Questions and Replies
15 March 2024 - NW223
Nkosi, Mr BS to ask the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation
Considering the fact that the Republic handed over the BRICS chair to the Russian Federation on 1 January 2024, (a) what are the expectations and/or priorities that the Republic has for continued collaboration within the BRICS framework and (b) how does the Republic plan to leverage its experience gained during its chairmanship to contribute to the ongoing initiatives within BRICS under the leadership of the Russian Federation?
Reply:
a) South Africa advances its national priorities and national interests through mutually beneficial BRICS cooperation, shaping a multipolar world and driving global governance reform to be more fair, just, inclusive and representative. The Russian Federation chairs BRICS in 2024 under the theme “Strengthening Multilateralism for Equitable Global Development and Security”. The Chair's priorities for 2024 include 1) Strengthening the BRICS Strategic Partnership based on continuity and consensus, 2) Enhancing the BRICS role in addressing major issues on the global agenda, 3) Forging partnerships with emerging markets and developing countries (EMDCs), 4) Contributing to the social, economic, investment, innovative and human development of BRICS countries, and 5) Enriching people-to-people cooperation and raising mutual cultural awareness. The Chair's theme and priorities build on existing BRICS cooperation and continue the implementation of BRICS strategies, action plans and cooperation frameworks as well as BRICS Summit and Ministerial declarations. Implementation of the outcomes of the Johannesburg II Declaration continues in 2024 including the further development of a BRICS Partner Country model and the consideration of the use of local currencies, payment systems and platforms. A particular focus for 2024 is the full incorporation of new members into all BRICS cooperation tracks, including in BRICS structures such as the BRICS Business Council, BRICS Think Tanks Council, BRICS Women's Business Alliance and the newly established BRICS Youth Council.
(b) The strategic leadership of the rotational Chair of BRICS is implemented in close consultation and consensus with other BRICS members. South Africa continues to play a significant role in the advancement of mutually beneficial BRICS cooperation outside of its tenure as Chair of BRICS during 2023. South Africa will closely support the Chair in the implementation of the outcomes of the XV BRICS Summit, including the further development of a Partner Country model and the consideration of the issue of local currencies, payment instruments and platforms before the XVI BRICS Summit to be hosted by the Russian Federation in October 2024. South Africa will also work with all BRICS members to maintain the momentum on recent BRICS initiatives including meetings of BRICS Ministers responsible for Women and BRICS experts on persons with disabilities, the operationalisation of the BRICS Youth Council, BRICS Digital Economy Working Group, BRICS Working Group on Nuclear Medicine and BRICS Think Tank Network for Finance, the establishment of the BRICS Centre for Industrial Competences with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), the development of a BRICS Sport Cooperation Framework and workshops on the mutual recognition of BRICS qualifications to name but a few. South Africa also looks forward to engaging with new BRICS members on opportunities for mutually beneficial BRICS cooperation as result of the historic decision on membership expansion taken during the XV BRICS Summit.
15 March 2024 - NW100
Mazzone, Ms NW to ask the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies
Whether, with reference to the SA Post Office Business Rescue Plan that was adopted in December 2023, he will furnish Mrs N W A Mazzone with (a) a list of branches that are due to close in each province and (b) the (i) total number and (ii) current positions of employees who will face retrenchment in each (aa) branch and (bb) province; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
I have been advised by the South African Post Office (SAPO) as follows:-
a) list of branches that are due to close:
Gauteng (Most of Gauteng and Vaal Triangle) |
17 |
Northern region (North Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West) |
41 |
Western region (Western Cape, Northern Cape) |
28 |
Eastern region (Eastern Cape) - |
24 |
Central (Free State, North West) |
104 |
KwaZulu-Natal (KwaZulu-Natal) |
21 |
TOTAL |
235 |
The Joint Business Rescue Practitioners (BRPs) are not prepared to share the actual list of branches as it stands to be amended whilst the process of liaising with landlords is in progress and the possibility of branch relocations are at hand. Once the list is finalised, same will be provided.
(b) The BRPs have advised that they cannot disclose the proposed number of employees that will face retrenchment as the Section 189A facilitation process conducted by the CCMA is underway. The disclosure of a proposed number prior to the conclusion of the facilitation process jeopardizes the course of action.
Thank you
14 March 2024 - NW471
Mkhaliphi, Ms HO to ask the Minister of Health
(1)What total number of persons have been admitted to (a) the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital, (b) the King Edward VIII Hospital, (c) the Addington Hospital and (d) surrounding hospitals in eThekwini as a result of contaminated water; (2) what is the breakdown of the total number of (a) children and (b) elderly persons admitted as a result of contaminated water?
Reply:
1. According to the KZN Department of Health, the responses are as follows:
(a) There were no persons admitted at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital due to contaminated water
(b) There were no persons admitted at King Edward VIII Hospital due to contaminated water.
(c) There were no persons admitted at Addington Hospital due to contaminated water.
(d) There were no persons admitted at surrounding hospitals in eThekwini due to contaminated water.
(2) According to the KZN Department of Health, there were (a) no children and (b) no elderly persons admitted as a result of contaminated water.
END.
14 March 2024 - NW144
Moore, Mr S J to ask the Minister of Water and Sanitation
Whether he will furnish Mr S J Moore with a detailed list of ongoing (a) Regional Bulk Infrastructure and (b) Water Services Infrastructure Grants projects which have (i) exceeded original budget expectations and (ii) gone beyond the estimated construction time since 1 April 2023; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
The purpose of the Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant (RBIG), to develop new, refurbish, upgrade and replace ageing bulk water and sanitation infrastructure of regional significance that connects water resources to infrastructure serving extensive areas across municipal boundaries or large regional bulk infrastructure serving numerous communities over a large area within a municipality. The Water Services Infrastructure Grant (WSIG) facilitates the planning and implementation of various water and sanitation projects to accelerate backlog reduction and enhance the sustainability of services, especially in rural municipalities.
Although comprehensive planning is done by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) together with municipalities prior to the implementation of RBIG and WSIG funded projects, a myriad of challenges arise during implementation which result in unavoidable delays such as:
- Inability of municipalities to contribute their share of funding for water and sanitation projects that should be co-funded by the DWS RBIG Grant and the municipalities’ own funding
- Supply Chain Management challenges in municipalities often result in delays in procurement of required professional services and commencement of projects
- Poor performance of contractors, couples with inadequate project management capacity in municipalities often leads to lengthy litigation processes which also bring projects to a halt
- Projects are often brought to halt by communities with demands for employment opportunities or construction mafia with demands for 30% of contracts
- Non-payment of contractors by the municipalities or non-payment of workers by contractors
- Inclement weather conditions also contribute to delays in ongoing projects
Details of projects gone beyond the estimated construction time since 1 April 2023 are indicated in Annexure A.
---00O00--
ANNEXURE A
Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant
Project name |
Original project cost |
Revised project cost |
Initial completion date |
Revised completion date |
Free State |
||||
Welbedacht Bulk water supply (Manguang pipeline) |
R500 000 000 |
R583 677 787 |
July 2021 |
March 2024 |
Tokologo bulk water supply Phase 2 of 3 |
R717 535 306 |
R717 535 306 |
December 2024 |
March 2026 |
Maluti-a-Phofung BWS Scheme(Sterkfontein WTW) |
R619 590 000 |
R619 590 000 |
March 2024 |
April 2025 |
Mohokare Bulk water supply (Rouxville) |
R300 000 000 |
R320 000 000 |
March 2020 |
June 2025 |
Mantsopa Water and Sanitation Intervention |
R17 660 652 |
No adjustment |
June 2023 |
October 2024 |
Construction of reversal gravity pipeline in Phuthaditjhaba and Harrismith |
R57 100 000 |
No adjustment (this should be N/A as per same categories below) |
March 2023 |
August 2024 |
Metsimaholo Bulk Sewer. (Upgrading of Denneysville WWTW) |
R164 499 946 |
R224 352 940 |
October 2019 |
March 2024 |
Mafube Bulk sewer phase 2 of 2 (Upgrading of Frankfort WWTW) |
R141 448 501 |
R164 858 228 |
June 2023 |
"TBC” Contractor terminated due to poor performance |
North West |
||||
Ratlou Bulk Water Supply: Phase 1a – Setlagole Water Supply |
R 146 600 000 |
R153 000 000 |
April 2016 |
November 2024 |
Mahikeng Bulk Water Supply: Upgrading of the Mmabatho WTW to 30 Ml/day |
R 185 500 500 (IRS - 2012) |
R449 700 000 |
October 2018 |
August 2025 |
Upgrade and Extension of the Brits Water Treatment Plant from 60 Ml/D to 80 Ml/D: Madibeng Bulk Water Supply |
R845 000 000 |
R800 000 000 |
31 Aug 2017 |
31 Aug 2024 |
Western Cape |
||||
Lamberts Bay Desalination Plant |
R89 812 568 |
Not yet determined |
Mar 2022 |
Not yet determined |
Provision of Dry sanitation toilets |
R 8 383 078 |
N/A |
June 2021 |
May 2022 |
Northern Cape |
||||
Upgrading of Noupoort sewer netwok |
R 22 398 854 |
N/A |
October 2022 |
February 2023 |
Refurbishment of Nababep waste water treatment works (Phase1) |
R 40 702 697 |
NA |
June 2025 |
NA |
RS028_Dawid Kruiper_Refurbishment of Kameelmond WWTW Upington |
R78 225 986 |
R78 225 986 |
22 September 2022 |
31 May 2023 |
RS029_Magareng_Warrenton Water Treatment Works |
R80 438 842 |
R122 917 873 |
22 April 2021 |
March 2025 |
