projected increase from the prior year. However, the actual collection decreased by R9.4 million compared to the preceding year.
We once again call for a proper costing of what it would take to make the Gauteng Traffic Police an essential service so that we can assess this against the departments under expenditure and failure to connect revenue. Up to R17,946,000 of the department's budget remains unspent.
The department incurred material impairments of R460,406,000. In addition, the department wrote accrued departmental revenue amounting to R 5,248,000. The SCOPA Committee of the Legislature has expressed concern that the department failed to implement proactive measures to prevent material impairments.
The department is the defendant in various lawsuits and labour disputes amounting to R53,807,000. No provision for any liability that may result has been made in the financial statements, which may pose a significant risk in the future.
Writing off the prior year's irregular expenditure amounting to R79,238,000 is underway as investigations have been conducted and a completed application for condonation has been submitted to the Treasury. This is a large amount of money that must be addressed by the department going forward. This year's annual performance report discloses that the department failed to reduce irregular expenditure by 50% (which is the department's target). However, the report does not disclose the reasons for this failure and the extent of the irregular expenditure.
The Auditor-General (AG) highlighted that risk was identified in terms of IT systems about the department's management of user access. According to the AG, "There is currently no coordination between HR and IT as officials who the department no longer employs have unauthorised access as they have not been removed from the database." This is the same department that is meant to keep the people of Gauteng safe and it is of the utmost concern that the department cannot protect its records from former employees.
The 15% vacancy rate in the department does not point to a serious approach to keeping people of the Gauteng province safe.
Finally, there are still deficiencies in paying suppliers within 30 days, which stands at 94% of invoices paid.
Score: 4/10
Parks Tau: Economic Development, Environmental, Agriculture and Rural Development
The MEC of Economic Development, Environment, Agriculture and Rural Development Parks Tau has brought stability to both departments, especially senior management appointments at the Department of Economic Development and the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller (GEP). In addition, the departments and entities overseen by the MEC received unqualified audit opinions. The MEC has also responded to all the written questions in time.
The areas of underperformance for the MEC include the increasing levels of unemployment in the province due to inadequate economic rebuilding plan. The MEC and GEP have also been slow in disbursing the funds set aside to assist small businesses affected by the looting and Covid-19. MEC Tau has also not resolved the outstanding issues at Suikerbosrand and The Cradle of Humankind. Going forward, the MEC should focus on filling vacant posts and appointing a CEO for the Gauteng Gambling Board.
Score: 5/10
Tasneem Motara: Infrastructure Development and Property Management
It is inexplicable that when the Premier of Gauteng appoints the political leadership of departments such as MECs, he does not match the appointee's skill and experience to the department's work. Thus, since its inception in 2009, the Department of Infrastructure has never had a MEC that has the expertise to make a discernible difference to the performance trajectory of the department.
The Department of Infrastructure Development and Property Management in Gauteng has never met its performance targets, has difficulty completing projects in time and within budget and does not have the resources or expertise to manage the substantial property portfolio under its custodianship. The result is wastage, inefficiency and additional costs that the long-suffering taxpayers of Gauteng are saddled with.
The administration is forcing departments like Health and Education to utilise the services of the Infrastructure Department despite them wishing to contract alternative third-party providers who can deliver better value for money infrastructure.
Both the political leadership in Tasneem Motara and technical leadership in the Head of Department and officials have had no impact on improving the situation. The department is mainly non-responsive to the queries of the public and not bothered by the fact that tax-payers foot the bill for their lack of expertise.
Score: 3/10
Morakane Mosupyoe: Social Development
In five years, the department has underspent by a collective amount of R1.38 billion. These past two years were when the department should have shown up as the Covid-19 tested the department, but the department didn't stand up for the most vulnerable people in Gauteng.
The failure to spend the Presidential ECD Employment Stimulus Relief Fund and ECD budget are serious concerns. But unfortunately, there are also too many building and construction projects going on with no clear end in sight.
Overall, the main challenge facing this department is the lack of passion and commitment to serve the most vulnerable people of Gauteng. The MEC seems to have the passion, but some of her crucial senior staff don't seem to.
There has been an increase in irregular expenditure from R336 million in the previous year to R682 million. There have been no steps taken to curb irregular expenditure, indicating a lack of accountability in the department.
Significant internal control deficiencies within the Department of Social Development led to non-compliance. Senior management has had poor controls with NPOs for the past five years. Under MEC Mosupyoe, the failure to pay NGOs on time is ongoing and remains a severe challenge.
Score: 3/10
Mbali Hlophe: Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture
The MEC has failed drastically as the political head of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture (SRAC). Under the tenure of MEC Hlophe, the department has a high vacancy rate which has led to the department not meeting its core mandate.
The department constantly underspends when it comes to infrastructure projects. There are regular failings to deliver projects on time in the face of high demand for libraries and sporting facilities, which will only increase as the province's population grows.
MEC Hlophe's department has substantial waste of funds due to prioritising insignificant virtual events that have not added value to the sectors of sports, arts and culture.
The department is in a state of disarray and cannot fulfil its mandate due to its failure to fill senior vacant positions. The department has also failed to support grassroots development within its area of responsibility while wasting time and money on virtual celebrations of commemorative days.
Score: 4/10
Jacob Mamabolo: Roads and Transport
MEC Mamabolo had a few positive moments during the past year. He has managed to sort out the department's top management, which now has proper leadership. But unfortunately, his head of department (HOD) resigned, and this position needs to be filled as a matter of urgency.
The MEC has reacted quickly to issues reported to him and is always responsive when approached. He is also very approachable to engage in significant matters relating to his department. For example, he assisted in sorting out the driver licensing issues and made some progress in expanding capacity to improve the situation that developed because of the Covid-19 generated backlog. The department also launched a programme to increase its ability to maintain roads in the province which is sorely needed.
However, despite some good performance in the areas mentioned earlier, Mamabolo's department had significant failings.
G-fleet remains leaderless with too many acting positions in senior positions. In addition, vehicle license renewal capacity has been reduced in the province with the closure of many post offices. Yet, no additional capacity was generated while this happened. More service providers should be brought onboard, possibly starting with private roadworthy centres in the province.
Procurement processes in the department have not been fixed properly, and this is a crucial element. Too many contractors are shutting down during construction projects, which indicates a problem with due diligence processes during procurement. The road-building programme is falling behind in the province due to the slow procurement processes.
Score 6.5/10
Issued by Solly Msimanga, DA Gauteng Leader of the Opposition, 14 February 2022
