Budgetary Review and Recommendation Report of the Portfolio Committee on Women in the Presidency dated 23 October 2014

The Portfolio Committee on Women in the Presidency, having considered the performance and submission to National Treasury for the medium term period of the Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities, reports as follows:

 

 

1.     Introduction

 

1.1.        Mandate of Committee

 

The mandate of the Committee on Women, Children and People with Disabilities was to legislate, conduct oversight of the Executive, promote public participation, facilitate international agreements and review matters of public interest in relation to the Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities.

 

1.2.        Description of core functions of the Department

 

The Department for Women, Children and Persons with Disabilities (hereafter referred to as the Department) was established to emphasise the need for equity and access to development opportunities for vulnerable groups in South African society. This Department was created in May 2009 to replace the former national multi-agency structures in the Presidency which lacked sufficient financial and human resources and the necessary authority to co-ordinate and oversee their mandates. The purpose of the Department is to drive the Government’s equity, equality and empowerment agenda with regard to marginalised groups and historically disadvantaged communities in each of the three sectors.

 

According to the Department’s revised Strategic Plan 2013-2014, its vision refers to “an empowered society that upholds the rights of women, children and people with disabilities”. The mission of the Department is to “mainstream the rights and empowerment of women, children and people with disabilities through advocacy, institutional support and capacity development, monitoring and evaluation”.

 

The Department’s strategic objectives are aligned to the following programmes:

 

    Administration;

    Women, Empowerment and Gender Equality (WEGE);

    Children’s Rights and Responsibilities (CRR); and

    Rights of People with Disabilities (RPD). 

 

1.3.        Purpose of the BRR Report

 

The Money Bills Procedures and Related Matters Amendment Act (No. 9 of 2009) sets out the process that allows Parliament to make recommendations to the Minister of Finance to amend the budget of a national department. Section 5 (1) of the Money Bills Amendment Procedure and Related Matters Act, (No. 9 of 2009) requires that the National Assembly, through its Committee, must annually assess the performance of each national department. Section 5 (2) makes provision for the annual submission of the budgetary review and recommendations report (BRRR) for tabling in the National Assembly for each department. It is expected of the BRRR to report on the following:

 

·         Assessment of the department’s service delivery performance given the available resources;

·         Assessments on the effectiveness and efficiency of the department’s use and forward allocation of available resources; and

·         May include recommendations on the forward use of resources.

 

In order to enable the Committee to take informed decisions on the performance of the Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities for the financial year 2013/2014, the Committee consulted the following reports and documents: Section 32 reports of National Treasury, the Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities Annual report 2013/2014, Reports of the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) and the State of the Nation’s Address 2014. All this information would assist the Committee to decide on the performance of the Department.

 

1.4.        Method

 

In complying with Section 5 (2) of the Money Bills Amendment Procedure and Related Matters Act, Act No 9 of 2009, the Portfolio Committee on Women, Children and people with Disabilities held a meeting on the 2013/2014 Annual Report of the Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities on 14 October 2014. The Office of the Auditor-General was also invited to give input during the budget review and recommendation report process on 14 October 2014. The Committee was also briefed and deliberated on the quarterly reports for 2013/2014 and the first quarter report for 2014/2015. As such, this report therefore includes key issues that were identified by the Committee.

 

1.5.        Outline of the contents of the Report

 

This report provides an analysis of the financial and programmatic performance of the Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities. The analysis takes cognisance of what Government’s key priorities are and how these affect women, children and persons with disabilities in the country in order to determine what progress has been made as well as identify the gaps and challenges that have to be addressed.

 

2.     Overview of the key relevant policy focus areas

 

2.1 Implications of the July 2014 State of the Nation Address

 

The President announced the establishment of the Department for Women in the Presidency and the relocation of Programme 3: Children’s Rights and Responsibilities and Programme 4: Rights of People with Disabilities to the Department of Social Development. The purpose of the new Department was to elevate “women’s issues and interests to lead, coordinate and oversee the transformation agenda on women’s socio-economic empowerment, rights and equality through mainstreaming, monitoring and evaluation.” As such, the Department of Women in the Presidency is the custodian of women empowerment and gender equality.

 

2.2 Budget Review, MTBPS

 

The budget of the Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities grew from R172.2 million in the 2012/13 financial year to R198.3 million in the 2013/14 financial year.

 

Programme

Budget (R million)

2011/12

2012/13

2013/14

2014/15

2015/2016

Administration

42.8

63.8

91.6

97.5

102.9

Women, Empowerment and Gender Equality (WEGE)

78.2

79.5

82.9

91.7

96.3

Children's Rights and Responsibilities (CRR)

10.2

13.5

9.9

12.2

13.5

Rights of People with Disabilities (RPD)

12

15.4

13.9

17.1

17.6

TOTAL

143.1

172.2

198.3

218.5

230.3

 

·         Although this was a nominal increase of 2.85 %, when inflation is taken into account the budget has actually been decreased by 2.60 %. Thus, in real terms the Department had less funding to work with than it had in the previous financial year.

·         This Department’s budget constituted a mere 0.013 % of the overall national budget. In the previous financial year the Women, Empowerment and Gender Equality (WEGE) programme consumed most of the budget at 55 %, however, the majority of this budget was transferred to the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) as reflected in this financial year. In 2013/2014 financial year however, the administration programme consumed 46 % of the budget.

·         In terms of economic classification, 66 % of the budget (R131.6 million) was allocated to current payments, 61% of which was allocated for compensation of employees. The balance (R51.3 million) was allocated for expenditure on goods and services. In addition, 31.8% of the budget has been allocated to Transfer Payments.

 

2.3 Outcome-based approach - Delivery agreement targets for 2013/2014 and   2014/15

 

According to the Department of Performance Monitoring and Evaluation, self-assessment score-card per national department the performance areas are measured through management standard/s. The Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities scored as follows

 

·         Critical areas of weakness: The Department of Women, Children, and People with Disabilities were both down on the related Governance standards of Ethics, Fraud, Internal Audit and Risk.

 

 

2.4   Overview of revised Strategic Plan and Annual Performance Plans

 

The Department for Women, Children and Persons with Disabilities was established to emphasise the need for equity and access to development opportunities for vulnerable groups in South African society. This Department was created in May 2009 to replace the former national multi-agency structures in the Presidency which lacked sufficient financial and human resources and the necessary authority to co-ordinate and oversee their mandates. The purpose of the Department was to drive the Government’s equity, equality and empowerment agenda with regard to marginalised groups and historically disadvantaged communities in each of the three sectors through an integrated approach to accelerate the realisation of their human rights.

 

The Department draws its mandate from the Constitution and the 2009 Presidential proclamation establishing the Ministry and Department. The mandate of the Department was to:

 

 

The Department’s strategic goals over the medium term were to[1]:

 

 

2.5   Overview of key developments in the organisational and service delivery environments of Department for 2013/14 and 2014/15 MTEF cycle

 

In its presentation on the strategic plan in May 2013, the Department identified the following strategic outcomes for the 2013/14 financial year:

 

          Empowerment of women, children and people with disabilities, facilitated for equitable access to public and private programmes and services;

          The rights of women, children and people with disabilities realised; and

          An increase in gender-based violence interventions and violence against women, children and people with disabilities decreased.

 

In the medium term, the Department’s spending priorities were intended to be the development of key sectoral policies on women’s empowerment, as well as the improvement of the Department’s administrative capacity. The Department allocated 42.2% of its total budget to the programme for Women Empowerment and Gender Equality, in anticipation of the implementation of the Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality Bill. As 72% of this budget (about R67.2 million) accounts for transfers to the Commission for Gender Equality, only about 27.2% of the budget (R25.1 million) is left for the implementation of programmes focusing on gender equality.

