Questions and Replies

Reply:

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Reply:

The information has been sourced from provincial education departments (PEDs) and will be provided once received from the PEDs.

Reply:

1. A security incident was reported, the investigation has been completed and submitted to the delegated authority. The recommendations of the report were approved and are currently in implementation. Furthermore, a criminal case has been reported to the Police (SAPS case number 155/1/2022)
2. Yes, a report was submitted. The centre has been stabilized and the 9four perpetrators identified in the incident have been subjected to disciplinary processes as prescribed. In addition, the offenders have been reclassified as high risk and transferred to an appropriate facility. The Emergency Support Team (EST) has been deployed to augment security in the Management Area. In addition, the Management Area is implementing an action plan to eliminate contrabands from entering the centre.

END

OBJECTIVE	STRATEGY	ACTIVITIES
To maintain a secure and safe environment that is conducive to the rehabilitation of inmates and the attendance of remand detainees in court processes.	Working with Intelligence Agencies	Collaborate with Intelligence agencies i.e., Secret Security Agency (SSA), South African Police Services (SAPS), Crime Intelligence, South African National Defence Force Intelligence; Information sharing and actions to be taken on High Risk offenders, officials, members of the community and illegal activities taking place inside and outside correctional facilities.
	Vetting and Screening of all Officials	All Officials to undergo vetting / screening
	Profiling of Gang members	Photos are taken of all the tattoos on the offenders’ body. (Upper and Lower body); Record all additions and changes to profiled tattoos with regular intervals/ as soon as it becomes known; Utilisation of community profiling information; Previous history of offences; Maintenance of Electronics Record Systems for easy reference; Track and trace including monitoring of re-offending patterns.
	Management of Security Information	Identify gang members and high risk inmates upon admission. All warrants (J7) and relevant documents are screened upon admission; All cases of intimidation/threats must be registered with the Head of Correctional Centre (HCC); HCC must liaise with Area Commissioner and external law enforcement agencies such as the SAPS and SSA in cases of intimidation and threats; Identified high risk inmates (syndicates/organised crime and high risk awaiting trials) should be transferred to Correctional Centres away from their power base.
	Establishment of Security Committees	Committees have been established in order to effectively manage security activities in centres such as searching, segregation of offenders, discipline, etc. Hold monthly meetings to analyse incidents, security breaches and compliance to security protocol.
To facilitate the combatting approach to prevent ,reduce and eradicate disruptive groups (e.g. gangs) on the Management of Correctional Centres;	Interventions to discourage Gangsterism	Offenders that divulge security information leading to positive results are rewarded in line with Special Remission policy; Disciplinary actions are taken against gang members and Staff for involvement in gang activities; Criminal activities reported to law enforcement agencies; Develop an Information gathering and processing capacity in order to implement a “Virtual Analytics environment “ linking collectors, exploiters , analysts, and stakeholders electronically , to improve its responsive to and the management of gangs.
	Development and Implementation of an Information Management
To enable inter-sectorial co-operation (i.e. government and civil society) to promote Correctional Centre and Community safety	Establish Inter-Sectorial forums to promote Correctional Centre and community safety	Regular meetings between Head of Centres and Law Enforcement Agencies DCS Management and officials participate in the following structures: Provincial Joint Operational And Intelligence Structure (PROVJOINTS), National Joint Operational And Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS), National Intelligence Coordinating Committee (NICOC), Anti-Gang Unit (AGU), Community Forums, Special Operations, etc. Educate learners at Schools and Community members about the danger of engaging in Gang activities Educate and train officials on how to infiltrate gang operations
To address the potential negative effects of incarceration;	Interventions to discourage Gangsterism:	• Inmates that divulge security information leading to positive results are rewarded in line with Special Remission policy; • Disciplinary actions are taken against gang members and Staff for involvement in gang activities; • Criminal activities reported to law enforcement agencies;
	Development and Implementation of an Information Management System	Develop Information gathering and processing capacity in order to implement a “Virtual Analytics Environment “ linking collectors, exploiters , analysts, and stakeholders electronically , to improve responsiveness to the management of gangs .
To address the potential negative effects of incarceration;	Effective orientation of inmates on admission and during incarceration;	An orientation/ Information manual is availed to all offenders upon admission and during Case Management Committee processes (CMC); Orientate all Remand Detainees on admission; All inmates are informed of Unit rules upon admission and continuously thereafter; All inmates are sensitised to the threats of Gangsterism on a continuous basis; Implementation of Integrated Inmates Management System (IIMS).
To develop and build knowledge about Gangs and effective response in Gang Management to inform, review and monitor / improve strategies	Ongoing Research to improve knowledge on Gangs and other disruptive inmates groups and creating safer correctional centers	Department is currently in negotiation with Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to sign an MoU to assist with research on various topics of which gangsterism is included.
	Mitigation of gang activities	The process of training officials on basic intelligence and information gathering is underway; Ensure separation of inmates involved in gang activities from the rest of inmate population, vulnerable inmates, first time offenders and offenders with further charges.

END

Reply:

The matter in question relates to the competence of the Ministry of Finance and the Honourable Member is advised the question to the relevant Executive Authority.

Reply:

A reply to the above question should be understood in the proper context of, inter alia: our Constitution, our broad foreign policy objectives, and the values, principles and norms that guide South Africa’s relations with the world and engagement in the multilateral system, in this case, in the field of human rights in the UN Human Rights Council (HRC).

South Africa’s foreign policy and engagement with the world is guided by the supreme law of our land, the Constitution. Our Constitution states that the Bill of Rights is a “cornerstone of democracy in South Africa” and affirms the democratic values of human dignity, equality and freedom (section7(1) of the Constitution). Further, the Constitution places an obligation on the state to “respect, protect, promote and fulfil the rights in the Bill of Rights.” (section 7(2) of the Constitution). It is important to note that the obligation on the state to “respect, protect, promote and fulfil the rights in the Bill of Rights” is stated without limitation; that is, the obligation is not only limited to the actions, decisions and policies of the South African government in the domestic setting, but that this obligation rests on the South African government even when it acts beyond its territorial boundaries in the field of foreign policy.

One of the fundamental commitments we made, as the people of South Africa, when we adopted the Constitution as the supreme law of our land is that we shall “build a united and democratic South Africa able to take its rightful place as a sovereign [and responsible] state in the family of nations” (preamble to our Constitution). What that commitment means, is that, inter alia: (a) South Africa shall no longer be a pariah and rogue state in the eyes of the international community; (b) South Africa shall be a cooperative member of the family of nations and shall be willing to be bound by and respect the rule of international law; (c) South Africa will play a constructive role in international politics and will put its shoulder to the wheel and help develop the kind of norms, standards and values at the multilateral level (in this case, in the field of human rights) that will foster respect for human dignity, promotion of human rights, and ending racial discrimination and all forms of intolerance; and (d) South Africa shall no longer use its sovereignty to violate international law (international human rights law, international humanitarian law, and the international law of protection).

