Questions and Replies

Reply:

The question is more relevant to the provincial administration since it is the responsibility of the employer, who in terms of section 3(1)(b) of the Employment of Educators Act is the Head of the Provincial Education Department (PED) to implement policies with regards to the Code of Conduct and safety measures at schools, as well to enforce disciplinary code and procedures against all employees employed at the provincial level.

The question should therefore be forwarded to the relevant employer (PED) for a response.

Reply:

I have been informed by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development that, currently, the Department does not have charges specific to cannabis. However, the Department gathers information in relation to four (4) charges relating to cannabis which was previously referred to as “dagga”. This is included under the umbrella of “other narcotics”, and the Department cannot drill down to charges relating to cannabis or dagga.

The current charge description is as follows: “Unlawfully receiving any document, intoxicating liquor, dagga, drug, opiate, money or any other article whilst in custody; unlawful supplying, conveying, hiding or placing for an offender’s use any document, intoxicating liquor, dagga, drug or opiate; bringing or introducing into a correctional centre or place of custody any document/ intoxicating liquor/ dagga/ drug/ opiate; Inmate – Arranging with a correctional/ custody official/ another person for a document/ liquor/ dagga/ drug/ opiate/ money/ article.”

It should also be noted that the National Director of Public Prosecutions indicated that the National Prosecuting Authority does not record the above requested information manually, and the electronic case management system allows for reporting on both possession of drugs as dealing in drugs which could be extracted in accordance with the relevant sections of the Act. However, information specific to ‘cannabis’ is not available.

END

Reply:

1. The South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) received a 0% increase for the 2022-2023 financial year. All fees for Skipper Licences still the same as the 2021-2022 financial year and should assist fisher in the current economic climate. The 0% increase applies to all the services that the South African Maritime Authority (SAMSA) provide and include the cost of safety surveys for fishing vessels. Should an increase be approved, due consideration will be given to the impact that any increase may have on fishers.

2. The challenge with lowering the current safety standards will lead to unseaworthy ships going to sea, which will not only endanger fishers but also other users of the sea. Reducing the safety standards will lead to unnecessary deaths amongst fishers and in turn impact on the fishing communities when a bread winner is lost. It must be noted that unseaworthy vessels lead to expensive Search and Rescue operations due to the number and type of sea and air assets that need to be mobilised to rescue a casualty at sea. Lowering Safety Standards which is meant to save both people and property at sea, or prevent pollution of the marine environment is not the solution.

Reply:

1(a) Annexure A reflects the list of the towns in Northern Cape which do not have SASSA local offices or services points

2. The only provinces which have a SASSA presence in all towns are Eastern Cape and Gauteng. For Eastern Cape, the towns of Bedford, Dimbaza, Adelaid and Sterkstroom had local offices, but these have been converted to periodic mobile services due to very low intake which did not warrant the continuation of the full time services.

For all other provinces, the attached annexures indicate the towns which do not have a fixed presence, with an indication of how those citizens are able to access SASSA services.

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure

(a and b) I’ve been informed that the Department has already released eleven (11) buildings for use by victims of Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF). Those properties are listed below as follows:

Table A

No.	PROVINCE	PROPERTY AREA
1.	Western Cape	Albertina
2.	Western Cape	Laingsburg
3.	Western Cape	Aurora
4.	Western Cape	Aurora
5.	Western Cape	Mooreesburg
6.	Western Cape	Heidelberg
7.	Gauteng	Salvokop, Pretoria
8.	Gauteng	Pretoria
9.	Gauteng	Pretoria
10	Gauteng	Pretoria
11.	Gauteng	Johannesburg

In addition to the above, the Department has identified more properties and jointly conducted site inspections with the Department of Social Development in various provinces. The Department is awaiting confirmation from the Department of Social Development on properties which must be released for use by victims of Gender based Violence. As a result the Department is unable to confirm the date on which the properties would be released.

I have requested a meeting with the Minister of Social Development, to expedite the handover.

The total number of 39 such buildings in each (i) province, (ii) region and (iii) municipality are listed on Annexure A.

Reply:

(a&b) The arrest of members of the syndicate in Krugersdorp is indicative the net is closing in on all the corrupt Home Affairs officials and their associates be they South African or foreign nationals who are undermining the country’s laws. A multi-disciplinary law enforcement team is keeping a beady eye on a number of corrupt Home Affairs officials and syndicates and more arrests are imminent.

(a)(i) Furthermore, it is impractical to ascertain the number fraudulent documents in the hands of criminals and of those being produced through illegal means.

(b(i)-(iiI) There is currently an investigation taking place with regards to the matter.

However, the Branch Counter Corruption and Security Services, through investigations undertaken, intercepted the suspected fake passports issued through the process of photo swap. During the investigations on passport photo swaps, it was found that SA citizens who participated in the scam, are still in possession of their Identity Documents. It was only their passports that were required by foreign nationals. The suspected fake passports are from the following offices:

Home Affairs Office	Number of passports issued to foreign nationals
Benoni	101
White River	30
Burgersfort	45
Maponya Mall	20
Germiston	25
Prospecton	30
Ndwendwe	40
Tongaat	15
Umgungundlovu	18
Commercial Road	10

When fraudulent documents are detected the Branch Civic Services refers such cases to the Branch: Counter Corruption and Security Services if it involves the Departments officials and/or to Branch: Immigration Services (Inspectorate division) if it entails investigation of foreign nationals. Otherwise cases are referred to the South African Police Services (SAPS) and other law enforcement agencies.

Upon conclusion of the investigations conducted by the above institutions, and when the outcome renders the enabling documents to be fraudulent, the Department follows a process to set markers to block, nullify and to cancel the fraudulently issued identity documents and passports on the National Population Register(NPR) as a means to maintain the credibility of the system in the Republic.

Furthermore, the Immigration Service Branch within the Department is also involved to flag such documents on the Movement Control System (MCS). As a result, a note verbale is also published and circulated through the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) as a means to communicate to foreign countries regarding fake or fraudulently issued passports and identity documents.

(c) From 2013 to date, 396 officials have been investigated for selling South African documents.

END

 

 

 

Reply:

(a) An investigation was conducted by iLembe District and a report will made available to the Department of Basic Education by the KZN provincial education department. 

(b) The school has been issued with the Guidelines for Tuckshop Operators. 

Reply:

1. (a) Prior to processing the applications for payment, the Department conducted a due diligence process, which include verification of name, surname, and identity number against existing national database such as the Department of Home Affairs’ National Population Register and the DPSA’s Personal and Salary System (PERSAL). It is during this verification process that the department identified that some of the ECD staff were on PERSAL.

(b) Three Thousand Seven Hundred and Twenty-Nine (3 729)

(c) PERSAL does not reflect the departments within which these staff are employed. The data has been sent to DPSA, which is the custodian of the public service payroll to identify in which departments/entities they are currently employed.

2. No, public servants who were found on PERSAL were disqualified and no payments were made and therefore is no need for any disciplinary action. The Department will further engage the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) and the DPSA in this regard.

