Questions and Replies

Reply:

The IDC’s investment portfolio in terms of exposure, is currently at R98.9 billion, made up of R65.7 billion (66%) in Debt and R33.2 billion (34%) in Equity. Debt investments are those that are classified as Solely Payments of Principal and Interest (SPPI) and Equity investments are classified as Non-SPPI. The Mining Sector comprises the most significant exposure at 38%, followed by Chemicals (17%) and Energy (12%). Details are as shown in Table 1 below.

Table 1: IDC Portfolio Per Sector

 

Full list of companies under each of the investment sectors listed in Table 1

-END-

Reply:

The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) has no record of what could be deemed abandoned buildings in its property portfolio. Where properties are either unoccupied or not optimally utilised, there are various strategies being applied to either refurbish or prepare such properties for possible development proposals from the open market. This process is ongoing. In cases where properties are earmarked for development, PRASA signs development leases with 3rd party developers for redevelopment as part of the commercialisation strategy to address unoccupied properties.

Reply:

The shortfall referenced in the Drop Reports are shortages in technical skills at municipal level and it may be that the posts are filled but the staff involved are not appropriately qualified or registered. It is important to note that as much as half of the current shortage of process controllers could be addressed by training of existing staff to enable certification, rather than hiring new staff. The personnel issues are identified as one of the underlying main causes of poor performance in terms of the drop reports.

During the recent Summit held on 18 and 19 Jan 2024, this aspect was raised, and it was clear that there is a direct correlation between performance and availability of skills. The Summit was also attended by of the Energy & Water Sector Education and Training Authority (EWSETA), the Local Government Sector Education and Training Authority (LGSETA), the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA), the Water Service Institutions of South Africa and the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions (SACNASP) which all assist in the development of the necessary skills required in the Water Services Sector. These institutions all presented initiatives to assist municipalities to address some of the aspects around skills and capacity. The Department of Water Sanitation has also requested EWSETA to provide funding for training of process controllers (water and waste treatment works).

National government cannot legally hire staff or interns on behalf of municipalities. Therefore, the municipal leadership must prioritise the filling of positions with appropriately qualified staff and budget for this from revenue.

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Reply:

The Endumeni Local Municipality, Ward 1 is made up of rural areas and a town called Wasbank. The town consists of a fully functional water supply and flush toilet systems inside the dwellings. The town does not have a conventional Wastewater Treatment Works but consists of conservancy tanks / septic tanks that are emptied by the municipality when full.

The uMzinyathi District Municipality is currently implementing the Endumeni Sanitation Project in the rural areas of Ibusi, Thelaphi, and Ruigterfontein. The project is intended to eradicate the sanitation backlogs in Endumeni Local Municipality Ward 1. The Endumeni Sanitation Project commenced on 08 March 2023 and is targeted for completion on 08 March 2024.

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Reply:

The Customer Relations Management (CRM) solution is not a claims processing solution, but a customer contact solution that provides communication platform with claimants and other stakeholders, where claimants can interact with the RAF to enquire and follow up all claims related matters. The CRM solution intends to centralise and optimize all queries handling and become a central point for all key communication information.

(a)(i) Since inception of, a total of 201,663 cases were recorded within the Contact Centre. Of these, 193,640 cases were successfully resolved, resulting an overall resolution rate of 96.02%.

(b) None, CRM has been in operation for the past seven months to record, monitor and resolve claim related queries and complaints.

 

Reply:

A well-functioning transport and logistics system is vital to unlock the opportunities presented by trade, to grow the SA economy and create jobs.

The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) supports efforts by the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) to address challenges at ports and find permanent and systemic solutions. A workstream has been put in place by DPE and the Presidency with the private sector, which enables skilled personnel to assist with improving the country’s logistics systems. the dtic attends the oversight meetings convened by the Presidency.

Companies from time to time approach the dtic with specific challenges relating to a shipment of cargo. the dtic engages Transnet on these in order to resolve them.

The DPE will be best placed to provide information on the measures taken to date to address the challenges and the progress made.

-END-

Reply:

(1) No. It is not possible to determine the exact time frames due to the various processes that have to be undertaken prior to the introduction of a Bill to Parliament. As indicated in the reply to question 3435 on 22 November 2023, the first draft is expected to be completed by March 2024 and the Bill will follow the normal legislation-making process including processing through the relevant Directors-General Cluster System; conducting a Socio-Economic Impact Assessment; constitutional certification by the Office of the Chief State Law Advisor and obtaining Cabinet’s approval to gazette for public comments. Once the comments have been addressed, Cabinet’s approval will be sought for tabling the Bill to Parliament.

(2) No. DALRRD will not proceed with tenders for the drafting of the Animal Welfare Bill, the Bill is being drafted within the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD). The Department has previously responded that it added additional internal capacity in the form of three state veterinarians who are handling the animal welfare portfolio and therefore there is no need for the advertisement of a tender for the drafting of the Bill.

(3) No, because no Memorandum of Understanding has been signed with the University of Pretoria for the drafting of the new Animal Welfare Bill.

(4)(a) No date has been confirmed for the Animal Welfare colloquium; this will form part of the consultation process as indicated in response to part (1) above.

(b) DALRRD.

(5) No.

Reply:

(a) what actions has he taken in the wake of the allegations,

On 10 January 2024 the NSFAS Board Chairperson, Mr Ernest Khosa informed the Board of his decision to take a leave of absence, and the Board, at the same meeting on 10 January 2024, decided to appoint an independent legal service provider to advise on the appropriate course of action. The firm Tshisevhe Gwina Ratshimbilani Inc. (TGR Attorneys) has been appointed and we now await their report.

(b) what are the precise allegations against the specified person,

The OUTA report contains recordings and transcripts of recordings of two meetings held allegedly between the Chairperson of the NSFAS Board, Mr Ernest Khosa and service providers to NSFAS. The report raised several allegations, including:

• The Chairperson privately met with service providers under investigation by the board for irregular appointments.
• The Chairperson allegedly received monetary benefits from service providers in exchange for facilitating appointments.
• The Chairperson purportedly made decisions with service providers that were contrary to the ongoing board investigation.

(c) how have the allegations affected the daily running of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS),

The leave of absence of the Chairperson has resulted in vacancies within both the Board itself and some of its sub-committees. Nevertheless, the Board has taken proactive measures to address this situation by reallocating existing members to fill these vacancies, thereby ensuring the continuity of leadership and preventing any void in governance.

(d) how does his department plan to solve the operational challenges and

The Department’s role is to exercise oversite. In the process of fulfilling this role it has approved funding for NSFAS’ ICT needs and capacity challenges. Whilst these are being addressed the Board has identified experts who will assist with implementing the turnaround strategy of the entity. Through reports the Department is monitoring the implementation of the audit plan and mitigation strategies it has advised NSFAS to implement. Further it engages with stakeholders, such as TVET Colleges and Universities, on whom NSFAS depends for timeous provision of accurate data to address bottlenecks. In addition, the Department will be instituting a board evaluation programme to assess the board’s performance against key KPI’s including amongst others institutional governance, policies to support critical standard operating procedures and performance management.

(e) who is the current acting chairperson of NSFAS?

The current Acting Chairperson is Prof Lourens van Staden.

Reply:

a) In terms of the Government Immovable Asset Management Act of 2007 (GIAMA), the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) is responsible for the sourcing of office accommodation on behalf of government departments. To that end the DPWI issued a bid for alternative accommodation in December 2018. Following the successful conclusion of the bid process, a contractor was appointed on 9 January 2020 to build a new office for the Department of Home Affairs.

b) In addition to the protracted procurement and contracting processes at DPW&I, it took time to obtain the necessary approvals for the building plans from the City of Cape Town. These challenges are now resolved and building works have commenced on site.

c) The new office will provide the community of Mitchells Plain with the full ambit of services available at any of the modernised Home Affairs offices. These include the issuance of Smart ID Cards, passports and the registration of births, marriages and deaths. In addition, the new office will address the health and safety issues raised in respect of the existing office infrastructure and will provide sufficient waiting area for clients as well as adequate working areas for the department’s officials.

