Questions and Replies

Reply:

How the National Teaching Awards assist in improving teacher morale:

• It influences educators who participate in district, provincial and national awards in both personal and professional ways;
• Recognition at the NTA is empowering and serves as an affirmation and validation of the hard work in the classroom;
• The NTA establishes through compliments and words of congratulations a sense of respect for teachers;
• Teachers develop positive feelings about the profession and develop a sense of pride in being a teacher or school leaders who are making a difference in the lives of their learners;
• The recognition provided for their hard work in the class and in the school as a whole is appreciated not only by themselves but also by the communities that they serve;
• Participants in the awards develop a sense of honour and pride and believe in themselves as individuals who are making a positive contribution to society;
• They feel honoured, proud and humbled to be recognised;
• Their confidence in the profession is boosted.  They can take more risks and try new things in the classroom and the school as a whole; and
• They are inspired to be a better teacher.  It encourages the educator to continue to strive for excellence.

* How the National Teachers' Day SHERO Awards are also contributing in improving teacher morale;

SHERO Awards serve as an affirmation that working in partnership with the private sector can be beneficial and motivating to both the school and teachers.

• The awards bring positive recognition not only to the winning teachers but also to their schools and communities.
• It enhances the teacher’s credibility with parents and the community.
• It is beneficial for career-pathing when applying for posts at other schools.
• The awards also provide an added opportunity for professional development and sharing good practices with colleagues.
• They develop confidence and are willing to take on the challenge of new leadership roles.
• They are more motivated to try new strategies and methods in the classroom.

* Impact of the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative through the employment of Education Assistants and General School Assistants and how it is assisting in alleviating the work-load of teachers; and

• Provides an income for poor/unemployed households;
• Creating job opportunities for the unemployed youth;
• Providing on-the-job training that will assist in career-pathing; and
• Provides an opportunity to gain experience in pursuing self-sustainable entrepreneurial activities.

*How the DBE is supporting teachers.

• Provides support to teachers via online and face-to-face support in enhancing their skills for the 21st Century (e.g. Coding and Robotics)
• Support in providing conducive conditions of service through engagements at the ELRC
• Collaborating with provinces to support employee health and wellness.
• Addressing the needs of teachers through regular engagements with provinces.
• Closely monitor PEDs to ensure that allocated teacher posts are filled timeously to avoid additional workload for educators. This includes the provisioning of substitutes for posts temporarily vacated and the appointment of temporary educators against vacant promotional posts.
• Ensure that all provinces have Employee Wellness Programmes in place and, in terms of the obligation, report the DBE and unions on their programmes through the Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC).
• Closely monitor PEDs to ensure that they comply with the implementation of the post-provisioning policy to ensure that posts are allocated to schools.

 

Addressing inequality in education

In terms of recruitment and selection, all departments (National and Provincial) are obliged to implement the Employment Equity Act provisions in their selection procedures. The Act promotes equity in the workplace and ensures that all employees including educators receive equal opportunities and that they are treated fairly. The Act also protects educators from unfair discrimination. All departments report on an annual basis on the implementation of the Act to the Department of Labour.

Reply:

Attached, please see response provided for question 2522:

Reply:

The Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) is better placed to respond to this question, as it is the competent authority that regulates emission standards as well as activities which result in atmospheric emissions.

Reply:

The mechanism to ensure efficient and effective spending of allocations exist in law. Disaster relief grants are appropriated on the budgets of Vote 3: Co-operative Governance and Vote 33: Human Settlements. The allocations to provinces and municipalities are conditional grants in terms of the Division of Revenue Act. The Division of Revenue Act sets out the responsibilities of the National Transferring Officer related to planning, implementation and monitoring. In addition, the accounting officers of these departments’ responsibilities are set out in section 38 of the Public Finance Management Act. Amongst others, accounting officers are responsible for ensuring the efficient and effective spending of resources, and must take appropriate and effective steps to prevent unauthorised, irregular and fruitless and wasteful expenditure.

Accounting officers reporting responsibilities are set out in section 40 of the Public Finance Management Act and section 71 of the Municipal Finance Management Act. Section 12 of the Division of Revenue Act sets out the responsibilities of the receiving officer in relation to funds received from national government.

Reply:

The Rural Education Framework aims to:

• Improve access to, and the quality of education in rural schools.
• Address the isolation, disconnectedness, as well as the lack of development often associated with rural communities and schools.
• Provide a basis for the development of context-specific, relevant and sustainable strategies to improve the quality of teaching and learning in rural schools

The Framework moves from the premise that there is no single definition of “rurality”; and therefore, the strategies to address the challenges facing rural education, need to be sensitive and relevant to the different contexts.  In South Africa, rural refers to - 

• Areas that consist of the tribal lands controlled by traditional leaders;
• Settings that are sparsely populated and where agriculture is the major means of economic activity;
• Areas of dense settlement created by colonial and apartheid-driven land settlements; and
• Mining areas in rural contexts, where mining is no longer active.’

With such an all-encompassing definition, the Framework provides a guide for to provinces, districts and schools in their design of programmes and projects aimed at improving the quality of education and livelihoods.  This is in line with the NDP’s call for an inclusive rural economy which requires multi-sectoral cooperation and collaboration among key stakeholders.

The Framework recognises the centrality of teachers in any attempt to improve the quality of education, especially in rural areas.  One of the challenges that the Framework seeks to address, is the difficulty of attracting quality teachers to rural schools.  It recommends the establishment of Edu-Villages, which will serve as hubs for teacher development, but also provide much-needed accommodation for teachers in rural schools.  These villages will also have infrastructure required for modern day living, so that teachers do not have to go to town to access such services (IT facilities, Early Childhood facilities, etc.)

The Framework also recommends broader community mobilisation and participation in educational affairs.  Such participation should extend to parents playing a role in supporting schools in areas, such as the teaching of Arts and Culture, Sports and Reading and Numeracy.  The bringing in of communities into schools for the teaching of these subject areas, will bring to bear the relevance of what is delivered in rural schools, as these will draw on indigenous knowledge systems, and heighten awareness of the rich cultural resources that are available in rural communities for the benefit of children and education.  This will also highlight the possibilities that exist in rural areas to contribute meaningfully to the rural economy, particularly the potential benefits and marketability of skills related to the Arts, Culture and Sports.

Agriculture is a cornerstone of rural economy.  While it contributes 4% to Gross Domestic Product (GDP), its contribution to the South African economic wellbeing, should not be discounted simply because of the sector’s percentile contribution to the GDP.  Agriculture has both backward and forward linkages to the entire economy, including in the sectors of manufacturing, beverages and food.

The Framework recommends expanding the provision of Agricultural education across the system as a way of developing the love for, and developing the skills amongst learners in this area.  Such skills will be beneficial not only to rural economies, but also the national economy.  Agricultural skills are not only limited to farming.  Agricultural Technology, for example, opens the way for the development of goods that are required for beyond Agriculture.  Learners, who study Agriculture Technology, can provide goods and services that are required for everyday living, and can become entrepreneurs in their own right.

Furthermore, the Framework recommends the development of education initiatives that target young people, such as their use as Education Assistants in schools.  This will assist, not only in employment creation, but also ensuring that learners in rural schools are supported, and enjoy the quality of education offered in rural schools

Reply:

a) The department is initiating social dialogue with other spheres of government, labour, business, employers, workers, communities, and historically marginalised people to solicit their views in the design of a plan to protect jobs as we transition.

b) The Integrated Resource Plan (IRP2019) continues to provide a balanced policy mix of coal, renewables, gas, hydro and nuclear as part of our transition from high emitting to low emitting energy sources.

