Questions and Replies

Reply:

Please see attached for detailed progress. 

Reply:

(a)(b) 

The attached table indicates the number of learners per province and grade between 2002 and 2020.

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:

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 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:

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:

• In the context of Southern African Development Community (SADC) and African Union (AU) at large, reference is made to “integration” and not “unification”. The integration agenda of the African Union is driven by the respective Regional Economic Communities (RECs).
• • In the case of South Africa, the SADC remains the primary focus of the country’s foreign policy, which is aimed at the promotion of security and political stability, which are pathways towards addressing key challenges of underdevelopment, unemployment, and poverty.

• • Since its formation in 1980, SADC has adopted dozens of legal instruments aimed at deepening the regional integration agenda. Accordingly, South Africa continues to reaffirm her commitment to the regional integration agenda in line with the provisions of these instruments, which cover such sectors as trade and investment, energy security, food security, infrastructure development, health and education, mineral resources as well as peace and security.

• • The SADC integration objectives and strategies are articulated in the SADC Blueprints namely, the SADC Vision 2050 and the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2020-2030. South Africa was one of the key contributors in the development of the RISDP and it is involved in the development of its Implementation Plan.

• • In the context of the foundation aspect of RISDP 2020- 2030, which underpins the pursuit of Peace, Security and Good Governance in the region, South Africa plays an active role in efforts to ensure peace and security in the region. In this regard, SADC is engaged in finding a lasting solution in the Republic of Mozambique, the Kingdom of Lesotho, the Kingdom of Eswatini and the Democratic Republic of Congo. SADC also deploys electoral observer missions in countries that conduct elections as was the case in Angola on 24 August 2022 and in Lesotho on 7 October 2022. This is in line with the SADC Principles and Guidelines governing democratic elections.

Reply:

(a) Approximately 88 ordinary and special schools in the Eastern Cape, which is a generally rural province, cater for autistic children, (b) while 380 schools cater for children with serious learning disabilities. 

Reply:

The most reliable estimates of dropout rates by grade are derived using STATS SA’s General Household Surveys, which are conducted annually. This is a nationally representative survey of South African households and collects information about the highest level of education attained by each member of the household. If a person’s highest level of education is grade 11, for example, and they are old enough to be unlikely to still be in the process of completing a higher level of education, it can then be assumed that they exited the education system at that point. The sample sizes are not large enough to permit precise estimates of dropout for each grade and province separately. The table below shows the estimated percentages of children reaching each grade, and conversely, the estimated percentages of children dropping out after each grade. Based on this methodology, data collected in a particular year is reflective of dropping out in the years preceding that year, but not necessarily of dropping out in that year. As the table shows, grade survival rates (or completion rates) have been increasing over time in recent years. Using GHS data from 2019-2021, the estimated percentage of youths who completed grade 12 had reached a figure of 57,0%.

Survival rates and drop-out rates for each grade

2015-2017	2017-2019	2019-2021
	Percentage reaching at least this grade	Grade-specific dropout rate	Percentage reaching at least this grade	Grade-specific dropout rate	Percentage reaching at least this grade	Grade-specific dropout rate
Total cohort	100%		100%		100%
No schooling		0.6%		0.6%		0.7%
Grade 1	99.4%	0.2%	99.4%	0.1%	99.3%	0.0%
Grade 2	99.3%	0.2%	99.3%	0.3%	99.3%	0.2%
Grade 3	99.1%	0.5%	99.0%	0.2%	99.1%	0.2%
Grade 4	98.6%	0.4%	98.8%	0.3%	98.9%	0.4%
Grade 5	98.2%	0.6%	98.5%	0.6%	98.4%	0.4%
Grade 6	97.6%	1.5%	97.8%	1.4%	98.0%	1.3%
Grade 7	96.2%	2.9%	96.5%	2.7%	96.7%	1.9%
Grade 8	93.4%	4.7%	93.9%	4.3%	94.9%	3.8%
Grade 9	89.0%	9.3%	89.9%	8.9%	91.3%	6.8%
Grade 10	80.7%	15.6%	81.9%	15.3%	85.1%	12.4%
Grade 11	68.2%	25.0%	69.3%	23.7%	74.6%	22.4%
Grade 12	51.1%		52.9%		57.9%