END

Reply:

a) The Local Government: Municipal Structures Act No. 3 of 2021 introduced section 79A which now makes it mandatory for each municipality to establish Municipal Public Accounts Committees (MPAC). One of the key responsibilities of MPAC, is to review comments made by management in the audit action plan to address issues raised by the Auditor-General South Africa (AGSA).

To support and strengthen the functioning of the MPACs, the Department established the MPAC and Council Committees Forum to support MPACs to perform their legislative responsibility. The discussion at the Forum is inclusive of matters relating to issues raised by the AGSA; investigation on Unauthorised, Irregular, Fruitless and Wasteful (UIF&W) expenditure in accordance with section 32 of the MFMA, read with s79A of the Municipal Structures Act. The Forum includes representatives from the National Treasury, SALGA, provincial departments responsible for local government, and the AGSA.

The implementation of the recommendations to address identified material irregularities are evaluated by the department as an integral part of assessing the adequacy of the audit action plans and progress on the implementation of the audit action plans. Engagements are also held with some of the MPAC provincial forums on their oversight role relating to issues raised by the AGSA.

Municipalities are required to refer identified material irregularities that are of a criminal nature to law enforcement agencies for further investigation. Progress in relation to investigations of the reported cases is provided by law enforcement agencies at the Local Government Anti-Corruption Forum (LGACF), which was launched by the Department as a coordination structure of anti-corruption efforts in the local government sphere. On an ad hoc basis, the AGSA is also invited to the LGACF to make presentations on material irregularities in local government and progress in relation to addressing the material irregularity findings.

b) The Department will collaborate with its key stakeholders, including the National Treasury, SALGA, provincial departments responsible for local government, and the AGSA, to identify municipalities with persistent non-compliance or lack of action for intervention, encourage MPACs to hold management accountable for poor performance and transgression.

End.

Reply:

The Department is not in a position to share current (2024) enrolment data as the data has not been validated and audited at the university level. Ordinarily university audits are completed around July, Audited Disability enrolment stats have been disaggregated by race and gender in the table below. Unfortunately, DHET does not categorise student data in terms of the faculty they are located in.

Year	2022
Institution	Female	Female Total	Male	Male Total
	African	Coloured	Indian	No Info	White		African	Coloured	Indian	No Info	White
Cape Peninsula University of Technology	42	31	1	1	12	87	61	27	4	1	16	109
Central University of Technology	94	2			3	99	87	5			4	96
Durban University of Technology	207	5	10			222	167	2	10		2	181
Mangosuthu University of Technology	36					36	23					23
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University	195	29	3		36	263	168	25	4		36	233
North West University	337	9	9	1	196	552	197	8	4	1	141	351
Rhodes University	50	6	4		24	84	33	10	5		21	69
Sefako Makgatho University	8					8	17					17
Sol Plaatje University, Northern Cape	26	3			1	30	24	4	2		1	31
Tshwane University of Technology	88	1			3	92	107				5	112
University of  Fort Hare	4				1	5	6	1			2	9
University of Cape Town	80	49	18	106	100	353	104	31	18	99	71	323
University of Free State	124	8	1		51	184	114	7	2	1	41	165
University of Johannesburg	88	8	2	1	28	127	72	3	5		19	99
University of KwaZulu-Natal	271	5	43		12	331	195	7	23		3	228
University of Limpopo	107	1				108	84					84
University of Mpumalanga	1252	2	2		4	1260	798	3	2		2	805
University of Pretoria	115	16	22	1	140	294	114	7	23	1	156	301
University of South Africa	1201	133	115	34	361	1844	789	81	83	9	232	1194
University of Stellenbosch	54	52	14	9	191	320	31	39	11	14	160	255
University of Venda	28					28	41					41
University of Western Cape	150	112	8	2	17	289	104	87	8	2	13	214
University of Witwatersrand	379	52	91		188	710	299	23	72		141	535
University of Zululand	163					163	126	1		1		128
Vaal University of Technology	248					248	227	2			3	232
Walter Sisulu University	10					10	12					12

Reply:

1. (a) 131 528 applications have been rejected for the 2024 academic year. Their status remains at rejected.

(b) The applications were rejected due to not meeting either the financial or academic eligibility criteria.

2. (a) NSFAS has received 1495 appeals to date.

(b) NSFAS has not started working on the appeals yet. NSFAS applications closed on 15 February 2024. The team has been working on expediting the processing of applications.

(c) No appeals have been resolved yet.

Reply:

In relation to the exact capacity available in each Province and what is required to react to national rescue disasters, the Department performs annual assessments of Urban Search & Rescue (USAR) capacity within Provinces, which includes provision of funding for training and development for purposes of establishing and maintaining sustainable USAR capacity within Provinces.

The NDMC will in the new financial year initiate a process for the development of National USAR standards for the South African USAR teams accreditation process. The standard will identify specific roles and responsibilities for each Urban Search and Rescue activity included in the operational plans of the various USAR teams participating in disaster response efforts. It will also provide mechanisms to determine the level of implementation of USAR activities according to the magnitude of the event or disaster and the capacity of the USAR team to deal with it. The standard will be introduced in all spheres of government, and it will also make provision for the development of USAR response systems for all government USAR teams involved in response, including the private sector, NGOs, and technical experts for the purpose of enhancing USAR capacity within the country.

The above initiatives will be aligned to the United Nations International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG), as South Africa is a signatory to the UN General Assembly Resolution 57/150 on "Strengthening the Effectiveness and Coordination of International USAR Assistance" (2002) which underpins much of the actions taken by the Department in the areas of effective preparation, coordination and response to rescue related disasters.

I thank you.

Reply:

(1)(i) Below is the total number of refugees (Section 24 holders) with a valid visa as at 1 January 2024:

Country	Total
Afghanistan	5
Algeria	3
Angola	21
Egypt	4
Burundi	2383
Benin	3
Bangladesh	169
Bahamas	1
Cambodia	1
Central African Republic	8
Chad	2
Cameroon	291
Congo	3739
DRC	19834
Comoros	1
Cuba	1
Eritrea	1317
Estonia	3
Ethiopia	13401
Palestine	30
Ghana	3
Guinea Bissau	10
Ivory Coast	17
India	2
Iran	1
Iraq	7
Jordan	3
Kenya	118
Liberia	45
Sri Lanka	9
Macau	2
Mali	3
Malawi	7
Morocco	1
Niger	3
Nigeria	7
Oman	1
Pakistan	5
Russia	9
Rwanda	918
Senegal	2
Sierra Leone	12
Solomon Islands	6
Somalia	20743
Saint Kitts and Nevis	1
Sudan	71
Swaziland	9
Sweden	1
Syria	39
Tanzania	25
East Timor	4
Togo	9
Türkiye	4
Uganda	407
Ukraine	2
Yemen	4
Zambia	51
Zimbabwe	3373
Total	67151

(1)(ii) Below is the total of Section 22 holders (Asylum seekers) with a valid visa as at 1 January 2024:

Country	Total
Afghanistan	10
Algeria	42
Angola	4
Egypt	88
Australia	1
Bahrain	2
Burundi	5228
Benin	10
Bangladesh	9239
Bahamas	5
Burkina Faso	11
Botswana	1
Bosnia	1
Central African Republic	2
Chad	1
China	13
Cameroon	735
Congo	3206
DRC	22298
Comoros	8
Colombia	1
Eritrea	823
Estonia	2
Ethiopia	25624
Gabon	7
Gambia	7
Palestine	3
Ghana	584
Guinea Bissau	4
Guinea	14
Croatia	1
Hungary	3
Ivory Coast	33
India	1846
Ireland	1
Iran	3
Iraq	1
Israel	3
Jamaica	2
Jordan	9
Kenya	396
Liberia	26
Libya	1
Lesotho	4
Sri Lanka	6
Mali	32
Malaysia	1
Malawi	627
Morocco	3
Mozambique	39
Mayotte	1
Nepal	76
Netherlands	1
Niger	153
Nigeria	1468
New Zealand	1
Pakistan	3249
Russia	1
Rwanda	807
Senegal	235
Sierra Leone	5
Somalia	4406
Saint Kitts and Nevis	1
Sudan	33
Suriname	1
Slovenia	1
Swaziland	2
Syria	13
Tanzania	226
Thailand	7
East Timor	2
Togo	5
Türkiye	7
Uganda	1785
Ukraine	2
Uruguay	1
Wallis and Futuna	1
Yemen	5
Zambia	100
Zimbabwe	3365
Total	86971

2. For the current financial year, the Department makes a first instance decision on average within 7 days with more than 90% of cases adjudicated within 30 days.