Reply:

Yes, as I communicated to the Honourable Member in my letter dated 2 June 2022, there is no requirement in terms of the Public Finance Management Act 1 of 1999 (PFMA) for the Minister of Finance to grant approval or provide concurrence in respect of the Takatso transaction. In terms of Section 54(2) of the PMFA, the Minister of Finance is only required to note the intention of the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) to dispose the majority of Government’s shareholding of SAA by selling the Government’s stake in South African Airways SOC Ltd (SAA). Section 54(2) of the PFMA only finds application where a public entity concludes any of the transactions mentioned under the section. Section 54(2)(c) would apply in an event whereby SAA was seeking to dispose a significant shareholding in any of its subsidiaries or was seeking to acquire a significant shareholding in another company. The disposal of a majority shareholding in SAA was already approved by Cabinet and no further approval, concurrence or noting is required from the Minister of Finance in terms of the PFMA.

However, following perusal of the document that the DPE shared with the department in relation to some of the terms and conditions entered into between the DPE and the preferred Strategic Equity Partner, NT took the opportunity to make suggestions to the DPE with some of the terms and conditions of the agreement. We continue to engage with the DPE in relation to the disposal of 51% of Government’s shareholding in SAA.

Reply:

(1)(a)(b) Detailed in the table 1 below is the cost for the Legislatures broken into compensation of employees for MPLs as well as other officials, political support and operational costs for the 2022/23 financial year. A cost to the Legislatures in terms of political support amounts to R675 million. In terms of operational costs (goods and services as well as payments for capital assets) an amount of R1.1 billion has been set aside. The total main appropriation for the Legislatures amounts to R4 billion.

(2) The National Treasury does not have this information readily available in its possession, therefore, we recommend that this type of information be requested from Provincial Legislatures and Provincial Treasuries.

 

Reply:

1. In terms of Regulation 1 of the Preferential Procurement Regulations, 2017 (PPRs, 2017), price is defined as including all applicable taxes less all unconditional discounts. Furthermore, Regulations 6(1) and 7(1) of the PPRs, 2017 state that the formula must be used to calculate points out of 80 or 90 for price (as per definition in the PPR) in respect of tenders with a Rand value equal to or above the prescribed threshold, which price should be inclusive of all applicable taxes.

Therefore, the price used for evaluation of tenders is the price inclusive of all applicable taxes as per regulation 6(1) and 7(1). All applicable taxes certainly will include Value Added Tax (VAT), where applicable, and any other taxes as may be imposed through legislation.

Arising from a simple reading of the definition of price and the provisions of regulation 6(1) and 7(1) as stated above, price used for evaluation of tenders must be total price, inclusive of all applicable taxes. Such “all inclusive” price is what makes the evaluation comparative. There is no breakdown required to indicate the types of taxes that each supplier is paying. Everyone has a right to bid and to be awarded a bid if they comply with all applicable laws.

It is important to emphasize that as a procurement principle, organs of state may not interfere with a price submitted by a bidder. This includes adding / subtracting VAT from the price submitted by a bidder.

It should be stressed that mandatory registration for VAT is a legislative requirement once enterprises exceed a particular threshold in sales within a 12-month period. Other enterprises may elect voluntary registration for VAT even if they do not meet the mandatory threshold for registration. Institutions are encouraged to contact the South African Revenue Services for guidance on VAT registration requirements, should they so require.

2. Enterprises that by legislation are not required to register for VAT may not be unfairly penalized or advantaged in the evaluation and award of tenders on the basis of not being registered as VAT vendors. In other words, if an enterprise is not required by law to register as a VAT vendor, and in submitting a bid or price quotation thus does not include VAT in its price, an organ of state may not subsequently add VAT to the price submitted by the bidder. In a similar vein, the organ of state may not remove VAT from the bids of other bidders for evaluation purposes.

3. The onus, therefore, rests on the bidder to consider what the “including all applicable taxes” entails when determining the bid/ quotation price and to factor such information into the price submitted by that bidder in the quotation or tender document.

4. Please see response to questions 1 and 2 and above

Reply:

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) in establishing the state of readiness for the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations has considered the impact of load shedding on the different phases of the examination cycle. Contingency plans have been put in place to address the negative impact of load shedding on critical processes. There has been communication between Eskom and  DBE to prevent load shedding on certain critical days during the conduct of the examinations, that are dependent on electricity. These subjects include Computer Applications Technology (CAT), Information Technology and South African Sign Language (SASL). In addition, the heads of provincial examination units will be liaising with the provincial coordinators of Eskom to manage the load shedding. In addition, during the important processes of marking, mark capture and resulting, the sites at which these will take place, will have generators installed as a back-up option. 

In the unlikely event that load shedding affects the writing of CAT and IT, the Department of Basic Education has a rewrite paper which is scheduled for 07 December 2022. Rewrite for CAT and IT is planned for every examination, given the computer glitches that could cause candidates not to complete their examinations

The security of question papers is not threatened by load shedding in any way. Provincial Education Departments (PEDs) factored this into their plans and all question papers are secure, and printing, packing and distribution will be completed on time.       

Reply:

1. The World Bank loan was disbursed under the South Africa Covid-19 emergency response project. As such the proceeds will only be used to fund South Africa’s vaccine rollout strategy which includes retroactively funding the delivery and distribution plan as of January 2021

2. The terms of the loan were agreed upon before disbursement. The funding rates are concessional based on a 6-month Euribor reference rate plus a 0,47% spread as well as a grace period of 3 years after which the loan will be repaid for 13 years. This is cheaper than any funding the sovereign could achieve in debt capital markets for equivalent tenor loans.

Reply:

1. The National Department of Health adopted the Health Sector Drug Master Plan 2019-2025. Among interventions contained in the Health Sector Drug Master Plan are:

• To develop and implement Medication Assisted treatment, including Opioid Substitution Therapy
• To collaborate with other key departments in informing the public especially young people on dangers of substance abuse including Opioid use
• Fully participate in substance abuse initiatives as a member of the Central Drug Authority emanating from the Prevention of and treatment for Substance abuse Act 2008,(Act No. 70. of 2008) led by the Department of Social development

2. (a) - The department is in the process of developing an implementation plan that will encompass access to Opioid Substitution Therapy at Primary Health Care level

- Education messages are distributed using multimedia platforms to ensure that they reach as many people as possible, including those in low income areas.

(b) (i) Yes

(ii) The Department is not clear what is meant by non- professional approaches. The Strategy promotes use of evidence-based interventions for the recovery from Opioid addiction.

3. (a) The National department of Health collaborates on the Ke Moja campaign (A campaign that attempts to curb substance abuse by school children. English translation is “I’m fine without drugs”) as well as the drug awareness week activities as a member of the Central Drug Authority led by the Department of Social Development as a lead Department on substance abuse.

(b) After care role of the community in substance-abuse recovery is the mandate of the Department of Social Development in line with the Prevention of and treatment for substance abuse Act, 2008, (Act no 70 of 2008).

 

END.

Reply:

1. The introduction of the Medical Internship and Community Service Programme, has ensured a transparent, fair, and equitable process of facilitating the distribution of human resources for health to rural and under serviced areas, thereby improving access to primary health care services.

There are two allocation Cycles each year. Which is, the Annual cycle that allocates a sizeable number of applicants who are eligible by 30th of December to commence duty on 1 January of each year and the Midyear cycle that allocates applicants who could not take up positions in January allowing them to take up posts from July of that year.

The overwhelming demand of medical internship and community service positions since 2017, has put pressure on the public health sector Compensation of Employment (COE) under the stagnant equitable share budget. The matter was further aggravated by general budget cuts in the Public Service. As a result, CoE is negatively affected and Provinces were forced to freeze some of the posts including medical internship and community service posts. This further saw Provinces implementing stringent measures to control filling of positions including key line function posts to avoid over expenditure on CoE.