Notes: Own calculations using General Household Survey datasets, STATS SA.
Three years of GHS data are pooled together with the purpose of increasing the sample size and therefore constructing more stable estimates over time. For the GHS datasets of 2015-2017, only persons born between 1991 and 1993 were included; for 2017-2019, only persons born between 1993 and 1995 were included, and for 2019-2021, only persons born between 1995 and 1997 were included. These age ranges were decided on in order to ensure that persons included would have been old enough to have been unlikely to still be completing school but young enough so as to reflect recent trends in school completion and dropout.

Reply:

The STEM subjects have enjoyed special attention over the last few years, given the need to provide learners with the space to develop their problem solving and critical thinking skills and the imperative to address the needs of a technologically advancing economy. However, the emphasis on the STEM subjects does not imply a neglect of the non-STEM subjects. In the support programmes of the Department of Basic Education, all subjects are given attention, with more attention being devoted to subjects where there is evidence of under-performance. For example, the Department has over the last few years devoted a significant percentage of its annual budget to reading as part of developing language competency. The Department is currently devoting much attention to the Business, Commerce and Management Sciences (BCM) subjects i.e. Accounting, Business Studies, and Economics given the decline in the enrolment for these subjects.   

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:

1. Of the initial list of 3898 schools included in the Sanitation Appropriate for Education (SAFE) programme, work proceeded at 2786 schools.  The balance of schools was either closed, merged or found to have appropriate sanitation.  All of the 2786 schools were allocated to implementing agents for planning, design, tender and construction.

2. Of the 2786 school on the original list of SAFE, sanitation projects at 2359 schools have already progressed to practical completion.  The balance of 324 sanitation projects are scheduled for completion in 2022/23.

3. During 2021/22, an additional 622 schools dependant on basic pit toilets were identified.  These additional schools were subsequently allocated to implementing agents.  Some of the sanitation projects at these schools may achieve practical completion in 2022/23, but the bulk of the sanitation projects at these additional schools are scheduled to achieve practical completion in 2023/24.   

Reply:

At the onset, it should be clarified that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is a Regional Economic Community (REC), while the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) is a trade bloc, which is composed of a free trade area with a common external tariff amongst the member countries.

The SACU is the oldest Customs Union in the world which was formed in 1910 among countries of Southern Africa namely: - Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, and South Africa, with headquarters in Windhoek, Namibia. Since adopting the 2002 Agreement, SACU has often been used as a benchmark for arrangement of this nature, particularly in the African continent where different regions seek to integrate their economies further.

The SACU is complemented well by the Common Monetary Area (CMA) wherein four of the

five countries are member namely: - South Africa, Eswatini, Lesotho and Namibia. Under this arrangement, the South African Rand is a legal tender. The South African Rand therefore is the common currency in the CMA.

Botswana is the only member of SACU that does not recognise the Rand as a legal tender due to its withdrawal from the arrangement in 1975, which replaced the Rand as the official legal tender in 1976. The revised and improved version of this arrangement was adopted in February 1992 when the Multilateral Monetary Agreement (MMA) which underpins the CMA was signed and came into force in 1994. The South African Rand is therefore a common currency in four of the five Member States of SACU, which also belong to the CMA. No date has been set to get Botswana back into the CMA.

Reply:

(1) (a) What programmes and procedures did her department put in place to mitigate the dropout rate of learners,

Ensuring that children attend school during the compulsory schooling age band, and striving to increase the percentage of youths who successfully complete twelve years of schooling, in other words Grade 12, are central to the mission of the Department. A large range of activities and initiatives are aimed at advancing this mission. They have been successful insofar as dropping out before successful completion of the National Senior Certificate has been on the decline, and schooling among children at the compulsory ages has for many years been kept at almost 100%, though there were some setbacks during the pandemic. Successful completion of twelve years of schooling in South Africa is approximately on a par with that seen in other middle income countries, as explained in several of the Department’s annual reports on the results of the National Senior Certificate (available on the DBE website).

