Questions and Replies

Reply:

1. There have not been any bilateral engagements between the President, Deputy President, the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation and officials in the department with their Ugandan counterparts regarding the anti-homosexuality bill signed into law by the President of Uganda, Mr Yoweri Museveni, in May 2023.

2. South Africa is guided by its Constitutional principles which seeks to amongst others, promote and respect human rights of all people including members of the LGBTQIA community. South Africa is monitoring developments in Uganda and will raise its concerns with the Ugandan authorities through diplomatic channels.

Reply:

Regulation 89(1) of the Public Service Regulations, 2016 provides that the Minister for the Public Service and Administration shall, in terms of section 3(5) of the Public Service Act, 1994, annually make determinations regarding the cost-to-employer packages applicable to members of the SMS. Such determinations shall be implemented with effect from 1 April of each year. The determination by the MPSA provides for four salary levels, i.e., salary level 13 (Directors) to 16 (Director-General). These salary levels (scales) are uniformly applied for all employees, irrespective of gender and/or race, etc. Therefore, the basis for the application of these requirements is meeting the minimum requirements for appointment into the Public Service in line with the Regulations and relevant determinations/directives.

Sub-Regulation 44(1) of the Public Service Regulations states that an “Executive Authority may set the salary of an employee above the minimum notch of the salary level indicated by the job weight…..”. In this regard, all appointments are remunerated at the minimum notch of the applicable level, unless the appointed employee meets all the requirements in terms of Regulation 44 of the Public Service Regulations.

End

Reply:

The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) has two interventions that directly support production at a subsistence or household level, i.e. Ilima/Letsema and the Presidential Economic Stimulus (PES).

• Ilima/Letsema programme is aimed at supporting rural communities and vulnerable households to produce their own food and rehabilitate irrigation schemes. Since its inception in 2008, the Ilima/Letsema programme has supported 1 572 952 (one million five hundred and seventy two thousand nine hundred and fifty two) beneficiaries to produce their own food. The support includes starter packs for household, schools and community gardens, mechanization support as well as production inputs.

a) KwaZulu-Natal: 2022/23 financial year: the programme has supported 4 560 beneficiaries with production inputs; 1 104 were vegetable producers, 815 maize producers, 1 300 dry beans producers, 256 goat producers and 650 red meat producers.

b) Limpopo: 2022/23 financial year: 7 960 subsistence farmers were supported through Ilima/Letsema for production of vegetables and subtropical fruits.

c) Eastern Cape: 2022/23 financial year: 22 645 households have been supported for maize and vegetable production.

• In terms of the Presidential Employment Stimulus (PES) support, the Department has exposed over 146 000 subsistence producers to technology as part of supporting these producers with agricultural inputs. All these applicants submitted support applications via a paperless platform and used the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD), for the first time in the country.
• The Department continues to supply agricultural inputs to subsistence producers through the Presidential Employment Stimulus (PES). Currently a total of 36 895 subsistence producers are receiving support with crops and livestock inputs.
• The lead commodities are fruits and vegetables at 42% support, 33.4 % livestock, 17% poultry and 6.9% grains. It is encouraging to observe that subsistence producers, even in the most remote and rural areas of the country, continue to utilise technology in all the PES processes.

Reply:

(i) The total costs incurred by the Department in relation to the Parliamentary study tour to Europe was Euro 4290.90 with the following breakdown:

• Air Transport: 1287.00
• Hotel Accommodation: 1563.45
• Daily Allowance: 604.75
• Ground Transport: 835.70

(ii) The Department did not make any financial contribution to the African Peace Mission to Ukraine.

Reply:

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) and entities reporting to department have not made any contribution towards the establishment of the Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Leadership School in Tanzania and have not sent any visitors and/or participants to the school.

Reply:

a) The integrity assessment will be implemented from April 2024, starting with Senior Managers.

b) The piloting of integrity assessments is planned between October and December 2023.

c) The outcome of the specified integrity assessments will be made known once the pilot is completed.

End

Reply:

a) The total number of government officials who voluntarily retired from the Public Service between 1 April 2019 and 30 April 2023 is 74 642.

