Questions and Replies

Reply:

(1) & (2) The Disaster Management Regulations is a function of collective decision making by the National Coronavirus Command Council and Cabinet. As such the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs is not best placed to advise on or define the term mandatory prophylaxis and whether or not this might include mandatory vaccination as a part of such prophylaxis. The Minister of Health is best placed to provide a suitable response and it is proposed that the question be addressed to him.

Reply:

(a) As per data taken from PERSAL, the total number of vacancies in the Public Service stood at 164 661 as at end of quarter 3 of the 2021/2022 financial year (31 December 2021)

(b) In terms of Section 3(7) of the Public Service Act, 1994, the recruitment and filling of vacant posts within a department is the responsibility of the relevant Executive Authority.

The MPSA and DPSA continue to support departments through policy and setting of Norms and standards in order to efficiently fill vacancies within the parameters of the legislative framework. Regular status reports are also shared with Heads of Department through FOSAD and Cabinet Committees.

End

Reply:

1. The key difference between the Western Cape and Public Service is that the Western Cape appointed a service provider to conduct lifestyle audits and the DPSA opted to prepare policies and to develop its own system so that lifestyle audits can sustainably be conducted as part of an integrated departmental ethics management process.

In order for the Public Service to be able to conduct lifestyle audits, it had to prepare the legislative environment and adopt the required policies and systems that would make lifestyle audits effective. This included the following:

• The setting of clear behavioural standards outlined in a Code of Conduct.
• The adoption of conflict of interest laws for public service employees.
• The adoption of ethics infrastructure at departmental level to support ethics management.
• The adoption of whistle blowing reporting structures and policies and assurance that those who report corruption and unethical conduct will be protected under the law.
• The compulsory disclosure of financial status for public service employees.

The above elements were provided for in the Public Service Regulations that were amended in 2016 and is regarded as essential for an effective lifestyle audit regime.

After amendment of the Public Service Regulations, 2016, the necessary systems and processes had to be developed and implemented, with some requiring the adoption of directives, determinations and guides.

The proclamation of the Public Administration Ethics, Integrity and Disciplinary Technical Assistance Unit (PAEIDTAU) by the President in 2019 provided the necessary structure to coordinate, monitor and support the implementation of lifestyle audits on national and provincial level. With structures, systems and policies in place, the next step was to prioritise the training of role players. This required the development of training material. With that completed, the actual training of Ethics Officers started in 2021, with the assistance of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the World Bank and the Canadian Government funded Strengthening of Ethics and Integrity Project (SEIP). Training will continue for Ethics Officers and departmental investigators.

All of the above activities required time, and as such the Public Service became ready to implement lifestyle audits from April 2021, when the Guide on implementing lifestyle audits in the public service was adopted and implementation of lifestyle audits became compulsory.

As the system and processes are integrated in the management of ethics, lifestyle audits will become a normal part of the work of departments.

2. No, for reasons discussed under par (1) above.

End

Reply:

a) The projects where NRRTT played a role is nine. However, these were not part of the blocked projects that was presented on 2 March 2022. The scope of the

NRRTT included liaison with communities on Human Settlements and related matters, engagement with key stakeholders on the identified community challenges, provision of appropriate support to the distressed communities and to report accordingly on the findings and make recommendations to the Ministry and the respective department.

b) The NRRTT liaised and engaged various communities in provinces and municipalities in areas identified as hotpots such as;

1. Howell Road in KwaZulu-Natal Province
2. Kamma Heights in Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality
3. Mount Fletcher in the Eastern Cape in Kutloanong Location
4. Jerusalem Park in Welkom, Free State- Matjhabeng Local Municipality
5. Limpho Hani Section – Soul City in Viljoenskroon
6. Disteneng – Seshego, Limpopo Province
7. Paradise Park in Hermanus
8. Scottsdene and Kraaifontein in Western Cape Province
9. Parkwood protests – City of Cape Town

( c ) The metrics that were used to measure performance included the following;

1. Liaise with various communities and stakeholders in relation to hotspot areas.
2. Conduct investigations on allegations of irregularities and malpractices in the implementation and the delivery of human settlement programmes or projects.
3. Engage key stakeholders to find solutions to Human Settlements challenges as raised by communities.
4. Provide appropriate support to distress communities and make recommendations to the Minister on any Human Settlements related matters
5. Investigate community concerns and report findings, together with recommendations on the most appropriate manner to resolve them to the Minister
6. Identify appropriate steps and actions to be taken to improve implementation and delivery of Human Settlements programmes and/or projects.

Reply:

(a) (i) and (ii) In terms of section 17 of the Employment of Educators Act, cases of sexual nature are identified as sexual misconduct and as such are not recorded as sexual harassment or sexual assault. Since the inception of Collective Agreement 3 of 2018 which entrusted the responsibility for discipline management of sexual misconduct cases to the Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC), the Department of Basic Education (DBE) rely on the information provided by the ELRC on cases of sexual misconduct. 

(aa) Therefore, according to the information received from the ELRC a total of 152 cases were received by the ELRC in the 2019/20 until 2021/22 financial years. This is the total number of the active cases and finalised cases. 

(bb) 66 cases were reported for 2021/22 financial year.

(b)   Cases (i); (ii); and (iii)

Year	Cases Opened	Cases concluded	Cases withdrawn	Cases pending
2019/20	Information not provided	20	0	17
2020/21	Information not provided	29	0	6
2021/22	Information not provided	33	0	47
TOTAL	-	82	0	70

(c) Sanction for persons who were found guilty of sexual misconduct is dismissal.

