National Assembly

1. Report of the Ad Hoc Committee on Public Works on its visit to Parliamentary Villages dated 23 June 2004:

The Ad Hoc Committee on Public Works, having undertaken a study tour to the Parliamentary Villages on June 14, 2004, reports as follows:

A. Introduction

The Committee after being briefed by the Department of Public Works on the Status of the Parliamentary Villages on 9 June 2004, it visited the Parliamentary Villages on 14 June 2004 to carry out inspection. The Committee had to investigate the state of houses, accommodation, security and related matters and thereafter to make recommendations to the House and the Department of Public Works. The delegation comprised of the Chairperson Mr. F Bhengu, Mr. TG Anthony, Mr. Z Kotwal, Mr. LD Maduma Mr. NE Magubane, Mr. HP Maluleka, Mr. K Moonsamy, Mr. JP Phungula, Mr. S Siboza (all ANC), Ms N Mdaka (UDM), Mr. J Leburu and Mr. S Makeleni Support staff, and officials from the Department of Public Works and Department of Safety and Security (SAPS).

B. Findings

The Committee was informed by the Parks manager that:

There are 529 dwellings and 96 rooms for domestic workers in Acacia Park Block B. Of these 529 dwellings 60 are bachelor flats.

Most of the flats are being renovated and are being changed into two bedroom flats.

Laboria Park has 65 dwellings and 10 domestic rooms and Pelican Park have 108 dwellings and 10 domestic rooms.

There are structural defects on most of the buildings that expose residents to safety and health hazard that must be immediately corrected.

Members of Parliament are not supposed to occupy the prefab houses. It is evident that the houses are not properly maintained by the Department of Public Works

The outside walls of the flats are prefabricated and the inside is partitioned with bricks.

The furniture in the houses is not of a durable quality and as such has a short life span. Some of the furniture needs replacement.

The Committee also learnt that there is no a system in place to evaluate and assess the status of furniture for replacement in good time.

The Department of Public Works is busy compiling an audit in terms of the allocation of accommodation to members and sessional staff, the number of tenants that are supposed to occupy a unit, the number of vacant flats or houses

The Committee established that the security fence was erected as reported.

The problems are prevalent in the Parks as a result of poor management.

The Parks Board as defined by the Act was constituted but failed to function.

The Parks Board does not include Parliament and South African Police Services as serving members. This contributed to the disfunctioning of the Board as these structures worked independently from one another.

The Department is in a process of producing access permits for the dependants of members and domestic workers staying in the villages, as this will limit the free access in and out of the villages.

The CCTV has been installed at the main entrants to register and monitor the movement in and out of the Parks

Contract workers commissioned to work in the parliamentary villages are screened before they are issued with permits to enter Parliamentary villages. ] The following are the breakdown of size and types of units in the Parliamentary villages:

Acacia Park A Block

There are 20 semi-detached two bed-roomed brick houses occupied by sectional officials.
There are 5 free-standing three-bed-roomed brick houses occupied by sessional officials.

Acacia Park B Block

There are 4 semi-detached two bed-roomed brick houses occupied by sessional officials.

There is I semi-detached three bed-roomed brick house and 2 three bedroom prefab houses occupied by a sessional official

Acacia Park C Block

There are 13 semi-detached two-bed room brick house occupied by sessional officials.

There are 3 semi-detached one-bed-roomed brick houses occupied by sessional officials.

There is one three bed-roomed prefab house occupied by sessional official.

There are 3 semi-detached two bed-roomed brick houses house occupied by sessional officials.

Acacia Park D Block

There are 3 two bed-roomed prefab houses occupied by sessional officials.
There are 3 one bed-roomed brick house occupied by sessional officials
There 4 three-bed-roomed prefab houses occupied by sessional officials
There are 3 semi-detached three-bed-roomed brick houses occupied by sessional officials.

Acacia Park E Block

There are 34 one bed-roomed houses occupied by sessional officials.

There are no sessional officials occupying two or three bedroom houses on this block.

Laboria Park Parliamentary Village

There are 3 two bed-roomed houses occupied by sessional staff.
There are three bed-roomed houses, one occupied by DPW official.
One by WSP as an office and one by DWP as an office.

Pelican Park Parliamentary village

There are 10 one bed-roomed houses occupied by sessional officials.
There are 3 three bed-roomed houses that are occupied by sessional officials
There are 17 two bed-roomed houses that are occupied by sessional officials

The account is made on the houses and flats occupied by officials and the remaining total is occupied by members C. Recommendations The Committee recommends that:

1. The Minister of Public Works must appoint two additional members. One person from Parliament and one from SAPS to serve on the Parks Board.

2. The registering and issuing of access permits to dependants of members and domestic workers must be expedited and finalized before the end of the third term of Parliament.

3. The administrative staff at the Parks must be increased to meet the demands of the residents.

4. An audit on the occupancy in the parliamentary villages must be updated.

5. Building of electric substation in Acacia Park should be investigated and report be forwarded the Committee.

6. Burglar doors and steel gates must be installed at all the parks.

7. Old water pipes must be replaced with the new ones.

8. All the above-mentioned recommendations must be implemented within 18 months after this report has been published.