Questions and Replies

Reply:

The purpose of the Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant (RBIG), to develop new, refurbish, upgrade and replace ageing bulk water and sanitation infrastructure of regional significance that connects water resources to infrastructure serving extensive areas across municipal boundaries or large regional bulk infrastructure serving numerous communities over a large area within a municipality. The Water Services Infrastructure Grant (WSIG) facilitates the planning and implementation of various water and sanitation projects to accelerate backlog reduction and enhance the sustainability of services, especially in rural municipalities.

Although comprehensive planning is done by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) together with municipalities prior to the implementation of RBIG and WSIG funded projects, a myriad of challenges arise during implementation which result in unavoidable delays such as:

• Inability of municipalities to contribute their share of funding for water and sanitation projects that should be co-funded by the DWS RBIG Grant and the municipalities’ own funding
• Supply Chain Management challenges in municipalities often result in delays in procurement of required professional services and commencement of projects
• Poor performance of contractors, couples with inadequate project management capacity in municipalities often leads to lengthy litigation processes which also bring projects to a halt
• Projects are often brought to halt by communities with demands for employment opportunities or construction mafia with demands for 30% of contracts
• Non-payment of contractors by the municipalities or non-payment of workers by contractors
• Inclement weather conditions also contribute to delays in ongoing projects

Details of projects gone beyond the estimated construction time since 1 April 2023 are indicated in Annexure A.

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ANNEXURE A

Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant

Project name	Original project cost	Revised project cost	Initial completion date	Revised completion date
Free State
Welbedacht Bulk water supply (Manguang pipeline)	R500 000 000	R583 677 787	July 2021	March 2024
Tokologo bulk water supply Phase 2 of 3	R717 535 306	R717 535 306	December 2024	March 2026
Maluti-a-Phofung BWS Scheme(Sterkfontein WTW)	R619 590 000	R619 590 000	March 2024	April 2025
Mohokare Bulk water supply (Rouxville)	R300 000 000	R320 000 000	March 2020	June 2025
Mantsopa Water and Sanitation Intervention	R17 660 652	No adjustment	June 2023	October 2024
Construction of reversal gravity pipeline in Phuthaditjhaba and Harrismith	R57 100 000	No adjustment (this should be N/A as per same categories below)	March 2023	August 2024
Metsimaholo Bulk Sewer. (Upgrading of Denneysville WWTW)	R164 499 946	R224 352 940	October 2019	March 2024
Mafube Bulk sewer phase 2 of 2 (Upgrading of Frankfort WWTW)	R141 448 501	R164 858 228	June 2023	"TBC” Contractor terminated due to poor performance
North West
Ratlou Bulk Water Supply: Phase 1a – Setlagole Water Supply	R 146 600 000	R153 000 000	April 2016	November 2024
Mahikeng Bulk Water Supply: Upgrading of the Mmabatho WTW to 30 Ml/day	R 185 500 500 (IRS - 2012)	R449 700 000	October 2018	August 2025
Upgrade and Extension of the Brits Water Treatment Plant from 60 Ml/D to 80 Ml/D: Madibeng Bulk Water Supply	R845 000 000	R800 000 000	31 Aug 2017	31 Aug 2024
Western Cape
Lamberts Bay Desalination Plant	R89 812 568	Not yet determined	Mar 2022	Not yet determined
Provision of Dry sanitation toilets	R 8 383 078	N/A	June 2021	May 2022
Northern Cape
Upgrading of Noupoort sewer netwok	R 22 398 854	N/A	October 2022	February 2023
Refurbishment of Nababep waste water treatment works (Phase1)	R 40 702 697	NA	June 2025	NA
RS028_Dawid Kruiper_Refurbishment of Kameelmond WWTW Upington	R78 225 986	R78 225 986	22 September 2022	31 May 2023
RS029_Magareng_Warrenton Water Treatment Works	R80 438 842	R122 917 873	22 April 2021	March 2025
Eastern Cape
Makana Bulk Water Supply (Phase 2)	R133 286 055	R393 090 217	March 2021 (All phases)	Phase 2, at a reduced scope - end of June 2024.
Ndlambe Bulk Water Supply	R161 000 000	R422 945 139 (Anticipated that the project cost might increase by another R50mil due to escalation.	May 2015	March 2025.
Xhora East Bulk Water Supply	R258 541 304	R 576 687 000 (including co-funding).	December 2022.	May 2024
Ngqamakhwe Regional Bulk Water Supply	R724 million	R646 000 000	September 2023	September 2025
Sundays River Valley BWS (Paterson Project)	R73 300 000	R101 792 000	March 2016	Phase 6 - 31 March 2024 Overall – 31 March 2025
Xonxa Bulk Water Supply	R 413 017 890	R 657 663 506	August 2023	February 2025
Cluster 9 BWS project at Chris Hani DM	R254 695 667	R485 700 000	November 2022	February 2024
Cluster 4 BWS	R427 099 000	R 849 474 094	May 2020	February 2024
Cluster 6 BWS	R323 952 670	R474 323 951	May 2023	January 2025
Mpumalanga
Driekoppies Phase 1a	R424 000	No adjustments	December 2023	June 2024
Sibange Phase 2	R186 600	No adjustments	September 2022	February 2024

Water Services Infrastructure Grant

Municipality	Project	Original Budget	Revised Budget	Planned Completion date	Actual completion date
Free State
Masilonyana	Theunissen WC/WDM	R18 800 000	R 20 403 462	June 2021	March 2024
Tokologo	Dealesville Emergency Water Supply: Phase 3	R15 921 972	NA	June 2020	June 2024
Tswelopele	Bultfontein: Refurbishment of sewer pump station	R11 552 960	NA	April 2023	March 2024
Dihlabeng LM	Upgrading of Clarens Water Treatment Works From 1 Ml to 4Ml/day	R49 989 987	R59 314 755	February 2024	June 2024
Mantsopa LM	Ladybrand: Construction of 6ML Reservoir & Pipeline	R16 837 385	R16 837 385	December 2023	June 2024
Mantsopa LM	Ladybrand: Construction of 3Ml Reservoir (Phase 2)	R 13 459 632	R 13 459 632	December 2023	June 2024
Mantsopa LM	Ladybrand: Re-Construction of Sewer Outfall Line	R2 500 000	R2 500 000	December 2023	June 2024
Mantsopa LM	Hobhouse: Refurbishment of a Weir	R 2 053 181	R 2 053 181	December 2023	June 2024
Setsoto LM	Upgrading of the Van Soelen Outfall Sewer in Ficksburg	R39 994 762	R39 994 762	November 2023	June 2024
Phumelela LM	upgrading of Outfall sewer line and revamping of pump station station #3 and WWTW in Warden/Ezenzeleni	R22 001 373	R22 001 373	September 2023	June 2024
Nketoana LM	20,34km Pipeline (250mm dia) from Lindley to Arlington	R75 400 794	R75 400 794	June 2024	June 2025
Kopanong LM	Bulk Water Supply in Trompsburg	R19 000 000	R 22 000 000	June 2021	TBC
Kopanong LM	Water Supply Reddersburg	R 13 534 058	No adjustment	May 2017	TBC
Kopanong LM	Water Supply Bethulie	R 6 500 000	No adjustment	June 2021	TBC
Kopanong LM	Upgrading of Philippolis WWTW	R 12 000 000	R 38 994 885	June 2021	TBC
Mohokare LM	Rouxville Abstraction Works	R39 412 741	No adjustment	July 2022	TBC
Mafube LM	Namahadi 12Ml Reservoir	R36 904 336	No adjustment	November 2022	May 2024
Majuba LM	Mafube WC/WDM (Pre-paid Water Meters	R15 000 000	No adjustment	August 2023	March 2024
Metsimaholo LM	Oranjeville WWTW Upgrade	R61 938 621	No adjustment	July 2022	TBC
Ngwathe LM	Refurbishment of pipelines from Parys WTW to Reservoirs 3 & 4	R24 691 873	No adjustment	July 2022	January 2024
Ngwathe LM	Construction of sewer line in Heilbron / Phiritona	R8 604 802	TBC Contractor terminated due to poor performance	December 2022	TBC Ngwathe LM must procure new contractor
Ngwathe LM	Heilbron – Elevated water tower and 3km water pipeline	R18 720 677	No adjustment	April 2023	March 2024
Moqhaka LM	Kroonstad – 11th Avenue water pipeline and Bloemhoek Dam sluice gate	R24 189 695	R25 022 859	August 2023	June 2024
Northern Cape
ZF Mgcawu	Kakamas: Water treatment works	R 11 370 115	N/A	March 2023	N/A due to fact that IA’s allocation was converted from schedule 5b to 6b
Frances Baard	Construction of Carters Ridge Pump station (Phase1)	R 32 832 662	N/A	November 2018	June 2021
Frances Baard	Construction of Carters Ridge Pump station (Phase 2)	R 25 966 926	N/A	June 2021	July 2023
Frances Baard	Provision of dry sanitation toilets	R 8 383 078	N/A	June 2021	May 2022
Eastern Cape
Blue Crane Route Local Municipality	Refurbishment of Cookhouse Water Treatment Works	R18 799 060	N/A	November 2023	September 2024
Chris Hani DM	Chris Hani DM Cluster 7 Water Supply Scheme: Ngxogi Emadizeni Mantlaneni Xuka Entabeni Emantlwaneni Cefane Emafusini Mhlontlo KwaMhlontlo and Dwaleni/Matyeni Water Backlog Project	R2 000 000	N/A	July 2023	June 2024
Mpumalanga
Thaba Chweu LM	Refurbishment of the Lydenburg Waste Water Treatment Works	R114 777 382	N/A	June 2025	NA

