Pemmy rolls up sleeves for public works scrubdown

THERE’S a new sheriff in town, even if incoming public works MEC Pemmy Majodina says so herself.

“In less than seven days I will be holding a policy implementation session where I want the policy speech presented by my predecessor to be presented to me by department officials so that we move at a pace determined by the new sheriff in town,” said Majodina. One of her first battles will be against the practice of outsourcing to consultants.

This will stop, she has vowed. Majodina was responding to a Bhisho portfolio committee report which blasted the department for “excessive use of consultants” saying it needed to recruit critical skilled personnel – and “with speed”. The fired-up Majodina plans to hit the ground running.

“We acknowledge the crisis. I’ve already met senior management and staff, and I guarantee the house that we are going to be moving at high speed. The department is called public works and that means the public must be able to work through it.

“I fully accept this report. The recommendations are clear and they are going to assist me.”

Another critique from the committee is that the department’s asset register is incomplete, unreliable and inaccurate.

It also complained that the department was yet to indicate the cost implications for special initiatives envisaged for the 2018-19 year, which began on April 1.

Majodina said she would request to be briefed by senior management on how they arrived at the budget allocations.

“We will work out clear plans and submit to the legislature based on the portfolio committee recommendations, which are very constructive.”

Majodina added that among her priorities were to fast-track the transfer of the department’s roads component to the department of transport.

This would enable public works to focus on its core mandate: looking after public property and housing provincial departments.

“[The transfer] is going to happen seamlessly and I will personally be at the helm of ensuring roads is no longer our responsibility.”

The DA was hopeful that public works would “flourish with a renewed focus and attention to meeting the needs of client departments,” said the DA’s Vicky Knoetze, adding that the department would “never recover” if it continued “down a path where we are reactive instead of proactive on the infrastructure needs of the province”.

“Everything is under threat as we come to a phase where, due to lack of maintenance and planning, things fall apart and along with it our economy.”

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