The Portfolio Committee on Women in the Presidency met to consider its Draft Budget Review and Recommendations Report based on the submission made by the Department of Women in the Presidency to the National Treasury. The Committee recommendations are wide-ranging. Most of which put under scrutiny the department’s performance and strategic outcomes in relation to its core service delivery mandate of advancing women’s socio-economic empowerment and the promotion of gender mainstreaming in various spheres of life.

The Committee’s draft review and recommendation report is based on the Auditor-General’s findings, State of the Nation Address pronouncements, oversight reports on departments and the Commission for Gender Equality.

According to this report, most glaring in the department’s strategic plan is the lack of a clear collaborative approach to gender mainstreaming between the department, organs of the state, civil society and the Commission for Gender Equality that have a dedicated focus on this matter. As such the report recommended that: “The department should ensure that there is an improved collaboration with Commission for Gender Equality and all other organs of the State as well civil society in achieving its mandate.”

Moreover, the department should include the Commission for Gender Equality as one of the major stakeholders in its national dialogue initiatives, the report recommends.     

The report appraised the fact that the department has, in its report, made reference to the National Development Plan (NDP) priorities, but the Committee regretted the fact that it was unclear how the department intended to achieve them. “The Committee acknowledges the department’s reference to the NDP priorities, but was unclear what the tangible outcomes were, based on the undertaking by the department during 2016/17 that enabled progress towards achieving these priorities.”

Most importantly, the Committee Report has noted with concern the unfavourable findings made by the Auditor-General with regard to the department’s financial contraventions. These include, among others, the irregular, unauthorised, fruitless and wasteful expenditure, which have been attributed to the lack of optimal internal audit controls and risk management.

“The Committee recommended that the department should report monthly to the Committee on the progress made with regard to the implementation of the recommendations of the A-G, its Audit and Risks Committee. And explanation must be provided where recommendations have not been implemented and what the remedial action is.”   

The report blamed this on the lack of effective governance, which has led to a lack of adequate oversight responsibility regarding financial, performance reporting and compliance. To remedy this situation, the Committee has resolved that the list of names of officials who transgressed the Public Finance Management Act, National Treasury Regulations and Supply Chaim Management policies must be submitted to the Committee. “This must indicate the nature of contravention, cost incurred and the consequence management implemented by respective managers.”

In addition, the department should provide the Committee with a comprehensive report on its investigation into its financial mismanagement. “The report should clearly indicate the sanctions brought against officials responsible for irregular expenditure. And the department must develop action plans on steps to prevent any form of financial mismanagement in future,” said the Committee Draft Report.

The Committee Report criticised the top-heavy structure of the department and its use of consultants to craft its turn-around strategy, while its 2016/17 core service delivery targets remain unmet.

“The Committee recommends that the department should provide the outcomes of its skills audit, an action plan of what is required to address its skills deficit and the impact thereof on its new structure and what it would do to mitigate that.”

Regarding the unmet targets, the Committee recommended that the heads of department should submit quarterly reports of consequence management for the non-delivery of targets with a clear indication of the remedial action 

To enhance its effectiveness, the department should ensure that there is an alignment between its strategic plan and its annual performance plan and their objectives and targets are costed accordingly, states the Committee report.

All these factors will help to create the necessary environment for gender-responsive budgeting, that could bring about the necessary gender equality legislative and gender policy reforms. “The department should be spearheading the introduction of legislation and policy reforms; we have not seen that happening. Hence, we recommend that the department should brief the Committee on gaps identified in policies and laws on a regular basis.”

Abel Mputing
17 October 2017