REPORT OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON CORRECTIONAL
SERVICES ON 2007/8 BUDGET VOTE 19 AND THE 2007/8-2011/12 STRATEGIC PLAN OF THE
DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES
The Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services having considered
Budget Vote 19 of the Department of Correctional Services for 2007/08, reports
as follows:
The Committee has examined the Budget Vote of the Department of Correctional
Services (Vote 19) for the 2007/08 financial year and the forward estimates for
2008/09 and 2009/10 included in the Estimates of National Expenditure (ENE)
2007, as well as the Department’s Strategic Plan 2007/08 - 2011/12, and reports
as follows:
1. Introduction
The Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services received the following
input on the Budget and the Strategic Plan of the Department of Correctional
Services (DCS) for 2007/8:
- Briefing by the DCS on progress made on issues mentioned in the report of the
Auditor –General on 06 March 2007.
- Presentation by the DCS on the 2007/8 Budget allocation and the Strategic
Plan for 2007/8 – 2011/12 on 13 March 2007.
- Input from the public and civil society in the form of Public Hearings held
on 27 March 2007.
- The following role-players presented comments on the budget before the
Committee:
2. Overview of the 2007/8 Budget and the
2007/8-2011/12 Strategic Plan of the Department of Correctional Services.
The key strategic objectives for funding for 2007/8 and the MTEF include
Information Technology, Security, Management of Remand Detainees project,
Implementation of the 7day establishment, the Integrated Human Resource
Strategy, Corporate projects and HR development, New Generation centres and Development and Care programmes.
An amount of
R 800 million has been surrendered to Treasury and of this amount, R 603
million was from unspent funds for compensation of employees due to delays in
filling of vacancies and R 197 million was due to delays in finalising
the feasibility studies.
An amount of R 2.8 billion has been rescheduled into the DCS’ baseline
allocation of an amount of R 6.2 billion that was taken out of its baseline.
The rest of this amount has been reallocated to other Departments in the
Justice Crime Prevention and Security Cluster.
As at 31 January 2007, the DCS spent only 73% of its budget against an ideal of
83.3%, due to the Department of Public Works not sending billing invoices timeously.
Programme Allocations:
The following table illustrates the proportion of the total DCS budget for
each programme and whether the programmes
increased or decreased in 2007/08 in comparison to the previous year.
|
Programm |
2006/07 (R’000) |
2007/08 |
Nominal |
Percent of total |
|
Administration |
2 573 946 |
2 771 323 |
7.7% |
25.8% |
|
Security |
3 062 928 |
3 244 797 |
5.9% |
30.2% |
|
Corrections |
766 914 |
1 236 791 |
61.3% |
11.5% |
|
Care |
1 180 755 |
1 339 290 |
13.4% |
12.5% |
|
Development |
394 343 |
403 917 |
2.4% |
3.8% |
|
Social Reintegration |
323 894 |
336 118 |
3.8% |
3.1% |
|
Facilities |
1 528 732 |
1 410 095 |
-7.8% |
13.1% |
Security and Administration remain the largest two programmes
in the budget. However, the Corrections subprogramme
which provides for the development of tailored sentence plans for offenders,
receives by far the largest increase in the 2007/08 budget of 61%. This programme has grown increasingly from 2005/06 where it was
allocated 6,5% of the DCS budget, to 2006/07 where it
was allocated 8% of the budget to 2007/08 where it now accounts for 11, 5% of
the DCS budget.
The Care Programme receives the second largest increase of 13, 4%. in the 2007/08 budget. The percentage allocation for this
budget has also increased over the last few years from 9, 5% of the budget in
2005/06 to 12, 5% in the 2007/08 financial year.
The only programme to receive a nominal decrease, was the Facilities programme.
This is due to the fact that Treasury declined to allocate funds for the new
prisons until such time the feasibility studies are complete, available and scrutinised.
The Development programme increased slightly with 2.4
%, which is significantly small, since the President identified the
implementation of the White Paper as a priority.
3. Briefing by the DCS on progress made on issues raised
in the Report of the Auditor –General, 06 March 2007.