Eastern Cape |
||||
Makana Bulk Water Supply (Phase 2) |
R133 286 055 |
R393 090 217 |
March 2021 (All phases) |
Phase 2, at a reduced scope - end of June 2024. |
Ndlambe Bulk Water Supply |
R161 000 000 |
R422 945 139 (Anticipated that the project cost might increase by another R50mil due to escalation. |
May 2015 |
March 2025. |
Xhora East Bulk Water Supply |
R258 541 304 |
R 576 687 000 (including co-funding). |
December 2022. |
May 2024 |
Ngqamakhwe Regional Bulk Water Supply |
R724 million |
R646 000 000 |
September 2023 |
September 2025 |
Sundays River Valley BWS (Paterson Project) |
R73 300 000 |
R101 792 000 |
March 2016 |
Phase 6 - 31 March 2024 Overall – 31 March 2025 |
Xonxa Bulk Water Supply |
R 413 017 890 |
R 657 663 506 |
August 2023 |
February 2025 |
Cluster 9 BWS project at Chris Hani DM |
R254 695 667 |
R485 700 000 |
November 2022 |
February 2024 |
Cluster 4 BWS |
R427 099 000 |
R 849 474 094 |
May 2020 |
February 2024 |
Cluster 6 BWS |
R323 952 670 |
R474 323 951 |
May 2023 |
January 2025 |
Mpumalanga |
||||
Driekoppies Phase 1a |
R424 000 |
No adjustments |
December 2023 |
June 2024 |
Sibange Phase 2 |
R186 600 |
No adjustments |
September 2022 |
February 2024 |
Water Services Infrastructure Grant
Municipality |
Project |
Original Budget |
Revised Budget |
Planned Completion date |
Actual completion date |
Free State |
|||||
Masilonyana |
Theunissen WC/WDM |
R18 800 000 |
R 20 403 462 |
June 2021 |
March 2024 |
Tokologo |
Dealesville Emergency Water Supply: Phase 3 |
R15 921 972 |
NA |
June 2020 |
June 2024 |
Tswelopele |
Bultfontein: Refurbishment of sewer pump station |
R11 552 960 |
NA |
April 2023 |
March 2024 |
Dihlabeng LM |
Upgrading of Clarens Water Treatment Works From 1 Ml to 4Ml/day |
R49 989 987 |
R59 314 755 |
February 2024 |
June 2024 |
Mantsopa LM |
Ladybrand: Construction of 6ML Reservoir & Pipeline |
R16 837 385 |
R16 837 385 |
December 2023 |
June 2024 |
Mantsopa LM |
Ladybrand: Construction of 3Ml Reservoir (Phase 2) |
R 13 459 632 |
R 13 459 632 |
December 2023 |
June 2024 |
Mantsopa LM |
Ladybrand: Re-Construction of Sewer Outfall Line |
R2 500 000 |
R2 500 000 |
December 2023 |
June 2024 |
Mantsopa LM |
Hobhouse: Refurbishment of a Weir |
R 2 053 181 |
R 2 053 181 |
December 2023 |
June 2024 |
Setsoto LM |
Upgrading of the Van Soelen Outfall Sewer in Ficksburg |
R39 994 762 |
R39 994 762 |
November 2023 |
June 2024 |
Phumelela LM |
upgrading of Outfall sewer line and revamping of pump station station #3 and WWTW in Warden/Ezenzeleni |
R22 001 373 |
R22 001 373 |
September 2023 |
June 2024 |
Nketoana LM |
20,34km Pipeline (250mm dia) from Lindley to Arlington |
R75 400 794 |
R75 400 794 |
June 2024 |
June 2025 |
Kopanong LM |
Bulk Water Supply in Trompsburg |
R19 000 000 |
R 22 000 000 |
June 2021 |
TBC |
Kopanong LM |
Water Supply Reddersburg |
R 13 534 058 |
No adjustment |
May 2017 |
TBC |
Kopanong LM |
Water Supply Bethulie |
R 6 500 000 |
No adjustment |
June 2021 |
TBC |
Kopanong LM |
Upgrading of Philippolis WWTW |
R 12 000 000 |
R 38 994 885 |
June 2021 |
TBC |
Mohokare LM |
Rouxville Abstraction Works |
R39 412 741 |
No adjustment |
July 2022 |
TBC |
Mafube LM |
Namahadi 12Ml Reservoir |
R36 904 336 |
No adjustment |
November 2022 |
May 2024 |
Majuba LM |
Mafube WC/WDM (Pre-paid Water Meters |
R15 000 000 |
No adjustment |
August 2023 |
March 2024 |
Metsimaholo LM |
Oranjeville WWTW Upgrade |
R61 938 621 |
No adjustment |
July 2022 |
TBC |
Ngwathe LM |
Refurbishment of pipelines from Parys WTW to Reservoirs 3 & 4 |
R24 691 873 |
No adjustment |
July 2022 |
January 2024 |
Ngwathe LM |
Construction of sewer line in Heilbron / Phiritona |
R8 604 802 |
TBC Contractor terminated due to poor performance |
December 2022 |
TBC Ngwathe LM must procure new contractor |
Ngwathe LM |
Heilbron – Elevated water tower and 3km water pipeline |
R18 720 677 |
No adjustment |
April 2023 |
March 2024 |
Moqhaka LM |
Kroonstad – 11th Avenue water pipeline and Bloemhoek Dam sluice gate |
R24 189 695 |
R25 022 859 |
August 2023 |
June 2024 |
Northern Cape |
|||||
ZF Mgcawu |
Kakamas: Water treatment works |
R 11 370 115 |
N/A |
March 2023 |
N/A due to fact that IA’s allocation was converted from schedule 5b to 6b |
Frances Baard |
Construction of Carters Ridge Pump station (Phase1) |
R 32 832 662 |
N/A |
November 2018 |
June 2021 |
Frances Baard |
Construction of Carters Ridge Pump station (Phase 2) |
R 25 966 926 |
N/A |
June 2021 |
July 2023 |
Frances Baard |
Provision of dry sanitation toilets |
R 8 383 078 |
N/A |
June 2021 |
May 2022 |
Eastern Cape |
|||||
Blue Crane Route Local Municipality |
Refurbishment of Cookhouse Water Treatment Works |
R18 799 060 |
N/A |
November 2023 |
September 2024 |
Chris Hani DM |
Chris Hani DM Cluster 7 Water Supply Scheme: Ngxogi Emadizeni Mantlaneni Xuka Entabeni Emantlwaneni Cefane Emafusini Mhlontlo KwaMhlontlo and Dwaleni/Matyeni Water Backlog Project |
R2 000 000 |
N/A |
July 2023 |
June 2024 |
Mpumalanga |
|||||
Thaba Chweu LM |
Refurbishment of the Lydenburg Waste Water Treatment Works |
R114 777 382 |
N/A |
June 2025 |
NA |
14 March 2024 - NW489
Thembekwayo, Dr S to ask the Minister of Health
What (a) are the reasons that the Health Professions Council of South Africa demands that practitioners who are unemployed should pay their outstanding annual fees by 31 March 2024 and (b) interventions can his department make in this regard?
Reply:
According to the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA):
(a) It is a legal requirement that all practising health professionals register with their Professional Council namely the HPCSA, South African Nursing Council, South African Pharmacy Council, Dental Technicians Council and the Allied Health Professions Council. The Health Professions Act, 1974 (Act No. 56 of 1974) requires health professionals to register with the HPCSA before practicing. As section 17 of the Health Professions Act, 1974 (Act No. 56 of 1974) states the following:
If the registrar is satisfied that the qualifications and the other documents submitted in support of the application satisfy the requirements of this Act, he or she shall, upon payment by the applicant of the prescribed registration fee, issue a registration certificate authorising the applicant, subject to the provisions of this Act or of any other law, to practise the health profession in respect whereof he or she has applied for registration, within the Republic.
The HPCSA legislation does not require that unemployed practitioners (non-practising) to pay registration fees. Infact a person not practising a health profession registrable with the HPCSA may apply for voluntary erasure from the register in writing before 31 March of the year that he/she wishes to be voluntarily erased in line with section 19 (1) (c) of the Act.
When the health professional decides to resume practice then a restoration fee is payable and the person could be restored to the register. There may be additional requirements such as continuous professional development, depending on the number of years the health professional is unregistered with the Council.
(b) There is no need for an intervention since there is no obligation on a non-practising health practitioner to registered with the HPCSA.
END.
14 March 2024 - NW493
Komane, Ms RN to ask the Minister of Health
(1)Whether the Hospital and Emergency Centre Tracking Information System (HECTIS) that has been introduced by his department, is now available in all hospitals; if not, (2) whether HECTIS is still piloted at certain hospitals; if not, why not; if so, (a) which hospitals have used the HECTIS system and (b) what are the relevant details?
Reply:
1. No, the Hospital and Emergency Centre Tracking Information System (HECTIS) is not available in all hospitals. The system has only been implemented by the Western Cape Provincial Department of Health. It has not been implemented in any other province as it is not part of the national Emergency Medical Services Plan.
2. (a) HECTIS is not in a pilot phase. It has been successfully integrated into a total of 64 health facilities in the Western Cape in both hospitals and Primary Healthcare facilities (see annexure showing HECTIS Sites List).
(b) HECTIS is a web-based hospital and emergency centre tracking information system. The system was developed as an in-house custom-built system by an emergency physician from Mitchells Plain Hospital in the Western Cape for their internal processes. It is a Clinician driven innovative healthcare technology initiative, focused on improving the management and efficiency of Emergency Centres.
END.
14 March 2024 - NW457
Roos, Mr AC to ask the Minister of Home Affairs
(1)What number of (a) new-comer asylum applications have been processed in each refugee reception centre from quarter 1 to quarter 3 of the 2023-24 financial year and (b) applications were (i) granted refugee status and (ii) rejected as (aa) unfounded and (bb) manifestly unfounded; (2) what number of (a) asylum files have been processed through the funded backlog project of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, (b) the processed files have been granted refugee status and (c) backlog files processed have received a final rejection; (3) whether any of the rejected applications have been appealed through a judicial appeal at the high court; if not, why not; if so, what number from each refugee reception centre has been appealed through a judicial appeal?
Reply:
(1)(a) In the period 1 April 2023 to 31 December 2023 the Department processed 15 047 newcomer applications.
(1)(b)(i) 877 cases were granted status
(1)(b)(ii) (aa) 5009 Cases were adjudicated as Unfounded.
(bb) 8415 Cases were adjudicated as one of the Manifestly Unfounded categories for SCRA review
(2)(a) The total number of processed files for the Backlog Project is 10 890.
- Hearings conducted: 3 910
- Notices sent for No Shows: 894
- Paper determinations: 167
- No Show decisions: 406
- Family Joining decisions: 201
- Cancellations/ Withdrawal: 5 312
(2)(b) Of these processed files, 3 872 were rejected.
(2)(c) Of these processed files, 713 were granted refugee status.
(3) Of cases processed and finally rejected, some Appellants have launched Judicial Reviews in terms of Rule 53 of the Uniform Rules of Court. The total number of appeals under review is: 78
- Desmond Tutu Refugee Centre: 59
- Musina Refugee Centre: 5
- Durban Refugee Centre: 9
- Gqheberha Refugee Centre: 3
- Cape Town Refugee Centre: 2
END:
14 March 2024 - NW490
Siwisa, Ms AM to ask the Minister of Home Affairs
What steps has his department taken to fight the increase of identity theft cases in the Republic, where innocent individuals are left in debt due to their identities being fraudulently issued by officials within his department to persons with ill intent who use it to open credit accounts?