South Africa’s aspiration for membership of the HRC is inspired by the above considerations and strategic objectives. Our desire to go back into the HRC is also informed by our national interest as articulated in important policy frameworks of our government, including the National Development Plan (NDP), specifically, chapter 7 (“positioning South Africa in the world.”) as well as the commitments contained in the African Agenda 2063 (the Africa we want). South Africa is an important so-called middle power. We don’t use economic dominance of military might to pursue our national interests. We depend on the institutions of global governance to do this.. Hence the importance of our role in the Council.

The field of human rights is a highly contested area at the multilateral level, in this case, in the HRC. For instance, there are some countries that argue that the only human rights that matter, and therefore worthy of protection, are the so-called civil and political rights (eg freedom of speech, the press, right to vote, etc.); and that other rights, known as economic, social and cultural rights (eg right to adequate housing, right to nutrition, right to a clean environment, right to development, etc.) cannot be given the same treatment since these rights are said to be ‘non-justiciable.’ These socio-economic rights are justiciable in the South African Constitution and South Africa is in the forefront of working towards the elimination of the false dichotomy between ‘development’ and democracy.

The HRC is an important multilateral arena where South Africa can “take its rightful place as a sovereign [and responsible] state” and pursue its foreign policy objectives and promote its values. This is where South Africa can play a constructive and meaningful role and promote international cooperation and multilateralism in the field of human rights. The HRC will provide a platform for South Africa to participate in the development of norms and standards in the field of human rights that will foster the promotion, protection and practical realisation/enjoyment of all human rights by all people across the world. Given our commitment to multilateralism, our presence in the HRC will provide space to push for the transformation of the global system of governance from the power-based system to a rules-based system and to enhance the efforts to create a just and equitable global order. Thus, the HRC constitutes an important terrain within which to pursue South Africa’s national interests and to influence the future direction of the global system of governance.

In summary, the main aim of South Africa’s campaign for election into the HRC is to achieve the following foreign policy goals: (a) to pursue our national interest; (b) to promote our values, (c) to contribute to the development of a rules-based system of interstate relations (multilateralism); and (d) to help create a global environment that is conducive to peace, development, respect for the rule of international law, advancement of human rights and freedoms, and the development of Africa.

In the HRC, South Africa will focus on thematic areas that resonate with our priorities such as (a) advancement, promotion, protection and practical enjoyment of human rights (including the rights of women, children and persons with disabilities); (b) elimination of gender based violence; (c) addressing socio-economic inequalities, (d) combating racism and racial discrimination; and (e) protection of the rights of migrants, refugees, children, and other persons of concern as well promoting access to the right of everyone to the highest standards of physical and mental health, including access to medicines and vaccines.

South Africa’s tenure in the Human Rights Council (2023-2025) will also focus on the full and effective implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action as a component of global efforts towards the elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. To this end, South Africa will continue to (a) take a lead on the implementation and follow-up to the programme of activities of the Decade of People of African Descent (2015-2024); (b) support the activities and programmes of the newly established Forum on People of African Descent; and (c) ensure that the aims, objectives and mandate of the DDPA are realised. South Africa will also play a key role in the processes to start negotiations on the Declaration on the rights of people of African descent.

The HRC is set to be “reviewed” during the period 2021-2026. Although the fullest terms of this “review” have not yet been defined, it is anticipated – based on the views of other countries, particularly the western countries – that the latter countries will push for far-reaching changes to the mandate of the HRC and seek to eliminate some of the items that are currently on the agenda of the Council. For instance, the US has already nailed its colours to the mast by publicly indicating that Washington will seek to eliminate the item (item number 7) on the agenda of the Council that deals with the question of Palestine and other occupied Arab territories as well as the question of racism (item number 9). As far as South Africa is concerned, the “review” of the HRC should aim to preserve the mandate of the Council and keep intact the items dealing with the question of Palestine and racism and other forms of intolerance. It would be important therefore that South Africa is present in the Council to fight for these objectives. The anti-racism agenda is an important flagship programme for South Africa given the responsibility we have in this regard following the outcomes of the 2001 Durban World Conference Against Racism. Any attempts by other countries to delete this important agenda from the agenda of an important institution such as the HRC should be resisted. At the time when racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance are raising their ugly heads, all efforts should be made to ensure that the international community is focused and committed to joining the fight to rid the world of these scourges. South Africa needs to be in the Council to champion this fight.

Reply:

In improving contract management at DCS, contract management at Department of Correctional Services, contract owners or End Users are reminded in writing twelve (12) months ahead and within six months another follow up is made in advance to ensure that contract periods or durations do not end before a new service provider is appointed.

In addition, this contract register also assist to indicate if the service provided is still required and what are the implications going forward.

The department also issued a directive that no extension of contract will be entered into as part of improving contract management and reducing irregular processes.

END

Reply:

a) For the period ending 31 January 2022, the analysis for the unpaid invoices of more than 30 days was as follows:

(aa) >30 days	(bb) >60 days	(i)(cc) > 90 days	(i)(dd)>120 days and above
No.of invoices	Total Value	No.of invoices	Total Value	No.of Invoices	Total Value	No.of Invoices	Total Value
3 205	R15 193 370.14	1078	R3 474 541.90	745	R3 014 842.40	2 507	R4 770 030.52

( c) It is envisaged that by the end of March 2022 the above-mentioned outstanding invoices would be paid.

END

Reply:

According to the response received from the Provincial Department of Human Settlements, It is anticipated that the houses will be concluded by 31 December 2022. However, it must be mentioned that since the inception of the project, two contractors have been appointed, one in 2015 and the second one in 2017, both abandoned the project. The project currently has the following milestones:

• 121 Foundations,
• 79 Wall plates and
• 10 Completed units

The Department has since allocated its internal Inspectors, NHBRC, and the Planning Unit through the assistance and appointment of a Quantity Surveyor to further ascertain the milestones on the ground and determine the costs before the appointment of another contractor.

Reply:

The Department of Basic Education does not keep statistical information on sexual assault nationally. This information resides with Provincial Education Departments. However, as the Department is building the South African Schools Administration and Management System, this element is accommodated in the plans. It is advised that the Honourable Member obtains the information directly from provinces.

Reply:

(a) Total number of environmental inspectors is 94

(b) The breakdown in respect of Environmental Mineral Resource (EMRIs) in each province is as follows:

No. Seq	REGIONS	EMRIs
1.	Head Office	16
2.	Limpopo	12
3.	Northwest	14
4.	Mpumalanga	12
5.	Northern Cape	10
6.	Free State	7
7.	KwaZulu Natal	7
8.	Gauteng	7
9.	Western Cape	6
10	Eastern Cape	3

(c) A number of dynamics are taken into consideration when Inspectors are assigned with the functions and responsibilities, which may amongst others include the Inspectors capacity (skills and experience) required to perform functions relating to the dynamics of such a province’. The environmental challenges and dynamics of a particular Region/Province would also form the basis of the capacity required to deal with such.