3. In terms of the Standing Committee for Refugee Affairs (SCRA) on average, it takes 180 days to review all matters submitted to SCRA. Currently due to high volumes of matters designated as manifestly unfounded, fraudulent and abusive, SCRA has less than 50 cases which have exceeded 180 days.

The Refugee Appeals Authority of South Africa (RAASA) is a tribunal and its adjudication and finalisation of appeal cases is a bit complex. Over the years, RAASA became inundated with appeals which escalated around the period 2008, leading to the current backlog.

Every appeal case with its complexities is adjudicated on its own merits and the time to finalise thereof differs from one case to the other. However, individual members of the RAASA conduct about 3-5 appeal hearings a day to eradicate the backlog and this is subject to the Asylum Seeker honouring the set down date.

END

Reply:

Currently, the State Security Agency (SSA) Budget is allocated according to the following Programmes:- 1) Administration, 2) Oversight and Control, 3) Domestic Intelligence, 4) Foreign Intelligence, 5) National Communication and 6) Intelligence Academy.

Therefore with few adjustments, it will be less complicated to draw up the budgets of the separated entities as soon as the Bill is promulgated into law. The National Treasury has been alerted to the possible separation of the entities and the need to make the relevant adjustment budgets.

REPLY COORDINATOR

Name :

Designation :

Contacts :

Recommended / Not recommended

___________________________

Ambassador Nozuko Bam

Acting Director-General: State Security Agency

Date:

Approved / Not Approved

________________________

Khumbudzo Ntshavheni , MP,

Minister in The Presidency

Date:

Reply:

Question 1 (a)

The department of COGTA has initiated fire services capacity assessments which is updated on annual basis with all the Provincial Disaster Management Centres across the Country. The current total number of fire rescue disaster personnel are as follows:

Provinces	Number of fire rescue members
Western Cape	1 452
Free State	481
Gauteng	3 538
Eastern Cape	938
KwaZulu-Natal	1 125
North West	650
Limpopo	482
Mpumalanga	478
Northern Cape	88

Question 1 (b) (i) and (ii)

Eastern Cape	10
Free State	27
North West	23
Gauteng	197
Western Cape	69
Limpopo	0
Mpumalanga	37
Northern Cape	0
KwaZulu-Natal	205

 

Question 2 (a) (b) (c) (d)

The Department performs annual Urban Search & Rescue capacity assessments within the Provinces as part of its efforts to ensure the establishment as well as development of a sustainable Urban Search & Rescue capacity within the country. 

The last capacity assessment in terms of (a) (b) (c) (d) was performed in the Mpumalanga Province on 25 October 2023. 

 Question 3

The Department has no active MOUs with NGOs/Non-profit organizations dealing with rescue disasters, as these are typically entered into on a Provincial and Municipal level with NGOs/NPOs at the initial face of operations. However, the Department is exploring the possibilities of such MOUs and have referred a recent request for partnership with an NGO through to the CoGTA Legal Services for a legal opinion. The Department is also in the process of having it's Urban Search & Rescue Governance Framework gazetted, which, in line with the Disaster Management Act (No 57 of 2002) calls for the active participation of all stakeholders, including the private sector, NGOs, technical experts, communities, traditional leaders and volunteers, in disaster risk and response planning and operations. 

End.

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure

(a) The grass was damaged and not suitable for re use, because the vehicles drove and parked all over the grass area. It is therefore planned to provide a parking area for vehicles adjacent to the security entrance.

(b) The service provider is compensated monthly to address the horticulture for the entire park. Based on expenditure per m2 for horticulture, an amount of R 3 384.16 was spent on the grass in question since the commencement of the project.

Reply:

The National Department of Human Settlements has indeed taken proactive measures to address the challenges faced by the Free State Province, particularly regarding the delivery of housing units. The Department’s key interventions included:

• Firstly we seconded an experienced individual who has previously worked with the National Department, to capacitate the Provincial Department’s Supply Chain Management Unit. This individual's expertise and experience have significantly contributed to improving operational efficiency within the Department.
• Secondly, also seconding a Project Management Unit official to provide additional support and guidance to the Provincial Department. This collaborative approach has enabled the efficient coordination and execution of housing projects, thereby enhancing overall project delivery.
• In addition to these interventions, the province has also made significant investments in planning activities, laying the groundwork for future housing developments.

The interventions implemented thus far have yielded promising results and ongoing efforts will continue to drive progress and ensure the provision of adequate housing opportunities for residents of the province. National Department of Human Settlements remains committed to supporting the Free State Province in addressing its housing delivery challenges and improving its performance outcomes.

Reply:

The response provided by the Department regarding NA 3359 indicated that “From 1 April 2023 to date, the Department had issued 22 Notices of Intention to Issue a Directive and 5 Directives in response to identified contraventions related to the requirements stipulated under Section 19(3) and 22 of the National Water Act”.

The tables below provide details of 22 entities that have been issued Notices of Intention to Issue Directives, as well as 5 Directives issued to compel responsible entities to take remedial action aimed at ceasing, containing, and remedying the effects of pollution, among other objectives.