The growth is outlined in the diagrams below-

Demand growth-

	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021*	2022**
Medical Intern	1500	1598	1595	1899	2369	2594	2625
% Change (Cumulative)***	0%	7%	6%	27%	58%	73%	75%
Medical Comm-Serv	1322	1218	1348	1406	1505	1775	2369
% Change (Cumulative)***	0%	-8%	2%	6%	14%	34%	79%

 

Due to increased demands, the Health Departments had to derive means to accommodate the additional demands, as it is a statutory obligation for South African Citizens and Permanent Residents that are eligible to perform medical internship and community services, prior to registering as independent practitioners.

The Department then created a Human Resources Training Direct Grant (HRTG) to accommodate the shortfall that cannot be covered through the equitable share.

The National Department has established a Ministerial Task Team on safety and security. To date the Ministerial Task Team has developed Security Infrastructure Norms and Standards to ensure a safe and secured work environment in all our public health facilities. Furthermore, we have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the South African Police Services to assist the department in conducting security assessment in all public health facilities.

2. Due to all these challenges as listed above, the Department has taken an informed decision to commission the comprehensive review of the medical internship and community service Policies. The review will amongst others include:

• A review of the impact of Community Service placements on patient care outcomes (as part to the broader service delivery system), especially in rural areas, with limited resources;
• A review of the capability and skills development of the Community Service placements during their placement periods;
• The required pre-Community Service preparation (including curriculum structure and exit competencies across all health professional categories);
• The required support systems and administrative systems for a successful Community Service programme;
• The supply line of all graduates and their exit competencies (within the context of the need for a balanced supply line for all health care providers required as part of a multi-disciplinary health care team); and
• The remuneration scales within the context of human resource policy reform (which includes OSD, rural allowance, etc.) of all health care providers entering the health care system, and the medium-to long-term affordability and sustainability

It is desirable that there be alignment between the Community Service policy review and the Medical Intern programme review, within the context of the broader health service delivery and human resource policy context.

The review should recommend a pragmatic set of options to ensure effective and financially sustainable Medical Internship and Community Service programmes.

END.

Reply:

(1) (a) According to the SAHPRA the matter was responded to through a letter addressed to Medi-Q dated 06 October 2022 which was subsequently acknowledged by the Company through email on the same day

(b) The matter has been resolved.

(2) This matter was resolved in April 2020 following finalisation of an appeal in terms of section 24A of the Medicines and Related Substances Act, 1965 (Act No. 103 of 1965). In August 2022, Medi-Q requested a meeting and SAHPRA responded in October 2022 advising Medi-Q that, this matter was resolved when section 24A appeal was lodged and resolved.

END.

Reply:

I have been advised by SAPO as follows:

The programme of removing underutilised red letter deposit boxes is underway. The box at 57 Main Street is scheduled for removal in October 2022.

 

Authorised for submission by

 

MR TINYIKO NGOBENI

DIRECTOR-GENERAL (ACTING)

DATE:

Recommended/not recommended

__________________________

HON. PHILLY MAPULANE, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Approved/ not approved

________________________________

HON. KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Reply:

1. Yes, the Lease agreement is herewith attached.

2. a) Cost of temporary accommodation (Hiring of hall from City of Cape Town) amounted to R 17 696 per month and a total amount of R 53 090.42 for the three month period).

b) Total inclusive relocation cost amounted to R 54 000.

c) Cost for labourers is included in the amount in R54 000 reflected in (b) above. No additional labour was hired.

d) Assets are stored at the current office site in Khayelitsha and the SASSA storage at Bonnytuin in Wynberg, Cape Town. There are no additional storage costs.

e) Cost for the lease of the SASSA office in Khayelitsha is R 43 067.50 per month. The total cost of the lease, from 1 March 2021 to 28 February 2024 is R1 552 796.64.

f) Cost of rental furniture and equipment to be used at alternative sites:

(i) Hiring of heaters and carpets R28 940, 55 per month

ii) Mobile toilet R 9 002, 58 per month

In addition to the rental costs above, folding tables and leads were procured outright to the amount of R 19 837.50

g) There were no additional hire costs for cleaning and security services as contracts are in place for the rendering of these services. Cleaning services are rendered as per the current contract at R 27 750.16. The current security requirements in Khayelitsha were reduced during the renovation period. The monthly amount has accordingly been reduced from R106 913.64 to R 58 901.08.

 

Reply:

No. Cable theft and vandalism in municipalities is criminal element which must be dealt with by South African Police Service. It is recommended that the question be redirected to the Ministry of Police to respond to the question accordingly.

 

Reply:

This is a matter that will henceforth receive the Department’s attention. So far, the Department has been collaborating with the Department of Basic Education to enable the child support grant beneficiaries who are in grade 12 to access the support that the National Student Financial Aid Scheme avails. The Department is also developing a policy on linking recipients of child grants to other government services and, once completed, this will create the momentum for such information to be collected and reported.

Reply:

1. (a) Steps to remove all advertisements for backstreet abortions –

The Department of Health has been working with SAPS to arrest the people who paste illegal adverts and providing illegal Termination of Pregnancy services. Currently, the Department of Health has engaged Municipalities to strengthen the BYLAWS, and make it point that towns are clean. Furthermore, the Department of Health is working with Department of Justice to prosecute those who paste illegal adverts and provide illegal Termination of Pregnancy services in the country. On the other hand, The National Department of Health in collaboration with Provincial Department of Health, has started to place facilities providing Termination of Pregnancy on the Departmental website.

(i) from the cyber world and/or social media

The Department makes use of BWISE as the social media platform to share Sexual and Reproductive Health information including Termination of Pregnancy and information where the people can go to and what to do if one needs to Terminate the Pregnancy. The Department of health, through the Communication unit, monitors information on the social media platform that contributes to the mis-information to the public. Once the unit picks up any mi-information, it issues the correct information or label the mis-information as fake news and re-post the information to the social media platforms.

(ii) pasted illegally on infrastructure such as lamp posts and bridges

The Department of Health has started a campaign called “Action March Against Illegal advert on Termination of Pregnancy” in the country. The action march (actual removing of adverts) against illegal adverts is led by Deputy Minister of Health, Members of Executive Council, Mayors, Department of SAPS, Department of Justice, Traditional Leaders and Healers and other important Stakeholders. The Deputy Minister of Health, MEC, Mayor (District/Local), SAPS Commissioner share the platform on the day of the march, and they make joint statement against illegal Termination of Pregnancy. Furthermore, the Deputy Minister talks to young people/women on the issues that are central to the ToP, which respond to these questions: who is supposed to provide Termination of Pregnancy, where the ToP is supposed to be provided and when is the ToP supposed to be provided according to the ACT 92 of 96

(b) Stop the illegal sale of the abortion pill to women even into their 3rd term of pregnancy

The Provincial Department of Health introduced control book, whereby all ordered abortion pills are entered into the book. The pills are counted daily, in the morning and afternoon as part of stock management.

2. The Communications Unit in the Department of Health manages all misinformation posted on google regarding services provided by the Department. The Unit however does not have capacity to monitor and respond to general illegal google, phones and posting of illegal activity of selling an abortion pill to women.

(3) (a) The pills are not schedule 5 and above drugs, they are classified as over the counter medication in other countries, thus making them easily accessible for online purchase from different countries.

(b) The facilities providing ToP services count the pills daily in the morning and afternoon, the officials sign off the control book.

END.

Reply:

I have been advised by SABC as follows:

a) The Section 189 process was led internally by SABC Executives, i.e. the Chief Operating Officer and Group Executive: Human Resources. The process was facilitated by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA). No legal costs were incurred during this period. However, as is common knowledge, Organised Labour (BEMAWU) took the SABC to court during the tail-end of this process. The court ruled in favour of the SABC after which BEMAWU appealed. The court also ruled against the union upon appeal. Several individuals also took their cases to the CCMA and Labour Court respectively. The Labour Court upheld its earlier decision and ruled in favour of the SABC in all these cases. The rulings confirmed that the SABC executive followed all elements of procedural and substantive fairness. These matters are now considered closed. In total R 2 133 016.61 was spent on legal fees in the cases related to the S189 process.

b) The reorganisation of the SABC and the reduction in the employee compensation costs were vital elements in efforts to stabilise the finances of the Corporation as it embarked on a cost-cutting exercise. The SABC would have, in all likelihood, been left in a worse financial position were the status quo to have remained.

