Questions and Replies

Reply:

The Republic of South Africa has no exposure to the Russian Federation in terms of a loans, grants, donations and other forms of support.

Reply:

The total amount in Rand that has been spent on (a) catering, (b) entertainment and (c) accommodation for (i) Minister, (ii) the Deputy Minister and (iii) officials of the department since 29 May 2019 to 16 March 2022 is R12 328 894.17

The breakdown is as follows:

a) Catering

1. Minister : R9 425.50
2. Deputy Minister : R2 311.05
3. Department : R1 091 326.99

Total : R1 103 063.54

b) Entertainment

1. Minister : R1 339.60
2. Deputy Minister : R0.00
3. Department : R0.00

Total : R1 339.60

c) Accommodation

1. Minister : R536 132.09
2. Deputy Minister : R489 473.23
3. Department : R10 198 885.71

Total : R11 224 491.03

Reply:

No cases of sexual harassment and sexual assault were reported during the afore-mentioned period.

STELLA NDABENI-ABRAHAMS

MINISTER: SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Reply:

The applications from the SMMEs are funded from the University Technology Fund (UTF) a joint venture between University of Cape Town (UCT) and Stellenbosch University (SU). Although funded through UTF, they are managed by Stocks and Strauss. All the clients that they currently have, are leads from the university and none of them are from the townships. Using the SMMEs CK documents, Stocks and Strauss can pick up the location/address of the clients.

• Stocks and Strauss collects all the documents submitted when applicants apply for funding including the proof of addresses.
• A point of noting is that all the SMMEs funded under UTF are graduates or students of either UCT or SU.
• The criteria are that applicants must be registered or have been with these universities. This means that the University has all the information of the applicants. The Legal agreement stipulates that the identity of the students and applicants be protected.
• According to the legal agreement between sefa, UTF and other funders, the SMMEs should have an idea of the technology to be funded to qualify for funds.
• The idea is then conceptualised on paper at the pre-seed funding stage where sefa does not participate but only the SMME.
• Once the idea is approved for implementation, sefa then starts investing by paying for the legal costs to register the technology and investing in the venture/project. When conducting such exercise all the documents stated above are requested and protected for security reasons in line with the agreement.

The location of ventures/projects of such nature is therefore based on commercial viability and attraction.

STELLA NDABENI-ABRAHAMS

MINISTER: SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Reply:

I have not been informed about the said assessment by the Msunduzi Business Forum (MBF).

According to Msunduzi Local Municipality (MLM), MLM is also not aware of any assessment or study that has been conducted by the MBF, but is aware of the following assessments done:

• The Department of Cooperative Governance (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, the South African Local Government Association (SALGA), provinces and municipalities. MSIPs, including that of MLM, have since been prepared.
• The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) Asset Management Care assessment that is currently underway.
• The KwaZulu Natal (KZN) COGTA assessment on electricity outages that was done in December 2021.

Government has adopted the District Development Model (DDM) to plan, implement and monitor developmental work in all 52 district spaces that cover the whole country. The DDM approach includes whole of government and all other interested and affected parties, including community forums.

To that end, the implementation of MSIPs will be done in accordance with the DDM approach.

Furthermore, DCOG, through MISA supports MLM through the deployment of technical professionals, in accordance with the District Development Model (DDM), to ensure that internal capacity is created with time for optimal delivery of basic services infrastructure. This is in terms of section 154(1) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996.

Reply:

1. (a) The number of municipal entities is 64.

(b) Municipal entities do not report to the Minister; however, the entities account to their respective parent Municipalities.

2. (a) and (b). The details of municipal entities are included in Annexure A, which contain list, names, audited and audit opinions of the municipal entities.

3. All entities fulfilled their reporting objectives except those that are dormant and Maluti a Phufong Development agency as per Annexure A referred above.

Reply:

According to available records from the North West Provincial Department of Social Development, there are currently fifteen thousand one hundred and one (15 101) orphaned learners receiving services.

Reply:

I would like to inform the Honourable Member that recruitment and deployment of Environmental Health Officers are employed by the Department of Health (DOH) and local municipalities.

Early Childhood Development (ECD) is an integrated service delivered by different departments and the roles and responsibilities thereof are clearly outlined in the National Integrated Early Childhood Development Policy approved by Cabinet in 2015.

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(i) number of whole day downtime has been experienced by SASSA offices nationally over the past two years

The Socpen system downtime experienced started in May 2021 and the hours downtime was measured from September 2021. The system downtime was never more than three (3) hours per system incident or on any given day. Where it was longer than three (3) hours, it was linked to other contributing factors such as load shedding, electricity failures, network or server malfunction etc. The table below illustrates the downtime incidents per month as a consequence of the Socpen system. In each instance, the downtime did not exceed four to six (4 - 6) hours downtime per incident.

Month	Total Incidents
May	15
June	2
July	6
August	10
September	15
October	17
November	17
December	4
January	11
February	13
March	9
Total	119

(ii) are the causes of most of the downtimes

Some of the downtime can be linked to when verification of transactions using the Biometric solution was rolled out nationally. We are however, continuously monitoring the system to identify if there could be other causes.

Some of the downtime is attributed to other causes such as power failures, network or server malfunction.

(iii) What is being done to reduce and/or eradicate downtime

Currently Software AG and IBM who are respectively the product owners of the Mainframe Technology and MQ (Messaging and Queuing middleware) on which SOCPEN is running have been requested by SITA to assist with the investigation and resolution of the intermittent system downtimes.

In order to further eliminate some of the possible causes, on 15 March 2022 a system change was done on the Mainframe. Since its implementation, no downtime has been recorded. The implemented change is still being monitored on an ongoing basis until we are certain the problem has been resolved.

(iv) how old is the Socpen system?

The Socpen system is about 25 years old.

The Agency has a five (5) year target to replace the legacy systems, including SOCPEN. The implementation of new technology such as the online application and the SRD R350 systems, is a step towards achieving this target. This will amongst other opportunities, enable ease of integration and interface with other new technology systems.

Reply:

When Cabinet resolved to put the province under administration, it invoke section 100(1)(a) to provincial CoGTA department. The Section 100 intervention succeded to stabilise the the province in general, however musch still needs to be done to support municipalities to perform and deliver on their mandate. Directives were issued by the CoGTA Minister directing the MEC to review the organisational structure of Provincial CoGTA to be fit for purpose to support municipalities, other directives that related to failure in municipal governance, financial management and service delivery were passed over to municipalities by the MEC.