Reply:

3.1 In respect of Qatar, Iran and Russia for the period that covers 1 January 2021 up to the latest date in 2024, the reply is as follows:

a) Sponsorships

(aa) (i) Not applicable (aa)(ii) Not applicable (aa) (iii) Not applicable

(bb) (i) Not applicable (bb) (ii) Not applicable (bb) (iii) Not applicable

(cc) (i) Not applicable (cc) (ii) Not applicable (cc) (iii) Not applicable

b) Donations

(aa) (i) Not applicable (aa) (ii) Not applicable (aa) (iii) Not applicable

(bb) (i) Not applicable (bb) (ii) Not applicable (bb) (iii) Not applicable

(cc) (i) Not applicable (cc) (ii) Not applicable (cc) (iii) Not applicable

(c) Financial Transfers

(aa) (i) Not applicable (aa) (ii) Not applicable (aa) (iii) Not applicable

(bb) (i) Not applicable (bb) (ii) Not applicable (bb) (iii) Not applicable

(cc) (i) Not applicable (cc) (ii) Not applicable (cc) (iii) Not applicable

Reply:

 

Find reply here

Reply:

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Reply:

Following the rapid decline in the condition of Provincial and Municipal roads, the Cabinet retreat of 1 June 2022 then appointed SANRAL as the lead agent to support Roads Authorities in fixing their roads in an integrated way through Operation Vala Zonke programme. In order to effectively provide this support, the Minister of Transport launched Operation Vala Zonke as part of the build-up to Presidential Imbizo that took place on 12 August 2022.

a) As part of the National intervention, the Department did put forward a national plan for road refurbishment and rehabilitation, that is: (i) Availing of Integrated Transport Information System (ITIS) for all authorities to use; (ii) Handing over of Road Condition and Traffic Data for uploading into ITIS; (iii) support on Network Verification, Data upload and spatial map, (iv) Rollout of the National / Centralised Road Authority App for authorities and the public to report potholes; (v) Signing of MOUs between SANRAL and Provincial Road Authorities for technical support; (vi) Consideration and transfer of Strategic and Primary road network to SANRAL to enable SANRAL to reprioritise its existing non toll budget to address the immediate maintenance needs of some of the critical roads and (vii) Private Sector Involvement and Adopt a Road programme to enable various private companies to make contributions towards the maintenance and upkeep of roads through their Corporate Social Investment and claim for BEE Scorecards and obtain Tax deduction for such donation and (viii) Upgrading of low volume gravel roads using block paving bricks and Nano technologies to maximise jobs through labour intensive methods.

To date, the public has reported over 45 000 of potholes using the App for the repair of which has actively been monitored via central war room. The above process is creating much higher levels of accountability at all spheres of government regarding road network and its maintenance.

b) The breakdown of budgetary allocation provided by the Department for road restorations per annum over the MTEF is summarised in table below:

Table 1: The breakdown of 2023/24 to 2026/27 budgetary allocation

Authority	2023/24 R’000	2024/25 R’000	2025/26 R’000	2026/27 R’000
SANRAL	25 430 715	25 720 319	28 845 591	30 169 036
Provincial Road Maintenance Grant (supplementary fund to assist the 9 Provinces	15 867 086	16 672 290	17 882 779	17 278 699
Total	41 297 801	42 392 609	46 728 558	47 447 735

Though the Department does not have a mandate to address municipal roads, the Department do provide support to municipalities by inviting them to participate on the joint Vala Zonke Operations to fix potholes.

Reply:

a) The referenced reply (to question 3312) stated that the Department is developing a public transport subsidy policy that will locate the subsidisation of minibus taxi users within the wider, multi-modal subsidy framework as part of the public transport funding reforms. This implies a move away from mode specific subsidisation to a subsidised network serviced by a combination of modes to minimise the cost of transport. Therefore, subsidy would be for public transport in general and not necessarily for taxis separately. The different models being considered includes the supply side, demand side and user targeting just to mention a few. Direct public transport subsidy applies exclusively to formalised public transport services and, in many cases, take the form of different types of contracting.

(b) The draft public transport subsidy policy has been published for public comments on the 23rd of February 2024 in Government Gazette 50176. The public consultation process will close on the 31st of March 2024 where after the Department will start the process of submitting the policy for Cabinet approval. Implementation will only commence once the final subsidy policy is approved by Cabinet.

(c) Refer to (b) above.

Reply:

The table below provides the number of official complaints received during the period 2020 until 2024; and the outcomes of the complaints.

Year	Number of complaints	Breakdown per grant type	Outcome
2020	106	Type of Grant Number of Complaints SRD 01 Care Dependency 00 CSG 14 FCG 00 DG 12 Grant in Aid 00 Older Persons 79 War Veterans 00	Finalised Not 106 nil
2021	40	Type of Grant Number of Complaints SRD 00 Care Dependency 00 CSG 03 FCG 01 DG 13 Grant in Aid 00 Older Persons 23 War Veterans 00	Finalised Not 40 nil
2022	119	Type of Grant Number of Complaints SRD 03 Care Dependency 00 CSG 10 FCG 00 DG 22 Grant in Aid 00 Older Persons 84 War Veterans 00	Finalised Not 119 nil
2023	424	Type of Grant Number of Complaints SRD 262 Care Dependency 00 CSG 21 FCG 01 DG 32 Grant in Aid 00 Older Persons 108 War Veterans 00	Finalised Not 409 15
2024	256	Type of Grant Number of Complaints SRD 414 Care Dependency 00 CSG 02 FCG 00 DG 08 Grant in Aid 00 Older Persons 31 War Veterans 00	Finalised Not 252 4

(2) Thus far there’s no linkage of the lodged complaints on ID fraud with a) public servants outside the department, b) SASSA employees and c) employees of the department.

(3) The issue of “duplicate IDs” SASSA has identified two situations mainly affects older clients where two persons share the same ID number, unknowingly. These cases are not necessarily fraudulent, but in part the result of various legacy issues. Such matters are flagged and referred to the Department of Affairs for investigation and resolution.

(ii) Recently, the same issue of “duplicate IDs” is affecting those applying for the SRD grant. These are not necessarily duplicate IDs but some form of Identity theft. Fraudsters steal and use another person’s ID number and personal details to apply for the SRD grant; as well as open accounts with private banks, pretending to be the rightful owners of the ID.

When such cases are detected, SASSA will flag the applicant as fraudulent and require the applicant to provide a HANIS report to confirm their identity. SASSA is also implementing a system that will allow for these clients to digitally verify themselves through a facial recognition process. We however, cannot make the specific fraud prevention mechanisms public as this would weaken the mechanism and defeat their purpose. At high level, as part of the detective mechanism, we conduct compliance inspections and systems to detect any internal control deficiencies across the regions. As part of corrective mechanism, we conduct investigations and ensure that corrective measures are taken. Where necessary, members of the South African Police Service also assist in the investigation of fraud cases.

Reply:

SASSA suspended 81 687 Child Support Grants since 1 April 2023 up to 31 January 2024.

These grants were suspended because the banking details of grant recipients captured on the SASSA database did not correspond with details captured by their respective banks, indicating possible changes in the clients’ records. The suspension was implemented as per the provision of Section 14(5) of the Social Assistance Act (Act No. 13 of 2004), which requires clients/beneficiaries to ensure that their records are accurate and updated with the Agency.

Reply:

(1) As stated in my reply to Parliamentary Question 4207, SASSA works closely with the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) on data validation and conducts monthly checks to confirm the life status of clients before a payment is generated. Payment is effected for clients who are confirmed to be alive, as per validation outcome.