 

3.     Summary of previous key financial and performance recommendations of Committee

 

3.1.        2013/14 BRRR recommendations

 

Herewith a summary of the key financial and non-financial performance recommendations made by the Committee in the 2013 BRR report progress made in this regard, tabulated below. The Minister of Finance responded to two of the recommendations made by the Committee as noted in the 2013 BRRR.

 

Table 1: Reflecting back on BRRR 2013

2013 Recommendation

Progress and challenges

Financial performance

a)     It is encouraged that the Department submit monthly reports to the Committee as this will aid with oversight.

b)    All outstanding matters related to the Turn-Around Strategy must be reported on to the Committee on a monthly basis.

c)     The Department must implement and adhere to stringent daily and monthly financial controls.

d)    The Department must ensure that all funds that are appropriated are utilised optimally to avoid under or over-expenditure.

e)     The Department is requested to provide the Committee with regular reports for activities that incur Travel and subsistence costs. These initiatives should clearly indicate the purpose of the trip, the size of the delegation, the cost incurred, the outcomes of the trip and an action plan as to how resolutions will be implemented.

 

Monthly Reporting

a)     Initially the Department submitted monthly reports to the Committee but then stopped -it is unclear as to why. The AGSA has noted lack of effective on daily and monthly controls as a problem.

 

Turn-around Strategy (TAS)

b)    The Department has briefed the Committee on progress with regards to implementing the TAS. This in turn the DG has indicated contributed to the success of the Department in becoming more effective and efficient. However, it is unclear as to what if any are the outstanding matters of the TAS and by when will these be fully implemented.

 

Financial management

c)     Despite measures which the Department indicated it has implemented - adherence to stringent daily and monthly controls was cited as a problem by the AGSA.

 

Human Resource

a)     All key funded vacancies must be filled.

b)    The Department’s skills audit must be completed by December 2013 and an action plan of what is required to address the skills deficit must be developed before the end of this financial year. This must be submitted as part of the Department’s Annual Performance Plan and revised Strategic Plan to National Treasury for the coming financial year.

c)     The Committee reiterated the importance of compliance with the Public Finance Management Act and National Treasury Regulations by the Department and that failure of officials in this regard must be dealt with expeditiously.

d)    Given the Auditor General’s findings pertaining to the lack of internal controls and non-compliance with laws and regulations as required by Treasury Regulations, training is essential for staff and communicating policies and procedures to ensure that all staff are aware of these.

e)     The Department must have a personal development plan that is linked to a performance contract for all staff.

f)     Funding for personal development must be increased and should not be used for any other purpose but what it was intended for and ring-fenced.

g)    The Department must ensure that key vacancies within the core Programmes (2, 3 & 4) are filled. In terms of the revised human resource structure that would be submitted to the Minister of Public Service and Administration, the Department must address the inequity between support and core staff ratio. The policy development, research, institutional support and capacity development, stakeholder engagement and advocacy initiatives currently located in Programme 1 and costed for should be mainstreamed and relocated into Programmes 2, 3 and 4 respectively in order to enhance the performance of the core programmes

 

Vacancies

a)     The Department has been able fill key vacancies but there are some still outstanding.

b)    The Department has submitted a new organogram to the DPSA and NT for approval which have yet to be presented to the Committee.

 

Skills Audit

c)     The Department has highlighted the challenges in trying to undertake and complete the skills audit. The outcome of which would have a direct bearing on the proposed new structure for the Department as this would inform the Department as to what the skills deficits are. The Department would need to ascertain what capacity is required in order for the Department to operate optimally so as to give effect to its mandate.

 

Compliance with policy and laws

d)    The Department indicated that officials had received training on the PFMA. However it is unclear as to how the Department has dealt with officials that have not complied with the PFMA and National Treasury Regulations.

 

Performance Development Plan

e)     The Department indicated that all staff have performance contracts which are linked to a performance development plans.

f)     Funds were appropriated for staff development.

 

Support staff vs Core staff inequity

g)    It is still unclear as to how the Department has dealt with the inequity between support staff (mostly located in Programme 1: Administration) vs core staff (located in Programme 2, 3 & 4).

Infrastructure

a)     The Department should continue its discussion with the Minister of Public Works to expedite all matters related to accommodation of all staff within one building.

b)    All outstanding matters as noted in the Committee’s oversight report pertaining to the visit to the Department’s offices should be addressed.

 

a)     The Department indicated that the conditions of offices have improved.

Performance of Programme 1

a)     The Committee reiterated that more needs to be done to improve the image of the Department through marketing.

 

The Department has a functional website and the disability programme submits information via an electronic info-alert system.

Collaboration

a)    The Department (WEGE Programme 2) must strengthen collaboration with the Commission for Gender Equality to avoid the duplication of activities.

b)    The Department must strengthen collaboration with the Public Service Commission and the Department of Public Service and Administration.

c)    Collaboration between programmes within the Department must be strengthened and this must be clearly articulated in the next Annual Performance Plan.

 

The Department indicated that it continues to engage with all stakeholders to strengthen collaboration.

 

Monitoring and evaluation

a)     The Department must disseminate gender audit reports and make findings available.

b)    The Department must disseminate monitoring reports on Government’s compliance with the 2% employment equity target for persons with disabilities.

 

a)     Department been able to conduct gender audit reports

b)    The Department indicated to the Committee that it should engage with the Department of Public Services and Administration and PSC regarding Government’s progress of the 2% target.

Implementation of policies

a)     The Department must devise an action plan that clearly outlines by when and how the key policies that have been developed will be disseminated to all Organs of State. All Government Departments must be provided with an indication of how the policies should be implemented and what type of information the Department would require for monitoring and evaluation in this regard.

b)    The Department must clearly identify what the proposed outcomes and key performance indicators are for each campaign it intends embarking on. This should be established at the beginning of the financial year with estimated costs for each initiative. All campaigns must be evaluated and reports developed. An assessment of all campaigns must be done on annual basis to determine the impact.

 

Integrated Monitoring and Evaluation Strategy, Mainstreaming Framework, Advocacy Strategy & Institutional Support and Capacity Building

a)     All the policies were finalised but the implementation by Government structures is unclear.

 

National Plan of Action for Children (NPAC), Draft National Disability Rights Policy, National Policy for Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality

a)     The NPAC was finalised.

b)    The disability policy and women’s empowerment and gender equality policy is in draft form and will be finalised.

 

Treaty compliance framework and timeframes

a)     The Department must ensure that a plan is in place and communicated with Departments well in advance as to what information is required in the form of data/indicators in preparation for the upcoming country reports. This plan must be made available to the Committee and reflect in the next Annual Performance Plan and revised Strategic Plan.

b)    The Department must make every effort to ensure compliance with treaty deadlines.

c)     The Department should submit country reports to Parliament in advance to enable adequate time for the Committee to engage with the content.

 

a)     The UNCRC and ACRWC reports were finalised and the latter has subsequently been deposited at the AU.

b)    The UNCRPD country report was completed but has yet to be submitted to the UN Committee.

National Council on Gender-Based Violence

a)     The administration and co-ordinating functions of the Council should remain within Programme 1: Administration and National Treasury should ensure that adequate funding is allocated in order to function optimally.

b)    The content matters currently residing within the Council that pertain to the research, development of the national plan to deal with gender-based violence, monitoring and evaluation of the plan as well as advocacy initiatives should be mainstreamed into Programme 2, 3 and 4

Location

a)     The Minister will make a pronouncement in this regard and inform the Committee.

