The Department of Education (DoE) faces major challenges regarding a) provision of infrastructure, b) provision of textbooks/stationary c) communication within the department and d) disclaimers by the Auditor-General for the last five years.

1. Provision of infrastructure: It covers the construction of classrooms, libraries and major repairs of buildings. The strained relations with the Department of Public Works has been a major challenge. They have set up a Task Team to work on an effective working relationship and service level agreement. [It is a relation that needs to properly managed at the two spheres of government: Portfolio Committee might need to decide on its role in so far as the DPSA is responsible for ensuring that the public administration acts in a unified and coherent was regarding the provision of services]
2. Provision of stationary/textbooks: The provision of textbooks/stationary has been dispersed in the past between publishers, suppliers and schools. After an investigation into the supply chain of textbooks/stationary, the Department decided to take charge of textbook/stationary provision as from 2006.
3. Communication within the Department: The DoE operates with a six multi-layered structure, between the Head Office and the school, which it has find to be a hindrance to effective communication. It is investigation measured to flatten the structure.
4. Lastly, the DoE is working on turn-around strategy that will correct the repeated disclaimers it has received from the Auditor-General over the last five years.

The Department of Housing (Department) claimed it was unaware of the visit and was not in position to meet the Portfolio Committee. After persuasion and cajoling, the head of Department, reluctantly, agreed to meet and hold discussions with the Portfolio Committed on challenges facing housing delivery in the province. The Department operated with five regional offices that cover the whole province. It is the mandate of the regional offices to interact with local government, which is the delivery organ of housing in the province.

One of the challenges facing housing delivery arises from relations between traditional leaders and elected leaders, counselors. The strained nature of the relationship needs the intervention of politicians on a continuous basis to clarify the distinct roles and functions of the traditional and elected leaders.

The key clients of the Department of Public Works (Department) are health and education. They are responsible for the construction of government buildings and major repairs. The Department has found the relationship with client departments challenging. The client departments are slow to submit design plans and in processing the payment of completed buildings. The Department has set up of forum of HoDs to address problems that affect effective service delivery and related problems.

The Department is facing huge challenges in attracting and retaining staff with the requisite skills. It is facing major challenges regarding the competition for professional skill with the private sector.

The Department has developed an effective strategy to turn around the process of misconduct matters. It plans to eliminate the backlog by the end of September 2005.

The unintended consequences of some of the pieces of legislation passed by national government are a major challenge to the Department. In relation to BEE, the Department has to strike a balance between giving support to emerging entrepreneurs and applying sanctions in situations of non-compliance with regulation applicable to the construction industry.

The Departments operates five regions. Its head office is still based in Ulundi. It has experienced a surge in litigation. Because of problems it with the state attorney, it opted to acquire and use the services of private practitioners. It is an issue that needs to be sorted out with the Department of Justice.

Issues of staff retention. Although they provide them with skill, accommodation, crèche but still unable to compete with the private sector and international community. Moonlighting is done outside of working hours and the staff has to obtain permission.

The hospital has been operating with an interim board. The relation between the interim board and the management of hospital is strained as it was demonstrated in the meeting between the Portfolio Committee and the institution. The Department of Health needs to resolve the impasse between the management and the interim board.

The interim board and management acknowledged the very slow pace of transformation to ensure the representation of race, gender and disability in the institution.

The Department was resistant to the IMT. It saw the work as interference in the work of the Department. There was undue influence of the trade unions in the administration of the Department. When the new Executive was appointed, it had a team from the IMT based in the Department to tie loose ends. The Department is cooperating fully with the team, except SADTU and NEHAWU.

The administration of the Department, especially the District Offices, is dysfunctional. The administrative support to schools is almost non-existent as there is a 60% vacancy rate.

The Department requires a conditional grant to deal with the 900 backlogs that are huge in the former Transkei.

The relations with the client departments have sometimes been strained because of lack of compliance, especially with payment.

The Department faces the challenge to clear slums by 2010.

The Portfolio Committee made an unannounced visit to Cecelia Makiwane Hospital. It spoke to the medical staff, from doctors to and nurses and general workers. It also to patients in the maternity wards, it visited pediatric and the psychiatric wards.

The hospital showed clear signs of debilitation. However, it was kept clean. The Portfolio committee was very impressed by the commitment and passion by employees to the provision of quality service.

Issues that emerged related to related to staff retention, shortages and resources.

School has been consistently under-performing. There is lack of cooperation between the principal and the rest of the management team. Some of the vacancies in the management of the school have not been employed. There is lack of discipline among pupils as demonstrated by late coming.

The issue of undue influence by the trade unions was highlighted by the IMT. It is an issue that seeks urgent resolution at a political level.

The Commission was distinct from the IMT, in that it was addressing financial management across departments, whilst the IMT focus on only five departments and had a broader mandate.