(d) All the EMRIs have undergone the necessary training by an assigned Institution with more focus on the National Environmental Management Act (Act 107 of 1998). The training largely revolves around the functions they need to perform as per the relevant legislation, primarily being NEMA. All the Performance standards set for the inspectors in this regard revolve around NEMA. The adherence to the standards in this regard are duly monitored by their managers and supervisors who are graded as Grade 1 EMRIs.

 

Reply:

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Reply:

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Reply:

Statistical information collected and disseminated by the Department is an aggregate of “all” farms in the sector. As a result, the production information collected, does not look at individual farming units in a particular area. A study has to be conducted, and a statistical model which comprises variables that can withstand scrutiny has to be developed. This will inform the “economic consequences that farm attacks in which farmers and farmworkers have been murdered have to the farming economy and produce”.

Without such a detailed study, the Department’s response to the question would be highly speculative.

Reply:

No, there are no intentions of developing semen banks in Districts.

South Africa possesses superior animal genetic materials that is sought after all over the world. These animals were developed by objective breeding over a significant number of years. Artificial insemination was never prioritised as an instrument to improve livestock fertility due to huge capital requirements to establish bull-testing centres for semen collection and distribution. However, the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development has over the years collaborated with Provincial Departments of Agriculture to implement animal improvement programmes that involve donation of animals to improve reproduction of animals in the hands of emerging and developing livestock farmers.

Reply:

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Reply:

1 (a) The Department has a total number of 1978 staff members, and 1123 are women. The number of 1123 female staff members represent 56% of the staff in the Department.

(b) (i) & (ii) There are 39 female Ambassadors in total representing South Africa across the globe. In terms of percentage, the 39 female Ambassadors represent 34% of the total number of Heads of Mission (Ambassadors). South Africa has a total number of 115 Missions, and 91 Heads of Mission posts are filled. The process of filling the vacant posts of Heads of Mission is currently underway. The nominated Heads of Mission designates are in training. The nominations will assist in improving the representation of women.

2. Yes, the Department has a Gender Policy, appropriate guidelines and the institutional framework for gender equality and women empowerment trajectory. Through this policy we are required to:

a) Create an enabling policy environment translate commitments into concrete action;

b) Ensure that gender consideration are effectively integrated into all aspects of departmental policies, activities and programmes; and,

c) Establish an appropriate institutional framework and mechanism for the advancement of gender equality. It also includes the integration of Gender perspectives on the programmes offers by our diplomatic Academy. Guided, by the principles of Employment Equity (Act, No. 55 of 1998) the department strive to achieve equity in the workplace by promoting equal opportunities and fair treatment through elimination of unfair discrimination.

Reply:

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Reply:

The response below was provided by the Mpumalanga province:

 (1) (a) The report was tabled before the municipal Council on 10 February 2022.

(b) The municipal Council discussed the report and developed an action plan on how they will implement the recommendations.  

(2) The matter of the salary increases and other matters were some of the reasons why the provincial department instituted an investigations in terms of section 106 (1)(b) of the Municipal Systems Act 2000 at the municipality. The report has indicated that there were clear breaches of the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act, 2000 and regulations on the appointment and conditions of employment of Senior Managers. The recommendations have been made that all monies paid unlawfully as a result of the illegal salary increases must be paid back to the municipality and that disciplinary action must be taken against all those implicated.

 (3) As indicated above, the investigation conducted has revealed that there were clear breaches of the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act, 2000 and regulations on the appointment and conditions of employment of Senior Managers.  The recommendations have been made that all monies paid unlawfully as a result of the illegal salary increases must be paid back to the municipality and that  disciplinary action must be taken against all those implicated. The monies will be recovered and the municipality has started the process of recovering such monies.

 (4) The recommendations of the investigation report are clear on what actions need to be taken on each of the findings in the report. Some matters will be dealt with by the municipality, whilst those with criminality will be handed over to law enforcement agencies for further action. The matter of the former CFO and the company implicated is one of those which will be investigated further by the law enforcement agencies.

(5) Workshops have been conducted in all provinces targeting relevant officials in municipalities on the regulations on the appointment and conditions of employment of Senior Managers. The Local Government Anti-Corruption Forum will also assist in terms of strengthening oversight on corruption related matters. Working with MECs for COGTA in the provinces we will ensure that there is compliance to the regulations.

Reply:

a) The upsurge of locust swarms that have invaded parts of the Republic of South Africa have destroyed some of the grazing land. The grazing land that was destroyed in some farms in the Eastern Cape are (Stytlerville, Willowmore, Jansenville, Klipplaat, Aberdeen and Rietbron) and farms in Northern Cape are (Kenhardt and Marydale). As a result, the farmers indicated that they have to buy the feed for animals in those areas because locusts destroyed the vegetation. Some of the maize plantation farms were affected in Britstown in Northern Cape and Aberdeen in Eastern Cape.

b) The estimated amount which would be required to deal with the spread per year is R218 million and the breakdown is as follows:

• R136 million for procurement of pesticide;
• R30 million for payment of ground control contractors;
• R35 million for payment of aerial spraying contractors to support ground team on inaccessible areas;
• R15 million for procurement of additional spray pumps; and
• R2 million for procurement of personal protective equipment.

Reply:

The Amathole District Municipality has appointed an independent panel to investigate the matter and to submit the report to Council. I have requested the Municipality and MEC of COGTA to furnish me with the report, and I will update the response as soon as it is rceived.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

Reply:

South Africa (SA) has been exporting red meat from the Republic to the rest of the world for a number of years. Over the past 10 years, there has been a steady growth and increased average value of red meat exports in SA since the International Animal Health Organisation (OIE) declared the country free of Food-and-Mouth (FMD) disease in 2014. The declaration has given the country access to a number of export markets like Kuwait, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Jordan from 2015 onwards. For the first time in history, SA became a net exporter of beef in 2016 by 1,7%. The estimated value of red meat exports showed an increase of 0,5%, from R 3 095 million in 2020 to R 3 110 million in 2021.

(b)(i),(ii) Both small and large livestock has been exported to the international markets over previous years. The total number of small livestock exported was 102 337 in 2021, a significant decrease of 22,7% as compared to 135 579 of the previous year. The estimated value during 2021 decreased severely by 34,8%, from R 293 314 to R 191 184. This was due to the COVID-19 trade restrictions to other countries. The total number of large livestock exported was 47 829 in 2021, a significant increase of 30,4% as compared to 36 676 in 2020. The estimated value in 2021 increased by 11,7%, from R 315 680 to R 352 770. In 2020, SA ranked 15th position globally as beef exporter, which shows that the industry has a potential to grow exports to high-value markets. However, an effective red meat traceability system is required to improve South Africa’s credibility in the OIE and exports market.

Table 1 below depicts the red meat exported in terms of Small and Large livestock in the previous ten (10) years. Information and analysis is not available for the years 2010 to 2014 but the statistics for the subsequent years are representative.