Reply:

A. NUMBER OF TECHNICAL SCHOOLS PER PROVINCE

 

PROVINCE	NO. OF TECHNICAL SCHOOLS
EASTERN CAPE (EC)	69
FREE STATE (FS)	30
GAUTENG (GP)	82
KWAZULU NATAL (KZN)	73
LIMPOPO (LP)	43
MPUMALANGA (MP)	40
NORTHEN CAPE (NC)	11
NORTH WEST (NW)	31
WESTERN CAPE (WC)	24
NATIONAL	403

 

B. FUNDING OF TECHNICAL SCHOOLS

• All Technical Schools are funded by provinces from the allocated provincial budgets.
• Some Technical Schools are supported by Departmental Partners like Sasol Foundation
• Selected Technical Schools are chosen to be MST Grant Schools and they are supported in different ways including resourcing.
• Every three years, new schools are included by provinces in the list of MST Grant Schools.

Reply:

Attached find here: Reply

Reply:

Attached find here: Reply

Reply:

I have been advised by the Department as follows:

No incidents of sexual harassment and sexual assault were reported in the Department in the past three years and since 1 April 2021.

Authorised for submission by

 

MS. NONKQUBELA JORDAN-DYANI

DIRECTOR-GENERAL (ACTING)

DATE:

Recommended/not recommended

__________________________

HON. PHILLY MAPULANE, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Approved/ not approved

________________________________

HON. KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Reply:

I have been advised by the Department and SOEs as follows:

a) Department

Department	i) Flowers	(ii) Cards	(iii) Wreaths	(iv) Gifts
	R47 363, 00	0	Included (i) due to BAS SCOA classification	R691, 00

(b-f)

SOEs	(i) Flowers	(ii) Cards	(iii) Wreaths	(iv) Gifts
SAPO	-	-	-	-
NEMISA	R3 549.90	-	-	-
SABC	R96 329.00	-	R4 463.00	R 116 181.00
SITA	R21 463.00	-	-	-
BBI	R69 156.00	-	-	R24 075.00

SAPO indicated that no money was spend for flowers, cards, wreaths and gifts in the last eight (8) years.

Authorised for submission by

 

MS. NONKQUBELA JORDAN-DYANI

DIRECTOR-GENERAL (ACTING)

DATE:

Recommended/not recommended

__________________________

HON. PHILLY MAPULANE, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Approved/ not approved

________________________________

HON. KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Reply:

a) (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv) A loan was made available to Cuba under an Economic Assistance Agreement for agricultural development projects as well as reconstruction of infrastructure.

The loan was divided into two tranches. The first tranche of R63 million was made available in 2018. The Cuban government has fully repaid the loan.

The second tranche of R84 631 000 million was made available in 2021. The Cuban government has been repaying the loan since December 2021.

The total loan to Cuba since 2018 is R147 631 000.

b) The relationship between South Africa and Cuba dates back well before the 1994 democratic elections, and the friendship and solidarity with Cuba should be viewed within the context of the significant contribution that Cuba made to the liberation of South Africa. The South African Government signed an Agreement on Economic Assistance with the Government of the Republic of Cuba on 3 February 2012, entering into force on 21 November 2012. The 2012 Agreement was one of the outcomes of the 2010 State Visit to Cuba by the then South African President. The latter announced that South Africa would offer Cuba an Economic Assistance Package to assist with agricultural development projects as well as reconstruction of infrastructure, following the damage caused by devastating hurricanes in the Caribbean in 2008.

The Economic Assistance Package enhanced economic collaboration with Cuba especially through improved bilateral trade and increased goodwill from the people of Cuba. Through the package exports of South African agricultural products, plastic resins, dump trucks and tires were increased, jobs were created and retained, there was business reinvestment, consumer support to the RSA manufacturing sector, and channels for payment from Cuba were established

 

Reply:

I have been advised by the Department and SOEs as follows:

I have been advised by the SOEs as follows:

a) Department:

i) Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality:

(aa) Water R0.00

(bb) Rates R0.00

(cc) Electricity R0.00

ii) Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality:

(aa) Water R0.00

(bb) Rates R0.00

(cc) Electricity R0.00

iii) Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality:

(aa) Water R0.00

(bb) Rates R0.00

(cc) Electricity R0.00

(b-d) SOEs:

• SAPO has indicated that no amount is owed to any of the mentioned municipalities as at 07 March 2022. All utilities, rates and taxes accounts are paid in full.
• Nemisa indicated that municipal rates and taxes accounts are up to date
• SABC responded that the accounts at the municipalities mentioned were up to date as at 07 March 2022.

Authorised for submission by

 

MS. NONKQUBELA JORDAN-DYANI

DIRECTOR-GENERAL (ACTING)

DATE:

Recommended/not recommended

__________________________

HON. PHILLY MAPULANE, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Approved/ not approved

________________________________

HON. KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Reply:

Attached find here: Reply

Reply:

Attached find here: Reply

Reply:

I have been advised by the Department as follows:

a) The total amount spent on catering for the period in question was R738 982.91,

(i) Minister: R157 644.86

(ii) Deputy Minister: R 90 665.20

(iii) Officials in the Department: R490 672.85

b) The total amount spent on entertainment for the period in question was R0.00,

(i) Minister: R0.00

(ii) Deputy Minister: R0.00

(iii) Officials in the Department: R0.00

c) The total amount spent on accommodation for the period in question was R15 345 562.86

(i) Minister: R 3 615 001.95

(ii) Deputy Minister: R 1 021 003.90

(iii) Officials in the Department: R10 709 557.01

Authorised for submission by

 

MS. NONKQUBELA JORDAN-DYANI

DIRECTOR-GENERAL (ACTING)

DATE:

Recommended/not recommended

__________________________

HON. PHILLY MAPULANE, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER

DATE:

Approved/ not approved

________________________________

HON. KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP

MINISTER

DATE:

Reply:

I have been advised as follows:

The Department is guided by the Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Field (RF EMF) guidelines of March 2020 developed by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), which provide the necessary and sufficient levels of protection from adverse effects relating to exposure to RF EMF when networks including 5G are deployed or operated.

Authorised for submission by

 

MS. NONKQUBELA JORDAN-DYANI

DIRECTOR-GENERAL (ACTING)

DATE:

Recommended/not recommended

__________________________

HON. PHILLY MAPULANE, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Approved/ not approved

________________________________

HON. KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Reply:

The South African government supports the African Union (AU) Humanitarian Policy Framework which articulates the AU’s stance on humanitarian issues.

The AU adopted the AU Humanitarian Assistance Policy in 2015. It outlines a broad framework and the Continental body’s intent in dealing with humanitarian issues.

The Policy Framework establishes a strategic approach and guidelines in support of the core aims of humanitarian action: to preserve, protect and save lives, alleviate suffering and enhance physical security and human dignity of those in dire need. It also “complements and supports the policies of AU Member States, Regional Economic Communities (RECs), the international community, United Nations (UN) agencies, International Civil Defence Organisation (ICDO), the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, national and international NGOs and other humanitarian actors and stakeholders”.

.

Reply:

a) Total number of remand detainees who have who have been in detention for more than two years as at 31st March 2022 was 3 698.