The problem of learners not successfully completing Grade 12 (or anything equivalent outside the schooling system) should be seen in the context of relatively weak results among many of those learners who do obtain the NSC. Here South Africa is behind other economically similar countries. The problem is reflected in the comparably low Grade 9 TIMSS results, even in 2019 and after a couple of decades of improvements, improvements attributable in large part to government’s focus on quality schooling. Clearly, these improvements should continue. It is this need that lies behind certain high-level targets in government’s Medium Term Strategic Framework, for instance that more Grade 12 youths should obtain the mark thresholds in mathematics and physical science needed to enter university programmes generating critical skills in areas such as engineering, chemistry and financial accounting.

To sum up, existing initiatives have contributed to a reduction in dropping out over many years, and this trend shows no sign of slowing down, as will be explained below. South Africa’s international rankings suggest that currently an even larger problem than dropping out is the levels of skills among youths who do succeed in obtaining the National Senior Certificate. While the Honourable Member of Parliament’s question relates to dropping out, the response must be understood in this wider context.

Moreover, it is critical to understand efforts to promote successful completion of schooling in terms of the reasons why youths drop out of school. The current research confirms that it is those learners who do not cope with their studies who are the most likely to drop out, and poverty in the home plays a large role here. According the 2019 General Household Survey, 34% of youths aged 16 to 18 are not at school essentially because they are not coping academically. Another large factor, according to this source, is the 25% of youths indicating ‘no money for fees’. Even here, coping academically plays a role: parents and guardians may decide that a child who is not performing well as school is not worth investing in. (See the Department’s series of publications General Household Survey (GHS): Focus on Schooling.)

In line with the international and local evidence, and in line with the policy advice provided by organisations such as UNESCO, government’s strategies aimed at increasing ‘survival’ to Grade 12 are multi-pronged, with a special emphasis on dealing with the effects of poverty and on improving learning and teaching in the classroom. The following can be considered key initiatives behind past reductions in dropping out, and likely drivers of future improvements in this regard:

• The National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP). This intervention encourages children to attend school, and promotes learning by reducing levels of hunger and malnutrition, which inhibit successful learning.
• No fee schools. This longstanding intervention ensures that children and youths in poorer communities are not prevented from attending school due to the inability of the household to pay for school fees.
• Policies on teenage pregnancies. Government Notice 704 of 2021 formalised policy on the protection of the schooling of pregnant learners. Among females aged 16 to 18, around 10% did not attend school due to pregnancy, according to the 2019 GHS.
• Ongoing strengthening of the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS). A more focussed curriculum is one reason that has been put forward as a reason for past improvements in South Africa’s performance in international testing programmes – see the Department’s Action Plan to 2024.
• Efforts aimed at improving learning in the early grades. A key government priority is improving reading, and learning and teaching in general, in the early grades. Several interventions contribute towards this, including the shift in the responsibility for pre-schooling from the social development sector to basic education, the Early Grade Reading Study and associated teacher development innovations, and the introduction of the Systemic Evaluation.
• Special examination preparation support for Grade 12 learners. Activities here, aimed largely at ensuring that learners leave school with the NSC, include the so-called winter schools.
• The expansion of the learner-level enrolment and attendance monitoring systems. The Learner Unit Record Information and Tracking System (LURITS), the SA-SAMS school management system and the partnership-driven Data Driven Districts (DDD) initiative have all contributed to a more robust approach to monitoring exactly where in the country dropping out is occurring. These systems proved invaluable for providing information on, for instance, where children were not returning to school during the pandemic.

