Premier

1. The member has asked about the Economic War Room. The aim of this initiative was to pioneer innovative methods to tackle complex, burning issues negatively affecting growth and the creation of jobs in our economy. As you know, one of my foremost priorities has always been to tackle unemployment, and I embrace every opportunity and avenue to do that.

In its pilot phase, the government received a considerable donation from the Growth Lab at Harvard University so that we could pioneer a new way of addressing our stubborn issues. Harvard worked with our teams, and trained them, to use the globally renowned PDIA problem solving methodology.

As mentioned in the 1 April 2021 reply in part 2 (a), to which the member has made reference in this question, our goal in 2021/22 was to mainstream the PDIA methodology within government as part of innovative and integrated service delivery.

I am pleased to report that in line with this, we have curated and are implementing the roll out of a training course on the PDIA methodology, which officials across the government can take at our Government School, the Provincial Training Institute. This is part of our goal to ensure our employees have options to upskill themselves in ways that not only provide them with career advancement opportunities, but also contribute positively to how we are able to serve our residents. I am very excited to see the PDIA methodology being used in teams across our government – it’s a wonderful way to get new thinking and problem-solving skills embedded, toward more agile, more innovative delivery.

In respect of the projects that were still ongoing in that year, as per the response on 1 April 2021, the member will recall that we had a team working on commuter safety on buses. In 2021/22 this team continued to look at iterations in Bus Technology, Fare-Box enhancement, Communications campaigns and Corridor improvements.

• • • Great progress was made in terms of the Bus Technology project in particular, with GABS having installed CCTV cameras on 762 buses.

By March 2022, the data showed that attacks were about half of what they were the previous year.

The Fixed Capital and Property Development Team also showed success in that year by effecting legislative change and expanding collaborative platforms aimed at improving the industry, such as the Provincial Planning and Development Forum. Team members reported the following efforts, amongst others:

• • Within the City of Cape Town there was a successful transition to e-systems, an enhancement of communication platforms.
  • Heritage Western Cape (HWC) and South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) worked together to adapt to remote working and online processes, improve efficiency and turnaround times, and address capacity constraints
  • DEDAT’s Red Tape Reduction Unit (RTRU) significantly reduced the Deeds Office backlog and facilitated UIF payments for the construction industry.
  • The Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning promoted the synchronisation and integration of approval processes.

In respect of the safety intervention, which the member will recall was based on addressing the issue of people arrested multiple times for violent crimes but not convicted or kept behind bars, the team members had a more difficult time and I can understand why. Without substantive cooperation from the police and justice system, both of which we all know are nationally controlled, little headway can be made, and we continue to suffer the effects on the lives of our residents of the failure of these entities.

2. On the members second question, as mentioned, the PDIA methodology is being mainstreamed with opportunities for teams from across government to upskill themselves to use it in their service delivery work. I was inspired to see the use of this thinking by our skilled employees who worked together on the Growth for Jobs strategy which now guides our economic efforts. Just last week, we saw unemployment in our province drop below 20%, a vastly different picture from anywhere else in South Africa. I have no doubt that the hard work of our officials, and their willingness to embrace innovative thinking, contributed to this outcome and I am proud of our team. What I can also guarantee the member is that we won’t stop here – we remain committed to our pledge to create an environment for jobs, and are invigorated by the challenge of doing so.
3. R856 318.75.