ATC200820: Report of the Portfolio Committee Public Service and Administration on Consideration of the fourth quarter performance of 2019/20 financial year: Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation and Brand South Africa, Dated 19 August 2020

Public Service and Administration

Report of the Portfolio Committee Public Service and Administration on Consideration of the fourth quarter performance of 2019/20 financial year: Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation and Brand South Africa, Dated 19 August 2020

 

1. BACKGROUND

The Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration (hereinafter referred to as the Committee) having considered fourth quarter performance of 2019/20 financial yearof the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation and Brand South Africa, reports as follows:

 

1. INTRODUCTION

Parliament through its Committees has a constitutional mandate to oversee quarterly programme performance information of the departments and entities. The Money Bills Amendment and Related Matters Act (2009) describe the process of exercising this responsibility. The Act states that portfolio committees of parliament must conduct reviews of the finances of their respective departments and entities and if required, issue recommendations on the forward use of resources.

Programme performance information focuses on information that is collected by government departments in the course of fulfilling their mandates and implementing policies. Quarterly performance reports serveas a vital tool to ensure accountability, transparency and oversight on how government resources are spent. Committees are expected to monitor both financial and non-financial performance of the departments. The Public Finance Management Regulations compel departments and their entities to prepare quarterly reports within 30 days after the end of each quarter. Committees conduct oversight over performance reports to fulfil Parliament’s oversight and accountability mandates as enshrined in the Constitution and under the rules established by the National Assembly.

On June19, 2020, the Committee considered fourth quarter performance of 2019/20 of the Department of Planning Monitoring and Evaluation and Brand South Africa. Performance information was in accordance with the Strategic Plans, Annual Performance Plans and Medium Term Strategic Framework. The report provides an overview of the presentations made before the Committee mainly focusing on the achievements, output in respect of the performance indicators and targets set for above-mentioned financial year. The report outlines the findings/observations of the Committee relating to the Department and BSA’s performance. 

 

1. PROGRAMME PERFORMANCE

Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation

1. Budget Allocation and Expenditure 2019/2020

Per Programme (R’000)	Adjusted Appropriation	Shifts / Virement	Final Appropriation	Expenditure	% Spent
Administration	184 195	3 884	188 079	178 728	95.0%
National Planning Coordination	85 931	-	85 931	79 639	92.7%
Sector Monitoring	82 615	270	82 885	71 298	86.0%
Public Sector Mon.& Capacity Dev.	86 875	(270)	86 605	82 576	95.3%
Evidence and Knowledge Systems	47 861	(3 884)	43 977	34 739	79.0%
Youth Development	469 462	-	469 462	467 538	99.6%
Total	956 939	-	956 939	914 518	95.6%
Per Economic Classification (R’000)
Compensation	331 556	-	331 556	298 908	90.2%
Goods & Services	153 905	(956)	152 949	146 247	95.6%
Capital Expenditure	11 521	-	11 521	8 450	73.3%
Transfers & Subsidies	459 957	926	460 883	460 883	100.0%
Payments for Financial Assets	-	30	30	30	100.0%
Total	956 939	-	956 939	914 518	95.6%

 

 

 

 

1. Programme 1: Administration

The main objective of the programme is to provide strategic leadership, management, administrative, financial and human resource services to enable the Department to achieve its strategic and operational goals. The programme’s objective is to co-ordinate planning, monitoring and reporting on the implementation of the Departmental plans, to promote internal and external communication on the work of the department, to achieve an unqualified audit opinion on financial statements, to hire, develop and retain the right people in the right positions for the department throughout the planning period, to successfully implement and realise benefits from ICT solutions in doing the work of the department and to promote good corporate governance practices and management.

Programme 1 had 10 predetermined targets in thefourth 2019/20 financial year.Oftotal targets, 9 were achieved and 1 targets were not achieved.

 

1. Programme 2: National Planning Coordination

The main purpose of this programme is to advance the strategic priorities of the department by developing and implementing the outcomes system, monitoring and reporting on its progress, and evaluating its impact. The main objectives are to ensure effective outcomes planning, monitoring and evaluation through facilitating the development of plans of the Delivery Agreements for priority outcomes with government departments, monitor and evaluate the implementation of the Delivery Agreements and making recommendations for corrective action on an ongoing basis. In addition, the Department aims to provide advice and technical support to the Presidency, establish and support an effective national evaluation system to inform the government’s work on a continuous basis.

Programme 2 had 4 predetermined targets during fourth quarter 2019/20 financial year and all 4 targets were achieved.

 

 

1. Programme 3:Sector monitoring

The programme is responsible for promoting good M&E practices in government, conducting management performance assessment and support, frontline service delivery monitoring and support and government-wide planning and M&E capacity development and learning. The branch will also be responsible for the proposed Regional Offices. Whereas the OME Branch’s focus is on the management of the outcomes system and the achievement of government’s priorities, the focus of the IPM&E branch is on what can be done to make the organisation function better.

Programme 3 had 5 predetermined targets in thefourth quarter 2019/20 financial year.Of 5 targets, 4 was achieved and 1 target was not achieved.

1. Programme 4:Public Sector Monitoring and Capacity Development

The purpose of this programme is to develop the country’s long-term vision and national strategic plans and contribute towards better outcomes in government through better planning, better long term plans, greater policy coherence and a clear articulation of long term aspiration. The main responsibilities of the programme is to institutionalise and strengthen planning in government by facilitating the development of sectoral plans, ensuring coherence between plans, policies and service delivery across government, ensuring high-level priorities are fed through into plans across all spheres of government and engaging stakeholders on the output of the planning process to ensure buy-in.

