Transport Month has seen the Portfolio Committee enhancing its oversight activities by paying visit to projects, transport facilities, and even schools across the province from eThekwini, Muziwabantu to Mnambithi Municipalities. PPRASA offices in Durban, Mdlangathi, Nkanyezi KaManchi and Colenso Combined Primary schools in Harding and Ladysmith respectively were part of the schools covered by the oversight visits, particularly to inspect learner transport.

Hon Moodley and Kaunda doing bus inspection in Ladysmith.

Hon Kaunda gathering information from one of the bus drivers. Behind Hon Moodley carries on with the inspection.

The Committee expressed disappointment at the condition of buses used by learners to attend schools. Broken windows, defects in wipers, brake lights, were just a few of many faults found in the buses. However the buses at Colenso Primary schools seemed to be in better conditions compared to buses inspected in Harding. In both schools the Committee instructed the Road Transport Inspectorate to inspect the buses and provide a report as a matter of urgency, and these reports would be shared with the Department of Transport for speedy

Members of the Committee inspect road D911 and D912 KwaMachi after which they proceeded to the KwaMachi Traditional Council to a stakeholders meeting.

A visit to a newly constructed permits center for taxi owners in Ladysmith has been welcome by all for the impact it has on the industry. “If you have forgotten any documents, you are able to go back home and come back immediately to finalise your application for a permit, and get back to business”, unlike when it was centralised in Durban, said the Chairperson of the Taxi Industry in Uthukela.

Delivering the opening remarks in Ladysmith where all stakeholders in the transport sector were present, Hon Kaunda said, “no solutions can be found through the barrel of the gun, why fight over taxi routes, this land cannot be stretched to accommodate more routes so why can’t we accept that”. This is a black run business that we can be proud of, however, this cannot be a lucrative business if we fight over routes”.

There are other business ventures that we can explore, workshops for taxis, you can go out and seek funding for such ventures. Let’s stop violence, and focussing on growing the business. He added that business owners must negotiate with commuters when they are to increase taxi fares so that communities feel part of the industry. “We would like to see that, dialogue takes place and ensure that there is good working relations between yourselves and your clients”, Kaunda concluded.

Hon Shelembe takes down finer details as he inspects the bus, capturing finer details from the bus driver.

In keeping with its mandate of involving the public in the work of the committee, the Health Portfolio Committee has been holding a series of public meetings in various municipalities to consult with the people to seek solutions and strategies of dealing with health challenges facing the province.

According to the government’s National Strategic Plan on HIV and sexually transmitted infections, 39% of girls between the ages of 15 and 19 in South Africa, fall pregnant at least once. Almost half of the teenage mothers fall pregnant again within two years of giving birth, the report shows.

Through the Health Portfolio committee led by Hon. Lizzy Shabalala, the Legislature has been involved in campaigns that seek to create awareness on HIV/Aids and teenage pregnancy in poor communities in deep rural areas of KwaZulu-Natal. This multiparty committee, together with the provincial Health Department, has visited several communities holding public meetings with the aim of encouraging parents to take initiatives that ensure the safety and wellbeing of their children.

Hon. Shabalala seen here with some Members of the committee addressing the community on matters relating to HIV/AIDS and teenage pregnancy

The partnership programme between the Legislature and Department of Health targets parents, social groups and other relevant stakeholders. The public is made aware of these social ills through presentations and one-on-one interactions.  Medical practitioners from Department of Health led by Dr Thami Mayise, focus on the issue of teenage pregnancy, child pregnancy, male circumcision as the contributing factor to the high increase in the number of HIV/AIDS infected persons in the province.

Dr Masiye, defined teenage pregnancy as a teenage girl, usually within the ages of 13-19, becoming pregnant whilst 12 years and less would then be considered as child pregnancy which is considered to be a worse scenario. Teenage pregnancy is a major public health concern in South Africa with more than 1/3 of SA women experiencing 1^st birth by the age of 18years. Learner pregnancies are more concentrated in provinces that are mostly rural in nature like Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpompo.

“These social ills should not be a concern for government alone, but parents and the society at large need to join hands with government in fighting these social ills. The public is encouraged to do constant HIV testing, males to circumcise, and to make use of the A,B,C health precaution measures which reads: “Abstain, Be faithful and Condomise” said committee chairperson, Hon. Lizzy Shabalala.

The public was also afforded an opportunity to voice their concerns with regard to the health issues. The issue of lack of education about the epidemic came out very strongly during public interaction sessions. Access to ARVs and female condoms is still a challenge in rural communities. Shocking statistics have revealed that in the year 2014 alone, teenage/child/leaner pregnancy grew up to 19 000 in KwaZulu-Natal alone.

The public was encouraged to go to police stations and report those who infect others with HIV intentionally, so that they will be charged with attempted murder. “Intentionally infecting a person with HIV is regarded as a gross criminal activity that is punishable in our law” said Hon. Linda Hlongwa, a member of the Health Portfolio Committee.

These meetings resolved to establish a team of volunteers called Operation Mukela which will be headed by Department of Health. Its aim will be to fight the stigma that is attached to HIV/AIDS.