The life status (proof of life) confirmation is sourced from DHA on the day that the payment file is created. If proof of life is confirmed, payment is included in the payment file and effected for that month. As soon as SASSA receives notice of death from DHA, payment is immediately cancelled and not included in the payment file for that month.

It is important for the Honourable Member to note that social grants payments are effected upon confirmation of proof of life by the Department responsible for this function, which is the DHA. It is incorrect to insinuate that SASSA knowingly pays social grants to deceased beneficiaries.

The activities and the period between payment extraction and payment date can be outlined as below: Using February 2024 payment as example:

• Fourth weekend of the month payment file is extracted (26-28 January 2024) – It must be noted that due to the controls and volumes of the payment file, the payment file is done over a weekend when there is no production work being processed.
• Payment file QA and approval on Monday (29 January 2024).

(2) It will be appreciated if the Honourable can clarify this question because SASSA does not have the data readily available.

Reply:

a) (i0(ii)(iii) The reply to Question 4207, was for total grant overpayments of Post Bank clients. Data related to payments and debts, including recoveries, is housed on two different systems, and requires an extensive cross referencing of the two data sets to answer the question in its current form. This will also require remapping of data across multiple years.

With regard to recoveries, refer to the table below:

FY 2021-2022	FY 2022-2023	FY 2023-2024
R10,826,491.53	R17,900,226.07	R20,001,986.99

Reply:

a) At the time of this response, I have not been informed of any cases anywhere in the country where SASSA has defaulted on rental payments.

b) Refer to (a). SASSA has a system in place to manage ahead of time all office rentals to ensure no offices are closed due to non-rental payments. Hence, there has been no closure of any leased offices in the last two years.

 

Reply:

(1)(a) GBV Command Centre Statistics Report: 01 November 2013 – 31 December 2023
Date	Telephone Calls Received	GBV victims assisted
01 JAN 2023 – 31 Dec 2023	65 311	5 845
01 JAN 2022 – 31 Dec 2022	40 700	3 086
01 JAN 2021 – 31 Dec 2021	65 490	5 036
01 JAN 2020 – 31 Dec 2020	136 940	5 954
01 JAN 2019 – 31 Dec 2019	59 800	1 955
01 JAN 2018 – 31 Dec 2018	64 680	3 015
01 JAN 2017 – 31 Dec 2017	12 020	4 048
01 JAN 2016 – 31 Dec 2016	71 040	1 816
01 JAN 2015 – 31 Dec 2015	64 820	2 214
01 JAN 2014 – 31 Dec 2014	7 607	940
01 NOV 2013 – 31 Dec 2013	1 997	325
TOTAL	590 405	34 234

(b)The GBV Command Centre is a call-centre service that can be contacted by anyone who need assistance with issues of GBV or any issue relating to abuse or threat to personal safety, at any time of the day (24/7) and throughout the year.

Since inception, the GBV Command Centre is managed by qualified social workers registered with the SA Council for Social Service Professions. Depending on the nature of the call, the client is referred to the relevant services, including Health, SAPS and local NGOs that provides shelters for survivors of GBV

(2)(a)(i) and(ii) The awarding of the tender followed the prescripts in terms of the Public Finance Management Act and its regulations. This included amongst others, a compulsory briefing, a 2-stage shortlisting, verification and recommendation of bidders consisting of the Bid Evaluation and Bid Adjudication Committees. This was further strengthened through a requirement of submission of verifiable project qualifications and skills of the respective Project leaders of each bidder, and the submission of verifiable, written references of past provision of services by the prospective service providers.

(b) The Department has established a Project Steering Committee that meets on a weekly basis to measure progress in the implementation and roll-out of the GBVCC project. This is further assisted by a weekly meeting between the Director-General and the CEO of Brilliantel to further measure progress and resolve, any outstanding contractual or project delivery matters.

Reply:

(1) (a) Information provided to Question 4207, was for grant overpayments to Post Bank clients. Over the last three years grant overpayments to deceased Post Bank clients were as follows:

• • 2021/2022 = R59 256 000
  • 2022/2023 = R50 372 000
  • 2023/2024 = R31 928 000

SASSA does not have data on other Banks readily available to provide statistics as requested above. A special script is required to extract the required data; which takes time to develop, execute and analyse for accuracy and to ensure this part of the question is responded to adequately.

(b) Considering that the above-mentioned grant overpayments were made to the most vulnerable members of society, SASSA’s ability to recover debt might be expensive than the debt itself. However, I must point out that each debt, irrespective of the amount, remains “recoverable “until it is s written off.

There are a number of questions and factors that can be considered when dealing with deceased grant beneficiaries to whom a grant was paid before SASSA received a notice of death from Home Affairs:

• Would it be economical to invest all the resources required to recoup a debt for one-month payment made to a deceased grant beneficiary?

• Does the deceased have an estate or the value of the estate is so small to claim against such that the full value of the grant may not be recovered?

• Would recovery cause undue hardship to his or her dependents?

(2) (a) and (b) Information on private bank accounts, such as balances within those accounts, is confidential information, to which SASSA dos not have access.

(3) (a) SASSA is not currently a registered creditor to any deceased estate. There is currently no system interface between SASSA and the Office of the Master of the High Court. When death occurs, the majority of Social Grant beneficiaries’ families make no effort to wind up an estate with the Office of the Master of the High Court (estates between R125,000 and R250,000) or with the Magistrates Office (estates below R125,000) as required by law. Therefore, if no “case file” is created no-one can register as a Creditor.

(b) All debts are considered “recoverable”, until National Treasury approves the write off. Hence the full amount referenced above is considered recoverable until this process is completed.

(4) It’s important to note that for the SASSA cards, funds are paid into a bank account at Postbank, which is governed by the same laws as any other bank account. SASSA with the assistance of National Treasury is investigating the possibility of all banks to return balances remaining in social grant beneficiary’s bank as a result of grants not withdrawn back to government. The technicalities and implications of this proposal are still under discussion.

Reply:

a) It is important for the Honourable Member to note that SASSA is a tenant at the aforementioned premises that are owned by the Western Cape Provincial Department of Social Development. As the Honourable Member is aware, SASSA has temporarily relocated to Kuyasa Library to ensure continued service to the people of Khayelitsha.

SASSA is also working with local community-based organisations such as Khayelitsha Development Forum and Freedom To The Forgotten to find a long-lasting solution on this matter. In addition, SASSA has made an application to the City of Cape Town for the permanent use of the Kuyasa Library.

b) Refer to (a)

 

Reply:

(1) The following progress has been made regarding consequence management of:

(a) 5 812 public servants who fraudulently received Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grants: In September 2022, Ms BJ Memela, the Chief Executive Officer of the SA Social Security Agency issued letters to Government Departments at National and Provincial levels advising them of the identification of civil servants on the Covid 19 SRD database and requested that consequence management be undertaken by those Government Departments.

No	Date of signing letter	Name of Department	Annexure
1	26/09/2022	Department of Basic Education	A
2	28/09/2022	Deed Office	B
3	26/09/2022	Department of Labour	C
4	26/09/2022	Department of Justice	D
5	09/11/2022	Department of Social Development	E
6	26/09/2022	Limpopo Provincial Department of Health	F
7	29/09/2022	South African Police Service	G
8	28/09/2022	Correctional Services	H

The indicated Departments are to be approached by SA Social Security Agency to establish progress with the execution of consequence management.

(b) 33 833 public servants who fraudulently received other social grants: This information is to be obtained from the SA Social Security Agency (Fraud and Compliance Department).

(2) Regarding investigations the following:

(a) The DPSA did not launch an investigation to determine whether the wrongful payments form part of a scheme to defraud the State, as the DPSA does not have a legal mandate to perform investigations.

(b) SA Social Security Agency launched an investigation. The details of the investigation are reflected under (1)(a) and is to be provided for (b).

End

Reply:

The World Economic Forum (WEF) 2024, which took place in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, from 15 to 19 January 2024, provided South Africa an opportunity to engage international investors and policy-makers.

I was accompanied by the Acting DDG Invest SA and two DTIC permanent representatives to Geneva. The department’s appropriated budget covered all expenses.

The engagements and activities included

• More than 15 separate sessions with investors in sectors such as beverages, transport-logistics, energy, steel, engineering and retail.
• Meetings with a number of trade and economic ministers from across the world, including Norway, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Netherlands and Oman and with government advisors from Nigeria
• A meeting with the European Union Vice President and Trade Commissioner on SA-EU trade matters and on the WTO
• A session with a US Senator, covering SA-US trade and investment relations
• Participating as a speaker in panels dealing with development and with SMME promotion in value-chains
• A ‘South Africa Investment’ session hosted by Bloomberg
• Separate meetings with the Director General of the WTO and with the Secretary General of the AfCFTA
• Participation in a number of briefing sessions on global policy matters, including by the Premier of China and the US Secretary of State
• A WTO session attended by officials.

