22 Feb 2017

The Minister for  Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration, Mr Eric Molale has said P2.2 billion was budgeted for Economic Stimulus Programme (ESP) for 2016/17 financial year.

Minister Molale told Parliament during Ministers’ Question Time that by the end of January 2017, the contract amounts for awarded projects stood at P1.9 billion.

He said there was a total of 3 652 projects implemented across 10 ministries.

Out of the 10 ministries, five ministries, being the Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food Security, Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, Ministry of Basic Education, Ministry of Land Management, Water and Sanitation Services and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing Development have projects that have been completed as at the end of January 2017.

Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food Security has seven completed projects and only two were completed on time.

The minister said the main reasons for the delay was the late delivery of projects input which were ordered outside the country for the Glen Valley Rehabilitation Project.

He said the delay in the grading of roads to production areas was due to high tender prices which resulted in re-scoping of the project and had to be done in-house.

The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development had been awarded 30 customary courts and 11 had been completed with extension of time because the contractors were having delays in supply and delivery of materials.

For primary education, the minister said eight out of the 39 schools have been completed within contract time while others have been awarded and are on schedule.

Minister Molale said the Ministry of Land Management, Water and Sanitation Services had 18 completed projects, of which 14 including the Phakalane link road were completed within time while four were completed after extension of time.

The Ministry of Basic Education has 16 completed projects of which 14 were completed on time.

Mr Molale said the projects were unbundled because they wanted as many contractors as possible to benefit.

He said this resulted in delays in the electrical component of the projects because they did not have as many responses as they have envisaged.

“We are working on that and I am informed that now we either are giving the electrical component to the contractors on site to go alone with that or where there are contractors who can give us the services, we are engaging them,” he said.

Minister Molale said the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing Development had 1285 Self Help Housing Agency (SHHA) Turnkey houses completed on time against a target of 1500.

He said 128 Public Officers Housing Initiative Units have been completed on time against the targeted 540 and 500 pool housing maintenance was also completed on time.

The minister said Women Empowerment Scheme was part of the overall government policy of Citizen Economic Empowerment which coincides with the main objective of the ESP, which is improving the quality of life for citizens.

He said the programme is implemented by the Ministry of Nationality, Immigration and Gender Affairs.

The minister said 20 042 people were employed through ESP projects by the end of November 2016, out of which 19 907 were citizens and only 120 were non-citizens. BOPA