Reply:
Innocent individuals who find themselves in debt due to identity theft are informed by the creditors of their debts and if disputed, they are advised to report the matter to the SAPS for further investigation.
The Department has online verification services whereby any member of the public when applying for identification in the Department, the document is verified online to ensure authentication of the owner of the identity to be issued.
Banks have online verification platforms whereby they can verify the legitimacy of the fingerprints of the clients as they are linked to DHA systems.
All reported cases of corruption involving officials are analysed and investigated. Cases reported with elements of fraud and corruption are referred to SAPS for further handling.
If misconduct is detected, the case is referred to Employee Engagement for disciplinary processes.
The Department has also embarked on Awareness Campaigns regarding identity on both Internal and External platforms.
END
14 March 2024 - NW218
Lekota, Mr M to ask the Minister of Home Affairs
(1)Whether his department had solved the problem of long queues and denial of service on reaching the counter after a long time in the queue; if so, what (a) is the average waiting time for service, (b) measures are in place to check that those who are waiting in the queue will indeed be served without being asked to come back on another day, (c) was being done to ensure that the ticket allocation system is working smoothly and reliably 100% of the time, (d) control measures are in place to ensure that the system is the best it can be and (e) surveys are undertaken to ascertain any improvements should and must occur to satisfy the Batho Pele principle; if not, (i) which of the above are not being done and (ii) why; 2) what has been his findings on citizen satisfaction with the service provided by his department?
Reply:
(1)(a) The average waiting time inside an office is calculated per service as different types of services follow different process flows. Where all systems are working and the offices do not experience load shedding, which now affects network coverage in the offices, the average waiting period for pre-booked services is 7 minutes; for birth, marriage, and death services is 10 minutes and 15 minutes for walk-in services.
(1)(b) There is constant monitoring of the queues to check that those who are waiting in the queue will indeed be served without being asked to come back on another day. The queues are divided into product categories and floor/ queue walkers check the queues at regular intervals to see if clients are eligible to apply for the enabling documents and if so, have the correct supporting documents. This is to avoid clients queueing for long periods only to be turned back for not having the correct supporting documents. The total number of clients on the queue at any given time is also reported to management for resource planning purposes. Each official is allocated a specific period to process an application to keep up with the demand on the booking system and clients in the offices.
(1)(c) The ticket allocation system only operates on ID or passport numbers which are validated against the National Population Register before a ticket is issued to a client. This helps to eliminate illegal blocking and selling of slots by agents.
(1)(d) ID numbers or passport numbers are used as unique identifiers by the system. A valid cellphone number or email addresses is required from clients for verification purposes and sending the reference numbers. The system is able to detect any duplicate active booking.
(1)(e) The Department undertook the Home Affairs Customer Satisfaction Survey during the 2022/2023 financial year. The objectives of the study were to assess citizens’ perceptions and satisfaction level of services provided by the DHA, identify and document main problems in service delivery of the Department, document service areas which needs improvement and provide appropriate recommendations to the management of Home Affairs on ways in which service delivery in the selected study areas could be improved. The implementation plan for this study was developed and recommendations are currently being implemented.
(2) The findings of the 2022/2023 survey were as follows:
For Citizens’ perceptions and satisfaction level of services provided by the DHA
- In summary, the 2022/2023 customer satisfaction research findings are a mixture of positive and negative news regarding DHA service delivery efforts across all service centers
- 96% of the customers surveyed endorsed the DHA pricing structure as affordable.
- When asked about the likelihood of recommending the DHA offices they visited using a scale where those who would recommend were captured as promoters, those neutral would be passives whilst those who would not recommend would be detractors. The majority of respondents (i.e. 82%) were DHA promoters whilst 6% were detractors, giving a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 76%. The higher the NPS is the healthier the brand. The main reasons mentioned by the minority that would not recommend DHA across all customer segments were poor customer service, slow customer service, and bad staff attitude.
- Friendliness of Home Affairs officials was highlighted as the biggest challenge.
- Most of the customers were serviced on the same day, however there were some who had to visit the Home Affairs more than once for the same service. For those who were not serviced on the same day their reasons were due to long queues, not having all the required documents and the system being offline.
- The findings show a general improvement in queue management, with an increase of the scores across the different customer interaction points.
- The DHA was generally praised for effectiveness – i.e. its capability to deliver expected output; and criticised for lack of efficiency.
- The findings indicate that most DHA customers visit the DHA offices for the application of birth certificates and smart IDs.
For Customer Satisfaction Score (CSI)
- Customer Satisfaction Score for each service channel was generally high with scores above 70%. However, harbours and airports had the highest satisfaction score of over 90% whereas refugee centers had the lowest score of 73%.
- Inaccessibility, waiting in unmanaged queues for long hours, and unwelcoming staff attitude emerged as the most popular barriers to service excellence at Home Affairs offices. These also include the ability of staff to resolve queries, wait to get attention, and fair treatment.
Overall, DHA online processes were rated relatively high. However, lack of speed, particularly regarding receiving documents, and the payment process, emerged as the most popular barrier to online service excellence.
END
14 March 2024 - NW594
Bond, Mr M to ask the Minister of Employment and Labour
With reference to his reply to question 83 on 11 April 2023, what are the details of the (a) make, (b) model, (c) year of manufacture, (d) date of purchase and (e) purchase price paid for each vehicle purchased by his department for (i) him and (ii) the Deputy Minister since 8 May 2019?
Reply:
Office |
Financial year |
(a) Make |
(b) Model |
(c) Year Model |
(d) Cost |
(e) Purchase date |
Minister |
2019/ 2020 |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
2020/ 2021 |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
|
2021/ 2022 |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
|
2022/ 2023 |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
|
2023/ 2024 |
Audi |
Q5 TDI Quattro |
2023 |
R799,999.01 |
31/10/2023 |
|
Deputy Minister |
2019/2020 |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
2020/2021 |
Audi |
Q5 TDI Quattro S Line |
2020 |
R 748 353.50 |
18 October 2021 |
|
2021/ 2022 |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
|
2022/ 2023 |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N.B
- The Minister and Deputy Minister of the Department of Employment and Labour were appointed to their portfolios on 01 June 2019. (Refer to applicable date above: Q83 (iv)
- Minister- did not purchase any car up until a Jeep Grand Cherokee that he was using experienced mechanical problems, and in 2023 got replaced by Audi Q5 TDI.
- DM- used an Audi A6 2.0 TDI which ended up being uneconomical to repair, and it got replaced by Audi Q5 Quattro, in Pretoria.
13 March 2024 - NW379
Nolutshungu, Ms N to ask the Minister of Transport
With reference to her reply to question 3312 for oral reply on 9 November 2023, wherein she indicated that there are a number of different subsidy models for taxis being considered and explored, what (a) are the full, relevant details of the subsidy model that is being considered for the taxi industry, (b) are the specific time frames for its implementation and (c) progress has been made to date?
Reply:
a) The referenced reply (to question 3312) stated that the Department is developing a public transport subsidy policy that will locate the subsidisation of minibus taxi users within the wider, multi-modal subsidy framework as part of the public transport funding reforms. This implies a move away from mode specific subsidisation to a subsidised network serviced by a combination of modes to minimise the cost of transport. Therefore, subsidy would be for public transport in general and not necessarily for taxis separately. The different models being considered includes the supply side, demand side and user targeting just to mention a few. Direct public transport subsidy applies exclusively to formalised public transport services and, in many cases, take the form of different types of contracting.
(b) The draft public transport subsidy policy has been published for public comments on the 23rd of February 2024 in Government Gazette 50176. The public consultation process will close on the 31st of March 2024 where after the Department will start the process of submitting the policy for Cabinet approval. Implementation will only commence once the final subsidy policy is approved by Cabinet.
(c) Refer to (b) above.
13 March 2024 - NW99
Terblanche, Mr OS to ask the Minister of Police
Given that the optimal management of the vehicle fleet of the SA Police Service (SAPS) is of utmost importance to ensure maximum mobility at all times and quick response times when required, (a) what changes were introduced under the reign of M. Gen Dibankwane in the SAPS and (b) how did the specified changes contribute to safer communities?
Reply:
Find reply here
13 March 2024 - NW274
Sithole, Mr KP to ask the Minister of Transport
Considering that her department acknowledged in the National Land Transport Strategic Framework (2023-2028) that nearly 80% of the national road network has exceeded its 20-year service life structure design and, furthermore, based on National Treasury estimates more than R255 billion will be needed over the next three years to build, upgrade and maintain the Republic’s road transport infrastructure, what (a) plans does her department have in place to address the Republic’s ailing road infrastructure and (b) is the breakdown of the budgetary allocations for such restorations per annum?
Reply:
Following the rapid decline in the condition of Provincial and Municipal roads, the Cabinet retreat of 1 June 2022 then appointed SANRAL as the lead agent to support Roads Authorities in fixing their roads in an integrated way through Operation Vala Zonke programme. In order to effectively provide this support, the Minister of Transport launched Operation Vala Zonke as part of the build-up to Presidential Imbizo that took place on 12 August 2022.
a) As part of the National intervention, the Department did put forward a national plan for road refurbishment and rehabilitation, that is: (i) Availing of Integrated Transport Information System (ITIS) for all authorities to use; (ii) Handing over of Road Condition and Traffic Data for uploading into ITIS; (iii) support on Network Verification, Data upload and spatial map, (iv) Rollout of the National / Centralised Road Authority App for authorities and the public to report potholes; (v) Signing of MOUs between SANRAL and Provincial Road Authorities for technical support; (vi) Consideration and transfer of Strategic and Primary road network to SANRAL to enable SANRAL to reprioritise its existing non toll budget to address the immediate maintenance needs of some of the critical roads and (vii) Private Sector Involvement and Adopt a Road programme to enable various private companies to make contributions towards the maintenance and upkeep of roads through their Corporate Social Investment and claim for BEE Scorecards and obtain Tax deduction for such donation and (viii) Upgrading of low volume gravel roads using block paving bricks and Nano technologies to maximise jobs through labour intensive methods.
To date, the public has reported over 45 000 of potholes using the App for the repair of which has actively been monitored via central war room. The above process is creating much higher levels of accountability at all spheres of government regarding road network and its maintenance.
b) The breakdown of budgetary allocation provided by the Department for road restorations per annum over the MTEF is summarised in table below:
Table 1: The breakdown of 2023/24 to 2026/27 budgetary allocation
Authority |
2023/24 R’000 |
2024/25 R’000 |
2025/26 R’000 |
2026/27 R’000 |
SANRAL |
25 430 715 |
25 720 319 |
28 845 591 |
30 169 036 |
Provincial Road Maintenance Grant (supplementary fund to assist the 9 Provinces |
15 867 086 |
16 672 290 |
17 882 779 |
17 278 699 |
Total |
41 297 801 |
42 392 609 |
46 728 558 |
47 447 735 |
Though the Department does not have a mandate to address municipal roads, the Department do provide support to municipalities by inviting them to participate on the joint Vala Zonke Operations to fix potholes.