A breakdown of those who retired before reaching the statutory retirement age of 65, i.e. from 60 to 64 is 47 722 from the Provincial Departments and 9 110 from National Departments.

b) The total number of retirees from the age of 65 and above is 17 810. Out of the total number in this category, 15 515 were from Provincial Departments and 2 295 were from National Departments.

End

Reply:

a) No funds were spent by the Department. The gala dinner event was funded entirely by sponsor contributions.

b) (i),(ii) Falls away.

Reply:

The Department of International Relations and Cooperations is currently not able to provide a definitive answer regarding the total costs for the hosting of the BRICS Summit as invoices are still outstanding from the appointed suppliers. Once all invoices have been received and paid, will the department be able to provide the requested information.

Reply:

According to Mpumalanga Department of Health patients were never turned away. H A Grove Hospital is one of the two district hospitals servicing patients from Emakhazeni sub-district in Nkangala district, as direct patients or referrals from the local clinics both as emergencies and outpatients. The outpatient department has a booking system to avoid long queues and long waiting times. Patients are booked according to the different outpatient clinics.

END.

Reply:

(a) The total number of cases of irregular expenditure by public servants which the departments reported to the Public Service Commission from 1 January 2023 is 247.

(b) From 01 January 2023 to 31 August 2023, the Public Service has appointed 524 females to positions within its Senior Management Service, as verified by data from PERSAL. This is against a total number of 1174 appointments, representing 44.6% of total appointments. Women now currently make up 44.6% of all SMS. The Department of Public Service and Administration is working directly with Heads of Corporate Services across the public service to provide the necessary technical support to ensure gender parity at the SMS level and across the whole public service.

End

Reply:

Since 2004, following the closure of the Agriculture Credit Board (ACB), the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development developed the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme (CASP) to ensure that the class of post-1994 farmers received the support that will enable their growth within the agricultural sector, since structures that existed pre-1994 had been privatised and the support that was available for small scale farmers were not within reach by these new class of farmers and beneficiaries of land reform. The CASP became a platform through which farmers, particularly previously disadvantaged farmers, could get access to the following:

• training and capacity building;
• production inputs;
• on-and-off- farm infrastructure support;
• mentorship and business development;
• market access support; and
• extension support and advisory services.

For the CASP pillar on training and mentorship, a total of 79005 small holder farmers were trained in various skills programmes across the nine provinces. An additional 3 275 farmers were provided with mentorship.

A number of further support programmes were later introduced to support rural farmers and communities to harness opportunities and grow within the agricultural sector, including the following:

• Ilima/Letsema programme aimed at supporting rural communities and vulnerable households to produce their own food and rehabilitate irrigation schemes.
• Land Care programme which is aimed at protecting the land, minimizing degradation and teaching communities to care for the land.
• Recapitalization and Development Programme – which aimed at accelerating productive land reform farms by stimulating production and maintaining the infrastructure on these farms.
• Land Development Support aimed at commercialising land reform farms.
• Presidential Employment Stimulus support: The Department has exposed over 146 000 subsistence producers to technology as part of supporting these producers with agricultural inputs. All these applicants submitted support applications via a paperless platform and used the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD), for the first time in the country.

The Department continues to supply agricultural inputs to Subsistence Producers through the Presidential Employment Stimulus (PES). Currently a total of 36 895 subsistence producers are receiving input support in respect of crops and livestock. The lead commodities are fruits and vegetables at 42% support; 33.4% livestock, 17% poultry and 6.9% grains. It is encouraging to observe that subsistence producers, even in the most remote and rural areas of the country, continue to utilise technology in these PES processes.

Reply:

(a) The Minister for the Public Service and Administration (MPSA) issued a Directive on Compulsory Capacity Development, Mandatory Training Days, and Minimum Entry Requirements specifically for Senior Management Service (SMS). The Directive prescribes the minimum qualification requirements and experience for entry into SMS level post with effect from 01 April 2016.

The Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA), can only provide qualification data solely for SMS members in compliance with this Directive.

The total number of public servants with qualifications not specified on PERSAL as of 14 September 2023 is 1801. Departments were guided to complete the qualification information on PERSAL, and this process is ongoing.

