Infrastructure
With regard to the recent announcement that Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) and other district municipalities will lose their road agency functions from 1 April 2026:
(1)(a) How does this model aim to improve (i) service delivery, (ii) governance and (iii) accountability compared to the current district municipality road agency arrangement, (b) how is his Department planning to implement this transition across all affected district municipalities, including the GRDM, and (c) what mechanisms are in place to ensure meaningful cooperation between the provincial government and local municipalities during this process;
(2)whether his Department currently has the internal capacity and manpower required to take over the full provincial roads function by 1 April 2026; if not, what resourcing strategies are being undertaken to ensure a seamless transition without service disruption?
(1) (a)(i, ii, iii) The Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) and the District Municipalities of Central Karoo (CKDM) and Cape Winelands (CWDM) all form part of Project 1a. Analysis has shown that these three (3) District Municipalities (DMs) do not provide good value for money, do not meet their Annual Performance Plan (APP) targets in terms of their deliverables, demonstrate a lack of responsiveness to the public and suffer from dual reporting, i.e. to the DMs and to the Department. These three (3) DMs, in terms of the current Road Agency Agreement via the Memorandum, in any case report to the Office of the District Roads Engineer: Oudtshoorn and Paarl, respectively. Improvements in respect of (i) Service delivery, (ii) governance and (iii) accountability can in future be measured against
(a) Value for money,
(b) Adherence to one piece of Financial Management Legislation (Public Finance Management Act),
(c) Management from a central point via its two Regional Offices, i.e. District Roads Engineer: Oudtshoorn and Paarl,
(d) Central management of all Construction Vehicles/Assets, i.e. commonly referred to as “Yellow Fleet”,
(e) An increase in responsiveness,
(f) Achievable APPs which will be determined by the Department and
(g) Occupational Health and Safety accountability and responsibility which will be vested in the Department.
The staff, appointed on the approved organogram of the three (3) District Municipalities concerned, will be absorbed into the Department on the basis of a revised consulted Personnel Plan for the Offices of the District Roads Engineer: Oudtshoorn and Paarl
(b) The absorption of the staff of the three affected District Municipalities is a time-consuming process, following a carefully structured approach including consultation and negotiation, as well as post merger integration. A successful merger of the staff on the approved Roads Organogram with that of the Offices of the District Roads Engineer: Oudtshoorn and Paarl requires careful preparation, a clear strategy to ensure a smooth transition and ongoing success. Insofar as the operational effectiveness is concerned, this will include, but not be limited to the repurposing of Departmental and District Municipality staff and be inclusive of the Plant (Yellow Fleet) and the Provincial Proclaimed Roads Network and the assets on it. Human Capital will be included in a Revised Personnel Plan, repurposing of administrative staff and various consultation and negotiations on appropriate platforms in terms of Salaries and Service Benefits.
(c) Various engagements by the Minister, Head of Department and the appointed Departmental Team with the affected District Municipalities have been held since the Minister’s Budget Speech on 7 April 2025. In-person engagements have already taken place with the Road Worker related staff of the three affected District Municipalities as to their “transfer to the Department, effective 1 April 2026”. The general feedback from Road Worker related staff, during and after the engagements was positive and they have indicated that they are looking forward to being part of the Department. In this regard, the Departmental Team will engage periodically with all affected staff from the District Municipalities and own staff as to the processes which lie ahead. Engagements were also held with Municipal Managers, Executive Mayors, Councillors and Senior Management of all affected District Municipalities, informing them of the decision and rationale and processes herein. Various formal written communications have already been forwarded to all affected District Municipalities who have pledged their full cooperation as to a smooth transition insofar as the affected staff are concerned.
- From an operational technical perspective, i.e. roads and related infrastructure [which remains the same], it is only the reporting structure of roadworker related staff herein that is affected. Where Supervisors and Line Managers are currently reporting via their District Municipality Management Teams to the Department, such reporting forthwith will be direct to the Offices of the District Roads Engineer: Oudtshoorn and Paarl, However, insofar as the administrative support personnel at the Offices of the District Roads Engineer Paarl and Oudtshoorn are concerned, additional Administrative Support Personnel will be appointed, as allowed for in the Public Service Act and Regulations, until such time that these two offices can be the subject of an Organisational Design process for the permanent appointment of additional administrative staff. No additional resourcing strategies are required for the operational technical divisions. Additional Administrative Support Personnel will, however, be required to render the necessary support to extended establishments at the Offices of the District Roads Engineer: Paarl and Oudtshoorn. In this regard, it is planned to appoint additional Administrative Support Personnel on contract, until such time that these two offices can through an Organisational Design process for the permanent appointment of additional administrative staff.