My department’s assessment of municipalities in the North West revealed that they are facing serious governance, financial management and service delivery challenges. Cabinet then resolved that section 154 support packages in the form of Individual Municipal Support Plans have to be developed. Multi-disciplinary Task Teams were established to monitor implementation. This process have been led by both MEC Finance and MEC CoGTA.

Post Local Government Elections Tswaing, Mamusa, Ditsobotla, Maqquassi Hills and Moses Kotane are facing serious challenges that negatively impact on service delivery. 

The Premier has established Political and technical teams that is by MEC for CoGTA, MEC for Finance and MEC for Community Safety in particular for Ditsobotla,Mamusa, Maqquassi Hills and Moses Kotane to deal with some criminal elemenst interferring with municipal services. Currently we are providing support to both Political and Technical structures that’s are engaging the municipalities in order to develop intervention plans.

 

Reply:

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Reply:

As the Honourable Member is aware, the matter in question relates to the Constitutional Court judgment against the Director-General of the Department of Home Affairs. I am therefore unable to respond to the question as it relates to the mandate of another Department.

 

Reply:

a) The following tables reflects the (a) number of (i) calls, (ii) SMSs and (iii) USSDs received in each province,

TICKETS LOGGED AND REFERRED

PROVINCE	GBV	NON - GBV	REFERRED
Eastern Cape	287	383	37
Free State	204	261	25
Gauteng	2 654	3 049	318
KwaZulu - Natal	736	913	105
Limpopo	363	545	52
Mpumalanga	312	375	44
North West	245	304	34
Northern Cape	66	71	10
Western Cape	501	469	65
TOTAL	5 368	6 370	691

The statistics cited in the above table represent the number of tickets/files opened on the GBV Command Centre Information System.

(b)

GBV cases:

Abandoned Children, Abduction/Kidnapping, Assault, Bullying, Child Neglect, Child Pornography, Elderly Neglect, Emotional Abuse, Forced Initiation, Forced Prostitution, Hate Speech, Human Trafficking, Incest, Indecent Assault, Molestation, Physical Violence, Rape, Sexual Harassment, Stalking, Verbal Abuse Or Intimidation

Non-GBV cases:

Anger Management, Behavioural Problems, Child Adoption, Child Custody/Visitation, Child Maintenance, Counselling Death, Counselling Depression, Counselling Marriage & Relationships, COVID – 19, Economic/Financial Abuse, Funding, Home Affairs Related, Labour Dispute, Legal Advice, Matric, SASSA Grants, Substance Abuse, Other type of Incident

(c)

Number of individuals referred to:

1. Social Workers: 691
2. SA Police Service: 642

(d)

The Centre presently employs 48 Social Work Agents, 8 Social Work Supervisors, 2 Quality Assurers and 1 Centre Manager to operate and offer services to victims of Gender Based Violence.

(e)

	Baseline R'000	Compensation	Goods and services
GBV Comm Center	26 145	17 676	8 469

Reply:

I do not have any information on the number of children denied access to the Child Support Grant due to lack of documents, including birth certificate. The Department’s policy position is that no child eligible for the child support grant should be denied access due to the lack of a birth certificate. In terms of Regulation 11(1) to the Social Assistance Act, 2004, SASSA has an obligation to accept applications for social grants, in cases where the critical documents, including birth certificates for the children involved, or identity documents for the care givers of the child are not available.

To this end, SASSA has put measures in place to ensure that such children are not penalised, but rather given the necessary assistance to access the child support grant. A total of 35 357 children are in receipt of a child support grant using a system generated number, that is provided by SASSA in cases where the child does not have a birth certificate, as at February 2022.

Reply:

(a) Section 48 (2) of the Children’s Act No. 38 of 2005 and Regulation 10 of the Regulations relating to Children’s Courts and Abduction, 2010 may be relied upon in respect of applications for late registration of birth of orphaned and/or abandoned children in cases where such registrations are made.

(i) Applications for late registration of birth of orphaned and/or abandoned children are not made in the name of a social worker. The Social Worker is recorded as an informant when making such application at the Department of Home Affairs.

(ii) The Births and Deaths Registration Act, 1992 (Act 51 of 1992) and the Identification Act, 1997 (Act 68 of 1997) regulate late registration of birth of orphaned and/or abandoned children in the name of a relative caring for a child.

(b) According to Regulation 4 (2) of the Regulations on the Registration of Births and Deaths, 2014, a person who is next of kin or a guardian of a child qualifies to apply for late registration of birth of an orphaned child.

(c) A social worker must provide the following supporting documents to the Department of Home Affairs for a successful application of late registration of birth of an orphaned and/or abandoned child:

• A professional report.
• Form 7 of the Regulations relating to Children’s Courts and Abduction, 2010
• Form 8 of the Regulations relating to Children’s Courts and Abduction, 2010.

Supporting documents that a relative must provide to Department of Home Affairs for a successful application of late registration of birth of an orphaned and/or abandoned child are determined in terms of the Births and Deaths Registration Act, 1992 (Act 51 of 1992) and the Identification Act, 1997 (Act 68 of 1997).

Reply:

1. Infrastructure maintenance plans are developed per service. To that end municipalities are considered to have infrastructure maintenance plans if the municipality has in place the full spectrum of infrastructure maintenance plans for all services. This implies therefore that if a municipality has a roads maintenance plan but does not have a water and sanitation maintenance plan, it is not regarded as having a full spectrum of infrastructure maintenance plans in place. It will be regarded as partly having infrastructure maintenance plans in place.

a) Infrastructure maintenance plans in place:

Province	Water & Sanitation	Roads & Stormwater	Energy / Electricity	Full Spectrum
Eastern Cape	11	17	7	7
Free State	4		7	4
Gauteng	4	8	4	4
KwaZulu Natal	10	37	20	20
Limpopo	7	5	3	3
Mpumalanga	10	11	7	7
North West	6	4	2	2
Northern Cape	15	12	11	11
Western Cape	21	24	17	17

Table 1: Infrastructure maintenance plans in place per service

b) (i) Implemented infrastructure maintenance plans implemented fully:

Province	Water & Sanitation	Roads & Stormwater	Energy / Electricity	Full Spectrum
1. Eastern Cape	7	11	5	5
2. Free State	2	7	5	5
3. Gauteng	3	7	3	3
4. KwaZulu Natal	7	28	15	15
5. Limpopo	5	3	3	3
6. Mpumalanga	7	7	5	5
7. North West	3	3	2	2
8. Northern Cape	11	10	9	9
9. Western Cape	19	19	13	13

Table 2: Infrastructure maintenance plans per service implemented fully

(ii) Implemented infrastructure maintenance plans implemented partly:

Province	Water & Sanitation	Roads & Stormwater	Energy / Electricity	Full Spectrum
1. Eastern Cape	4	6	2	2
2. Free State	2	4	2	2
3. Gauteng	1	1	1	1
4. KwaZulu Natal	3	9	5	5
5. Limpopo	2	2	0	0
6. Mpumalanga	3	4	2	2
7. North West	3	1	0	0
8. Northern Cape	4	2	2	2
9. Western Cape	2	5	4	4

Table 3: Infrastructure maintenance plans per service implemented partly

Summary:

• 75 municipalities across the country have a full spectrum of infrastructure maintenance plans:
• A total of 60 municipalities are fully implementing the infrastructure maintenance plans:
• 18 municipalities are partially implementing their infrastructure maintenance plans.