(b) what do the specified programmes and procedures entail,

There is extensive publicly available reporting on all the initiatives listed above. The Honourable Member of Parliament should please consult past annual reports of the Department, and other reports dealing with specific initiatives. The NSNP, as a recipient of a DBE conditional grant, is extensively reported in the annual reports of the provincial education departments. The basic planning framework for no fee schools is regularly updated – see for instance Government Notice 1730 of 2022. Materials relating to the ‘annual teaching plans’ developed to cope with the impacts of the pandemic and its after-effects, are available on the DBE website. How data were used to understand patterns of dropping out during the pandemic can found in a few reports on the DBE website, including Pandemic-related losses in contact time across seven provinces according to SA-SAMS data and The COVID-19 pandemic, enrolments, dropping out and attendance explained.

(c) does each province have its own programmes and procedures

Provinces all have some initiatives of their own, but alignment across the various programmes within each province, across provinces, and between the national and provincial levels is continually promoted, in particular through the HEDCOM structure (functioning in terms of the National Education Policy Act) and its sub-committees.

(d) how are the programmes and procedures monitored and audited

The overriding framework for this is provided by the Public Finance Management Act and the National Education Policy Act. Some initiatives have been evaluated externally by the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME). This includes the NSNP, the CAPS and support to Grade 12 learners. The relevant reports are available in the Evaluations Repository of DPME. Departmental annual reports, which provide details on the whole range of initiatives, are audited with respect to both spending and outcomes.

and (e) what number of learners have been guided to finish their schooling through the programmes (i) nationally and (ii) in each province;

It would be impossible to attribute successful completion for individual learners to specific interventions, as they are highly inter-connected. However, it seems clear that improvements in terms of successful completion of Grade 12 are the result of the variety of programmes aimed precisely at this outcome. According to the last NSC report of the Department, the percentage of youths successfully completing Grade 12 improved from 45% in 2005 to 57% in 2019, and number of matriculants continued to rise beyond 2019, despite the pandemic. The difference between 45% and 57% translates to around 130 000 additional youths achieving the ‘Matric’ in 2019 relative to 2005.

(2) whether she will furnish Mr B B Nodada with the (a) audit and (b) monitoring reports for each of the programmes nationally and provincially?

All relevant audit and monitoring reports are available online. The responses provided above point the Honourable Member of Parliament to specific documents.

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:

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:

(a) i. The number of Funza Lushaka bursaries (FLB) that have been awarded since it was established.

Year	No. Bursaries
2007	3662
2008	5185
2009	9141
2010	10073
2011	8619
2012	11620
2013	14301
2014	14245
2015	13865
2016	14036
2017	15135
2018	13700
2019	12953
2020	13082
2021	11905
2022	12087
Grand Total	183609

 (ii) Information that is immediately available allows for reporting of placements from the 2013 to 2021 period. During this period 33 113 bursary recipients graduates that were eligible for placement were placed after graduation.

(iii) No there was no monies paid back by the Students that graduated.  After graduations, the students are given six month to be placed in public schools.

(b) What are the reasons that the remaining graduates were not placed in each (i) year and (ii) province in each case? 

REPLY: Each year the reasons for the non-placement of FLB is primarily the same.  The placement of Funza Lushaka bursary recipients depends on the availability of vacant posts that match their qualifications. This approach has not changed since the inception of the programme. Therefore, some graduates remain unplaced each year mainly due to the unavailability of suitable vacancies. According to policy, the filling of educator vacancies follows an order which prioritises matching and placement of educators declared in addition; conversion of educators appointed in temporary capacity;  then the matching and placement of the Funza Lushaka and provincial bursary recipients in the remaining vacant posts. In some Provincial Education Departments (PEDs) bursary recipients compete for the remaining vacant posts with all other first-time appointments and this reduces the potential number of graduates placed. However, many of those that are not placed in the year that they are available for placement do join the system in the subsequent years.