(b) The purview for determining qualification requirements, for instance, current positions occupied, rests with the individual Executive Authorities for roles outside the SMS classification, such as those under Occupation Specific Dispensation (OSD) and different coordinated positions. As guided by the DPSA, these standards align with Regulation 64(1) of the Public Service Regulations, 2016, which stipulates that Executive Authorities must identify and document comprehensive employment criteria based on essential objectives, core functions, and inherent job prerequisites.

End

Reply:

a) The management of employee discipline regarding the abuse of sick leave within the public service is decentralized, as per section 7(3)(b) of the Public Service Act 1994. In the decentralized human resources model applicable in the public service, individual departments are responsible for maintaining discipline and managing such cases. Therefore, specific statistics related to employees disciplined for abusing sick leave can be obtained from respective departments.

b) The Minister for the Public Service and Administration (MPSA) plays a critical role in establishing norms and standards, as mandated by section 3(1)(c) of the Public Service Act. To implement these norms and standards, the MPSA issues regulations, determinations, and directives, which guide various aspects of public service operations. Concerning leave management, the MPSA has provided guidelines through Regulations (regulation 48), the Determination and Directive on Leave of Absence in the Public Service, as well as the Policy and Procedure on Incapacity Leave and Ill-health Retirement.

Within the decentralized HR model, the responsibility to prevent the abuse of sick leave rests with the heads of individual departments, as outlined in Regulation 48(c) of the Public Service Regulations, 2016. They are expected to ensure that employees adhere to the norms and standards established by the MPSA regarding sick leave usage.

Furthermore, the MPSA has instituted the Employee Health and Wellness Framework, which enables the development of strategies, mechanisms, and interventions by government departments, components, and provincial administrations. These initiatives aim, among others, to implement Health and Productivity Management and Wellness Management within the Public Service, addressing issues that could lead to sick leave abuse.

To ensure compliance with the established norms and standards, the MPSA has also created the Office of Standards and Compliance (OSC). One of the focus areas of the OSC is the management of leave in the public service. The OSC is tasked with setting standards and monitoring compliance to MPSA guidelines, including those related to leave management. This focus on leave management by the OSC ensures that departments will be held accountable for their compliance with MPSA norms and standards in this regard.

End

Reply:

No, the department has not issued an instruction to any municipalities to award municipal officials danger pay for their efforts during COVID19.

End.

Reply:

1. Yes, a) BRICS member countries have a common understanding on what the process for a potential candidate should be as well as the standards and criteria for the inclusion of a new member. b) BRICS member countries have reached consensus on the guiding principles, standards, criteria, and procedures of the BRICS expansion process which are outlined in the agreed upon BRICS Expansion document.

2. The decision to invite the six new members was a consensus driven decision and that prospective members were considered on the basis of regional strategic influence, the support for multilateralism including its reform and the commitment to sustainable development.

South Africa and Iran enjoy an historical and fraternal relationship, with both countries interacting regularly, notably through the Joint Commission of Cooperation (JCC), with the 15th session of the JCC being held on 10 August 2023. This is the longest running and one of the most active structured bilateral mechanism South Africa has with any country in the Middle East Region. Through our bilateral relations and our cooperation in other multilateral fora, South Africa have continuously engaged Iran on a number of political and economic areas of cooperation, including human rights issues. For instance, South Africa as a member of the Human Rights Council, looks forward to making use of the Human Rights Dialogue Forum, to increase its bilateral cooperation on human rights issues, including constructive and meaningful dialogue, for mutual benefit with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The inclusion of Iran as a new member of BRICS will provide a new platform to further enhance these engagements in the BRICS Spirit of mutual respect and understanding

Reply:

Following the allegations made by US Ambassador Reuben Brigety, he was dèmarched by the department. During the meeting between the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation and Ambassador Brigety, South Africa expressed deep disappointment and displeasure at the manner in which the allegations were made, especially since there are prescribed diplomatic protocols which should have been used to convey any grievance/concerns of the US Government in relation to the Lady R vessel.

In the wake of the release of the outcomes of the Investigation Panel into the Lady R, the Department will, after thorough consultation, decide on a course of action in respect of the US Ambassador, should this be deemed necessary, taking into account the overall impact on our bilateral relations with the US and the foreign policy interests of the country.