The Department of Cooperative Governance (DCOG) through the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent (MISA) provides technical support to low and medium capacity municipalities by deploying professionally registered technical professionals, in accordance with the District Development Model (DDM), to develop, review and implement infrastructure maintenance plans as part of the support package. MISA further endeavours to build a local government skills pipeline by placing young technical qualifications graduates and built environment learners so that internal capacity is created with time for optimal delivery of basic services infrastructure. This support is provided in terms of section 154(1) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996.

Reply:

Please refer to my reply to parliamentary question 1029 on the same subject.

Reply:

a) The number of post office branches that have been closed in the past two years are as follows:

 

SUMMARY OF CLOSED BRANCHES
PROVINCE	2020	2021	Total
Eastern Cape	0	6	6
Free State	0	0	0
Gauteng	6	15	21
KwaZulu Natal	13	3	16
Limpopo	0	0	0
Mpumalanga	0	0	0
North West	0	0	0
Northern Cape	0	0	0
Western Cape	3	5	8
TOTAL	22	29	51

(b)(i) For the medium to long term SASSA is considering introducing payments through mobile phones as an added disbursement option to what is currently available for normal social grants. SASSA is also observing the developments on the Rapid Payment Programme (RPP) which forms part of the Reserve Bank’s vision 2025. Vision 2025 is a strategy initiated by the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) to modernise payment systems and, in turn, improve social and economic conditions for South Africans. A number of workshops have been held between SASSA and SARB to help SASSA gain some understanding on the RPP programme. It is our understanding that SARB has recognised that achieving this vision requires collaboration with other stakeholders to develop innovative solutions that are aligned with Vision 2025’s goals. These goals focus on developing payment systems that are transparent, secure, easy-to-use, financially inclusive, and flexible, so as to make it easier for more of the population to enter the digital economy.

Considering the current challenges experienced by Post Office, the Agency is no longer growing the customer base for Post Office with new Social Grant Beneficiaries. This decision was taken by the SASSA in 2020 to afford the Post Office an opportunity to review their systems and strategies going forward.

(ii) SASSA has institutionalised the payment of social grants as from 2018 when the contract with the previous service provider, Cash Paymaster Services (CPS) came to an end. SASSA ensures that the social grant funds are paid into the beneficiaries’ Special Disbursement Accounts handled by SAPO and into beneficiaries’ private bank accounts on a monthly basis. SAPO only assists SASSA in providing access to the distribution networks for beneficiaries who utilise the SASSA/SAPO card to access their social grant. Of the approximately 7 million accounts opened within the SAPO environment for social grant beneficiaries, only 10% actually utilise the post office branches or cash pay points to access their funds. The remaining beneficiaries already access their grants through the National Payment System at bank ATM’s and merchant point of sale devices.

Reply:

The Department of Cooperative Governance (DCOG), through the Municipal Infrastructure Support agent (MISA) is already supporting Msunduzi Local Municipality (MLM) through the deployment of professionally registered technical professionals, a Civil Engineering young graduate, as well as a Town Planning young graduate in accordance with the District Development Model (DDM), to ensure that internal capacity is created with time for optimal delivery of basic services infrastructure.

The MLM is also a beneficiary of two Presidential Economic Stimulus (PES) programmes that MISA is implementing viz the Labour-Intensive Construction (LIC) and the Innovative Solid Waste Management (ISWM). The LIC programme aims to instutionalise LIC methodology and training of municipal officials in an effort maximise creation of work opportunities during project implementation as well as operation and maintenance. The involvement of the local community in infrastructure development contributes, among other things, towards asset ownership, less vandalism and improvement in service reliability. The ISWM programme includes the following activities:

• • Waste Collection & transportation by appointed Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs):
  • Clearing and cleaning of illegal dumping sites:
  • Recycling and separation of waste at source:
  • Ward specific clean up campaigns:
  • 1000 participants working under the ISWM programme.

The above support to MLM is in terms of section 154 (1) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 which provides that “the national government and provincial governments, by legislative and other measures, must support and strengthen the capacity of municipalities to manage their own affairs, to exercise their powers and to perform their functions.”

According to MLM, there is further support provided by government and public institutions. The KwaZulu Natal (KZN) COGTA support includes the deployment of several technical experts for infrastructure delivery, financial management, disaster management and for the revision of the Local Economic Development (LED) Plan. Eskom entered into a partnership agreement with MLM whereby Eskom committed to provide project management and training support to MLM. Umngeni Water also entered into an agreement with MLM regarding the Darvill sewer outfall pipe that requires urgent major repairs. The planning of the works is at an advanced stage.

Government has also taken other steps to support local government including MLM. DCOG together with 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, the South African Local Government Association (SALGA), provinces and municipalities. MSIPs, including that of MLM, have since been prepared.

The implementation of MSIPs will be done in accordance with the DDM approach. The DDM approach includes the whole of government and all other interested and affected parties to plan, implement and monitor developmental work in all 52 district spaces that cover the whole country.

MLM is allocated infrastructure grant funding annually by national government that includes the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) and the Water Services Infrastructure Grant (WSIG) to fund the implementation of basic services.

Reply:

a) According to the reconciliation received from the SA Post Office, (SAPO) a total of 328 477 beneficiaries have yet to collect their grant from the first cycle which ended on 30 April 2021 and 442 602 from the second cycle which covers the period from August 2021 to March 2022. Approval has recently been provided to SAPO, in line with the Directions published on 10 February 2022, for beneficiaries from the first cycle to be paid their funds, should they report to the post office.

b) The access channels provided to beneficiaries of the R350 social relief of distress grant include bank ATMs where the beneficiaries request payment directly into their personal bank accounts, as well as through the post office. Currently, of the 10 563 123 approved beneficiaries, 42% collect their grants through the post office while 58% receive the grant in their own personal bank accounts.

