Disaster Response Management The Committee recommended that the budget allocation for this programme be increased in the light of the increased vulnerability to natural disasters country’s due to climate change. With effect from the 2012/13 financial year, the allocations for the Disaster Relief Fund have reportedly increased from R47 million in the 2011/12 financial year to R510 million in 2012/13. The allocation was further increased to R534 million in the main budget of the 2013/14 financial year. The Committee recommended that the Departments of Cooperative Governance and Human Settlements establish a better working relationship in order to speed up the post-disaster assessment process and prevent the under-spending of relief funds. The Department has subsequently reported that a National Disaster Advisory Forum and task teams have been established, including a Human Settlement task team consisting of officials from the Department of Human Settlement, which set policy and monitor all forms of expenditure. In addition, the National Disaster Management Centre is reported to have also recently established a Monitoring and Evaluation Unit that aims to monitor spending as well as all policies relating to Disaster Management. Provincial and Municipal Governance Support The Committee noted that the programme only achieved 32% of the targets set for the period under review. It therefore recommended that more realistic and measurable targets should be set. The Department subsequently reported that it has continually sought to address the issue of the measurability of targets by supporting Branch/Programme Managers, through planning processes, to craft targets in such a manner that periodic reporting on their implementation will not present challenges. The achievement of a 71% performance for the 2012/13 year can, in part, be attributed to the entrenchment of a as “SMART” principle prescribed by the National Treasury and required by the Auditor-General while developing targets. To this effect the Branch has achieved 11 out of 14 targets, with the rest being partially achieved. Traditional Affairs Noting the 2010 Presidential proclamation for the establishment of the Department of Traditional Affairs (DTA) as a separate entity, the Committee recommended that Treasury finalises negotiations for the DTA to have its own Budget Vote. However, the Department of Traditional Affairs is still reflected as a separate Programme (Programme 7) in Vote 3- Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs. South African Local Government Association (SALGA) The Committee noted the satisfactory performance of the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) in general. It recommended that the
Disaster Response Management The Committee recommended that the budget allocation for this programme be increased in the light of the country’s increased vulnerability to natural disasters due to climate change. With effect from the 2012/13 financial year, the allocations for the Disaster Relief Fund have reportedly increased from R47 million in the 2011/12 financial year to R510 million in 2012/13. The allocation was further increased to R534 million in the main budget of the 2013/14 financial year. The Committee recommended that the Departments of Cooperative Governance and Human Settlements establish a better working relationship in order to speed up the post-disaster assessment process and prevent the under-spending of relief funds. The Department has subsequently reported that a National Disaster Advisory Forum and task teams have been established, including a Human Settlement task team consisting of officials from the Department of Human Settlement, which set policy and monitor all forms of expenditure. In addition, the National Disaster Management Centre is reported to have also recently established a Monitoring and Evaluation Unit that aims to monitor spending as well as all policies relating to Disaster Management. Provincial and Municipal Governance Support The Committee noted that the programme only achieved 32% of the targets set for the period under review. It therefore recommended that more realistic and measurable targets should be set. The Department subsequently reported that it has continually sought to address the issue of the measurability of targets by supporting Branch/Programme Managers, through planning processes, to craft targets in such a manner that periodic reporting on their implementation will not present challenges. The achievement of a 71% performance for the 2012/13 year can, in part, be attributed to the entrenchment of a “SMART” principle as prescribed by the National Treasury and required by the Auditor-General while developing targets. To this effect the Branch has achieved 11 out of 14 targets, with the rest being partially achieved. Traditional Affairs Noting the 2010 Presidential proclamation for the establishment of the Department of Traditional Affairs (DTA) as a separate entity, the Committee recommended that Treasury finalises negotiations for the DTA to have its own Budget Vote. However, the Department of Traditional Affairs is still reflected as a separate Programme (Programme 7) in Vote 3- Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs. South African Local Government Association (SALGA) The Committee noted the satisfactory performance of the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) in general. It recommended that the