Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson’s lack of faith in the record of government property assets is boosted by a Department of Defence (DoD) admission that its own asset register is “not complete”.
The acknowledgement was in response to a Parliamentary question asked of Defence and Military Veterans Minister Angie Motshekga by MK (uMkhonto weSizwe) Party public representative, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla. She wanted to know whether the DoD has an up to date asset register and if not, why and the relevant details.
She was answered, on behalf of Motshekga, by Sithuthukile Mkhwanazi, Director Asset Management at the DoD Logistics Division. Her reply reads, in full: “The DoD has an asset register, but based on the outcome of the 2023/24 audits conducted by AGSA [Auditor General of SA] it is not complete where some assets were found not to be in the asset register of the department [of Defence]. Plans are being developed and will be monitored through the appropriate command councils”.
Proof positive Mkhwanazi is taking action came in the form of a three-day asset indaba workshop late last month (August) held, appropriately, at the Auditor-General head office in Centurion’s Eco Park. Generals, officers commanding, other officers and non-commissioned officers attending were told asset management “must be taken seriously as a command function” by programme director Els Pillay with Mkhwanazi elaborating on the workshop objectives. She is reported by DoD Corporate Communication staffer Gontse Matji as saying the creation of awareness on the importance of DoD asset management procedures and processes was important with one workshop aim to identify key factors negatively affecting asset management.
“The goal,” Mkhwanazi is reported as saying, “is to come up with solutions on how to improve the Directorate and clarify any blurred elements”. She also emphasised the importance of recordkeeping for future references, handing over and taking office command as well as leaving a paper trail for those continuing and managing assets in the DoD.
On the plus side of the ledger, the DoD asset management director praised Lieutenant General Lawrence Mbatha’s SA Army. The landward force “reduced and eliminated log dummy numbers by following the right processes and procedures in the asset management register and recordkeeping. The importance of being accountable as an individual, section, unit, directorate, division or service for successful and clean audit reports was also highlighted.”
Speaking to reporters in Cape Town late last month, Macpherson is quoted as saying he was not “happy with and had very little confidence in the asset management register [presented to him]”. Official records show the State owns about 88 000 buildings and five million hectares of land, estimated to be worth R155 billion. He named one example where a property is valued at R5 million – “I know that should be R200 million”.
The SA National Defence Force (SANDF) is among government departments and entities using large tracts of land, mostly for training. These include the 137 000 ha plus SA Army Combat Training Centre (CTC) at Lohathla in the Northern Cape province as well as the landward force’s 17 000 ha General de Wet training area at De Brug outside Bloemfontein and the General de la Rey and General Piet Joubert training areas totalling 37 000 plus hectares as examples. The SA Air Force (SAAF) via its bases in Eastern and Western Cape, Gauteng and Limpopo as well as ranges including Roodewal (3 240 ha) in Limpopo, uses large swathes of land to house aircraft and personnel as well as training in munitions delivery.