In order to improve access to the grants distributed by the post office, additional channels through the retailers have been opened. The retailers currently participating are Pick & Pay, Boxer, Checker, Shoprite and Usave. Negotiations with the Spar group to also allow access to the relief grant are at an advanced stage and further announcements will be made shortly.

SASSA is also finalising the contracting with banks, to allow for the payment to be made to mobile phones. This channel will be available for the extension of the grant from April 2022 to March 2023.

These channels have all contributed to the significant improvement in reducing the queues at post offices, and provide a range of options for approved beneficiaries to be able to access their grants conveniently.

Reply:

1. The National State of Disaster was terminated on the 4th of April 2022. This followed a process of consultations which included a consultation where my department was asked to get input from with sector departments whether they still needed the regulations under the NSOD.

2. The COVID-19 pandemic was difficult for all countries and governments to handle because of its novel nature. We were forced to learn how to deal with it as we went along and as the virus was and is continues to mutate. Having said that, there is no doubt that measures that were taken by government were necessary under the given circumstances and given the knowledge at its disposal.

The declaration of the National State of Disaster on 15 March 2020 empowered government to take the measures that prevented many more people from becoming severely ill and saved countless lives.

These measures were effective in slowing down the rate of infection, easing pressure on our hospitals, and providing the time we needed to develop the infrastructure, resources, and capacity to manage many people who became ill because of COVID-19.

All these measures were necessary not only to respond to the devastating effects of the pandemic on human health, but also to limit the great cost to society and the economy.

Reply:

Organization	What total amount in Rand has been spent on	a) Catering	b) Entertainment	c) Accommodation
Departments of Higher Education and Training and Science and Innovation	(i) Minister	R78 992.35	R56 562.13	R2 010 038.00
	(ii) Deputy Minister	Nil	R2 209.50	R1 210 453.79
	(iii) Departmental Officials	R17 163 787.11	R226 096.59	R53 954 822.98

Kindly note that the expenditure incurred by the Minister and Deputy Minister on these items is for official purpose use only.

Reply:

a) Council Members of the Social Housing Regulatory Authority are not employees of the entity but are appointed in terms of Section 9(2) of the Social Housing Act, 16 of 2008.

b)n Ms Dlamini was appointed as a Member of Council from 28 October 2019 to 25 November 2021.

c)  According to the SHRA audited annual reports, the 2019/20 and 2020/21 following remuneration was paid to Ms Dlamini:

2019/20 - R 77 031.00

2020/21 - R 108 871.00

d) The 2021/22 the audited amounts are not yet available

Reply:

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Reply:

(1) (a) 11 881 MBChB students (Audited figures for the 2020 academic year)

(b) 9 210 Nursing students (Audited figures for the 2020 academic year)

(2) There are ten universities in South Africa with medical schools with each of these universities having different admission criteria. As competition for places is intense, each university has its own methodology of calculating its admission scores based on a combination of academic criteria, e.g. National Senior Certificate results in compulsory subjects, National Benchmark Tests, etc., and non-academic criteria, e.g. extracurricular activities, measures of disadvantage, personal reports and interviews, etc. 

(3) Universities are required to select their medical students by ensuring equitable and fair access to students from all population groups, whilst ensuring optimal student throughput and success, equity and demographic representivity, and training future healthcare practitioners who can fulfil the needs of society. 

Reply:

1. What (a) policies and/or programmes does her department currently have in place to (i) promote gender equality (ii) mitigate climate change and

(a) (i) The Department approved a framework on gender equality and women’s empowerment in November 2017. The Policy is premised on the promotion and protection of human dignity and human rights of women. It takes cognizance of the role of the National Gender Machinery in promoting non-sexism particularly in relation to organisational transformation and change as well as their impact and management thereof. The policy goes ‘beyond just numbers’ and incorporates comprehensive intervention mechanisms aimed at mainstreaming gender into all departmental structures, policies, processes, and programmes. In line with the National Policy Framework on Women’s Empowerment and Gender (2000), the policy proposes a shift away from treating gender issues as ‘business as usual’, towards locating it at the epicenter of transformation and development within the Department.

(ii) The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) meets annually to evaluate progress on gender equality, identify emerging challenges, set global standards for women’s rights and formulate concrete policies to promote gender equality and the advancement of women worldwide. The CSW66 theme of 2022, which was to engage on gender equality and empowerment of women in the context of climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction, is aligned to existing departmental policies.

(b) Benefits the department hopes to reap from the specified engagement

The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the economic status of women and exposed women and girls to violence. South Africa’s election to serve in the CSW has come at the opportune moment when government seriously reviewed the status of women in the country. President Ramaphosa prioritised women financial and economic inclusion, leadership in political and social sphere, including addressing the challenges of gender based violence.

DIRCO also participated in the CSW66 to advance South Africa’s positions and national interest. The Department participated in order to ensure that the international norms to be developed are consistent with South Africa’s national policies, laws, and priorities. This year was therefore important to develop global policies and strategies that will consider the inclusion and empowerment of women when responding to climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction policies.

2. (a) What are the relevant details of her department’s top priorities for the time spent in New York?

South Africa argued that the social construct and marginalisation of women confines women economic activities to the periphery, especially in rural areas, where they are often the ones fetching water, gathering woods, fishing or farming land that is affected by floods and droughts. Meanwhile, their voices are often ignored in environmental planning and management. Therefore, women must be at the forefront to contribute to the climate change mitigation and adaptation as well as disaster risk reduction.

Issues that were highlighted during the Session should include:

• Burden of climate change and environmental disasters in developing countries is experienced by women and girls.
• Discussions should focus on sustainable development solutions that can improve the lives of women and girls.
• Gender bias of the impact of global warming is a reality and therefore women should be involved in solutions aligned with the decisions made at the UNFCCC.
• Access to land and productive resources for women is critical.

(b) What are the tangible outcomes that can be expected?

The Chairship of South Africa at CSW66 was successful. The discussions on the priority theme were timely as environmental changes, natural disasters and climate change have become the biggest threat that affect the most vulnerable, in particular women and girls.The outcome documents adopted were progressive and reaffirmed the women’s empowerment agenda in the context of climate change and disaster risk reduction. Member States highlighted that the CSW is not a climate change forum but one that focuses on women empowerment and gender equality. As a result, Member States managed to refocus the negotiations in line with women human rights agenda which aims to attain equality, empowerment of women and fight gender-based violence.

