Questions and Replies

Reply:

DRAFT REPLY

The National Efficiency Enhancement Committee (NEEC) and the Provincial Efficiency Enhancement Committees (PEEC) are judicial governance stakeholder forums which are chaired by the Chief Justice and the Judges President of the Divisions of the High Court respectively. The request for information as contained in the question by the Honourable member has been referred to the Chief Justice for consideration.

Reply:

The National Department of Health is consulting with the Gauteng Provincial Department of Health to source the relevant details in this regard. The Gauteng Provincial Department has been requested to provide the Ministry with the required information to enable the Minister to provide the response to the Honourable Member’s question. The response will be submitted as soon as information has been obtained from the Gauteng Provincial Department of Health.

END.

Reply:

(a) (i) The organogram makes provision for 73 water engineers and (ii) 34 structural engineers.

(b) Vacancies as of 28 February 2022

• Process controllers: 13
• Electrical Artisan: 1
• Mechanical Artisan: 1

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Reply:

a)  (i) The full Hydraulic assessment of the Pipeline from Welbedacht to Bloemfontein was conducted in February 2011 and a further assessment was conducted in October 2019 at one trajectory (Dehoek to Uitkyk) after a pipe failure occurred on that part of the pipeline.

(ii) The findings on the 2011 report indicated that:

• there were infrastructure components that required refurbishment,
• There were leaks on the pipeline which had to be addressed via the Bloem Water’s winter preventative maintenance shutdowns.

b) Since the inspections were conducted, Bloem Water has done the following as part of a proactive maintenance plan:

• Established a Pipeline Reaction Team in 2015
• Reworked its Preventative Maintenance Strategy
• Established its inhouse pipeline manufacturing workshop which assists with pipeline components and quick turnaround time of maintenance work on the main pipeline

These measures have assisted Bloem Water to reduce real water losses on its strategic infrastructure to less than 13% for the past 8 financial years. Furthermore, three years has passed since the last pipe burst on this 48-year-old pipeline.

In addition, Bloem Water is currently implementing the construction project of a mitigating parallel line which is 33.7km long as phase 1. This pipeline will be in operation by July 2022 and will further preserve the status of reliable uninterrupted bulk water supply to the Mangaung Metro Municipality. The new pipeline will replace the problematic portion of the mainline which frequently experience pipe bursts. Phase 2 of the remaining 72km is currently under planning. This pipeline will replace the old line from Welbedacht Dam to Bloemfontein, once completed.

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Reply:

(a) According to the National Treasury 2020-21 annual report on non-compliance with payment of suppliers within 30 days, only eight national departments paid all their invoices within the stipulated 30-day period. During the 2020-21 financial year, out of 41 national departments, 33 national departments experienced challenges in paying all their valid invoices within 30 days.

The 2020-21 annual report in comparison to the 2019-20 annual report, highlights an improvement in the following departments, in terms of decreasing the number of invoices older than 30 days and not paid:

• Cooperative Government
• Home Affairs
• International Relations and Cooperation
• Public Works including PMTE
• Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities
• Employment and Labour
• Justice and Constitutional Development

Although the department of Public Works and Infrastructure (including PMTE) reflected the highest improvement, it also reflected the highest number of invoices still at hand as at the end of 2020/2021 financial year.

In comparison to the 2019/2020 annual report, the following departments regressed in the number of invoices paid after 30 days

• Mineral Resource and Energy
• Police
• Water and Sanitation

The department of Water and Sanitation reflected the highest regression in the number of invoices older than 30 days not paid and also recorded the highest number of invoices at hand as at the end of 2020/2021 financial year.

As at the end of the 2020-21 financial year the following two departments contributed to 95% of invoices older than 30 days and not paid i.e. the Department of Water and Sanitation including trading account (56%) and the Department of Public Works including Property Management Trading Entity (39%).

From the provincial perspective, as at the end of 2020/2021 financial year, the Gauteng province recorded 20 911 invoices, which is 50% of the total number of invoices older than 30 days and not paid. This is followed by the Eastern Cape province with 12 651 invoices i.e 30% of outstanding invoices. Although the Gauteng province contributed the highest number of unpaid invoices, the Eastern Cape Province recorded the highest Rand Value in this regard. The other provinces that contributed to invoices older than 30 day and not paid are North West (9%), KwaZulu Natal (5%), Free State (3%) and Limpopo (2%).

Whilst the DPME has been monitoring the performance of government on payment of suppliers in line with the 2015 Cabinet mandate, it is the mandate of the National Treasury to ensure that the government departments and entities adhere to their financial obligations in terms of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) and regulations. Treasury Instruction Note Number 34 requires departments to implement manual or electronic systems and processes that will enable departments to track invoices from the time they are received at the relevant cost centres to the time that a payment is made.

The DPME continues to monitor and report on this issue through its established monitoring tools. To this end, it has been engaging with the worst performing departments to find sustainable solutions to their challenges. Efforts are currently underway to facilitate implementation of support measures in the department of Water and Sanitation, Public Works and Infrastructure, and the Eastern Cape Province.

Thank You.

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

I have been informed by the Department that the tender in question was not processed by the DPWI and as such, the department is not in a position to respond to the specific questions asked. The tender was processed by the Department of Justice.