Table: 1

No	List of names on Notices issued
	Responsible Office	(a)(b)&(c) Government Sphere	Facility Name
	Breede/Gouritz CMA	Local Government [WSA/WSP]	Witsand Wastewater Treatment Works, Hessequa Local Municipality, Port Beaufort 484/65, Swellendam, Hessequa Local Municipality, Port Beaufort 484/65, Swellendam: Breede/Gouritz
	KwaZulu-Natal Regional Office	Local Government [WSA/WSP]	Umgeni Water board, Umgeni Water Board, Pietermaritzburg: Pongola/Mtamvuna
	Free State Regional Office	Local Government [WSA/WSP]	Venterstad Wastewater Treatment Works, Joe Gqabi District Municipality, Barkly East: Orange
	Breede/Gouritz CMA	Local Government [WSA/WSP]	Illegal dumping at near Theewaterskloof Dam causing pollution, Theewaterskloof, Theewaterskloof Municipality: Breede/Gouritz
	Free State Regional Office	Government [National/Prov]	Caledonspoort WWTW, Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, Caledonspoort: Orange
	Eastern Cape Regional Office	Local Government [WSA/WSP]	Dordrecht WWTW, Chris Hani District Municipality, Dordrecht: Orange
	Free State Regional Office	Local Government [WSA/WSP]	Koppies WWTW, Ngwathe Local Municipality, Koppies: Vaal
	Free State Regional Office	Local Government [WSA/WSP]	Thabong WWTW, Matjhabeng Local Municipality, Free State, Matjhabeng Local Municipality, Free State: Orange
	Free State Regional Office	Local Government [WSA/WSP]	Van Stadensrus WWTW, Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality, Mangaung: Orange
	Free State Regional Office	Local Government [WSA/WSP]	BFN-Bloemdustria WWTW, Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality, BFN-Bloemdustria: Orange
	Free State Regional Office	Local Government [WSA/WSP]	BFN - Northern Works (WWTW), Mangaung Local Municipality, Mangaung: Orange
	Free State Regional Office	Local Government [WSA/WSP]	Oppermansgronde WWTW, Letsemeng Local Municipality: Orange
	Free State Regional Office	Local Government [WSA/WSP]	Fauresmith WWTW, Kopanong Local Municipality, Fauresmith: Orange
	Mpumalanga Regional Office	Local Government [WSA/WSP]	Lebowakgomo Wastewater Treatment Works, Capricorn District Municipality, Capricorn District Municipality: Olifants
	Mpumalanga Regional Office	Local Government [WSA/WSP]	Tabile Mapekula, Klipspruit Wastewater Treatment Works: Olifants
	Limpopo Regional Office	Local Government [WSA/WSP]	Thohoyandou P West manhole, Vhembe district Municipality, 665 Mphephu Drive: Limpopo
	North West Regional Office	Local Government [WSA/WSP]	Swartdam Wastewater Treatment Works, Moretele Local Municipality, Farm Haakdoornfontein 55JR/3: Limpopo
	North West Regional Office	Local Government [WSA/WSP]	Mothotlung Wastewater Treatment Work, Madibeng Local Municipality, Farm Hoeksfontein 247IQ/4: Limpopo
	Western Cape Regional Office	Local Government [WSA/WSP]	Pniel & Wemmershoek WWTW, Stellenbosch Local Municipality, Dwarsriver: Berg/Olifants
	Mpumalanga Regional Office	Government [National/Prov]	Zonderwater Correctional Services, Zonderwater Correctional Services: Olifants
	Free State Regional Office	Local Government [WSA/WSP]	Hoopstad WWTW, Tswelopele Local Municipality, Tswelopele: Vaal
	Free State Regional Office	Local Government [WSA/WSP]	Steynsrus WWTW, Moqhaka Local Municipality, Steynsrus: Orange

 

Table: 2

No	List of names on Directives issued
	Responsible Office	(a)(b)&(c) Government Sphere	Facility Name
	Mpumalanga Regional Office	Local Government [WSA/WSP]	Sewage overflow at Cnr. Dirk Winterbach &, Marone Street, Fetakgomo Tubatse Municipality, Burgersfort: Olifants
	North West Regional Office	Local Government [WSA/WSP]	Zeekoegat Wastewater Treatment Works, City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, Portion 142 Zeekoegat 296 JR: Limpopo
	Free State Regional Office	Local Government [WSA/WSP]	Thaba Nchu WWTW, Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality, Moroka, Stationview, Bultfontein and Seroalo Pump Stations: Orange
	Free State Regional Office	Local Government [WSA/WSP]	Oviston Wastewater Treatment Works, Joe Gqabi Municipality, Barkly East: Orange
	Eastern Cape Regional Office	Local Government [WSA/WSP]	Amalinda Central WWTW, Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality, Amalinda Central WWTW: Mzimvubu/Tsitsikamma

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Reply:

(a) & (b). Only one Team was established and deployed in the Free State Province to assist in addressing the procurement challenges. The Team has made a remarkable positive impact in turning around the procurement challenges in the province, with an expenditure rate of above 70% that has been achieved as of February 2024.

The Department did not establish any other similar teams in other Provinces.

Reply:

1.  The average amount of water provided by uMngeni-uThukela Water to the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality is summarised in the table below:

Month	Targeted Volume in kl/day	No. of days	Monthly Target in kl	Actual Supplied Volume in kl	Monthly Variance in kl
January	1 105 000	28	30,940,000	32,126,382	1,186,382
February	1 105 000	31	34,472,000	34,255,000	-217,000
March	1 105 000	28	31,136,000	32,126,382	990,382
April	1 105 000	31	34,472,000	34,255,000	-217,000
May	1 105 000	30	33,360,000	33,150,000	-210,000
June	1 105 000	36**	40,032,000	39,780,000	-252,000
July	1 011 000#	25	25,275,000	28,225,771	2, 950, 771
August	1 011 000#	31	31,341,000	34,769,031	3,428,031
September	1 011 000#	31	31,341,000	34, 971,532	3,630,532
October	1 011 000#	30	30,330,000	33,567,957	3,237,957
November	1 011 000#	31	31,341,000	34,799,924	3,458,924
December	1 011 000#	33*	33,363,000	38,019,751	4,656,751
TOTAL			387,403,000	410,046,730	22,643,730

*Mid-term: meter reading done at month end

**Financial Year End: meter reading done at month end

#Targeted volume for the 2023/2024 financial year reduced in order to ensure compliance with the raw water abstraction license.

2. uMngeni-uThukela Water has been able to provide eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality with the required volume of water as stipulated in the Bulk Supply Agreement. However, there were four months wherein the actual volumes supplied were slightly below the targeted volumes.

During the year 2023, uMngeni-uThukela Water supplied eThekwini Metro with 410, 046, 730 kl which was 22, 643, 730 kl above the targeted supply volumes.

During the course of 2023, uMngeni-uThukela Water carried out planned maintenance as detailed in the table in Annexure A below:

---00O00---

ANNEXURE A

No	Details of Shutdown	Planned Date & Duration	Actual Completion Date
1.	Reservoir 3, Roof Rehabilitation. Floor & wall lining and installation	07 August 2019 (39 Months)	10 January 2023
2.	Maphephetheni Works & Inanda Dam Pumping Main 700mm dia. Butterfly Valve Installation	08 February 2023 (12 Hours)	08 February 2023
3.	Aqueduct 1 and 2 Rehabilitation following the April 2022 floods.	28 June 2022 (12 Months)	30 June 2023
4.	Avondale Pump Station Replacement of the Inlet Control Valve	03 March 2023 (8 Hours)	03 March 2023
5.	Hazelmere Works Installation of the Inlet Control Valve	31 March 2023 (24 Hours)	01 April 2023
6.	Verulam Pump Repairs	05 June 2023 (24 Hours)	05 June 2023
7.	Toti System Reservoir 1 Outlet valve replacement & PDT’s	24 May 2023 (12 Hours)	24 May 2023
8.	Northdene Pump Station: Installation of 700mm diameter steel	22 May 2023 (9 Hours)	22 May 2023
9.	Nagle Dam – New Intake Repairs	21 July 2023 (12 Hours)	21 July 2023
10.	Maphephetheni – Inlet Control Valve Repair	11 July 2023 (12 Hours)	11 July 2023
11.	Maphephetheni – Aqueduct 2 Isolation for penstock installation tunnel 6 - 7	11 July 2023 (12 Hours)	11 July 2023
12.	Maphephetheni – Aqueduct 2 Isolation for penstock installation tunnel 8	21 July 2023 (12 Hours)	21 July 2023
13.	La Mercy Pump Repairs	10 August 2023 (12 Hours)	10 August 2023
14.	357 Pipeline Relocation DN1400 tie-in	20 September 2023 (63 Hours)	23 September 2023
15.	257 Pipeline Relocation: DN 1000 tie-ins at Fairview Road	28 September 2023 (60 hours)	30 September 2023
16.	Northern Aqueduct – Replacement of Air Valves	22 September 2023 (9 hours)	22 September 2023
17.	Installation of the Isolation Plate on Aqueduct 2 at the Head of Works Durban Heights WW	04 October 2023 (24 Hours)	05 October 2023
18.	Removal of an Isolation Plate on Aqueduct 2 at the Head of Works Durban Heights WW.	21 November 2023 (18 Hours)	21 November 2023
19.	Wiggins HLPS Repair of the Cooling Water Pump System.	24 October 2023 (8 hours)	24 October 2023
20.	357 Pipeline Relocation DN1400 tie-in	18 October 2023 (60 hours)	18 October 2023
21.	257 Pipeline Relocation DN 1400 tie-in	25 October 2023 (60 hours)	27 October 2023
22.	Relocation of DN 700, 54 Pipeline and tie-in to the existing pipeline along the N3 Durban route at Ashburton Interchange for SANRAL to complete the Construction of N3 Road.	14 November 2023 (72 hours)	17 November 2023
23.	Northern Aqueduct – Replacement of Air Valves	05 October 2023 (9 hours)	05 October 2023

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure

(1)

(a) The work that was implemented was programmed as part of the work packages that was agreed prior to the holiday session, and suitable time to implement was during December 2023 when many people were on holiday. The horticulture services form part of the preventative maintenance scope. Key areas were identified that required attention. Therefore this was not a new project but the continuation of their current services.

