Pretoria – Defence and Military Veterans Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has established a Turnaround Team of experts to help support the Department of Military Veterans into an effective and efficient service delivery institution.
The Turnaround Team, which comprising mostly military veterans, will be dispatched to support the department for a period of six months.
The turnaround programme will focus, amongst others, on addressing both the programmatic, structural and policy matters affecting the department’s ability to fulfil its mandate.
“During my Budget Vote on 19 May 2015 in Parliament, I announced my intention to deploy a team to help develop a turn-around strategy in the department and factor in the concerns of the Parliamentary Committee, the Auditor General and the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA).
“Following this announcement, I also convened an Indaba of all military veterans in July 2015, to give the veterans themselves an opportunity to assess the service impact of the department and make proposals on some of the solutions to address current challenges,” said Minister Mapisa-Nqakula.
A turnaround support initiative was then established with effect from 1 September 2015 together with the appointment of a Steering Committee, a Resource Persons Panel and a full time Program Management Office.
Some of the critical areas that the team will give priority attention will include policy considerations to inform a new and aligned vision and design of the department, legislative mandate and financial accounting.
The team will also put in place an operational rescue plan to stabilise current operations and ensure quick-wins in areas of delivery of current benefits such as education support, healthcare, housing, heritage and memorialisation as well as burial support.
The persons that have been appointed to form part of the Steering Committee are Sipho Majombozi (Convenor and Program Management Coordinator), Billy Masetlha, Sue Rabkin, Dr Thandi Ndlovu, Lt. Gen. (ret) J Nkonyane, Siphiwe Sokhela and Siphiwe Hamilton.
The persons appointed on a part time basis as a resource panel for the turnaround are Sebinah Hlapolosa, Maj Gen (Rtd) Keith Mokoapa, Uriel Abrahamse, Donovan Adison, Thami Ntenteni, Dr Snuki Zikalala, Nomsa Mkhwanazi, Thabo Kubu, Lucky Magingxa and Brig Gen (ret) Mbulelo Fihla.
“Both the Deputy Minister and I will receive monthly progress reports. Once every two months the Steering Committee must table progress reports at the Council of Defence meeting for consideration and discussion,” the Minister explained. – SAnews.gov.za