Reply:

Attached find here: Reply

Reply:

Attached find here: Reply

Reply:

There were no incidents of sexual harassment and/or sexual assault cases reported in the past three financial years, and the status quo remains since 1 April 2021 to date in my office.

Thank You.

Reply:

Treasury Bills (t-bills) are held by every commercial bank in the country that holds a banking license since they form part of the High-Quality Liquid Assets (HQLA) which are required by the Prudential Authority. These assets allow banks to meet their short-term liquidity requirements and can be used as collateral for central bank operations, as well as benchmarking for pricing financial assets. The same banks may hold both t-bills and bonds on behalf of clients in their stockbroking or wealth management units in both discretionary, non-discretionary and segregated income portfolios. For the latter reason, it would be near impossible for the National Treasury (NT) to determine what rate investors bought the bonds at and who the clients are.

Long term loans are bought by the nine primary dealers in the primary market on behalf of insurers, asset managers and hedge funds on a weekly basis. Furthermore, these bonds are then traded in the secondary market where they are bought and sold by different entities. The nine primary dealers are:

1. ABSA
2. HSBC
3. NEDBANK
4. CITIBANK
5. STANDARD BANK
6. INVESTEC BANK
7. DEUTSCHE BANK
8. RMB
9. JP MORGAN

To qualify as a primary dealer, applying banks are required to comply with capital adequacy requirements per the banks act as well as additional NT requirements. These banks would buy these bonds at different rates on a weekly basis and distribute these bonds for a turn in the secondary markets both on exchange and over the counter which also impacts the rates at which the bonds trade. The interest rates and amounts at which the bonds are auctioned in the primary market are available on the NT website on a weekly basis however, the amount that each bank buys in the auction is not public information since this information is sensitive for the ongoing auction process. There are no terms associated with each bond purchase except the obligation to pay the interest rate and principal when it is due on NT’s part.

The ultimate holders of the bonds can categorized as follows:

1. Monetary Institutions

        (a) Banks

        (b) SARB

2. Insurers

(a) Long Term Insurers

(b) Short Term Insurers

3. Pension Funds

(a) PIC

(b) Private self-administered pension funds

(c) Official Pension Funds

4. Other Financial Institutions

(a) Unit Trusts

(b) Participation Mortgage bond schemes

(c) Financial Public enterprises

The details of the ultimate holders are not recorded by the NT since the NT’s purview is the primary market. It is in the secondary market where these bonds bought and sold by various institutions. The JSE, Strate and the institutions themselves would be best placed to provide details in terms of the quantity of bonds they hold since they transact both on and off-exchange. Market data systems like Bloomberg, Reuters would also provide details for the reported market.

It is worth remembering is that these institutions would themselves be holding these bonds on behalf of individual investors or policy holders who cannot be legally disclosed as per FICA and POPIA act. The holdings change regularly owing to the needs of each category of holder. For example, insurers would buy long term debt to meet long term obligations however they may need to liquidate short- and medium-term bond holdings if claims rose suddenly. Pensions funds would rebalance their portfolios regularly based on the investment mandate of their portfolios and whether or not they are managing an external portfolio. For this reason and many others, it is impractical for NT to quantify how much each institutional holder owns at a point in time or what interest rate they are receiving since they would hold bonds along the yield curve.

Institutions also frequently engage in interest rate swaps to manage their risk which would transfer those rates to other entities. Retail bonds are held by individual investors whose names cannot be disclosed. Retail bond interest rates are available on the retail bonds website along with the terms and conditions of each retail bond.

The National Treasury publishes monthly detailed information on outstanding bonds, redemption dates, redemption amounts, and coupon rates can be found on the National Treasury's investor website. The same details can be found in the SARB’s quartely bulletin.

http://investor.treasury.gov.za/pages/default.aspx

Table 7.5 of the 2022 Budget Review reflects the international financing institution borrowings. The table provides information on the institution, disbursement date, interest rate, terms (years), grace period (years), and amount (billion). From the table, the borrowing has only been long-term in nature, with no short-term loans being entered into.

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure

(a) and (b) I have been informed that the list and breakdown of the capacities of the Council members of the SACAP is as follows:

1. Mr Charles Ntsindiso Nduku (Professional Architect): President of the Council, member of the Transformation Committee and Recognition of Prior Learning Committee.
2. Ms Letsabisa Shongwe (Professional Architect): Vice President of the Council; Chairperson of the Professional Fees Committee; Chairperson of Stakeholder Relations Committee and Vice Chairperson of the Transformation Committee.
3. Ms Mandisa Pepeta Daki (Professional Architectural Technologist): Council member, Chairperson of the Investigating Committee and Transformation Committee and Vice Chairperson of the Stakeholder Relations Committee and member of the Continuing Professional Development Committee.
4. Mr Vusi Phailane (Professional Architect & State Representative): Council member, Chairperson of the Identification Committee and member of the Investigating Committee and Recognition of Prior Learning Committee.
5. Mr Kevin Bingham (Professional Architect), Council member, Chairperson of the Education Committee and Recognition of Prior Learning Committee.
6. Mr Mohammed Allie Mohidien (Professional Architectural Draughtperson), Council member, Chairperson of Registration Committee and member of the Identification of Work Committee and Recognition of Prior Learning Committee.
7. Mr Lufuno Motsherane (Public representative), Council member, Chairperson of the REMCO, member of the Audit & Risk Committee and Investigating Committee.
8. Dr Sitsabo Dlamini (Professional Senior Architectural Technologist): Council member and Chairperson of the Continuing Professional Development Committee and member of the Recognition of Prior Learning Committee.
9. Mr Nick Nichols (Public Representative): Council member, member of the REMCO and Audit & Risk Committee.

