SAHRA Presentation:
Arts and Culture Parliamentary
Portfolio Committee
By
Somadoda Fikeni
(SAHRA Chairperson)
31 October 2012
Parliament in Cape Town
Prelude
• SAHRA Mandate as articulated in the National Heritage Resources
Act 25 of 1999 is arguably the most important piece of legislation in
South Africa’s promotion, protection and preservation of heritage.
• SAHRA has regulatory powers of protecting national heritage estate
including control of export of nationally significant heritage objects,
protection of built environment which has heritage significance as
well as setting national standards and norms in integrated heritage
resources management
• This makes SAHRA to be potentially the most important heritage
national asset or body that ought to operate at full capacity or risk
endangering national heritage estate or resources.
• Such a vast mandate also require appropriate resources, both
human and financial. Something that is currently seriously lacking
and in need of urgent intervention.
Purpose and outline
• Presentation of SAHRA Annual Report
2011/2012.
• Report-back on interventions to turnaround
SAHRA
• Primary focus on 3 areas:
1. Outline of SAHRA challenges
2. Intervention plan and turnaround strategy
3. CEO Contract
4. Key core business projects and achievements
Nature of SAHRA challenges
• SAHRA’s broad and compelling mandate and
serious shortage of financial and human
resources.
• Non-adherence to policies especially in the
area of financial controls and procurements.
• Non-remuneration of council members
• Poor institutional work culture/ethos.
• Poorly managed devolution of functions to
provinces.
Audit findings-Interventions
 Budgetary control & management of expenditure
 Tight control over expenditure
 Budgets reworked, compiled on a sounder footing
 Principles of necessity, austerity and relevance i.t.o.
SAHRA’s core statutory mandate
 Special focus on DAC “Capital Projects” and donor-funded projects
 Finance & Supply Chain Management
 Financial management resources strengthened, with DAC support
 Forensic enquiry to be conducted with combination of
internal resources & independent assistance
Audit-findings: Interventions…
 Internal Audit
 Internal audit service provider being replaced
 Have obtained internal audit reports from 2010/2011
 Audit Committee being strengthened
 Additional Council representative appointed
 Strong response to advertisement for 2 independent candidates
 Audit Committee will meet 9/11, also 30/11
 Organisational Review
 Positive shift in staff morale, also in organisational culture and behaviour
 Principle of collaboration and support for PHRA’s, seeking to build capacity
 Striving for a national balance in heritage conservation activities
Intervention and turnaround
• Setting up of a Turn-Around Task Team involving DAC,
sister institutions that have good record of
performance in identified areas.
• Appointment of Staff in all key vacancies
• Appointment of an acting CEO who will also
operationally lead implementation of turn-around and
normalization strategy.
• Development of a comprehensive Audit Plan working
closely with the AG.
• DAC has commissioned work to cost SAHRA
constitutive Act/Mandate in order to determine proper
levels of resourcing SAHRA.
Intervention & Turnaround continues…
• Process of appointing an audit firm to assist with internal audit.
• Prioritization of asset registration including involvement of
specialist service provider for a quicker turn-around.
• Revamping of performance management system for greater
effectiveness.
• Development of an effective business model for greater
effectiveness and agility of SAHRA in partnership with provinces and
other heritage practioners.
• Forensic investigation and investigation of possible misconduct will
soon take place. If any fraud or financial or other misconduct took
place then responsible persons will be held accountable.
• DAC Minister, Mr Paul Mashatile, has written to treasury to
expedite the issue of council remuneration. An interim measure is
being considered within the framework provided by the treasury
regulations on council/board remuneration.
CEO Contract and council decision
• Council, having applied its mind, taking into
account all available documents resolved that
there was never a valid decision extending Ms
Sibongile van Damme’s contract from three
years to five years. Council therefore has sent
a letter to Ms van Damme communicating its
decision that there was no longer an
employment contract with SAHRA as her three
year contract has expired.
HR Issues
Position
Unit
Advertised
Shortlist
Divisional Manager
Built Environment
12-Aug Done
2-Oct Done
HR Officer
Human Resources
12-Aug Done
27-Sep Done
IT Manager
IT
12-Aug Done
Done Done
Supply Chain Manager
Heritage Officer
Corporate Affairs Executive Officer
Chief Financial Officer
IT Technician
Finance
BGG
Corporate Affairs
Finance
IT
12-Aug
12-Aug
12-Aug
16-Sep
30-Sep
Audit Committee
Committee
Company Secretary
Built Environment Heritage Officer
Heritage Objects Heritage Officer
APM - Palaentology Heritage Officer
Legal
Built Environment
Heritage Objects
APM
Done
Done
Done
Done
done
CVs sent to
Council for
7-Oct short-listing
CVs sent to
Council for
16-Sep short-listing
28-Oct
28-Oct
28-Oct
Interviews
Done
11-Oct
26-Oct
5-Nov
2-Nov
Reference
Done
Pending
Pending
Pending
Pending
Offer
Offer made and
accepted,
placement done
Offer made and
accepted,
placement done
Offer made and
accepted,
placement done
Offer made and
accepted,
placement done
Offer pending
Offer pending
Pending Pending
tbc
Pending Pending
tbc
Core Business programmes: current
programmes and past achievements
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Launch of Centre for Training, Research and Education in Grahamstown and currently
partnering with Rhodes University. First cohort of 39 trainees from across the country
graduated on 19 October 2012. Plans to upscale the programme.
First ever Afrikaner heritage icon, Voortrekker Monument, declared a national heritage site
with more such declaration in the pipeline.
SAHRA assessed provincial PHRAs granting the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape
and Free State were given the right to conduct some functions heritage resources
management as informed by their predetermined competencies.
SAHRA succesfully prevented the sale of “The Arab Priest” painting by Irma Stern and
entered a temporary export permit with Qatar Museum.
The South African Heritage Resources Information System has just been established and will
be populated with most comprehensive data of South African resources and made available
to government, public and researchers.
An unprecedented number of graves graded and some declared: These include those of John
Langalibalele Dube, Rev. Mahabane, J.T Gumede, AB Xuma, Nkosi Albert Luthuli, Pixley ka
Seme, S.M. Makgatho, Steve biko, Robert Sobukwe and Rahima Moosa. Burger’s
Concentration Camp burial sites and prisoners of war being graded.
Underwater and maritime heritage activities took place in partnership with Netherlandsbased Centre for International Heritage Activities.
Summary & conclusion
• SAHRA has serious challenges as reflected in the Auditor General’s report
and Council identified problems.
• Bold intervention methods are in place to reverse this situation and aim
for an unqualified audit and ultimately clean audit. SAHRA is working
closely with the AG and DAC in resolving these challenges.
• SAHRA historical structural and resource weaknesses finally being
attended to.
• Protracted CEO contract impasse now resolved to allow normal
functioning of organization.
• SAHRA at this juncture has the best possible chance of turning-around and
rising to the challenge of fulfilling its nationally significant mandate of
promoting, preserving and protecting our national heritage estate.
• SAHRA will always subject itself to publicly account for public funds it
utilize and appreciate interaction and guidance it continue to receive from
the Parliamentary portfolio committee.