(b) The work was undertaken by the contracted facilities management company and not an independent contractor.

(2)

(a) The preparation of the area and groundwork was paid from the scheduled items allowed for in the corrective maintenance bill of qualities. The cost for the preparation and groundwork amounts to R136 420.00. The new plants are part of the supplemental planting that falls under preventative maintenance scope of the works. No additional remuneration is required for this item.

(b) The total facilities management contract is provided for under programme 6 of PMTE.

(3) The facilities management contract is 5 year contract, so funds are used within that period, so this cannot be classified as fiscal dumping, because the 5 year period has not yet come to an end.

Reply:

a) The South African National Standards (SANS) 1936-1: Development of Dolomite Land, which was developed by South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) sets out requirements for the development of dolomitic land. The SANS 1936-1thus ensures that people live and work in an environment that is understood by society to be acceptably safe, where loss of assets is within tolerable limits, and where cost-effective and sustainable land usage is achieved. The said standards are applicable to all the three spheres of government to avoid hazards associated with dolomite, especially in areas where the building of residential properties should be prohibited to eliminate the loss of life. In areas where the building of residential units is permitted, mitigation measures are put in place in the form of land use permitted in the Municipal Zoning Scheme. With this consideration, the Department provides guidance through the National Housing Code of 2009, which is based on the classification identified in SANS 1936-1: Development of Dolomite Land. Additionally, site rehabilitation measures have been introduced to ensure that houses are built on stable ground and the appropriate foundation is put in place. Moreover, the National Housing Code of 2009 entails maps of various provinces which designate dolomitic areas, to ensure that careful consideration is given during development, and that appropriate studies are conducted before actual construction can occur, to ensure safe environments.

b) To ensure the safety and well-being of citizens located in the dolomitic areas, a stringent process is followed. Part of this process is that prior to any housing project development, a feasibility study has to be undertaken to ascertain that the land can be developed. Once the feasibility study has been undertaken, a Geotech study is conducted to gather the physical characteristics of the soil and rocks on a site to ensure that if dolomitic rock is found, the site is rehabilitated where necessary, and proper foundations are designed. For projects that are developed in the dolomitic areas, conventional foundations such as strip or spot footings are often used in the building of houses where the risk of sinkhole forming is found to be adequate. Moreover, compacted soil mattresses that serve as a flexible reinforcement are used to strengthen structures on areas underlain by dolomite. In areas where sinkhole formation poses an immediate danger to the inhabitants of houses, the relevant municipalities (in consultation with the provincial departments of human settlements and all relevant stakeholders) are to consider the upgrading of aging or affected infrastructure or the identification and preparation of well-located and suitable land for the resettlement of affected households. The National Department of Human Settlements monitors compliance with technical specifications through analysis of business plans of Provinces and Metros, wherein the geotechnical reports should form part of the supporting evidence prior to development in dolomitic areas.

Reply:

1. All medical doctors eligible for community service have been placed as of January 2024. This number excludes those who lodged appeals against the areas that they were placed at.

2. National Department of Health can confirm that all medical doctors that were eligible to commence community service started work on 01 January 2024. Only those who are deemed as not eligible or are late starters (i.e., completing their community service later than 31 December 2023) have not been placed. They will be placed upon completion of their community service.

END.

Reply:

The President (a) and or any member of the Cabinet (b) did not meet with any member of Harakat al-Mugawama al-Islamiya (Hamas) to discuss any strategy whereby South Africa could assist Hamas or any other country in waging a diplomatic and/or legal offensive against the State of Israel at any time in (i) 2022, (ii) 2023 and (iii) during the period 1 January 2024 up to the latest specified date.

 

Reply:

The National Department of Health (NDoH) was aware of the shortages of biocides, hand sanitizer and hibiscus (hibiscrub) hand soap in the facilities across the Eastern Cape.

a) There are interventions that the NDoH implements to ensure that there are no supply shortages at facilities. These interventions are informed by the cause of the supply challenge.

• Where the supply constraint is due to operational matters, e.g. machine breakdown, labour unrest, theft, post importation testing, etc., the NDOH would source products from alternative local suppliers with registered products using the quotation process.
• Should the supply constraint result in a longer term supply challenge, such as regulatory matters including amendments to the dossier that requires approval from South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA), including a change/addition of an active pharmaceutical ingredient source and/or manufacturing site, the transfer of ownership of dossiers which results in a change of marketing authorization, delays in the issuing of the permits for imported medicines, manufactured products requiring additional quality checks by SAHPRA, etc. and no alternative local suppliers with registered products are available; an application would be made to SAHPRA for the acquisition of unregistered medicines for human use in South Africa Act use in terms of Section 21 of the Medicines and Related Substances Act.

b) Health facilities in the Eastern Cape place their orders with the depot on a weekly basis, and the depot processes these orders efficiently with a lead time of a week.

In most cases including the recently reported case, the medicines supply challenges are transient in that an item may be reported as out of stock and soon after the item is back on stock.

Currently, there are no the shortages of biocides, hand sanitizers and hibiscus hand soap in health facilities across the Eastern Cape. The table below shows the current availability of the items in the Eastern Cape health facilities including the depots:

Item Description	Quantity on stock	Stock Provision in Months
Hibiscus (Hibiscrub) Hand Soap 500ml	6 826	2.5 months’ supply
Hand sanitizer without emollient 500ml	8 590	4 months’ supply
Biocide 100s	6 060	2 months’ supply

Table 1. Stock on hand of selected items as at 12 February 2024

END.

Reply:

a) In line with Formal Education Procedure- section 7.2.7.1, indicates that all offenders who have registered for education programmes that require access to electronic material are granted the use of computers/ laptops within the Correctional Centre. Personal laptops are allowed for educational purposes with the approval of the Head of the Centre.

b) As outlined in the Formal Education Procedure- section 7.2.9, the Department of Correctional Services has a secure room within the Correctional Centre or at the school available specifically for the placement of computers/ laptops for offenders.

A designated official is assigned to specifically control the use and access to all computers/ laptops in the secured room.

END

REPLY:

Reply:

There was no state visit to the (a) Islamic Republic of Iran (i) in 2023 and (ii) from 1 January 2024 to date.