 

Authorised for submission by

 

MR TINYIKO NGOBENI

DIRECTOR-GENERAL (ACTING)

DATE:

Recommended/not recommended

__________________________

HON. PHILLY MAPULANE, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Approved/ not approved

________________________________

HON. KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Reply:

1. Yes. The Department’s plan to improve screening is informed by the National Strategic Plan for the prevention and control of Non-Communicable Diseases 2022 – 2027 which includes implementation of the National Non-Communicable Diseases Campaign as well as to strengthen existing initiatives on screening. Some of the measures amongst others include screening for diabetes and other conditions during community events organised by the department. Screening is also conducted at facilities to identify those clients or patients who may be diabetic but are unaware of their condition and those who are diagnosed but are at risk of developing complications. Screening and management of patients are informed by evidence based clinical guidelines and tools including Adult Primary Care and Standard Treatment Guidelines which are updated on a regular basis. These clinical guidelines capacitate health care workers on provision of routine care, when and how to screen for complications and to refer patients, as required.

2. Measures to improve screening coverage, particularly within rural areas are contained in the National Strategic Plan for the prevention and control of Non-Communicable Diseases 2022 – 2027. Through the National Non-Communicable Diseases Campaign, which is part of the Strategic Plan, screening is rolled out in all districts including those in rural areas. A key objective of the Campaign is to optimise the use of Community Health Workers (CHWs) who trained on Non-Communicable Diseases and who are being capacitated to screen for diabetes and hypertension at community and household levels and link patients to care.

END.

Reply:

(1)(a)(i) 75 033 Active Refugees

(1)(a)(ii) 165 115 Active Asylum Seekers

(1)(b) 131 858 Appeals before RAASA

(1)(c) 736 372 Inactive Asylum Seekers

2. Asylum seekers can choose to reside anywhere in the Republic. There is no sufficient capacity within the state to confirm if they still reside where they have initially declared or if they have chosen to depart the Republic.

3. Current active Refugees come from the countries listed below:

Afghanistan	East Timor	Liberia	Somalia
Algeria	Egypt	Malawi	Sri Lanka
Angola	Eritrea	Mali	Sudan
Bahamas	Estonia	Morocco	Swaziland
Bangladesh	Ethiopia	Niger	Syria
Benin	Gabon	Nigeria	Tanzania
Bulgaria	Ghana	Oman	Togo
Burundi	Guinea Bissau	Pakistan	Turkey
Cambodia	India	Palestine	Uganda
Cameroon	Iran	Russia	Ukraine
Central African Republic	Iraq	Rwanda	Yemen
Chad	Ivory Coast	Senegal	Zambia
Comoros	Jordan	Serbia	Zimbabwe
Congo	Kenya	Sierra Leone
DRC	Lebanon	Solomon Islands

END

Reply:

1. (a) The Industry Task Group is an industry group set up by industry itself. South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) has no say in terms of its constitution. The SAHPRA/Industry Task Group Forum is a platform in place for SAHPRA to engage with the industry. This is Chaired by the Chief Executive Officer of SAHPRA.

(b) SAHPRA cannot comment in the constitution of the Industry Task Group.

2. No, These Forums are stakeholder engagement forums and are not private consultations

END.

Reply:

1. The Covid-19 vaccines registered by SAHPRA:

Name of Vaccine	Applicant	Registration number	Date of registration
Covid -19 vaccine Janssen (Ad 26 viral vectors)	Janssen Pharmaceutica	550849	30/03/2021
Comirnaty (m RNA)	Pfizer Laboratories	560002	25/01/2022
Coronavac (Sinovac)	Curanto Pharma (Pty) Ltd	560232	14/06/2022
COVID-19 VACCINE MC PHARMA (Sinopharm BBIP)	MC Pharma (Pty) Ltd	560795	31/01/2022
COVID-19 VACCINE LHC (Sinopharm verocell)	LHC Pharmaceuticals (Pty) Ltd	560647	24/05/2022
Covovax (rS-protein)	Cipla (Pty) Ltd	561236	16/08/2022

2. Covid-19 vaccines which are part of the National Vaccine Programme are accessible to all citizens of South Africa, at both public and private sector facilities, at no cost to the vaccinee Given the breadth of the programme, the Department is thus fulfilling its mandate of ensuring equitable access to healthcare. The two vaccines available as part of the National vaccine programme are Pfizer Laboratory’s Comirnaty vaccine and Janssen Pharmaceutica’s Covid -19 vaccine Janssen. Both vaccines have demonstrated efficacy and safety based on clinical studies that have been undertaken, the results of which have been published in peer reviewed medical journals.

There is no legislation in South Africa that compels manufacturers to limit the sale of medicines and vaccines to government alone. The vaccine manufacturers may market their commodities in accordance with the Medicines and Related Substances Act, (Act 101 of 1965).

Therefore, all other vaccines registered by SAHPRA may be made available to the public should the applicant/manufacturer decide to market the vaccine. However, this is a decision that is made by the applicant/manufacturer.

The department has worked with a wide range of private providers, donors and non-government organisations to establish fixed and mobile vaccination sites, and to ensure that vaccines are available to the public.

END.

Reply:

The Department acknowledges that Theatre Nurses are amongst other imperative categories of Health Care Workers that are marginally available in the Health System, particularly in the Public Health Sector. This amongst others is due to the shortage in numbers and the competition of these resources between the Public Health Sector, Private Sector and Developed Countries.

Further to the above fact, the general budget cuts in the Public Service in the past three financial years (including the Cost of Employment) has negatively affected filling of posts. As a result, not all posts can be filled simultaneously. This has resulted in stringent measures implemented to control filling of positions including key line function posts to avoid over expenditure on CoE.

However, to ensure that services are at least not affected, the Department of Health has implemented the following strategies, amongst others:

• Prioritisation of the posts in the Annual Recruitment Plan – where funding permits
• Prioritisation of the posts for conditional grant funding
• Filling of replacement posts considered and approved weekly
• Employment of health professionals on contract bases to strengthen capacity
• Prioritization of these categories for contract employment and to permanent employment where funding permits at the end of their contracts

Awarding of bursaries yearly to internal and external candidates to study further in various disciplines including Theatre Nurses.

END.

Reply:

Maternal mortality ration is internationally reported as ratio/ 100 000 live births.

a) The Department of Health collates the information on maternal mortality ratio through District Health Information System (DHIS) as a routine data collection system and also through the National Committee on Confidential Enquiries on Maternal Deaths (NCCEMD) process. DHIS collates information on the number of maternal deaths only and not the contributory factors to the cause of maternal deaths. This assists in reporting real time data on number of maternal deaths. The latest ratio is of maternal deaths is 110.7 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births according to Q2 (July to September 2022) Source DHIS Accessed 19/10/2022.

b) The report on total number of preventable maternal deaths is generated through the perinatal review meetings where the contributory factors to the maternal deaths is assessed. The information is then collated and analysed by the National Committee on Confidential Enquiries on Maternal Deaths (NCCEMD), referred here above. NCCEMD then generates the triennial report on number of preventable maternal deaths. The latest Saving mothers report was released for 2017-2019 triennium, which reported (613/982) 62.4 % rate of preventable maternal deaths.

END.