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1. No recommendation was made to move the Summit to China. Instead, there was a focus on options that would maintain South Africa as the host of the Summit (being the Chair of BRICS in 2023) inside the borders of the country, whether in hybrid, or in-person format, to fully capitalise on the historic opportunity provided by the BRICS bloc expansion and the geo-political environment.

2. The total costs incurred for the hosting of the BRICS Foreign Ministers was ZAR 9, 848 909.51.    

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1. No, the Department of Cooperative Governance (DCOG) did not undertake any assessment of the cost incurred by local municipalities for electrical and water infrastructure damage as a direct impact of loadshedding. However, the South African Association of Local Government (SALGA) undertook an assessment of all municipalities in March 2023 to quantify municipal expenditure and revenue losses as a result of loadshedding. SALGA presented the preparatory work and survey instrument for this assessment to the Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) MINMEC meeting of 3 March 2023. According to SALGA, all 257 municipalities in the country were contacted to participate in this assessment. However, only 89 municipalities across the country responded with 75 of them being Water Service Authorities (WSAs) and 79 being licensed municipal distributors. The assessment, or study by SALGA, made several findings including the following:

• The frequency and intensity of cable theft and vandalism of infrastructure during loadshedding is so high that 12% of the surveyed municipalities recorded over 100 incidents per day per loadshedding period.
• The overall cost for fixing damaged and stolen municipal infrastructure and equipment during loadshedding amounts to R1.6 billion (R1 602 300 000) over the 89 municipalities for 2022/23 financial year.
• The cost to fix damaged Waste-Water Treatment Works (WWTW), Water Treatment Works (WTW), and to procure back-up generators and diesel across the 89 municipalities was R1 406 445 056.
• The total loss of revenue due to unserved energy from municipalities was in excess of R21 billion per annum for all municipal licensed distributors.
• Municipalities were incurring R1 107 583 200 per annum on staff overtime and contractors due to repairing electrical infrastructure in addition to the normal cost budgeted for the overtime and service providers.

2. (a) There are several reasons for the failure of municipalities to protect their assets as required by the applicable legislation in this regard which include the following:

• Governance, institutional and financial challenges as they all contribute to service delivery challenges.
• During loadshedding theft and vandalism of infrastructure increases as the loadshedding times are known to everyone including the would-be vandals and thieves.
• Lack of sufficient technical capacity to develop and implement operations and maintenance plans that include protection of these assets.
• Insufficient budget to implement the required measures as well as to ensure additional security during loadshedding periods.
• As a result of loadshedding middle- and high-income households, commercial and industrial customers are leaving the municipal grid and installing embedded generators, own generation resulting in municipalities losing revenues.

(b) DCOG has assisted municipalities in this regard in several ways including the following:

• DCOG led the development of Municipal Support Intervention Plans aimed address governance, institutional, financial and service delivery challenges following the development of the State of Local Government (SoLG) Report in 2021 that identified dysfunctional municipalities.
• DCOG, through the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent (MISA) has deployed built environment professionals to provide technical support to municipalities for infrastructure development throughout the project life cycle including protecting these assets during load shedding. To-date MISA has deployed 103 built environment professionals countrywide (86 of which are professionally registered with Statutory bodies as engineers and town planners).
• MISA technical support personnel are further supporting municipalities to implement the Energy Efficiency Demand Side Management (EEDSM) measures through funding administered by the Department of Minerals and Energy (DMRE).
• DCOG introduced reforms to the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) that include up to 5% of the allocation being allowed to fund activities related to the development of an Infrastructure Asset Management Plan.
• Through the MIG grant municipalities can implement solar high mast lights which improve security during load shedding with the support of MISA technical support personnel.

End.

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With the conclusion of the National Dialogue on Coalition Governments hosted by the Office of the Deputy President on 04 and 05 August 2023 at the University of the Western Cape, the Department of Cooperative Governance will now commence with its consultative processes on the proposed draft amendments to the Municipal Structures Act.

We will endeavour to have this in place before the commencement of our next term of local government in 2026.

