Parliament, Wednesday 21 November 2018 – Residents of Gauteng made the use of a series of public hearings of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) that are currently held at the Alberton Civic Centre of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality to resolve their service delivery challenges or get government undertakings.
The NCOP’s Taking Parliament to the People (TPTTP) programme held public hearings with panels of Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Gauteng MECs and Executive Mayors, where responses to people’s service delivery concerns were made and executives committed to address such concerns. The hearings covered human settlements, health and education with Ministers Mr Aron Motsoaledi of Health and Ms Angie Motshekga of Basic Education together with Deputy Ministers, MECs and Mayors gave immediate responses and pledges to address matters raised.
Challenges of absence of health infrastructure such as clinics and hospitals, access to services and attitudes of health care workers, clinics that close early or lack of medication, inordinate times spent by even the elderly people queing to get their files and services at health care facilities, were among key concerns registered by the residents.
Leading panel responses to the health matters, Minister Motsoaledi acknowledged growing challenges caused by migration in Gauteng and the pressure placed on existing health care facilities. He said every effort was being done to address these matters resulting, in some instances, in South Africa being a leading nation in providing new better drugs to fight diseases such as Tuberculosis through Bedaquilline as part of disease management programme, as well as the provision of anti-retro viral drugs. He said by the end of 2019, over 54 000 community health care workers would have been absorbed as permanent health workers.
Audio clip – Min Motsoaledi:
· Inwords: Next year …
· Outwords: started that programme.
· Duration: 11 sec
· Download link:
https://we.tl/t-QXAfABvQGG
The national and provincial departments of health indicated that a new health patient records management system being rolled out nationally, will improve the management of drugs and services to all patients, while the National Health Insurance will ensure balanced access to health care professionals across the board.
A series of challenges facing education including lack of schools, poor infrastructure and overcrowding were raised by the people, to which both Minister Ms Motshekga and Gauteng MEC Mr Phanyaza Lesufi said everything was being done to deal with the challenges, most of which resulted from exponential growth of the Gauteng population because of migration and rapid urbanisation.
Minister Motshekga dealt with questions from the public, and called for a reality check and to make education a real societal responsibility. She said parents must take responsibility for raising and educating their children with government support, instead of neglecting their role and demanding payment for being SGB members.
Audio – Min Motshekga:
· Inwords: There is a real world …
· Outwords: … have to happen
· Duration: 48 seconds
· Download link:
https://we.tl/t-v5OGCSgIQV
Also responding to education matters raised, MEC Phanyaza Lesufi said with the 85 000 annual increase of learner population in Gauteng caused by mainly migration, the province would need to build additional 85 new schools every year to cope with the demand. Given the inherent budgetary limitations, Gauteng is working on generating over R8 billion from the market to help eradicate mobile and asbestos schools between 2019 and 2023 to meet the growing demand. Mr Lesufi said his department was working on accommodating all learners as a priority, including efforts to provide all requisite resources to ensure quality learning and teaching.
Audio – MEC Lesufi:
Inwords: I just want to …
Outwords: …. Within a school environment.
Duration: 71 sec
Download link:
https://we.tl/t-Wu2NfOPVSp
Backlogs in the provision of houses, some dating back to 1996 compounded by alleged skipping of queues on the waiting list and unfulfilled promises to build houses, were some of the concerns raised. Among the responses and undertakings made, the Executive Mayor of Ekurhuleni Mr Mzwandile Masina said the metro had set a target of building 100 000 houses in five years and provide 59 000 serviced sites for people that can build their own houses.
Audio clip – Executive Mayor Masina:
Inwords: One of the first decisions …
Outwords: …. 70 000 houses.
Duration: 74 sec
Download link:
https://we.tl/t-gkLgrgG4RW
The NCOP’s Taking Parliament to the People, is a 16-year-old flagship programme of closing barriers between representatives of the people in Parliament, to realise a true people’s Parliament that makes a difference in the lives of the people. The current NCOP visit to Gauteng, under the theme “Impact of Migration – Deepening Co-operative Governance for Accelerated Service Delivery and Development”, is the last outreach programme during the fifth term of Parliament. It will be wrapped up on 22 November 2018 with an annual address to the NCOP by President Cyril Ramaphosa. Today the hearings will be on economic development in Gauteng.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
Enquiries: Moloto Mothapo 082 370 6930 / momothapo@parliament.gov.za
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