Reply:

South Africa has procured vaccines from two manufacturers for use in the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme. Based on the current vaccination rate, South Africa currently has sufficient stock of COVID-19 vaccines to meet current requirements. There are thus no immediate plans to purchase additional vaccines. Both vaccines have demonstrated efficacy and safety based on clinical studies that have been undertaken, the results of which have been published in peer reviewed medical journals.

There is no legislation in South Africa that compels manufacturers to limit the sale of medicines and vaccines to government alone. The vaccine manufacturers may market their commodities in accordance with the Medicines and Related Substances Act, (Act 101 of 1965).

Therefore, all other vaccines registered by SAHPRA may be made available to the public should the applicant/manufacturer decide to market the vaccine. However, this is a decision that is made by the applicant/manufacturer.

 

END.

Reply:

a) According to information received from provinces, there is no statistics on children orphaned due to the death of both parents and/or caregivers over the COVID-19 period as the cause of death of parents and/ caregivers is not captured on statistical records, rather children are categorised as orphans. Only Mpumalanga recorded a total number of 4 134 children during that period.

b) There are children in need of care and protection that were placed in foster care during the outbreak of the pandemic, however this is not necessarily children who were orphaned due to the death of both parents and/or caregivers over the COVID-19 period.

Reply:

a) i)The table below illustrates the total number of security guards per province

Province Name	Number of Guards
Head Office	14
Eastern Cape	260
Free State	121
Gauteng	151
KwaZulu Natal	324
Limpopo	132
Mpumalanga	144
Northern Cape	162
North West	208
Western Cape	280

ii) Security guards are not employed by SASSA but by service providers

b) i) and ii) SASSA does not compensate security guards. Compensation of the security guards is strictly between the service provider and the security guards

c) and ii) Not applicable

Reply:

(a) Children in need of care and protection,

YEAR PROVINCE	2016/17	2017/18	2018/19	2019/20	2020/21
Eastern Cape	27 716	24 653	26 520	22 966	21 143
Free State	No inputs received
Gauteng	70182	81306	93996	83612	94116
Kwa- Zulu Natal	26855	16436	17055	16477	22886
Limpopo	25 124	4 457	4 936	5 035	3 267
Mpumalanga	35 488	36 968	33161	28 308	22 590
Northern Cape	11393	8928	9676	8681	5115
North West	No inputs received
Western Cape	21 804	22 472	22 456	25 534	14 305

(b) Shelters for victims of crime and violence,

YEAR PROVINCE	2016/17	2017/18	2018	2019	2020
Eastern Cape	26 792 (information not disaggregated according to years. The number is for the period 2016 - 2021)
Free State	No inputs received
Gauteng	No inputs received
Kwa-Zulu Natal	3033	3532	3767	3970	2438
Limpopo	1605	1612	727	1436	927
Mpumalanga	2523	5679	2631	1728	2587
Northern Cape	2397	3661	2908	3389	2934
North West	No inputs received
Western Cape	The department supports NGOs in furtherance of this of this objectives

(c) Substance abuse services,

YEAR PROVINCE	2016/17	2017/18	2018/19	2019/20	2020/21
Eastern Cape	No inputs received
Free State	No inputs received
Gauteng	1227708	1345136	1535365	2046279	2876576
Kwa-Zulu Natal	379 776	377 436	380 875	315 627	3754
Limpopo	634	766	1676	802	521
Mpumalanga	4154	3638	4653	2252	1616
Northern Cape	323	785	787	546	186
North West	No inputs received
Western Cape	3871	3611	3741	3512	1609

(d) Older Person’s residential facilities and service

YEAR; PROVINCE	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Eastern Cape	26 792
Free State	No inputs received
Gauteng	128	119	119	116	113
Kwa-Zulu Natal	499 812
Limpopo	120	120	120	120	85
Mpumalanga	No inputs received
Northern Cape	8253	3111	1864	1870	500
North West	No inputs received
Western Cape	No inputs received

Reply:

I have been informed by SAPO as follows:

1. 

Liabilities in 'R million	Mar-18	Mar-19	Mar-20	Mar-21	Mar-22
Trade Creditors and accruals	577	669	692	1,088	1,422
Rental	190	124	89	243	364
Statutory	102	150	108	1,396	2,443
Salary Debt				150	150
Total	869	943	889	2,877	4,379

2. In the past five years (2018/2019 to 2021/2022) SAPO has been dealing with the following, ongoing, court actions:

MATTER	BRIEF DESCRIPTION	STATUS
Mrwetyana Family (Uyinene Mrwetyana)	The Mrwetyana family issued a summons in November 2020 against SAPO and Others following the murder of Uyinene Mrwetyana allegedly by an employee of SAPO at Clareinch Post Office, Cape Town. The claim is for delictual and consequential damages.	Matter is still in progress with settlement negotiations underway. The initial settlement offer was rejected.
Postnet (PN)	SAPO lodged a complaint with ICASA around 2019 to challenge unlawful competition contrary to the Postal Services Act for doing business in the reserved area of under 1kg. SAPO was successful and the ICASA tribunal (Complaints and Compliance Committee – “CCC”) recommended a ruling against PN, which ICASA endorsed for PN to stop its unlawful competition. But PN and their professional association, SAEPA, is challenging the ruling/order, by having it reviewed. They also lodged an High Court application to interdict SAPO from implementing the ruling/order, and not allowing PN to do business whilst the matter is continuing. There are currently interlocutory and counter-applications between ICASA, PN and SAEPA.	Matters are still in progress. The Interdict against SAPO is still in place.
VC IT Insight (VCII) (BMC Management Tools & CHM Vuwani)	VCII sued SAPO in 2017 for approximately R14.9 million, for purchasing BMC Management Tools. It was not indicated that the actual purchase was from VCII instead of CHM VUWANI, whom was a BMC Partner. SAPO applied to the High Court to have the “contract” set aside, declared invalid, reviewed and to reclaim R10.38m from VCII, which has been paid. SAPO did not pay the balance of R14.9 million pending the outcome of investigations and the Court’s decision as to the validity of the contract.	Matter still in progress. The judicial review application by SAPO will be heard in the High Court when a date has been set for trial.
Koninklijke JOH Enschede B.V	SAPO was issued with a summons in 2015 for non-payment in respect of Madiba Stamps and Folders under a verbal agreement. SAPO made some partial payment in this regard. There were staff members disciplined and dismissed for this. SAPO had issued a judicial review to review and set aside the “agreement”. SAPO filed its founding affidavit, the plaintiff filed its answering affidavit and SAPO thereafter filed its replying affidavit. A trial date will be applied for at the Registrar of High Court, South Gauteng. SAPO is also claiming back the partial payment which was made previously. Delays in concluding the legal matters were mainly caused by SAPO being unable to pay its Attorneys in due time.	Matters still in progress in the High Court.
Medipos	A Settlement Agreement involving post-retirement medical aid benefits was made an Order of Court by the Supreme Court of Appeal. On 25 August 2022 the Constitutional Court reaffirmed the decision and declined to grant SAPO leave to appeal the Supreme Court judgement. On 6 September 2022, Medipos brought an application in terms of Rule 8 seeking urgent relief to enforce the original Court judgement.	On 11 September 2022, the SAPO Board reached out to the Medipos Board of Trustees regarding the implementation of the Constitutional Court judgement. Engagements are still ongoing.
Redefine Properties Limited	A liquidation application was brought by Redefine Properties (Pty) Ltd which is SAPO’s landlord in some postal outlets.	The matter was settled between the parties.
Blue Turtle Technologies (Pty) Ltd	The IT software provider filed a liquidation application and a provisional liquidation order was granted on 6 June 2022, with a rule nisi. Final liquidation was scheduled for 24 August 2022.	The matter was settled between the parties.
Zaliwa (Pty) Ltd	SAPO received a Notice of Motion for liquidation on 22 August 2022. SAPO is currently dealing with the matter and a court date has not yet been allocated.	The matter is pending.