Regional breakdown is as follows:-

Region	Grand Total
Gauteng	1718
Western Cape	708
Limpopo, Mpumalanga & North-West	390
Kwa-Zulu Natal	387
Eastern Cape	291
Free State & Northern Cape	204
Grand Total	3698
Source: GITO

b) The reasons for the prolonged period of detention is the delayed response from the courts on the outcome of the applications of Section 49 G or a continue with detention response is received, however DCS does continue to make use of the provision of Section 49G of the Correctional Services Act by referring Remand Detainees (RDs) to court before completing a period of two years for consideration of their detention and thereafter annually if the RD remains in detention after the initial referral. The courts are required to consider applications from DCS where possible outcomes are as follows:-

1. Release of the RD
2. Release and placement on warning,
3. Placement under s62(f): Supervision by a correctional official
4. Reduction of the amount of bail
5. Placement in a secure care facilities
6. Decline to review bail (Unsuccessful application)

The department intends to intensify relationships with the Justice Cluster by participating in the National Efficiency Enhancement Committee (NEEC), Judicial Case Flow structures and the courts to address this challenge.

c) The strategies developed during the two consultative sessions held in November 2021 for all six regions relates to measures to reduce overcrowding. Heads of Centres were encouraged to establish and maintain stakeholder relations by attending District Efficiency Enhancement Committee (DEEC) meetings where issues relating to Case flows are addressed.

END

Reply:

Attached find here: Reply

Reply:

1. (a) (i) (ii) (iii) The hostel environment together with the nomadic nature of occupants have proven to be a difficult task for municipalities as managing agents to keep track of the number of persons occupying units. Illegal invasions together with sub-letting has exacerbated this problem to such an extent that most legal lease holders cannot be found. Provincial departments together with their respective municipalities are only responsible for government-owned rental accommodation and as such are not responsible for private rental accommodation or grey hostels (which include a component of private ownership).

(b)(i) (ii) The following table illustrates the hostels that have been transformed into family units as well as those which have not been refurbished in each metropolitan area:

Province	Metropolitan Area	Number of hostels not refurbished	Number of hostels transformed into family units
Gauteng	Ekurhuleni Metro	20	1
	Johannesburg Metro	14	8
	Tshwane Metro	3	2
Western Cape	City of Cape Town	5	1
KZN	eThekwini Metro	11	9
Free State	Mangaung Metro	No public hostels
Eastern Cape	Buffalo City Metro	No public hostels
	Nelson Mandela Bay Metro	No public hostels

2. Hostels are grouped into three categories only, that is: public, private and grey hostels.

(a) The Department is only responsible for public sector hostels and is currently transforming hostels into family units using the Community Residential Units (CRU) programme. The programme provides grant funding to provinces and municipalities for the upgrading, conversion, or complete redevelopment of existing government owned rental stock, including hostels.

(b) Due to the vast size of hostels and limited budget, all hostel projects are undertaken in phases and planned over a span of 10 to 30 years, therefore it is very difficult to put the exact date for the completion of the transformation of the hostels into family units.

Reply:

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) is not aware of any benefits that have accrued to the governing party or to any political organisation as the Department does not have any interface with the governing party or political organisations on these matters.

 

COMPILER DETAILS

NAME AND SURNAME: MR BJ ERASMUS

CONTACT: 012 351 8637

RECOMMENDATION

It is recommended that the Minister signs Parliamentary Reply 1666.

 

MR Z DANGOR

DIRECTOR–GENERAL: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND COOPERATION

DATE:

PARLIAMENTARY REPLY 1666 IS APPROVED / NOT APPROVED / AMENDED.

COMMENT/S

DR GNM PANDOR, MP

MINISTER OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND COOPERATION

DATE:

Reply:

1. The reply to Parliamentary Question 152 on 7 April 2021, highlighted that the information available from PERSAL, indicated that over 35% of senior managers (SMS) did not have the requisite qualifications for the positions that they occupied. By 31 January 2022, the figure reduced by almost 10% to 25.9%. As it stands, a total of 2412 out of 9309 senior managers do not have their qualifications reflected on PERSAL.

2. 50 departments updated the qualifications of their senior managers on the PERSAL system between 31 October 2021 and 31 January 2022.

3. The DPSA is monitoring the updating of PERSAL data and continues to remind Accounting Officers of the importance of maintaining this information. The current exercise has indicated that there might be SMS members who possess proper qualifications but such are not reflected on the PERSAL system. It is however clear that departments are gradually responding to
Circular HRD0301 to update PERSAL data, therefore further punitive measures might not be needed. It is important to reiterate the fact that the matter of the senior manager’s or other employees’ qualifications be understood within the broader context of the professionalization of the public service efforts that are underway.

End

Reply:

1. On 12 April 2022, Extra-Ordinary SADC Summit plus Personnel Contributing Countries received and noted the progress on the operations of the SADC Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM) as well as the budget of SAMIM. The Summit Plus approved the transition of SAMIM from Scenario 6, (Rapid Deployment Capability) to Scenario 5 (Multidimensional Force), with a robust mandate (retention of Special Forces) by 15 May 2022. The SAMIM leadership recommended to the Extraordinary SADC Summit an adoption of term-based approach of a one year beyond 15 July 2022, instead of a three month’s renewal. The Troika Summit Plus has recommended the 1-year term-based approach for adoption by the SADC Extraordinary Summit which will take place before July 2022.

2. Given the intractable nature of the fight against terrorism, it is not possible to have a fixed time frame on when peace will be restored in the region. However, the SADC countries will continue with the fight against terrorism using the instruments at the disposal of individual countries and the region.

Reply:

The Department of Higher Education and Training has been supporting research productivity in the higher education system through its “Policy and Procedures for Measurement of Research Output of Public Higher Education Institutions” since 2003. Since its inception, the policy aimed to sustain current research strengths and to promote research and other knowledge outputs required to meet national development needs. The purpose of the policy is to encourage research productivity by rewarding quality research output at public higher education institutions. Therefore, the Department has been subsidising research productivity at the universities through this policy.

The policy was later revised and improved and now with a new title: Research Outputs Policy, 2015. However, the original aim and objectives have been maintained. Currently, in the 2022/23 financial year, the Department invests R5 226 955 000.00 on research productivity in the university sector, from R1 124 807 000.06 in the 2004/05 financial year. The policy uses research publications in peer-reviewed journals; published peer-reviewed conference proceedings; peer-reviewed books; research Master’s and Doctoral graduates as proxy for research activities within universities.

The subsidy also includes the creative and innovations research which are subsidised through the Policy on the Evaluation of Creative Outputs and Innovations Produced by Public Higher Education Institutions (2017).

Since the inception of the research policy in 2003, the number of units (used to calculate all the research outputs as enumerated above – publications, graduates, artefacts and innovations) grew from 12 051 in the 2004/05 financial year to 40 847 units in the 2022/23 financial year.

In the earlier years of the implementation of the policy, the Department made available developmental funds to institutions that struggled to meet their set research output norms. The subsidy formula allowed for such funding. This has since been converted into the University Capacity Development Grant, which covers several projects within institutions, including the development of researchers and young academics. The Sibusiso Bengu Development Grant allocated to the institutions defined as historically disadvantaged allows for coverage of such a need, depending on the priorities the affected institutions identify.

Independent analysts have associated the growth of research productivity in the higher education sector in recent years to the positive impact of the above-stated policies. Thus, it is believed that the policies and projects of the Department have instilled a research culture at the universities. However, institutional policies and practices do also play a role too in this regard. Plans are underway to also deal with its unintended consequences, such as predatory publishing and a focus on quantity rather than quality.