I am advised the total cost was R802 000, made up of accommodation, air travel, and ground transportation, food, subsistence and travel costs.

-END-

Reply:

I have been informed by the Department as follows:-a) 231

1. See table below
2. See table below

b) As of 1st January 2024, Broadband Infraco achieved 9 056 household connectivity and 231 community WiFi hotspots in various district municipalities as indicated below:

i) Province	ii) District Municipality	Total HH Connections	HH Connections Speeds Tested	Total WiFi Hotspot	HH Connections Speeds Tested
Eastern Cape	Joe Gqabi District	1284	5-10 Mbps	16	10-80 Mbps
	Sarah Baartman	400	5-10 Mbps	0	-
	Buffalo City	317	5-10 Mbps	0	-
Limpopo	Waterberg	1003	5-10 Mbps	3	10-80 Mbps
	Vhembe	101	5-10 Mbps	0	-
Free State	Fezile Dabi	398	5-10 Mbps	1	10-80 Mbps
	Xhariep	501	5-10 Mbps	19	10-80 Mbps
KwaZulu- Natal	Harry Gwala	1753	5-10 Mbps	67	10-80 Mbps
	Ugu	1512	5-10 Mbps	90	10-80 Mbps
North-West	Dr Kenneth Kaunda	0	-	0	-
	Dr Ruth S Mompati	0	-	0	-
Northern Cape	John Taolo Gaetsewe	0	-	0	-
	Namakwa	0	-	0	-
	ZF Mgcawu	0	-	0	-
Gauteng	Sedibeng	700	5-10 Mbps	0	-
	West Rand	1087	5-10 Mbps	35	10-80 Mbps
Western Cape	Overberg	0	-	0	-
	West Coast	0	-	0	-
Total Connections Achieved on BAF	9 056	-	231	-

Thank you

Reply:

I was advised by ICASA as follows:

The Authority is mandated through section 68 of the Electronic Communications Act (“the ECA”) (Act No. 36 of 2005) as amended to regulate the numbering resources. However, the ECA does not empower the Authority to regulate SIM registration.

Noting the challenges experienced in the country wherein numbers are hijacked either through SIM swap fraud or number porting, the Authority has tightened the number porting regime by prescribing a porting procedure and a port validation process in Schedule A of the Number Portability Regulations of 2018.

Additionally, the Authority resolved to amend the Numbering Plan Regulations of 2016, by inserting a provision that mandates licensees to collect subscribers’ biometric data during activation of services.

These regulatory measures are intended to empower and protect the public when activating/porting their numbers and/or services with the telecommunications service providers. Nevertheless, the biometric data collection provision was deferred by the Authority for further consultation with stakeholders on the technical and functional specifications associated with the implementation of the biometric provisions.

The Authority has been consulting with the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (“DOJ & CD”) on the review of Chapter 7 of RICA which places an obligation on telecommunications service providers, who are licenced by the Authority to register all SIM cards by verifying customer information. It also mandates telecommunications service providers to retain customer data, and to respond to lawful interception requests. Further, the Authority is addressing concerns that it does not have access to the RICA database which is managed by the DoJ & CD to monitor compliance.

The Authority is also in consultation with institutions that have successfully implemented the biometric verification system – South African Banking Risk Information Centre, the State Information Technology Agency and the Department of Home Affairs - to seek guidance regarding the development of a functional biometric system.

Furthermore, clarity is being sought from the Information Regulator regarding the application of the Protection of Personal Information Act (Act No. 4 of 2013) (“POPIA”) on the appropriate safeguards to protect personal information of the data subjects. This is to ensure that the Authority’s Numbering Regulations are not in conflict with the provisions of POPIA.

Thank you

Reply:

1. Five members of the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) SOC Ltd board resigned and two have been retained into the current board. The former representative of the Department of Public Service and Administration was recalled by their Minister. Only three board members were dismissed in July 2023. This followed the Cabinet guidance to reprimand them after they had violated the SITA Memorandum of Incorporation and went against the Cabinet resolution that had already considered and approved the salary of the Managing Director.

2. Yes. The salary grade for the CEO upon assumption of duties in April 2023 up to the departure in December 2023 was above maximum Paterson Band F3.

Thank you

Reply:

1. The Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) has spent no public funds in opposing the application seeking the North Gauteng High Court to declare the practice of cadre deployment unconstitutional and unlawful.

The DPSA opposed an application by the Democratic Alliance against the Minister for Public Service and Administration (the Sixth Respondent) in the High Court of South Africa, Gauteng Division, under case No 31418/2022, to declare Chapter IV of the Public Service Act 103 of 1994 to be inconsistent with the Constitution. The costs expended by the DPSA, to date in this regard, is R 450 340-00.

The High Court ordered that the Democratic Alliance pay the costs of the Sixth Respondent in this matter. The order is being appealed by the Democratic Alliance and if the Appeal is dismissed, the DPSA will recover the amounts so taxed.

2. Public funds were not expended by the DPSA to defend the policy of a political party.

The DPSA opposed the application by the Democratic Alliance against the Minister for Public Service and Administration in the High Court of South Africa, Gauteng Division, under case No 31418/2022, which sought to declare Chapter IV of the Public Service Act 103 of 1994 to be inconsistent with the Constitution, on the basis that-

1. the Minister for the Public Service and Administration was cited by the Democratic Alliance as the Sixth Respondent;
2. the Minister is responsible for the administration of the Public Service Act, 1994;
3. the provisions of the Public Service Act were affected by the recourse sought by the Democratic Alliance in declaring the Act unconstitutional; and
4. the DPSA was required to respond and place a case before the Court on the incorrectness of the allegation by the Democratic Alliance with regard to the unconstitutionality of the Public Service Act.

In this regard, the High Court found that there was “no valid constitutional attack” and the case of the Democratic Alliance must therefore be rejected.

End

Reply:

(1) (a), (b), and (c)

1	2	3
Risk Category	(a) Minimum number of pumping units (fire trucks)	(b) Minimum manning levels (firefighters) per fire truck/appliance
A	2	5
B	2	4
C	1	4
D	1	4
E	As determined by individual risk assessment
NOTE: (c) Arrangements for vehicle fires, grass/bush and special services and the need additional specialist vehicles and equipment such as aerial appliances and water carriers are determined by local fire conditions and based upon the municipality’s pre-determined attendance (PDA) for each category of fire.

 

(2) (a) (i) The South African National Standard SANS: 10090: Community Protection against Fires, sets the following compliance requirements in terms of vehicle maintenance:

• • All emergency vehicles should be subjected to regular, documented maintenance carried out by competent persons.
  • When developing a maintenance programme, the vehicle manufacturer’s requirements and recommendations should be included.
  • Safety checks shall form an integral part of all maintenance programmes.
  • In fire departments which handle many incidents per vehicle all emergency vehicles should be serviced at least once every six months or sooner.
  • In addition to routine servicing at least one major service should be carried out on each vehicle annually.
  • At fire station level, emergency vehicles should be subjected to routine daily checks to ensure immediate serviceability for operational use.
  • Defects revealed during routine daily vehicle checks should be remedied immediately where possible.
  • Defects affecting an emergency vehicle’s operational ability should be referred to competent maintenance personnel.
  • Where fire pumps, aerial platforms or aerial ladders form part of an emergency vehicle or its equipment, the necessary maintenance, checks and tests, prescribed by the manufacturer, should be carried out and documented.
  • Unless the manufacturer’s directives require anything to the contrary all fire pumps, aerial platforms and aerial ladders should be checked and tested on initial acceptance, quarterly and on any other occasion should such a check or test be deemed necessary.
  • Additional annual tests and checks should be conducted to assess pump, aerial platform, or aerial ladder performance, where such assessments are not a compulsory part of the quarterly assessments.

(a) (ii) SANS: 10090 sets the following compliance requirements for skills development of staff:

• Fire services should, for the fire extinguishing function and in relation to the risk profile covered, have implemented the following as minimum recommendations:
• personnel selection, appointment and advancement criteria detailing qualifications and experience requirements for all posts;
• suitable provisions, planning and record keeping for initial, continuation, conversion and specialist training for fire-fighters and officers; and
• accurate records for all training attended and conducted by subject and staff members.
• The International Standard NFPA 1201 is applied for training requirements.
• The ability of municipalities to meet the attendance times to fires should be tested during exercises.
• A standard system of training is adopted throughout the fire service, and many municipalities have established Fire Services Training Academies where different municipalities can have their members trained.
• This ensures a greater measure of efficiency when neighbouring brigades collaborate in attacking large fires and when personnel are transferred from one brigade to another.
• All of the above should also be read in conjunction with the Local Government: Municipal Staff Regulations which came into effect on 1 July 2022.
   