Reply:

1. Under the ASIDI programme (Accelerated School Infrastructure Delivery Initiative) and the SAFE programme (Sanitation Appropriate For Education) the progress regarding inappropriate structures was as follows:

• A total of 40 new schools were planned for 2019/20, actual delivery was 24 new schools
• A total of 32 new schools were planned for 2020/21, actual delivery was 32 new schools
• A total of 21 new schools were planned for 2022/22, actual delivery was 21 new schools

 

2. Under the ASIDI & SAFE programmes, the progress regarding water supply was as follows:

• A total of 225 water projects were planned for 2019/20, actual delivery was 85 water projects
• A total of 100 water projects were planned for 2020/21, actual delivery was 100 water projects
• A total of 100 water projects were planned for 2021/22, actual delivery was 112 water projects

3. Under the ASIDI & SAFE programmes, the progress regarding sanitation was as follows:

• A total of 717 sanitation projects were planned for 2019/20, actual delivery was 99 sanitation projects
• A total of 600 sanitation projects were planned for 2020/21, actual delivery was 263 sanitation projects
• A total of 1000 sanitation projects were planned for 2021/22, actual delivery was 1019 sanitation projects

   4. Under the ASIDI programme, there are a total of 3033 projects, of which 2984 have already progressed to practical completion:

• A total of 1300 projects in EC of which 1258 achieved practical completion
• A total of 154 projects in FS of which 154 achieved practical completion
• A total of 16 projects in GP of which 16 achieved practical completion
• A total of 448 projects in KZN of which 448 achieved practical completion
• A total of 888 projects in LP of which 881 achieved practical completion
• A total of 135 projects in MP of which 135 achieved practical completion
• A total of 18 projects in NW of which 18 achieved practical completion
• A total of 19 projects n NC of which 19 achieved practical completion
• A total of 55 projects in WC of which 55 achieved practical completion
• The balance of ASIDI projects are scheduled for completion in 2022/23 

5. Under the SAFE programme, there are a total of 3408 projects, of which 2352 have already progressed to practical completion:

• A total of 1447 projects in EC of which 753 achieved practical completion
• A total of 106 projects in FS of which 106 achieved practical completion
• A total of 1 projects in GP of which 0 achieved practical completion
• A total of 1212 projects in KZN of which 990 achieved practical completion
• A total of 469 projects in LP of which 334 achieved practical completion
• A total of 98 projects in MP of which 96 achieved practical completion
• A total of 73 projects in NW of which 73 achieved practical completion
• A total of 1 projects n NC of which 0 achieved practical completion
• A total of 1 projects in WC of which 0 achieved practical completion
• The balance of SAFE projects are scheduled for completion in 2023/24  

Reply:

The question was referred to the Eastern Cape Education Department with a response date of Wednesday, 05 October 2022. To date, there has been no response from the province. 

The response will be shared as and when it is received.

Reply:

(a) 

There were 138 982 non - South African learners who did not provide their documentation to be captured in our School Administrative System. Of the 138 982, 6 489 were attending Grade 12.

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:

(a) The Department of Basic Education is not responsible for the issuing of certificates. Certification is a competency of the Quality Assurance Council, Umalusi. However, there has never been a distinction  between South African Citizens and Non-South Africans. All candidates that register for the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination and satisfy the requirements of the NSC are issued with the certificate.   

(b) Zero

(c)(i) None

(c) (ii) The matter does not have to be addressed as it is non-existent    

Reply:

1 a) Minister Pandor participated in the Ministerial Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) on 21 September 2020. The theme of the meeting was “The Role for the Non-Aligned Movement in Post-Pandemic Global Recovery: The Way Forward”, which formed the basis and the context for the discussions. The revitalisation of the Non-Aligned Movement with a view to strengthen and make the organisation fit for purpose in a post-COVID-19 era was topical and thus dominated the discussions. Additionally, the discussions focused on reaffirming the commitment of NAM members to the organisation and its principles as established in the Bandung Conference in 1955 and the need to buttress efforts to achieve its goals towards the promotion of global peace and security, nuclear non-proliferation and attainment of sustainable development. Members stressed the importance of strengthening coordination in the implementation of the NAM agenda and in support of the self-determination of Western Sahara and Palestine.