Reply:

• Queue marshals have been appointed to manage the queues – they identify the most vulnerable like elderly, ill, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers to ensure they get assisted first.
• Queue marshals separate queues per speciality i.e.
• UIF has been allocated three queues; first is for new applications and clients who want to register as work seekers on ESSA, second is for enquiries (clients who have applied but the application is not yet finalised) and the third line is for clients coming to sign (clients who are already getting UIF benefits but must report every month to indicate if they are still unemployed as per Unemployment Insurance Act prescripts), another queue is for those who are coming to lodge a labour complaint against their employer and those who are coming to register/enquire an injury/disease on duty.
• Manual applications are taken when the system is offline or when the system is slow. In addition to this, UIF clients who are coming to sign (clients already getting UIF benefits) get listed on a register which gets attended to by the processing office staff to process the UIF payment.
• Encourage online applications and telephonic enquiries where clients have means.
• In cases of Reduced Work Time (RWT), retrenchments and closure of companies a team is sent to the premises of the employer for collection of documents for new applications and this has assisted to reduce the number of clients coming through to lodge UIF claims in our labour centre.

Reply:

Attached find here: Reply

Reply:

Attached find here: Reply

Reply:

a) The Department of Cooperative Governance (DCOG) has taken various actions aimed at improving service delivery and eradicating infrastructure backlogs that include the following:

(i) DCOG together with the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent (MISA), all provincial departments responsible for local government and provincial treasury departments, under the leadership of the Minister of COGTA, prepared the State of Local Government (SOLG) report that was tabled and considered by Cabinet in June 2021. Cabinet’s resolutions on the SOLG report included that COGTA and National Treasury should lead the process of the development of the Municipal Support and Intervention Plans (MSIPs) in collaboration with sector departments, SALGA, provinces and municipalities. MSIPs have since been prepared that aim, among other things, to address sewer spillages and eradication of infrastructure backlogs.

(ii) MISA continues to provide technical support by deploying professionally registered Engineers and Town and Regional Planners to low and medium capacity municipalities, in accordance with the District Development Model. Currently MISA has deployed over 150 technical personnel to support and build the capacity of municipalities in infrastructure development and service delivery. The technical support by the MISA technical personnel includes assisting municipalities to develop operation and maintenance plans of the sewage system and implementation thereof. MISA also builds municipalities’ technical capacity by placing built environment learners in various low and medium capacity municipalities as part of the apprenticeship programme, the experiential learnership programme and the young graduates’ programme. In the last financial year MISA enrolled a total of 252 learners and candidates of the three programmes in various municipalities. Furthermore MISA, trains municipal officials in technical refresher courses. MISA trained 519 municipal officials in the last financial year in technical courses.

DCOG is administering the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) whose purpose is to provide specific capital finance for eradicating basic municipal infrastructure backlogs for poor households, microenterprises and social institutions servicing poor communities. The infrastructure includes for sanitation services. MISA supports municipalities with the implementation of projects throughout the project life cycle. Some of the specific activities of support are as follows:

• Review of projects business plans and technical reports for registration processes,
• General project management and project implementation planning
• Verification of work done on infrastructure projects
• Invoice verification on the MIG funded projects prior payment to ensure value for money is created on the ground.

(iii) All 44 District Municipalities and all 8 Metropolitan municipalities have established and operates disaster management centres in its municipal areas. These disaster management centres in partnership with the respective national, provincial municipal organs of state develop disaster management plans setting out the way in which the concept and principles of disaster management are to be applied in its functional area. These plans form part of and is implemented through the Integrated Development Plan and the Service Delivery Budget Implementation Plan.

Furthermore, the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) provides support through Disaster Grant funding allocations to augment the resources of the municipalities affected by disaster in case their resources have been depleted and municipalities are unable to cope only utilising own funding. During financial year 2021/2022, grant funding allocations were made to municipalities affected by disasters for drought and flood intervention measures, particularly infrastructure projects.

(iv) The NDMC has developed the White Paper on Fire Services which provides a framework for understanding the philosophy and approach in the delivery of fire services in the country going forward and these build on the good practice found in today’s fire service across the country and globally. In the past financial year 2021/2022, the NDMC has conducted Ten (10) Fire Safety and prevention capacity assessment across the country and reports were submitted to relevant accounting officers for immediate attention and implementation. In addition, the NDMC has also supported municipalities via different provinces with Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) training. Thus, capacity building projects were provided to North West, KZN, Gauteng and Western Cape and will proceed to other provinces.

b) MISA continues to support low and medium capacity municipalities by deploying technical personnel in accordance with the District Development Model (DDM).

In the 2021/22 financial year, MISA prioritized interventions through the mainstreaming of groundwater projects by rehabilitating and drilling of boreholes, spring refurbishment and protection, providing storage and reticulation across the country through its own budget and in some instances in collaboration with the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA). The groundwater mainstreaming interventions in 2021/22 financial year resulted in a total of 78 boreholes drilled and springs protected as follows:

• 39 boreholes were completed
• 3 springs were protected and completed
• 32 borehole projects from last financial year are continuing in the 2022/23 financial year, and
• 4 springs protection projects are continuing in the 2022/23 financial year.

The monitoring of water quality is done by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS). MISA supports municipalities to ensure to compliance with legislation and meeting service standards.

Reply:

The Integrated Management System in the Department will be able to detect duplicate claims of the same ID Number submitted by the employer for the COVID 19 TERS Benefit. The employee salaries are verified with the internal UIF System which stores the monthly declarations of the employees’ salaries submitted by the employer. The verification of salaries is detecting inflated salaries of employees submitted by the employer on the COVID 19 TERS application.

It is important to note that the current system is able to detect duplicate ID and duplicate payments.

Reply:

The conduct of members of municipal councils is guided by the Code of Conduct for Councillors as provided in schedule 7 of the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act No. 117 of 1998 (as amended). If a Councillor has breached the Code, item 16(2) of the Code provides that the municipal council may impose sanctions on the Councillor, including requesting the MEC to remove the Councillor from office.

It is the responsibility of the municipality to act against officials and political office bearers who have failed to address unauthorised, irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure as required in terms of section 32 of the MFMA. Section 32 of the MFMA enables the municipal council to resolve on the recoverability or write off of unauthorised, irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure.

Where the municipal council fails to address the unauthorised, irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure, then section 173 of the MFMA read together with Chapter 3 of the Municipal Regulations for Financial Misconduct Procedures and Criminal Proceedings and the Code of Conduct for Councillors, sets out the processes that must be followed including when a councillor fails to or does something that impedes compliance with the MFMA etc. Therefore, under the MFMA, the Minister has not been granted the power to act specifically against political office bearers.

The MFMA provides in section 38, for the National Treasury to stop funds for serious or persistent breach of the measures in line with section 216 of the Constitution or breaches or fails to comply with any conditions subject to which the allocation is made.

If a Councilor fails to adhere to the legislative prescripts and the Minister becomes aware of any maladministration, fraud, corruption, or any other serious malpractice which, in the opinion of the Minister, has occurred or is occurring in a municipality, the Minister will request the MEC, in terms of section 106(4) of the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act No. 32 of 2000 to investigate the matter. Council may then be requested to institute appropriate disciplinary proceedings where required, and where instances of corruption, fraud and related offences have been identified, such reports are handed over to law enforcement agencies for further processing.

Further, it is important to indicate that the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) referrals to municipalities are not done through the Minister, but through the MEC. If the MEC does not take the necessary action, then the SIU will escalate the matter to the Premier in the Province.

Reply:

1(a) Rising unemployment interventions

Hon. Chabangu, let us start by understanding the nature of unemployment in South Africa, even if briefly. Unemployment in South Africa is deep-seated. Unemployment in South Africa is structural. Unemployment in South Africa is systemic. It is further hard hitting to some racial groups and sectors. For instance, if you are black in South Africa you are likely to be unemployed. If you are a woman and again black, you are likely to be unemployed. If you are young and black, again you are likely to be unemployed. And this trend expands to settlements. If you are in the rural area you are likely to be unemployed. If you are in the township again you are likely to be unemployed. This is because of our history of segregation. This is also about the intricacies of the economy. It is therefore not a challenge of quick simple solutions, as some may want others to believe, because it is historical, systemic and complex. But this government is up to the task, as explained below.