13 March 2024 - NW352
Majola, Mr TR to ask the Minister of Transport
What are the full details of all (a) sponsorships, (b) donations and (c) financial transfers provided for lawfare and/or any other purposes to (i) her, (ii) her department and (iii) officials of her department by any (aa) Qatari, (bb) Iranian and/or (cc) Russian organ of state, organisation and/or resident since 1 January 2021 up to the latest date in 2024 for which information is available?
Reply:
3.1 In respect of Qatar, Iran and Russia for the period that covers 1 January 2021 up to the latest date in 2024, the reply is as follows:
a) Sponsorships
(aa) (i) Not applicable (aa)(ii) Not applicable (aa) (iii) Not applicable
(bb) (i) Not applicable (bb) (ii) Not applicable (bb) (iii) Not applicable
(cc) (i) Not applicable (cc) (ii) Not applicable (cc) (iii) Not applicable
b) Donations
(aa) (i) Not applicable (aa) (ii) Not applicable (aa) (iii) Not applicable
(bb) (i) Not applicable (bb) (ii) Not applicable (bb) (iii) Not applicable
(cc) (i) Not applicable (cc) (ii) Not applicable (cc) (iii) Not applicable
(c) Financial Transfers
(aa) (i) Not applicable (aa) (ii) Not applicable (aa) (iii) Not applicable
(bb) (i) Not applicable (bb) (ii) Not applicable (bb) (iii) Not applicable
(cc) (i) Not applicable (cc) (ii) Not applicable (cc) (iii) Not applicable
13 March 2024 - NW88
Graham-Maré, Ms SJ to ask the Minister of Police
(1) What is the total number of (a) detectives and (b) support personnel that are currently employed in the Graaff-Reinet Cluster Detective Services; (2) what (a) is the total number of (i) detectives and (ii) support personnel required to work in the Graaff-Reinet Cluster Detective Services according to the latest organogram and (b)(i) plans are in place to fill the empty posts and (ii) by what date in each case?
12 March 2024 - NW371
Arries, Ms LH to ask the Minister of Social Development
With reference to the SA Social Security Agency office in Julius Tsolo Street, Khayelitsha in Cape Town, which has been closed since July 2022 due to renovations, (a) on what date will the renovations be completed (b) what are reasons that the renovations are taking so long to complete?
Reply:
a) It is important for the Honourable Member to note that SASSA is a tenant at the aforementioned premises that are owned by the Western Cape Provincial Department of Social Development. As the Honourable Member is aware, SASSA has temporarily relocated to Kuyasa Library to ensure continued service to the people of Khayelitsha.
SASSA is also working with local community-based organisations such as Khayelitsha Development Forum and Freedom To The Forgotten to find a long-lasting solution on this matter. In addition, SASSA has made an application to the City of Cape Town for the permanent use of the Kuyasa Library.
b) Refer to (a)
12 March 2024 - NW5
Herron, Mr BN to ask the Minister of Social Development
(1)With reference to her reply to question 4207 on 2 January 2024, what (a) total amount is owed to the State as a result of unrecovered grants from the SA Social Security Agency (SASSA) paid to beneficiaries who were deceased at the time of the payment and (b) portion of the specified amount has SASSA found to still be recoverable; (2) whether she has found that SASSA and/or her department will be able to identify, what (a) total amount and/or (b) portion of the specified amount referred to is being held in the private bank accounts of deceased beneficiaries; if not, what is the position in each case; if so, what are the relevant details in each case; (3) as SASSA is a registered creditor of the deceased estate, what total amount is recoverable in cases where the (a) estate has been reported to the Master of the High Court and (b) grant payment of the deceased beneficiary had been accessed by using the SASSA-issued card; (4) whether she has found that SASSA and/or her department will be able to, without being a creditor to a deceased estate, recover grant payments paid to deceased beneficiaries via SASSA cards; if not, what steps will be taken to recover such funding; if so, in what way?
Reply:
(1) (a) Information provided to Question 4207, was for grant overpayments to Post Bank clients. Over the last three years grant overpayments to deceased Post Bank clients were as follows:
-
- 2021/2022 = R59 256 000
- 2022/2023 = R50 372 000
- 2023/2024 = R31 928 000
SASSA does not have data on other Banks readily available to provide statistics as requested above. A special script is required to extract the required data; which takes time to develop, execute and analyse for accuracy and to ensure this part of the question is responded to adequately.
(b) Considering that the above-mentioned grant overpayments were made to the most vulnerable members of society, SASSA’s ability to recover debt might be expensive than the debt itself. However, I must point out that each debt, irrespective of the amount, remains “recoverable “until it is s written off.
There are a number of questions and factors that can be considered when dealing with deceased grant beneficiaries to whom a grant was paid before SASSA received a notice of death from Home Affairs:
- Would it be economical to invest all the resources required to recoup a debt for one-month payment made to a deceased grant beneficiary?
- Does the deceased have an estate or the value of the estate is so small to claim against such that the full value of the grant may not be recovered?
- Would recovery cause undue hardship to his or her dependents?
(2) (a) and (b) Information on private bank accounts, such as balances within those accounts, is confidential information, to which SASSA dos not have access.
(3) (a) SASSA is not currently a registered creditor to any deceased estate. There is currently no system interface between SASSA and the Office of the Master of the High Court. When death occurs, the majority of Social Grant beneficiaries’ families make no effort to wind up an estate with the Office of the Master of the High Court (estates between R125,000 and R250,000) or with the Magistrates Office (estates below R125,000) as required by law. Therefore, if no “case file” is created no-one can register as a Creditor.
(b) All debts are considered “recoverable”, until National Treasury approves the write off. Hence the full amount referenced above is considered recoverable until this process is completed.
(4) It’s important to note that for the SASSA cards, funds are paid into a bank account at Postbank, which is governed by the same laws as any other bank account. SASSA with the assistance of National Treasury is investigating the possibility of all banks to return balances remaining in social grant beneficiary’s bank as a result of grants not withdrawn back to government. The technicalities and implications of this proposal are still under discussion.
12 March 2024 - NW160
Smalle, Mr JF to ask the Minister of Social Development
(1)With reference to her reply to question 4207 on 2 January 2024, during what period of the month does her department update information received from the Department of Home Affairs; (2) with regard to overpayments made to SA Social Security Agency (SASSA) beneficiaries, what (a) is the total number of beneficiaries who received two and/or more wrongful SASSA grant allocations and (b) was the total monetary value in the (i) 2020-21, (ii) 2021-22, (iii) 2022-23 financial years and (iv) since 1 April 2023?
Reply:
(1) As stated in my reply to Parliamentary Question 4207, SASSA works closely with the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) on data validation and conducts monthly checks to confirm the life status of clients before a payment is generated. Payment is effected for clients who are confirmed to be alive, as per validation outcome.
The life status (proof of life) confirmation is sourced from DHA on the day that the payment file is created. If proof of life is confirmed, payment is included in the payment file and effected for that month. As soon as SASSA receives notice of death from DHA, payment is immediately cancelled and not included in the payment file for that month.
It is important for the Honourable Member to note that social grants payments are effected upon confirmation of proof of life by the Department responsible for this function, which is the DHA. It is incorrect to insinuate that SASSA knowingly pays social grants to deceased beneficiaries.
The activities and the period between payment extraction and payment date can be outlined as below: Using February 2024 payment as example:
- Fourth weekend of the month payment file is extracted (26-28 January 2024) – It must be noted that due to the controls and volumes of the payment file, the payment file is done over a weekend when there is no production work being processed.
- Payment file QA and approval on Monday (29 January 2024).
(2) It will be appreciated if the Honourable can clarify this question because SASSA does not have the data readily available.
12 March 2024 - NW62
Masango, Ms B to ask the Minister of Social Development
(1)(a) What is the total number of victims of gender-based violence (GBV) who have been assisted in each of the years since the Gender-Based Violence Command Centre (GBVCC) opened (b) how were the victims assisted; (2) what (a) due diligence was done regarding the (i) call-centre operators and (ii) adjudication of the tender and (b) measures have been put in place to assist victims of GBV while the alleged contractual dispute between her department and Brilliantel is being sorted out?
Reply:
(1)(a) GBV Command Centre Statistics Report: 01 November 2013 – 31 December 2023 |
||
Date |
Telephone Calls Received |
GBV victims assisted |
01 JAN 2023 – 31 Dec 2023 |
65 311 |
5 845 |
01 JAN 2022 – 31 Dec 2022 |
40 700 |
3 086 |
01 JAN 2021 – 31 Dec 2021 |
65 490 |
5 036 |
01 JAN 2020 – 31 Dec 2020 |
136 940 |
5 954 |
01 JAN 2019 – 31 Dec 2019 |
59 800 |
1 955 |
01 JAN 2018 – 31 Dec 2018 |
64 680 |
3 015 |
01 JAN 2017 – 31 Dec 2017 |
12 020 |
4 048 |
01 JAN 2016 – 31 Dec 2016 |
71 040 |
1 816 |
01 JAN 2015 – 31 Dec 2015 |
64 820 |
2 214 |
01 JAN 2014 – 31 Dec 2014 |
7 607 |
940 |
01 NOV 2013 – 31 Dec 2013 |
1 997 |
325 |
TOTAL |
590 405 |
34 234 |
(b)The GBV Command Centre is a call-centre service that can be contacted by anyone who need assistance with issues of GBV or any issue relating to abuse or threat to personal safety, at any time of the day (24/7) and throughout the year.
Since inception, the GBV Command Centre is managed by qualified social workers registered with the SA Council for Social Service Professions. Depending on the nature of the call, the client is referred to the relevant services, including Health, SAPS and local NGOs that provides shelters for survivors of GBV
(2)(a)(i) and(ii) The awarding of the tender followed the prescripts in terms of the Public Finance Management Act and its regulations. This included amongst others, a compulsory briefing, a 2-stage shortlisting, verification and recommendation of bidders consisting of the Bid Evaluation and Bid Adjudication Committees. This was further strengthened through a requirement of submission of verifiable project qualifications and skills of the respective Project leaders of each bidder, and the submission of verifiable, written references of past provision of services by the prospective service providers.