Some of the aspects to be addressed in the legislation relate to (i) encouraging amendments to the section 12 Notices to change from Mayoral Executive System to a Collective Executive System to create an environment of “political inclusivity”, (ii) professionalising the administration, (iii) limitation on motions of no confidence through the introduction of a ‘2-year’ cooling-off period to force the focus on the functionality of council and service delivery, (iv) creation and publication of coalition agreements, (v) enabling the party with the highest number of seats to be given first preference to form a coalition with clear timeframes and (vi) enabling the party with the highest number of seats to be given first preference for the appoint of the Mayor (as appointed from the EXCO).

I wish to also acknowledge the ongoing discourse on this subject on various platforms, but also the work done by various stakeholders, and we believe that the knowledge generated from these engagements will lay a good foundation to build on towards the regulatory framework to guide coalition arrangements in municipal councils, including whether or not and how the municipal electoral system may need to change to ensure greater stability.

In the meantime, we urge all political parties to prioritise the needs of our people, to put their differences aside, and ensure that we have councils that are stable, functional and delivering services to all our communities.

End.

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1. During the 2021/2022 cycle, Ambassador Mfeketo was on annual leave for 24 days, (18 October – 12 November 2021 = 20 days, and 28 December – 31 December 2021 = 4 days compulsory leave).

The Ambassador was also on sick leave for 39 days:  06 - 10 March 2023 = 5 days; 11 - 16 April 2023 = 4 days and 17 April – 31 May 2023 = 32 days.

Approval was granted by the Department for the Ambassador to take leave.

2. During the Ambassador’s absence, the Embassy remained open during all official working hours to the public. The Deputy Chief of Mission was appointed as Chargé d’ Affaires to manage the Embassy.

Reply:

a) I am informed by SAT that the Acting Chief Executive Officer, who also occupied another position at South African Tourism, tendered his resignation from the organisation on 5 May 2023. The resignation stated that he would like to leave with immediate effect and for the board to waive the contractual 3-month notice period, if possible.

On 6 May 2023, the Chairperson of the Board responded that the board had accepted the resignation with immediate effect and that he would not be expected to serve out the notice period.

(b) (i) He was paid for the days worked in the month of resignation. The date of the resignation was the last date of service with the organisation as the resignation was with immediate effect.

No other payments were made except for the leave pay-out, which is to be paid as per the statutory requirements of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA).

(ii) Not applicable as the resignation was with immediate effect.

(iii) Not applicable as the resignation was with immediate effect

(c) (i) and (ii) Not applicable as the resignation was with immediate effect and there was no enforcement of notice period.

(d) Delegation falls away during notice period and in this instance as the resignation was with immediate effect.

Reply:

The DDM implementation update reports produced by the department confirms that the DDM is now fully incorporated into the agendas of the various intergovernmental structures and platforms across the government. These reports also indicate that implementation of various One Plan projects are being implemented by the different government partners and stakeholders, which are further demonstrated in the site visits under taken by the Honourable President of the Republic and members of the Executive during Presidential DDM imbizos. For example the Tsomo river abstraction and water treatment plant in the Chris Hani District that will benefit 40 000 households and was constructed at a cost of R215 million and created 1692 jobs during construction and where locally based SMMEs were used. As well as the “Vlakkeland housing project” in the town of Paarl in the Cape Winelands District which is earmarked for mixed use development consisting of subsidy, GAP and social housing as well as social facilities. To date, R248 million has been spent on the completion of 432 houses and the construction of a further 323 units are underway. More than 180 local workers are employed at this site.

End.