 

Reply:

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Reply:

(a) Official	(b) Make	(c) Model	(d) Year of Manufacture	(e) Purchase Price	Date Purchased/ ordered	Status
Deputy Minister Magadzi (PTA)	BMW	X3	2021	R799 563.97	11 Oct 2021	Delivered
Deputy Minister Magadzi (CT)	Lexus	UX 250 Hybrid SE	2021	R735 004.10	19 Nov 2021	Ordered
Deputy Minister Mahlobo (PTA)	Audi A6	40TDI 140 KW S Tronic	2021	R 698 133.00	19 Nov 2021	Ordered

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Reply:

1. The purpose of the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPI) Act, is to protect data subjects (internal and external stakeholders of the Community Schemes Ombud Service) from security breaches such as unauthorised dissemination of personal information belonging to or relating to data subjects, amongst others. The POPI Act achieves this goal by outlining 8 principles which data processors, such as the Community Schemes Ombud Service and scheme executives, must adhere to when collecting, processing, storing and deleting personal information belonging to internal and external stakeholders. Like most entities, the POPI Act has changed the manner in which the Community Schemes Ombud Service and scheme executives engage with personal information. Some of the legal and material impacts introduced by the POPI Act and experienced by the Community Schemes Ombud Service include:

(a) At an operational level, amending the agreements concluded with third party service providers and ensuring that they are bound by the responsibilities and principles of the POPI Act when processing information given for purposes of delivering or providing services to the Community Schemes Ombud Service. All entities regulated by the POPI Act are required to have similar provisions which give effect to the POPI principle in their contracts with third parties such as managing agents.

(b) The development and implementation of the entity’s POPI Compliance Framework which consists of the POPI Policy, Manual, Breach Incident Policy, Flow Charts and Risk Register. In addition, the Community Schemes Ombud Service procured the services of an expert service provider to facilitate training sessions for all business units and staff of the Community Schemes Ombud Service on the compliance requirements.

(c) Adoption of data protection standards aimed at ensuring that personal information is collected, processed, and stored lawfully.

(d) In relation to all community schemes, the 8 principles governing the collection, storing, and processing of personal information belonging to members of a community scheme are also applicable. Community Schemes should only collect personal information necessary for the purpose for collection and further put in place measures which protect such personal information belonging to members and their visitors from unauthorised disclosure or theft. Failure to do so will result in the imposition of fines or other enforcement steps taken by the Information Regulator. Accordingly, all entities need to invest in the resources they have identified to ensure that the principles of the POPI Act are upheld.

(2) Since the implementation of the Community Schemes Ombud Service POPI Act Compliance Framework the entity has not experienced any queries or challenges relating to the POPI Act necessitating the sourcing of external legal advice in the form of formal legal opinions from external attorneys. All queries have been from internal business units and legal guidance and support has been provided by the Community Schemes Ombud Service Legal Section.

(3) During 2021, the Community Schemes Ombud Service provided training to all business units, including its adjudicators, on the 8 principles of the POPI Act and its impact on the relevant business unit. Continuous refresher training is also being offered by the Community Schemes Ombud Service Legal Team together with the POPI Act expert service provider as and when requested by the business unit.

(a) & (b) The POPI Act has not changed the type or nature of information which scheme executives, managing agents or body corporates can obtain from their members. The POPI Act has changed the manner, in other words how scheme executives go about in collecting, storing and processing their personal information and as already mentioned above, all community schemes need to do so in accordance with the principles set out in POPI Act.

Reply:

Projects that are incomplete are indicated in Annexure A below as follows;(a) grant funded projects, (b) augmentation projects and, (c) the bucket eradication projects.

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ANNEXURE A:

PROVINCE	PROJECT	REASON FOR NON- ACHIEVEMENT	RECOVERY PLAN	PROJECTED COMPLETION DATE
Grant funded projects
Eastern Cape	Xhora BWS phase 1 of 2 (Weir, WTW, dam Bulk pipeline)	Shortage of material available coupled with delays in resolving SMME appointments and delays in approval of concrete mix design caused delays in project completion.	To speed up the process of procuring material, an SMME desk has been established and appointment process to go ahead with finalisation of concrete mix design.	December 2022
	Sundays river (Paterson) BWS phase 6 of 6	The purchase order of the Professional Service Person’s (PSP) was depleted, and the PSP suspended. The Contractor cannot work without the supervision of the PSP and has been off site since 14 September 2020	Amatola Water is currently in the process of rectifying the issue of the PSP’s purchase order. Once this process is done, a formal process will be followed to get the contractor back to site and continue with the work.	June 2023
Free State	Rouxville/ Smithfield / Zastron BWS (Mohokare BWS)	Hydro – Tech new Mechanical Contractor has not commenced with their scope of work due to the required process of assessing the existing equipment and components prior to commencing with the works	MLM has finalized the assessment of the equipment scope of work for the new contractor.	April 2022
Mpumalanga	Driekoppies Phase 1C of 5	Graves were found on site which resulted in the relocation of the reservoir. This required re-design exercise Some materials were imported and were affected by the COVID 19 lockdown restrictions	A revised program was submitted and an extension of time due to additional scope	July 2022
	Sibange Phase 2 of 5	Delays due to community unrest and heavy rains	Contractors are back on site and acceleration plan will be implemented to catch up and complete the project	September 2022
	Sibange Phase 4 of 5	Delays due to community unrest and heavy rains	Contractors are back on site and acceleration plan will be implemented to catch up and complete project. New method of sealing the reservoirs after the rainfall is being implemented	May 2022
	Sibange Phase 5 of 5	Delays due to community unrest and heavy rains	Contractors are back on site and acceleration plan will be implemented to catch up and complete project	April 2022
	Balfour/Siyathemba RBWS Phase 2 of 6	Delays due to rainfall, non-payment to suppliers and community unrests	Community issues have been addressed and budget made available to pay service providers. The Contractor will provide acceleration plan to catch up for the time lapsed.	May 2022
	Balfour/ Siyathemba Phase 3 of 6	Community unrest due to employment demands Land servitude unavailability issues Hard Material encountered during excavations	The Municipality has intervened, and community issues were resolved successfully The Compensation for the Land has been finalised	May 2022
Augmentation projects
KZN	Raising of Hazelmere Dam	Unforeseen technical challenges during dam construction Delays in procurement of critical instrumentation for the dam	The site was handed back to contractor in October 2021 and the site establishment was completed in December 2021. Critical instrumentation procurement and installation included in scope of contractor	October 2022 (completion of construction)
	Cwabeni OCS Dam KZN	Lack of funding	The Minister issued a Directive to Umgeni Water to fund and implement the project. Umgeni Water has submitted a draft Implementation Agreement for consideration by DWS.	TBC
	Stephen Dlamini Dam	Lack of funding	The Minister issued a Directive to Umgeni Water to fund and implement the Stephen Dlamini Dam project. Umgeni Water has submitted a draft Implementation Agreement for consideration by DWS.	TBC
	Umkhomazi Water Project (UWP) - Phase 1	Delay in finalising Water Supply Agreements	The Heads of Agreement for the Water User Agreement have been drafted and negotiations are ongoing. Funding of R60 million has been transferred to TCTA for project preparation activities.\ The Project Steering Committee is in place	2028
Western Cape	Raising of Clanwilliam Dam	Delays in procurement outsourced services and goods Previous funding constraints	Process for resumption of construction activities has been initiated Establishment of an Infrastructure Procurement Office to unlock procurement challenges	Apr 2026 (to be revised on resumption of construction activities)
Eastern Cape	Mzimvubu Water Project	Long-term funding for the project not assured Delays in procurement outsourced services and goods Challenges with obtaining the project documentation from the professional service provider	The processing of tenders for the procurement of construction materials is underway Alternative options are being considered for the completion of construction of the access roads	TBC
North West	Mokolo Crocodile Water Augmentation Project- Phase 2 (MCWAP-2A)	Impact of delay in the Environmental Authorisations appeal decision on project activities Delay in procurement of project and support services Delay in finalisation of tender design due to delay in appointment of Panel of Experts	The Implementation Agreement has been signed and the Water Supply Agreements are being finalised.	April 2028
Limpopo Province	Great Letaba Water Augmentation Project (GLEWAP): Nwamitwa Dam	Insufficient funding for project implementation Outstanding sign-off on design work undertaken under LNW as the Implementing Agent such as the dam boundary line.	Project activities to be planned as per the availability of funding and in stages Engagement with previous IA to unlock impasse with regards to outstanding dam boundary line	TBC
	Olifants River Water Resources Development Project- Phase 2D (ORWRDP-2D)	Due to funding limitations, a strategic decision was taken by DWS to re-sequence the project and project implementation will need to be reviewed. A Memorandum of Intent (MOI) was signed between DWS and Commercial Users Consortium. Project to be deferred as per new implementation approach	Project deferred	TBC
	Olifants River Water Resources Development Project- Phase 2E & 2F (ORWRDP-2E & F)	Due to funding limitations, a strategic decision was taken by DWS to re-sequence the project and project implementation will need to be reviewed. A Memorandum of Intent (MOI) was signed between DWS and Commercial Users Consortium. Project to be deferred as per new implementation approach (ORWRDP 2E) ORWRDP 2F to form part of the re-sequencing implementation model	2E deferred 2F -TBC	TBC
	Raising of Tzaneen Dam	Delay in conclusion of design work with previous Implementing Agent and application for licence to construct which is required for construction to commence	The appointment of a new IA was approved on 17 Feb 2022. The establishment of a Project Management Office as well as the commencement of construction will start as soon as the process to appoint the Implementing Agent is finalised.	June 2023 (to be revised on resumption of construction activities)
Eastern Cape	Coerney Dam	Delays in procurement of professional service provider	The Coerney Dam project was declared by the Minister as an Emergency Works on 10 July 2020 to enable the detailed design to be undertaken in parallel with the environmental impact assessment process. DWS Internal Engineering Unit was appointed on 08 October 2020 to undertake the detailed design on the project and is in the process of procuring an external professional service provider to undertake the engineering design work.	Dec 2025
	Zalu Dam (Lusikisiki)	Delays in procurement of specialist services Lack of sufficient funding for the implementation of the project	The design work is approximately 40% complete. Process for procurement of specialist services is currently underway Funding to advance the design work has been provided in the 2021 MTEF.	TBC
	Foxwood Dam	Lack of funding	The process of appointing Chief Directorate: Engineering Services for the provision of engineering services for the project has been initiated Funding to advance the design work has been provided in the 2022 MTEF.	TBC
Western Cape	Berg River Voëlvlei Augmentation Scheme (BRVAS)	Delay in securing funding Delay in finalising Water Supply Agreements	TCTA is continuing with stakeholder consultations to conclude the institutional arrangements. Funding of R75 million has been transferred to TCTA for project preparation activities.	TBC
Bucket Eradication Project
Free State	Ficksburg	Contractor appointed in March 2021, however, took site in June 2021 after review of the Engineering Designs	Revised Construction Programme submitted and will be monitored accordingly.	March 2023
	Clocolan	Contractor appointed in March 2021, however, took site in June 2021 after review of the Engineering Designs	Revised Construction Programme submitted and will be monitored accordingly.	March 2023
	Senekal	DWS Construction appointed – delays in acquisition of material through local tenders (however service providers are non-responsive, and this has delayed construction activities)	Revised Construction Programme submitted and will be monitored accordingly.	March 2023
	Reitz	Contractor appointed took site in July 2021, after review of the Engineering Designs	Revised Construction Programme submitted and will be monitored accordingly.	March 2023
	Petrus Steyn	Contractor appointed took site in July 2022, after review of the Engineering Designs	Revised Construction Programme submitted and will be monitored accordingly.	March 2023
	Arlington	Contractor appointed took site in September 2022 (re-advertisement of tender), after review of the Engineering Designs	Revised Construction Programme submitted and will be monitored accordingly.	March 2023
	Dealesville	Contractor appointed took site in September 2022 (re-advertisement of tender), after review of the Engineering Designs	Revised Construction Programme submitted and will be monitored accordingly.	March 2023
Northern Cape	Campbell	Contractor appointed in December 2022 however, appointment found to be irregular and will be terminated. A new contractor to b sourced and appointed within 2 months.	A new contractor will be sourced and appointed within the next 3 months.	March 2023

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

1. I have been informed by the Department that the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) has finalised a technical condition report on the constructed fence. In its current form, the fence is not fit for purpose and is in material non-compliance with the project specifications. For this reason, the DPWI has resolved not to carry out any repairs on the fence as this will constitute wasteful expenditure.

The DPWI is also currently collaborating with the Department of Defence (DOD), the Department of Home Affairs (DHA), the Border Management Authority (BMA) and the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) to develop a multi-party Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to integrate and align the collective roles, responsibilities and operational plans of each organisation on the matter of border fencing and control as a precursor to implementing a new integrated border-line solution.