The call to address unemployment in general and especially amongst the youth, is a cross cutting matter that requires interventions amongst all spheres of government departments at all levels, employers, trade unions, civil society including political parties. The Department of Employment and Labour, has introduced a number of programmes and interventions to address unemployment in general and specific programmes to assist young people that include the following:

(i) Branch Public Employment Services

• For the period 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022, more than 281801 work seekers were provided with employment counselling services, to assist work seekers cope with unemployment and also to assist them to find work and self-employment opportunities. Working with employers more than 131 522 job opportunities were registered on the DEL ESSA database. This resulted in more than 67 058 permanent job placements. More than 936 621 work seekers were also registered, on the ESSA database, 423 298 were below 35 years.
• The Department also champions the Pathway Management Network process, which with the Presidential Stimulus funding created more than 673,514 job opportunities. This programme has facilitated entry into first time job opportunities, and is a stepping stone to the labour market.

(ii) Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF)

During the financial year 2022/2023, the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) planned to recruit about 15 000 learners. The UIF through its Labour Activation Programme (LAP) enters into funding agreements with implementing partners to train and guarantee employment of learners at the end of the training period.

The following are some of the initiatives aimed at alleviating unemployment under the UIF:

• R 551 million set aside for the three projects to benefit 19 921 beneficiaries in KwaZulu-Natal in the following skills disciplines: 14 771 Chief Food Handlers; 5 000 Enterprise Development (mixed farming systems); and150 Fibre Optic Technicians.

• R 201 498 000 worth of funding Agreement signed for job placement of 7 810 unemployed beneficiaries in Kwazulu-Natal, Free State, Gauteng, Limpopo, North West and Western Cape

• R 10 136 175 150 worth of funding agreements to train and place 150 unemployed beneficiaries in jobs in the Western Cape in the following fields of Horticulture 30, Generic Management 30, Early Childhood 30, Clothing Manufacturing 30, and Tourism 30.

- Implementation of an Equine Business Management Learnership project to train and create jobs for 50 unemployed beneficiaries in the Eastern cape on a co-funding basis at a total budget of R 20 000 000.00 (twenty million rand). the UIF contributes R 15 000 0000 and the partner contributes R 5 000 000 towards the costs.

- Funding Agreement to fund a Youth Technology Development Project targeting to train and create jobs for 500 unemployed youth at a total budget of R 96 760 750.00 (ninety-six thousand seven hundred and sixty thousand, seven hundred and fifty rand) where the UIF contributes R 70 151 543.75 (seventy million, one hundred and fifty one thousand, five hundred and forty three rand, seventy five cent) and the partner contributes R 26 609 206.25 (twenty-six million, six hundred and nine thousand, two hundred and six rand, twenty five cent). This project is implemented in the Eastern Cape Province.

- Funding agreement amounting to R 238 506 003.75 to implement a programme to train and place 5 000 unemployed beneficiaries as Assistant Chefs, Cook Convenience, Fast Food, Table Attendant and Barista programmes and place them in jobs in post the UIF Funding in Gauteng, KZN, North West, and the Western Cape over three years. This is a co-funded project where the UIF contributes R 220 618 053.47 (Two Hundred and Twenty Million, Six Hundred and Eighteen Thousand and Fifty-Three Rand, Forty-Seven Cents only) and Summit R 17 887 950.28 (Seventeen Million, Eight Hundred and Eighty-Seven Thousand, Nine Hundred and Fifty Rand, Twenty-Eight Cents only)

(iii) The Compensation Fund

Through the Vocational Rehabilitation Programme, the Compensation Fund supports COID Persons with Disabilities (Injured workers who have acquired a permanent disablement) to be upskilled and re-skilled. Through this programme,

• a total of 41 Persons with Disabilities (PWDs)were enrolled on various Vocational Training Institutions, and 32 PWDs were registered in the artisan and farming incubation programmes, respectively, during 2021/2022.
• The support is further extended to the dependents of COID Persons with Disabilities, Dependents of Fatally injured workers and the General Youth pursuing undergraduate qualifications related to Health Professional and related clinical science, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Engineering, Statistics & Data Science, Actuarial Science, Maths & Science Education, Accounting, Psychology, Economics, Geography, Quality Control and Environmental Health. In addition, continuing students registered for Advanced Diploma/ Honours in Accounting Science (Stream: Certificate in The Theory of Accounting (CTA). For the financial year 2021/2022, the Compensation Fund funded 1177 students enrolled at Post School Education and Training Institutions.

(b) Strategies in place

• We have worked with NEDLAC social partners to develop the country’s Economic and Reconstruction and Recovery Plan that is currently being implemented. We are also involved in negotiations to conclude a Social Compact as instructed by the President.
• Employment Services interventions are guided by the Employment Services Act that is aligned to ILO conventions C88 and C181. The Branch has also introduced a National electronic system called Employment Services South Africa (ESSA) and Standard Operating Procedures that guides all Labour Centres on how to go about registering work-seekers, work and learning opportunities, counselling and placement into opportunities.
• We have published a Draft National Labour Migration Policy and Draft Employment Services Amendment Bill aimed at improving the governance and data administration, preserving employment for South Africans through measures that will limit employment of foreign nationals, and promoting employment of South Africans in other countries so as to acquire skills and to lower unemployment levels in our country. The NLMP is aligned to the ILO Convention C97.
• We have invested a lot of efforts in the research and drafting of a National Employment policy that is to be released for public consultations once we have exhausted internal government policy processes. The NEP is aligned to ILO Convention C122.
• We have a Labour Activation Strategy and Standard Operating Procedures that guides the implementation of the programme

We will continue to reconstruct this country. We will continue to transform this country. We will continue to develop this country. It is a revolution that we are still involved in. It is not an event with a commencement date and an end date. The aim is to continue to radically change our country and never stop in doing so!

Reply:

The high diesel prices globally are a direct results of the ongoing conflict in Eastern Europe. The supply of diesel to Europe from Russian Federation has been disrupted as a result of sanctions thus creating a major diesel shortage globally.

The government has intervened by reducing the fuel levy by R1.50 per litre over a period of two months. This intervention came at a cost of R6 billion to the State and benefited both diesel and petrol users.

Reply:

(a) The Minister of Basic Education enquired with the Provincial Education Department in question and recommended an investigation of the case and requested a report of the outcome.

(b) The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa is used as the most supreme law of the State to deal with Racism in Schools. As such, a circular is released annually to all schools to encourage the Recital of the Preamble of the Constitution in schools, as a way to inculcate constitutional values and principles. This is coupled with the distribution of Slimline Constitutions, in partnership with the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DoJ&CD). Furthermore, the National Action Plan to combat Racism, Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerances led by the DoJ&CD has education-specific activities to guide the sector in addressing racism in schools. 

Within the basic education sector and the schooling community, the South African Schools Act is used as the basis of legislation to deal, among others, with issues of racism in schools. This is coupled with the South African Council of Educators Act and the Employment of Educators Act, which provide guidance on the ethical, non-prejudiced and non-racial conduct of teachers in the classroom and within the school environment. The School Code of Conduct provides for the discipline and ethical conduct of learners in schools.

