The outcome of the ANCs long-awaited KwaZulu-Natal conference was a win for the Thuma Mina crowd. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
To contribute to the transformation of the state and governance, we now have an approved organogram, which is in line with the IDMS and we have during 2014/15 employed 225 personnel with the aim of building state capacity to perform and to reduce vacant posts,” Gauteng MEC for Infrastructure Development Nandi Mayathula-Khoza said during her budget speech on Tuesday.
She said that the department must reduce the vacancy rate of 32% and plans to recruit more skilled professionals this year for the full roll out of the Integrated Database Management System (IDMS) programme to help it complete all projects on time, within budget and to the required quality standard. The department also needs to achieve employment equity, especially with regard to women and people with disabilities. It continues to provide adequate learnerships, internships and bursaries to develop internal capacity.
To demonstrate the department’s seriousness around the reduction of fraud and corruption, the department has signed the fraud prevention plan, conducts anti-corruption campaigns, and cases of corruption are investigated and acted upon. “We have improved our risk management and established forensic services to detect and deal with fraud and corruption. Of the 38 cases of misconduct last year, 10 were for fraud and these staff members were dismissed. We will strengthen this work to clean up the image of the department,” she said.
The vetting of supply chain management officials and the provision of financial disclosures are under way as well. “We look forward to maintaining unqualified audit results, with fewer matters of emphasis for the year 2015/16. We must improve paying service providers in 30 days or less and the Gauteng Treasury is assisting us to do this. We have maintained the promotion of participatory governance through ongoing stakeholder engagements, annual open days and well managed intergovernmental relations meetings with local governments as well as ministers and members of executive councils,” said Mayathula-Khoza.
The department has reviewed its ability to deliver quality public infrastructure. It has recently conducted an assessment of challenges and limitations faced by the department. As a response, it has deployed the Infrastructure Delivery Management System (IDMS) to help it deliver more effectively and efficiently, in a sustainable manner.
The department now has a fully fledged Engineering Services Directorate, headed by a Chief Director, a capacity that vastly reduces its dependency on consultants and the associated costs. It has taken innovative steps to ensure that our operations are modern, reliable and responsive. It is implementing the GP-IDMS process and fit-for-purpose toolkit and technology and established a payment office. Among other key outputs, it will assist in standardising payment times, streamlining delegation of authority signatories for payment and actualising the departments commitment to 30 days payment.