The DCS has developed a Compliance Improvement Plan and Risk Management
to deal with audit challenges. Progress on audit qualifications are monitored
through monthly reports by the affected directorates. DCS stated that it has
made significant progress and that the objective is to reduce and eventually
eliminate recurring qualifications while acting proactively to prevent new
qualifications. Progress has been made in addressing disclosure of Private
Prisons, medical expenditure, BAS/PERSAL, alignment with policies, asset
management and fleet management inter alia. Some qualifications cannot be
solved immediately, but will take some time.
The final overall expenditure of the DCS at 31 January 2007 was at 73.18%
against the ideal of 83.3%. Many factors contributed to this e.g. the funds for
the building of new prisons was surrendered and there is a current backlog in
billing for repairs and renovations. An amount of R157 million will not be
spent during 2006/7 financial year, but these funds will be rolled over to fund
the building of the Kimberly prison.
The process of ensuring and monitoring seamless alignment of ENE, Strategic
Plan, performance agreements, operational plans, quarterly reports, annual
reports and Mid Term Review has already started.
The delivery on priorities will systematically be included into operational
plans and all performance reporting from April 2007. Managers will be held
responsible for poor or non- compliance.
The DCS gave a clear indication in terms of the progress of project performance
in the DCS e.g. 1100 children have already been moved out of correctional centres, implementation of the recommendations of the Jali Commission report is under way, the construction of
the Kimberly prison has started, but feasibility studies are still awaited for
Nigel and Klerksdorp and a viability study for Leeuwkop. When the DCS revised its projections in September
2006, they realised that there will be an amount of R 197 million that will not
be spent before the end of March 2007 and indicated to Treasury that this
amount should be taken back.
The staff compliment has grown from 33 000 in 2003 to 40 100 by December 2006,
but the full staff compliment for the 7- day establishment will only be
realised by April 2008. The strategy on recruitment and retention of scarce
skills has been finalised and this will address the
attrition rate (1500 per annum) in the DCS. Professionals are currently being
employed under the Correctional Services Act, but will be employed under the
Public Service Act.
The presentation also detailed a synopsis of all new recruits employed by the
DCS in terms of race, gender and province, a recommendation made by this
Committee in many of its oversight reports.
Vetting of officials has already started in the DCS with the assistance of
National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and is prioritised
for staff at senior management level, supply chain management as well as
classified maximum centres.
Five Correctional Centres have now been accredited
sites for the roll out of anti -retrovirals. A preliminary
report on the HIV/Syphilis prevalence survey is expected at the end of February
2007.
4. Presentation by the Department of Correctional Services on the 2007/8 –
2011/12 Strategic Plan and the 2007/8 Budget of the Department – 13 March 2007.
Development of the Strategic Plan:
The Executive Management Committee (EMC) evaluated the strategic plan
and performance evaluation in August 2006 and realised that there is a need to
have a phased approach to priorities, that there is a need to focus on enhancing
the role of operational management, to strategically focus to create enabling
conditions for delivery on the White Paper. The DCS needs to overcome its
obstacles, to realise matters like rehabilitation,
security, overcrowding and scarce skills.
The development of the strategic plan included the development of a 5-year plan
and starts from the Mid- Year Review. A 1-year business plan which focuses on
1-year of the strategic plan has also been developed, a mandate of National
Treasury. The Strategic Plan is aligned with the Estimates of National
Expenditure and the priorities for the Justice Cluster are also included in the
Strategic Plan.
2006/07 Highlights of the DCS:
A critical feature of delivery in the DCS is the improvement of security.
During this year, biometric systems have been rolled out and implemented at centres. The HIV/Syphilis prevalence survey has been re-
launched and finalised. Corrections week, which focus
on strengthening of partnerships, has also been launched during this year. The
DCS has started to implement the recommendations of the Jali
Commission report and will ensure that all the recommendations are implemented.
Priorities for 2007/8-08/09:
The DCS will expedite procurement of the new correctional centres. To implement the Offender Rehabilitation Path
(ORP), the DCS needs to build its institutional capacity and ensure that it is
rolled out specifically at the Centres of Excellence.
The Awaiting Trial Detention Project is a priority since January 2006 and the
DCS needs to deliver remand detention programmes and
monitor the effect on the Criminal Justice system. The implementation of the
Compliance Improvement Plan and its challenges is another priority for the DCS
to monitor compliance with internal control and policies. The DCS is also
aiming to implement the Integrated Human Resources Strategy.