Reply:

With reference to:

(a) number of

(i) Litres: Between 1000 to 1200 litres of oil have been spilled from 3 oil spills, out of a total 6.8 billion litres of oil transferred, since the operations commenced in 2016.

(ii) Ships have docked alongside the bunkering ship since the operation commenced: A total of 6191 ships have conducted bunkering operations in Algoa Bay since 2016.

(iii) People are directly employed as a result of the bunkering operation:

a.There are three (3) Barge operators employing a total of 119 seafarers of which 9 are South African seafarers and the remainder foreign seafarers, on oil tankers;

b. Off Port Limit Operators (OPL) have grown from 5 to 9 operators, employing 32 South African office staff;

c. OPL boats servicing the bunker calling ships, grew from 5 to 16 offshore launches, employing 44 South African crew;

d. Ship Agents have grown from 16 to 25 Ship Agents;

e. Ship Chandlers have grown from 2 to 6 Ship Chandlers providing stores, spares and victuals to bunker calling ships; and

f. Diving Companies have grown from 1 to 4 Dive companies.

(b) are the total

(i) Fines issued: A total of R 1 880 000 in Admissions of Contravention (Fines) was issued for the 3 oil spills as reported.

(ii) Costs recovered in terms of the Marine Pollution: All costs with respect to oil spills are covered by the vessel owners’ insurers as prescribed by the Marine Pollution (Control and Civil Liability) Act 6 of 1981.

and (c) are the further relevant details?

(i) Only 1 out of the 3 oil tankers used for bunkering are registered on the South African flag – It has been indicated that this is due to the South African shipping tax regime currently in place which makes the local SA flag unattractive to ship owners;

(ii) Some 13 158 seafarers have transited in Algoa Bay from ships calling for bunkers, indirectly benefitting the local maritime industry and tourism through hotel stays, airport transfers, air travel, local retail and entertainment industry and contributing to the local economy;

(iii) Bunker calling ships also receive spares and stores while in Algoa Bay;

(iv) Specialised OEM marine spares are airfreighted to South Africa, benefitting the local freight industry;

(v) Ship technical repairs are also completed onboard while these ships are in Algoa Bay using local marine companies and technicians;

(vi) Two (2) additional South African operators have expressed interest to commence with bunkering operations in Algoa Bay, however the local moratorium have prevented these companies from starting operations;

(vii) LNG Operators have expressed interest in conducting LNG ship to ship transfers offshore in Algoa Bay.

Reply:

a) In September 2021, I promulgated Local Government: Municipal Staff Regulations, which contributes towards the professionalisation of local public administration as envisaged in the National Development Plan (NDP) inter alia include a set of uniform norms and standards and procedures for municipal staff establishments, recruitment, selection and appointments, performance management, skills development and other career incidents of municipal employees below management echelon. In addition, the Staff Regulations are linked with competency frameworks for all occupational streams to ensure standardisation in the sector and this should be viewed as a game changer. Municipal Cost Containment Regulations promulgated in 2019, advocates for development of consultancy reduction plans to reduce reliance on consultants and ensure transfer of skills by consultants to municipal officials. Implementation of these regulations will assist municipalities to build their capacity and minimise reliance on consultants.

b) In respect of value for money it is a mixed bag, some municipalities managed to improve their performance/ audit outcomes, some municipalities recorded little improvement while others their audit outcomes remained unchanged and/ or regressed. The use of consultants for financial reporting is not sustainable, and it comes at a cost, hence municipalities are encouraged to channel resources towards improvement on internal controls and capacity building.

c) National Treasury support municipalities on the implementation of Municipal Standard Charts of Account (mSCOA) and this question can be directed to Ministry of Finance who would help with the number of municipalities that are adequately implementing mSCOA.

d) The root causes include poor management of consultants, lack of review of work done by consultants, reluctancy by municipal officials to be actively involved in the process, late appointment of consultants, and lack of appropriate evidence to support schedule/ figures disclosed in the financial statements and vacancies.

Reply:

On the 16 February 2022, Compensation Fund appeared before Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA). Compensation Fund attracted the attention of SCOPA because of poor audit outcomes. Some Hon. Members from the Portfolio Committee on Employment and Labour attended that SCOPA hearing.

A lot of things were said in that hearing, but the issue of Director General and Chief Financial Officer writing to SCOPA and stipulating reasons why they should be kept in government employment never arose. The Hon. Member may have taken her notes inaccurately in this particular regard. What came close to what the Hon. Member is asking, is that SCOPA requested the Minister to submit performance assessments of the Director General and those of the two Commissioners to SCOPA and that was done.

Reply:

1. The initial investigation determined that a concrete seal at the shaft failed as a result of a build-up of water inside the shaft. The water use licence for Kwezela Colliery’s Kromdraai site has a condition that requires groundwater monitoring through boreholes, but this was apparently not done. Proper groundwater monitoring would have given an indication of rising water levels in the shaft.

2. On 14 February 2022 the Mine indicated that it became aware of an uncontrolled release of mine-impacted water at Khwezela Colliery outside of eMalahleni, in the Mpumalanga Province. The Department of Water and Sanitation conducted a site investigation on 17 March 2022. The incident took place at the South Shaft which according to the mine was last operational in 1966.

3. The Department issued a verbal directive after the site investigation on 17 February 2022, and again issued a written directive confirming the verbal directive on 21 February 2022

The Department conducted a follow up inspection on 03 March 2022 and observed that the water was still flowing from the collapsed shaft, however it was trapped on a designed pit a few meters from the shaft to prevent further pollution of the water resource. The water was being pumped into a void called Ramp 8 for storage. The plan according to the mine is to pump the water from Ramp 8 into a pollution control dam called Lopies Dam. From Lopies dam the water will flow into the Lime Treatment Plant for further treatment before it is discharged into Kromdraaispruit.

 

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Reply:

1. (a) The recent flooding in KwaZulu-Natal has negatively affected the day-to-day

operations of the courts due to the damaged infrastructure. On 12 April 2022, there was a very low attendance by officials as public transport was not available, and there was a precautionary warning that people should not access certain roads. Many courts postponed matters on that day.

The Court Managers have reported that operations at most courts have resumed fully. A number of courts need to be repaired following the floods. Some park homes will need to be replaced due to severe damages, whilst new ones are required in some courts. The only courts forced to close early due to health and safety concerns are those courts that are still without water.

(b) The only Court which was affected by the recent floods in the Eastern Cape is Port St. Johns. There was no infrastructure damage (including flooding and leakages). The only damage incurred affected telephone lines in the office. As a result, the office is not telephonically accessible, but a call has been logged for the telephone lines to be attended to. The Superior Courts (High Courts and Labour Court) in the Eastern Cape Province were also not affected.