(b) The Department has established a Project Steering Committee that meets on a weekly basis to measure progress in the implementation and roll-out of the GBVCC project. This is further assisted by a weekly meeting between the Director-General and the CEO of Brilliantel to further measure progress and resolve, any outstanding contractual or project delivery matters.
12 March 2024 - NW487
Arries, Ms LH to ask the Minister of Social Development
What total number of child support grants were suspended due to the banking details of the grant beneficiaries not corresponding with those in the SA Social Security Agency system from 1 April 2023 up to the latest specified date for which information is available?
Reply:
SASSA suspended 81 687 Child Support Grants since 1 April 2023 up to 31 January 2024.
These grants were suspended because the banking details of grant recipients captured on the SASSA database did not correspond with details captured by their respective banks, indicating possible changes in the clients’ records. The suspension was implemented as per the provision of Section 14(5) of the Social Assistance Act (Act No. 13 of 2004), which requires clients/beneficiaries to ensure that their records are accurate and updated with the Agency.
12 March 2024 - NW139
Masango, Ms B to ask the Minister of Social Development
What portion of the amounts of (a)(i) R59 256 000 and (ii) R50 372 000 in the 202122 and 2022-23 financial years, respectively, has been recovered and (b) R31 928 000 has been recovered since 1 April 2023, where the SA Social Security Agency erroneously paid grants to deceased beneficiaries?
Reply:
a) (i0(ii)(iii) The reply to Question 4207, was for total grant overpayments of Post Bank clients. Data related to payments and debts, including recoveries, is housed on two different systems, and requires an extensive cross referencing of the two data sets to answer the question in its current form. This will also require remapping of data across multiple years.
With regard to recoveries, refer to the table below:
FY 2021-2022 |
FY 2022-2023 |
FY 2023-2024 |
R10,826,491.53 |
R17,900,226.07 |
R20,001,986.99 |
12 March 2024 - NW372
Arries, Ms LH to ask the Minister of Social Development
What total number of SA Social Security Agency offices have (a) defaulted in rental payment and (b) been closed due to the non-payment of rent in the last two years?
Reply:
a) At the time of this response, I have not been informed of any cases anywhere in the country where SASSA has defaulted on rental payments.
b) Refer to (a). SASSA has a system in place to manage ahead of time all office rentals to ensure no offices are closed due to non-rental payments. Hence, there has been no closure of any leased offices in the last two years.
12 March 2024 - NW316
Masango, Ms B to ask the Minister of Social Development
(1)What (a) is the breakdown of the total number of complaints that SA Social Security Agency (SASSA) has received relating to the duplication of identity document (ID) numbers for each of the different grants including the Social Relief of Distress Grant for every year since 2020 and (b) was the outcome of these complaints; (2) How many of the lodged complaints were due to ID fraud by (a) public servants outside her department, (b) SASSA employees and (c) employee of her department; (3) What mechanisms have been put in place to combat fraud at her department and SASSA?
Reply:
The table below provides the number of official complaints received during the period 2020 until 2024; and the outcomes of the complaints.
Year |
Number of complaints |
Breakdown per grant type |
Outcome |
||||||||||||||||||||||
2020 |
106 |
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
2021 |
40 |
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
2022 |
119 |
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
2023 |
424 |
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
2024 |
256 |
|
|
(2) Thus far there’s no linkage of the lodged complaints on ID fraud with a) public servants outside the department, b) SASSA employees and c) employees of the department.
(3) The issue of “duplicate IDs” SASSA has identified two situations mainly affects older clients where two persons share the same ID number, unknowingly. These cases are not necessarily fraudulent, but in part the result of various legacy issues. Such matters are flagged and referred to the Department of Affairs for investigation and resolution.
(ii) Recently, the same issue of “duplicate IDs” is affecting those applying for the SRD grant. These are not necessarily duplicate IDs but some form of Identity theft. Fraudsters steal and use another person’s ID number and personal details to apply for the SRD grant; as well as open accounts with private banks, pretending to be the rightful owners of the ID.
When such cases are detected, SASSA will flag the applicant as fraudulent and require the applicant to provide a HANIS report to confirm their identity. SASSA is also implementing a system that will allow for these clients to digitally verify themselves through a facial recognition process. We however, cannot make the specific fraud prevention mechanisms public as this would weaken the mechanism and defeat their purpose. At high level, as part of the detective mechanism, we conduct compliance inspections and systems to detect any internal control deficiencies across the regions. As part of corrective mechanism, we conduct investigations and ensure that corrective measures are taken. Where necessary, members of the South African Police Service also assist in the investigation of fraud cases.
11 March 2024 - NW103
Bodlani, Ms T to ask the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies
With reference to his 2023-24 Budget Vote Speech, wherein he announced targets towards expanding Wi-Fi access across the Republic, what (a) total number of Wi-Fi hotspots have been connected by his department in the 2023-24 financial year in each (i) district and (ii) province, (b) is the rate of internet connectivity and (i) in each province and (ii) in the Republic as at 1 January 2024?
Reply:
I have been informed by the Department as follows:-a) 231
- See table below
- See table below
b) As of 1st January 2024, Broadband Infraco achieved 9 056 household connectivity and 231 community WiFi hotspots in various district municipalities as indicated below:
i) Province |
ii) District Municipality |
Total HH Connections |
HH Connections Speeds Tested |
Total WiFi Hotspot |
HH Connections Speeds Tested |
Eastern Cape |
Joe Gqabi District |
1284 |
5-10 Mbps |
16 |
10-80 Mbps |
Sarah Baartman |
400 |
5-10 Mbps |
0 |
- |
|
Buffalo City |
317 |
5-10 Mbps |
0 |
- |
|
Limpopo |
Waterberg |
1003 |
5-10 Mbps |
3 |
10-80 Mbps |
Vhembe |
101 |
5-10 Mbps |
0 |
- |
|
Free State |
Fezile Dabi |
398 |
5-10 Mbps |
1 |
10-80 Mbps |
Xhariep |
501 |
5-10 Mbps |
19 |
10-80 Mbps |
|
KwaZulu- Natal |
Harry Gwala |
1753 |
5-10 Mbps |
67 |
10-80 Mbps |
Ugu |
1512 |
5-10 Mbps |
90 |
10-80 Mbps |
|
North-West |
Dr Kenneth Kaunda |
0 |
- |
0 |
- |
Dr Ruth S Mompati |
0 |
- |
0 |
- |
|
Northern Cape |
John Taolo Gaetsewe |
0 |
- |
0 |
- |
Namakwa |
0 |
- |
0 |
- |
|
ZF Mgcawu |
0 |
- |
0 |
- |
|
Gauteng |
Sedibeng |
700 |
5-10 Mbps |
0 |
- |
West Rand |
1087 |
5-10 Mbps |
35 |
10-80 Mbps |
|
Western Cape |
Overberg |
0 |
- |
0 |
- |
West Coast |
0 |
- |
0 |
- |
|
Total Connections Achieved on BAF |
9 056 |
- |
231 |
- |
Thank you
11 March 2024 - NW140
Masango, Ms B to ask the Minister of Public Service and Administration
(1)With reference to her reply to question 3197 on 29 December 2023, what progress has been made regarding consequence management of the (a) 5 812 public servants who fraudulently received Social Relief of Distress grants and (b) 33 833 public servants who fraudulently received other social grants; (2) whether (a) her department and (b) the SA Social Security Agency launched an investigation to determine whether the wrongful payments form part of a scheme to defraud the State; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
(1) The following progress has been made regarding consequence management of:
(a) 5 812 public servants who fraudulently received Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grants: In September 2022, Ms BJ Memela, the Chief Executive Officer of the SA Social Security Agency issued letters to Government Departments at National and Provincial levels advising them of the identification of civil servants on the Covid 19 SRD database and requested that consequence management be undertaken by those Government Departments.
No |
Date of signing letter |
Name of Department |
Annexure |
1 |
26/09/2022 |
Department of Basic Education |
A |
2 |
28/09/2022 |
Deed Office |
B |
3 |
26/09/2022 |
Department of Labour |
C |
4 |
26/09/2022 |
Department of Justice |
D |
5 |
09/11/2022 |
Department of Social Development |
E |
6 |
26/09/2022 |
Limpopo Provincial Department of Health |
F |
7 |
29/09/2022 |
South African Police Service |
G |
8 |
28/09/2022 |
Correctional Services |
H |
The indicated Departments are to be approached by SA Social Security Agency to establish progress with the execution of consequence management.
(b) 33 833 public servants who fraudulently received other social grants: This information is to be obtained from the SA Social Security Agency (Fraud and Compliance Department).
(2) Regarding investigations the following:
(a) The DPSA did not launch an investigation to determine whether the wrongful payments form part of a scheme to defraud the State, as the DPSA does not have a legal mandate to perform investigations.
(b) SA Social Security Agency launched an investigation. The details of the investigation are reflected under (1)(a) and is to be provided for (b).
End
11 March 2024 - NW467
Schreiber, Dr LA to ask the Minister of Public Service and Administration
(1)What is the total amount of public funds spent by the State in opposing the application seeking the North Gauteng High Court to declare the practice of cadre deployment unconstitutional and unlawful; (2) what are the reasons justifying the use of public funds to defend the policy of a political party?
Reply:
1. The Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) has spent no public funds in opposing the application seeking the North Gauteng High Court to declare the practice of cadre deployment unconstitutional and unlawful.
The DPSA opposed an application by the Democratic Alliance against the Minister for Public Service and Administration (the Sixth Respondent) in the High Court of South Africa, Gauteng Division, under case No 31418/2022, to declare Chapter IV of the Public Service Act 103 of 1994 to be inconsistent with the Constitution. The costs expended by the DPSA, to date in this regard, is R 450 340-00.
The High Court ordered that the Democratic Alliance pay the costs of the Sixth Respondent in this matter. The order is being appealed by the Democratic Alliance and if the Appeal is dismissed, the DPSA will recover the amounts so taxed.
2. Public funds were not expended by the DPSA to defend the policy of a political party.
The DPSA opposed the application by the Democratic Alliance against the Minister for Public Service and Administration in the High Court of South Africa, Gauteng Division, under case No 31418/2022, which sought to declare Chapter IV of the Public Service Act 103 of 1994 to be inconsistent with the Constitution, on the basis that-
- the Minister for the Public Service and Administration was cited by the Democratic Alliance as the Sixth Respondent;
- the Minister is responsible for the administration of the Public Service Act, 1994;
- the provisions of the Public Service Act were affected by the recourse sought by the Democratic Alliance in declaring the Act unconstitutional; and
- the DPSA was required to respond and place a case before the Court on the incorrectness of the allegation by the Democratic Alliance with regard to the unconstitutionality of the Public Service Act.