A state visit was undertaken to the State of Qatar from 14 to 15 November 2023. The South African Delegation (a) consisted of:

1. H.E. Mr MC Ramaphosa President of the Republic of South Africa

2. Dr GNM Pandor: Minister of International Relations and Cooperation

3. Amb GH Asmal: South African Ambassador to the State of Qatar

4. Ms A Didiza: Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and

Rural Development

5. Ms MA Motshekga: Minister of Basic Education

6. Mr E Patel: Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition

7. Ms K Ntshavheni: Minister in the Presidency – State Security

8. Ms T Modise: Minister of Defence and Military Veterans

9. Ms P Baleni: Director-General and Secretary of Cabinet

10. Ms R Singh: Deputy-Director General (Chief of Staff in the Presidency)

11. Ms D Nicol: Special Advisor to the President

12. Mr N Sibiya: Special Advisor to the President

13. Mr V Magwenya: Spokesperson to the President

The schedule of meetings held in the State of Qatar (b)(i):

1. Official Talks between the RSA and Qatari delegations

2. Tête-á-tête between President Ramaphosa and His Highness, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, Amir of the Stet of Qatar

3. Signing Ceremony

4. Meeting with Members of the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Business Association

5. Presidential Roundtable Discussion

6. Tree-planting ceremony and tour of the Qatari Pavilion at the Doha International Horticultural Expo 2023

7. Courtesy Call and Meeting between President Ramaphosa and Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al Thani, former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar

The meetings held in the State of Qatar were of a confidential nature and the minutes of the said meetings are classified (b)(ii).

Reply:

Domestic Workers:

There are inspections that are carried out to test compliance with the National Minimum Wage. These inspections are mostly reactive. In instances where there is non-compliance, notices are issued out. The noncompliant employers are provided with 14 days to comply. If an employer does not comply within the set time frames, there is referral to the CCMA for prosecution. The issuance of notices and referral for prosecution result in recoveries of monies in the form of underpayments. These are then handed to the workers who had been underpayment.

Petrol attendants, Security Guards and Cleaners:

These belong to relevant Bargaining Councils (BC’s) that deal with all matters that are related to Employment Standards. The BC’s have their own Agencies that have similar powers to those of Labour inspectors. They would therefore enforce compliance within these sectors. This would include compliance with the National Minimum Wage.

Reply:

(a) The Provincial Departments of Health have advertised available funded posts for the various health professional categories including medical doctors and nurses. These are at different stages of recruitment.

(b) National Department of Health will provide guidance to provinces in line with the announcement that will be made by the Minister of Finance in his budget speech on 21 February 2024.

END.

Reply:

Neither the President (a) and/or (b) any member of the Cabinet had discussions with any member of the government or the executive of (i) the Islamic Republic of Iran and/or (ii) the State of Qatar regarding any strategy whereby South Africa could assist the Islamic Republic of Iran or any other country in waging a diplomatic and/or legal offensive against the State of Israel at any time in (aa) 2022, (bb) 2023 and (cc) during the period 1 January 2024 up to the latest specified date.

Reply:

1. It is not a policy requirement to allocate ambulances to hospitals. Ambulances are allocated to EMS stations which are either stand-alone or co-located in hospitals, clinics, and other public facilities. The allocation is organized according to what is practically achievable within the budget allocation. The focus is on ensuring that these ambulances are accessible and respond on time when they are needed. Nationally, of the 483 public EMS Stations, 365 (76%) of are co-located at hospitals and clinics. The breakdown of EMS Stations per province is as follows:

PROVINCE	Total No. of Stations	No. of Stations Stand Alone	No. of Stations at Hospitals	No. of Stations located at Clinics	No. of Stations located at other sites
Eastern Cape	85	14	48	16	7
Free State	59	2	26	27	4
Gauteng	57	6	21	23	7
KwaZulu-Natal	71	22	26	19	4
Limpopo	57	10	26	18	3
Mpumalanga	37	7	16	5	9
North West	20	1	10	6	3
Northern Cape	48	4	8	36	0
Western Cape	49	12	25	9	3
TOTAL	483	78	206	159	40
PERCENTAGE	100	16	43	33	8
Other sites: Fire Stations, Local Govt Offices, SAPS

2. Access of ambulances to hospitals including emergency responses within the community are subject to demand and availability of ambulances at the time required. All calls, when received, are prioritized according to patient acuity needs, triaged and dispatched to the first available ambulance. This prioritization includes interfacility transfers.

END.

Reply:

(a) All hospitals have backup power in a form of generators to provide back-up electricity during outages. Some hospitals also have uninterrupted power supply (“UPS”) units inbuilt as part of their power supply backup. However, the generators and UPS units are not designed to run for longer periods of time than usually anticipated, as has been experienced in the recent frequent and longer instances of loadshedding.

(b) There are maintenance plans in place for all generators to ensure that they are operational and that there are diesel suppliers on standby to ensure that the generators are fully functional at all times.

END.

Reply:

According to the SAHPRA:

a) SAHPRA has the mandate of regulating the efficacy safety and quality of medicines and thus the information supplied in a license application does not include information about the financial implications of not having a license ;

b) There are various reasons licenses are not granted but in essence applicants must comply with the criteria for Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and Good Warehousing Practice (GWP). This is done in accordance with the General Regulations to the Medicines Act, Regulation 23(3) and Regulation 23(4). Noncompliance with the criteria for licensing will result in a license not being issued. In some cases applicants decline an inspection when they are contacted for assessment of their license application.

However, there were delays in finalisation of inspections due to capacity constraints in the Inspectorate unit.

c) In the 2022/2023 financial year, SAHPRA approved all new license applications that were evaluated however there are delays in the inspection of applicants due to limited inspection capacity.

END.

Reply:

Honourable Ceza, any contract of employment that exceeds three months, the law deems such an employee as permanent. All the rights and obligations other employees are entitled to, such an employee is also entitled to these rights and obligations. Should such an employee be dismissed for unjustifiable reasons or denied the same right that other permanent employees have, they have a recourse through the CCMA despite the nature of their contract.

The law is clear that there is no worker or employee in this country who must be paid below the national minimum wage despite the nature of their contract. The national minimum wage is the floor right that no employee or worker should be paid below it.

The law stipulates that bargaining councils cannot negotiate wages below what the national minimum wage prescribe. Their wage negotiations start from what the national minimum wage prescribes and can only be negotiated upwards and not downwards. It is important for the Honourable member to note that our collective bargaining system is based on improving the basic conditions of employment and the national minimum wage ups.

END

Reply:

According to Gauteng Department of Health:

1. Phahameng Clinic is one of the 40 clinics in the City of Tshwane (CoT) that is still owned and operated by COT. The provincial government through the Tswane Health District Office assists with the staffing shortage by seconding staff to some of these clinics. There has been a moratorium placed on the filling of vacant positions since 2019 to date, due to budget constraints. The CoT and the Tswane Health District Office are in the process of considering a list of critical positions to be filled during the 2024/25 financial year, within available budget.

2. (a) Facility Level: Phahameng clinic is resourced with personnel from both the City of Tshwane (CoT) and Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH).

The clinic has the following vacancies:

• 1 Chief Community Health Nurse (CoT)
• 1 Nursing Assistant (CoT)
• 1 Community Health Nurse (GDoH)
• The above positions have been vacant for less than 2 years.

b) Data is awaited from Gauteng Department of Health and will be provided as soon as we receive it.

3. Yes, budget constraints experienced by COT and the provincial government, impede the process of filling vacancies. The CoT and Tswane Health District are in the process of considering a list of critical positions to be filled during the 2024/25 financial year, within available budget.

END.

Reply:

(1) (a) The delegates are mandated to advance the interests of South Africa and of the Continent with regard to aspects that promote public health in relation to the control of tobacco and related products.

(b) South Africa is a signatory to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The FCTC is a Global public health treaty which informs South Africa’s mandate in this regard.

(2) (a) Mandate on:

(i) combustible cigarettes

To ensure decisions made at COP will protect public health, reduce demand and supply and protect vulnerable groups and non-smokers and to identify new risk based on available scientific evidence.

(ii) non-combustible nicotine products

South Africa supports agenda items and decisions aimed at protecting public health. Our main objective to protect public health, reduce demand and supply and protect vulnerable groups and non-smokers against the harm caused by nicotine and to identify new risk based on available scientific evidence.