Year	Total Red Meat Exported	b (i) Small livestock	b (ii) Large livestock
	Total in Kilograms	Rand value	Numbers exported	Rand value	Numbers exported	Rand value
2015	50 014 922	R2 355 280 908	42 102	R56 324	201 454	R247 444
2016	50 673 733	R2 692 713 067	47 576	R57 454	41 677	R295 806
2017	43 667 944	R2 445 641 937	54 476	R71 462	51 983	R278 275
2018	41 004 154	R2 242 353 196	84 395	R84 347	29 758	R357 166
2019	35 004 979	R2 083 566 320	87 663	R178 032	22 955	R272 070
2020	48 272 941	R3 094 832 625	132 579	R293 314	36 676	R315 680
2021	44 680 026	R3 110 255 763	102 437	R191 184	47 829	R352 770

The latter part of the question enquires about the countries which have received our exports. The major export destinations of red meat originating from SA during 2021 were Kuwait, UAE, Mozambique, Jordan and Lesotho, accounted for 13,2%, 12,2%, 9,8%, 8,3% and 4,6% respectively. During 2021, SA has exported 44 680 tons of the total quantity of red meat, a decrease of 7,4% as compared to 48 273 tons in 2020.

Table 2 below depicts total red meat exports per Country of destination.

Major Red Meat Export Countries of Destination	Information for the Years 2015 - 2021
	Total Tonnage	Rand value
Lesotho	32 334 100	R902 453 503,00
Mozambique	44 925 609	R1 911 825 982,00
Jordan	22 002 200	R1 607 211 645,00
Kuwait	27 182 910	R2 218 335 633,00
United Arab Emirates	22 729 620	R1 774 132 627,00

Reply:

(a –c) (i) No vehicle was purchased for myself during the said period
(a –c) (ii) Deputy Minister
 

Make	bmw
Model	X4
Year of Manufacture	2021
Price	R 756510 ( seven hundred and fifty six thousand five hundred and ten rand only)
Purchase Date	08 September 2021

Reply:

The Department engages with provinces and municipalities through correspondences and meetings to ensure that they submit such copies of investigation reports conducted in line with Section 106 of the Local Government Municipal Systems Act, 2000. The Department continues to collaborate with law enforcement agencies and provinces through the recently established Local Government Anti-Corruption Forum (LGACF) to ensure the implementation of recommendations emanating from such investigation reports.  Amongst others, the formation of the LGACF is vital for the purpose of fostering collaboration amongst the stakeholders at the local government level in order to effectively prevent corruption and coordinate efforts amongst all the key stakeholders including law enforcement agencies.

Further, if the Honourable Member is aware of such a report/s which have not been shared with the Department or law enforcement agencies, the Honourable Member is requested to provide more details so that officials from the Department can follow up on the matter.  

Reply:

1. (a) In terms of Section 73 (1A) (a) of the Local Government Municipal Structures Amendment Act, if a metropolitan or local council is unable to establish a ward committee or ward committees in accordance with subsection (1), the speaker must, prior to the expiry of the 120 days after the elections, in writing and on good cause shown, request the MEC, responsible for local government in the province concerned, for an extension. Municipalities that could not meet the deadline have been guided to request extensions from their respective MECs to ensure compliance. The following municipalities did not meet the deadline:

PROVINCE	DISTRICT	MUNICIPALITY	NUMBER OF WARDS
EASTERN CAPE	Nelson Mandela Bay	60
	Chris Hani	Sakhisizwe LM	9
	Alfred Nzo	Umzimbuvu LM	27
		Sundays River Valley LM	8
	Sara Baartman	Kou - Kamma LM	6
		Kouga LM	15
		Ndlambe LM	10
		Makana LM	14
		Dr Beyer's Naude LM	14
		Blue Crane LM	6
FREE STATE	Mangaung Metro	51
	Lejweleputswa	Tokologo LM	7
	Thabo Mofutsanyana	Mantsopa LM	9
		Maluti A Phofung LM	35
		Setsoto LM	17
	Xhariep	Kopanong LM	9
		Mohokare LM	7
GAUTENG	City of Johannesburg	135
	City of Tshwane	107
	West Rand District	Merafong LM	28
KWAZULU-NATAL	Umzinyathi	Umvoti LM	14
MPUMALANGA	Gert Sibande	Lekwa LM	15
NORTHERN CAPE	Frances Baard	Dikgatlong LM	8
		Phokwane LM	10
	ZF Mgcawu	Kai Garib LM	10
		Tsantsabane LM	7
	Pixley ka Seme	Thembelihle LM	6
		Kareeberg LM	6
		Renosterberg LM	5
		Siyathemba LM	6
NORTH WEST	Dr Kenneth Kaunda	Maquassi Hills LM	11
	Bojanala	Moretele LM	26
		Moses Kotane LM	34
WESTERN CAPE	Cape Winelands	Witzenberg LM	12
	Eden	Oudtshoorn LM	13
TOTAL	13	35	743

(b) The reasons for non-compliance or not being able to meet the 120 days deadlines by certain municipalities were due to the late constitution of some municipal councils, especially in hung municipalities, non-adopted public participation and ward committee establishment policies, disputes lodged by communities as well as human resource changes experienced in the Offices of the Speaker.

(2) Yes, some municipalities failed to comply requested extensions and were granted such by their respective MECs. These municipalities are proceeding with the establishment of ward committees.

Reply:

In order to fast-track land reform in South Africa, the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development has focussed on the development of new legislation and policies.

The following policy frameworks and legislation have recently been approved:

• Beneficiary Selection and Land Allocation Policy;
• Land Donation Policy;
• Blended Funding Model;
• Labour Tenants Implementation Plan and
• Backlog Reduction Strategy for Restitution.

The following policy frameworks and bills are under development and targeted to be finalized in the 2022/2023 financial year,:

• Communal Land Tenure Policy and Bill;
• Land Redistribution Policy and Bill; and
• The Department is also focusing on institutional arrangement through the Land and Agrarian Reform Agency (LARA).

Reply:

a) Despite the efforts of the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) to collect rent in terms of lease contracts concluded in line with the State Land Lease and Disposal Policy; including providing discounts and farmer support programmes, the rental collection still remains very low. DALRRD is currently reviewing its policies and processes to ensure that a credible lease management system is in place. The reasons that no rental fee is collected on some farms leased by DALRRD include the following:

• Some farms are not productive and unable to generate the necessary revenue to meet farm operational costs and lease rental;
• Poor infrastructure to support agricultural activities;
• Deliberate refusal by farmers to pay lease rental including those that received the necessary development support;
• Some of the farms are abandoned or vandalized by the lessees and neighbouring communities; and
• Sub-letting of properties by farmers and they don’t pay lease rental.

b) The failure by DALRRD to collect rentals resulted in an increase in the historical debt and the portfolio not generating the desired revenue.

Reply:

South Africa is not indifferent to the unfolding situation in Ukraine. South Africa has expressed deep concern about the continuing conflict, the loss of lives and the deteriorating humanitarian situation and consequently urged for the cessation of hostilities.