Reply:

Question 932 (1) (a)	Question 932 (1) (b)	Question 932 (2)	Question 932 (3) (a)	Q932 (3) (b) (i) (ii)	Question 932 (c)
Province	Municipality	Name of Informal settlement	Responsible for TRU and De-densification	TRU and Dedensification directive	Informal Settlements de-densified	Where and how they were de-densified	Nature of TRU
Gauteng	City of Johannesburg	Diepsloot	HDA	Construction of 2 208 TRU’s	The Project was handed back to the CoJ for further implementation following the expiry of the implementation protocol (IP) between the HDA and CoJ. There were no completed TRUs at the time of hand over to the City.	N/A	N/A
			COJ	Resettlement of 1348 approved beneficiaries to completed units in Riverside Project	Project was completed	N/A	N/A
Gauteng	City of Johannesburg	Zandspruit	HDA / COJ	Construction of 1402 TRUs on Zandspruit Ext. 84	The Project was handed back to the CoJ for further implementation following the expiry of the implementation protocol (IP) between the HDA and CoJ. There were no completed TRUs at the time of hand over to the City.	N/A	N/A
1. Gauteng	City of Johannesburg	Ivory Park (Rabie Ridge)	HDA / COJ	Construction of 1200 TRUs Erven 1075 & 1345 Rabie Ridge	3 TRU show houses completed, however, they were destroyed during community unrests due to delayed payment of locals. The project was then handed over to the City of Johannesburg for further implementation	N/A	N/A
2. Gauteng	City of Johannesburg	Alex Stjwetla	JOSHCO / GDHS	Construction of 4581 TRUs	The project is being implemented by JOSHCO to de-densify Stjwetla informal settlementand they are in the process of constructing 1500 TRUs	N/A	N/A
3. Gauteng	Merafong	Khutsong	HDA / GDHS	Allocation of 1500 completed units in Elijah Barayi to qualifying beneficiaries	Khutsong/Kokosi	894 households relocated into completed housing units in Elijah Barayi by the HDA and the rest were relocated by the Gauteng Provincial Department of Human Settlements.	N/A
4. Gauteng	City of Tshwane	Mamelodi Hostel	HDA / COT	Construction of 1000 TRUs	Mamelodi Hostel	The project scope was reduced to 633 units of which 454 are completed. The process of allocating the completed units to the targeted beneficiaries was done by the City of Tshwane.	Relocatable 30 m2 primed steel rectangular tubing used for wall frames and brown chromadeck broad float for external cladding, gypsum fire board is used for internal cladding on all walls as well as Internal partition wall.
5. Gauteng	City of Tshwane	The TRU and TRA are required accommodate Mamelodi flood victims.	HDA / COT	Construction of 100 TRUs	Mamelodi flood victims. The households have resided in halls and churches since the floods	62 units were completed out of the initial planned 100 units. There were no beneficiaries identified by City of Tshwane to construct the remaining 38 units.	Relocatable 30m2 prefabricated fibre cement formwork modular panel structure with a design life span of more than 15 years.
6. Limpopo	Fetakgomo-Tubatse	Burgersfort Ext 10	HDA	Relocation of 152 households to TRUs on farm Apiesdoringdraai	Burgersfort Ext 10	The project was suspended by the Limpopo Department of CoGHSTA.	N/A
7. Limpopo	Tzaneen	Talana Hostel	HDA	Relocation of 40 households to TRUs on adjacent land	Talana Hostel	40 units completed; however, the remedial works has not been implemented pending approval of the building plans by the municipality.	Light steel 30 m2 relocatable structure with external IBR gladding.
8. Limpopo	Lephalale	Mamojela	Water & Sanitation	Augment basic services provision (water)	Augmentation of basic services completed	Augmentation of basic services completed	N/A
9. Limpopo	Thabazimbi	Smashblock	Water & Sanitation	Augment basic services provision (water)	Augmentation of basic services completed	Augmentation of basic services completed	N/A
10. Limpopo	Elias Motsoaledi	Rossenekal	Water & Sanitation	Augment basic services provision (water)	Augmentation of basic services completed	Augmentation of basic services completed	N/A
11. Northwest	Rustenburg	Boitekong	NWPDHS	Allocation of 600 sites in Boitekong Ext 16 to qualifying households and resettlement of households to permanent stands – internal reticulation and bulk infrastructure	No de-densification done to date	N/A	N/A
	Madibeng	Klipgat Madibeng Hills	Water & Sanitation	Augment basic services provision (water)	Augmentation of basic services completed	Augmentation of basic services completed	N/A
13. Western Cape	City of Cape Town	Du Noon	HDA	1500 TRUs	No de-densification done to date	N/A	N/A
14. Western Cape	City of Cape Town	Kosovo	HDA	2000 TRUs	No de-densification done to date	N/A	N/A
15.  Western Cape	City of Cape Town	Airport Precinct, Khayelitsha	HDA	3000 TRUs	No de-densification done to date	N/A	N/A
16. Eastern Cape	Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality	Mdantsane Duncan Village	HDA	The directive involves the construction of 1174 units to accommodate residents of the Duncan Village informal settlements.	465 Units completed to date (Mtsotso – Mdantsane)	The de-densification involves the construction of 1174 units on identified sites adjacent to Duncan Village	The 30m2 transitional residential housing units are built with alternative building material on the outskirts of an existing township. These are family units located in a fenced settlement that provide both healthy living and security to the residents of the settlements
17. Eastern Cape	Buffalo City	Ziphunzana bypass & Gompo	ASLA	Construction of 2000 TRU’s in Ziphunzana bypass & Gompo	1088 serviced sites completed	N/A	N/A
18. Eastern Cape	Nelson Mandela	Moegesukkel	Water & Sanitation	Augment basic service (water and sanitation)	Augmentation of basic services completed	Augmentation of basic services completed	N/A
19. Northern Cape	Sol Plaatjie	Rietvalei	Water & Sanitation	Augment basic services provision (water)	Augmentation of basic services completed	Augmentation of basic services completed	N/A
20. Northern Cape	Sol Plaatjie	Lerato Park	Water & Sanitation	Augment basic services provision (water)	Augmentation of basic services completed	Augmentation of basic services completed	N/A
21. Northern Cape	Springbok	Witbank	Water & Sanitation	Augment basic services provision (water)	Augmentation of basic services completed	Augmentation of basic services completed	N/A
22. Northern Cape	Phokwane	Nkandla	Water & Sanitation	Augment basic services provision (water)	Augmentation of basic services completed	Augmentation of basic services completed	N/A
23. KZN	eThekwini	Amaoti	eThekwini	Augmentation of water services	N/A	N/A	N/A
24. KZN	eThekwini	Kennedy Road	eThekwini	45 units	Project Complete	N/A	N/A (permanent housing)
25. Free State	Mangaung	Caleb Motshabi / Kgotsong	Mangaung	Provision of additional basic services points	Project Complete	N/A	N/A
26. Free State	Mangaung	Grassland	Mangaung	Provision of additional basic services points	Project Complete	N/A	N/A
27.Free State	Mangaung	Bloemside Phase 7	Mangaung	Provision of additional basic services points	Project Complete	N/A	N/A
28. Free State	Mangaung	Bloemside 9&10	Mangaung	Provision of additional basic services points	Project Complete	N/A	N/A
30.Mpumalanga	Emalahleni	Iraq	Emalahleni	Augment basic services provision (water)	Augmentation of basic services completed	Augmentation of basic services completed	N/A