In this regard, the High Court found that there was “no valid constitutional attack” and the case of the Democratic Alliance must therefore be rejected.
End
11 March 2024 - NW321
George, Dr DT to ask the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition
Whether, considering the participation of the delegation of the Republic in the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2024 that took place in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, from 15 to 19 January 2024, his department bore the financial responsibility for the expenses of its representatives in terms of (a) accommodation, (b) air travel, (c) ground transportation and (d) any other ancillary expenses, if so, what are the relevant details in terms of the (i) total cost and (ii) breakdown thereof, if not (2) Whether the specified expense were covered by funds received from the National Treasury, if not, what is the position in this regard, if so, what are the relevant details? NW364E
Reply:
The World Economic Forum (WEF) 2024, which took place in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, from 15 to 19 January 2024, provided South Africa an opportunity to engage international investors and policy-makers.
I was accompanied by the Acting DDG Invest SA and two DTIC permanent representatives to Geneva. The department’s appropriated budget covered all expenses.
The engagements and activities included
- More than 15 separate sessions with investors in sectors such as beverages, transport-logistics, energy, steel, engineering and retail.
- Meetings with a number of trade and economic ministers from across the world, including Norway, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Netherlands and Oman and with government advisors from Nigeria
- A meeting with the European Union Vice President and Trade Commissioner on SA-EU trade matters and on the WTO
- A session with a US Senator, covering SA-US trade and investment relations
- Participating as a speaker in panels dealing with development and with SMME promotion in value-chains
- A ‘South Africa Investment’ session hosted by Bloomberg
- Separate meetings with the Director General of the WTO and with the Secretary General of the AfCFTA
- Participation in a number of briefing sessions on global policy matters, including by the Premier of China and the US Secretary of State
- A WTO session attended by officials.
I am advised the total cost was R802 000, made up of accommodation, air travel, and ground transportation, food, subsistence and travel costs.
-END-
11 March 2024 - NW442
Majozi, Ms Z to ask the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies
Apart from advocating for the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication-related Information Amendment Bill [B28-2023], what practical and/or short-term measures has his department put in place to clamp down on subscriber identification module (SIM) card fraud?
Reply:
I was advised by ICASA as follows:
The Authority is mandated through section 68 of the Electronic Communications Act (“the ECA”) (Act No. 36 of 2005) as amended to regulate the numbering resources. However, the ECA does not empower the Authority to regulate SIM registration.
Noting the challenges experienced in the country wherein numbers are hijacked either through SIM swap fraud or number porting, the Authority has tightened the number porting regime by prescribing a porting procedure and a port validation process in Schedule A of the Number Portability Regulations of 2018.
Additionally, the Authority resolved to amend the Numbering Plan Regulations of 2016, by inserting a provision that mandates licensees to collect subscribers’ biometric data during activation of services.
These regulatory measures are intended to empower and protect the public when activating/porting their numbers and/or services with the telecommunications service providers. Nevertheless, the biometric data collection provision was deferred by the Authority for further consultation with stakeholders on the technical and functional specifications associated with the implementation of the biometric provisions.
The Authority has been consulting with the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (“DOJ & CD”) on the review of Chapter 7 of RICA which places an obligation on telecommunications service providers, who are licenced by the Authority to register all SIM cards by verifying customer information. It also mandates telecommunications service providers to retain customer data, and to respond to lawful interception requests. Further, the Authority is addressing concerns that it does not have access to the RICA database which is managed by the DoJ & CD to monitor compliance.
The Authority is also in consultation with institutions that have successfully implemented the biometric verification system – South African Banking Risk Information Centre, the State Information Technology Agency and the Department of Home Affairs - to seek guidance regarding the development of a functional biometric system.
Furthermore, clarity is being sought from the Information Regulator regarding the application of the Protection of Personal Information Act (Act No. 4 of 2013) (“POPIA”) on the appropriate safeguards to protect personal information of the data subjects. This is to ensure that the Authority’s Numbering Regulations are not in conflict with the provisions of POPIA.
Thank you
11 March 2024 - NW279
Bodlani, Ms T to ask the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies
(1)Whether he terminated the membership of six board members at the State Information Technology Agency SOC Ltd in July 2023, due to a disagreement relating to the remuneration increase awarded to a certain person (name and details furnished); if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details; (2) whether he will furnish Ms T Bodlani with the salary grade of the specified person upon assumption of duties in April 2023 up to the departure of the person in December 2023; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW316E
Reply:
1. Five members of the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) SOC Ltd board resigned and two have been retained into the current board. The former representative of the Department of Public Service and Administration was recalled by their Minister. Only three board members were dismissed in July 2023. This followed the Cabinet guidance to reprimand them after they had violated the SITA Memorandum of Incorporation and went against the Cabinet resolution that had already considered and approved the salary of the Managing Director.
2. Yes. The salary grade for the CEO upon assumption of duties in April 2023 up to the departure in December 2023 was above maximum Paterson Band F3.
Thank you
08 March 2024 - NW344
Gwarube, Ms S to ask the Minister of Public Enterprises
What are the full details of all (a) sponsorships, (b) donations and (c) financial transfers provided for lawfare and/or any other purposes to (i) him, (ii) his department and (iii) officials of his department by any (aa) Qatari, (bb) Iranian and/or (cc) Russian organ of state, organisation and/or resident since 1 January 2021 up to the latest date in 2024 for which information is available?
Reply:
There were no sponsorships, donations or financial transfers provided to Minister or the Department officials from Qatari, Iranian or Russian organs of state in the period 1 January 2021 to date.
Remarks: Reply: Approved / Not Approved
Jacky Molisane P J Gordhan, MP
Acting Director-General Minister
Date: Date:
08 March 2024 - NW431
Hlengwa, Ms MD to ask the Minister of Health
With regard to the R848 billion allocated to his department over the Medium-term Expenditure Framework by the Minister of Finance, Mr E Godongwana, what total number of (a) doctors and (b) nurses will be employed?
Reply:
The allocated budget of R848 billion for the Health sector is inclusive of the following obligations:
- Payment of current employees and the impact of wage bill agreement
- Provision of the health services in all facilities
- Medical equipment
- Maintenance and construction of new facilities
Included in the above budget is an additional budget of R3.7 billion has been allocated towards compensation of employees in the sector for the financial year 2024/25 to address the wage bill increase and recruitment of additional staff including nurses and medical doctors.
The department has been in constant communication with the representatives of and individual unemployed doctors since beginning of the year. Whilst interacting with the different lists submitted and comparing them with the Persal system, the following conclusion was deduced:
- 417 duplications from grand total of 1415
- 13 applicants still to complete their Community Service
- 2 registered as Internship
- 6 interested in Specialist Posts
- 860 completed Community Service in December 2023
a) Provincial Departments of Health have already advertised 823 since December 2023 and have reported projections of 1103 Medical Officer appointments by 1st April 2024.
b) Consolidation of funded posts for Nurses will be confirmed by the 15th March 2024.
END.
08 March 2024 - NW367
Tito, Ms LF to ask the Minister of Health
In each province, what is the total number of (a) public clinics and (b) public healthcare facilities that (i) have permanent (aa) pharmacists and (bb) pharmacist assistants and (ii) do not have permanent pharmacists and pharmacist assistants and have to rely on general nurses to dispense medicine?
Reply:
(a) (b) (i) (aa) (bb) (ii)
The table below shows public facilities with permanent pharmacists, permanent pharmacist assistants and those facilities without pharmacists and Pharmacists assistants
Province |
Public Clinics (a) |
Public Facilities (Clinics & hospitals) |
Public Facilities with Permanent Pharmacists(b) (i) (aa) |
Public Facilities with Permanent Pharmacists Assistants(b) (i) (bb) |
Public Clinics without permanent Pharmacist &Pharmacist Assistants (ii) |
Eastern Cape |
777 |
867 |
139 |
236 |
490 |
Free State |
219 |
251 |
43 |
170 |
38 |
Gauteng |
373 |
409 |
67 |
210 |
132 |
KwaZulu-Natal |
608 |
678 |
93 |
412 |
173 |
Limpopo |
477 |
518 |
78 |
89 |
351 |
Mpumalanga |
295 |
327 |
75 |
159 |
93 |
Northern Cape |
161 |
176 |
47 |
85 |
44 |
North West |
309 |
330 |
49 |
60 |
248 |
Western Cape |
255 |
307 |
123 |
94 |
90 |
Total |
3474 |
3863 |
714 |
1515 |
1659 |
Facilities without pharmacists and pharmacists assistants are supported by district pharmacists for monitoring availability of medication while nurses with dispensing course are dispensing their own prescriptions. Nurses without dispensing course are given authorisation to dispense medication in accordance with the Primary Health Care Standard Treatment Guideline and Essential Medicine List as per section 56(6), 33 of 2005. of Nursing Act .
END.
08 March 2024 - NW419
Van Zyl, Ms A M to ask the Minister of Basic Education
What are the details of (a) the measures her department has taken to improve the lack of language development in mother tongue education in the schools and (b) her plans to promote and enhance mother-tongue instruction in the education system of the Republic?
Reply:
a) The Department of Basic Education developed the Framework for the teaching and learning of languages (2013) as a means to strengthen all languages so that they can be used as media of instruction particularly for foundational learning. The DBE successfully piloted Mother Tongue-based Bilingual Education (MTBBE) in the Eastern Cape (EC) since 2012, where African languages (IsiXhosa and Sesotho) were used as languages of teaching, learning and assessment (LoLTA) of Mathematics and Natural Science and Technology from Grades 4 in targeted Quintiles 1 – 3 schools. The Department is now able to rollout MTBBE in the whole country, as a key finding of the National Rapid Assessment (2023) that the EC model is a reliable prototype.
b) On the 21 February 2024, on International Mother Language Day (IMLD), the Minister of Basic Education announced that in 2025, there will be a rollout in all provinces of the MTBBE strategy for Mathematics and Natural Science and Technology incrementally from Grade 4 in 2025, focusing on the nine previously marginalised official African languages (IsiZulu, IsiXhosa, IsiNdebele, Siswati, Sesotho, Setswana, Sepedi, Tshivenda and Xitsonga), to be used as languages of learning, teaching and assessment beyond Grade 3. This is the space enjoyed currently by English and Afrikaans. The rollout of the MTBBE is to ensure that the previously marginalised official African Languages enjoy the parity of esteem of all South African languages as enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. The MTBBE plan is being shared and presented to all the relevant stakeholders, it will be shared with Cabinet as well.