(a) (iii) SANS: 10090 sets the following compliance requirements for upgrading of equipment:

• Every fire service should regularly assess its equipment to determine whether such equipment is obsolete or unserviceable.
• Documented annual equipment replacement programmes should be developed to ensure that obsolete and unserviceable equipment is replaced systematically.
• All fire department equipment should be assessed regularly to ensure that the equipment is suitable for the changing and expanding fire-risks in the community and to keep abreast of developments. Where necessary additional equipment should be procured.

(2) (b) who is responsible for ensuring the specified compliance requirements:

• In terms of the Fire Brigade Services Act, (No 99 of 1987) a municipality appoints a person who possesses the prescribed qualifications and experience, as Chief Fire Officer to oversee its Fire Service.
• The Chief Fire Officer is responsible for ensuring the specified compliance of the municipal Fire Services requirements in terms of the SANS: 10090 and related municipal policies in this regard.

(c) When compliance related issues are detected by municipalities themselves, and corrective measures are required to be taken against the delegated officials:

• these are normally managed by Municipal Councils through the Local Government.
• Municipal Staff Regulations which came into effect on 1 July 2022; the various action steps against individual personnel members, if any, to address compliance related matters are based upon the merits of each case. 
• When compliance related issues are detected by either the Province or National Fire Services, during capacity assessments, a written report on the outcomes of the assessment is provided to the relevant Municipal Manager, with key recommendations on how to rectify the relevant compliance related matters;
• the various action steps against individual personnel members, if any, falls within the jurisdiction and competency and jurisdiction of each municipality, and is relative to the merits of each case.

End.

Reply:

a) All nurses whether undergraduate or post graduate students or qualified, are enjoy vicarious liability cover by working in public health establishments. Vicarious liability is a legal principle that holds employers responsible for the wrongful actions of their employees. This implies that when the employee commits a wrongful act whils acting withn the course of and scope of their employment, the employer can be held liable for damages caused by the employee. The nursing staff in training who performs duties for the state are therefore employees and they are not personally liable for any wrongful act committed whilst so employed as part of their training. The deciding factor is whether or not the individual acted in course of and within the scope of their employment.

b) While indemnity cover is not required as a pre-requisite for employment, nurses are advised to take indemnity cover to protect them in the event they are sued in their personal capacity. This can be obtained by way of associations, union and or private.

END.

Reply:

The Ministry was established in March 2023, accordingly we advise that you refer the question to the Departmet of Public Enterprises as the legal manadte holder in this regard.

 

Reply:

1. The funding allocated to SAA was utilised to settle the obligations that arose from the business rescue processes. The settlement of the business rescue obligations is expected to be settled over several years.

2. One of the conditions attached to the funding provided to SAA was that government guarantees available to the airline would be reduced by the equivalent quantum. At present SAA does not have available government guarantees against which they can raise debt or other obligations. However, there is still a government guarantee exposure amounting to R91.5 million related to Unflown Ticket Liabilities and Letters of Credit. The airline is currently engaged in negotiations with lenders to provide a cash deposit in lieu of the guarantee. Once negotiations with lenders have been completed, these guarantees will then be cancelled, and government will therefore no longer have contingent liability exposure related to SAA.

3. SAA has and continues to submit monthly updates to National Treasury (NT) and the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE). Moreover, a Guarantee Monitoring Task Team comprising officials from the NT, DPE as well as SAA management meets monthly to discuss amongst other issues financial performance and forecasts, financial position and other developments. DPE, as convenors and secretariat of the monthly monitoring meeting and shareholder will be best placed to provide the monthly records.

Reply:

	(i) Minister of Finance	(ii) National Treasury	(iii) National Treasury Officials
(a) Sponsorships	None	None	None
(b) Donations
(c) Financial transfers
(aa) Qatari	None	None	None
(bb) Iranian
(cc) Russian organ of state, organisation and/or resident

Reply:

Based on the information at our disposal and in consultation with CWP sites in all provinces:

a) There were no cases of sexual harassment and gender-based violence reported.

b) Not applicable.

End.

Reply:

a) Qualifying South Africans born abroad may apply for Smart IDs in the country, as there is no live capture solution at the embassies.

b) The Department commenced on 5 December 2023 with the pilot project of issuance of Smart ID Cards to naturalised citizens. This process involves the verification of the issued naturalisation certificates. Communication through email, WhatsApp, and letters have been sent to naturalised citizens to visit any DHA office.

END

Reply:

The evidence of the public health entities audit outcomes is contained in their 2022-23 Financial Year Annual Reports which were tabled in Parliament on 23 September 2023.

The following Public Health entities obtained Clean Audits:

a) South African Medical Research Council – refer to page 314 for the Auditor General’s report for the 2022/23 Financial Year

b) Office of Health Standards Compliance – refer to page 77 for the Auditor General’s report for the 2022/23 Financial Year

The following Public Health Entities obtained Unqualified Audits:

c) Council for Medical Schemes – refer to page 106 for the Auditor General’s report for the 2022/23 Financial Year

d) South African Health Products Regulatory Authority – refer to page 121 for the Auditor General’s report for the 2022/23 Financial Year

National Health Laboratory Service – refer to page 165 for the Independent Auditor’s report for the 2022/23 Financial Year

END.

Reply:

(aa) Qatar:

In May 2022, the state of Qatar donated food, equipment and other support for the victims of the April and May floods in the KwaZulu-Natal Province. The donations were facilitated by the Departments of Cooperative Governance and Social Development. On Sunday 29 May 2022, the Province of KZN received the attached consignment as a donation from the State of Qatar. The equipment and goods were facilitated and distributed through designated provincial structures and mechanisms. Therefore, this donation was not presented to the (i) Minister of Cooperative and Traditional Affairs, (ii) the department or (iii) officials of the Department.

(bb) Iran:

Neither the (i) Minister of Cooperative and Traditional Affairs, (ii) the department nor (iii) officials of the Department received (a) sponsorships, (b) donations and (c) financial transfers provided for lawfare and/or any other purposes.

(cc) Russian:

In September 2023, during the BRICS meeting of Ministers responsible for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Minister of Civil Defence, Emergencies and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters (EMERCOM) from the Russian Federation, Mr Aleksandr Kurenkov, presented to the Minister of COGTA, a bouquet of flowers and a vase from ERMERCOM.

End.

Reply:

The National Lotteries Commission has furnished me with the attached response to the question.

-END-

Reply:

Find reply here

Reply:

1. (a) The National Department of Health has received 306 generators.

(b) 34 generators per province. In order to meet the minimum demand for each clinic, it’s going to be two generators per clinic. 6KW x 2 = 12KW. Therefore, it’s going to be 19 clinics earmarked for the generators.

2. (a) The National Department of Health is currently finalising the procurement process. The procurement process covers both the collection and installation of the generators directly to the main electrical distribution board of the clinics.

(b) (i) The details of the Service Providers will be provided after the completion of the procurement process.

(ii) the total cost will also be provided after the completion of the procurement process.

3. The National Department of Health will ensure that there is enough budget allocation for the fuel consumption of generators across the country. Currently, there is no fuel expenditure on these new generators.

4. (a) None installed yet.

(b) 306 to be installed.

END.

Reply:

Find reply here

Reply:

a) For the past five years, the CWP spent as follows:

Financial year	Budget	Expenditure	% Spent
2022/23	4,295,349,000	3,828,768,000	89%
2021/22	4,205,153,000	3,525,647,000	84%
2020/21	4,098,622,000	3,482,391,000	85%
2019/20	3,834,288,000	3,832,114,000	100%
2018/19	3,851,123,000	3,328,642,000	86%

b) From the past five years, the following number participants benefited from the programme:

1. 2023/24 - 255 000
2. 2022/23 - 254 700
3. 2021/22 - 252 018
4. 2020/21 - 259 065
5. 2019/20 - 250 011

c) The amount paid to Implementing Agents in the past five years is as follows:

2023/24 financial year - no advances paid as Implementing Agents (IAs) were not contracted in this financial year.