2007 State-of-the-Nation-Address
In realising the
objectives of the S-O-N-A, the DCS needs to ensure the effective institutional
structures and systems for delivery of the White Paper on Corrections: manage
the Awaiting Trial Detainees Project; contribute to the improvement of the JCPS
(Justice, Crime Prevention and Security) cluster and build new correctional centres.
2007/08-2011/12 Strategic Plan:
The priorities of the programmes of the DCS are
cross - cutting and critical strategies into the Strategic Plan include:
The harnessing of an Organisational Culture, the
management of the Awaiting Trial Detention project, the development of a
framework to monitor the improvement of delivery on priority projects within
the DCS and the coordination of management operations in DCS. All key projects
of the DCS are reflected in the Strategic Plan.
Administration:
As part of the compliance improvement plan, the DCS will involve managers
in monitoring compliance with internal controls and procedures at both
operational and support levels. The DCS aims to improve its relationship and
support with statutory bodies such as Parliament. The processing of the
Correctional Services Amendment Bill will also be finalised.
The alignment between elements such as the Estimates of National Expenditure,
the Strategic Plan, Operational plans, Quarterly reports and annual reports
will be finalised. The development of the Service
Delivery Improvement Plan must be finalized and implemented.
Security:
To ensure the safety and security of inmates, officials, service providers
and the public, the DCS will vet all officials, implement refresher training
courses for the emergency support teams as well as specialised
training programmes for security personnel. Escapes
and assaults will be reduced by 10% and unnatural deaths to 5%, compared to
2006/7. Security equipment will be completed and installed at approximately 60
correctional centres.
Corrections:
The DCS aims to reduce overcrowding of sentenced offenders which is also a
priority of the Justice Cluster. Training on the Offender Rehabilitation Path
has already taken place, but capacity at correctional centres
and scarce skills remains a challenge. The DCS are also facilitating the
removal of awaiting trial and sentenced children from correctional centres to appropriate centres.
Care:
The Strategic Plan emphasizes the need for the development and
implementation of a needs- based rehabilitation approach for special categories
of offenders as defined in the White Paper. The DCS also aims to implement
Comprehensive Health Care Services.
Development:
The DCS will maintain and expand the national agricultural and production
workshop system for poverty alleviation as well as implement comprehensive
recreational and skills development programmes for
offenders.
Social Reintegration:
The DCS aims to promote alternative sentencing to the judiciary, pilot and
implement classification tools for probationers and parolees and enhance
operation Masibambisane, which aims to reach out to
communities and local government.
Facilities:
The Strategic Plan includes a 5-year facilities plan including new centres, upgrading and renovations. A viability study must
be completed for the new correctional centre at Leeuwkop
and a feasibility study will be implemented for a new Head Office.
Challenges:
The increase in participation of offenders in programmes
remains a challenge because of the shortage of scarce skills personnel and
overcrowding. The provision of three balanced meals, the implementation of Unit
Management is very challenging and dependent on job refinement and the 7-day
establishment. The collusion of official with escapes and the subsequent
violent nature of escapes is another challenge for the DCS.
The 2007/8 Estimates of National Expenditure:
The division of the budget was based on zero base as well as the
incremental base as prescribed by the MTEF (Medium Term Expenditure Framework).
The key cost drivers of the DCS are staff totals, offenders, including awaiting
trial detainee totals, probationers and parolees as well as the strategic
achievements of the White Paper.
2627 employees would be appointed during 2007 to realise
the 7-day establishment of 8311 by 2008. The DCS will have a total of 45 674
employees in 2007/8, including the 7% vacancy rate. 525 junior management posts
will be filled to enhance supervisory capacity. 464 employees will be appointed
for the five biggest correctional centres i.e. Grootvlei,
National Treasury guidelines dictate the salary adjustments and notch increases
of employees. A 1% notch increase for staff has been provided for and during
2007/8 salaries will be adjusted to 6%; during 2008/9 salaries will be adjusted
to 5% as well as in 2009/10. 2022 employees will be promoted from level 5-6 and
629 employees from level 6-7.
Accommodation, leases and municipal services budget was devolved from the DPW
(Department of Public Works), but the totals still need to be verified by the
DCS as the function is still carried by the DPW.
The DCS estimated that it will have an offender population of 158,500 during
2007/8; 159 800 during 2008/9; 161 100 during 2009/10.