08 March 2024 - NW426
Halse, Ms T to ask the Minister of Health
With reference to the delayed operationalisation of various facilities and functions at the Senorita Nhlabathi District Hospital in Ladybrand, (a) what are the relevant details of the total costs that have been incurred since its opening in 2014 to transport patients to the Pelonomi Hospital in Bloemfontein for operations and (b) how do the specified costs compare to employing qualified medical professionals to perform the operations in the Senorita Nhlabathi District Hospital?
Reply:
a) The total costs that have been incurred since its opening in 2014 to transport patients to Pelonomi Hospital in Bloemfontein for operations is estimated at R 58 152 804. This is calculated based on Uniform Patient Fee Schedule (UPFS) rates applicable for externally funded patients for 5514 cases (High risk patients including 1521 maternity patient transfers that were to be operated at Senorita Nhlabathi District Hospital) at a cost of R 9 484 763, 65 transported since 2014 to 2024.
b) Senorita Hospital is based in the rural area, classified as a small district hospital and offers a comprehensive district hospital package of services. Due to challenges associated with the rural nature of the District where the hospital is placed, the district hospital experience difficulties in attracting and retaining medical professionals thus affecting consistency of conducting operations at Senorita District hospital. See table below comparing the cost of transferring patients from Senorita District hospital to Pelonomi Hospital.
The department remains committed to improving the health of the population being served by the hospital. More than consideration of the costs the Department is concerned about saving the lives of the users. According to the referral pathway the hospital should refer high risk patients to Dihlabeng Regional Hospital which is 200 km but due to longer distance and very poor condition of the road, the hospital refer their high risk patients and maternity cases to Pelonomi Tertiary Hospital which is closer by 130 km away. Additionally contingency measures put in place are that all the elective operations from Senorita hospital will be conducted by mainly community service medical doctors appointed by Senorita Nhlabathi District hospital on a shift basis at Moroka District Hospital which is 70km away and Botshabelo District hospitals which is 100 km away from Senorita district hospital.
Patients Transferred 2014-2024 |
Cost of Transport 2014-2024 |
Job Title |
Notch |
Cost |
X 3993 High risk patients |
R48 668 040,35 |
X 3 medical Doctors |
R906 540.00 |
R3 725 879 |
X3 Theatre Nurse(PNB1) |
R431 265.00 |
R1 772 499 |
||
X 1521 maternity patients |
R9 484 763,65 |
X2 Professional Nurse (PNA2) |
R293 670.00 |
R804 656 |
X 3 Staff Nurse |
R199 725.00 |
R820 870 |
||
X 1 Porter |
R147 036.00 |
R201 439 |
||
Total transferred 5514 |
R58 152 804 |
X 1 Cleaner |
R125 373.00 |
R171 761 |
GRAND TOTAL |
R58 152 804.00 |
|
R7 497 104 p/annum |
END.
08 March 2024 - NW393
Shaik Emam, Mr AM to ask the Minister of Health
(1)What measures is his department putting in place to accommodate the more than 1 000 medical graduates who have completed their community service and remain unemployed; (2) whether his department has succeeded in acquiring additional funding from the National Treasury as previously alluded to by him, in order to accommodate the specified graduates; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
1. The Provincial Departments of Health had already advertised 823 since December 2023 and have reported projections of 1103 Medical Officer appointments by 1st April 2024. In monitoring the progress and supporting the provinces, regular discussions are held between the National Department of Health and Provinces.
2. Additional budget of R3.7 billion has been allocated towards compensation of employees in the health sector for the financial year 2024/25 to address the wage bill increase and recruitment of additional staff including nurses and medical doctors.
END.
08 March 2024 - NW348
Khakhau, Ms KL to ask the Minister in The Presidency for Electricity
What are the full details of all (a) sponsorships, (b) donations and (c) financial transfers provided for lawfare and/or any other purposes to (i) him, (ii) his Office and (iii) officials of his Office by any (aa) Qatari, (bb) Iranian and/or (cc) Russian organ of state, organisation and/or resident since 1 January 2021 up to the latest date in 2024 for which information is available?
Reply:
The Ministry was established in March 2023 and we can categorically confirm that neither the Minister, his Office nor his officials have received any sponsorships, donations and financial transfers provided for lawfare and/or any other purposes until the date of the submission of this reply.
08 March 2024 - NW421
Clarke, Ms M to ask the Minister of Health
On what evidence did he rely during the debate on the President’s State of the Nation Address on 13 February 2024 when he made the statement that all public health entities, without exception, received either clean or unqualified audits during the 2022-23 financial year?
Reply:
The evidence of the public health entities audit outcomes is contained in their 2022-23 Financial Year Annual Reports which were tabled in Parliament on 23 September 2023.
The following Public Health entities obtained Clean Audits:
a) South African Medical Research Council – refer to page 314 for the Auditor General’s report for the 2022/23 Financial Year
b) Office of Health Standards Compliance – refer to page 77 for the Auditor General’s report for the 2022/23 Financial Year
The following Public Health Entities obtained Unqualified Audits:
c) Council for Medical Schemes – refer to page 106 for the Auditor General’s report for the 2022/23 Financial Year
d) South African Health Products Regulatory Authority – refer to page 121 for the Auditor General’s report for the 2022/23 Financial Year
National Health Laboratory Service – refer to page 165 for the Independent Auditor’s report for the 2022/23 Financial Year
END.
08 March 2024 - NW342
Faber, Mr WF to ask the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy
What are the full details of all (a) sponsorships, (b) donations and (c) financial transfers provided for lawfare and/or any other purposes to (i) him, (ii) his department and (iii) officials of his department by any (aa) Qatari, (bb) Iranian and/or (cc) Russian organ of state, organisation and/or resident since 1 January 2021 up to the latest date in 2024 for which information is available?
Reply:
The Department has not received any. (a) Sponsorship (b) Donations (c) Financial transfers to the Minister nor its officials from (aa) Qatari (bb) Iranian and (cc) Russian organs of State, Organisations or residents.
08 March 2024 - NW389
Ngcobo, Mr SL to ask the Minister of Basic Education
Whether, with regard to the recent Budget Speech by the Minister of Finance, Mr E Godongwana, on 21 February 2024, the National School Nutrition Programme will receive a fully funded budget for all schools throughout the Republic; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
The National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) will be fully funded, in line with the Conditional Grant Framework, which stipulates the minimum requirements of providing nutritious meals to learners in quintile 1 - 3 primary and secondary schools; as well as identified special schools on all school days. This includes targeted learners in identified quintile 4 and 5 schools in line with available resources.
08 March 2024 - NW420
Bagraim, Mr M to ask the Minister of Health
Whether his department has undertaken any study and/or research to determine the extent to which the implementation of the National Health Insurance will encourage the perceived medical and specialist skills drain in the healthcare sector; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details of the findings?
Reply:
The implementation of National Health Insurance (NHI) as a mechanism towards realizing universal health coverage (UHC) in South Africa is based on a structured, phased approach. A strategic part of the phased implementation includes proactive and ongoing engagements with various healthcare professional associations and groupings directed at providing them with clear information on the intentions of the policy and how the envisaged reforms are intended to contribute to overall health system sustainability.
The National Department of Health has undertaken study tours, including engaging with multilateral and bilateral partners, on the path that other countries, such as the United Kingdom, Thailand, Taiwan, and Canada, have taken towards implementing UHC reforms. Even in these countries there was anxiety among healthcare professionals concerned with changes around reimbursement mechanisms (i.e., changes from fee for service to capitation systems). To address such anxieties, it is specifically the reason why the Department is deliberately adopting a phased approach to the roll-out of NHI, as well as continuing to actively engage healthcare professionals through various channels and engagement platforms to provide all concerned stakeholders, not just healthcare professionals, with key information on the elements outlined in the NHI Bill and why they are important.
Emphasis is towards adopting a co-creation approach between the Department and stakeholders, including healthcare professionals. It is through this approach that the Department intends to address the perceived medical and specialist skills drain in the healthcare sector associated with the planned implementation of NHI.
END.
08 March 2024 - NW383
Montwedi, Mr Mk to ask the Minister of Basic Education
Whether communities were consulted regarding the rationalisation of the school programme in the North West; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
Communities were and continue to be consulted in the North West. The consultation process took long to an extent that no school was merged or closed in 2023 pending the completion of the consultation process.
08 March 2024 - NW407
Mashabela, Ms N to ask the Minister of Basic Education
Considering the high dropout rates at schools, what interventions will her department make to ensure the reduction of the number of learners who drop out before reaching Grade 12?
Reply:
To reduce dropping out before reaching Grade 12, the government's strategies are multi-pronged, focusing on mitigating poverty's effects and improving learning and teaching in the classroom. The following key initiatives contributed to past reductions in dropouts and are 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.
08 March 2024 - NW445
Luthuli, Mr BN to ask the Minister of Finance
(1)Following his recent Budget Speech on 21 February 2024, whereafter a certain person (name and details furnished) raised a number of concerns (details furnished), what is the breakdown of the budget allocations specifically earmarked for the creative industry, including sport, arts and culture, as outlined in the specified speech; (2) how does he intend to ensure transparency and fairness in the distribution of the budget for the creative industry, addressing the concerns raised by the specified person about funding the same organisations repeatedly?
Reply:
1. Over the 2024 MTEF the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture will receive a total allocation of R18.3 billion of which R2.9 billion is allocated to recreation development and sport promotion; R1.2 billion for infrastructure programmes; R3.9 billion is allocated to cultural and creative industries; R4.2 billion for community library services and R4.2 billion for heritage promotion and preservation. Further detailed budget information can be obtained from the 2024 Estimates of National Expenditure, Vote 37: Sport, Arts and Culture.
2. The distribution of the budget is the responsibility of the Accounting Officer of the department as per PFMA section 38(2) which states that ‘the Accounting Officer is responsible for the effective, efficient, economical and transparent use of the resources of the department’. Therefore, the question on why the same organisations are repeatedly funded should be directed to the Accounting Officer of the department of Sport, Arts and Culture.
08 March 2024 - NW351
Le Goff, Mr T to ask the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition
What are the full details of all (a) sponsorships, (b) donations and (c) financial transfers provided for lawfare and/or any other purposes to (i) him, (ii) his department and (iii) officials of his department by any (aa) Qatari, (bb) Iranian and/or (cc) Russian organ of state, organisation and/or resident since 1 January 2021 up to the latest date in 2024 for which information is available?
Reply:
I have not received any sponsorships, donations or financial transfers from any of the mentioned States or their organs of state.