Reply:

PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION: (PSC)

The Public Service Commission (PSC) is an independent Constitutional body, accountable to the National Assembly. It is therefore not an entity or body reporting to the Minister of Public Service and Administration (MPSA). Its budget is appropriated via the MPSA.

The supplier invoices unpaid is as follows:

DESCRIPTION	CURRENT (a)	30 DAYS (aa)	60 DAYS (bb)	90 DAYS (cc)	120 DAYS (dd)	TOTAL (b)
Number of unpaid invoices	109	-	-	-	-	109
Amount outstanding	R 4,586,928.59	-	-	-	-	R 4,586,928.59
Date envisaged that amount will be settled	2022/03/15		-	-	-	-

REPLY:

CENTER FOR PUBLIC SERVICE INNOVATION (CPSI)

(a) (i) The CPSI does not have any supplier invoices that remain unpaid for more than

(aa) N/A

(bb) N/A

(dd) N/A

(b) N/A

(c) N/A

REPLY:

NATIONAL SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT (NSG)

The following is the response of the National School of Government, a government department under the Minister of Public Service and Administration.

(a) What number of supplier invoices currently remain unpaid by (ii) each entity reporting to the Minister of Public Service and Administration for more than:

(aa) 30 days - None

(bb) 60 days - None

(cc) 90 days - None

(dd) 120 days – None

(b) What is the total amount outstanding in each case:

None

(c) By what date is it envisaged that the outstanding amounts will be settled?

Not Applicable

REPLY:

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION (DPSA)

The Department of Public Service and Administration is not in possession of any unpaid invoices for which there are contractual obligations.

Kindly note that the information provided pertains to the DPSA only and not for other entities reporting to the MPSA.

End

Reply:

a) Lifestyle audits will be considered “not passed” if criminal conduct was identified during a lifestyle review, which was referred for a lifestyle investigation that progressed into a criminal investigation conducted by the Police, and eventually resulted in a prosecution. The consequence will be a criminal record, as pronounced by court. Disciplinary steps will also be taken against such an employee. Regulation 61 of the Public Service Regulations, 2016, guides the re-employment of former employees dismissed for misconduct.

b) The completion cycle of lifestyle audits is linked to the financial interest declaration cycle and as such must be completed at the end of each financial year for Senior Management Service (MS) Members and at the end of every second financial year for non-SMS Members.

End

Reply:

DIRCO has been monitoring developments in consultation with the Head of Mission, at the South African Embassy in the Ukraine prior to the evacuation of the South African citizens. The Embassy created a WhatsApp group for all the South African citizens to register to enable the Embassy to keep them updated on developments. The Head of Mission has been active on the group and His Excellency has been in constant communication with the South African citizens on developments and advising them to leave Ukraine considering the growing threat.

The Head of Mission negotiated the safe passage for South African citizens through Poland, Romania and Hungary which citizens used and a number of them were able to return to South Africa. DIRCO is pleased to report that no casualties or fatalities were reported. The South African Missions in Poland and Hungary were proactive in assisting South African citizens as they arrived in the respective countries.