Reply:

(1) Noting the extension given to Statistics South Africa for the completion of Census 2022, what are the implications of the funding that was set aside for the exercise;

At this stage Stats SA still envisages to be within the budgeted funds for the Census Programme. The major costs that will be incurred as a result of the extension are vehicle hire, salaries for field staff and IT related costs. Due to the challenges experienced with data collection systems and recruitment, data collection did not commence as planned and was implemented in a staggered manner. As a result, expenditure for the previously mentioned items have been below what was budgeted. Accordingly reduced expenditure is expected for 21/22 and higher expenditure is expected for 22/23. As the bulk of these activities will be straddling the end of the financial year there could be a possibility that allocated funding would need to be rolled over. Engagements with National Treasury have begun in this regard.

2

(2) whether there has been an increase of the budget; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, with what amount has the budget increased?

No increase has been tabled for the Census budget. Close monitoring is in place and a reassessment will be done as Stats SA gets close to completing the census data collection to assess if any additional resources are required to deal with the tail end in this regard.

Thank You.

Reply:

Attached find here: Reply

Reply:

The Department of Water and Sanitation uses the Green Drop Report as a performance baseline for the municipal wastewater fraternity to inform appropriate regulatory intervention with the objective to facilitate improvement. This is included in the Department’s Water Services Improvement Programme which includes sustainable intervention with the objective of ensuring a turnaround in the perfromance of the Municipal Water Services Sector.

The Green Drop Performance trends will be used to determine repetitive poor performance, to inform a more drastic approach to ensure a turn-around. This could include facilitating long-term intervention by either a capacitated water board or any other suitable mode of sanitation services support.

The results of the Green Drop Report dictates that wastewater services be a primary focus area of the government in targetted areas. Therefore, national government will ensure that grant funding allocated to the water sector is allocated with the objective of restoring the functionality of exisiting wastewater infrastructure according to the findings of this report.

The determination of the “Very Rough Order of Estimates” (VROOM), which informed the amount referenced in your question, was done to give an estimation of the capital requirement for the functionality restoration drive. This will be effected with the support of National Treasury.

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Reply:

Description	Deputy Minister	Office of the Deputy Minister	Total
a. Catering	0	58,292.60	58,292.60
b. Entertainment	0	0	0
c. Accomodation	250, 570.48	1,078,702.87	1,329,273.35
TOTAL	250,570.48	1,136,995.47	1,387,565.95

Thank You.

Reply:

In the financial year 2020/2021, the Presidential Hotline (PH) received a total number of 9305 cases. In 2021/2022, up to the end of the 3rd Quarter, the PH received a total of 4693 cases.

Since its inception in 2009, the Presidential Hotline has always solely dealt with service delivery matters. Service delivery issues are often intertwined with governance issues and therefore not disaggregated when accounting or reporting on cases received. In relation to corruption cases, these are referred to the Office of the Public Service Commission as the DPME does not have the investigative capacity.

REPLY: Question 2

a) Once a complaint has been assigned to a department, it is expected that it must be resolved within the 25 working days as prescribed by the DPSA. Each stakeholder manager within DPME (Presidential Hotline) tracks and monitors cases assigned to departments using the Reporting platform portal to see if the number of open cases is reduced. Stakeholder managers also use spreadsheets to track performance as well as to inform departments on any outstanding complaints. Monthly feedback reports are shared with departments in order to provide a snapshot of how they are performing (resolving complaints) as well as any outstanding matters for investigation.

(b) They obtain feedback via telephone or email.

Phone: If the complainant is requesting for information on government services, such information is provided immediately at the point of contact (by the call centre agent).

Email: Once a complex case has been completed by the investigating Department, feedback is provided to the complainant via email.

NB: The method of feedback is dependent on the choice made by the complainant on how they would prefer to be contacted.

Mostly, feedback is provided telephonically. However, the DPME is able to monitor whether feedback was indeed provided to the complainant and this is done through the Customer Satisfaction Surveys.

Thank You.

Reply:

The size and complexity of a project like Limpopo Central Hospital (LCH) requires a consolidated and concerted effort between various role players to eliminate risk and to keep the project on track, so that it can ultimately benefit the community and students it serves. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the envisaged consultative processes for the LCH could not be undertaken between the relevant stakeholders due to the lockdown, lack of access to engagements with design consultants and the various Departmental Stakeholders. The consultative processes were thus delayed in finalising Stage Gate 3.

The project is however, currently in Stage 4: Design Documentation. The National Department of Health (NDoH) requested a Gateway Review process in line with the Framework for Infrastructure Delivery and Procurement Management (FIDPM) in December 2021 for this stage gate deliverables. The reviewal of Stage 4.1 was not a mandatory process but done to reduce the risk associated with the project during construction and eliminate any unforeseen costs. The objective of the review process was to ensure that the project delivers value for money, that any design related issues are appropriately addressed and that the overall project structure and governance is sound to take the project through construction. The Gateway review process have been concluded and the project is expected to go out on tender on approval of the Stage Gate 4 deliverables. The construction process is set to start in Q3 of this financial year.