 

Funding

b)    The Department that it received funding from National Treasury but this was inadequate.

 

Mainstreaming

c)     It is unclear what the extent of the mainstreaming has been.

 

4.     Overview and assessment of financial performance

 

This section provides an overview and assessment of reported financial performance for 2010/2011 to 2015/2016; overview of finances for 2013/2014 as well as projected financial needs or areas needing improvement in terms of spending for the 2014/15 MTEF.

 

4.1.        Overview of Vote allocation and spending (2010/11 t0 2015/16)

 

Table 2: Overview of allocation and spending

Programme

2010/11

2011/12

2012/13

2013/14

2014/15

2015/16

Outcomes[2]

Outcomes[3]

Outcomes[4]

Main

Adjusted

Outcomes

Estimates

Estimates

Prog 1

37 458 

 67 105

 80110

91.6

92 511

82 599

97.5

 102.9

Prog 2

60 816 

 77 196

 77 572

82.9

82 643

84 472

91.7

96.3

Prog 3

7 742 

8 735 

 12 006

 9.9

 9 383

9 230

 12.2

 13.5

Prog 4

11 038 

2 910 

 9 554

 13.9

 13 775

11 148

 17.1

 17.6

Total

77 542 

109 919 

 165 861

 198.3

 192 849

187 449

 218.5

 230.2

 

 

4.2.        Financial Performance 2013/14

 

4.2.1       Quarterly spending trends, Adjustments for 2013/14, Post adjustment virement, Final total and programme expenditure

 

The Department received a final appropriation of R198.3 million for the 2013/14 financial year. This included the transfer amount of R63.0 million for the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE), leaving the Department with an operating budget of R135.3 million. The Department reports under-expenditure to the amount of R10.9 million.

 

The figure below depicts the spending trends for the Department per programme. It is evident that most of the under-expenditure occurred in the Administration programme (R7.3 million) and the Rights of People with Disabilities programme (R2.5 million). The Department ascribes the under-expenditure primarily due to vacant posts.

 

Figure 1: Spending trends per programme 2013/14

 

In May 2013 the Department presented its strategic plan and associated budget to the Portfolio Committee on Women, Children and Persons with Disabilities and indicated how it intended spending the budget, namely;

 

·         Administration 39%

·         WEGE 10%

·         CGE 32%

·         CRR 5%

·         RPD 7%

·         Intersectoral coordination and International Relations 3%

·         Research and Policy Development 2%

·         Communications 2%

 

As such, outside of the transfer to the CGE, the greatest proportion of the budget was to be spent in the Administration programme at 39% of the allocation. In terms of the actual spending trends, herewith a summary the based on the report of the accounting officer in the annual report.

 

 

Hence, it is evident that the Department had spent more than its projected allocations in all programmes except in the Children’s Rights and Responsibilities programme (where it spent the projected 5%) and in the programme for the Rights of People with Disabilities (where it spent less than the projected 7%). It is not clear where the funding allocations for communications, research and policy development and inter-sectoral coordination and international relations were subsumed.

 

4.2.2 Donor funding

 

The Department indicates that it had received donor funds in kind to the value of R5.153 million. This is approximately R2.25 million more than in the previous financial year. It reports that the funding was primarily used to drive and implement programmes in relation to gender-based violence and economic empowerment. However, in Annexure 1I: Statement of gifts (as reflected in the Annual Performance Report of 2013/2014), donations and sponsorships received, the value of donor funding amounts to R5.796 million. If one adds to the amount in Annexure 1I the amount of R647 000 received from UNICEF in Annexure 1J, it brings the total amount of donor funding to R6.443 million. There are also items received which have no monetary value attached. It appears that the largest contributors of donor funding and sponsorships are the National Lottery Board (R2.5 million), the UNFPA (R1.6 million), UNICEF (R647 000) and the UNPRPD (R636 000).

 

Figure 2: Donor Funding 2013/14

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Department reports that due to insufficient funding it was necessary to establish partnerships and work collaboratively where possible. Although this is commendable, it is also concerning that some of the funding by donors was towards core activities of the Department for which adequate funding was available. For example, the Department received R585 000 from the United Nations Programme on the Rights of People with Disabilities (UNPRPD) for the disability disaggregation of the National Disability Policy and the development of an Monitoring and Evaluation Framework, while under-spending on its budget in Programme 4 and not achieving planned targets.

 

4.2.3       Programme 1: Administration

 

The purpose of the Administration programme is to provide effective leadership, management and administrative support services. The objective is to provide comprehensive and integrated strategic leadership, management and governance support to ensure that the goals and objectives of the Department are effectively executed. The Department aims to achieve these objectives through the following sub-programmes: Ministry, Management (including strategic management, intersectoral and international coordination, research and policy development, internal audit, secretariat for the National Council against Gender-based Violence), Corporate Services (Communications, Legal Services, Resource management and financial management

 

Administration financial information

 

Table 3: Programme 1 allocation and expenditure

 

Sub-programme name

Final Appropriation

Actual Expenditure

(Over)/ under expenditure

 

R’000

R’000

R’000

Ministry

25 258

24 9722

286

Management

20 050

17 547

2 503

Corporate services

35 638

30 936

4 702

Office Accommodation

9 024

 9 023

1

Total

89 970

82 478

7 492

 

4.2.4       Programme 2: Women Empowerment and Gender Equality (WEGE)

 

The purpose of this programme is to facilitate national and international instruments into empowerment and socioeconomic development programmes as well as overseeing and reporting comprehensively on the national realisation of women’s rights and the progressive realisation of equality.  The main strategic objectives of this programmes aim to:

 

·         Mainstream women’s empowerment and gender equality considerations into government’s policies and governance processes;

·         Monitor and evaluate the mainstreaming of women’s empowerment and gender equality considerations into government’s policies and governance processes; and

·         Coordinate institutional support and capacity development programmes. 

 

The Department aims to achieve these objectives through three sub-programmes namely, Policy and Planning for Gender Equality; Mainstreaming and Capacity Development for Gender Equality; and Monitoring and Evaluation and Research for Gender Equality.

 

 

 

 

Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality financial information

 

This programme was allocated R85.285 million, however R63.080 million of this amount constitutes the transfer payment to the Commission for Gender Equality, leaving the programme with an operating budget of approximately R22 million.

 

Table 4: Programme 2 allocation and expenditure

 

Sub-programme name

Final Appropriation

Actual Expenditure

(Over)/ under expenditure

 

R’000

R’000

R’000

Advocacy & Mainstreaming

8 942

8 932

10

Institutional Support and Capacity Development

4 091

3 969

122

Monitoring & Evaluation

9 172

8 491

681

CGE

63 080

63 080

0

Total

85 285

84 472

813

 

4.2.5 Programme 3: Children’s Rights and Responsibilities

 

The purpose of this programme is to ensure the realisation of children’s rights and responsibilities by:

 

 

The Department has identified the three sub-programmes, namely; Policy and Planning, Mainstreaming and capacity development and Monitoring and evaluation.

 

Children’s Rights and Responsibilities financial information 2013/2014

 

The following is a table taken from the Department’s Annual Report in relation to the Programme’s financial situation:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 5: Programme 3 allocation and expenditure

 

Sub-programme name

Final Appropriation

Actual Expenditure

(Over)/ under expenditure

 

R’000

R’000

R’000

Advocacy & Mainstreaming

3 406

3 315

91

Monitoring & Evaluation

2 940

2 898

42

Institutional Support and Capacity Development

3 017

3 017

0

Total

9 363

9 230

133

 

 

4.2.6       Programme 4: The Rights of People With Disabilities

 

The purpose of this programme is to: Facilitate the translation of national and international instruments into empowerment and socio-economic development programmes, and to oversee and comprehensively report on the realisation of the rights of people with disabilities to equality. The programme has the following sub-programmes: Advocacy and Mainstreaming, Institutional Support and Capacity Building and Monitoring and Evaluation.