Reply:

 In support of the provisioning of quality learning and teaching, the Quality Learning and Teaching Campaign (QLTC) has established inclusive QLTC structures across all levels of the system. In addition, the QLTC has established partnerships with relevant stakeholders who support education programmes.  The QLTC  has  developed monitoring and support programmes that assist the system to identify areas of need as well as develop strategies for intervention. The QLTC further participates in advocacy and campaigns to create awareness on critical programmes of education. The campaigns are conducted in collaboration with relevant stakeholders that will be  youth formation, traditional  leaders, Faith-Based Organisations, Non-Profit Organisations,  SGBs, Businesses, etc. 

Reply:

No.

a) No

b) Not applicable

c) Not applicable

End

Reply:

The Department together with the Provincial Education Department in the Eastern Cape Province as well as the project management office appointed by the EC continues to engage on daily meetings with distributors for continuous monitoring and control of the deliveries currently taking place.

Reply:

1. According to the departmental records on the National Population Register (NPR) the total number of girls under the age of 18 years married in the past eight years to date is as follows:

ACADEMIC YEAR	14	15	16	17	TOTAL UNDER-AGE MARRIAGES
2015			14	57	71
2016		1	5	56	62
2017		1	7	25	33
2018			11	16	27
2019		1	13	29	43
2020			8	21	29
2021		1	7	13	21
2022				1	1
TOTAL		4	65	218	287

2. The statistics above were recorded on the National Population Register (NPR) and were not registered per province. The statistics therefore only represent the total number of under-age marriages during the review period.

END

Reply:

a) The status of the reported cases for the Department is as follows:

(i) 2019/20 – 2 cases were reported;

2020/21 - 0 cases reported; and

2021/22 - 2 case was reported.

(ii) No incidences of sexual assault were reported in the last three financial years.

b) Since 1 April 2021, only 2 cases have been reported.

(i) 2 cases were opened, 1 in the Department and 1 reported to CCMA, none of these have been concluded;

(ii) No case has been withdrawn;

(iii) The 2 cases are still open, the case with the department is still undergoing a disciplinary process and the case CCMA is at arbitration stage

c) The sanction of dismissal was meted out to the employee who was found guilty.

 

END

Reply:

1. The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) and the Banks have not signed the Public Private Partnership (PPP) due to a number of pertinent issues that still need be resolved between the parties before the signing of the PPP agreements. These issues are related to: system support at the banks, allocation of dedicated DHA official per bank and also training of certain bank officials. Currently, the Civic Services team is under-capacitated across DHA Civic Services branches nationwide with no additional staff to send to the Banks. This issue is applicable to all potential banks for further rollout of the service, in question.

2. Indeed, equipment has been installed at ABSA Stellenbosch Branch, however there is no dedicated DHA official to be assigned to the branch. Furthermore, the issue of PPP sign-off is still pending and this will pave a way for the DHA to initiate a rollout plan (including human resources) with the banks who are will to participate and this includes ABSA Branch in Stellenbosch.

END

Reply:

1. South Africa remains deeply concerned by the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine. We welcome the commencement of talks between Ukraine and Russia. We hope that these discussions will lead to a diplomatic solution that will result in a sustainable political solution. South Africa is of the view that this armed conflict, like all others, will result in unnecessary human suffering and destruction with global ramifications. In situations of conflict, the most vulnerable tend to suffer most, during and post the conflict.

It is regrettable that at a time when the world is struggling to emerge from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are seized with a conflict that will further delay the world’s recovery. UN Secretary-General, Guterres reminded us of this when he stated that the conflict will have a huge impact on the “global economy in a moment when we are emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic and so many developing countries need to have space for the recovery”.

The UN was founded after the horrors of the Second World War, with the aim of saving succeeding generations from the scourge of war. It is for this reason that the Charter of the United Nations enjoins all member states to settle their disputes by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace, security, and justice are not endangered.

We stress that peace is best built through diplomacy and dialogue within the framework of the institutions of global dialogue, especially the United Nations. It is important for all nations to respect and uphold the principles of international law, including international humanitarian law and the provisions of the UN Charter.

The UN is now in its 76th year of existence and the events of the last two weeks have again reminded us of the urgent need to reform the UN, especially the UN Security Council, which is long overdue. We need a Council free from the legacy of the Cold War so that it can genuinely be the space where the community of nations comes together to resolve conflict and build a more just and peaceful world.

South Africa always appreciates the value that dialogue has in averting a crisis and de-escalating conflict. This is in line with our strong commitment to the peaceful resolution of conflict. In this regard, we also urge the Security Council to utilise existing tools at its disposal in support of the pacific settlement of disputes. We also believe that the Good Offices of the UN Secretary-General could make a positive contribution in finding a lasting solution to this conflict and should be utilised.

We urge all parties to approach the situation in a spirit of compromise, with all sides upholding human rights, abiding by their obligations under international law and international humanitarian law. A diplomatic solution to the problem should address the security concerns of the parties.

South Africa continues to support and encourage regional initiatives such as the Minsk Agreements, and we welcome the work of the Normandy Format, the Trilateral Contact Group and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

The situation in Ukraine should not be allowed to affect negatively other priorities of the international community and the rest of the work of the United Nations. We furthermore note with concern that not all situations of conflict have received the same attention, indeed whilst there is this focus on Ukraine, long-standing situations that the Security Council is seized with continue without resolution. It is necessary that we devote equal attention to other long-standing conflicts where the UN Charter and human rights are being violated.