(iii) harm-reduction policies, technologies, and evidence led scientific findings

The Department of Health is not in support of the proposed promotion of harm reduction strategies and technologies, since what is proposed by the tobacco industry in this regard remain harmful to the public. The unregulated and uncontrolled use of nicotine poses a health risk and therefore, the Department is committed to the regulation of all tobacco and related products. The objective at all times is to promote public health and protect the vulnerable groups against the harm posed by the tobacco and related products.

(b) South Africa, in our pursuit to regulate all tobacco and related products, is guided by local and global studies that have provided significant evidence about the harm caused by both combustible and non-combustible tobacco and related products. These include the emerging products flooding the market worldwide.

END.

Reply:

According to the information received from Transnet.

Major problems at CTCT that impact on its operations is twofold:

(i) The first is the extreme windy conditions which paralyzes operations for long periods of time. Transnet has obviously no control over this problem.

(ii) The shortage of equipment.

(iii) Not withstanding the above, excellent progress has been made by putting in place an experienced management team, installing new equipment on an incremental basis and ensuring that both cranes and other equipment are able both to steady ships in rough weather and cranes which operate in windy conditions.

(1)(a) CTCT only executed 12 vessels for the month, compared to an average expectation of 20 per month. In 2023, CTCT recorded the highest number of hours lost due to strong winds in December, with 183 hours (equivalent to eight days) lost compared to 150 hours during the same period in 2022. The increased wind speed experienced also prevented the safe docking of some vessels into the terminal. When the terminal goes windbound, it means that the terminal must cease operation for safety reasons.

CTCT has also been challenged with equipment unavailability of especially Rubber Tyred Gantry (RTG) cranes and Haulers, which have exceeded their design life. Equipment breakdowns result in crane down time and reduced productivity over the quay. TPT have since made significant strides in improving the availability of equipment, particularly through the delivery of 7 used RTGs in December 2023, 6 of which are already in operation. Training has been done on this new equipment.

In addition to the above, the terminal was shut for the public holidays on 25th December 2023 and 1st of January 2024.

(1)(b) While CTCT’s headline productivity measure is the Moves per Ship Working Hour (SWH), which measures the average container moves on a vessel per hour, the current focus is on a number of containers moved over the quayside over a 24 hour period. This helps to maximise the volumes rather than focusing solely on SWH which can be compromised if the focus is on volumes.

For the month of December, CTCT averaged an SWH of 27,6 moves per hour, servicing a 2-Berth operation for a portion of the month while the 7 used RTGs were discharged at one of the berths. In January, the terminal resumed a 3-berth operation, but this means that cranes and supporting RTGs and Haulers were spread across 3 vessels instead of 2, resulting in a reduction in equipment allocation per vessel. As a result, the SWH for January 2024 was 22.

A more realistic indication of the operational improvement is the overall throughput across all berths, which is measured by the daily container moves. For the month of December, the terminal moved an average of 700 containers per day. Container moves in January increased to 842 moves per day and 1164 moves per day for February month to date. Furthermore, the average daily rate for the last 7 days is 1238. This reflects an upward trend in operational activity. The immediate target is to ramp up to 1500 container moves per day, with an aspiration to improve further to 1700 per day.

(2) Since the beginning of December, CTCT appointed additional personnel, which coincided with the ramp-up of the current deciduous season. These include appointments of Diesel Mechanics, Millwrights, Driver Articulated Vehicles and Operators of Lifting Equipment amongst others. A Team from Navis, the software system used to operate the terminal, is also in CTCT to train the Planners and Supervisors to use the system optimally and improve efficiencies.

(3) In 2023, CTCT recorded the highest number of hours lost due to strong winds in December, with 183 hours (equivalent to eight days) lost compared to 150 hours during the same period in 2022. The increased wind speed experienced also prevented the safe docking of some vessels into the terminal. When the wind is terminal bound, it means that the terminal must cease operation for safety reasons.

As previously indicated above, the delays can be linked to the equipment availability challenges, particularly with aging RTG cranes and Haulers which CTCT currently faces. This has led to downtime and reduced productivity along the quay. TPT has made significant progress in addressing this, obtaining 7 used RTGs in December 2023, with 6 already in operation and staff trained on the new equipment.

(4) Since the delivery of Rubber-Tyred Gantries (RTGs) on 11 December 2023, the Cape Town Container Terminal (CTCT) has completed the following:

• Fully commissioned a total of six RTGs with the seventh still in progress.
• A total of 54 Operators of Lifting Equipment (OLE) have completed training on the pre-used RTGs.
• Six RTGs have been successfully handed over to Operations. These machines now fully form part of our RTG fleet.
• The seventh RTG wasn’t successfully commissioned due to additional parts it required, which are on order from abroad. The commissioning process is in progress. It is projected that all seven RTGs will be operational by the end of February 2024.

 

Remarks: Reply: Approved / Not Approved/ Comments

Jacky Molisane P J Gordhan, MP

Acting Director-General Minister of Public Enterprises

Date: Date:

Reply:

The departmental statement referring to some medical doctors rejecting placement in rural facilities is based on historic trends that led to delays with recruitment for rural hospitals as well as the recent Internship and Community Service Placement (ICSP) statistics. During the 2023/2024 cycle, the Department received 109 appeals against placements for Community Services Medical Officer posts with majority being posts in rural facilities.

However, the Department can confirm that there are medical doctors in all hospitals and healthcare facilities that are designated to have medical doctors as part of the workforce, including those in rural areas.

END.

Reply:

According to the Eastern Cape Department of Health (ECDoH):

The clinic supervisor that was overseeing seven (7) clinics in the local area of the Mhlonlo Sub-district of OR Tambo District in the Eastern Cape (EC), retired in 2021, and the appointed operational manager for Malepelepe Clinic who was the most senior professional nurse in the area, was delegated to oversee the seven (7) clinics as a clinic supervisor.

Since, as per Department of Public Service and Administration Regulations, the post of operational manager of Malepelepe Clinic was still filled by the person who was appointed acting clinic supervisor, the acting operational manager for Malepelepe Clinic could not receive an acting allowance.

On 1 February 2024, the operational manager for Malepelepe Clinic, who was overseeing the seven (7) facilities, was appointed in the post of Clinic Supervisor, and the post of operational manager for Malepele Clinic became vacant. The person delegated to act as operational manager for Malepelepe Clinic will receive an acting allowance as from 01 February 2024 and the vacant post of operational manager for Malepele Clinic will be filled in line with government recruitment processes.

END.

Reply:

The President (a) did not meet with or had a telephone discussion with (i) Mr Ismail Haniyeh and/or (ii) any other members of the Harakat al- Muqawama al-Islamiya (Hamas) in (aa) 2022, (bb) 2023 and (cc) during the period 1 January 2024 up to the latest specified date.

Regarding contact with any member of Cabinet (b), it should be recalled that DIRCO issued a media statement on 17 October 2023, confirming that the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Dr GNM Pandor, received a request to call the Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh to discuss getting humanitarian aid to Palestine. During the call, and In line with the Government’s position, Minister Pandor reiterated South Africa’s solidarity and support for the people of Palestine and expressed sadness and regret for the loss of innocent lives of both Palestinians and Israelis. The statement further indicated that Minister Pandor and the Hamas leader discussed how to get the provisional supply of necessary humanitarian aid to Gaza and other parts of the Palestinian territories.

Reply:

According to the information received from Transnet

(1) and (2) Kindly see the response provided in Parliamentary Question No. 58

(3) Cape Town Terminals have contracted line services calling in accordance with the terminal’s full capacity design. Therefore, any additional vessels are reviewed and handled on an ad-hoc basis, depending on the occupancy and availability.

Cape Town will see short-term benefits as there is an opportunity for the Western and Northern Cape deciduous fruit exporters to export more of their produce to Europe and America.

Most vessels now re-routing via the Cape of Good Hope (COGH) would still have cargo for foreign destinations and therefore would not necessarily request to stop in South Africa for additional volumes. However, the South African Ports will continue to pursue additional business opportunities which may arise from the additional vessels calling via COGH.