 

Rights of Persons with Disabilities Programme financial information

 

The following is a table taken from the Department’s Annual Report in relation to the Programme’s financial situation:

 

Table 6: Programme 4 allocation and expenditure

 

Sub-programme name

Final Appropriation

Actual Expenditure

(Over)/ under expenditure

 

R’000

R’000

R’000

Advocacy & Mainstreaming

3 845

2 706

1 139

Monitoring & Evaluation

2 590

1 868

722

Institutional Support and Capacity Development

7 259

6 574

685

Total

13 694

11 148

2 546

 

It is concerning that the budget continues to underspend on the programme on the rights of people with disabilities.

 

 

4.2.7       Director General’s report on funding situation and Auditor General of South Africa (AGSA) report

 

These are extremely important observations by the AGSA, which should have been addressed by the Turn-around Strategy (TAS) of the Department.

 

The Department received an unqualified audit opinion from the AGSA with emphasis of matter.

 

·         The AGSA found that the statements submitted for auditing were not fully prepared as per the prescribed requirement by the Public Finance Management Act (No 1 of 1999). They stipulated that material misstatements were found, which were subsequently corrected, after the submission thereof.

·         Insufficient internal controls were in existence to ensure complete and accurate financial statements; and

·         Even though the Internal Audit Unit was established, it was not adequately resourced and did not function as intended.[5]

·         Funded vacant posts were not filled within 12 months as required by Public Service regulations.

 

The Director-General indicates that no unauthorised expenditure was incurred for the 2013/14 period. However the Department incurred irregular expenditure to the value of R3.872 million and fruitless and wasteful expenditure of R15 000.

 

The irregular expenditure is attributed to only partial compliance with supply chain management processes, while the fruitless and wasteful expenditure is as a result of penalties charged on cancellations of flights and hotel accommodation.

 

However, in the Auditor-General’s report and in the financial statements[6] it appears that the Department in fact has a total amount of R41 000 in fruitless and wasteful expenditure – R26 000 relating to the previous year and R15 000 relating to the 2013/14 financial year. Also, in terms of irregular expenditure, the financial statements indicate an amount of R3.947 million, with the bulk of the irregular expenditure relating to travel agency fees (R2.345 million) and the remainder relating to SCM processes (R1.183) and human resource management (R419 000). The Department reports that there are investigations underway to address the SCM process related irregular expenditure but does not indicate what is being done with regards to the other irregular expenditure.

 

These are important observations by the AGSA, which (i) were also identified by the AGSA in the 2012/13 financial year, and (ii) should have been addressed by the turn-around strategy of the Department.

 

4.3.        Financial performance 2014/15

 

4.3.1 Overall Financial Performance

 

·         The total budget for the year 2014/2015 is R218 million (including funds for the CGE)

·         Actual expenditure for Quarter 1: R46.949 million

·         Department spent 21% for the 1st Quarter of the 2014/15 financial year.

·         The largest element of operational expenditure to the end of quarter 1 in 2014/15 was R22 million spent under the Administration programme mainly on compensation of employees and goods and services.  The next largest element was R3.8 million under the Women Empowerment And Gender Equality programme, followed by R2.7 million under the Rights of People With Disabilities programme, again primarily for compensation of employees and goods and services.

 

In terms of budgetary allocations for the 2014/15 period, the Department’s allocation and programme budgets are as follows:

 

Table 7: Overview of budgetary allocations 204/2015

 

Programme

Budget (R million)

2011/12

2012/13

2013/14

2014/15

2015/2016

Administration

42.8

63.8

91.6

97.5

102.9

Women, Empowerment and Gender Equality

78.2

79.5

82.9

91.7

96.3

Children's Rights and Responsibilities

10.2

13.5

9.9

12.2

13.5

Rights of People with Disabilities

12

15.4

13.9

17.1

17.6

TOTAL

143.1

172.2

198.3

218.5

230.3

 

 

General Performance Commentary: 2014/2015

 

·         The Department achieved 18 out of 30 targets in the 1st Quarter.

 

Table 8: The financial performance for Programme 1: Administration

Allocation

Cost Drivers

Quarter 4 Targets

R 23.8 million

(actual expenditure: R22.04 million)

Compensation of employees & goods and services

 

12/16 targets met (75%)

 

 

·         73.1% of operational expenditure from April to June was on Administration, representing R22 million, mainly for compensation of employees and goods and services.  Expenditure under this programme has increased by R2.6 million, or 13.6%, when compared with the same period last year primarily due to additional spending on compensation of employees.

·         Compensation of employees is the main cost driver in the programme. Of the total spending of R22 million in this programme, compensation of employees accounted for R13.4 million or 63% of the total programme spending. Another cost driver in the programme is goods and services, which represents R8 million or 36% of the total spending in this programme. The main spending items on goods and services are travel and subsistence, property and lease payments to the Department of Public Works (DPW) for the leasing of office accommodation as well as audit fees which provide for payments to the Auditor-General for audit services rendered to the Department.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 9: The financial performance for Programme 2 (WEGE)

Allocation

Cost Drivers

Quarter 4 Targets

R 20.4 million

(actual expenditure: R20.6 million – over expenditure of R200 000)

Compensation of employees & goods and services

 

3/7 targets met (42.8%)

 

·         Operational expenditure to the end of quarter 1 was R3.8 million, the majority of which was spent on compensation of employees and goods and services (mainly for travel and subsistence).  Expenditure under this programme has increased by R0 million, or 0.4%, when compared with the same period last year primarily due to additional spending on compensation of employees. Spending on compensation of employees spending represents R2.2 million or 58%, whilst spending on goods and services represents R1.6 million or 42% of the total programme spending.

 

Table 10: The financial performance for Programme 3 (CRR)

Allocation

Cost Drivers

Quarter 4 Targets

R 2.377 million

(under-expenditure of R758 000)

Compensation of employees & goods and services

 

3/5 targets met (60%)

 

·         Operational expenditure to the end of quarter 1 was R1.6 million, the majority of which was spent on compensation of employees. Expenditure under this programme has increased by 0.9 per cent, when compared with the same period last year primarily, which is well within the inflationary adjustments. The total spending on compensation of employees amounts to R1.3 million or 81 % of the total programme spending.

 

Table 11: The financial performance for Programme 4 (RPD)

Allocation

Cost Drivers

Quarter 4 Targets

R 4.210 million

(under-expenditure of R1.53 million)

Compensation of employees & goods and services

 

1/2 targets met (50%)

 

·         Operational expenditure to the end of quarter 1 was R2.7 million, the majority of which was spent on compensation of employees and goods and services (mainly for travel and subsistence, and venues and facilities).  Expenditure under this programme has increased by R0.5 million, or 22.4 %, when compared with the same period last year primarily due to additional spending on compensation of employees.

·         The department reported 2 more filled positions during the first quarter, when compared with an average of 10 posts that were reported during the same period of the previous year. Of the total R2.7 million spent in this programme, compensation of employees spending amounts to R1.8 million or 66 %.

 

4.4.        2015/16 MTEF financial allocations

 

The Department has indicated that additional funding is required for the National Council Against Gender-Based Violence. Moreover, the Department is in transition given the relocation of Programme 3 and 4 to the Department of Social Development and the reconfiguration of the Department itself now located within the Presidency. Hence, the Department intends submitting a revised human resource structure to the Department of Public Service and Administration for consideration.