Contract period: 01 October 2021- 31 March 2023

IA	Advances Paid to IAs	Spent by IAs	Balance
South African Youth Movement	R83,062,750.42	-R83,062,750.42	R0.00
Insika Foundation	R54,164,282.00	-R53,037,310.64	R1,126,971.36
Thembalethu Development	R35,280,520.85	-R35,212,305.99	R68,214.86
Green Development Foundation	R41,396,955.81	-R41,092,516.53	R304,439.28
Seboka Training & Support Network	R14,833,467.93	-R14,833,467.93	R0.00
National Youth Development Agency	R59,313,545.94	-R59,313,545.94	R0.00
TOTAL	R288,051,522.95	-R286,551,897.45	R1,499,625.50

Contract period: 01 April 2018- 30 September 2021

IA	Advances Paid to IAs	Spent by IAs	Balance
Thembalethu Development	R473,211,793.24	-R474,067,031.15	-R855,237.91
Insika Foundation	R531,665,053.09	-R534,935,980.71	-R3,270,927.62
Joubert Park Outreach Project	R316,568,960.26	-R319,980,177.23	-R3,411,216.97
Seboka Training and Network	R253,661,457.61	-R254,973,285.13	-R1,311,827.52
3L Development	R158,656,284.02	-R156,384,027.27	R2,272,256.75
South African Youth Movement	R336,658,079.31	-R333,723,145.64	R2,934,933.67
Beaulah Africa	R164,197,948.80	-R161,169,692.62	R3,028,256.18
NPO Iketsetse	R97,661,360.80	-R89,662,377.24	R7,998,983.56
AIDS Foundation	R63,450,737.92	-R62,224,209.54	R1,226,528.38
Icembe Foundation	R18,797,125.66	-R15,396,762.22	R3,400,363.44
Out the Box	R9,867,722.77	-R8,545,572.57	R1,322,150.20
TOTAL	R2,424,396,523.48	-R2,411,062,261.32	R13,334,262.16

Total Advances Paid to IAs Over the Past 5 Years	Total Spent by IAs Over the Past 5 Years (Incl. Retention Fees Paid)
R2,769,827,247.96	R2,754,993,360.30

End.

Reply:

a) Any future fiscal allocation to the Land Bank will be subjected to the national budget process.

b) The Land Bank is currently in the process of implementing its revised business strategy that will focus on its operating and funding model for long term sustainability. National Treasury will continue to work with the Land Bank to ensure a viable long-term financial sustainable business model is implemented.

Further to this, it is anticipated that the Land Bank default position will be cured during FY2025 which will further assist the long-term financial sustainability of the Land Bank. The Land Bank has concluded partnerships with the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development and Land Reform to enhance its blended finance scheme, which will further assist the Land Bank with its D&T mandate.

R7 billion fiscal funding was made available to the Land Bank during the 2021 National Budget. This amount was allocated on the basis to cure the default position of the Land Bank and to re-establish its development and transformation (D&T) mandate. In addition, the fiscal funding was used to repay government guaranteed debt owed to the Land Bank, thereby reducing Government’s exposure to the Land Bank to R0. Currently, R5.6 billion has already been transferred to the Land Bank, with the remaining R1.4 billion used to settle guaranteed debt.

Reply:

(a) Additional budget of R3.7 billion has been allocated towards compensation of employees in the health sector for the financial year 2024/25 to address the wage bill increase and recruitment of additional staff including nurses and medical doctors.

Provincial Departments of Health had already advertised 823 since December 2023 and have reported projections of 1103 Medical Officer appointments by 1^st April 2024.

(b) The recruitment plan for the department is to appoint the Medical Doctors as Grade 1 Medical Officers on permanent basis.

END.

Reply:

a) Because an international agreement will be binding on South Africa, the country must be able to maintain its international obligations in terms of the Treaty to which it has acceded. In order to accede to the Marrakesh Treaty, it is necessary therefore to finalise amendments to the Copyright Act, Act 98 of 1978. The Copyright Amendment Bill that addresses these matters was passed by the National Assembly recently, for referral to the President for assent.

b) The Constitutional Court found Section 13 of the Copyright Act to be unconstitutional. In its order, the court read into the Copyright Act, 1978 an exception that allows persons who are blind and visually impaired to convert published works into accessible formats without the consent of the copyright holder. The judgment thus offered the blind and visually impaired remedies with immediate effect. This exception is valid for a period of 2 years until 20 September 2024 pending the approval of the Copyright Amendment Bill, to ensure that the rights of the blind and visually impaired are not compromised. Clause 19D of the Copyright Amendment Bill extends to persons with disabilities such as learning disabilities, dyslexia etc and not only for the blind and visually impaired.

-END-

Reply:

(1) NERSA has 176 licensed distributors, 12 of which are private distributors. The 164 municipal distributors submit tariff applications to NERSA annually, prior to the 1 July implementation date. Although some municipalities occasionally submit their applications late, NERSA always follows up with such municipalities in an effort to have the approvals finalised by 1 July.

(2) Subsequent to the tariff approvals, NERSA requests tariff schedules from municipalities and compares them with the approved tariffs to ensure that the correct tariffs are being charged to customers.

Further to this, NERSA conducts compliance audits on the licenced distributors annually. This is done to ensure compliance with NERSA’s licence conditions, which, among others, relates to verifying whether licenced distributors implement NERSA-approved tariffs.

It must be noted that NERSA does not analyse the minutes of the Council meeting to check whether the adopted electricity tariffs are the same as those that have been transferred to the NERSA form for tariff application, as NERSA believes that the submission for tariff applications is made and signed off by the highest officer of the municipality, which represents the decision of the Council.

NERSA, therefore, does not undertake to verify the decision made by the Council. This is also done to avoid the further lengthening of the tariff approval process.

Reply:

There are continuous engagements, at various levels, between the South African Government and the United States Government, as well as with Congress and various other domestic stakeholders. On 26 January 2024, Minister Pandor had a telecon with Secretary of State, Mr Antony Blinken, to discuss South Africa-US bilateral relations, with a specific focus on the state of global affairs, including a reflection on the genocide case between South Africa and Israel that is currently before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at the Hague.

On 21 February 2024, President Ramaphosa engaged a bipartisan and bicameral Congressional delegation in Cape Town on the status and future of the bilateral relationship, as well as geopolitical issues, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict and South Africa’s case at the ICJ involving Israel. The President used the opportunity to reinforce the importance of the bilateral relationship with the US, including in the areas of trade, investment, and health cooperation. The President further explained South Africa’s non-aligned position as a catalyst for peace and conflict-resolution and provided a briefing on the foundational values that inform South Africa’s foreign policy.

There are also ongoing engagements at the level of the South African Ambassador in Washington DC with the Administration, Congress, the private sector, and civil society organisations. In all the above engagements, both sides have emphasised the importance of refocussing attention on strengthening the bilateral relationship for mutual benefit and the need for respect and open dialogue on areas of divergence and common concern.

Reply:

The Department of Basic Education have a number of ongoing strategies and programmes to curb violence in schools, including the following:

1.    National School Safety Framework
The Department of Basic Education (DBE) and Provincial Education Departments continue to implement the National School Safety Framework (NSSF), which is a guiding framework in addressing all forms of violent incidences in schools including drug abuse. The NSSF empowers schools to identify and manage all safety threats in schools, establish school safety committees comprising of stakeholders such as teachers, police officers, school governing body members and learner representative council members. Furthermore, The NSSF also empowers schools to develop incident reporting mechanisms, establish collaborations with external stakeholders such as the South African Police Service (SAPS), the Department of Social Development and civil society organisations, develop school safety plans and policies to respond to safety challenges of violence in schools for both learners and educators. Through the implementation of the NSSF, access control measures in schools are strengthened and awareness programmes on social ills by partner departments and civil society organisations are implemented in schools.

 By the end of December 2023, The following number of schools were physically trained on the NSSF: 1441 schools were trained in the North West, 3220 schools were trained in KZN, 229 schools were trained in Gauteng, 535 schools were trained in Northern Cape, 508 schools were trained in Mpumalanga, 1483 schools were trained in the Eastern Cape, 151 schools were trained in the Western Cape, 18 schools were trained in the Free State.

 The DBE together with its partner the Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute further developed an NSSF digital training course for school communities, to enable access to the training anywhere in the country. The course has been accredited by the South African Council of Educators. As a result, educators will receive 15 Professional Development Points (PDP) for successfully completing the course. The DBE released a circular in September 2022, compelling all school based personnel and school safety committees to complete the digital training by 31 March 2023. To date, over 130 000 people have completed the course. 

2.    Partnership Protocol between the Department of Basic Education and the South African Police Service 
The Department also has an established Protocol with SAPS to address crime and violence in schools. The Protocol has enabled all schools to be linked to their local police stations, SAPS to conduct searches and seizures in schools and conduct crime awareness campaigns in schools. Regularly, schools work with SAPS and local community police forums and social workers to address violent incidents such as gangsterism, bullying, drug abuse and the carrying of dangerous weapons in schools. Searches and seizures of illegal drugs and dangerous weapons are also done in schools. However, these searches and seizures are only done if there is reasonable suspicion of violence in the school. 