A Multiparty delegation led by the Chair of Chairs Hon Sipho Gcabashe held a consultative meeting with all stakeholders in the employment / work sector in Amajuba District with a view to gain insight into challenges facing employers and employees in the that part of the province. This “scoping exercise will inform the issues to be discussed and debated during the Workers’ Parliament, taking place in the same district on the 21-22 May 2015”, said the Chair of Chairs.

Multiparty delegation in session preparing for the consultative forum meeting with Chair of Chairs Hon Sipho Gcabashe (far right wearing a jacket) chairing the meeting

The focus was on major sectors such as Textile, Steel, Farming and even Retail. Addressing the stakeholders Hon Gcabashe emphasised the need for workers and employees to adhere to legislation so that work environment becomes a better place for all. “We are not here to solve problems but we are here to provide a facilitative platform for problem areas to be identified so that all stakeholders are aware of their critical role in ensuring a working environment that is hassles free”.

Hon Gcabashe delivers introductory remarks and touches on the core mandate of the legislature, namely, Law Making, Public Participation and Oversight.

When the Department of Labour Head of Inspectors Mr S. Nkosi delivered a talk, he shared with the meeting some of the challenges facing the labour sector in the District as follows: Failure of both employees and employers to comply with some of the labour legislations such a safety, adherence to Employment Equity, some Foreign Nationals who are employers fail to understand some of the legislations as they are written in English and often cannot read and understand English, failure of stakeholders to attend public hearings called by Labour when introducing a new legislation or seeking input into a new legislation etc.

Union Representatives and ordinary workers had an opportunity to ask questions and share their views on labour legislations.

Union Representatives were also present and made important input including citing a number of challenges for instance companies that hire staff outside of the district yet working in the district. The delegation had assured stakeholders that all the issues raised will form part of the report to be presented at the Workers’ Parliament in order to seek lasting solutions to the problems.

Citizens of the Zululand District Municipality who attended the “Taking Legislature to the People” event held in Nongoma at the KwaGqikazi Campus on Thursday, 28 October 2015.

Legislatures are required by section 118 of the Constitution to ensure that the public they serve participates in their activities. This mandate to involve the public in the activities of the Legislature is entrenched in South Africa’s Constitution (section 118) which stipulates that Legislatures at national and provincial levels must facilitate public involvement in their processes. Hence, public participation is at the centre of the core business of KwaZulu-Natal Legislature.

Public participation mechanisms such as multiparty committee visits and Taking Legislature to the People (TLTP) initiatives aim to ensure that South African citizens actively participate in the legislative processes by raising concerns and challenges which need government’s intervention, and are educated and informed about the work of the Legislature.

In keeping with this Constitutional mandate, Members of KwaZulu-Natal Legislature (MPLs) conduct routine oversight visits in all districts of KwaZulu-Natal to gain first-hand information about the state of service delivery in the province. In doing so, the Legislature facilitates public involvement by giving ordinary people a platform to raise issues that affect them as citizens of the province. In many interactions with the public, issues of service delivery dominate such engagements. This is not surprising given the fact that KwaZulu-Natal is vast with its majority citizens living in rural areas which are under-developed.

Multiparty oversight visits

In October this year, Members of KwaZulu-Natal Legislature visited Zululand District in the Northern part of the province to inspect the state of service delivery in this vast rural district. It was a third visit to Zululand with the first one having taken place in 2010, and for a second time in 2012. The multiparty committee visited all five local municipalities, namely, Abaqulusi, eDumbe, uPhongolo, Nongoma and Ulundi to track progress on the implementation of various projects that were identified in 2012. During the visits, communities were given a platform to engage with the MPLs, departments and municipalities on service delivery issues and concerns. The visits were also used to hold departments and municipalities to account for the slow pace to implement service delivery projects in communities.

In Zululand District, the multiparty delegation visited almost 50 projects that were identified in 2012 as needing special focus in order to fast-track service delivery in communities. The projects include rural housing, roads, clinics, farming, electricity, schools, water and sanitation. Some notable improvements were identified in the implementation of these projects by departments and municipalities as most of them had started to benefit communities. However, a sizeable number of projects had not been completed as planned due to a number of reasons such as inadequate budgets, corruption, contractors leaving the sites incomplete, and lack of project management skills at local level.

Oversight visits also aim to resolve implementation challenges and to improve transparency and accountability regarding service delivery. The multiparty delegation comprises of representatives from various political parties in the Legislature, administrative support staff, departmental and municipal officials visiting selected projects in each local municipality. These public participation endeavors also include feedback sessions on issues raised during the previous multiparty delegation visits and Taking Legislature to the People.

Taking Legislature to the People

The multiparty oversight visits culminated with the entire Legislature holding a sitting in Nongoma municipality on 29 and 30 October, where a comprehensive report on the state of service delivery in Zululand municipalities was presented and debated by MPLs. The sitting was attended by thousands of people from Zululand municipalities, who got the chance of engaging with MPLs, MECs, and Mayors regarding service delivery concerns in their areas. As the province currently faces severe drought, it was not surprising that most people complained about water shortages in their areas. This has had a negative impact on farming resulting in the death of livestock and crops. They urged government to come up with short-term solutions and provide relief to drought-stricken communities in order to prevent famine and diseases.

Members of the public eager to have their say. Citizens are given the opportunity to make their voices heard.

MECs, MPLs and local leadership of Zululand were present at the Legislature Sitting in Nongoma on 29 and 30 October 2015.