2. (a) Currently, the DOD, supported by the DPWI and the DALRRD through the above-mentioned processes, is consulting its internal DOD structures to develop user specifications and user asset management plans in compliance with the Government Immovable Asset Management Act No. 19 of 2007 Section 6 (1) (b) and Section 14 (1) (a) (b).

(b) The tasks and projected timelines are as follows:

i. Request for Information: To support the DOD in the development of an integrated Borderline solution, a Request for Information (RFI) was commissioned by DPWI on 28 March 2021. The RFI closed on 26 of April 2021 and 16 Proposals have been received. The Bid Evaluation Committee completed the evaluation of bids in June 2021. Three bids were compliant to the terms of reference of the RFI. Compliant bids were submitted to DOD in July 2021 to be incorporated into the final specifications for border fences.

DOD indicated in a meeting held on the 11th November 2021 that engagements are transpiring internally and will confirm the submission date of their approved specifications by 25 November 2021. To date DOD has not submitted their approved specifications.

ii. Feasibility studies: Site acquisition feasibilities completed.

Construction feasibilities will require 12 to 18 months to complete, upon receipt of DOD output specifications.

The above processes have been commissioned, some completed and the remainder are underway as indicated above. This will ensure that all legal and legislative frameworks are complied with to allow for the formalisation of the RSA borderline to meet South African and International Standards.

The collective body of work from the above processes will identify viable engineering options, risk analysis and mitigation strategies, funding models and budget co-ordination. These would input into subsequent bid and construction processes, and enable informed funding requests to be submitted to National Treasury.

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Reply:

Neither the Office of the Minister not the Department of Water and Sanitation received the correspondence referred to in the question posed by the Honourable Member.

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Attached find here: Reply

Reply:

a) The Somerset West Office has twenty-four (24) posts on its fixed staff establishment.

b) Fifteen (15) posts are currently filled.

c) It is envisaged to fill two (2) front office clerks, two (2) Immigration Officers and one (1) Control Immigration Officer posts before the end of July 2022. All workstations are currently equipped and will be further capacitated once the above mentioned appointments are concluded.

d) The building is shared with the Department of Labour. Clients for both Departments are using the same entrance. The Department is looking at the possibility of using an alternative entrance, unfortunately the building is classified as a heritage site and no alterations may be considered to the facade of the building. A secondary cause for the congestion is the various lockdowns due to the Coronavirus pandemic and the limited services available to clients as per the lockdown restrictions.

e) Several overtime projects have been conducted to increase access and alleviate the congestion.

END

 

Reply:

(a)(i) The Department of Home Affairs obtained a database from Department of Basic Education (DBE), at the beginning of the school year and then determines the number of learners with a qualifying age for Identity documents (matriculants and non-matriculants). Learners 16 years of age without an identity document are also assisted irrespective of the grade they are in, to ensure that by grade 12 they are in possession of a Smart ID Card.

(a)(ii) The breakdown below is the total number of services provided per province:

Province	(ii) Total Number of Schools visited (01 January – 31 Dec 2021)	(iii) (aa) Total number of birth registration within 30 days	(bb) Smart ID cards applications
Eastern Cape	207	40	6 226
Free State	57	0	1 825
Gauteng	487	0	2 696
Kwazulu-Natal	244	407	7 595
Limpopo	202	2	8 160
Mpumalanga	208	0	6 482
Northern Cape	209	264	4 204
North West	127	83	4 225
Western Cape	22	3 463	2 872
TOTAL	1763	4 259	44 285

(b) Collaboration by all stakeholders (i.e Councillors, religious groups, Amakhosi, DBE District Directors and School Principals) advise on the areas where there is a dire need for learners without ID documents, especially where there is no DHA footprint in close proximity, and then a schedule of schools to be visited is developed on monthly basis. Dates for visits and lists of requirements are determined and shared with the school authorities and an implementation schedule is developed and actioned

END

Reply:

a) District Manager: Operations and Office Manager to ensure compliance to basic queue management principles of communicating with clients at regular intervals and to educate the staff to conduct themselves in a professional manner.

b) All offices prioritise the aged, persons with disabilities, pregnant mothers, mothers with babies as well as school learners in uniform. The Departmental Service Charter is displayed in front offices and staff pause areas and two (2) front office clerk posts will be filled before July 2022.

END

Reply:

According to the information received from Eskom

a) ( i & ii)

In terms of the economic regulation framework applicable to the regulated parts of the Electricity Supply Industry (ESI), all investments should earn a return equal to its weighted average cost of capital (WACC), on the depreciated asset value, over its full life cycle – in line with globally-accepted regulatory practice.

This is dependent on the initial asset construction cost, as well as the ongoing annual operating and maintenance cost, and the performance of the asset being assessed as prudent and efficient.

The electricity regulator assessed the %WACC for Eskom for the current MYPD4 revenue cycle as 7.1% pre-tax ‘real’. The regulator also commented in a Reasons for Decision and a subsequent affidavit that the overnight construction cost of Medupi is approximately 6% above the international benchmark norms, and that of Kusile fell within the international benchmark norms. The current operating and maintenance costs are at or below international benchmark norms. After some initial teething problems, Eskom is confident that both Medupi and Kusile will perform according to their design parameters.

Therefore, once the electricity price reaches the level of cost-reflectivity the power stations should earn a return on investment of equal to the %WACC, which for the current MYPD4 revenue cycle is assessed as 7.1% pre-tax ‘real’. However, in the interest of a gradual transition to cost-reflective electricity prices the electricity regulator is not yet awarding the full return on investment in its revenue and price determinations.

For the current MYPD4 revenue cycle the electricity regulator awarded a return of 1.5% on the regulatory asset value, however due to the regulator having reduced the revenue by the amount of the government equity support of R23bn per year the actual returns are close to zero.

(b) In terms of the economic regulatory framework applicable to the regulated parts of the ESI, the return on investment on the depreciated asset values should annually be equal to the %WACC, over the full life cycle of the asset. This will apply once electricity prices are cost-reflective.

Reply:

The Department of Transport and various other Departments are working closely with the Department of Cooperative Governance (DoCG) and the National Disaster Management Center (NDMC), the designated government body responsible for handling of natural disasters taking place in South Africa.

The NDMC received incident reports from various provinces and shared same with affected sector departments for support coordination and intervention measures.

Relevant structures were activated in all affected provinces through the coordination of Provincial Disaster Management Centres (PDMCs) for activation of provincial response plans as well as coordination of reports by organs of state and relevant stakeholders. This was done in line with the 2021/22 National Summer Seasonal Contingency Plan.