END.

Reply:

South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA)

(a) (b) The South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) has a scheduled annual inspection for Ladysmith during the 3rd week of September 2022. (i) (ii) The SACAA does not inspect this type of aerodrome after such an event due to the following reasons:

1. Approval is granted for such events to be hosted on the airport premises and runway on condition that the aerodrome is closed for air traffic through publication and that the airport management ensures that the surface and shoulders of the runway are inspected, and any damage is repaired, before the aerodrome is opened for normal use.

2. The general duties of the Aerodrome Licence Holder, according to CAR 2011, Part 139.02.23, provides for the responsibility for aerodrome safety and security to be assumed by the License holder at all times as per international best practice.

3. There is no history of permanent damage, caused by such events, and it has been the SACAA’s experience that license holders adhere to safety requirements and ensure that the aerodrome is clean before re-opening it for air traffic.

4. The SACAA focusses its oversight on commercial and scheduled aerodromes, as guided by its risk assessments, and it would be costly to allocate resources to small non-commercial aerodromes in the absence of material risk.

Non-aviation events, such as drag racing, are hosted by the owners of small aerodromes, with no scheduled air traffic, in order to supplement their income to run the aerodromes.

Reply:

(a)&(b) Due to capacity constraints the Department was not able to have an official stationed at the hospitals to register births of newborns. Issuance of birth certificates are rendered at the Bethal and Standerton offices. The Department is currently filling critical vacant posts with funds granted by National Treasury. These critical positions that have been identified will be filled in this financial year.

END

Reply:

a) (i) & (ii) No

b) (i) (ii) No

(aa)None/ not applicable

(bb) Not applicable

(cc) Not applicable

(dd) Not applicable

(ee) Not applicable

 

Reply:

a) 80.7% of supplier invoices are paid within 30 days from receipt of an invoice.

b) A total of 44 suppliers have not yet been paid within the 30 days’ period.

c) The total amount not yet paid within the prescribed 30 days is R73,793,809.86.

END.

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure

(a), (b),(i), (ii) I have been informed by the Department that neither the Department nor its Entities concluded any commercial contracts with the government of the Russian Federation and/or any other entity based in the Russian Federation since 1 April 2017.

(aa), (bb), (cc), (dd), and (ee) Not applicable.

Reply:

a) There is no regulation for Late Registration of birth for abandoned and/or orphaned children. However, abandoned and/or orphaned children are registered in terms of Section 12 of the Births and Deaths Registration Act (Act 51 of 1992), Regulation 9 of the regulation on Registration of Births and Deaths (2014) as well as Sections 46 and 156 of the Children’s Act, Act 38 of 2005.

b) Neither the Births and Deaths Registration Act nor the regulation on registration of births and deaths specify which types relatives may register an orphaned or abandoned child. However, the Births and Deaths Registration Act as amended (Births and Deaths Registration Amendment Act, Act No 18 of 2010) points out that any person other than the parents of such child who registers a child must be prescribed. Section 46 and 156 of the Children’s Act. Act 38 of 2005 deals with the designation of a person as a care giver of a child.

c) 9(1) A notice of birth of abandoned or orphaned child in terms of section 12 of the Act must be given on Form DHA-24 illustrated in Annexure 1A by a social worker within 60 days of obtaining a court order in terms of section 156 of the Children’s Act, and must be accompanied by-

a) a court order issued by the children’s court;

b) a certified copy of the identity document or valid passport and visa or permit of the social worker:

c) where available a certified copy of the identity document or passport and visa or permit of the parents of a child

d) where available, a copy of the death certificate of the parents of a child; and

e) a social workers’ report that was presented to the children’s court

END

Reply:

Attached find here: Reply

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

1. I have been informed by the Department that the old Tennis Courts located on erven 6361, 6362, 6348-Re and Erf 6350-Re do not fall under the jurisdiction of the National Department of Public Works and Infrastructure but that of the Provincial Government of the Western Cape.

2. The National Department of Public Works and Infrastructure is not aware of any criminal activity on this site as the site does not fall under the jurisdiction of this Department.

3. Any enquiries received by the Department should accordingly referred to the Provincial Government for further attention.

4. The Provincial Department of Transport and Public Works will be in the best position to respond to this question as the property is under its jurisdiction.

Reply:

(a) All invoices for utility bills have been processed and paid, except for one invoice currently under dispute for Civitas building to the amount of R3,2 million for the period 01 October 2021 to 02 November 2021. The National Department of Health did not occupy the building during this period.

(b) We still await information from the provinces. This information will be submitted to Parliament as soon as it is received.

END.

Reply:

1. Various upgrades have been done at Front Offices, Bank Branches, Ports of Entry (Land, Airports, and Harbours), and Refugee Reception Centres.

a) On a late evening of Thursday, 31 March 2022, Live Capture access to the National Population Registration was severed due to a damaged network cable that connected the DHA Network to the SITA hosted Mainframe Systems, with the National Population Register being one of these systems. The fault was only picked up the following morning of Friday, 1 April 2022, by SITA engineers. The exact location of the cable damage was found after a lengthy cable tracing process, and the cable repair process was completed by SITA engineers at 13:40.