2. (a) A total of 35 courts were affected by the floods. The courts that have been damaged include the following:

Item No.	District	No. of Courts Affected	Names of the Courts Affected
	EThekwini	8	i) Verulam Magistrates Court; ii) Verulam Family Court; iii) Pinetown Magistrates Court; iv) Chatsworth Magistrates Court; v) Ntuzuma Magistrates Court; vi) Emlazi Magistrates Court; vii) Wentworth Magistrates Court; and viii) Newlands East Magistrates Court
	Harry Gwala	4	i) UMzimkhulu Magistrates Court; ii) Hlanganani Magistrates Court; iii) Ixopo Magistrates Court; and iv) Himeville Magistrates Court.
	iLembe	4	i) KwaDukuza Magistrates Court; ii) Ndwedwe Magistrates Court; iii) Maphumulo Magistrates Court; and iv) Nsuze Periodical Court.
	King Cetshwayo	2	i) Esikhawini Magistrates Court; and ii) Mtunzini Magistrates Court.
	Ugu	7	i) Port Shepstone Magistrates Court; ii) Ramsgate Branch Court; iii) Izingolweni Magistrates Court; iv) Phungashe Magistrates Court; v) Emzumbe Branch Court; vi) Scottsburgh Magistrates Court; and vii) Umzinto Magistrates Court.
	UMgungundlovu	4	i) Pietermaritzburg Annex Building; ii) Pietermaritzburg Magistrates Court; iii) Howick Magistrates Court; and iv) Masters Office Pietermaritzburg.
	uMkhanyakude	2	i) Hlabisa Magistrates Court; and ii) Manguzi Branch Court.
	uMzinyathi	2	i) Msinga Magistrates Court; and ii) Greytown Magistrates Court.
	uThukela	2	i) Ekuvukheni Magistrates Court; and ii) Ezakheni Magistrates Court.

b) The following are the extent of the damages caused to the courts:

1. Roofs causing roof leakages and damaged ceilings;
2. Park homes;
3. Floors and carpets;
4. Windows;
5. Peeling paint;
6. Electricity supply;
7. Water supply;
8. Generators;
9. Cleaning of drainage systems; and
10. Access roads.

c) Repairs to the damaged courts are on-going. There are on-going meetings between the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DoJ&CD), Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) as well as stakeholders. DPWI is assisting government departments with the required assessments on the damages caused, and service providers have been appointed to attend to some critical areas. It is anticipated that all repairs to roofs will be finalised by 31 May 2022. Depending on the outcome of the completed assessments, some roofs might need to be replaced.

d) The KZN Regional Office has put contingency plans in place to ensure that the work of the courts can continue. All the courts will function during repairs as Court Managers and Heads of Judiciary manage the optimal utilisation of the available courtrooms. Periodical courts operating in damaged mobile courts will be relocated to the main seats. Where water is not available, the DoJ&CD has procured drinking water. Water tanks are procured, and the municipality is assisting with water delivery. Some courts close early due to lack of water. Capacity is sourced from other regions to assist where possible.

Reply:

Allegations of soliciting a bribe against the former Director-General of the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy came to light during legal proceedings instituted by DNG Power Holdings (Pty) Ltd in which the Director-General was cited as 3rd Respondent in his official capacity. The allegations related, amongst others, to corruption during the tender process for the procurement of an emergency supply of 200 megawatts of general capacity under the Risk Mitigation Independent Power Procurement Programme.

Subsequently, the Gauteng Division of the South African High Court dismissed the application with cost and held that corruption in relation to the impugned tender process could not be established. This judgement is currently on appeal to the Supreme Court of Appeal.

Having regard to the Court’s ruling and considering that this matter is being investigated by appropriate authorities, a departmental investigation into the allegations would be inappropriate and unjustified. Moreover, there is currently no employment relationship, as the term of the employment contract with the former Director-General has since expired.

Reply:

1. It is assumed that the Honorable Member is referring to headmen/women as defined in national legislation. According to information received from provinces, there is currently a total of 6 677 headmen/women in the country.

2. All duly recognised headmen/women are paid by the government. It should however be noted that there is a backlog in the payment of headmen/women in Kwa-Zulu Natal. The province is making arrangements to address the matter.

a) The salaries are determined by the Independent Commission on the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers.

b) A job description was developed and approved by the Independent Commission on the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers. This followed a job grading that informed the level at which headmen/women should be paid.

Reply:

The Department of Employment and Labour and its entities found no information connected to the question 1576 of Hon. Marais.

Reply:

Late in 2020 or early 2021, the Manager for Kokstad Labour Centre received a call from former speaker of Umuziwabantu Local Municipality, Cllr Mzwandile Nyathi requesting the intervention of the Labour Centre) on a complaint of workers who were retrenched by their employer, Dropper Pride without proper adherence to UIF prerequisites.

The Dropper Pride’s owner’s name was Calum and the company was specialising on a forestry sector. He indicated that he had decided to close the company due to financial difficulties and ultimately retrenched the workers.

Guidance was given to him regarding the required documentation to enable his workers to apply for UIF. Consequently, Honourable speaker, Cllr Nyati e-mailed the UI-19 forms with relevant supporting documents of the retrenched workers. Further arrangements were made for workers to deposit their UIF applications in the box next to entrance door of the office as the satellite office within the premises of Department of Home Affairs, in ward 1 of Umuziwabantu Local Municipality was closed due to Covid-19 regulations.

Another alternative given was the official fetching the forms from the clients in the premises of the satellite office

All these options enabled the clients to submit their UIF applications and eventually the clients were helped and received their UIF monies.

The intervention of Kokstad Labour Centre was after the retrenchment has already completed by the Dropper Pride.

Secondly, the Social Distress Grant is a form of relief scheme that administered entirely by South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), in which each beneficiary receives R350.00 if his / her application is successful.

The Department has an MoU with SASSA in which the clients’ database of DEL is shared with SASSA for enabling the effective operations for the grant. The database enables SASSA to see the status of a client in relation to employment / unemployment.

If SASSA system says the client still has UIF money in DEL, the client after he / she has verified with DEL can write a letter or affidavit that disputes that to SASSA in which the latter will process the client’s application for a grant.

In essence, the Social Distress Grant complaints and queries are not supposed to be taken to DEL but to SASSA with appeals if need be.

Reply:

The province, through the office of the Premier, hosted a provincial education summit that saw all relevant stakeholders meeting to address the challenges facing education in the province. A detailed plan of action was developed and is currently embedded in the 2022/23 Operational plan of the province. All in the sector are driven and guided by the blue print from the summit.

The detailed action plan include the following:

a) Strengthening accountability

• Capacity building mechanism to all underperforming  District Directors, Circuit managers and principals of schools;
• Fostering all underperforming within the system to develop performance improvement plans/strategies; and
• Ensuring implementation of the plans or strategies and continuous monitoring and evaluation.

b)  Enrichment classes

The province has allocated  R154 million to strengthen teaching and learning for the class of 2022 through the following enrichment and support classes to be offered in identified schools. These include amongst others:

• Weekend classes
• Autumn classes
• Winter classes
• Spring classes
• Camps for gifted and progressed learners
• Radio lessons
• Accessing electronic learner support materials through  Content Access Points (CAPs)

c) Teacher Development

An amount of R20 million has been set aside to strengthen teacher content capacity in the following subjects to improve performance:

• Mathematics
• Physical Sciences
• Technical Mathematics
• Technical Sciences
• Life Sciences
• Accounting
• Economics
• Business Studies

An induction program as well has been put in place to empower newly appointed teachers, subjects’ heads and newly appointed principals.

The DBE will be conducting  regular oversight visits to support and monitor the implementation of the plan.

Reply:

Employers register their employees with the Department of Employment and Labour through declarations to the Unemployment Insurance Fund. This information is shared with the Statistics SA as one of the data sources used by Statistics SA. More information on how StatisticsSA collate their data can be obtained directly from them.