2. South Africa continues to encourage all the parties, through quiet diplomacy, within all relevant international mechanisms, such as the United Nations (UN) including BRICS, to strengthen all diplomatic efforts to avoid an escalation of tensions, and work towards an inclusive, sustainable and peaceful solution based on cooperation and dialogue. In this regard South Africa encourages all parties to approach dialogue with the spirit of compromise in order to move the process forward without accusing any party, something that will not be helpful in the efforts to resolve the conflict. South Africa stands by its principled position of peaceful resolution of conflicts. South Africa reiterates the obligation of all the parties to fully implement all of their respective commitments under the Minsk Agreements, which provide the most promising roadmap for the peaceful settlement of the current hostilities, including in eastern Ukraine, and to advance the cause of peace and stability in the broader region. South Africa cannot be seen to be taking sides on the conflict as this goes against her principle/s. In addition, South Africa has good bilateral relations with both countries, it would therefore be unwise to take a different position that could compromise these bilateral relations.

 

COMPILER DETAILS

Mr Onnie Kok

CONTACT: (012) 351-1467

RECOMMENDATION

It is recommended that the Minister signs Parliamentary Reply No 904.

 

AMBASSADOR NN LOSI

ACTING DIRECTOR–GENERAL: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND COOPERATION

DATE:

PARLIAMENTARY REPLY 904 IS APPROVED / NOT APPROVED / AMENDED.

COMMENT/S

DR GNM PANDOR, MP

MINISTER OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND COOPERATION

Reply:

The Department does not have the records of undocumented children as the records at its disposal are of those who are documented. As such it is difficult to ascertain the number of the undocumented children being those born to South African parents or foreign nationals. Undocumented persons have to present themselves for registration on the National Population Register by the Department to achieve such. Thus far the North West Province has received 4773 applications for children 14 years and younger, that are to be processed.

END

Reply:

(1) (a) 912 (b) 706 (c) 547

(2) In terms of the valuation of educator qualifications, unqualified educators that are both academically and professionally unqualified with the qualification equivalent to Grade 12 while the under-qualified educators are those that are professionally qualified both in terms of subject matter and methodology but below the minimum qualification of matric plus three-year professional qualification. The table below summarises the number of qualified and unqualified educators as of December 2021. Only 218 were appointed permanently.

PROVINCE	UNQUALIFIED (a) (I)(ii)	UNDER-QUALIFIED (b)(i)(ii)	TOTAL
EASTERN CAPE	29	132	161
FREE STATE	44	40	84
GAUTENG	8	62	70
KWAZULU/NATAL	123	15	138
LIMPOPO	1	17	18
MPUMALANGA	56	32	88
NORTH WEST	3	84	87
NORTHERN CAPE	308	10	318
WESTERN CAPE	456	155	611
TOTAL	1 028	547	1 575

3. The detailed information per district and school is attached as Annexure A.

4. Over the years the Department has implemented various programmes, particularly, to assist un-and-under-qualified educators to improve their qualifications. The National Professional Diploma was implemented as an interim qualification for the purpose of upgrading under-qualified educators. 

Reply:

(a) One (1)
(b) R 702,937.00

Reply:

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a) The total number of incidents of sexual harassment and sexual assault that were reported in the department for the past three financial years:

(i) Sexual Harassment

2018/2019- 0

2019/2020- 2 cases were reported.

2020/2021- 0

2021/22 to date- 5 cases were reported.

(ii) Sexual Assault

2018/2019- 0

2019/2020- 0

2020/2021- 0

2021/22 to date- 0

b) Number of cases which were:

(i) Opened and Concluded

Sexual Harassment

2018/2019- 0

2019/2020- 2 cases were opened and concluded.

2020/2021- 0

2021/22 to date- 2 cases were opened and concluded

(ii) Withdrawn

Sexual Harassment

2018/2019- 0

2019/2020- 0

2020/2021- 0

2021/22 to date- 0

(iii) remain open or pending based on incidents:

Sexual Harassment

2018/2019- 0

2019/2020- 0

2020/2021- 0

2021/22 to date- 3 cases reported and investigation is ongoing.

c) Sanctions meted out against each person found guilty:

Sexual Harassment

2018/2019- 0

2019/2020- 1 case (Dismissal).

2020/2021- 0 (No cases reported).

2021/22 to date- 1 case (FWW) and 1 not found guilty by the chairperson.

END.

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(a) What are the reasons that his department has not provided bus stations in townships to serve as shelters for commuters of the bus rapid transit Go George similar to those in suburban areas?

The GO GEORGE public transport service does not differentiate between suburban and township areas, but rather between urban, peri-urban and rural contexts. In terms of this context, all urban areas in the Municipal area are accommodated in the same manner, using a phased infrastructure approach in areas where the bus service is implemented. This phased infrastructure approach includes the provision of stops, followed by the addition of shelters and other infrastructure as the service settles and the chosen routing and user patterns stabilise adequately.

These shelters are provided based on a warrant system, which considers several aspects and provides a priority weighting of which stops require shelters as budget becomes available. This weighting includes elements such as the number of passengers using a specific stop, the number of intersecting bus routes at that stop, pedestrian safety and exposure to the elements. The warrant also provides an indication of the size of shelter required.

(b) Does his department have any plans to build such waiting shelters?

At this point in time, the service has not yet been implemented in Thembalethu (Township) but the routes covering Thembalethu are in the planning and design process. Bus stops are currently being planned along these routes and once the service is implemented, shelters will be placed at the stops in a phased manner, based on budget availability and the outcomes of the afore-mentioned warrant weighting system.

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Reply:

The transport sector, across the world, experienced massive ridership drop due to the pandemic brought about by the Coronavirus (Covid-19). This followed stringent measures imposed by many countries to mitigate and curb the spread of the virus. Some of these measures included restrictions in the movement of people through lockdowns as well as encouragement for people to work from home.