SITA was supposed to have picked the drop in connectivity the very evening of Thursday, 31 March 2022 as SITA operates a 24x7x365 Network Operations Centre.

b) SITA has committed to the following interventions to prevent reoccurrence of this incident:

(i) SITA technical teams is investigating the possibility of installing a redundant cable that will need to be routed via a different path in the data centre in order to provide higher availability.

(ii) SITA is reviewing the alerting, monitoring processes and procedures in order to ensure there is additional monitoring in place in the hosting and network environment which will trigger events to log incidents directly on the call logging system. SITA has also proposed end to end monitoring to DHA that will assist to proactively pick up potential risk areas, or specific failure locality impacting service delivery for quicker resolution, across the value chain.

A list of all upgrades done for the period in question (1 September 2021 to 25 April 2022) is available. The list is broken down by Office Name, Upgrade done, and Upgrade date.

END

Reply:

The department has identified the following as areas needing urgent intervention to improve the quality of public health in the Republic, which is as a result of the lessons learned from Covid-19. All key pillars which were captured in the first surge and subsequent resurgence plans, have been identified as in need of attention and they are:

a) Key are of lessons	b) Steps taken to implement the identified improvements
Leadership and governance	The provinces are working on various interventions such as the process of conducting mortality audits across the country. This will assist us to know what were the underlying causes of high rate of deaths of many people during Covid-19 The department is also working on the improvement in the management of PHC services, through various interventions which will include the collaboration with school of government and other training institutions. The department is working with the provinces to integrate the Covid-19 management into the health systems management.
Infrastructure	The department is working on the capacity building programme for human resource capacity in the district hospitals where there is an infrastructure that was improved to cater for Covid-19 patients. The department has worked on the repurposing of the infrastructure to support the delivery of services.
Human Resources	The department is working on the process to increase number of nurses in the specialist areas to build on the capacity that was made available during Covid-19
Health Technology	The equipment that was procured for Covid-19 response will be made available for use in the hospitals. This is part of the Covid-19 legacy projects.
Diseases surveillance	The department has published the regulations that are preparing the health system to improve the surveillance and response to the notifiable medical conditions. The department has extended the closing date for the submission of comments by a further three months, meaning that the department is prepared to listen to as many voices and views as possible.

END.

Reply:

The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health treated 529 patients at our health facilities for flood-related incidents with 17 deaths reported during the acute phase of the flood disaster. There were no major disruptions to rendering of health care services in the affected health districts.

An additional 7 sessional pathologists were brought in to expedite the postmortems. A total of 429 post mortems were conducted, of which, 399 bodies have been identified by families.

Health care services continue to be rendered to 1 749 clients from displaced communities that are currently sheltered in community halls. This also includes ensuring dispensing of chronic medication.

Environment Health is monitoring water quality in eThekwini Municipality and Ugu District Municipality. Where water quality issues have been picked up in tanked water and Jojo tanks, these have been escalated to the relevant authorities. Health and hygiene education on small-scale water purification methods i.e., use of Jik and chlorine sachets by households is ongoing. Health awareness on Waterborne illnesses, Waste Management & COVID 19 Protocols is ongoing. Awareness on foodborne illnesses on soup kitchens and distribution centres has also been raised. Communicable Disease Control monitoring for water borne diseases is ongoing.

Water tankers were used and still continue to be used supply water to hospitals and clinics without piped water.

KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health has identified at least 87 projects at health facilities related to the flood damages at an estimated cost of R258 million and is currently addressing these together with the Department of Public Works.

KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health, together with the National Department of Health, continue to monitor the situation and are addressing the challenges accordingly.

END.

Reply:

a) 

2022 National Education Excellence Awards Categories and Criteria
Category	Criteria
1. Special Recognition Awards	Districts showing consistent National Senior Certificate (NSC) performance of above 85% (2019 – 2021) Quintile 1 - 3 Secondary schools showing consistent NSC performance at 100% (2017 – 2021)
2. Top Performing District: 2021 NSC Highest Percentage Pass	Districts serving up to 400 schools Districts serving more than 400 schools
3. Top Performing District:  selected Quality Indicators – 2021 NSC Highest score: Overall Passes; Bachelors; Mathematics; and Physical Science	Districts serving up to 400 schools Districts serving more than 400 schools
4. Most Improved District  2020- 2021 NSC	Highest percentage improvement
5. Top Performing District: NSC Bachelor Passes	Highest Percentage NSC Bachelor passes: 2019- 2021
6. Top Performing District: NSC Mathematics and Physical Science Passes	Highest Number of  NSC Mathematics and Physical Science passes: 2019 – 2021
7. Excellence in District Leadership and Management	District with excellence in: Management of the district  Innovations in the district Management of partnerships
8. Excellence in Primary Schools Learning Outcomes Support	District with excellence in: Clear strategies to support improved quality of Grade R practices Clear strategies to improve quality in Mathematics teaching: Grade R-6 Strategies to improve language teaching in all languages: Grade R-6 Innovations to improve reading in all schools: Grade R-6
9. Top Performing Public Schools: 2021 NSC Highest percentage pass	Quintile 5 Quintile 4 Quintile 3 Quintile 2 Quintile 1
10. Best Full Service School 2021	Full Service School that has shown the most commitment to inclusion including: School policy on inclusion;  Increased and successful accommodation of learners with diverse needs and learners with physical disabilities/ impairments; Functional School Based Support Team; and Evidence of steps taken to ensure physical access for all learners, including transport
11. Special Ministerial Award	Districts with the highest annual average percentage improvement between 2018 and 2021 in the number of Black African and Coloured candidates achieving 60% or more in Mathematics and Physical Science