Reply:

Attached find here: Reply

Reply:

The Inclusive Basket of Criteria as a reporting mechanisms was adopted by HEDCOM & CEM, as a secondary reporting modality for the National Senior Certificate Results

The criteria have remained fairly constant over the last three years with a weighting attached to each criterion in 2019 and 2020 and a final Basket Score based on the summation of the scores. However, in 2021, it was agreed by HEDCOM and CEM to do away with the summation of the individual scores and to report on the individual criteria separately, so as to avoid the focus on one final score which defeats the purpose of presenting a group of indicators that more comprehensively reflect the performance of the system.    

(a) In 2019 the Inclusive Basket of Criteria and the associated weightings were as follows:

2019 Criteria and Weightings

Indicator	Weighting	Factor	Max Score
1. Overall Pass Percentage	30%	0.30	30
2. Percentage Passed Maths	10%	0.1	10
3. Percentage Passed Physical Sciences	10%	0.1	10
4. Percentage Attained Bachelor Passes	10%	0.10	10
5. Percentage attained Distinctions	10%	0.1	10
6. Mathematics Participation rate	10%	0.1	10
7. Physical Science Participation Rate	10%	0.1	10
8. Secondary Throughput rate	10%	0.1	10
Total	100%	1	100

 

The Performance of the Class of 2019 in terms of the Inclusive Basket of Criteria

Province	% Achieved Weighted 30%	% Maths Achieved Weighted 10%	% Maths Participation Weighted 10%	% Physical Science Achieved Weighted 10%	% Physics Participation Weighted 10%	% Bachelors Weighted 10%	% Distinctions Weighted 10%	% Throughput Weighted 10%	Basket Score	P: Basket Score Rank along Table (Down)
Eastern Cape	22,94%	4,18%	5,58%	7,03%	3,75%	3,23%	0,31%	4,47%	51,49%	7
Free State	26,52%	6,85%	3,87%	8,27%	3,09%	3,91%	0,31%	4,29%	57,10%	2
Gauteng	26,17%	6,78%	3,62%	8,40%	2,63%	4,45%	0,50%	5,15%	57,71%	1
Kwazulu-Natal	24,38%	4,85%	4,95%	7,48%	3,38%	3,78%	0,43%	4,88%	54,12%	6
Limpopo	21,96%	5,31%	4,82%	7,20%	4,08%	2,68%	0,22%	4,16%	50,44%	8
Mpumalanga	24,10%	5,16%	5,19%	7,09%	4,52%	3,27%	0,23%	4,68%	54,23%	5
Northern Cape	22,95%	5,66%	2,86%	6,92%	2,31%	3,03%	0,22%	4,82%	48,77%	9
North-West	26,03%	6,22%	3,27%	7,90%	2,59%	3,72%	0,34%	4,34%	54,41%	4
Western Cape	24,70%	7,02%	3,06%	8,18%	1,98%	4,36%	0,68%	6,53%	56,51%	3
NATIONAL	24,38%	5,46%	4,40%	7,55%	3,26%	3,69%	0,39%	4,79%	53,93%

 

(b) In 2020 the Inclusive Basket of Criteria and the associated weightings were as follows:

2020 Criteria and Weightings.

Indicator	Weighting	Factor	Max Score
1. Overall Pass Percentage	35%	0.30	30
2. Percentage Passed Maths	10%	0.1	10
3. Percentage Passed Physical Sciences	10%	0.1	10
4. Percentage Attained Bachelor Passes	15%	0.10	10
5. Percentage attained Distinctions	10%	0.1	10
6. Mathematics Participation rate	10%	0.1	10
7. Secondary Throughput rate	10%	0.1	10
Total	100%	1	100

 

The Performance of the Class of 2020 in terms of the Inclusive Basket of Criteria is as follows:

Province	% Achieved Weighted 30%	% Maths Participation Weighted 10%	% Maths Achieved Weighted 10%	% Physical Science Achieved Weighted 10%	% Physics Participation Weighted 10%	% Bachelors Weighted 10%	% Distinctions Weighted 10%	% Throughput Weighted 10%	Basket Score	Basket Score Rank along Table (Down)
Eastern Cape	20,4%	5,3%	4,0%	5,6%	3,5%	4,5%	0,3%	5,3%	49,0%	8
Free State	25,5%	4,0%	6,6%	7,1%	3,1%	6,1%	0,4%	4,9%	57,7%	2
Gauteng	25,1%	3,4%	6,5%	7,3%	2,5%	6,8%	0,5%	5,9%	58,0%	1
Kwazulu-Natal	23,3%	4,2%	5,1%	7,0%	3,0%	5,7%	0,5%	5,9%	54,6%	4
Limpopo	20,4%	4,9%	5,0%	6,3%	4,0%	4,4%	0,3%	5,2%	50,5%	7
Mpumalanga	22,1%	4,6%	5,1%	6,0%	4,1%	4,6%	0,2%	6,3%	53,0%	5
Northern Cape	19,8%	2,3%	5,5%	5,3%	1,9%	4,3%	0,2%	5,1%	44,4%	9
North-West	22,9%	2,5%	6,3%	6,8%	2,0%	4,8%	0,3%	5,5%	51,2%	6
Western Cape	24,0%	2,8%	7,2%	7,6%	1,8%	6,6%	0,7%	6,7%	57,4%	3
NATIONAL	22,9%	4,0%	5,4%	6,6%	3,0%	5,5%	0,4%	5,7%	53,5%

 

(c) In 2021, the summation of the individual scores and the weightings were removed and Accounting & Technical Maths was added. 

2021 Inclusive Basket of Criteria

Province Name	% Achieved	% Accounting Achieved	% Mathematics Achieved	% Physical Sciences Achieved	% Technical Mathematics	% Maths Participation	% Bachelors	% Distinctions Achieved	% Throughput
EASTERN CAPE	73.0%	76.4%	46.6%	62.3%	50.7%	48.0%	34.3%	3.7%	66.2%
FREE STATE	85.7%	81.9%	66.6%	75.1%	73.5%	36.4%	39.9%	3.5%	58.7%
GAUTENG	82.8%	81.9%	68.2%	73.5%	63.4%	31.2%	43.8%	5.2%	70.4%
KWAZULU-NATAL	76.8%	70.1%	54.2%	71.2%	63.0%	36.9%	37.1%	5.0%	73.5%
LIMPOPO	66.7%	65.2%	54.5%	67.8%	53.6%	42.7%	26.7%	2.4%	70.1%
MPUMALANGA	73.6%	71.4%	54.0%	61.5%	78.0%	42.8%	31.5%	2.4%	77.3%
NORTH WEST	78.2%	79.6%	71.5%	77.5%	48.4%	23.9%	33.8%	2.8%	61.5%
NORTHERN CAPE	71.4%	80.8%	59.2%	65.2%	59.8%	21.1%	30.3%	2.1%	58.1%
WESTERN CAPE	81.2%	80.1%	73.4%	78.3%	63.2%	26.3%	45.3%	7.2%	73.4%
NATIONAL	76.4%	74.7%	57.6%	69.0%	60.1%	36.8%	36.4%	4.2%	69.8%

 

Reply:

The Department is of the view that the devastating impact of unemployment on any society has been well documented in available literature across the world, hence governments all over the world, continuously attempt to introduce policies that are pro-employment and measures to protect workers from potential abuse. All the labour laws that we have in the country, employment promotion strategies and policies, social security measures, support measures to students and the unemployed, housing, water, electricity, health, sanitation supply etc, are all measures that the government of the Republic of South Africa continue to implement to improve the living conditions of our citizens and to prevent instability in the country.