 

4.5.        Concluding comments on financial performance

 

The Committee concurs with the findings of the AGSA and made the relevant recommendations in this regard. Furthermore, the Committee is acutely aware of the scourge of gender-based violence in the country, the challenges pertaining to gender mainstreaming, mainstreaming from a child rights perspective and disability mainstreaming. Adequate resources are required to undertake effective monitoring and evaluation in this regard. Moreover, resources have to be utilised optimally to ensure the desired outcomes are achieved. Notwithstanding this, a more focussed approach for the Department of Women in the Presidency would greatly enable the Department to achieve its desired outcomes.

 

5.     Overview and assessment of service delivery performance

 

5.1.        Service delivery performance for 2013/14

 

Table 12: Overall Performance

 

 

Programmes

Programmes Name

Targets Achieved

Targets Not Achieved

Total targets

% of targets Achieved

% of targets not achieved

Total targets %

Programme 1

Administration

10

3

13

77%

23%

100%

Programme 2

 WEGE

10

0

10

100%

0%

100%

Programme 3

 CRR

10

1

11

91%

9%

100%

Programme 4

 RPD

2

3

5

40%

60%

100%

Grand Total

32

7

39

82%

18%

100%

Departmental  % Achieved and Not Achieved

82%

18%

100%

 

·         As per the 2013/14 Annual Performance Plan, the Department achieved 32 (82%) out of 39 planned annual targets and 7 (18%) were not achieved.

·         In 2010/11 the Department`s performance of targets achieved was 40%, in 2011/12 it was 60%, in 2012/13 it was 70% and in 2013/14 scored 82%.Thus during the year under review (2013/2014), the Department’s performance improved by 12% compared to the previous financial year 2012/13.

·         A comparative analysis of the overall performance of the Department per-programme during the financial years 2012/13 and 2013/14 indicates an overall improvement. During 2012/13 the Administration`s performance of targets achieved was 71%, in 2013/14 it was 77%; the WEGE Programme in 2012/13 was 82% and in 2013/14 scored 100%; the CRR Programme in 2012/13 was 93% and in 2013/14 91%; the RPD Programme in 2012/13 was 31% and 2013/14 40%.

 

 

5.2  Programme 1: Administration

 

The purpose of the Administration programme is to provide effective leadership, management and administrative support services. The objective is to provide comprehensive and integrated strategic leadership, management and governance support to ensure that the goals and objectives of the Department are effectively executed. The Department aims to achieve these objectives through the following sub-programmes: Ministry, Management (The secretariat for the NCGBV is also located in this sub-programme, Core Programme: Corporate Service and Office Management.

 

5.2.1 Review on Administration’s performance 2013/2014

 

The Department has in previous years continually identified a number of risks which impact on its ability to meet its targets. Amongst these are human resource constraints and a lack of effective governance systems, both of which were to be addressed by the Department’s turn-around strategy. The Department’s human resource and governance status and challenges are highlighted below.

 

5.2.3 Human Resources

 

During the period under the review, the Department had a funded establishment of 151 approved posts, of which 133 were filled and 18 vacancies remained. The Department therefore reports a vacancy rate of 11.9%. Approximately 66% of the staff complement was female. In terms of occupational categories in which women were employed in the Department, 43.1% are employed as clerks, 28.4% are employed in the legislators, senior officials and managers’ category and 20.4% are employed in the professional’s category. The Department met and exceeded the 2% target for employment of people with disabilities reaching 4.5% (7 out of 133 employees). As in previous years, the majority of employees are employed in the Administration programme which has 111 approved posts of which 97 are filled. Personnel costs are therefore also highest under this programme at R45.7 million (which amounts to 70.8% of personnel costs. Personnel costs for the remaining three programmes amounts to R18.7 million. When reviewing the personnel costs by salary band it appears that more than half of the personnel costs (56.7%) is spent on the senior management levels, followed by 21.9% which is spent on salary levels 9-12 (highly skilled supervision positions).

 

In terms of staff turnover, a total of 19 persons left the Department in 2013/14 through either resignation (6), transfers to other departments (5) or as a result of contracts expiring (7). One person was dismissed due to misconduct. Insofar as additions to the staff complement is concerned, a total of 46 persons were appointed or transferred into the Department. It must be noted however that 16 of these appointments were temporary contractors. The Department also indicates in its annual report that 1 employee had been on suspension for the duration of the financial year at a cost of R653 000.

 

The Department also provides an overview of the use of consultants. Consultant services were used for 5 projects between 1 April 2013 and 31 March 2014 to the value of R1 586 196. A breakdown on the number of consultants employed per project is only provided for one of the projects.[7]

 

In terms of staff development, although the Department has not been able to provide access to all training and skills development opportunities identified by staff, it has made significant gains. In 2012/13 the Department only provided 43 training opportunities out of 152 skills programmes identified by staff. During the 2013/14 financial year the Department managed to improve on the provision of training and skills development by providing more training opportunities than had been identified by staff (i.e. staff identified 73 skills development programmes and the Department provided access to 82). Two staff members in senior management posts received performance rewards to the combined value of R93 000. No staff members in the lower salary bands received performance-related rewards.

 

In 2012/13 the Department indicated that it had not been able to implement an Employee Assistance Programme. It still has not managed to achieve this during the 2013/14 financial year but has in the interim appointed an Employee Health and Wellness Coordinator and hosts quarterly wellness days for staff.

 

An area of concern, however, remains the non-compliance with the prescripts for the filling of senior management service (SMS) posts. The Department had not managed to fill all vacant SMS positions within the financial year. Another concern is that the Department indicates on page 82 of the annual report that of the 35 persons employed in SMS positions, only 19 had concluded/signed performance contracts by the end of May 2013 as required. Reasons provided for this include:

 

 

5.2.4 Governance

 

The Department reports that during the period under review it was able to strengthen its risk management and internal functions through the appointment of a Director of risk management and a functional audit committee. The annual report provides an overview of the activities undertaken by the audit committee as well as areas of concern identified for the Department to address. Amongst these is slow progress in the implementation of agreed to corrective plans to address control weaknesses, as well as performance indicators which do not meet the SMART[8] principles.

 

This is reiterated by the AGSA which highlights that there are still significant internal control deficiencies that resulted in non-compliance with legislation. Furthermore the AGSA’s report also finds that the management of the Department did not implement effective controls to ensure accurate and complete financial statements. It also states that the internal audit function did not submit quarterly reports detailing the performance against the annual internal audit plan to the audit committee as required by Treasury regulations. Thus, although the Department reports improvements in internal audit functioning, the AGSA points out that internal audit is not sufficiently capacitated – an issue that was also raised in the previous financial year.

 

The Accounting Officer in her report indicates that the Department had made significant improvement in ensuring compliance with supply chain management processes. This has reportedly led to a reduction in the number of incidents of irregular expenditure. However the AGSA points that in terms of procurement and contract management there are instances where contracts and quotations were awarded to bidders based on points given for criteria that differed from those stipulated in the original invitation for bidding and quotations – in contravention of Treasury regulations.

 

Administration programme performance

·         Out of 13 planned targets, Programme 1 achieved 10 targets, 77% achieved while 3 targets (23%) not achieved. The table below provides a summary of all targets achieved for this programme.