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a) Firstly, I would like to state that stipends for participants and salaries for Site Management staff have been paid on time for the past three months i.e. participants payment date being 25th of each month and Site Management Staff being the last day of each month. Queries of non-payment relates to bank account changes and these participants are very few.

b) I am aware of the challenge of inadequate Protective Personal Equipment (PPE) for Participants intended to minimize exposure to hazards that cause serious workplace injuries and illnesses. This challenge is largely as a result of delayed procurement processes by Implementing Agents (IAs) and further exacerbated by the discontinuation of their contract in March 2023.

c) The source of this PPE challenge was an attempt on the part of the department to promote value for money procurement by IAs. The department introduced a requirement that enjoins IAs to submit all intended procurement for approval.

d) The unintended consequence was that this requirement imposed additional strain on an already overstretched Finance unit resulting in delays in the procurement and distribution of PPE.

e) The provision of PPE for Participants is not a nice to have, but a compliance issue that the department must ensure is observed in accordance to the prescripts of the Occupational Health and Safety Act monitored by the Department of Employment and Labour.

f) It is for this reason that Site Audits are currently underway to determine the PPE needs of each Participant with the intention to expedite the procurement process and ensure compliance with the prescripts of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

End.

Reply:

1. The Department of Home Affairs is best placed to respond on the details of the roadmap outlining the targeted milestones and timelines for the comprehensive implementation of e-visas as this is not the mandate of the Department of Tourism.

Reply:

Six out of the eight targets and milestones in the agreed MoA between the department and the Development Bank of Southern Africa as it programme implementation agent in these three pilot sites, were achieved by 30 April 2023, when the MoA was terminated. The one target and milestone not completely achieved, which stood at 85% achieved, relates to the filling of certain identified vacancies within the three DDM technical support hubs due to recruitment delays and the premature termination of the MoA. The other target and milestone not completely achieved, which also stood at 85% achieved, was the convening of scheduled Executive Steering Committee (ESC) and Operations Steering Committee (OSC) meetings on time as planned due to other priority commitments by both parties.

End.

Reply:

The Department is already working with the National Treasury on several local government reforms which include the development or review of municipal regulations, MFMA circulars, grants frameworks etc. which seeks to enhance the capacity in municipalities. There are also established intergovernmental structures i.e. budget forums, MFMA coordinators meetings etc. where the collaborative model is further entrenched.

Sound financial management requires stability within the administration from a governance perspective, therefore, as a response hereto, the Department has rolled out the following programmes to augment what the National Treasury is doing, as part of the collaborative strategy to support municipalities:

• promulgated the municipal staff regulations, which became effective from July 2022. To give effect to the implementation of municipal staff regulations, the Department is in the process of piloting the prototype staff establishment, which deals with review of organogram, which will enable municipalities to have a fit for purpose structure.
• Support to MPACs and other council committees to ensure their functionality;
• The department has also promulgated the Code of Conduct for Councillors Regulations to support the implementation of Schedule 7 in the Municipal Structures Act. This will contribute towards the stability at a council committee but also ensure that there is action in the event where there is instability or unwanted behaviour.
• Development of the Integrated Local Government Capacity Building Strategy which seek to introduce a strategy on how to address the skills deficiencies at municipalities to reduce the reliance on consultants.
• The department is also reviewing its support strategy which includes amongst others, how to better utilize Municipal Systems Improvement Grant (MSIG) to improve internal controls within municipalities and overall governance.
• The Department, through MISA, support municipalities on among others, the placement of civil and electrical engineers to assist with capacity building in the municipal project management unit.
• Data Management (Revenue)- aimed at assisting municipalities to improve accuracy and completeness of billing and address revenue leakages.
• Cost of supply study on water services- aimed at assisting municipalities to determine cost of providing trading services, revenue requirements and tariff design.
• Records management- aimed at assisting municipalities to improve records management, assist with the stabilisation of the administration and promote culture of accountability.

The above, together with support from the National Treasury will go a long way towards assisting municipalities to address the weaknesses identified by the Auditor-General. It is however important that this be looked at within the context of section 154 of the Constitution, meaning that municipalities still ultimately remain responsible and accountable to manage their own affairs. So by implication, the support initiatives is there to support municipalities but their success is highly dependent on the receptiveness thereto by the leadership within the municipality.

End.

Reply:

None of the passengers aboard the chartered aircraft to Warsaw, Poland, on 15 and 16 June 2023 were officials of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO).

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The land use management function in municipalities is regulated in chapter 5 of the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act No. 08 of 2013 (SPLUMA). The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development is the custodian of SPLUMA and therefore responsible for supporting the land use function in municipalities.

