Public works’ hefty slice of budget pie
The public works department – responsible for the controversial security upgrades to President Jacob Zuma’s Nkandla homestead, amounting to R246 million – in its efforts to combat or root out fraud and corruption has been allocated R1.5 billion.
The department’s governance, risk and compliance branch has driven its 2012 seven-year turnaround strategy, “which aims to improve the way the department does business”, it was stipulated in the budget.
“Over the medium term, the branch will implement its own anti-fraud and anti-corruption strategy, aligned to the 2002 public service anti-corruption strategy.
“The branch’s work is funded in the administration programme, which has R1.6 billion: R797.2 million for the compensation of employees, R74.2 million for audit costs and R80.5 million for legal services.”
The department was also reviewing its human resource requirements to enable it to respond to its new mandate, including “policy formulation, co-ordination, regulation and oversight relating to the provision of accommodation and expert built environment services to client departments”.
Spending in this regard is expected to increase from R275 million in 2016-17 to R298 million in 2018-19.
“A change [in] management strategy has been developed, which details a comprehensive human resource plan for addressing the current and future capacity requirements of the department, including a recruitment and training plan.
“Since 2012 and 2013, the department has created 4.2 million work opportunities, and targets creating an additional 4.2 million work opportunities by the end of 2018-19,” it said.
“Spending on transfers and subsidies for the expanded public works programme is set to increase from R1.7 billion in 2015-16 to R2.3 billion in 2018-19, at an average annual rate of 11%.
“For co-ordinating the programme, the department projects spending R1 billion over the medium term on compensation of employees and goods and services, including R622 million for personnel providing support at the provincial,” it stated.