In South Africa, the taxi industry bore the brunt of these measures. Initially, taxis were permitted to carry only 50% of their licensed vehicle capacity and this was later increased to 70% when the lockdown restrictions were eased. The industry also had to contend with increased cost of procuring cleaning disinfectant materials for vehicles and sanitisers for passengers. The net effect of all these to the industry has been a declining revenue base and an increase in costs, which left many operators struggling to stay financially afloat.

In response, the Department secured once off ex gratia relief funds to the value of R1,135 billion to assist operators to mitigate the effect of Covid-19. The relief scheme is not intended to compensate for loss of income and was provided in terms of the Disaster Management Act.

The Taxi Relief Fund was approved as relief to operators from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Reply:

According to the National Treasury, amounts owed by Organs of State to municipalities have been quantified. The quantification is derived from the consolidated quarterly reports as provided for by section 71 of the Municipal Finance Management Act.

According to the report for the second quarter ending December 2021, Municipalities are owed R19.5 billion by Organs of State. This is broken down into R8.2 billion owed by National Departments, R9.2 billion owed by Provincial Organs of State, and R2.1 billion owed in the category “Other” which consists of State Owned Institutions, Municipalities owing other municipalities, and in some cases Traditional Councils owing Municipalities. The following are the reasons for the continued escalation of inter-governmental debt:

• Provinces are struggling to keep up to date with increases imposed by Municipalities for services and property taxes;

• Allocations to Provincial Departments of Public Works and Infrastructure are not subjected to the same increases that Municipalities impose for services and property taxes. Municipal increases weigh much higher than the increases in the budget allocations to Departments;

• There are a large number of properties that still have the incorrect naming configuration. These properties are supposed to be in the name of Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, yet they still appear on the Deeds Registry as having names such as “RSA”, and other names from the old categorisation.  As a result of this challenge, Municipalities are not billing the correct custodian of the property, due to incorrect names in their municipal books.

• Another area of concern is that the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure disputes many of the invoices issued by Municipalities, and questions the credibility thereof.

• The last area relates to properties that have no contractual arrangements in place. Most of these properties belong to the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, yet there are other user Departments utilising the premises. In light of no contractual arrangements between the two parties, the bill remains unpaid to the Municipality, and accumulating arrears.

• END -

Reply:

Item
	(i)Minister	2019/20	2020/21	2021/22
(a)Catering		R250 116.50	R2 268.23	R846 620.54
(b) Entertainment		R3 942.86	N/A	N/A
(c)Accommodation	Foreign	R467 832.40	N/A	R517 439.79
	Domestic	R939 288.34	R159 237.37	R462 351.84
	(ii)Deputy Minister
(a)Catering		R8 573.70	R30 000.00	N/A
(b) Entertainment		R1 651.60	N/A	N/A
(c)accommodation	Foreign	R237 932.03	N/A	N/A
	Domestic	R584 789.89	R989 829.05	R1 277 926.79
	(iii)Other Officials
(a)Catering		R20 704 303.00	R3 457 792.24	R4 494 936.00
(b)Entertainment		R140 303.40	R3 159.10	R47 610.26
(c)accommodation	Foreign	R3 910 625.20	R10 683.04	R1 532 877.43
	Domestic	R54 594 428.70	R17 723 630.00	R36 457 309.90

Reply:

1. (a) The Department has not yet taken control of early childhood development centres; and therefore, would not be able to provide such information. the function shift will only take place in the 2022/3 financial year.

(b) and (c) The Department is not aware of any learner at primary or high school, who has been denied access to schooling due to lack of identity documents or birth certificate. Such documents have been outlawed as prerequisites for admissions by the Court of Law; and that the Department has issued Circulars and mediated the information to all provinces, Districts and schools.

 (2)   We are also not aware of learners who could not write  the National Senior Certificate examination in 2020, due to lack of identity documents.  A Circular to that effect by Umalusi, was distributed and mediated to all schools.    

                                                                                                             

Reply:

One of the key interventions under the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan is the Presidential Employment Stimulus, with over 850,000 opportunities created through job creation, job retention and livelihoods support programmes since October 2020. Eighty-five percent (85%) of jobs created by the Presidential Employment Stimulus have gone to youth. This includes over half a million young people placed as school assistants since the inception of the stimulus.

In addition, the National Youth Development Agency continues to focus on the development of startup and scale up youth micro enterprises. Over the last five years the National Youth Development Agency has supported more than 100 000 young people through non-financial interventions such as entrepreneurship training and business development services.

For example, over 7 000 young entrepreneurs have been supported with development finance support through grant funding. In the 2022 / 2023 financial year, the National Youth Development Agency will support 25 000 young people with non-financial interventions, and 3 000 youth entrepreneurs with financial interventions in their entrepreneurship initiatives.

The Department of Higher Education and Training is also working closely with different bodies within the private sector across key sectors of the economy to unlock skills support for young people. This work will look at accelerating the skills intervention component of respective sector Master Plans, and unlocking latent demand in key labour intensive growth sectors. In this regard, Government’s initial focus will be on digital and technology, agriculture, automotive, social and renewable sectors.

Government is working directly with the private sector through the Youth Employment Services, which is an initiative of the private sector to address the ever-increasing challenge of youth unemployment in South Africa. The outcome of this initiative is to place the graduates to the private sector for learnerships, and internship programmes.