Authorised for submission by

 

MR TINYIKO NGOBENI

DIRECTOR-GENERAL (ACTING)

DATE:

Recommended/not recommended

__________________________

HON. PHILLY MAPULANE, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Approved/ not approved

________________________________

HON. KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Reply:

The assertions made in the question have no substance since there has never been a COVID-19 vaccine procurement board and the Chair of SAHPRA has never been involved in vaccine procurement. The SAHPRA Chair is a member of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on COVID-19 Vaccines (VMAC).

(a) (b) (i) (ii) Not applicable

END.

Reply:

The information is as follows, according to the Provincial Departments of Health:

1. The following table reflects the details in this regard.

Province	(a)	(b)	(c)	(d)(i)	(d)(ii)
EC	13 %	2x community members	R 5 187 471	0	N/A
FS	0%	N/A	R 412 000 The province has asked that in the adjustment budget, this amount be increased to R1 600 000	0	N/A
GP	0%	N/A	R12 000 000	0	N/A
KZN	25%	Legal person, Community member and a Mental Health Care Practitioners	R 11 399 000	1	Two resigned and one in the process of being filled after contract ended
LIMP	5%	Community Representative	R2 676 000	1	One member passed on
MPU	0	N/A	3 452 000	0	N/A
NC	0	N/A	R1 141 051	0	N/A
NW	0%	N/A	R1 220 000	0	N/A
WC	10%	Mental health care practitioner	R4 446 000	0	N/A

(2) (a) (b) (i) The following table reflects the details in this regard.

Province	2(a) (i)	2 (b)(i)
Eastern Cape	775	None
Free State	218	None
Gauteng	368	None
KwaZulu-Natal	611	None
Limpopo	482	None
Mpumalanga	291	None
Northern Cape	163	None
North West	315	None
Western Cape	333	None

Please note that the numbers for the clinics in the above table are confined to fixed full time primary health care facilities and excludes mobile and satellite clinics.

2. (a)(ii) The names of primary health care facilities offering mental health care services per province are attached.

(b) (ii) The names of primary health care facilities that do not offer mental health care services per province is attached.

END.

Reply:

The cited research estimated the direct healthcare costs associated with treatment of weight-related conditions which included cancers, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders, respiratory diseases, and digestive diseases. The Department has strategies in place to address obesity and weight related conditions.

The strategy for the prevention and control of obesity in South Africa 2015 – 2020, has six goals dealing with intersectoral collaboration, importance of physical activity, prevention in early childhood, accessibility to healthy food choices, education of communities, and surveillance and monitoring and evaluation. This strategy has been reviewed using interrogation of the theory of change in line with South Africa’s international policy commitments and national legislation, policy and plans, a literature review of international and national good practices, wide stakeholder engagement through online survey, physical meetings, and a national workshop. The outcome of the review informed the drafting of the updated Obesity Strategy with set goals, specific objectives, and activities to reduce obesity rates in South Africa. The focus of the draft updated Obesity Strategy is on empowering South Africans to make healthy choices by enabling equitable access to healthy food, physical activity opportunities and a capacitated health care system that supports the prevention and management of obesity. The updated Obesity Strategy will be finalised by the end of this financial year (2022/23).

 

END.

Reply:

I have been informed by the SABC as follows:

1. (a) The qualifications of the newly appointed head of news are as follows:

(i) Honours Degree (NQF 8) in Journalism

(ii) LLB Degree (NQF 8)

(iii) Post Graduate Diploma in Arts (NQF 8 equivalent)

(iv) Post Graduate Certificate - Management Advancement Programme

(b) The position of Group Executive: News and Current Affairs was advertised as per the SABC’s Recruitment and Selection Policy. The necessary approvals were obtained accordingly and the whole recruitment and selection process was fully compliant. All verification processes were duly undertaken, including psychometric tests. As per the advertisement, the inherent minimum requirements of the job are Journalism qualification (NQF 6/) or equivalent plus Post Graduate business qualification (NQF 8). MA/MBA was recommended.

2. The above job qualification requirements were fully met and exceeded by the current incumbent as per his qualifications stated in (a) above. The required working experience is 10 years’ work experience in News, Current Affairs and International broadcasting of which five years should be at Senior Manager Level and this was the second most important minimum requirement.

The above work experience requirements were also fully met and exceeded by the current incumbent which is evident in his CV which reflects 25 years overall relevant experience, that is:

(i) His Reporter experience began in 1996 to 2006.

(ii) His Functional leadership continued from 2007 to 2015.

(iii) His General Leadership continued from 2016 to 2021.

3. All Group Executive positions (including the Head of News) have secretary posts in their approved structures. This is consistent across the Corporation. The secretary serves the entire division, not the respective head of the division, in their performance of the divisional administrative functions. The appointment of the secretary was therefore not unique in the case of the Head of News as the secretary serves the entire division. The position was also advertised both internally and externally which allowed for any internal/external candidates to apply for the post. As such, the SABC is not aware of any available secretary that have been overlooked.

4. The current incumbent is part of the Group Executive Committee and attends all these meetings unless work engagements take preference. He is not an Executive Director and as such he is not part of Board meetings unless there is a specific reason for him to attend.

5. The required information is obtainable in the Annual Report which is duly audited by the Auditor-General.

 

Authorised for submission by

 

MR TINYIKO NGOBENI

DIRECTOR-GENERAL (ACTING)

DATE:

Recommended/not recommended

__________________________

HON. PHILLY MAPULANE, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Approved/ not approved

________________________________

HON. KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Reply:

1. No, the Department has not been informed that social media is allegedly being used as a platform for human trafficking of vulnerable children by South Africans acting as fake lawyers and/or adoption practitioners.

2. Yes, the Department collaborate with other government departments on programmes to educate South Africans on official adoption channels. Other departments like the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development and the Department of Home Affairs participate when awareness campaigns to promote adoption services are conducted.

Reply:

1. No, participation in the learner transport programme is not a precondition for participating in the NSNP. 

2. No policy confers powers to the school governing body to determine whether learners benefit from the Programme.  Participation in the NSNP is determined by the Department of Basic Education in collaboration with the Provincial Education Departments and the National Treasury.

Reply:

1. The NDA has 12 offices across the country, 8 of these offices are rented through private property providers; 2 are still under procurement as previous leases has lapsed, 2 are district offices have been offered rent free by Provincial Departments of Social Development for NDA use staff use working in the districts. The NDA does not have any office acquired through or provided by the Department of Public Works. Table 1 below provides the details for each office. The Gauteng provincial office share the same office with the NDA Headquarters in Parktown, Johannesburg.

Table 1: NDA Current Office Space by province, lessor & occupancy arrangement

	Name of province or Office	Name of lessor	Occupancy arrangement
1	Gauteng and National Office	Orion Real Estate (Ltd)	Private rental
2	Freestate provincial office	SKG Properties	Private rental
3	Eastern Cape provincial office	SKG Properties	Private rental
4	KwaZulu Natal provincial office	Delta Property Group	Private rental
5	KwaZulu District office	Umhlathuze Municipality	Free Space from Municipality
6	Limpopo Provincial office	N/A	Under Procurement
7	Limpopo District Office	Department of Social Development	Free Space from DSD
8	Mpumalanga	SKG Properties	Private rental
9	Northern Cape	N/A	Under Procurement
10	North West provincial office	Kakapa Skills Development Institute	Private rental
11	Western Cape provincial office	Michian Properties CC	Private rental
12	Western Cape District Office	Rainbow Place Properties	Private rental

2. On the second question response to the question of (a) the monthly and or annual rental amounts, these are presented in the table below in column 3 for monthly rentals and column 4 for annual rentals per office and (b) the question on the name of the lessor and each office and province is detailed in Table 2 below. Column 1 provide the name of the province where the office is located and column 2 provide the name of the lessor of the office space.