South Africa remains steadfast in its view that dialogue, mediation and diplomacy is the only path to de-escalate and ultimately resolve the current conflict. In this regard, we reiterate our call for the Good Offices of the United Nations to mediate in pursuit of finding a sustainable solution and for us as member states to facilitate an enabling environment for dialogue.

In its engagement on the matter of Ukraine, South Africa has maintained that international law needs to be respected and adhered to by all countries equally and that no country should be able to violate international law with impunity.

South Africa has always opposed violations of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of member states, in keeping with the UN Charter. We have also decried the humanitarian disaster that has resulted from the ongoing use of force in Ukraine, and called for the urgent opening of humanitarian corridors and the provision of aid to the civilian population which, as usual, bears the brunt of the suffering when violent confrontation breaks out.

South Africa has also maintained that as we focus on the conflict in Ukraine, there also needs to be consistency in the manner in which we approach the rule of law and respect for the UN Charter as we address situations of conflict across the globe. International law needs to be respected and adhered to by all countries equally.

We need to reflect that despite the slew of resolutions that condemn the Russian Federation in the global community and in the UN, the conflict has escalated. In our engagements with some of the supporters of these resolutions, we have indicated that while we have some of the same goals, such as an agreement to an immediate ceasefire, the opening of humanitarian corridors and mediated negotiations towards a lasting peace, we have different strategies. Perhaps, if the strategies proposed by South Africa and other non-aligned countries were followed, the conflict may have de-escalated.

 

Reply:

(1) According to information received from the South African Local Government Association (SALGA), SALGA has no corresponce or record implicating its representatives on the Board of Trustees of the Municipal Councillor Pension Fund (the MCPF) in misconduct and consequently has not instituted any disciplinary proceedings or taken other steps against its representatives on the board of the MCPF.

(2) Not applicable.

All further queries regarding pension fund must be referred to Minister of Finance.

BACKGROUND:

1. On 25 March 2022 the Department received Parliamentary Question 1084 from Mr IM Groenewald (FF Plus) asking the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (1) whether, in light of the fact that on 19 December 2017, the Gauteng North High Court placed the Municipal Councillors Pension Fund (MCPF) under curatorship as a result of irregular financial conduct by the MCPF board, the SA Local Government Association (SALGA) took any disciplinary and/or other steps against its representatives who represented SALGA on the board of the MCPF; if not, why not, if so, what are the relevant details, and (2) whether she will make a statement on the matter?

2. The Pretoria High Court granted an application brought by the Registrar of Pension Funds on 19 December 2017 in terms of section 5(1) of the Financial Institutions Act, 2001 (Protection of Funds), for the appointment of curators to the Municipal Councillors Pension Fund (the MCPF). The court appointed Mr Juanito Martin Damons and Ms Sophie Thabang Kekana as the joint curators of the MCPF.

3. The application was brought pursuant to an inspection report as well as reports by the section 26(2) board to the Registrar, which revealed several serious irregularities pertaining to poor investment decisions and lack of governance in the fund. The curatorship is intended to stabilise the management and operations of the fund and to protect the interests of its members.

4. The Board of Trustees of the MCPF (the BoT) and the curators are accountable to the Registrar of the Pension Funds acting with the concurrence of the Minister of Finance.

5. According to information received from the South African Local Government Association (SALGA), SALGA has no correspondence or record implicating its two (2) representatives on the BoT of the Municipal Councillor Pension Fund in misconduct and consequently has not instituted any disciplinary proceedings or taken other steps against its representatives on the board of the MCPF. In light of this developments, the question whether the Minister will make a statement on the matter is not applicable.

Reply:

The below responses are based on information provided by the Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB):

a) The Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB) delimit wards in accordance with the criteria provided in schedule 1 of the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act. The following guidelines and principles, emanating from the above-mentioned criteria, are applied by the MDB:

(i) Keep the total number of registered voters per ward, as close as possible to the norm (average number of registered voters per ward), within the minimum and maximum allowed; 

(ii) Avoid splitting obvious communities / groupings of villages / suburbs, traditional areas, etcetera, if at all possible;

(iii) Take physical characteristics into account, such as adequate road networks, and physical barriers such as a freeways, rivers, mountains, etcetera; 

(iv) Keep the existing number of wards and boundaries the same, if possible; 

(v) Use voting districts as building blocks and ensure that wards are contiguous; and

(vi) Avoid splitting voting districts, and cluster voting districts together to make up wards.

b) Ward 28 was delimited with the assistance of planning officials from the Steve Tshwete Local Municipality during the technical consultation session in September 2019. The draft ward comprised of the following voting districts:

 

NO.	VOTING DISTRICT	NO. OF REGISTERED VOTERS
1.	LD Moetanalo Secondary School	3,680
2.	Tent at Ward 28	10
3.	Olifant River Lodge	277
4.	Uitkyk Sports Ground (Tent)	443
TOTAL	4,410

 

The minimum, average and maximum norm allowed for the municipality, as follows:

 

NORM	NO. OF REGISTERED VOTERS
Minimum Norm	3,276
Average Norm	3,853
Maximum Norm	4,430

 

There were no objections lodged against ward 28 during the objection phase, and the MDB therafter resolved to confirm the ward and published its final determination in the Gazette.

Reply:

(1)(a) The new heartwater agent was developed by the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) as a proof of concept for further development by OBP into a vaccine following further development of industrial scale manufacturing processes, quality control tests, and validation of clinical efficacy in target animal species. The candidate vaccine failed initial quality control tests necessitating 2 years of further research work to improve the quality of the candidate vaccine seed material. The laboratory scale process developed by the ARC had to be scaled up into an industrial scale, and this was done in 1 and half years. The production process had to be validated, followed by manufacturing of pilot batches that are required to conduct clinical trials in targeted animal species. The candidate vaccine has just undergone 1 and half years of clinical trials to establish the efficacy of the agent as vaccine. Preliminary analysis of the data is not encouraging that the candidate vaccine in its current form is adequately sufficient for registration as vaccine for use to protect animals against the heartwater disease. Further process development and revalidation of the clinical efficacy of the candidate vaccine are required before it can be considered for submission to Act 36 for evaluation as vaccine.

b) Currently, it is impossible to set the timeline within which the product will be available commercially given its observed inadequacy to protect animals from the heartwater diseases in its current form.

(2) Below are details on the number of new vaccines developed and put on the market by the Onderstepoort Biological Products:

LIST OF PRODUCTS INTRODUCED IN THE PAST 10YRS
Products	New	Improved	Products introduced
LSD	-	√	√
Pastuerella cattle	-	√	√
Pulpy kidney vaccine	-	√	√
B. phemeral		√	√
RVF Clone 13	√	-	√
Chlamysure	√	-	√
Respiclos	√	-	not
Tetanus		√	not
Doublesure	√		√
Brucella	-	√	√

Reply:

This is a legal matter between the council and the councilor concerned, hence as a department we will await the council to report any actions taken by the council and the MEC responsible for local government in the province. We will forward the report to the honourable member as soon as it is received.

The Department, through the Municipal Structures Act, established Code of Conduct  for councilors to deal with matters such as this.