-END-

Reply:

a) The Department of Transport developed the Green Transport Strategy (GTS), which was approved in 2018. The GTS establishes the national environmental policy directive for the transportation sector. It begins by identifying the transportation sector as the fastest-growing source of SA's GHG emissions, with road transport being the primary source, and emphasizes the importance of transitioning to an accessible, cost-reflective, and affordable low carbon transportation system. The Strategy considers a variety of policy interventions that could significantly reduce "GHG emissions and other environmental impacts from the transportation sector by 5% by 2050, thereby promoting economic growth and inclusive development."

The GTS also makes provision for discussing the outlook for green transport technologies in its implementation pillars. Implementation Theme no 8. specifies the following actions: i) Reduce the carbon footprint and over-reliance of petroleum-based fuels, by decarbonizing the transport sector, ii) Promote the use of alternative fuels such as compressed natural gas (CNG) or biogas, and liquid biofuels, and iii) Promote and facilitate the uptake of electric, hybrid-electric, and fuel cell powered vehicles.

The policy statements from the GTS in its implementation themes as well as in its strategic pillars, have afforded the transport sector clear directives from the Department of Transport, as our predominant goal is to decarbonise the transport sector, and reduce the over-reliance on petroleum-based fuel in the sector, by promoting and encouraging the mass uptake of green transport technologies, including the mass uptake of electric vehicles.

Since the adoption of the GTS, and especially since the issue of electro-mobility is cross-cutting, the Department has been working in conjunction with other Departments such as DTIC (Department of Trade, Industry and Competition) on their work regarding automotive industry, specifically regarding new and efficient vehicle technologies.

Amongst the challenges identified were the, (i) range anxiety among consumers that became key in discussions around electric vehicles. Although this has dramatically been alleviated with the recent provisioning and upgrade of over two hundred charging stations throughout the country, it still remains a key challenge which we are constantly engaging among one another as government departments to resolve. (ii) The issue of the constrained power grid from ESKOM that also becomes a challenge for the overall uptake with a key issue of how these vehicles will be recharged should a major power outage should occur, or even during the regular load shedding intervals. There is also the issue of market stimulations of offering monetary incentives that other countries have incorporated into their ideals for the mass uptake of electric vehicles. The incentives can be offered to both the consumers and the manufacturers as was done in the areas around the EU such as Sweden, or Norway.

b) The Department is are also very cognisant however to the challenges that will occur for this shift in vehicle technology to occur, especially if it would be “mass uptake”.. The first challenge is that the tax regime (import duties) for electric vehicles in South Africa has created a situation of barrier to trade. Compared with the around 18% import duty currently added to the price of a vehicle with an internal combustion engine landing in South Africa, an all-electric vehicle is taxed by up to 25%, Thus pushing the electric vehicle out of the typical affordability market also puts the electric car into being classified as luxury, irrespective of the type, or model of the car. The import duties are currently being imposed by the Department of Trade Industry and Competition.

In the past rigorous, engagements between the two Departments, DOT and DTIC has occurred, on how to sufficiently manage the issues surrounding the import duties and how they are becoming a market barrier for the technological switch within the transport sector. To date the DTIC has developed a “Green Paper on New Energy Efficient Vehicles” which has the purpose of establishing a clear policy foundation that will enable the country to coordinate a long-term strategy that will position South Africa at the forefront of advanced vehicle manufacturing as well as advanced vehicle-component manufacturing. The strategy is complemented by a consumption leg, and a focus on increasing competitiveness in the global race to transition from the internal combustion engine era into electro-mobility solutions and technologies, and to help develop a roadmap to the local production of electric vehicles.

There are also efforts to build electric vehicles in SA, to keep our auto industry at the cutting edge of new market developments and to maintain our export capacity for key markets such as the EU and UK, whom have both set new targets and deadlines to reduce the number of fossil fuel reliant vehicles on their roads. We need charging infrastructure – and must expand beyond the existing two hundred charging points for electric vehicles in SA using the agreed SABS standards.

The ever-pressing issue of fiscal and non-fiscal incentives also becomes a challenge when dealing with making the electro-mobility market appealing to the consumer. The DTIC currently offers manufacturing incentives to OEMS’s in the country through their Automotive Incentive Scheme: the AIS provides for a non-taxable cash grant of 20% of the value of qualifying investment in productive assets for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and 25% of the value of qualifying investment in productive assets for component manufacturers and tooling companies, as approved by the DTIC: However, while these incentives are appreciated, they seem to be inadequate in ensuring that electric vehicles are competitively priced within the domestic market for both manufacturing of these vehicles and selling of the vehicles domestically.

The policy developments within each and between both the DOT and DTIC have created a shift as the country creates an enabling electro-mobility space. This new space within the vehicle industry will need intensive support from both the local OEM’s and government to ensure that there is seamless entry to the EV market throughout the whole value chain of electro-mobility. With the base of policy directive from the GTS and follow-up policy directive from the Auto Green Paper, there is a clear policy will form government regarding the uptake and implementation of EV’s within the South African car market.

Reply:

	Minister (i)	Deputy Minister (ii)	Department (iii)
Catering (a)	63,270	27,170	5,301,157
Entertainment (b)	56,535	20,292	350,045
Accommodation (c)	549,363	214,495	27,793,537

Reply:

The Department of Cooperative of Governance has identified, through the 2021 State of Local Government Report, 64 municipalities as dysfunctional and needing urgent support. These high-risk municipalities are characterised by, among other things, political infighting, poor and weak decision-making, poor governance and financial management, lack of consequence management, poor collection of revenue, and poor response to service delivery complaints.