5. Public Hearings on the 2006/7 Budget and Strategic Plan of the DCS.
The Committee held Public Hearings on the Budget on 27 March 2007.
Stakeholder concerns included:
Presentation by PSA:
The PSA stated that there was a lot of friction between the Unions and the
DCS, because of a widespread statement about official accommodation of DCS. It
was stated that employees would be allowed to use official accommodation only
for a maximum of three years. The PSA further indicated that it is important for
all Directorates in the DCS to comply to agreements,
formal and informal, reached between Unions and the DCS.
The PSA is of the opinion that management structures of the DCS should
communicate, engage and interact with Unions on a regular basis to avoid riction and to resolve problems before it becomes disputes.
The public perception of the DCS needs to change and a positive and a clear essage should be sent to DCS employees to this effect.
The PSA welcomes the appointment of a new National Commissioner to take he DCS forward and to build on the principles agreed upon in
the “
Presentation by Khulisa:
Khulisa is of the opinion that the budget
allocated to the DCS, a very diverse and extensive department, over the past
five years, is not sufficient. Khulisa stated that
issues such as Inmate Management, Change of Mindset, Initiatives and
Activities, Unit Management, Facilities and Post- release programmes
will require a lot of funding in terms of the targets indicated in its
Strategic Plan.
Khulisa recommended, in the light of
the number of planned social work sessions for offenders, more social worker
posts and /or auxiliary social worker posts need to be created. Khulisa is also of the view that the budget for Development
needs to increase, because without additional resources, the effectiveness of
rehabilitation and social reintegration programmes
will be insignificant. More attention needs to be given to the programme of Social Reintegration as reintegration and
rehabilitation is aimed at reducing recidivism.
Presentation by CSPRI:
CSPRI commended the DCS on a number of significant achievements namely;
the decrease in the number of unnatural deaths in prison, the reduction in the
number of escapes from prisons, the offender management information systems as
well as the continued facilities renovation and upgrading under the difficult
circumstances.
CSPRI raised a number of concerns with regard to the Strategic Plan for
2007/8-2011/12 especially the continuous adjustment of objectives and
activities from year to year and this complexes monitoring and performance
assessment. Adjustments should be made to improve outputs to reach the targets
set. It is recommended that that there should be consistency in the methodology
used in terms of indicators, targets and activities to improve monitoring.
The CSPRI found the miniscule increase in the budget for Development and Social
Reintegration very baffling, taking into consideration that the DCS core
function is that of rehabilitation. Furthermore, the Community Corrections programme needs to be overhauled to ensure that the
Judiciary make use of this sentencing option. It is
very apparent that the Judiciary has lost all confidence in community
supervision.
The DCS’ projections in terms of prison population for 2009/10 was estimated at
161 100, but recent research predicted that the prison population will be more
or less 179 000 by 2010. Whilst the DCS’ projections are not defined, it must
be borne in mind that the Departments of Justice and Safety & Security have
received a significant increase in their budgets and that this will increase
the effectiveness of the Criminal Justice Cluster and have a major impact on
prisoner numbers.
CSPRI has also recommended that a broader discussion is needed in terms of privatised services in the DCS. This issue has raised many
concerns, in particular by the Portfolio Committee. It is recommended that the
prison construction programme be closely monitored
and whether it would be the best solution to build new generation centres that will house 3000 offenders or whether it would
be more feasible to have smaller decentralised units
closer to communities.
The focal points of the Budget Vote, as reflected by the requested allocations,
struggle to find a balance between the Act, addressing the human rights
situation in the prison system and the strategic aspirations of the White
Paper.
Presentation by NICRO:
NICRO considers the DCS as key partner in giving effect to breaking the
cycle of crime and violence, however far more resources need to be allocated to
the programme of Social Reintegration. NICRO has
redesigned its Social Reintegration programme in order
to expand its services to both prisoners and released prisoners.
It is recommended that all awaiting trial prisoners should be assessed in order
to fast track their cases, especially those incarcerated for minor offences.
Adult diversion can be used to fast track cases and in turn reduce the awaiting
trial population.