1 b) On 22 September, Minister Pandor participated in the High-Level Ministerial meeting of the African Union Peace and Security Council (PSC) focusing on preventing and combating terrorism and violent extremism on the continent. The meeting took place against the backdrop of increasing incidents of terrorism and violent extremism across all regions in the African Continent. In this regard, the meeting deliberated on ways to strengthen the AU’s efforts towards addressing the threat. The meeting recognised the existing peace and security frameworks of the AU and reaffirmed that focused implementation and enhanced coordination is vital in the AU’s efforts to address the challenge posed by terrorism. In this regard, the PSC underscored the need to strengthen the oversight role of the AUPSC to ensure effective coordination and collaboration between all stakeholders, including Member States, Regional Economic Communities/Regional Mechanisms (RECs/RMs), the AU Commission, notably the African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism (ACSRT), African Union Mechanism for Police Cooperation (AFRIPOL), and Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa (CISSA), as well as other relevant AU Organs and institutions.

The meeting adopted a Communiqué as an outcome of the meeting. Please see attached additional information. The Communique emphasises the need for collaboration by all Regional Economic Communities (RECs), mobilise necessary resources and implementation of relevant decision such as the Malabo Summit on Terrorism and Violent Extremism.

1 c) Minister Pandor held eleven bilateral meetings on the margins of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA77) High-Level Week to discuss multilateral issues, as well as ways to strengthen bilateral political and economic relations. The list of countries that were engaged were: Cuba, France, Ghana (President Nana-Addo), the President of the General Assembly, Latvia, Nicaragua, Tanzania (Former President Jakaya Kikwete), The Netherlands and Russia.

2. On 23 September, a Memorandum of Understanding on Political Consultations between South Africa and Paraguay was signed by Minister Pandor and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Paraguay, Mr Julio César Arriola Ramirez. The Memorandum of Understanding serves as a framework for the development and consolidation of cooperation at bilateral, regional and multilateral levels.

3. The Minister’s working visit to New York was budgeted for as the High-level Week of the UN General Assembly takes place annually in September at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

COMPILER DETAILS

Additional Information

AFRICAN UNION		UNION AFRICAINE
		UNIÃO AFRICANA

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, P.O. Box: 3243 Tel.: (251-11) 5513 822 Fax: (251-11) 5519 321

Email: [email protected]

PEACE AND SECURITY COUNCIL

1107TH MEETING

23 SEPTEMBER 2022

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

PSC/MIN/COMM. 1107 (2022)

DRAFT COMMUNIQUÉ

Adopted by the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) at its 1107th meeting, held on 23 September 2022, on the theme – Strengthening Regional Organizations for the Maintenance of Peace and Security in Africa: Preventing and Combating Terrorism and Violent Extremism in the Continent:

The Peace and Security Council,

Recalling the Declaration and Decision [Ext/Assembly/AU/Dec.(XVI)] adopted during the 16th Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union on Terrorism and Unconstitutional Changes of Government in Africa held on 28 May 2022, in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, which decided, amongst others, the establishment of a Ministerial Committee on Counter-Terrorism to give impetus to the Continental fight against terrorism;

 

Committed to the implementation of its previous decisions and pronouncements on preventing and combating terrorism and violent extremism in Africa and related themes, particularly, Communiqué [PSC/PR/COMM.1048(2021)] adopted at its 1048th meeting held on 15 November 2021; and Communiqué [PSC/MIN/COMM.1040(2021)] adopted at its 1040th meeting held at the Ministerial level on 22 October 2021;

Emphasizing the cardinal principles of subsidiarity, complementarity and comparative advantage, which guide the significant role played by the Regional Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms (RECs/RMs), who, on many occasions, are primary responders to crises and conflict situations in their respective geographic areas of jurisdiction;

Noting the opening remarks by H.E. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration of the Republic of Ghana and PSC Chairperson for September 2022, the remarks by H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the AU Commission, the statement by H.E. Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, and Mr. Vladimir Voronkov, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism; also noting the statements made by the representatives of the RECs/RMs;

Reaffirming the solidarity of the AU with the people of the Continent, particularly those adversely impacted by the scourge of terrorism and violent extremism; and

Acting under Article 7 of its Protocol, the Peace and Security Council: 