Programme 4 had 4 predetermined targets during fourth quarter 2019/20 financial year and all 4 targets were achieved. 

 

1. Programme 5: Evaluate, Evidence and Knowledge Systems

The purpose of the programme is to coordinate and support the generation, collation, accessibility and timely use of quality evidence to support performance monitoring and evaluation across government coordinate and support the generation, collation, access and timely use of quality evidence to support PM&E across government.

Programme 5 had 9 predetermined targets in the second quarter 2019/20 financial year. The Department achieved 7 predetermined targets and with 2 not achieved.   

 

1. BRAND SOUTH AFRICA

Brand SAs purpose is to develop and implement a proactive and coordinated international marketing and communications strategy for South Africa; to contribute to job creation and poverty reduction; and to attract inward investment, trade and tourism.

BSA aims to make an indirect contribution to economic growth, job creation, poverty alleviation and social cohesion by encouraging local and foreign investment, tourism and trade through the promotion of Brand South Africa. BSAdevelops and implements a proactive and coordinated international marketing and communications strategy for South Africa to contribute to job creation and poverty reduction, and to attract inward investment, trade and tourism.

1. PROGRAMME PERFORMANCE
2. Budget allocation and expenditure

Programme	Ytd Q4 Budget	Ytd Q4 Actual	Ytd Q4 Variance	Ytd Q4 Variance %	Variance Explanation
Brand Marketing	85,599,000	83,629,988	1,969,012	98%	The variance is due to cancellations of activations in the fourth quarter
Stakeholder Relations	19,647,000	16,754,314	2,892,686	85%	The variance is attributable to the postponement of Civil society and Constitutional awareness projects in the fourth quarter.
Administration	102,668,000	98,440,238	4,227,762	96%	The variance is attributable to increase in legal services and professional fees
Total	207,914,000	198,824,540	9,089,460	96%

 

 

1. Programme 1: Administration

The programme seeks to provide management and leadership to develop standardised format of guidelines and templates to strengthen the means of verification and collecting and reporting on performance information.

Programme 1 had 4 predetermined targets in the fourth quarter of 2019/20 financial year.Of 4 targets, 3 (75%) were achieved and 1 (25%) targets were not achieved. 

 

1. Programme 2: Brand, Marketing & Reputation Management

The programme seeks to develop and articulate a Nation Brand identity that will advance South Africa’s long-term reputation and global competitiveness. This includes a focus to research and monitor sentiment and performance of the National Brand to analyse trends and provide insights to inform decision making and communication and then to both proactively and reactively communicate the country’s value proposition, values and highlight progress being made.

 

Programme 2 had 16 predetermined targets in thefourth quarter 2019/20 financial year.Of 16 targets, 13 (81%) were achieved and 3 (19%) targets were not achieved.

 

1. Programme 3:Stakeholder Relations

The programme seeks to build and leverage collaborative partnership, to participate, to integrate and coordinate efforts and approaches to market the Nation Brand identity and promote the Nation’s value proposition and to interface meaningfully with stakeholders who drive or influence the Nation Brand and its reputation.

 

Programme 3 had 5 predetermined targets in thefourth quarter 2019/20 financial year. Of 5 targets, 4 (80%) were achieved and 1 (20%) targets were not achieved.

 

 

 

1. FINDINGS AND OBSERVATIONS

The Portfolio Committee made the following observations and findings:

 

1. The Committee notesand welcomed the fourth quarter performance of the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation and Brand South Africa. The Committee appreciated over 80%of performance targets by both the Department and Brand SA, however, appealed for 100% attainments of targets in the future.

 

1. The Committee urged the DPME to implement its mandate of monitoring the implementation of the National Development Plan by developing a monitoring tool backed by evidence. The Committee encouraged the Department to come up with the monitoring system for measuring the NDP.

 

1. The Committee further notes an improvement by defaulting departments on the payment of service providers such as Water and Sanitation, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and Public Works. The Committee stressed the importance of constantly monitoring such improvement and ensure all departments, including state entities comply with the Public Finance Management Regulations on paying service providers within 30 days.

 

1. The Committee notes and acknowledged the Local Government Management Improvement Model as a monitoring tool used to measure or benchmark institutional performance of municipalities. However, the Committee urged the Department to provide a detailed report on the LGMIM as to whether quality services and productivityin the municipalities have improved. The Department has to brief the Committee by October 2020 on the model.

 

1. The Committee was dissatisfied with the instability in leadership positions in most of government departments at the national level. The Committee learned that most of the Directors-General at national departments are at an acting capacity, which poses risk to the stability in the public service. The Committee appealed to the Minister in the Presidency for the DPME to encourage all government departments with acting position for more than a year to advertise all senior positions and fill them. The Committee will also address the instability of Accounting Officers with the Minister of the DPSA.

 

1. The Committee appreciated the fact that Brand South Africa finally has appointed the Board of Trustees. The Committee encouraged the Board to work hard in reviewing and approving policies with the aim of improving good governance in the entity.

 

1. The Committee encouraged Brand South Africa to urgently finalise the matter of the suspended Chief Executive Officer.

 

1. The Committee noted challenges experienced by Brand South Africa due to Covid-19 for being unable to conduct planned trainings and workshops. The Committee encouraged Brand South Africa to conduct plannedtrainings and workshops via virtual platforms.

 

6. The Portfolio Committee recommends as follows:

6.1       The House adopts and approve performance report of the Budget Vote 8 of the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation

 

Report to be considered.