NICRO believes that the challenge is to gainfully employ prisoners upon release
from prison. NICRO has a model which will ensure the continuation of this
process, but resources remain a challenge. The DCS should design a different
model for the payment for labour done whilst in
prison and part of these funds should go to the family and part of it be saved
for the prisoner in preparation for release. NICRO recommends that Offender
Reintegration should be placed on the National Programme of Government. The
issue of family reunification and reconstructive services should be
incorporated within the Social Reintegration programme.
Presentation by POPCRU:
POPCRU is of the opinion that the structure of the DCS is top-heavy and
this does not translate to the meaningful programmes
that the DCS needs to implement. Because of the top – heavy structure, many
functions of the DCS has been duplicated. More personnel should be deployed to
correctional centres where the actual work is being
done and to ensure that the DCS delivers on its mandate.
Sufficient funds should be invested in the field of training of staff members
so that the DCS can have officials who will act within the ethos of the
Department.
The budget should also make provision to tackle the issue of transformation in
the DCS as outlined in the White Paper on Transformation of the Public Service.
POPCRU commended the DCS for its strides in Affirmative Action, but the
challenge of capacity building needs to be addressed to enhance service
delivery.
POPCRU recommended that the DCS should not channel funds meant for the building
of new prisons to other unplanned projects and the DCS should budget
sufficiently for this project. POPCRU further stressed that the DCS should not
volunteer the funds allocated for the building and management of new prisons to
private institutions, since this already consumes too much of the DCS’ budget.
6. The following are key issues of concern raised by the Committee on the
Strategic Plan and Budget of the DCS, and the departmental responses thereto:
Administration: The Committee wanted to know whether the DCS has the right
number of staff in terms of vetting and if yes, whether the DCS is satisfied
with the number of staff in its employ.
It is critical for the DCS to employ the right kind of staff. The vetting
processes have started and have been completed for the last intake of new
recruits. The DCS will now have to deal with the backlog of staff that has not
been vetted and this function will be supported by the Human Resources Division
of the DCS.
The average vacancy level in the DCS is 7%. Vacancies on the production
level is 6%, Junior & Middle management is between 23 -25%, senior
management is 10% and vacancies in scarce skills is 58%.
With regard to the implementation of the recommendations of the Jali Commission, the Committee wanted to know what number
of staff has been charged either criminally or internally.
The DCS has already started with its internal procedures against officials
implicated in the Jali recommendations and those
staff that needed to be criminally charged has been forwarded to the SAPS.
Compliance by Management has been raised on a number of occasions and the
Committee wanted to know how the DCS will monitor compliance.
The DCS stated that it will be vigilant when it comes to compliance.
Supervisors on all spheres should identify those staff members who do not
comply with procedures. All staff needs to be trained, evaluated and monitored
on their duties.
Development: The Committee noted that the DCS wants to ensure that all
educational, recreational, sports and agricultural programmes
are implemented, but was concerned whether the DCS will reach this objective
with the high shortage of skilled staff such as educationists and artisans.
The DCS indicated that it is competing with other Departments when employing
professionals as well as the private sector, but that the DCS has a recruitment
and retention strategy in place. The DCS are now reaching out to universities
to attract students to do their internships at Correctional centres.
The DCS are also managing the high staff turnover and thus far haven’t met the
normal three- month period for filling vacant positions
The 7-day
establishment, where working on a Saturday constitutes a day off and working on
a Sunday constitutes overtime, also has an effect on the daily staff
establishment at centres. Often there is not enough
staff to monitor developmental activities.
The Committee wanted to know what programmes the DCS
is offering with regard to Arts and Culture.
The DCS has a directorate that deals with Arts and Culture in the DCS.
Facilities: The Committee indicated that the Johannesburg Correctional
Centre is literally bursting at its seams and wanted to ascertain whether
prisons will be built to provide more bed spaces for prisons such as the
The DCS should provide the Committee with clear timeframes of the building
process for the new prisons and should also brief the Committee with the
feasibility studies for the new prisons.
A concern was raised with regard to the tender processes of the new prisons. It
was stated that staff of the DCS should not become involved with the tendering
process, because with the previous two Private Prisons, staff of the DCS became
Directors of those facilities. The DCS should ensure that this scenario does
not recur.
It was proposed that old facilities, such as
The DCS stated that the Transactional Advisor will complete the feasibility
studies at the end of March. Once the DCS has the feasibility studies, the DCS,
DPW and Treasury will decide which route to follow when building new prisons.