Table 2: NDA Offices lessors, monthly & annual rental & Province

Name of province or Office	Name of lessor	Average Monthly Rental	Average Annual Rental
Gauteng and National Office	Orion Real Estate ( Ltd)	R 489 536,69	R 5 874 440,28
Freestate provincial office	SKG Properties	R 49 369,11	R 592 429,32
Eastern Cape provincial office	SKG Properties	R 32 997,92	R 395 975,04
KwaZulu Natal provincial office	Delta Property Group	R 53 966,89	R 647 602.68
KwaZulu District office	Umhlathuze Municipality	Free Rental	Free Rental
Limpopo Provincial office	N/A	Under Procurement	Under Procurement
Limpopo District Office	Department of Social Development	Free Rental	Free Rental
Mpumalanga	SKG Properties	R 36 693,95	R 440 327,41
Northern Cape	Under Procurement	Under Procurement	Under Procurement
North West provincial office	Kakapa Skills Development Institute	R 38 515, 83	R 462 189,97
Western Cape provincial office	Michian Properties CC	R 43 129,37	R 517 552,50
Western Cape District Office	Rainbow Place Properties	R 65 501,76	R 786 021,22

 

Reply:

(1)(a)-(d) The Department of Health does not collect or collate the data of illegal abortions of babies who are aborted at seven to nine months. Any case of dumped or abandoned babies are reported to the police department as criminal records. The department, further does not classify babies that are seen at its facilities into how they were born, such that the record does exist of babies that were either found (a) landfill (b) dumping sites (c) dams (d) sewage or drains.

(2) Department of Heath does not follow up on any of the specified cases into how the babies landed at the specified sites. South African Police Services is mandated to conduct any criminal activity of which dumping the baby is one of them.

END.

Reply:

1 (a) Teenage pregnancy and childbearing is a serious problem and concern throughout the country. Research has shown that teenage pregnancy increases the vulnerability of young women and has negative health consequences. These vulnerabilities include economic exclusion and inter-generational poverty owing to disruption of education and social stigma. Teenage parenting disrupts family functioning as teenagers may not be ready and equipped to assume parenting responsibilities which, consequently, are transferred to the older members of the family.

(b) In supporting teenage mothers, the Department of Social Development developed and implements teenage parents programme. This programme is aimed at assisting teenage parents to rebuild their lives and live their dreams. The programme addresses various topics that focus on strengthening parental skills, developing character, coaching teenage parents on decision-making processes, enabling them to make the right choices.

The teenage parenting programme is provided in a group setting under the guidance of trained Social Service Professionals. Thorough assessment of the group is done to determine the members’ respective challenges and expectations to ensure that topics that the group discusses are responsive to their lived realities.

Social Service Practitioners in all the provinces have been capacitated on the teenage parenting programme. Notwithstanding, there is still a need to capacitate more Social Service Professionals to ensure that they rollout the programme to more beneficiaries. To this end, the Department will continue to provide this training to additional Social Service Professionals during 2022/23 financial year.

In addressing teenage pregnancy the Department prioritised its interventions in provinces with high teenage pregnancy rate, namely KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and North West. The Department adopted an integrated multi-sectoral approach, working with the Departments of Basic Education and Health.

One of the critical issues that is being given attention are the modalities of reporting cases of youth and child pregnancies by all the stakeholders. Most importantly is the coordination of efforts in addressing teenage and youth pregnancy. The following interventions have been implemented:

1. Dialogues were collaboratively conducted by DSD, DoH and DBE in EC, KZN, LP and GP to enable teenagers and stakeholders to engage on issues that affect them and make recommendations for the development of the action plan to address the matter.
2. In addition, and in partnership with Provincial DSD and stakeholders, the Department facilitated roundtable discussions and dialogues to assess gaps in service provision and deliberate on interventions that are required to address teenage pregnancy. These were held on 24 March 2022 in EC, OR Tambo District, Ngquza Hill Local Municipality Lusikisiki, and 16-17 March 2022 in Zululand District, Ulundi and King Cetswayo District Municipality. Key stakeholders in these dialogues were children, parents, community members Department of Health, Department of Education, Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, National Prosecuting Authority, South African Police Services, Non-Profit Organisations, Traditional Leaders and Religious Leaders.
3. Ezabasha dialogues strengthening Integrated School Health Programme were also held in Vhembe District.
4. Both the Minister and Deputy Minister of Social Development engaged children who fell pregnant. These engagements were designed to communicate messages of encouragement to the young people, and were focussed on urging them to build a better life through education. These took place during the commemoration of the 2022 Child Protection Month and Child Protection Week in Lusikisiki and uMfolozi Local Municipality.
5. Department of Health committed to bring to school mobile clinics to ensure access to reproductive health and contraceptives to school.
6. These dialogues culminated in the development of an Integrated Community Based Intervention Plan that addresses the issues that emanated from the dialogues. A monitoring plan is attached to the plan.
7. The department continues with massive media campaign through television, national and community radio stations to educate communities about teenage pregnancy, contributory factors and measures to take when children are exploited and sexually abused.
8. Profiling and assessment of children who fell pregnant was done with psychosocial support services provided, linking pregnant teenagers and their families with available resources within their respective communities.
9. The Department continues to implement prevention and early intervention programmes and plans to upscale the provision of social behavioural change programmes. These programmes include:

• 1. Ezabasha Reproductive Health dialogues and programme;
  2. RISIHA- Community Based Prevention and Early programmes; and
  3. ChommY and You only live once (Yolo) for children between the ages of 10-14 and 15-24 respectively.

      10. Intergenerational dialogues on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, as well as training on Intergenerational Communication on Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights. Training is also conducted on Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) for out of school youth; and

        11. Advocating on the replication of Nzululwazi Model to promote sexual and reproductive health in schools identified by Basic Education schools that has higher learner pregnancy.

(2) The Department acknowledges that NGOs are a critical partner in the delivery of social development services. The Department strives to work harmoniously with the NGO sector as they have a common goal of improving the lives of the South Africans. It is against this backdrop that the Department strives to have a healthy relationship with NGOs and provide the requisite support to enable them to render prevention and early intervention services.

Reply:

a) (i) The Department commenced the Dietary Intake survey in 2019 but it could not be completed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

(ii) The Department completed the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) in 2021.

b) (i) The results of the Dietary Intake Survey will become available in June 2023.

(ii) The GATS results provide statistics on tobacco use, cessation, second hand smoke, economics and the role of other players in the environment including the media. This survey is available on the internet.

Results from surveys (international and national) are used to inform strategies for combating burden of disease conditions.

END.

Reply:

I have been informed by the SABC as follows:

In 2019 the SABC entered into a year-long contract with Athletics South Africa (ASA). This lapsed amid the COVID-19 pandemic. During negotiations for a new ASA agreement, including securing the rights to broadcast the Comrades Marathon, the SABC learnt that ASA had already signed an exclusive contract with SuperSport for all premium ASA content, including the Comrades Marathon. This is despite the public broadcaster being open to negotiating a non-exclusive deal with ASA - allowing maximum rights revenue for the federation while ensuring most South Africans had access to premium athletic events.

The only recourse thereafter was for the SABC to sublicense these premium events from SuperSport. However, SuperSport's initial terms were unacceptable to the SABC as it wanted the public broadcaster to only broadcast the event a week after the event. After further negotiations it was eventually agreed, through ASA, that the highlights could be flighted within a few hours after the event. Also, the SABC would gain access to live coverage of the start and end of the Comrades Marathon as well as live updates. SuperSport further insisted on including clauses that severely limited where and how the SABC could broadcast the event, including a prohibition on carrying the content on the SABC Sports Channel (across all platforms).