 

b) 

Reasons per Category Criteria
Criteria category	Reasons
1	To acknowledge and recognise districts for consistent NSC performance of above 85% over the last three years; and Club 100 Quintile 1 - 3 schools for consistent NSC performance at 100% over the last five years.
2	To reward small and large districts (separately by size comparison) that obtained the highest overall percentage passes.
3	To reward small and large districts (separately by size comparison) that obtained the highest sum score of selected quality indicators viz. Overall passes; Bachelors; Mathematics; and Physical Science.
4	To reward districts that obtained the highest percentage improvement in the two years of the Covid-19 pandemic
5	To reward districts that produced the highest percentage Bachelor passes over the last three years.
6	To reward districts that produced the highest number of  learners that pass NSC Mathematics and Physical Science over the last three years
7	To reward districts that exhibited excellent leadership and management practices in 2021.
8	To reward districts that showed excellent approaches and implemented best strategies towards improving the teaching and learning of literacy and numeracy.
9	To reward public ordinary schools by quintile for excellent performance in the 2021 NSC taking into account their context including the socio-economic factors.
10	To reward Full Service schools that implemented excellent practices towards the achievement of imperatives on the policy on inclusion.
11	To to reward districts for improvement in their achievement levels especially among black learners in the gateway subjects of Mathematics and Physical Science in the NSC pre- and during- the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

c) The National Education Excellence Awards focus on rewarding excellence in performance, management and leadership, policy implementation, improvement strategies and innovation across the General Education and Training (GET) and Further Education and Training (FET) bands, thus going beyond the scope of the NSC results.

Reply:

Attached find here: Reply

Reply:

a) The National Department of Health did not conclude any commercial contracts with the government of the Russian Federation or any other entity based in the Russian Federation since 1 April 2017.

b) None of the entities reporting to the Minister of Health concluded any commercial contracts with the government of the Russian Federation or any other entity based in the Russian Federation since 1 April 2017.

END.

Reply:

(a)(i) Bethal:

• Post establishment according to structure

NUMBER OF POSTS	POST	LEVEL	FILLED	VACANT	POSTS TO BE FILLED
1	Cleaner	3	1	0	0
5	Front Office Clerk	6	2	3	3
1	Cashier	6	0	1	0
8	Immigration Officer	6	2	6	2
1	Admin Officer	7	0	1	0
5	Chief Admin Clerk	7	1	4	0
2	Client Service Officers	7	0	2	0
1	Civic Services Supervisor	8	0	1	1
1	Chief Immigration Officer	8	1	0	1
1	Office Manager	10	0	1	1
26			7	19	8

(b)(i) The Office Manager post was advertised during April 2022. The remaining posts will be advertised as per the HR project plan for implementation before 31st May 2022. The remaining vacant posts are unfunded.

(a)(ii) Secunda

• Post establishment according to structure

NUMBER OF POSTS	POST	LEVEL	FILLED	VACANT	POSTS TO BE FILLED
1	Cleaner	3	0	1	0
8	Front Office Clerk	6	6	2	0
1	Cashier	6	0	1	0
8	Immigration Officer	6	1	7	2
1	Admin Officer	7	0	1	0
4	Chief Admin Clerk	7	0	4	0
2	Client Service Officers	7	0	2	0
1	Cashier Supervisor	8	0	1	0
1	Civic Services Supervisor	8	1	0	0
2	Chief Immigration Officer	8	1	1	0
1	Senior Admin Officer	8	0	1	0
1	Office Manager	10	1	0	0
31			10	21	2

(b)(ii) The 2 Immigration Officer posts will be advertised and filled by June 2022. The remaining vacant posts are unfunded.

 

END

Reply:

The National Department of Health is working with all the Provinces to collate this information and will provide the response to the question as soon as the information has been received from all provinces, in due course.

END.

Reply:

The COVID-19 pandemic has had multiple adverse social and economic impacts on our people. The pandemic has created important lessons that should inform our policy actions and decision making going forward. The dissolution of the National State of Disaster by the President on 5th April 2022 necessitates that government retains the necessary mechanisms and levers that can be proactively utilised in the management of future COVID-19 and other types of similar future pandemics and notifiable medical conditions.

In this respect, and to ensure there are enough legislative and regulatory measures to manage the current and future outbreaks, the National Department of Health published the draft regulations under the National Health Act (61 of 2003) and International Health Regulations Act (28 of 1974). The objective of these draft regulations is to create transparent and structured measures which include the surveillance and the control of notifiable medical conditions; public health measures in points of entry; management of human remains; and regulations relating to environmental health. These draft regulations are not in any way intended to allow for the long-term replacement of the dissolved State of Disaster regulations as it pertains to the COVID-19 pandemic.

END.

Reply:

a) The National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) insourced cleaners, gardeners and security officers starting from October 2017 and completed the process in April 2018.

b) The total number of workers insourced is (i) 430 however, (ii) the current total of insourced employees is 570 as the NHLS continued to recruit employees in the mentioned categories.

c) (i) Current remuneration: The cleaners and gardeners are graded at grade A on Paterson grading system. The salaries range from R96 051 per annum to R130 673 per annum. The security officers are graded at A3 on the Paterson grading system which ranges from R133 412 per annum to R179 198 per annum.