The DCS further stated that during the previous tender processes for the
private prisons, there was nothing in place to prevent staff to join these
Private prisons, but that a clause to this effect will be put in place for the
new Correctional centres.
Security: A question was raised with regard to the vetting of staff and
in the light of the recent escape of an offender from CMax
facility, the Committee wanted to know whether officials working at CMax facility have been vetted.
The Committee requested statistics with regard to the number of staff who
collude with security breaches.
The DCS should provide the Committee with the number of prisons where CCTV
cameras and biometric access control has been installed as this a very critical
feature of security.
Another concern was raised with regard to the Inmate Tracking system at Durban
Westville prison. The DCS has spent R 7million on this system, but it was not
fully functional at Durban Westville. The Committee sought clarity in this
regard.
Corrections: The DCS should provide more clarity on the project for
probationers and parolees.
The DCS has developed Probationer and parolee classification tools for
assessment. Offenders needed to be profiled in terms of risk and needs and the
classification tools are now ready for implementation.
Strategic Plan: The Committee noted various concerns with the Strategic
Plan of the DCS. It was stated that the DCS targets shifts and that it seems
difficult for the DCS to realise its key strategic
priorities.
The DCS said it reviews the strategic plan each year
and noted the concern raised.
Estimates of National Expenditure: The Committee noted that the DCS has underspent during the previous financial year and noted
that only R2.8 billion of the R6.2billion underspent, has been rescheduled into the DCS’ baseline. The Committee
wanted to know how this affects the allocation of the DCS and what areas were
affected. The Committee wanted to know why funds were surrendered to Treasury
and whether this is a problem of not spending?
The DCS stated that underspending is directly
linked to spending trends of the DCS. When the DCS did its projections, they realise that it would not be possible to spend all the
funds allocated before the end of the financial year and therefore surrendered
those funds to Treasury.
When the Committee does oversight in correctional centres
around the country, the issue of promotions was raised very prominently. The
Committee wanted to know whether long serving members of the DCS will also
benefit from the promotions. The DCS should also provide the criteria for
awarding performance bonuses to staff. The Committee stated that the DCS should
ensure that all matters relating to promotions, overtime, performance bonuses
be communicated to staff at all levels. The Committee questioned performance
bonuses awarded to staff and asked whether the DCS has a specific plan to award
these bonuses and if all staff has written contracts of employment.
The DCS stated that interim promotions were instituted during 2006/7 and
2007/8 will be the final stage of these promotions, where staff on levels 5 are
promoted to level 6. This process is however not automatic, but there are
criteria for these promotions. Awarding performance bonuses to staff is the
discretion of the DCS and an employee must perform exceptionally well or beyond
their duties to be awarded a bonus.
The Committee wanted clarity on the amounts afforded to staff for labour gratuity and whether those figures were audited.
7. Recommendations:
The Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services makes the following
recommendations:
Programme 1: Administration
The Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services supports the allocation
to the Administration Programme. However, the Committee recommends that:
Programme 2: Security
The Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services supports the allocation
to the Security Programme. However, the Committee recommends that:
Programme 3: Corrections
The Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services supports the allocation
to the Corrections Programme. However, the Committee recommends that:
Programme 4: Care
The Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services supports the allocation
to the Programme. However, the Committee recommends that:
Programme 5: Development
The Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services supports the allocation
to the Development Programme. However, the Committee recommends that:
Programme 6: Social Reintegration
The Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services supports the allocation
to the Social Reintegration Programme. However, the Committee recommends that:
Programme 7: Facilities
The Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services supports the allocation
to the Facilities Programme, including the decrease of funds for the
construction of new prisons pending the ability of the DCS to prove that it can
spend these funds effectively. However, the Committee recommends that:
8. Conclusion
The Portfolio Committee supports the
Budget of the Department of Correctional Services and will keep a vigorous eye
on the Department in implementing the recommendations of this report. It is
further recommended that the Department provides an Action Plan within one
month of the tabling of this report with regard to the recommendations. It is
extremely crucial that the Department take cognizance with regard to the
recommendations in respect of the Report of the Auditor General to avoid a
qualified opinion by the Auditor General in 2007.
The Committee is extremely impressed with the efforts that the Department has
made in moving forward and addressing the issues highlighted by both the
Committee and the Auditor General. Hence, the Committee applauds the Department
for its remarkable improvement.