INLSA

Helen Zille. Photo Melinda Stuurman

Senior officials in Premier Helen Zille’s department were left red-faced after one of the ANC’s members of the provincial legislature tried, but failed, to track projects on the provincial government’s online “dashboard” system minutes after officials boasted that the service was live.

The Department of the Premier was before the province’s standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) to present its annual report.

The ANC’s Max Ozinsky asked Zille whether the province’s dashboard management system, a programme launched two years ago allowing her to keep tabs on government projects, was publicly accessible.

In response Zille said the dashboard was fully operational and available on the provincial government’s new website.

“All those projects and programmes that are in line with our 12 strategic objectives have been uploaded on to the dashboard and are continuously monitored in order to spot delays or other problems early, so that we can take corrective action,” she said.

But when Ozinsky visited the website while sitting in the chamber minutes later, there were no projects listed under Zille’s department.

The Cape Argus could not locate any projects under the Department of the Premier either.

“I’m on the website and there are no projects,” Ozinsky told Zille. “This is a serious matter. People don’t have access to this.”

Zille asked department officials to answer.

Lance Williams, an official in the Department of the Premier, said the problem could be related to the 3G internet connection Ozinsky was using.

Ozinsky responded that he was using the provincial parliament’s wi-fi network, to which Williams responded that he would check the website and get back to Scopa.

Brent Gerber, director-general in the Department of the Premier, was also grilled over the provincial government communications tender awarded to TBWA Hunt Lascaris and the processes followed.

ANC MPL Lynne Brown quizzed Gerber on who decided that a new corporate communications contract was necessary and how much was paid to TBWA Hunt Lascaris last year.

Gerber said it should have been made clear from the start that the contract was a transversal project, to be implemented across all provincial departments.

He said not clearly stating that the tender was a transversal contract from the start was a mistake.

“We have learnt our lesson through this process,” said Gerber. “Each project in the provincial government will now go through strenuous processes.”

The Department of the Premier paid R600 000 to TBWA Hunt Lascaris last year, of a budgeted total of R1.7 million for branding and a corporate strategy manual.

The communications tender, worth between R50m and R70m, is a two-year contract awarded to TBWA Hunt Lascaris last year to develop a communications strategy for the provincial government.

Public Protector Thuli Madonsela is investigating the awarding of the contract.

clayton.barnes@inl.co.za - Cape Argus