Reply:

1) A total of R 71, 307 billion was a consolidated amount allocated to municipalities participating in the PTNG programme from the financial year 2008/09 to the current 2021/22 up to March 2022.

It should be noted that since inception and up to 2010/11 the grant allocations amounting to R 9, 033 billion were initially expended on preparations for the 2009 Confederations Cup and World Cup 2010 projects.

2) The table below indicates the names of municipalities(a) and amount disbursed to each municipality to date (b).

3. The Department is promoting an incremental approach when implementing this programme, not a wall-to-wall network approach. To date, 6 municipalities are operating their pilot phases of Integrated Public Transport Networks and planning expansion to other areas. These municipalities are the Cape Town, Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, George, and Nelson Mandela Bay.

The other 4 municipalities are at an advanced stage in launching their pilot phases. These are Polokwane, Mangaung, Rustenburg and eThekwini. It should be noted that 3 municipalities were suspended from the programme for 3 years. These are Msunduzi, Mbombela, and Buffalo City. The Department together with National Treasury is finalising the readmission criteria for the suspended municipalities.

Reply:

1. The North West Province Department of Economic Development, Environment Conservation and Tourism (DEDECT) and DWS are working together to implement the key components of the Hartbeespoort Dam Integrated Biological Remediation Programme Plan. The Hartbeespoort Dam Action Plan comprising of interventions to address among others, the water hyacinth infestation in the dam. These activities are coordinated through the Hartbeespoort Dam Coordinating Committee (HDCC). Some of the interventions being implemented to control the infestation of the dam are:

• My department has engaged the services of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE) as the Implementing Agent for the project which is being implemented though the Working for Water Programme.

• The DFFE has deployed six (6) teams on the dam that are manually removing the water hyacinth plants.

• The DFFE is also implementing a biocontrol programme on the dam with the assistance of the Rhodes University’s Centre for Biological Control. The Centre for Biological Control (CBC) provides assistance by establishing various biocontrol mass rearing stations around the dam and constantly supplying the biocontrol agents. The biocontrol agents that have been released on the dam, the notable of which is the leaf hopper (Megamellus scutellaris), have been able to reduce the water hyacinth biomass on the dam exponentially. The rapid and significant reduction of water hyacinth has now been proven in two consecutive years.

The HDCC is considering mobilising the fish removal programme on the dam to comply to the AIS regulations promulgated in 2014, as well as section 24 of NEMA and section 70 (1)(a) and section 76 of NEM:BA. The exotic Chinese Carp and invasive Catfish (bottom feeding species), that have become dominant and invasive in the Hartbeespoort dam, need to be reduced and managed to support the indigenous algae eating Tilapia species.

The department will continue implementing the Working for Water Programme over the next 24 months, and thereafter re-assess whether it will still be necessary to continue with the manual removal of the water hyacinth. The biocontrol programme, which has resulted in a significant decrease in water hyacinth for two years in a row, will be continued as a sustainable control method.

2. Additional to the visual recording and monitoring being done by the Working for Water under DFFE and DWS personnel, weekly satellite images are evaluated and interpreted to track the growth patterns. The system used is Sentinel 2A.

3. The DWS is the national custodian for water in South Africa, including the water resource management in the dams. As the owner of the infrastructure, DWS is also legally responsible to control invasive species in the water and on state land. In terms of this responsibility, DWS signed a memorandum of understanding with DFFE to address these liabilities collectively.

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Reply:

The Queue campaign is only applicable to Gauteng and can be used by the public to register to be allocated a slot at their preferred DLTCs instead of visiting the website repeatedly to check for slot availability. The 30 days is the maximum period. The average time to allocate a slot is 7-14 days.

In the event where the public needs an urgent booking, the online system allows for direct bookings at any DLTCs with availability.

b) The major constraint of the booking system is the lack of capacity at traditional DLTCs. The Minister launched 2 DLTCs that operate 7 days a week from 7 to 9pm which has increased available capacity by 50%.

Reply:

According to the Mpumalanga Provincial Department of Health, the incident happened on the 12 November 2021 at Oakley Clinic, Mpumalanga and the person who committed the assault was not a nurse but a support staff (cleaner). The Mpumalanga Provincial Department of Health then followed the procedure by placing the accused on precautionary suspension pending the finalisation of the case on the 09 March 2022, in terms of clause 7.2 of the Disciplinary Code and Procedure for the Public Service (Resolution 1 of 2003).

END.

Reply:

The Gauteng Provincial Department of Health informed that contract workers from the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), employed by the Gauteng Department of Health for over three years cannot be absorbed and/or offered permanent employment because they are employed in fixed term contract under the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) that is in terms of section 198B (4) (g) of the Labour Relations Act, 1995 (“the LRA”) which is permitted by clause 2 of the Ministerial Determination 4: Expanded Public Works Programmes promulgated on the 4th of May 2012, in terms of section 50 of the Basic Condition of Employment Act, of 1997 (“the BCEA”). Copy of the Ministerial Determination is attached as an annexure to this response, for ease of reference.

It is essential to be cognisant of the fact that in the Public Service, the creation, grading and filing of posts is regulated in terms of the Public Service is the Public Service Act, 1994, as amended and the Public Service Regulations, 2016, as amended contrary to the Regulations that support the EPWP above.

In terms of Section 3 (5) (b) of the PSA, the authority to create, grade and abolish posts vest on the executive authority and the EPWP, does not occupying an existing post created and funded by the Department.

END.

Reply:

a) Water sampling testing is conducted by 2 authorities in Municipalities, i.e. the (1) Water Services Authorities in line with their mandate to provide water that is safe for human consumption, and (2) by Environmental Health Practitioners (EHPs) in municipalities in line with their role of water quality compliance monitoring, prescribed in the National Health Act, 61 of 2003, as amended. The Department of Health (DOH) has developed and has in place Norms and Standards for Health-related Water Quality Monitoring, as part of the National Environmental Health Norms and Standards, which aim to standardize the provision of Environmental Health Services in the country, including water quality monitoring. These standards provide clear protocols, proper techniques, preservation and transportation standards to be adhered to nationally when conducting water quality sampling in various water sources. The norms and standards further provide recommendations on frequencies of water sampling, in line with the SANS code 241: Drinking Water. The norms and standards further outline the requirement for Municipalities to develop Water Quality Monitoring Plans that are implemented across the country and these include waterborne disease monitoring plans to ensure that water consumption is safe for the communities. EHPs have been trained/capacitated on their responsibilities on water-related outbreak response and ensure reporting in accordance to the National guidelines on Notifiable medical conditions. The DOH also collaborates with other Ministries, i.e. Ministry of Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Basic Education and Ministry of Human Settlements to also ensure that identified gaps at community or municipality level are addressed at policy making level.

Practitioners were capacitated and will continue to be capacitated on water sampling and testing standards to ensure credible water results.

b) The link between good water quality and credible testing and analysis is critical for protection of public health. This can only be achieved through a high national standard of testing by laboratories. The current regulatory environment for water testing laboratories lies with the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) and accreditation body, the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS). Only test results from approved laboratories are accepted by DWS, as necessary element to be awarded Blue Drop and Green Drop Certification and for uploading data in the National water Information System.

