Transcript Kobus Jooste Research Unit Information Services Section 20 April

Kobus Jooste
Research Unit
Information Services Section
20 April 2012
2012 Strategic and Annual
Performance Plan Briefing
Ministry of Water and Environmental
Affairs
Overview of concerns
• Vacancy rates within both the Department of Water
Affairs as well as Department of Environmental
Affairs
• Modest allocations to programmes that are very
important to future environmental management in
south Africa
• Funding for critical service delivery and maintenance
capacity lacking or complicated by inter-agency
allocations and transfers
• No contingency funds for rapid response to deal with
pressing concerns
• Inefficiencies leading to project delays and budget
under-spending / wastage
Vacancy rates
• Roughly 24% in Department of Water Affairs
• Roughly 20% in Department of Environmental
Affairs
• Key functions outsourced to consultants
– Some EIA responsibilities
– Large and Mega project design and planning
• Lack of capacity within Departments leading to
project delays and expensive errors
– Duration from planning to completion of water
infrastructure projects
– Maintenance of water infrastructure
Vacancy rates: DWA
Modest annual budget increases
• Budget allocation for DWA indicates a -2.7%
inflation adjusted cumulative growth rate
Modest annual budget increases
• DWA: Infrastructure, services and demand
management costs over the next decade will
be R573bn, of which less than 50% has been
budgeted for.
• Many massive bulk infrastructure
developments required to reach Government
targets for basic water and sanitary services
infrastructure over medium term.
• Funding required for infrastructure
maintenance: Very difficult to determine from
budget documents if adequate provision has
been made.
Modest annual budget increases
• Budget allocation better for DEA, with a 10.9% inflation
adjusted cumulative growth rate
Modest annual budget increases
• Bulk of Transfers going to EPWP – thus questions
arise about the viability of other 5 programmes
DWA service delivery and
infrastructure maintenance
• Over 80% of budget
allocation targeting
potable water
infrastructure
development
• Municipal grant
allocations need to
be carefully
interrogated to
determine if sufficient
infrastructure
management funding
is available.
Potential DEA budget shortfalls
• Budget allocation for Climate Change programme
reduced: Questions arise about the
implementability of policy directives in the Climate
Change White Paper
• Green Climate fund: No specific budget allocation
for the fund thus it will become a burden to
Treasury if specific allocations such as levies and
carbon taxes are not ring-fenced for the Fund
• Lack of contingency funding: No contingency
funding available for rapid response to a large scale
environmental threat such as the current Rhino
poaching problem.
Potential questions to Ministry
• The number of vacancies in key posts. Project
delay and consultant-based design and planning
add costs to the Department’s operations.
• The need to resolve the strategy and role players
required to effectively deal with Acid Mine
Drainage (AMD).
• Current planning and spending in terms of water
and waste water development and maintenance in
the budget compared to Departmental statements
regarding expected costs differ greatly. This issue
need to be resolved rapidly.
Potential questions to Ministry
• Where are the current service delivery backlogs
located and how will this be resolved.
• In terms of water infrastructure delivery to rural
areas, what alternatives (water harvesting,
pumping from rivers) have been investigated and
could any alternative be feasible?
• How does the DEA propose to deliver on their
constitutional mandate in light of the declining
budget allocation to the Environmental Quality and
Protection; Oceans and Coasts; Climate Change;
and Biodiversity and Conservation programmes.
Potential questions to Ministry
• The continued budget cuts to the South African
National Parks sub-programme is a matter of great
concern, particularly in light of the scourge in wildlife
poaching activities.
• Parliament should seek clarity on how the Green Fund
would be raised.
• Parliament should ask the Department of
Environmental Affairs on where the anti-poaching
budget comes from, especially when SANDF is used.
• The current format of the Vote presentation makes it
very difficult to ascertain whether sufficient funding is
being made available for infrastructure maintenance.
Clarity is needed on the budgeting and responsibility
for infrastructure maintenance.