However, the Department of Cooperative Governance as the coordinator of the Integrated Urban Development Framework (IUDF) is implementing two key projects which have an impact on the land use management function in municipalities, namely, the development of Capital Expenditure Frameworks (CEFs) in intermediate city municipalities (ICMs), and the implementation of the Small-Town Regeneration (STR) strategy. The Department has to date supported 9 of the 39 ICMs with the development of CEFs.

The Small Towns Regeneration strategy, which entails the development of precinct plans for the towns, is currently being piloted in Piketberg (Bergrevier Local Municipality), Modimolle (Modimolle-Moookgopong Local Municipality), and Senegal (Setsoto Local Municipality).

End.

Reply:

I have been informed by the Department that the details are tabulated below:

I have been informed of the below, tabulated, inputs by SA Tourism

Reply:

The response below was provided by the Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigations (DPCI). Accordingly, I have been advised as follows:

a) A total of 29 cases involving Councillors are being investigated by the DPCI as of 05 September 2023. Details on the status of the 29 cases are provided below:

b) A total of twenty-six (26) Councillors have been charged since 2019. Below are the details:

c) Awaiting response from the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

d) Same as above.

e)   Same as above.

End

Reply:

a) The staff establishment for the private office of members of the executive is done in accordance with the approved 2019 guide for members of the executive in order to provide administrative support to the member in discharging his/her delegated constitutional duties. The operational cost relating to the Minister in the Presidency responsible for Electricity is drawn from the budget of the Presidency.

Reply:

(1) (a) 1 646 966 UI Act claims applications were lodged from the 1st of April 2023 to date; and

(b) 138 337 COVID-19 Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme (TERS) claims applications were lodged from the 1st of April 2023 to date.

(i) 10 644 COVIDTERS claims were allocated to the audit firms and 4 384 were audited so far; and

(ii) 6 260 COVIDTERS claims are still to be audited;

(2) (a) 161 COVID-19 TERS Relief Scheme were processed (from 2020), declined and unpaid due to the following reasons:

2 (b) The applications where previously processed and declined due to various validation reasons. The applicable response errors were communicated (automatically) with employers to rectify the relevant applications so that the system can re-adjudicate (again) so that employees’ benefits can be approved and paid-out. It should be noted that ALL the application within different iterations were processed and currently UIF is re-processing any updated/ corrected employer applications. Out of the total applications received for the period above, the outlined below provides the breakdown of incorrect employer application errors:

• 22 are not paid due to invalid ID numbers;
• 30 are not paid due to unverified foreign nationals
• 45 are not paid due to Employees not declared.

Reply:

a) The intergovernmental One Plans are the implementation tools of the District Development Model, which provides the framework for how service delivery challenges will be responded to by government. One Plans therefore contain budgetary commitments, performance and implementation targets, milestones and timeframes, by all of government that are confirmed and agreed upon at the various intergovernmental structures and platforms that are already in place across the three spheres of government.

b) Intergovernmental commitments made in One Plans are monitored and tracked through the work of the established intergovernmental structures and platforms across the three spheres of government as well as through the DDM Information Management System produced by the Department and individual provinces. These mechanisms are also complimented by the quarterly reports produced by the DDM political champions and the hosting of Presidential DDM imbizos in all provinces and in selected districts, where the Executive engage with citizens on not only service delivery challenges but also progress made in this regard.

End.

Reply:

The participation of Traditional Leaders in municipal council meetings is regulated by section 81 of the Municipal Structures Act, which was amended by the Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Act, 2019 (Act No. 3 of 2019). The amendment came into operation on 1 April 2021. More specifically, Section 81(4) of the Municipal Structures Act, provides that participating traditional leaders may participate in the proceedings of the relevant local, district or metropolitan municipality and may submit motions, make proposals and ask questions. A participating traditional leader may also address the municipal council on any matter directly or indirectly affecting traditional or Khoi-San leadership or the relevant traditional or Khoi-San council or community. More details of the roles of participating leaders in municipal council proceedings are found in section 81(8).

End.

Reply:

The appointment of special advisors is done in terms of section 12A of the Public Service Act, 1994 as amended and is limited to two full-time equivalent positions for each Minister and Premier, unless Cabinet or the relevant Provincial Executive Council approves a higher number up to two additional full-time equivalent for each Minister and Premier because of work requirements.