 

Table 13: Programme 1 - Targets achieved for 2013/2014

Performance Indicators

Planned Targets Achieved

2013/14

Number of Internal Audit reports issued on the 3 year rolling plan

4

% of management Action plans followed up and verified

100%

% of deviation on expenditure against allocated funding

5% (not in excess of )

% of reduction of vacancy rate

7%

Annual Stakeholder Forum coordinated

1 Annual Stakeholder Forum

Communication Plan (with regard to marketing and

branding) implemented

Communication Plan

Developed and implemented

Number of  Evidence based research projects (empowerment, violence and survival) on women, children and people with disabilities undertaken

3

Number of Research analytic reports on the status of women, children and people with disabilities produced

6

Number of  Strategic documents(Strategic Plan, Annual Performance Plan (APP)and Annual Report developed

3

Risk management  maturity level improved by implementing a Risk Register and Quarterly Risk Assessment Reports compiled

Risk Register developed

 

·         Herewith a synopsis of targets not achieved in this programme.

 

 

 

 

 

Table 14: Programme 1 - Targets not achieved 2014/2015

Target Not Achieved

Reasons for deviation

365 Day Plan of Action coordinated

Monitoring tool for 365 was not developed due to the fact that the CEO  of the National Council for GBV joined the Department in the middle of the financial year

Staff satisfaction rate conducted through survey

Only 2nd quarter was measured – due to management decision that survey should not be conducted until recommendations from staff on improvements has been received and implemented

Reports on events coordinated and produced

Not all events took place as the focus of Department changed to gender-based violence on vulnerable women and children and the international rural day of women was prioritised.

 

5.3  Programme 2: Women’s Empowerment And Gender Equality

 

The purpose of the Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality Programme is “To facilitate the translation of national and international commitments into empowerment and socio-economic development programmes, and to oversee and report comprehensively on the national realisation of women’s rights and the progressive realisation of equality

 

The Department aims to achieve these objectives through three sub-programmes: Advocacy and Mainstreaming, Monitoring and Evaluation and Institutional Support and Capacity Development.

 

 

5.3.1 Review on Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality performance 2013/2014

 

·         The Department has achieved all of the targets it had set for this programme in the 2013/14 financial year.

·         Programme 2 achieved 10/10 targets  (100% achieved)

 

Table 15: Programme 1 Targets achieved for 2013/2014

 

Performance Indicators

Planned Target

2013/14 (all achieved)

Number of  programmes on WEGE Policy coordinated

8

Number of Programmes on women’s socioeconomic opportunities and development coordinated

5

Number of advocacy campaigns on Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission

1

Number of status report on programmes for women empowerment & gender Equality

3

Number of provincial programmes reports on implementation of women

empowerment & gender equality monitored

4

Number of compliance reports to regional, continental and international

commitments

2

Number of Capacity building and institutional support programmes

facilitated and coordinated

3

Number of  initiatives on Institutional Support and Capacity Development Framework undertaken

3

Number of National Gender Mainstreaming (NGM) programmes

Coordinated

4

Number of initiatives for young women in (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields coordinated

4

 

5.4 Programme 3: Children’s Rights and Responsibilities

 

The purpose of the Children’s Rights and Responsibilities Programme is “To promote, advocate and monitor the progressive realisation of children’s rights through Government’s policies and programmes.” This programmes aims to achieve this through the following set of objectives namely:

 

 

5.4.1 Review of Programme 3: Children’s Rights and Responsibilities

 

·         out of 11 planned targets, Programme 3 achieved 10 targets (91%)  while 1 target (9%) was not achieved

·         Herewith a summary of all achievements:

 

Table 16: Programme 3 Targets achieved for 2013/2014

 

Performance Indicator

Planned Targets Achieved

2013/14

Number of Municipalities work shopped on Mainstreaming Strategy

2

Number of social campaigns on rights of children conducted

3

Number of child participation sessions held on empowerment

2

Number of access to education and ECD programme conducted

2

Number of Children`s Rights Machineries convened

3

M&E Strategy finalised

M&E Strategy

finalised

M&E data systems developed

M&E data systems

developed

Number of status report on key child rights priorities

1

Number of regional and international periodic reports produced and deposited

2

 

 

The following table provides a synopsis of the target not achieved and the reason for the deviation.

 

Table 17: Programme 3 - Targets not achieved 2014/2015

Target Not Achieved

Reasons for deviation

Child-friendly cities/communities model launched

Consultation with identified municipalities for piloting took longer than expected.

 

5.4  Programme 4: Rights of Persons with Disabilities

 

The purpose of this programme is to:

 

Facilitate the translation of national and international instruments into empowerment and socio-economic development programmes, and to oversee and comprehensively report on the realisation of the rights of people with disabilities to equality.

 

 The programme has the following sub-programmes:

·         Advocacy and Mainstreaming: To mainstream disability considerations into Government’s policies and governance processes.

 

5.4.1 Review on Rights of People with Disabilities programme performance 2013/ 2014

·         out of 5 planned targets , Programme 4 achieved 2 targets (40%)  while 3 targets (60%) were not achieved

     Herewith a summary of all achievements:

 

Table 18: Programme 4 Targets achieved for 2013/2014

 

Performance Indicator

Planned Target 2013/14

Transversal policy and legislation to promote, protect and uphold the rights of people with disabilities in place

Draft National

Disability Policy (NDP) developed

Number of transversal projects that mainstream disability considerations supported

6

 

Herewith a synopsis of targets not achieved in this programme.

 

 

 

Table 19: Programme 4 - Targets not achieved

Target Not Achieved

Reasons for deviation

Number of disability rights campaigns coordinated

Due to capacity constraints

Draft universal access framework finalised

Due to capacity challenges and delays in contracting technical expertise by the OHCHR

Number of reports on the status of people with disabilities published

Delays in finalising baseline studies due to ethical clearance requirements at Universities

 

5.5   Service delivery performance for 2014/15

 

5.5.1       Quarterly  performance assessments

 

·         The department planned a total of 30 targets for the first quarter and achieved 18 targets (60%) while 12 targets (40%) were not achieved.

·         Programme 1: This programme achieved 12/16 targets met (75%). Targets not achieved were attributed to GBV Awareness baseline study was put on hold subject to the review of the target; delay in submission of invoices from service providers; the communication strategy has been place on hold subject to the confirmation of the new mandate and the same applies to the research agenda. The Department cites the meeting held on the draft NSP by the advisory committee as a key achievement.

·         Programme 2: This programme achieved only 3/7 targets met (42.8%). The guidelines on the 50/50 parity principles were not compiled as the focus was on research to develop the guidelines. This target was shifted to Quarter 3. The Department was unable to reach the target of 5 000 women due to insufficient consultations and dialogues convened. The women’s economic programme target was not achieved as the Department partnered with different stakeholder as initially envisaged. The target pertaining to Consultation on the Draft Reviewed of National Policy on WEGE conducted and the finalisation of and consultation on the Mainstreaming Strategy was not achieved as there was a shift in focus. The target on mainstreaming has thus been shifted to Quarter 4. The programme cites the attendance at events and hosting of taking a girl child to school as its main achievements.

·         Programme 3: This programme achieved 3/5 targets met (60%). The programme attributed the non-delivery on targets to the reconfiguration process with the Department of Social Development. The presentation of the Child Friendly Communities Framework as well as the plans related to Child Protection Week as achievements. Moreover, the programme cites the community dialogue awareness raising campaign with SASSA for the distribution of social assistance (community of Mmadditlhokoa) as another achievement.

·         Programme 4: This programme achieved 1/2 targets met (50%). It is of concern that this programme had only two targets to achieve which is very little and was only able to achieve 1. The programme cites the hosting of the National Disability Rights Machinery as an achievement. to this end, the Draft Policy as well as National Disability Rights M&E Policy Framework was discussed at the machinery meeting.

 

 

Outstanding Matters:

·         The Department provided no clear indication as to how it dealt with unmet targets in the previous quarters.