1. Expresses grave concern over the expanding and worsening scourge of terrorism and violent extremism on the Continent, exacerbated by the influx of Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTFs), mercenaries and private military enterprises, and deplores the growing linkages between terrorism and transnational organized crime, including illicit exploitation of, and trade in minerals, and illicit financial flows with debilitating impact on the economies of the Continent;

1. Strongly condemns the barbaric acts of terrorism and their attendant adverse impact on ordinary citizens and civilians, committed on the Continent by whomever, wherever and for whatever purposes; reiterates the AU’s determination to rid Africa of the scourge of terrorism and violent extremism, which cannot be justified under any circumstances, and expresses AU’s full solidarity with the affected countries and the victims of terrorism;

1. Underlines the imperative of enhancing comprehensive regional and continental approaches to address the growing scourge of terrorism and the underlying root causes and structural drivers associated with youth participation in violence including redressing the socio-economic imbalances that exist, with the view to economically empowering the people, especially the women and youth, in this regard, stresses the need to prioritize political solutions alongside military and security interventions; while recognizing that terrorism, radicalization and recruitment have been attributed to many causal factors such as democratic governance deficits, economic deprivation and marginalization, and lack of effective and legitimate governance structures for the provision of sustainable political and socio-economic infrastructures ;

1. Underscores the need to further enhance cooperation, coordination and complementarity of the regional and continental efforts, strengthening synergy and harmonization of interventions, as well as information and intelligence sharing and lessons arising from countering terrorism to reinforce the overall response to the threat of terrorism;

1. Highlights the need for context-specific interventions tailored to address the security, governance, development and humanitarian needs of the affected countries and regions with the participation of local community leaders, faith-based leaders, youth, women and the representatives of children;

1. Emphasizes the need to leverage the immense resource espoused by Traditional, Cultural, Religious and Community Leaders in an effort to de-radicalize the youth, given the enormous respect and influence these leaders command in the communities they lead;

1. Underscores the need to strengthen the oversight role of the PSC to ensure effective coordination and collaboration between all stakeholders, including Member States, RECs/RMs, the AU Commission, notably the African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism (ACSRT), African Union Mechanism for Police Cooperation (AFRIPOL), and Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa (CISSA), as well as other relevant AU Organs and institutions;

1. Encourages the RECs/RMs, who are yet to do so, to establish policy organs on peace and security, to ensure that all the regions have right architectures to respond to conflicts and crises, as well as terrorism and violent extremism; further encourages RECs/RMs with policy organs on peace and security to share expertise with those who are yet to establish theirs, and requests the AU Commission to provide the requisite support, where required and upon request;

1. Urges the RECs/RMs to fully utilize the cooperative mechanisms established to address country- and region-specific issues, most notably the Sahel Fusion and Liaison Unit (UFL), the Nouakchott Process on the Enhancement of Security Cooperation and the Operationalization of the African Peace and Security Architecture in the Sahelo-Saharan Region, the Djibouti Process and the Accra Initiatives established to respond to growing insecurity linked to violent extremism in the region;

1. Urges international partners to ensure zero tolerance for terrorism regardless of the targets or motives, and to take appropriate practical measures to ensure that their respective territories are not used by terrorists for inciting, instigating, organizing, facilitating, participating in, financing, or for the preparation or organization of terrorist acts intended to be committed against other States or their citizens;

1. Reiterates the need to further enhance collaboration between the AU Commission and RECs/RMs; in this regard, requests the AU Commission to support the RECs/RMs to undertake the following:

1. Explore best ways and means of further improving the implementation of policy interventions aimed at addressing the root causes and drivers of terrorism and violent extremism, especially the democratic governance deficit and the absence or weakness of governance structures in peripheral and remote territories, as well as political, social and economic marginalization;

1. Accompany the Member States affected by the scourge of terrorism through mobilization of requisite resources, including funding needed for strengthening institutions for delivery of social services, such as education, justice, health care and entrenching democracy, good governance and the rule of law;

