Gwarube reveals plans to tackle Eastern Cape infrastructure crisis

IOL News

9 hours ago

Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube says her department was taking measures to address weaknesses identified that caused infrastructure crisis in the Eastern Cape.
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BASIC Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube says the mismanagement was not the only factor responsible for the overall infrastructure crisis in Eastern Cape schools.
She cited persistent backlogs inherited from the pre-1994 era, ongoing budget constraints and competing service delivery priorities, contractor underperformance and project implementation delays, adverse weather conditions affecting construction timelines, and disruptions by local business forums and community protests at school sites.
She disclosed this when responding to MK Party MP Nompumelelo Gasa, who noted with concern that the Cape's schools remained the worst in the country regarding billions of rand allocated to schools.
Gasa asked Gwarube whether, in an effort to uncover whether corruption or incompetence was to blame, her department will commission an independent forensic audit of all infrastructure grants and Equitable Share spending there.
Gwarube dismissed calls for an independent forensic audit, saying her department was taking measures to address weaknesses that caused an infrastructure crisis in the province.
'There are currently no plans by the Department of Basic Education (DBE) to commission an independent forensic audit of the Education Infrastructure Grant (EIG) or Equitable Share spending in the Eastern Cape for the period since 1 January 2019.
'However, the DBE maintains infrastructure planning and performance information through the Infrastructure Reporting Model and the Education Facilities Management System (EFMS),' she said.
Gwarube said the systems contained annual allocations and expenditure performance per infrastructure funding stream, a record of contractors awarded infrastructure projects, and estimated and actual completion rates, including, where applicable, reasons for delays and underperformance.
'This information is available to relevant oversight bodies upon request and is used routinely by the DBE to monitor progress and flag systemic issues.'
She said her department was rolling out a sector-wide 10-point infrastructure strategy designed to accelerate infrastructure delivery and strengthen accountability.
"As part of efforts to improve service delivery and financial management at a provincial level, the Minister of Basic Education recently requested all MECs and heads of provincial Education Departments to submit urgent written feedback on service delivery failures and personnel irregularities across provinces.'
She also said she has launched a coordinated response to restore financial discipline and protect core education services.
The national department wants all provinces to submit credible financial recovery plans ahead of the Council of Education Ministers meeting scheduled for July 21.