The same requirement stands for water testing conducted by EHPs to ensure credible water quality results. Accreditation bodies such as the South African National Accreditation System (SANAS) assess factors relevant to a laboratory’s ability to produce precise, accurate test and calibration data, including the technical competency of staff, validity and appropriateness of methods, traceability of measurements to national standards, suitability, calibration and maintenance of test equipment, suitable environmental conditions, handling of test items, quality assurance of test and/or calibration data. The DOH has not taken any measures to ensure testing labs that are controlled by the state, as this is outside of its mandate. However, the independence of testing labs needs to be protected and separated from the water providers. However, there is also acknowledgement of the importance of laboratories for Municipalities that may be used regularly for provisional sampling.

END.

Reply:

1. The DEL has 1951 inspectors. Currently, there are 166 vacancies and 1785 warm bodies.

2. Currently, there are around 14,3 million people that are employed in SA (as in November 2021 in terms of the Quarterly Labour Force Survey). The Department has an establishment of 1 951 Inspectors as at in February 2022. This, against a total number of 14,3million employees, provides a ratio of 1 inspector to 7330 employees. This is in line with industrialised economies as per International labour Organisation (ILO) guidelines. The inspectors are always able to detect and deal with non-compliance during inspections. As at the end of quarter 3 in the 2021/22 Financial Year, the following are the relevant details:

Number of inspections	177700
Number compliant	134 832
Number noncompliant	42868
Number of notices issued	42430

42 868 workplaces were found to be noncompliant and 42 430 were issued with notices. The achievement is 99% against a standard of 95%

Reply:

According to the Limpopo Provincial Department of Health, the Department procured and has received delivery of 25 new fully equipped ambulances which will be distributed throughout the province. The handover of the ambulances to the province took place on 11 April 2022. Bela-Bela will receive 2 ambulances by the end of April 2022 to address the operational needs of the sub-district.

END.

Reply:

(1) (a) The province does not regard this as a failure to ensure availability of sufficient facilities as situational analysis was conducted and several reasons were identified for not being able to expand the Termination of Pregnancy (ToP) services in the province:

1. Infra–structure challenges in some institutions, no space to establish new or additional services including TOP services;
2. Clinicians (professional nurses and doctors) left the services due to various reasons (retirement, transfers, promotions and self-advancements);
3. Health systems pressures such as the need for continuous frontline support service and increasing demand for the services.

(b) Eastern Cape implemented the following interventions to ensure availability of services at facilities:

1. In 2021 Eastern Cape conducted training targeting clinicians (professional nurses and doctors) from facilities not providing the ToP services;
2. Provincial support visit for ToP providers conducted in 2020/2021.
3. Debriefing workshop are conducted (excluding disruptions during Covid-19 pandemic) and for the current financial year it is currently underway (23- 25 March 2022) which will be followed by value clarification workshop in August/September 2022, targeting managers of the facilities not providing ToP services.

National Department supports provincial efforts through the Deputy Minister’s awareness campaign where Eastern Cape will be visited in April/May 2022, sensitizing public on the availability of ToP services and package of Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRHR) services as a whole.

END.

Reply:

The Department does not have a specific program to eradicate pit toilets. The role of the department is to provide financial support to municipalities to enable progressive eradication of pit toilets.

Local water supply and sanitation services are a function over which municipalities have executive authority in terms of section 156 of the Constitution read together with Schedule 4 Part B. However, although municipalities have executive authority, other sections of the Constitution and legislation requires government (national and provincial) to support municipalities and intervene where there is failure of water and sanitation services:

The Water Services Authorities should, on the basis of its Water Services Development Plans (WSDP’s) and Integrated Development Plan (IDP) prioritise the provision of water and sanitation and eradicate sanitation backlogs within communities.

Water Services Authorities have access to the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) from the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs and or Water Services Infrastructure Grants (WSIG) from the Department of Water and Sanitation to fund such projects. The WSIG and MIG allocations for the Free State Province for the financial year 2022/23 are R393 237 million and R844 877 million respectively.

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Reply:

a) SAHPRA has considered all Clinical Trials and clinical data submitted in the application for emergency access and registration, as well as all periodic safety update reports received; Adverse Drug Reaction (ADRs) received as well as reports and information shared by other Regulators that SAHPRA aligns with such as EMA European Medicines Agency (EMA); USFDA (USA); PMDA(Japan); Health Canada; TGA (Australia); Swissmedic. Therefore, at the time of approval these are considered and that on an ongoing basis SAHPRA continuously receives and reviews safety updates as these are reported and hence the agency is constantly monitoring for safety and will update its report on any product based on these reviews.

b) SAHPRA is constantly reviewing safety updates and where there is a need for update and communicate such changes accordingly. SAHPRA approvals are based on clinical data submitted and these are done on risk benefit basis. The reports available at the time of review are considered. Note that SAHPRA approval of the Comirnaty vaccine for patients 12 years and older was done and communicated on 16 September 2021 and reviews and approvals were based on data available at the time. The date of registration is 25 January 2022 and is prior to the recently published reports. Thus, at the point of initial approval this report was not considered. This report now and based on the current PV data which is continuously monitored by SAHPRA there is still benefit exceeding risk in the populations this vaccine has been approved for and for the population the review was based on.

c) Yes, SAHPRA has received the clinical trial information as well as adverse events reported including those of trials and as published. All information regarding the side effects and adverse drug reactions as reported in various studies and as are adequately documented and validated are considered and SAHPRA is therefore of the view that as current information becomes available it is reviewed and the outcome of the regulatory decision would then be updated accordingly, however if there is no change in this decision it would mean that following assessment the risk benefit has not changed. SAHPRA convened webinars to educate the public on the side effects and adverse events of vaccines.

END.

Reply:

Attached find here: Reply

Reply:

1. (a)-(b) The attached Annexures provide the details in this regard.

2. Causes of foetal deaths

According to the Saving Babies Report 2017-2019 (pg 13-14) the following are the causes of foetal deaths

1. Hypoxia
2. Infection
3. Congenital abnormalities
4. Immaturity related causes

Causes of maternal deaths

According to the Saving Mothers Report 2017-2019 (Pg-20, 80-83), and Impact of COVID-19 on maternal health Report 2021 the following were the causes

1. Non-Pregnancy related infections related to HIV
2. Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy
3. Medical and surgical disorders
4. Obstetric Hemorrhages
5. Miscarriages and Ectopic pregnancies
6. Pregnancy related sepsis

Source: Saving Mothers Report 2017/19, Pages 20.

END.