SuperSport had previously tried to insert similar clauses in other sublicense agreements offered to the SABC and which were rejected. Consequently, SuperSport's actions forced the SABC to lodge a complaint of anti-competitive behaviour to the Competition Commission. The Competition Commission is currently dealing with the matter.

Authorised for submission by

 

MR TINYIKO NGOBENI

DIRECTOR-GENERAL (ACTING)

DATE:

Recommended/not recommended

__________________________

HON. PHILLY MAPULANE, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Approved/ not approved

________________________________

HON. KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Reply:

I have been informed by the SABC as follows:

A special committee was set up to investigate the allegations. It was then found that the allegations were untrue. This report was made public by the SABC.

 

Authorised for submission by

 

MR TINYIKO NGOBENI

DIRECTOR-GENERAL (ACTING)

DATE:

Recommended/not recommended

__________________________

HON. PHILLY MAPULANE, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Approved/ not approved

________________________________

HON. KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Reply:

It is responsibility of Municipalities working together with Department of Water and Sanitation to provide water to communities. It is recommended that the question be redirected to the Ministry of Water and Sanitation as a lead department.

 

Reply:

There are various Internship programmes offered in the health fields of studies. In most instances, the graduates are required to perform a compulsory one-year community service programme in accordance with the Community Service Policy, after completing their Internship Programme.

It is the responsibility of the Department of Health to provide these graduates with a platform to perform the required Community Service Programme. On completion of the said Community Service Programme, only graduates who are recipients of bursaries from the Public Services are given contract employments to work-back their bursary obligations in terms of their Bursary Contracts with the respective Provinces that offered them bursary.

All other graduates after completion of their community service, are given an ample opportunity to apply for available positions as advertised in the Public Service and/or the Private Sector and there is no automatic absorption.

END.

Reply:

(a) The Department of Social Development has 29 Child and youth care centres/CYCC for children in conflict with the law that are rendering diversion programmes countrywide. These centres are managed and staffed by each provincial DSD, each financial year in the period 1 April 2016 and 31 March 2021.

(b) There are nine Diversion programmes provided in CYCC for Children in conflict with the law are as follows (Attached Annexure A):

In the mirror programme which addresses sexual offending,

Wakeup call programme that addresses prevention, early intervention, and statutory intervention of substance abuse.

Rhythm of life personal development skills programme that is socialising, encourages and motivates the children to make right choices.

Reverse your thinking that attends to the child in conflict with the law and his/her family to address harm causes by crime by mediation, negotiation, using apology and restoration.

(c) There are 13 public treatment centres and 1 halfway house that are managed and staffed by the Department of Social Development (Attached Annexure B). Currently the Department of Social Development does not have Community Based Service points for substance abuse.

(d) Older persons’ residential facilities and service centres

Financial Years	Number of Residential facilities	Number of Service Centres
2016/2017	72	164
2017/2018	72	167
2018/2019	72	158
2019/2020	74	155
2020/2021	73	155

Reply:

(a)The Department of Social Development as mandated by the Children’s Act 38 of 2005, Probation Services Act 116 of 1991 and the Child Justice Act 75 of 2008 provides programmes and interventions to children at risk and in conflict with the law.

These interventions includes amongst others implementation of services to children at risk and in conflict with the law included in the Integrated Social Crime Prevention Strategy (ISCPS). The main objective of ISCPS is to identify and promote innovative partnership-driven ways of reducing the current levels of crime and preventing crime from taking place.

The Strategy is implemented in all the provinces with the anticipated outcome of addressing social ills that are a contributory factor to committal of criminal activities that may lead to youth imprisonment.

1. The department conducts advocacy, education and awareness programmes in communities, schools, and institutions of higher learning in all provinces. These programmes are implemented on an ongoing basis by multi-disciplinary stakeholders, Probation officers who are social workers specialising in social crime prevention, probation services, Restorative justice and child justice services. The said advocacy, education and awareness programmes are implemented in a form of workshops, training, dialogue, debates, research and development and monitoring of the implementation of an integrated intervention plan. The strategy also emphasises the implementation of the secondary and tertiary prevention.
2. In line with the implementation of secondary prevention, the department, has developed social crime prevention and therapeutic programmes. These programmes focuses on the implementation of on life skills development, anger management, restorative justice, anti-substance abuse, sexual education, reintegration, and aftercare of persons. The said programmes have a valid status of accreditation and are published in Government Gazette No: 46059 Vol 681 of 18 March 2022.
3. Tertiary prevention: These are unification, reunification, rehabilitation and reintegration of persons back to their individual self, families and the community at large through the implementation of restorative justice programmes.
4. Aligned to the broad Anti-Gangsterism strategy led by SAPS the department has developed the Anti-Gangsterism strategy that deals with the education and awareness on the dangers of joining gangs. To date the department have reached to the following high risk hotspot districts: (Dr Ruth Mompati, Johannesburg metro, Amajuba, Lejweleputswa, Gert Sibanda, Nkangala, Vhembe, Mopani, Buffalo City, Xhariep, eThekwini South district and Francis Baard).
5. The department implements a policy framework on the accreditation of diversion services in South Africa. This policy is implemented in three-fold; by ensuring accreditation of the civil society organisations that implements prevention and diversion programmes.

(b) There are 639 social workers or probation officers as referred to in Probation Services Act 116 of 1991 that have been allocated to render probation services.

Reply:

1. (a) The Department provides continuous support to the orphanage/child and youth care workers which among others include capacity building on any policies, legislation and guidelines that ensure care and protection of the children placed in these facilities

(b) The Department has put in place sustainable measures to ensure that child and youth care centres have enough resources to provide care and protection to all children in need, including orphaned children. The Department provides funding to the State-run and NPO-run child and youth care centres with a unit cost of R4 000 per child per month to these child and youth care centres. In addition, the Department employs qualified and trained Social Workers and Child and Youth Care Workers (subsidised by Government) to provide psychosocial support to all the children.

(2) The Department works collaboratively with the Departments of Basic Education and Health through the Integrated School Health Programme that provides prevention, awareness, and psychosocial care to children identified to be at risk and requiring intensive intervention. The Department also facilitates admission of children in the schools in the areas where the child and youth care centres are located.

3. the following is the information regarding support provided to child and youth care centres per province:

1. Eastern Cape province is funding 27 Child and Youth Care Centres
2. Northern Cape province is funding 10 Child and Youth Care Centres
3. Kwa-Zulu-Natal province is funding 70 Child and Youth Care Centres
4. Limpopo province is funding 19 Child and Youth Care Centres

Reply:

It is the competency of South African Police service to conduct exhumation of bodies. It is recommended that this question be redirected to Ministry of Police to respond accordingly.

 

Reply:

It is the Department of Health’s policy to ensure equitable access to quality healthcare through availability of safe, effective and cost-effective medicines at the appropriate level of care. The National Department of Health manages contracts of approximately 1 200 essential medicine items. Contracts are awarded to suppliers following an open tender process in accordance with the Public Finance Management Act. Barrs was appointed to supply morphine powder as the company submitted the highest scoring compliant bid.

(a) (i) morphine is currently available in different formulations from various manufacturers, i.e. morphine tablets, morphine injection and morphine powder. Aside from morphine powder, there were no supply constraints related to the other formulations. The Department has recently been notified of the availability of an oral liquid formulation of morphine which will be placed on tender in the next cycle. Provinces and facilities are able to source this formulation from the identified supplier on a quotation basis.

(ii) At the time of the supply constraint, availability of morphine powder at public sector facilities was 76%. To make up for the shortfall, the National Department of Health (NDOH) sourced the morphine powder from alternative local suppliers using the quotation process. Other formulations of morphine were also available. There was thus no crisis in the public sector. The impact of the supply constraint with morphine powder was felt more keenly in the private sector.

(b) The NDoH will continue to monitor supplier performance and implement actions in mitigation as appropriate based on the root cause leading to the supply constraint.

 

END.