Parliament, Thursday, 11 October 2018 – The Portfolio Committee on Public Works believes that it is important to look at the re-engineering of the Independent Development Trust (IDT). The committee was considering the annual report of the entity today which showed a bleak picture. The IDT is one of the problematic entities under the Department of Public Works.
The committee is unhappy with the audit report of the IDT. Even though the entity presented a new turnaround strategy, the committee is still concerned that there seems to be no will to improve governance at the entity.
Among the key things that the committee has noticed, that have led to the disclaimers the IDT has received for four consecutive years, is the lack of systems at the entity which prevent it from planning, monitoring and evaluating projects. This lack of planning has led to the entity extending contracts by up to six years to 10 years in some instances, which has an impact on the finances of the IDT. Systems assist an entity to track supply chain processes and to ensure that qualifying suppliers are chosen for relevant contracts.
There is also a big concern from the committee on the number of senior management positions that have acting people for long periods of time. The committee believes that these positions should be filled because instability at management level is the root cause of many other ills within the entity and the IDT Board.
The committee has also made it clear that it is against the retrenchment of employees who are employed by the entity. The committee is of the view that those employees should rather be retrained in order to acquire skills that are needed in the entity or within the department. The committee also welcomes the commitment made by the Minister of Public Works, Mr. Thulas Nxesi, to deal with the challenges that are plaguing the IDT and other entities that fall under the department. The committee has also noted the commitment made by the two IDT Board members who were present at the meeting, to take the advices of members of the committee.
The committee wishes to congratulate Agrément South Africa for receiving an unqualified report for the 2017/18 financial year.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC WORKS, HON HUMPHREY MMEMEZI.
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