The National Energy Committee (NECOM) is led by Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa and comprises of more than 100 high-level officials from across government, Eskom, business and social partners. NECOM is overseen at a technical level by the Director-General in the Presidency to advice on the energy crisis, the removal of barriers to new generation capacity and unlocking energy from various sources, including Eskom, Independent power producers, businesses and households.

It is important to distinguish that unlike officials seconded to NECOM for the purpose elucidated above, the special advisors are full-time in the office, advising the Minister in his engagements and discharging his delegated constitutional duties.

(b)

(c) MR. SILAS ZIMU AND JACOBUS DE LA ROUVIERE

Mr. Silus Zimu

Mr. Zimu started his career in the electricity industry when he joined Eskom in 1992 where he worked as an engineer in the generation group. He then joined City Power as a General Manager - Planning and Technology and was thereafter promoted to Vice President, Customer Services. Because of the knowledge and passion he has for Engineering Operations, Silas was then appointed as a Vice President of Operations in December 2003 and served on Executive Management Committee.

Mr Zimu acted in the CEO position from February 2006, until he was appointed as Managing Director of City Power. Mr. Zimu was CEO of Suzlon Wind Energy South Africa (Pty) Ltd between October 2011 and 2015. He also served as a special advisor on Energy to Former President Jacob Zuma between 2015 and 2018.

Mr. Jacobus de la Rouviere

Jacobus de la Rouviere has over two decades experience in the independent power production cosmos and worked closely with the Southern African Power Pool countries like Eswatini and Mozambique. He has been a panellist in numerous energy summits and has published articles related to Eskom debt and possible solutions in resolving its existential challenges.

His key attribute lies in the development of realistic energy security mechanisms and installations that speak to critical evaluation of exit-price which will not burden the South African Economy with premium energy tariffs. Furthermore his strategic interventions have been tailored to resolve base-load underproduction and delivery of projects within the predicted project time.   

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1. Some of the proposed changes relate to (i) encouraging amendments to the section 12 Notices to change from Mayoral Executive System to a Collective Executive System to create an environment of “political inclusivity”, (ii) professionalising the administration, (iii) limitation on motions of no confidence through the introduction of a ‘2-year’ cooling-off period to force the focus on the functionality of council and service delivery, (iv) creation and publication of coalition agreements, (v) enabling the party with the highest number of seats to be given first preference to form a coalition with clear timeframes, (vi) enabling the party with the highest number of seats to be given first preference for the appoint of the Mayor (as appointed from the EXCO) and (vii) the introduction of a 1% threshold that will require parties to receive at least 1% of the votes casted to qualify for a seat on the municipal council.

2. Note that the department did not pre-empt the National Dialogue, in fact, the department was in the process of hosting a similar type of engagement but decided to halt its plans since government through the Deputy President’s office planned to host a session, albeit from a much broader perspective.

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The Department has not been advised of any sports field project where services were procured with no construction taking place in the eDumbe local municipality. A sport field project (Mashekelela Sports Field) was completed in the 2022/2023 FY for a budget of R3 million funded through the Municipal Infrastructure Grant.

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1 Total Number of unprocessed Payments

(a) (i)Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) = 89366

(b) (i)COVID-19 Ters = 215557 (Includes corrections and unqualified)

(ii) Employees still awaiting payment since start of Covid-19 Pandemic-

From first month of Pandemic – Mar/Apr 2020 – 3259 employees were never paid due to incorrect applications.

(2) (a) It should be noted that UIF processed all the applications for all the lockdown periods and the outstanding applications are those that were rejected as the applications failed validations and awaiting corrections from employers. UIF payments have turn around to be finalised within 3 days and this turn-around is always achieved for over 95% of the payments. However, payments with outstanding information leverage delays and a guaranteed date to finalise such payments are difficult to commit.

(b) COVID-19 TERS – Applications that were corrected by employers are currently being processed and paid. This continuous processing is done by UIF to ensure that all the employers and employees receive their due benefits upon corrections from employers. The time-frame of when all these applications will be paid is heavily dependent on employers providing accurate and corrected employees information.

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