1. Promote the development of economic opportunities, in particular trade facilitation and cross-border infrastructure and cooperation, to strengthen the regional integration necessary for the consolidation of peace and security, and reorient the people away from terrorism and violent extremism;

1. Strengthen existing mechanisms at the level of RECs/RMs, to compile a list of persons, groups and entities involved in terrorist acts, including FTFs, as well as those sponsoring them; with a view to tracking, monitoring, reporting on, and proposing policy responses to prevent the expansion of the threats of terrorism and violent extremism with the support of the AFRIPOL, CISSA and  ACSRT;

1. Establish regional counter-terrorism centres to support national efforts in preventing and combating terrorism;

1. Put in place mechanisms for supporting initiatives of local communities both for deradicalization, reconciliation, inter-communal dialogue and for implementing measures for addressing the humanitarian and socio-economic needs of affected populations;

1. Harness the comparative technical advantages of Africa’s governance and development institutions, including the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), the African Development Bank (ADB), and relevant AU Commission Departments, in developing and implementing peace enhancing development projects, including quick impact projects in areas liberated from terrorist groups, that are aimed at promoting the provision of social services and support the livelihoods of people in marginalized regions;

1. Convene inter-RECs/RMs policy coordination meetings horizontally among RECs/RMs, including at ministerial and heads of state and government levels taking note of the best practices of the Joint Summit of ECOWAS and ECCAS on peace, security and stability and the fight against terrorism and violent extremism held in Lomé, Togo in July 2018;

1. Use existing platforms and mechanisms, including the inter-regional knowledge platform (I-RECKE) for early warning and experience sharing, joint planning and collective action, launched in July 2022, in Lusaka, Zambia;

1. Support national Governments in investing in community policing and civil military relations in order to mobilize and sensitize the population against terrorism and violent extremism with the view to capturing the hearts and minds of the population, and creating a mindset change; and

1. Harmonize counter-terrorism and related laws at the regional level to facilitate greater regional integration and effective response mechanisms to terrorism, violent extremism and other related crimes such as drug trafficking, human trafficking and maritime piracy.

1. Underscores the need for RECs/RMs to be adequately financed, well-resourced and equipped to ensure that the Regional Standby Forces (RSFs) and security institutions engaging in conflict management and counter terrorist operations have the capacity for early and effective response;

1. Looks forward to the convening of the first meeting of the Ministerial Committee on Terrorism as established by the Decision [Ext/Assembly/AU/Dec.(XVI)] adopted during the 16th Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union on Terrorism and Unconstitutional Changes of Government in Africa in May 2022;

1. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

Reply:

(a),(b) and (c). The question asked by the Honourable Member falls within the Executive Authority of the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) and not the Minister of Basic Education. 

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:

1. Yes, Deputy Minister Ms Candith Mashego-Dlamini accomplished all the goals set for the visits to (a) Sierra Leone and (b) Liberia in West Africa to deliver vaccines.

The Deputy Minister visited Liberia on 24-28 September 2022 and Sierra Leone on 28-30 September 2022, respectively, to handover 79, 200 doses of the Johnson and Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccines to each of the countries. These vaccines were handed over as part of a gift of the partnership and friendship between the Republic of South Africa and the two governments. The contribution of COVID-19 J&J vaccines has deepened the mutually beneficial cooperation with Liberia and Sierra Leone and enhanced bilateral relations. South Africa is striving to ensure that the Continent is "COVID Free" and to ensure that Africans are vaccinated to meet the World Health Organization (WHO) threshold. The doses presented to these countries were produced at the pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Gqebera, South Africa, which is being operated by Aspen Pharma. The vaccine is proudly manufactured at a South African plant under license approved by the WHO. Liberia and Sierra Leone are among the first of 26 countries benefiting from this initiative.

2. No bilateral agreements were signed in both countries as the purpose of the visit was to deliver COVID-19 vaccines.

3. Total cost of the Deputy Minister’s travel to West Africa was R299 698.20.

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:

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) (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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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.

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. 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:

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).

 

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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

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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.

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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

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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:

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:

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.

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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.