All PDMCs and some Sector Departments also submitted their Summer Seasonal Plans. The NDMC activated and coordinates the National Joint Flood Operational Committee (NJFCC) that constitutes all relevant organs of state for preparedness measures, contingency arrangements and intervention measures

a) Based on the initial assessments conducted by provincial road authorities, the extent of the damages is estimated at R11 919 909 965 in the various provinces.

Province	District Municipalities	No of Local Municipalities	Assessments Estimated Cost
			Reprioritisation	Shortfall
Eastern Cape	Sarah Baartman, Joe Gqabi, Amathole and OR Tambo	27	Not Quantified	R1 469 393 770
Free State	Lejweleputswa, Xhariep, Fezile Dabi, Mangaung and Thabo Mofutsanyana		Not Quantified	R504 400 000
Kwa-Zulu Natal	eThekwini Metro, Ugu, iLembe, Umgungundlovu, Amajuba, Harry Gwala Uthukela and uMzinyathi,	32	Not Quantified	R2 794 650 801
Limpopo	Capricorn, Sekhukhune, Waterberg, Vhembe and Mopani	22	R29 370 000	R2 021 780 000
Mpumalanga	Bohlabela, Ehlanzeni, Gert Sibande and District Nkangala District	16	R4 000 000	R157 600 000
North west	Dr. Kenneth Kaunda, Bojanala, Ngaka Modiri Molema and Dr. Ruth Segomotsi Mompati	10	R99 300 000	R4 632 900 560
Northern Cape	Francees Baard, John Taolo Gaetsewe, Namaqua, ZF Mgawu and Pixley ka Seme		0	R309 814 834
Grand Total			R132 670 000	R11 919 909 965

Table 1: Estimated Cost of Flood Damages

b) The restoration works of infrastructure will be planned, scheduled and undertaken based on the inspections and assessments. Officials from the Department shall assist the teams to conduct the detailed site inspections and assessments (already in progress) as per details provide below:

Province	District / Region	Roads / Sites	Date
Kwa-Zulu Natal	Ladysmith, Durban, Pietermaritzburg	D2502, D91, P40, P549, P205/2, P213, D96	10-11 March 2022
Eastern Cape	Amathole, Alfred Nzo, Sarah Baartman, Joe Gqabi, OR Tambo, Chris Hani	DR08047, DR08403, DR08044, DR08331, DR08346, DR2764	16-17 March 2022
Free State	Lejweleputswa, Thabo Mofutsanyana, Mangaung, Fezile Dabi, Xhariep	S556, S570, S118, S571, P8/1	24-24 March 2022
Mpumalanga	Nkangala, Bohlabela, Gert Sibande, Ehlanzeni	D1175, D957, D2685, D1604, D2950, D1604, P77/2	29-31 March 2022
North West	Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati, Ngaka Modri Molema, Bojanala, Dr Kennet Kaunda	D141, P34/2, P48/1, D171, D970	5-6 April 2022
Limpopo	Capricon, Sekhukhune Waterberg, Vhembe, Mopani	D3830, D3749, D3653	9-11 April 2022

Table 2: Details of Inspections and Assessments

In the case of the National Route R61 at Tsomo junction between Ngcobo and Cofimvaba in the Chris Hani District Municipality, the repairs were completed by SANRAL and this road officially opened to motorists on the 28 February 2022.

In case of provincial and municipal roads, the implementation of emergency repairs works was activated by the various road authorities to the affected road infrastructure that falls within their respective areas of jurisdiction.

It must be noted that:

• In terms of the Disaster Management Act No 57 of 2002, when a disaster occurs:
  • the cost of repairing or replacing public sector infrastructure should be borne by the organ of state responsible for the maintenance of such infrastructure.
  • any financial assistance provided by a national, provincial or municipal organ of state must be in accordance with the national disaster management framework and any applicable post-disaster recovery and rehabilitation policy of the relevant sphere of government
• as storms continue to cause floods in some areas, the road authorities continues to assess and intervene by repairing damages to restore access, including temporary bypasses and alternative routing for continued access to basic amenities and socio-economic facilities.
• the reconstruction and rehabilitation to infrastructure damaged by floods, including road infrastructure will depend on the approval of budget reprioritisation and allocation of additional funds by the NDMC and National Treasury;
• National Government shall assist provinces through the Provincial Road Maintenance Grant (PRMG) and municipalities through the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG), as allowable with the provisions of these grant frameworks in terms of the Divisional of Revenue Act (DORA);
• discussions are taking place at the Inter-Governmental Committee on Disaster Management (ICDM) and the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC)’s Disaster Operations Centre (DOC) remains activated to coordinate and facilitate the implementation of focused intervention and response measures including the monitoring and reporting of summer-related incidents and declared disasters;
• The Department shall comply with any policy changes approved by ICDM.

Reply:

What amount remains unspent on the budget for the 

(a) Basic Education Infrastructure Grant:

No amount was unspent on the budget. The total budget was transferred to provinces.

(b) conditional grants and 

The other conditional grants budgets were transferred fully, with exception for Learners with Profound Disability Grant where an amount of R17.1 million was not transferred to two province, namely, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape.

(c) funds from the Accelerated Schools Infrastructure Delivery Initiative (ASIDI) in the 2020-21 financial year?

Unspent amount for ASIDI was R321 million.

Reply:

1. The Office Managers are responsible for sharing of information i.e. capacity intake, client volume inside and system stability with clients queueing outside. This must be done at regular intervals throughout the day. Furthermore, there are plans to strengthen capacity with the filing of vacant positions of additional front office staff during the financial year 2022/23.

2. As part of the Western Cape Complaint resolution mechanism, the contact details of the Office Manager, District Manager and Provincial Manager are displayed in all front offices. Complaints escalated to the Provincial Manager are being recorded and monitored. All Front Office staff are required to wear name tags. Once a specific complaint related to a staff member’s conduct was received the District Manager will investigate and apply the necessary corrective measures. The aggrieved client will be provided with feedback and assisted as part of redress. All the staff members from the Somerset West Office are multilingual and are required to address clients in English. The Office has staff who is proficient in other languages should there be a specific request from a client.

3. Yes. The complaint was related to the alleged discrimination against a member from the LGBTQI community in August 2021.

a) There was no disciplinary hearing due to a lack of evidence against any specific employee.

b) A training session for all staff was facilitated by the District Manager: Operations to update staff on prevailing policies.

END

Reply:

The DBE has just completed the fieldwork on the National ECD Census and is busy with data analysis. The honourable member is therefore humbly requested to allow the DBE to finalise the analysis process and release the Census data as this will enable the DBE to respond.