(ii) Worker Benefits: This cohort is part of the bargaining forum for employees within the NHLS. Their benefits include medical aid subsidy of 75%; 13th cheque which they receive in December each year, a living allowance of approximately R22 000 per annum and the pension fund. In addition, the NHLS implements a performance management and development policy which provides for annual performance assessment and criteria to qualify for performance awards or incentives in the form of pay progression and performance bonus. There are also bursary programs, and all employees complete a workplace skills plan for further skills development.

The NHLS also subscribes to the Basic Conditions of Employment Act No. 75 of 1997, which regulate hours of work and leave. Other benefits include an employee assistance program, where if an employee experiences personal challenges of any nature, they can call the NHLS’s 24 hours hotline and speak to a professional for assistance.

END.

Reply:

(a) The Department of Health actively promotes, protects and supports breastfeeding as a public health intervention to optimise child survival. This includes exclusive breastfeeding for a child’s first six month of life, followed by ongoing breastfeeding until at least two years of age together with introduction of good quality complementary household foods. The commitment is in line with the Tshwane Declaration which was adopted at the National Breastfeeding Consultative Meeting in August 2011.

In the years leading up to the Tshwane Declaration, the Department of Health provided free infant formula feed to infants whose mothers were HIV-infected. This policy and practice caused much confusion in communities and contributed to low exclusive breastfeeding rates in South Africa, which in turn contributed to high child mortality rates. One of the key Tshwane Declaration commitments was to stop providing free infant formula at public health facilities with limited exceptions for cases where breastfeeding is contraindicated.

(b) The Department has an RT-9 transversal contract in place which is managed by National Treasury. This contract includes all the necessary products or supplements that are currently required for use in people requiring specialised nutrition due to their disease conditions, and includes infant formula products. The products need to comply with the labelling, ingredient and other requirements as stipulated in the relevant regulations published in terms of the Foodstuffs, Cosmetic and Disinfectants Act, 1972 (Act 54 of 1972). Hospitals and clinics purchase the infant formula using the RT-9 transversal contract in accordance with their requirements. Where there are legitimate medical conditions as diagnosed by the medical practitioner, or when a mother is incapable for caring for her infant or young child, infant formula is provided for free by the hospital or clinic for up to 12 months.

END.

Reply:

No, the Department of Health does not keep a record of clinic and hospital visits of children who receive a Child Support Grant from the SA Social Security Agency (SASSA). The Department renders health services according to the needs of all clients, regardless of their social standing.

END.

Reply:

As part of the Integrated Management of childhood disease services, two Data Elements are monitored for malnutrition deaths. These Data Elements are:

• Moderate acute malnutrition death under 5 years

• Severe acute malnutrition death under 5 years

a) The total number of children who have died nationally in public hospitals as a result of malnutrition in the past three years is as follows:

Data Element	FY 2019/20	FY 2020/21	FY 2021/22
Moderate acute malnutrition death under 5 years	166	207	238
Severe acute malnutrition death under 5 years	868	568	771
Total (National)	1034	775	1009

The above table shows a drop in malnutrition deaths in 2020/21, however, the 2021/22 deaths are similar to the pre-COVD-19 deaths of 2019/20.

b) The Total breakdown in each province is as follows:

Data Element	Province	FY 2019/20	FY 2020/21	FY 2021/22
Moderate acute malnutrition death under 5 years	Eastern Cape Province	24	20	20
	Free State Province	21	7	8
	Gauteng Province	34	45	45
	KwaZulu-Natal Province	33	83	81
	Limpopo Province	27	13	21
	Mpumalanga Province	11	24	29
	Northern Cape Province	0	8	11
	North West Province	14	6	19
	Western Cape Province	2	1	4
Severe acute malnutrition death under 5 years	Eastern Cape Province	149	72	127
	Free State Province	65	50	86
	Gauteng Province	94	75	120
	KwaZulu-Natal Province	176	164	187
	Limpopo Province	124	70	82
	Mpumalanga Province	60	52	59
	Northern Cape Province	38	21	33
	North West Province	154	56	62
	Western Cape Province	8	8	15
	Total (National)	1034	775	1009

END.

Reply:

The official learner to educator ratio is as follows: 

Province	Learner Educator Ratio considering both State-paid and SGB-Paid Educators	Learner Educator Ratio State-Paid Educators only
Eastern Cape	30.1	34.7
Free State	31.1	33.9
Gauteng	30.9	33.6
KwaZulu-Natal	30.7	31.9
Limpopo	34.5	35.5
Mpumalanga	31.6	33.9
Northern Cape	29.9	33.3
North West	31.6	33.5
Western Cape	31.9	39.8
South Africa	31.4	34.1
Source: 2021 School Realities Publication, EMIS

Reply:

The Branch Appointment Booking System (BABS) has yielded positive results as the clients are serviced within the timeslot booked and confirmed, and the offices are able to plan for those who have booked the day prior to the scheduled appointments.

END

Reply:

This information is not readily available at the National Department of Health, it is in the provinces. The National Department of Health is therefore still consulting with all the Provincial Departments of Health to provide these details, and this will enable the Minister to respond to the Honourable Member’s question. The response will therefore be submitted as soon as information has been received from the provinces.