 

5.6   Concluding comments on service delivery performance

 

The Department has made progress with the implementation of the TAS. Some vacant positions were filled during the 2013/2014 financial period. Nonetheless, the core programmes namely 2, 3 and 4 have significantly less staff than Programme 1 focussed on Administration. However, these core programmes are responsible for key outcomes of the Department and have to be well resourced and capacitated. Notwithstanding, this performance of Programme 4 as compared to 2 and 3 is of concern and requires attention. All matters related to Programme 3 and 4 would need to be clearly communicated to the Department of Social Development.

 

Notwithstanding all the achievements cited in the Department’s Annual Report for 2013/2014, the following highlights of significant achievements were also brought to the attention of the Committee:

 

·         UNiTE Campaign to “Say No To Violence Against Women and Girls” popularised in all provinces, culminating to the launch of the Orange World!  Signing of the Western Cape Declaration

·         Annual Stakeholder Forum held with focus on ECD and Responsible parenting in Diepsloot

·         Techno Girl Alumni which allows for support to be provided to the girls to enter tertiary institutions and   supported to continue their studies in the STEM fields with the aim of assisting them with job placements thus ensuring as sustainable initiative   

·         The Department in association with the Airports Company of South Africa and Wheelchair Tennis South Africa held a media conference to welcome back the South African US OPEN QUAD champion, Lucas Sithole

·         The Department in partnership with MTN Foundation SA handed over accessible computer (ICT) centre to Bartimea School for the Blind and Deaf.

·         The South African Government, led by the Department of Women Children and People with Disabilities (DWCPD), in partnership with the Albinism Society of South Africa (ASSA), hosted the first ever conference on albinism to focus on the rights of persons with albinism.

·         Coordinated National Disability Rights Awareness Month.

 

6.     Finance and Service delivery performance assessment

 

This section provides a synopsis of the service delivery performance against spending patterns for 2013/14 and 2014/15.

 

·         In the 1st Quarter of 2014/2015, 35.8% of expenditure to this point was under transfers and subsidies and 64.2% on departmental operations. Of operational expenditure, 61.9% was on compensation of employees, 33.2% on goods and services, and zero was spent on interest and rent on land.  1.9% of expenditure was on payments to capital assets.

·         The largest portion of operational expenditure by the end of Quarter 1 in 2014/15 was R22 million spent under the Administration programme mainly on compensation of employees and goods and services.  The next largest proportion was R3.8 million under the Women Empowerment And Gender Equality programme, followed by R2.7 million under the Rights of People With Disabilities programme, again primarily for compensation of employees and goods and services.

·         Operational expenditure has grown at a nominal rate of 11.7%, (R3.2 million), when compared to the same period in the previous financial year.  Rand value expenditure growth has been greatest in the Administration programme, mainly driven by increased spending on compensation of employees. The Rights of People with Disabilities and Women Empowerment and Gender Equality programmes show the next highest growths also primarily due to increases in spending on compensation of employees.    

 

7.     COMMITTEE’S OBSERVATIONS AND RESPONSE

 

7.1  Technical issues

 

·         The Committee noted it concerns about the late tabling of the Annual Report by the Department.

·         The structure and layout of the 2013/2014 Annual Report continues to improve as compared to previous reports.

 

7.2    Mandate, Mission, Vision:

 

·         The mandate, mission and vision of the Department in the Annual Report of 2013/2014 reflects the programmes pertaining to children and persons with disabilities but subsequently the Department of Women in the Presidency was established. Notwithstanding this, the Committee acknowledged that transfer of responsibilities and functions to the Department of Social Development but was concerned about how the Department of Women would ensure that all initiatives would continue in these programmes and corrective action would be implemented as recommended where necessary.

·         Broadened Scope: The Committee was concerned about the broadened scope of the Department as reported by the DG insofar as focussing on all policies and laws that relate to the socio-economic empowerment of women. Whereas before  it the focus was more in terms of the Department of Trade and Industry economic empowerment of women.

 

7.3   Governance and operational issues

 

·         Irregular expenditure: The Committee noted with concern the irregular expenditure incurred with regards to travel agency fees as well as fruitless and wasteful expenditure due to penalties for cancelled flights and accommodation.

 

7.4 Infrastructure

·         The Committee noted the challenges previous identified in the 4th Parliament and acknowledged the progress report by the Department to address the concerns.

 

7.5 Human Resources

·         Vacancies: The Committee welcomed the filling of key vacant positions but was still concerned with posts that have yet to be filled.

·         Structure of Department: The Annual Report 2013/2014 reflects the organisational structure that includes Children’s Rights and Responsibilities and Rights of People with Disabilities, however it would be important for the Committee to ascertain what/if any changes are envisaged for the Department of Women in the Presidency in the new MTEF cycle.

·         Resignations/termination of contracts: The Committee noted with concern the number of resignations and the termination of contracts and the impact of this would have on service delivery.

·         Performance Bonus: The Committee was concerned that performance bonuses were issued to 2 officials in light of the overall performance of the Department and impact of initiatives undertaken.

 

 

 

 

7.6   Service delivery performance

 

·         Transitional arrangements: The Minister and the Director General (DG) makes reference to key activities in the Child Rights and Rights of Persons with Disabilities Programmes (3 & 4) in the opening remarks of the Annual Report 2013/2014 but it is unclear as to what the hand over process is to the Department of Social Development in this regard nor what assurance there would be that all initiatives will be continued.

·         Unmet Targets: The annual report analysis provides details as to which of the targets have not been met. It would be important for the Committee to ascertain, what plans and timeframes are in place to address all unmet targets bearing in mind what the Department had presented to the Committee in terms of the Quarter 1 briefing for 2014/2015.

·         Impact of campaigns: The Committee questioned the impact of the campaigns undertaken by the Department and whether any follow up was conducted after every event.

·         WEGE Bill: The Minister and the DG makes reference to the Women Empowerment and Gender Equality Bill as approved and finalised by the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces (NCOP). And as such this will require the Department to introduce processes and procedures for developing regulations, guidelines and measures for compliance and non-compliance. However, it is important to note that the NCOP had proposed amendments to the Bill and thus the NA would need to reconsider what has been proposed in order to finalise it. Moreover, in a prior briefing with the Committee, the Minister had indicated that the Department would be consulting further on the Bill before reintroducing it to Parliament. The Committee was clear that the Bill had lapsed and as such the Annual Report provided an inaccurate account of the status of the Bill.

 

7.7   Financial performance including funding proposals

 

The Committee welcomed the unqualified audit opinion issued by the Auditor General for the Department’s 2013/2014 Annual Report but remained concerned about the emphasis of matter.

 

·         The Committee welcomed the fact that the Department did not overspend in its overall budget. The Committee noted with concern the under-expenditure in light of all targets not being met for the respective programmes. 

·         Investigations: The Annual Report 2013/2014 refers to Claims against the Department (Annex 3B), p 139 and p 154. It would be important for the Committee to gain clarity from the Department in this regard and ascertain what if any remedial action is still required. Furthermore, the Annual Report 2013/2014 refers to the Fluxmans Report as a process that’s been completed with a briefing to the former Portfolio Committee in the 4th Parliament. However, it is important to note that the former Minister had indeed briefed the former Committee in November 2013, however at the time indicate that there were processes still underway in relation to matters of the Fluxmans Report which had to be completed.

·         Donor activity: The Annual Report 2013/2014 provides an overview of donor funding for various initiatives related to the Children’s Rights and the Rights of People with Disabilities Programme. Given the transfer of functions in this regard to the Department of Social Development, it would be important for a comprehensive handover of donor activities and reports in this regard.