Reply:

a) When new information is shared with SAHPRA either by the applicants or by reports shared from other regulators and/or also published journal information it is reviewed considering existing approval. Therefore, the report received in respect of the Pfizer vaccine is being reviewed to establish whether changes will be required in the current approved status. If there are changes required, these will be communicated to the applicant to provide details of the findings and recommendations. Following the applicant’s inputs/response, SAHPRA will then pronounce on changes to be effected and if it severely impacts on the safety and efficacy and affects the risk benefit of the vaccine, this will then be given conditions under which it can be used and if so deemed it may be withdrawn from market and for use.

b) Yes, SAHPRA still holds the view that vaccines are safe to be rolled out. This is based on the outcome of the safety reports which indicated that the benefit-risk ratio of these vaccines remains positive.

END.

Reply:

a) The delivery of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was delayed in April/May 2021. The reason for this delay is related to an FDA inspection at Emergent BioSolutions Bayview facility, one of the manufacturing partners of Johnson & Johnson.

This had an impact on the global supply of Johnson & Johnson vaccines, including for South Africa.

b) The current delivery is 63% of total contracted volume. However, it should be noted that the NDOH requested that deliveries be delayed because demand has reduced and there is limited storage at the central warehouses. The advantage of this approach is that new doses when they do arrive have better expiry dates and the risk of wastage is reduced.

END.

Reply:

The Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality (BCMM) is both the Water Services Authority (WSA) and the Water Services Provider (WSP) in the Buffalo City area. Amatola Water manages bulk infrastructure and provides bulk water into some areas of Buffalo City.

Following the repeated complaints of water outages and water discoloration in East London and surrounding areas; the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) engaged the Metro and undertook site visits to the uMzonyana Water Treatment Works and affected areas.

The following has been done to remedy the situation:

• The Executive Mayor of the BCMM, has convened a Technical Task Team (TTT) under the leadership of the City Manager, comprising officials of BCMM, the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), Amatola Water and co-opted specialists.
• The technical task team has prepared an action plan to address the concerns against which progress can be monitored.
• The DWS has further provided five (5) road water tankers for a period of one month to assist with emergency water delivery where reservoirs were empty.
• The DWS has temporarily lifted water restriction notice for one month to both the Metro and Amatola Water Board to ensure that the system stabilises. However, there is vigorous monitoring of the water use against restricted allocations to avoid system failure.

The primary objective of these interventions is to facilitate co-operation and to ensure that operational glitches are minimised. It is also to ensure that water distribution and reservoir levels can be stabilised and restore confidence in the capacity of the Buffalo City to deliver water services to communities. Both the BCMM and Amatola Water participate in the DWS’ monthly Drought Monitoring Committee for the Amathole Water Supply System.

With regard to the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality (NMBM), the Municipal Health Department, along with municipal Scientific Services found drinking water failures had occurred and issued a boil water notice to their water users. The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) performed its own tests and monitoring to confirm the status of water complaints in Gqeberha, even though these failures were drought related emanating from elevated turbidity caused by low reservoir levels preventing periodic scouring as required. The resultant turbid water failed to comply with the national standard for drinking water quality (SANS 241) necessitating the issuing of a preventative boil water alert. The laboratory analyses indicated the presence of associated higher total coliforms in the areas of contaminated reservoirs but no prevalence of E-coli (which is the general indicator of bacterial and faecal contamination). In addition, there was no indication of the presence of Salmonella typhi which underlines the finding that there was no Typhoid present in the Nelson Mandela drinking water.

The DWS has supported the NMBMM to isolate the Grassridge Temporary Water Treatment Plant from use and to remove the sludge build-up manually. However, the Temporary Water Treatment Works (WTW) needs to be put back into service soon, as the Metro continues to over abstract from the Algoa WSS Dams on the Western Side. The Metro has also increased chlorine dosing at all WTW and all bulk and distribution reservoirs.

The prolonged and severe drought has placed a lot of pressure on the water supply system in the NMBM. In addition, water reservoir levels remain low, and the risk of distribution interruptions is still high. The DWS has facilitated the return to site of the contractor and Implementing Agent, so that Phase 3 of Nooitgedagt-Coega Low Level Scheme can be completed and commissioned without any further delay. This will see an additional 70ML/d of clean water to the existing NMBM system.

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Reply:

Following receipt of the parliamentary question, the Gauteng Provincial Department of Health conducted the investigation to verify the allegations. The investigation revealed the following:

Members of staff in the Mandela Sisulu Clinic deny any knowledge of such a practice. The staff members indicated that they actually have to forego their morning tea break in order to serve patients, as a result of the high volumes of patient numbers in the morning on a daily basis. The staff members further stated that they take their lunch on rotational basis, so that there are always staff members that continue to assist patients. There may be times where some patients may have preference with regard to a particular staff member. It is in times such as this that patients may have to wait for that staff member, although this is not a common practice in this clinic.

Remedial action:

The staff members will continue to communicate with the patients on any developments and their actions as necessary. This will include announcements to patients when they take breaks as provided for within their conditions of work employment, as this may leave a reduced staff compliment for that time.

The Supervisors will also undertake unannounced visits to ensure proper compliance to continuity of service delivery and where necessary ensure adherence to Departmental policy prescripts. In this way, there will be some certainty of continuity of provision of the services.

END.

Reply:

NDoH only has an accredited register of public service health care workers (HCWs) to use for determining the percentage of HCWs vaccinated/not vaccinated. The response therefore only reflects detail about public HCWs vaccinations as on 7 April 2022.

Province	Number of Public Sector HCWs	(i) Vaccinated Public HCWs	(ii) Public HCWs not vaccinated
		(a) Number	(b) Percentage	(a) Number	(b) Percentage
Eastern Cape	54 626	46 885	85,8%	7 741	14,2%
Free State	24 173	19 974	82,6%	4 199	17,4%
Gauteng	88 968	66 760	75,0%	22 208	25,0%
KwaZulu-Natal	83 852	72 513	86,5%	11 339	13,5%
Limpopo	42 949	38 048	88,6%	4 901	11,4%
Mpumalanga	28 986	23 688	81,7%	5 298	18,3%
National	1 570	1 001	63,8%	569	36,2%
North West	30 421	25 141	82,6%	5 280	17,4%
Northern Cape	9 776	7 988	81,7%	1 788	18,3%
Western Cape	37 734	31 331	83,0%	6 403	17,0%
Total	403 055	333 329	82,7%	69 726	17,3%

END.

Reply:

The National Department of Health (NDoH) met with the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) to discuss the implementation of biometric identity verification in the health system in South Africa.

Provision has been made for the development of the functionality in the existing Health Patient Registration System during the 2022/2023 financial year.

Once the development is completed, the solution will be deployed in a small group of facilities for testing. Lessons learned will be used to enhance the biometric identity verification before it is deployed to the remainder of the health facilities in the country.

For successful implementation, the NDoH is working on overcoming the following:

1. A detailed, integrated solution needs to be planned and implemented in collaboration with DHA - DHA to provide guidance on which of their systems is the most appropriate to interface with.
2. Funding to source biometric equipment in facilities - although some funding has been made available it will not cover all facilities.
3. Broadband connectivity needs to be resolved as this solution will not work with the current connectivity solution in most public sector facilities.

END.