END.

Reply:

1. The Naki 2018 and Constitutional Court 2021 judgment was brought to the attention of all Provincial Managers for further communicating to local offices via WhatsApp on 23 September 2021. Print out of the WhatsApp communication is hereto attached. WhatsApp is one of the various communication channels the Civic Services Branch has established to deal with urgent matters that affect daily operations.

2. The revised Birth Registration Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) is hereto attached. Training on the new SOP took place between 17 January 2022 to 4 April 2022.

3. As indicated in response 1 above, the Home Affairs front offices have been informed as per the attached WhatsApp message and the court order is being implemented by offices as alluded to in slide 9 of the presentation made to the Portfolio Committee on 2 March 2022. Further to this, the department is in the process of drafting regulations on the registration of births and deaths with the view to align it to the court order.

END

Reply:

The department has worked with the provinces to do the following in order to ensure that the impact of Covid-19 is not as severe as the past four waves:

• Conducting the Intra-Action Review to identify the lessons learned from the previous waves and to develop plans to identified close the gaps, while also enhancing those areas that the department did well.
• The development of the resurgence plans which is based on the lessons learned from the four waves.
• The plan is working on the Integration of Covid-19 into the health system, so that it must be managed as part of the mainstream.
• The department is encouraging the South African Public to get vaccinated, as the best barrier to slowing down the impact of the pandemic while also minimising the severity in the event of infections.
• Integrating the vaccine into the PHC services, to avoid creating silos and vertical programmes.
• The plan is also to develop the Recovery and Rebuilding of the health systems for resilience.

END.

Reply:

The National Department of Health is consulting with the Gauteng Provincial Department of Health to source the relevant details in this regard. The Gauteng Provincial Department has been requested to provide the Ministry with the required information to enable the Minister to provide the response to the Honourable Member’s question. The response will be submitted as soon as information has been obtained from the Gauteng Provincial Department of Health.

END.

Reply:

a) There is no regulation for Late Registration of birth for abandoned and/or orphaned children. However, abandoned and/or orphaned children are registered in terms of Section 12 of the Births and Deaths Registration Act (Act 51 of 1992), Regulation 9 of the regulation on Registration of Births and Deaths (2014) as well as Sections 46 and 156 of the Children’s Act, Act 38 of 2005.

b) Neither the Births and Deaths Registration Act nor the regulation on Registration of Births and Deaths specify which types of relatives may register an orphaned or abandoned child. However, the Births and Deaths Registration Act as amended (Births and Deaths Registration Amendment Act, Act No 18 of 2010) points out that any person other than the parents of such child who registers a child must be prescribed. Section 46 and 156 of the Children’s Act. Act 38 of 2005 deals with the designation of a person as a care giver of a child.

c) According to Section 9(1) of the Births and Deaths Registrations Act, 1992 a notice of birth of abandoned or orphaned child in terms of section 12 of the Act must be given on Form DHA-24 illustrated in Annexure 1A by a social worker within 60 days of obtaining a court order in terms of section 156 of the Children’s Act, and must be accompanied by-

• A court order issued by the children’s court;
• A certified copy of the identity document or valid passport and visa or permit of the social worker:
• Where available a certified copy of the identity document or passport and visa or permit of the parents of a child
• Where available, a copy of the death certificate of the parents of a child; and
• A social workers’ report that was presented to the children’s court

END

 

Reply:

a) The Department has received numerous responses from society to the published regulations.

b) The closing period for the submission of public comments has been extended by a further three months ending 5th August 2022. Consequently, the Department is not in position to furnish the numbers that are opposing or endorsing the adoption of the specified draft regulations.

END.

Reply:

As the National Department of Health, we are consulting with the provincial Departments of Health to collate the responses from those provincial Departments of Health to enable the Minister to respond to this question. The Minister will submit the response to the question as soon as the relevant information is received from the provinces.

END.

Reply:

South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA))

1. (a) the aircraft carrying 12 passengers was unable to land on arrival at the Ladysmith Airport on 19 March 2022 because the airport was closed as per the NOTAM which stated that the airport will be closed for the period 19/03/2022 @ 06:00 till 20/03/2022 @ 23: 59 (b) No action has been taken against any SACAA official because the NOTAM was published and the following is the history of the NOTAM: The initial NOTAM C0769/22 was issued on 15 March 2022 at 10h08 Local time for the 20th of March 2022 to close the Aerodrome from 06h00 to 18h00 Local time. The NOTAM was then cancelled and replaced with NOTAM C0801/22 which was issued on 18 March 2022 at 15h09 Local time for the period 19 March from 06h00 until 20 March 2022 at midnight as per the Promulgation of NOTAM request form CA 175-03 and Indemnity letter. (c) no compensation is due to the owners and/or users of the aircraft for being unable to land at the airport.

2. The incident was not reported to the SACAA.

Reply:

I wish to advise the Honourable Member that the only SIU report that I am aware of, is the one that implicates the current SASSA CEO of alleged involvement in corrupt activities. Upon receipt of the final report, I made it available to the implicated official, the SASSA CEO to allow her an opportunity to state their cases in response to the SIU investigation and findings, as per the provision of our laws.

In addition, the Department is currently in legal consultation with the SIU and its investigators who have offered their assistance as we initiate the disciplinary process with the view to engage and implement the next steps.