I am also informed that neither the department nor the department’s officials received any sponsorships, donations, or financial transfers from any of the mentioned organisations.
-END-
08 March 2024 - NW405
Madlingozi, Mr BS to ask the Minister of Basic Education
What (a) total number of schools have not had basic learner support material delivered for the 2024 academic year as of 1 February 2024 and (b) steps has she taken to ensure that all required learner support material is delivered to the affected schools?
Reply:
(a)The Department of Basic Education (DBE) develops the National Catalogues, which list all Learning and Teaching Support Materials (LTSMs), and forward it to provinces for them to procure LTSMs for their respective schools. These Catalogues are further uploaded on the DBE website. Subsequently, the DBE develops a Sector plan for provinces to develop their aligned provincial management plans for procuring LTSMs for the ensuing year. The Sector plan details the activities and timeframes to be observed when procuring LTSMs. The Sector plan is attached as reference as to when provinces can start with the procurement processes.
(b) The provinces manage the entire logistics from ordering to delivery as per their management plans guided by the Sector plan.
08 March 2024 - NW452
Graham-Maré, Ms SJ to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
(1) What is the threshold determination for firefighting services in local municipalities in terms of (a) fire trucks; (b) fire fighters and (c) additional equipment; (2) (a) what are the compliance requirements in terms of (i) maintenance of vehicles, (ii) ongoing skills development of staff and (iii) upgrading of equipment, (b) who is responsible for ensuring the specified compliance requirements and (c) what actions are taken for non-compliance in each case?
Reply:
(1) (a), (b), and (c)
1 |
2 |
3 |
Risk Category |
(a) Minimum number of pumping units (fire trucks) |
(b) Minimum manning levels (firefighters) per fire truck/appliance |
A |
2 |
5 |
B |
2 |
4 |
C |
1 |
4 |
D |
1 |
4 |
E |
As determined by individual risk assessment |
|
NOTE: (c) Arrangements for vehicle fires, grass/bush and special services and the need additional specialist vehicles and equipment such as aerial appliances and water carriers are determined by local fire conditions and based upon the municipality’s pre-determined attendance (PDA) for each category of fire. |
(2) (a) (i) The South African National Standard SANS: 10090: Community Protection against Fires, sets the following compliance requirements in terms of vehicle maintenance:
-
- All emergency vehicles should be subjected to regular, documented maintenance carried out by competent persons.
- When developing a maintenance programme, the vehicle manufacturer’s requirements and recommendations should be included.
- Safety checks shall form an integral part of all maintenance programmes.
- In fire departments which handle many incidents per vehicle all emergency vehicles should be serviced at least once every six months or sooner.
- In addition to routine servicing at least one major service should be carried out on each vehicle annually.
- At fire station level, emergency vehicles should be subjected to routine daily checks to ensure immediate serviceability for operational use.
- Defects revealed during routine daily vehicle checks should be remedied immediately where possible.
- Defects affecting an emergency vehicle’s operational ability should be referred to competent maintenance personnel.
- Where fire pumps, aerial platforms or aerial ladders form part of an emergency vehicle or its equipment, the necessary maintenance, checks and tests, prescribed by the manufacturer, should be carried out and documented.
- Unless the manufacturer’s directives require anything to the contrary all fire pumps, aerial platforms and aerial ladders should be checked and tested on initial acceptance, quarterly and on any other occasion should such a check or test be deemed necessary.
- Additional annual tests and checks should be conducted to assess pump, aerial platform, or aerial ladder performance, where such assessments are not a compulsory part of the quarterly assessments.
(a) (ii) SANS: 10090 sets the following compliance requirements for skills development of staff:
- Fire services should, for the fire extinguishing function and in relation to the risk profile covered, have implemented the following as minimum recommendations:
- personnel selection, appointment and advancement criteria detailing qualifications and experience requirements for all posts;
- suitable provisions, planning and record keeping for initial, continuation, conversion and specialist training for fire-fighters and officers; and
- accurate records for all training attended and conducted by subject and staff members.
- The International Standard NFPA 1201 is applied for training requirements.
- The ability of municipalities to meet the attendance times to fires should be tested during exercises.
- A standard system of training is adopted throughout the fire service, and many municipalities have established Fire Services Training Academies where different municipalities can have their members trained.
- This ensures a greater measure of efficiency when neighbouring brigades collaborate in attacking large fires and when personnel are transferred from one brigade to another.
- All of the above should also be read in conjunction with the Local Government: Municipal Staff Regulations which came into effect on 1 July 2022.
(a) (iii) SANS: 10090 sets the following compliance requirements for upgrading of equipment:
- Every fire service should regularly assess its equipment to determine whether such equipment is obsolete or unserviceable.
- Documented annual equipment replacement programmes should be developed to ensure that obsolete and unserviceable equipment is replaced systematically.
- All fire department equipment should be assessed regularly to ensure that the equipment is suitable for the changing and expanding fire-risks in the community and to keep abreast of developments. Where necessary additional equipment should be procured.
(2) (b) who is responsible for ensuring the specified compliance requirements:
- In terms of the Fire Brigade Services Act, (No 99 of 1987) a municipality appoints a person who possesses the prescribed qualifications and experience, as Chief Fire Officer to oversee its Fire Service.
- The Chief Fire Officer is responsible for ensuring the specified compliance of the municipal Fire Services requirements in terms of the SANS: 10090 and related municipal policies in this regard.
(c) When compliance related issues are detected by municipalities themselves, and corrective measures are required to be taken against the delegated officials:
- these are normally managed by Municipal Councils through the Local Government.
- Municipal Staff Regulations which came into effect on 1 July 2022; the various action steps against individual personnel members, if any, to address compliance related matters are based upon the merits of each case.
- When compliance related issues are detected by either the Province or National Fire Services, during capacity assessments, a written report on the outcomes of the assessment is provided to the relevant Municipal Manager, with key recommendations on how to rectify the relevant compliance related matters;
- the various action steps against individual personnel members, if any, falls within the jurisdiction and competency and jurisdiction of each municipality, and is relative to the merits of each case.
End.
08 March 2024 - NW417
Hicklin, Ms MB to ask the Minister of Health
What are the details of the medico-legal insurance that peri-operative nursing staff in training enjoy (a) during the completion of all the various stages of their training and (b) after they complete their training?
Reply:
a) All nurses whether undergraduate or post graduate students or qualified, are enjoy vicarious liability cover by working in public health establishments. Vicarious liability is a legal principle that holds employers responsible for the wrongful actions of their employees. This implies that when the employee commits a wrongful act whils acting withn the course of and scope of their employment, the employer can be held liable for damages caused by the employee. The nursing staff in training who performs duties for the state are therefore employees and they are not personally liable for any wrongful act committed whilst so employed as part of their training. The deciding factor is whether or not the individual acted in course of and within the scope of their employment.
b) While indemnity cover is not required as a pre-requisite for employment, nurses are advised to take indemnity cover to protect them in the event they are sued in their personal capacity. This can be obtained by way of associations, union and or private.
END.
08 March 2024 - NW400
Thembekwayo, Dr S to ask the Minister of Health
Whether he has any intervention mechanisms in place to address and/or mitigate challenges of poor service experienced by patients at public hospitals and clinics across the Republic; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
There are many testimonies from South Africans of excellent service received at both PHC facilities and hospitals, however there are pockets of incidents where our patients experience poor service delivery. The NDoH however takes every specific incident of poor service received seriously, and endeavour to provide redress and reduce such incidents in the future.
The Department is implementing various quality improvement interventions to ensure the provision of quality health care at health facilities which include the following:
- Ideal facility monitoring system which provides a platform for all health facilities to track the facility self-assessment progress, quality improvement interventions and the remedial actions taken to ensure compliance with standards.
- Implementation of Quality learning centres which is a cluster of facilities in a geographic area made up of hospitals, primary health care and private hospitals to facilitate an integrated approach to quality improvement through mentorship.
- Clinical Governance structures that are responsible and accountable for continuous improvement of the quality of care rendered at facilities and ensures best clinical outcomes for patient care.
- Patient waiting times are monitored and provinces support facilities to improve on waiting times.
- Patient safety incidence committees where adverse events are reported and analysed, and quality improvement plans are implemented.
- The National Department of Health has instituted a formal system of obtaining feedback on patients’ experience of care that they receive in public health establishments, through the patient experience of care surveys. Reports from these surveys guide continuous quality improvement of care.
- Office of Health Standards Compliance (OHSC) which monitor and enforce compliance by health establishments with norms and standards prescribed by the Minister of Health.
END.
08 March 2024 - NW422
Clarke, Ms M to ask the Minister of Health
With reference to his undertaking that medical doctors who will not be already in posts after they have recently completed statutory community service programmes will be employed in the Public Service by 1 April 2024, what (a) are the full details of the plan to employ such doctors and (b) is the duration of the contract that the doctors will be expected to sign?
Reply:
(a) Additional budget of R3.7 billion has been allocated towards compensation of employees in the health sector for the financial year 2024/25 to address the wage bill increase and recruitment of additional staff including nurses and medical doctors.
Provincial Departments of Health had already advertised 823 since December 2023 and have reported projections of 1103 Medical Officer appointments by 1st April 2024.
(b) The recruitment plan for the department is to appoint the Medical Doctors as Grade 1 Medical Officers on permanent basis.
END.
08 March 2024 - NW447
Masipa, Mr NP to ask the Minister of Finance
Whether the National Treasury will continue to bail out the Land Bank, despite acknowledging that the National Treasury does not have adequate funds; if not, what is the (a) position in this regard and (b) long-term sustainability of the specified bank; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
a) Any future fiscal allocation to the Land Bank will be subjected to the national budget process.
b) The Land Bank is currently in the process of implementing its revised business strategy that will focus on its operating and funding model for long term sustainability. National Treasury will continue to work with the Land Bank to ensure a viable long-term financial sustainable business model is implemented.
Further to this, it is anticipated that the Land Bank default position will be cured during FY2025 which will further assist the long-term financial sustainability of the Land Bank. The Land Bank has concluded partnerships with the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development and Land Reform to enhance its blended finance scheme, which will further assist the Land Bank with its D&T mandate.
R7 billion fiscal funding was made available to the Land Bank during the 2021 National Budget. This amount was allocated on the basis to cure the default position of the Land Bank and to re-establish its development and transformation (D&T) mandate. In addition, the fiscal funding was used to repay government guaranteed debt owed to the Land Bank, thereby reducing Government’s exposure to the Land Bank to R0. Currently, R5.6 billion has already been transferred to the Land Bank, with the remaining R1.4 billion used to settle guaranteed debt.