·         National Council on Gender-Based Violence: The Committee noted with concern the matters related to funding of the Council to give effect to its mandate despite the allocation from National Treasury and donor funds.

·         Minister of Finance response to previous BRRR: The Minister of Finance responded as follows:

 

BRRR: The department must ensure that all funds that are appropriated are utilised optimally to avoid under- and over-expenditure.

 

Response: The department overspent its budgets for 2010/11 and 2011/12 but underspent in 2012/13 and in the first two quarters of 2013/14. The National Treasury is working with the office of the Chief Financial Officer to ensure that the problem of overspending does not become one of underspending and below-targeted performance outputs.

 

The Standing Committee on Public Accounts still has to decide how the department is going to fund the overspending in 2010/11. The department has not yet submitted a formal report to the National Treasury on unauthorised expenditure in 2011/12.

 

BRRR: The administration and co-ordination of the National Council on Gender-Based Violence should remain within Programme 1: Administration, and the National Treasury should ensure that adequate funding is allocated in order to function optimally.

 

Response: An allocation of R20.4 million has been provided over the 2014 MTEF period for the department to establish the council. The National Treasury has asked the accounting officer to make sure that the department’s commitments do not exceed the funds allocated for the council.

 

7.8  CGE Matters

 

Notwithstanding, the fact that the CGE is a Chapter 9 Institution, only accounts to Parliament vis-a-vis the Portfolio Committee on Women in the Presidency) and that the Department merely transfers its funds, the Committee deemed it important to note the following observations:

 

7.8.1       Governance

 

·         The Committee was concerned about the recurring problems identified by the AGSA as per previous financial years and that actions should be taken against the transgressors. This was with specific reference to non-compliance of the PFMA and National Treasury Regulations.

·         The Committee indicated that more discussions are required regarding holding to account senior management and the role of the board/plenary which is comprised of CGE committees e.g. oversight committee, finance committee, audit committee, governance committee.

 

7.8.2       Finance

 

·         The Committee was concerned about the financial management within the CGE and the structures responsible for ensuring that the recommendations from the AGSA are implemented and not repeated.

 

7.8.3       Programme

 

 

 

8      Recommendations

 

The Minister of Women in the Presidency should ensure that the following recommendations are implemented.

 

8.1 Transitional Matters

 

·         The Department should provide a progress report on all transitional matters related to Programme 3 and 4 insofar as financial, human resource, operational and programme issues are concerned.

·         The Department should provide a status report on all changes implemented as result of the transfer of functions of Programme 3 and 4 to the Department of Social Development.

 

8.2 Audit Action Plan

 

8.3 Financial performance

 

·         In-Year Monitoring Reports: The Department is requested to submit quarterly reports to the Committee in line with National Treasury Regulations.

·         Turn-Around Strategy: All outstanding matters related to the Turn-Around Strategy should be reported on to the Committee with the 2nd Quarterly Report for 2014/2015.

 

8.4 Human Resource

 

·         Vacancies: All key funded vacancies should be filled within the specified time allocation, in instances where this is not complied with the Department should clearly identify within the quarterly reports to the Committee reasons for failure to comply and remedial action taken to mitigate.

·         Skills Audit: The Department should provide the outcome of skills audit, an action plan of what is required to address the skills deficit and the impact on the proposed new structure for the Department. This must be submitted as part of the Department’s Annual Performance Plan and revised Strategic Plan to National Treasury for the coming financial year.

·         Organogram/Revised HR structure: In terms of the revised human resource structure that would be submitted to the Minister of Public Service and Administration, the Department must address the inequity between support and core staff ratio.

·         Resignations/Dismissals/Termination of contracts: The Department to provide a written report on the reasons for dismissal of staff, resignations, termination of contracts and its subsequent impact on service delivery.

 

 8.5 Governance

·         The Committee reiterated the importance of compliance with the Public Finance Management Act and National Treasury Regulations by the Department and that failure of officials in this regard must be dealt with expeditiously. To this end, the Department to report on how it deals with transgressors and what remedial action is taken. This should be presented in the quarterly reports.

 

8.6   Infrastructure

 

·         The Department should provide a status report on the infrastructure of the Department, progress insofar as addressing previous challenges are concerned as identified by the Committee in the 4th Parliament.

 

8.7   Performance related recommendations

 

8.7.1 SMART principle

 

8.7.2 Collaboration

·         The Department should ensure improved collaboration between Programme 1 and 2 as well as with the CGE and all other relevant organs of State as well as civil society.

 

8.7.3 Monitoring and evaluation

·         The Department should provide an annual update on progress of gender equality in South Africa in relation to targets identified within the APP and Strategic Plan.

 

8.7.4 Events/Campaigns/Conferences

·         The Department should inform the Committee of all initiatives it intends undertaking in order for Portfolio Committee Members to attend where possible.

·         The Department should provide the Committee with reports of all initiatives undertaken by outlining the cost incurred (as per the recommendation on spending trends), the purpose of initiatives and its relation to the APP, the outcomes of the initiative, number of intended beneficiaries and an action plan as to how resolutions/outcomes will be implemented.

 

 

 

8.7.5 Implementation of policies

·         The Department should brief the Committee on a quarterly basis on the progress of implementation of policies developed.

 

8.7.6 Treaty compliance framework and timeframes

·         The Departments should improve on the compilation and quality of country reports by ensuring that all stakeholders are aware of the information required.

·         The Department should ensure that country reports are submitted within the specified timeframes as required by the relevant reporting bodies.

·         The Department should report back to Parliament on feedback received on country reports and action plans developed in this regard.

 

8.7.7 National Council on Gender-Based Violence

·         The Department should provide a status report on the Council location, financial and programme performance at the 2nd Quarter Report briefing.

 

8.8 Legislative and Policy Reform

 

·         Women and Gender Equality Bill: The Department to provide the Committee with plan for dealing with Bill in the current financial year.

·         National Policy on Women Empowerment and Gender Equality: The Department to finalise this draft policy and cost it and brief the Committee accordingly.

·         National Gender Policy Framework: The Department to provide a report on the status of this policy and the intersection with the draft National Policy on Women Empowerment and Gender Equality.

 

8.9  CGE

 

8.9.1       Finance

 

 

8.9.2       Governance

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9      Summary of reporting requests

 

Table 20: Reporting requests

 

Reporting matter

Action required

Timeframe

Monthly reports encouraged as per the AG recommendation

Written report

By the 15th of every month for previous month

Quarterly reports

Written report

Briefing

At briefing of 2nd quarterly report

Audit outcomes -

Details of audit action plan

Written report

Briefing

At briefing of 2nd quarterly report

Skills audit

Written report

Briefing

At briefing of 2nd quarterly report

HR: vacancies, dismissals, termination of contracts

Written report

Briefing

At briefing of 2nd quarterly report

Impact reports of initiatives (campaigns, events, workshops, conferences etc.)

Written report

 

30 days after an event has taken place

 

 

10.   Appreciation

 

The Committee having engaged with the Department, the Commission for Gender Equality and the Auditor-General of South Africa on the performance of these organs of State for 2013/2014 appreciates the inputs received and hereby submits this report.

 

Report to be considered.

 



[1] Estimates of National Expenditure 2013, National Treasury

[2] The Main appropriation is reflected under section 2.3 of this document.

[3] The Main appropriation is reflected under section 2.3 of this document.

[4]The Main appropriation is reflected under section 2.3 of this document.

[5] Page 100 of the Annual Report.

[6] Page 142 of Annual Report

[7] Refer page 94 of the Annual Report

[8] SMART: specific, measureable, achievable, relevant and time-based