3.    District Monitoring of School Safety Programmes
The Department further conducts annual monitoring of districts on the implementation of school safety programmes including the NSSF, the DBE and SAPS Protocol and the Prevention and Management of Bullying in Schools. In the monitoring sessions, the Department always encourages districts to conduct physical monitoring in schools, in order to determine if schools are implementing the above-mentioned school safety programmes and provide the necessary support. In the financial year of 2023-24: the Department has monitored 25 districts across nine provinces on all school safety programmes including bullying prevention in schools.

4.    Protocol to deal with Incidents of Corporal Punishment  
The Department developed and published a Protocol to Deal with Incidences of Corporal Punishment in schools to highlight the abolishment of corporal punishment in schools and to provide provinces, districts and schools with guidance on how to deal with issues of corporal punishment should such cases arise. The protocol foregrounds the following:
•   The steps to be taken by provincial, district, circuit and school SMT in reporting the incidents of corporal punishment in schools.
•   The complaints procedures are outlined and the measures to be taken at every level of the system are explicit and include the labour relations processes in response to perpetrators of corporal punishment as well as sexual abuse and harassment.
•   In line with the NSSF, the Protocol further supports schools in ensuring safe and supportive learning environments that use protective behaviour, positive discipline, restorative justice and positive behaviour intervention support systems.

The Protocol has been printed and distributed to provinces, districts and schools across the country. In complementing the Protocol, some Provincial Educational Department have trained schools on Alternatives to Corporal Punishment in schools. 

5.    Inter-Departmental Campaign on the prevention of Violence, Bullying, Corporal Punishment, Gender-Based Violence, Learner Pregnancy, Drugs and Substance Abuse
The Department and its partner Departments: Social Development, Health, Justice and Constitutional Development, Correctional Services, the South African Police Service, Home Affairs, The Presidency and the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies have also embarked on an Inter-Departmental Campaign on Violence Prevention. This Campaign raises awareness on issues such as the prevention of bullying, corporal punishment, gender-based violence, learner pregnancy and drugs and substance abuse in schools. The Campaign has been championed by the Deputy Minister of Basic Education and is supported by other Deputy Ministers from the partner Departments. The Campaign has been targeting districts with high levels of crime and violence known as hot spots. The Campaign mobilizes school communities (educators, learners, School Governing Bodies, ward councillors, parents and civil society organisations) to fight crime and violence in schools, collectively. In addition, the Campaign further includes build up events that take groups of learners through priority content areas related to violence prevention; including prevention of bullying, corporal punishment, gender-based violence, drugs and substance abuse.

To date, the Campaign has been rolled out in six provinces: Gauteng (Gauteng West District), Limpopo (Sekhukhune East District), Mpumalanga (Nkangala District), North-West (Dr Kenneth Kaunda District), Eastern Cape (Nelson Mandela) and Kwa Zulu-Natal (Pinetown District). The Department further plans to roll out the Campaign in other provinces in new financial year. The community activations include aawareness raising of the steps to take as illustrated in the Protocol for the Management and Reporting of Sexual Abuse and Harassment in Schools.

Moreover, provincial education departments in partnership with partner departments and various civil society organisations regularly conduct awareness campaigns on social ills negatively impacting schools through school assembly talks, dialogues and debates.  

6.    School Codes of Conducts 
The Department requires all schools to develop learner codes of conduct in consultation with the school governing bodies and learner representative councils. The codes of conducts stipulate the rules of learner behaviour in schools and the disciplinary procedures to be undertaken after incidents of contravention are reported, and sanctions which will be undertaken against the perpetrators who are found guilty. This gives learners a sense of ownership over their school environment, and the safety of themselves and their fellow learners at school. 

7.    The National Strategy for the Prevention and Management of Alcohol and Drug Use Amongst Learners in Schools. 
The DBE and Provincial Education Departments continue to implement the National Strategy for the Prevention and Management of Alcohol and Drug Use Amongst Learners in Schools which aims to create an enabling environment for those learners who have become addicted to alcohol and drugs to access treatment, care and support services. Through the strategy, schools are empowered to conduct drug testing, and manage learners who have tested positive accordingly. By the end of 2023; the North-West has trained 1332 schools on drug testing, while the Western Cape trained 46 schools on drug testing. Creating drug-free school environments is a key component to providing learners with a safe learning environment free of violence. 

8.    The Prevention and Management of Bullying in schools

The Provincial Education Departments have continued to train schools on the Prevention and Management of Bullying in schools. The schools have been empowered to identify various forms of bullying, identify perpetrators and victims of bullying, develop reporting mechanisms of bullying in schools and develop anti-bullying policies which are aligned to code of conducts. By the end of 2023, at least 1441 schools were trained in the North-West.  

9.    Life Orientation Curriculum
The  Department continues to implement  the Life Skills and Life Orientation curriculum in classrooms, which is the main lever for preventing violence in schools amongst learners. The DBE implements this Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement annually and it covers the following violence related topics: bullying, drugs and substance abuse, gender-based violence and teenage pregnancy prevention.

10.    Online Safety and Cyberbullying Programme 
The Department of Basic Education partnered with the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DC&DT) and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education and conducted awareness sessions on cyber-safety and cyberbullying in schools. The awareness sessions took place in Harry Gwala District on 23-24 November 2023 in the following schools: 

a)    Ebuta Junior Secondary School
b)    Umzimkuku Junior Secondary School
c)    DRC Junior Secondary School
d)    Stranger’s Rest Junior Secondary School
 

A total of 132 learners were reached throughout the awareness sessions. The Department will continue to work with DC&DT and other partners including Google, Films and Publications Board, Media Monitoring Africa and Meta in implementing an effective programme on online safety and cyberbullying in schools across the country.

11.    Protocol For the Management and Reporting of Sexual Abuse and Harassment in schools. 
The Department developed a Protocol for the Management and Reporting of Sexual Abuse and Harassment in schools which provides schools, districts and provinces with standard operating procedures/guidelines when addressing allegations of sexual abuse and harassment, and to specifically detail how schools must respond to reports of sexual abuse and harassment perpetrated against learners & school staff. It serves to ensure a safe, caring and enabling environment for learning and teaching, both inside and outside of the classroom. 

This protocol sets out an approach that enables educators and employees of the Department of Basic Education (DBE) to identify, intervene, report and provide support to all learners who are sexually abused or harassed in school, whilst providing an appropriate response to perpetrators of all forms of sexual abuse and harassment. It has been printed and distributed to provinces. 

Reply:

1. a) The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DOJ&CD) and the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) was not allocated emergency generators received from China.

b) Not applicable.

2. a) Not applicable

b) i) Not applicable

ii) Not applicable

3. Not applicable.

4. a) Not applicable

b) Not applicable.

Reply:

1. Subsequent to the tariff approvals, NERSA requests tariff schedules from municipalities and compares them with the approved tariffs to ensure that the correct tariffs are being charged to customers. Further to this, when municipal compliance audits are conducted, NERSA checks the approved tariffs against the implemented tariffs to ensure that there are no discrepancies. It must, however, be noted that municipalities charge surcharges in addition to the NERSA-approved tariffs. Such surcharges fall outside of NERSA’s regulatory mandate.

Reply:

It is not possible at this stage to provide conclusive details regarding the total Rand amount contributed by the Department in the litigation before the ICJ as it is an ongoing matter and all invoices have not yet been received. Notwithstanding, the Department has contributed to costs related to the following:

• Legal fees of Counsel;
• Transport (as per departmental policies);
• Accommodation (as per departmental policies);
• Foreign subsistence and travel allowances (as per departmental policies).

Reply:

The allocated budget of R848 billion for the Health sector is inclusive of the following obligations:

• Payment of current employees and the impact of wage bill agreement
• Provision of the health services in all facilities
• Medical equipment
• Maintenance and construction of new facilities

Included in the above budget is an additional budget of R3.7 billion has been allocated towards compensation of employees in the sector for the financial year 2024/25 to address the wage bill increase and recruitment of additional staff including nurses and medical doctors.

The department has been in constant communication with the representatives of and individual unemployed doctors since beginning of the year. Whilst interacting with the different lists submitted and comparing them with the Persal system, the following conclusion was deduced:

• 417 duplications from grand total of 1415
• 13 applicants still to complete their Community Service
• 2 registered as Internship
• 6 interested in Specialist Posts
• 860 completed Community Service in December 2023

a) Provincial Departments of Health have already advertised 823 since December 2023 and have reported projections of 1103 Medical Officer appointments by 1^st April 2024.

b) Consolidation of funded posts for Nurses will be confirmed by the 15^th March 2024.

END.

Reply:

(aa) QATAR

a) Sponsorships

No sponsorships were received by the Minister (i), her department (ii) and officials in her department.

b) Donations

• The Minister (i) did not receive any donation.