 

Remarks: Reply: Approved / Not Approved/Comments

Jacky Molisane P J Gordhan, MP

Acting Director-General Minister of Public Enterprises

Date: Date:

Reply:

(a) The government’s strategic plan on energy procurement is codified in the 2023 draft IRP which has been released for public participation and comments.

(b) The IRP sets the strategic plan which includes the optimal energy mix to achieve our energy security objectives with due regard to our energy resource endowments

(c) The energy action plan sets out short and medium interventions measures to balance the energy supply and demand which includes interventions to;

(i) Strengthen and/or repurpose the existing Eskom fleet including gas to energy on both open and close cycle gas turbines,

(ii) Optimize the uptake of private renewable energy investment both through renewable energy independent producer programme, embedded generation programmes and commercial/domestic rooftop solar solutions

(iii) Modernize and expand the transmission infrastructure

(iv) All procurement will be done in line with section 217(1) and (2) of the constitution

(v) refer to reply above

(2) Based on the 2019 IRP government will in 2024 will commence the procurement of:

(i) 2500MW nuclear energy

(ii) The conversion of Gourikwa and Ankerlig to gas from diesel/open gas turbine OCGT which will yield 2000MW and a further 1000MW conversion into Closed Cycle Gas Turbine OCGT

(iii) An additional 3000MW is approved in Richards Bay

Eskom will rollout plans for the development of solar PV coupled with battery energy storage systems which will yield 4000MW.

 

 

Reply:

1. (a), (b) (i) and (ii)

One official from the Department of Health was delegated to attend COP 10. No other officials from other entities were delegated by the Department to attend.

2. The cost for travel and subsistence for 1 person was R175 040.46. There was no other cost involved.

3. The cost is funded by the Department only.

END.

Reply:

As reflected during the media briefing hosted on 05 February, fiscal challenges facing the country and also impacting on the health care system are acknowledged. The Provincial Departments of Health continue to actively engage their Provincial Treasuries to find ways of addressing the unemployment of health professionals, including medical doctors. According to the 09th February 2024 PERSAL print out, 425 Medical Officer appointments were captured for January 2024. Of these, 371 are Medical Officer Grade 1 category.

As reported in Parliament during the State of Nation Address (SONA) Debate on 13th February 2024, working with the Minister of Finance, a solution to address the current challenge of doctors wishing to stay in the public service is being worked out. The details will be furnished after the Minister of Finance’s Budget Speech on 21st February 2024.

There is no documented evidence that links the choice to emigrate with the delayed employment by the state. Contrary to that is the demonstration of aspirations to serve the South African Public Health system as expressed by the recent outcry by the “unemployed doctors”.

END.

Reply:

(1) (a) The South African delegates were mandated to advance the interests of South Africa and of the Continent with regard to aspects that promote public health in relation to the control of tobacco products, electronic delivery systems and related products.

(b) The mandate is based on the fact that South Africa is a signatory to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The FCTC is a Global public health treaty which informs South Africa’s mandate in this regard. The treaty is evidence-based and reaffirms the rights of all people to the highest standard of Health. In addition, South Africa is guided by local and global studies that have provided significant evidence about the harm caused by both combustible and non-combustible tobacco products.

(2) No, the public comment on the legislative process related to the Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill has not been incorporated into the mandate, because legislative processes pertaining to the Bill has not been completed yet. Many of the COP issues are similar to the provisions of the Bill, and this is a justifiable coincidence since the two are dealing with the same subject matter at different levels. The Bill process is a law-making process at national level whilst COP deals with tobacco control and regulation at international level.

(3) The National Department of Health respects and values the legislative process that the Bill has to undergo and that includes the public participation process. The Bill before Parliament aims at regulating and controlling the tobacco and related products in the interests of public health. The WHO FCTC is a regulatory instrument on tobacco control at international level. Both WHO FCTC and the National legislation (Tobacco Products Act 83 of 1993), Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill are dealing with the same subject matter namely the regulation and control of tobacco and related products, including electronic delivery systems. Therefore, you may find similar aspects covered in the Bill being discussed at COP as the body implementing the WHO FCTC. As a matter of course, the resolutions and recommendations of international bodies do influence the direction of national laws to the extent allowed by the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996.

END.

Reply:

1. The respective facilities have requested to install, secure, operate and maintain the allocated units and furthermore these facilities were requested to record the generators in their individual asset register.

2. The individual facilities are responsible for the operational budget of the generators

3. Procurement of fuel will be done through the regular procurement process of the respect facilities

4. Please refer to answer above

 

 

Reply:

According to information received from Eskom:

(1)(a)(i)

The number of electrical infrastructure theft incidents is depicted in the table below:

 

Sum of Events ID
Operating Unit	2018/19	2019/20	2020/21	2021/22	2022/23	2023/24	Grand Total
Eastern Cape Operating Unit	1171	1080	1194	1280	1418	986	7129
Free State Operating Unit	702	582	569	554	518	420	3345
Gauteng Operating Unit	1849	1195	1400	1116	771	699	7030
KwaZulu-Natal Operating Unit	2159	1290	1489	1152	1125	1383	8598
Limpopo Operating Unit	924	828	852	857	707	523	4691
Mpumalanga Operating Unit	732	702	731	837	764	667	4433
North West Operating Unit	892	878	803	767	675	507	4522
Northern Cape Operating Unit	462	434	410	449	422	367	2544
Western Cape Operating Unit	269	274	261	372	322	253	1751
Grand Total	9160	7263	7709	7384	6722	5805	44043

The number of transformer theft cases that were reported is depicted in the table below:

(1)(b)(i)

Data not available for (aa) 2019-20, (bb) 2020-21 and (cc) 2021-22 (dd) 2022-23: A direct loss of R18 953 668.45 was reported relating to the theft of transformers.

(2)(a)

• The total number of failed transformers in Eskom across the nine provinces due to theft is 1347 as of 09 February 2024. Failed transformers are replaced daily, while failures as a result of theft and vandalism also take place frequently.
• The main causes of these transformer failures include overloading, which occurs when customers have tampered with or bypassed their meters, illegal connections which have bypassed the fuses and breakers that are meant to protect the transformer from overloading, as well as theft and vandalism.
• Eskom remains committed to replacing failed transformers soon after tamper fines have been paid by the customers and the replacement criteria have been met.

(2)(b)

• Collaboration with SAPS, SSA, and NPA [MAJOC/Priority Committee, ProvJoints, NatJoints] for continued support regarding crime prevention, disruptive operations, intelligence gathering, investigations, arrests and prosecutions.
• Implementation of technology to inform security designs for substations, powerlines and all Eskom facilities.
• Continually assessing threats and risks with appropriate plans for high-risk sites.

• Collaboration with communities to create awareness and encourage them to pay for electricity and take ownership thereof.
• Collaboration with the private security industry through enabling contracts.
• Strengthening of governance among the private security role-players that conduct business with Eskom.
• Conducting risk assessments and identification and classification of high-value assets and high-risk sites.
• Strengthening of security measures through investment in physical security technologies through the leveraging of the existing resources within Eskom Distribution.

Remarks: Approved / Not Approved

Ms Jacky Molisane PJ Gordhan, MP

Acting Director-General Minister

Date: Date:

Reply:

The Northern Cape Province approached the Development Bank of Southern Africa (the Lender) to finance the acceleration of the human settlement’s development programme. The borrowing is pursued in line with the provisions of section 3 (6) of the Borrowing Act and the current Division of Revenue Act (DoRA) through a pledge of the indicative Human Settlements Development Grant (HSDG) for the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) 2025 to 2027 as detailed below:

The R1 billion allocated to build approximately 4,000 houses across municipalities in the Northern Cape Province, as announced by the President will not impact the housing provisions in the rest of the Republic.