• The Department (ii) facilitated the following donations from the Embassy of the State of Qatar to South Africa:

1) On 29 May 2022 the Amir of Qatar donated blankets, pillows, travel beds, mosquito nets, respirators, generators, medical consumables, kids’ sportswear etc to the value of QR471,883 which is approximately R2,4 million for flood victims in Kwazulu-Natal;

2) Donation of seeds, food, blankets, water tanks, gardening equipment, deep freezer and two cows to the Mookgopong Centre;

3) Donation of blankets, and food to the elderly homes in Mamelodi together with the Moses Mabhida Foundation on 15 February 2023;

4) Donation of blankets and soccer balls to the youth at the Kayamandi project in Cape Town;

5) Donation of two vehicles, an ambulance vehicle, medical fridges, medical equipment, microwave ovens, washing machines and laptop computer together with Nelson Mandela Foundation in support of the Qunu Clinic in Eastern Cape Province;

6) Donation of 50 laptops to benefit schools in rural communities of Limpopo and Mpumalanga Provinces;

7) Donation of laptops to the Zinikelene Secondary school in Carolina, in the Mpumalanga Province;

8) Assistance in arranging repatriation flights for South Africans abroad during the Covid -19 pandemic in collaboration with Qatar Airways. Passengers, however, paid for their own repatriation tickets.

• There were no donations to any official/s (iii) in the department.

c) Financial Transfers

• There were no financial transfers to the Minister (i), her department and (iii) officials of her department.

(bb) IRAN

a) Sponsorships

(1) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran provided sponsorship for two officials from DIRCO to represent South Africa at the “Iran – BRICS Conference: Prospects for Partnership and Cooperation” on 08 August 2023, in Tehran, Iran. The sponsorship consisted of accommodation for the two officials, as well as economy class air fare for one official.

(2) The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran sponsored an official from DIRCO to participate in the 37th International Islamic Unity Conference, which was held in Tehran from 1-3 October 2023. The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran provided a round-trip air ticket, as well as transport and accommodation for the duration of the conference.

b) Donations

• No donations were received by the Minister (i), her department (ii) or (iii) officials in her department.

c) Financial transfers

• No financial transfers were made to the Minister (i), her department (ii) and (iii) officials in her department.

(cc) RUSSIA

a) Sponsorships

• No sponsorship was received by the Minister (i), her department (ii) and (iii) officials in her department.

b) Donations

• No donation was received by the Minister (i), her department (ii), and (iii) officials in her department.

c) Financial transfers

• No financial transfers were received by the Minister (i), her department (ii) and (iii) officials in her department.

Reply:

a) The Department of Basic Education developed the Framework for the teaching and learning of languages (2013) as a means to strengthen all languages so that they can be used as media of instruction particularly for foundational learning. The DBE successfully piloted Mother Tongue-based Bilingual Education (MTBBE) in the Eastern Cape (EC) since 2012, where African languages  (IsiXhosa and Sesotho) were used as languages of teaching, learning and assessment (LoLTA) of Mathematics and Natural Science and Technology from Grades 4 in targeted Quintiles 1 – 3 schools.  The Department is now able to rollout MTBBE in the whole country, as a key finding of the National Rapid Assessment (2023) that the EC model is a reliable prototype.

b) On the 21 February 2024, on International Mother Language Day (IMLD), the Minister of Basic Education announced that in 2025, there will be a rollout in all provinces of the MTBBE strategy for Mathematics and Natural Science and Technology incrementally from Grade 4 in 2025, focusing on the nine previously marginalised official African languages (IsiZulu, IsiXhosa, IsiNdebele, Siswati, Sesotho, Setswana, Sepedi, Tshivenda and Xitsonga), to be used as languages of learning, teaching and assessment beyond Grade 3.  This is the space enjoyed currently by English and Afrikaans.  The rollout of the MTBBE is to ensure that the previously marginalised official African Languages enjoy the parity of esteem of all South African languages as enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa.  The MTBBE plan is being shared and presented to all the relevant stakeholders, it will be shared with Cabinet as well.

Reply:

a) The total costs that have been incurred since its opening in 2014 to transport patients to Pelonomi Hospital in Bloemfontein for operations is estimated at R 58 152 804. This is calculated based on Uniform Patient Fee Schedule (UPFS) rates applicable for externally funded patients for 5514 cases (High risk patients including 1521 maternity patient transfers that were to be operated at Senorita Nhlabathi District Hospital) at a cost of R 9 484 763, 65 transported since 2014 to 2024.

b) Senorita Hospital is based in the rural area, classified as a small district hospital and offers a comprehensive district hospital package of services. Due to challenges associated with the rural nature of the District where the hospital is placed, the district hospital experience difficulties in attracting and retaining medical professionals thus affecting consistency of conducting operations at Senorita District hospital. See table below comparing the cost of transferring patients from Senorita District hospital to Pelonomi Hospital.

The department remains committed to improving the health of the population being served by the hospital. More than consideration of the costs the Department is concerned about saving the lives of the users. According to the referral pathway the hospital should refer high risk patients to Dihlabeng Regional Hospital which is 200 km but due to longer distance and very poor condition of the road, the hospital refer their high risk patients and maternity cases to Pelonomi Tertiary Hospital which is closer by 130 km away. Additionally contingency measures put in place are that all the elective operations from Senorita hospital will be conducted by mainly community service medical doctors appointed by Senorita Nhlabathi District hospital on a shift basis at Moroka District Hospital which is 70km away and Botshabelo District hospitals which is 100 km away from Senorita district hospital.

Patients Transferred 2014-2024	Cost of Transport 2014-2024	Job Title	Notch	Cost
X 3993 High risk patients	R48 668 040,35	X 3 medical Doctors	R906 540.00	R3 725 879
		X3 Theatre Nurse(PNB1)	R431 265.00	R1 772 499
X 1521 maternity patients	R9 484 763,65	X2 Professional Nurse (PNA2)	R293 670.00	R804 656
		X 3 Staff Nurse	R199 725.00	R820 870
		X 1 Porter	R147 036.00	R201 439
Total transferred 5514	R58 152 804	X 1 Cleaner	R125 373.00	R171 761
GRAND TOTAL	R58 152 804.00		R7 497 104 p/annum

END.

Reply:

Tracer dye is added to Illuminating Paraffin to enable its detection once it is mixed into diesel. The presence of the tracer dye can only be detected through laboratory testing or specialized mobile equipment. The Department collects fuel samples randomly at service stations to test for the presence of the tracer dye, amongst others.

It is precisely this random testing that led to the detection of adulteration when the presence of the tracer dye was detected at the laboratory.

Reply:

The implementation of National Health Insurance (NHI) as a mechanism towards realizing universal health coverage (UHC) in South Africa is based on a structured, phased approach. A strategic part of the phased implementation includes proactive and ongoing engagements with various healthcare professional associations and groupings directed at providing them with clear information on the intentions of the policy and how the envisaged reforms are intended to contribute to overall health system sustainability.

The National Department of Health has undertaken study tours, including engaging with multilateral and bilateral partners, on the path that other countries, such as the United Kingdom, Thailand, Taiwan, and Canada, have taken towards implementing UHC reforms. Even in these countries there was anxiety among healthcare professionals concerned with changes around reimbursement mechanisms (i.e., changes from fee for service to capitation systems). To address such anxieties, it is specifically the reason why the Department is deliberately adopting a phased approach to the roll-out of NHI, as well as continuing to actively engage healthcare professionals through various channels and engagement platforms to provide all concerned stakeholders, not just healthcare professionals, with key information on the elements outlined in the NHI Bill and why they are important.

Emphasis is towards adopting a co-creation approach between the Department and stakeholders, including healthcare professionals. It is through this approach that the Department intends to address the perceived medical and specialist skills drain in the healthcare sector associated with the planned implementation of NHI.

END.

Reply:

1. Over the 2024 MTEF the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture will receive a total allocation of R18.3 billion of which R2.9 billion is allocated to recreation development and sport promotion; R1.2 billion for infrastructure programmes; R3.9 billion is allocated to cultural and creative industries; R4.2 billion for community library services and R4.2 billion for heritage promotion and preservation. Further detailed budget information can be obtained from the 2024 Estimates of National Expenditure, Vote 37: Sport, Arts and Culture.

2. The distribution of the budget is the responsibility of the Accounting Officer of the department as per PFMA section 38(2) which states that ‘the Accounting Officer is responsible for the effective, efficient, economical and transparent use of the resources of the department’. Therefore, the question on why the same organisations are repeatedly funded should be directed to the Accounting Officer of the department of Sport, Arts and Culture.