As at 24 August 2021, out of the 64 dysfunctional Municipalities, the following 26 were placed under administration:

KZN PROVINCE	Abaqulusi
	Emadlangeni
	iNkosi Langalibalele
	Mpofana
	Msunduzi
	Mtubatuba
	Umkhanyakude
	Umzinyathi
	Nquthu
	Uthukela
WESTERN CAPE PROVINCE	Kannaland
LIMPOPO PROVINCE	Mogalakwena
FREE STATE PROVINCE	Mangaung
EASTERN CAPE PROVINCE	Amathole
	Enoch Mgijima
	OR Tambo
NORTHEN CAPE PROVINCE	Phokwane
GAUTENG PROVINCE	Emfuleni
	West Rand
NORTH WEST PROVINCE	JB Marks
	Madibeng
MPUMALANGA PROVINCE	Emalahleni
	Govan Mbeki
	Lekwa
	Msukaligwa
	Thaba Chweu

Both National and Provincial Teams have already engaged all 64 dysfunctional municipalities, including the 29 which were placed under administration, to develop Municipal Support and Intervention Plans. Upon engagements with all dysfunctional Municipalities, the following short and medium-term interventions were developed, and are currently being implemented:

Short-term interventions as adopted by Cabinet

• Fast-track repairs and maintenance of water infrastructure, sanitation, repair potholes, energise streetlights, attend to sewer spillages;
• All municipalities to upscale their efforts relating to community participation and citizen engagement;
• Fight vandalism and theft of public transport infrastructure in collaboration with sector departments;
• Fight gangsterism and criminal activities in collaboration with SAPS and other departments;
• Operationalisation of the Structures and Systems Acts which coincides with the commencement of the next term of local government;
• Conduct an in-depth assessment of municipalities that are already under section 139 of the Constitution, and deal with areas that need urgent attention by amongst others deploying technical support teams, District Development Model Political Champions to unblock persistent challenges etc.

Medium-term interventions:

• Support municipalities to develop Asset Management Plans using 5% of MIG;
• Restrict land invasion and facilitate housing development; 
• Seek land and housing development opportunities closer to work opportunities;
• Provide equitable, consistent and accessible transport for the low-income groups;
• Support municipalities to ensure that all Senior Managers meet the minimum competency requirements as provided for in the Regulations;
• Appoint and deploy the Rapid Response Team to prioritize the 64 municipalities with high-risk indicators;
• Provinces to intensify support on MPACs to municipalities;
• Facilitate settlement arrangements with ESKOM & Water Boards on debt owed;
• Support municipalities with the improvement of their customer data management, records management and Information and Communications;
• Reduce debt owed to municipalities through “Pay for Services Campaign”.

Reply:

The Department is expediting the finalisation of the public transport subsidy policy that proposes specific measures that will be implemented in the short, medium and long term. The policy document makes recommendations for the subsidisation of the taxi industry. The Department is preparing the policy draft for submission to Cabinet for approval to embark on stakeholder consultation.

 

Reply:

Government has established the Presidential Commission on Fourth Industrial Revolution which has produced a report with proposals on the development of the country's overarching strategy for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and made recommendations regarding the institutional frameworks, and roles of various sectors of society within the broader plan.

Amongst other things, the implementation plan which is monitored by the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation is focusing on the following Cluster-Based Programmes:

Economic Sectors, Investment, Employment & Infrastructure Development (ESIEID)

• Government Infrastructure Investment Smart Tender System: Digitisation of the tender process and adopt smart contracts (blockchain) to ensure transparency and public-private partnership initiatives to improve validation and verification.

• Advance public procurement model: In supporting 40% of all public procurement in South Africa being allocated to women-owned businesses, build an algorithm that will verify businesses and allocate government business accordingly.

Governance, State Capacity & Institutional Development (GSCID)

• Anti-fraud and corruption system: which will provide transparency in supply chain, and appointment of human resources. Develop and deploy mechanisms to be used to verify the processes; use blockchain to provide transparency and immutability.

• Public Sector Annual Performance Plan and Medium Term Strategic Framework system: Digitisation of the Annual Performance Plans for proper planning and ensure accountability on the MTSF. Develop a dashboard that will be used across the public administration to monitor performance and align the plans and projects to the NDP goals.

Social Protection, Community & Human Development (SPCHD)

• Advance the National Integrated Social Protection Information System (NISPIS): Integrate social development systems to ensure that the services are offered to the deserving beneficiaries, thorough verification, and validation is required. Align with the child protection act, where the sex offenders’ database is integrated with the NISPIS to ensure that children are not under the care of people in this database.
• Digital Identity: deploy the use of all features of the Smart ID, using convergent of technologies in institutions to safely and efficiently render services.

Justice, Crime Prevention & Security (JCPS)

• Use of vernacular languages in technologies: To promote and include the use of South African languages in economic activities. This will preserve local languages and allow vernacular communication with the global village.

• Establish a drone unit in the police force: For cost-effective surveillance, tracking and intelligence gathering. Drones are an alternative to using expensive helicopters.

• Digital court solutions: To improve the efficiency of court proceedings and secure data critical for prosecution.

International Cooperation, Trade & Security (ICTS)

• Digital visa integrated platforms to facilitate the movement of people in the continent.

• ACFTA integrated cross border systems for e-documents processing to facilitate the movement of goods, and to combat corruption in borders.

• Implement the application of satellite technology for remote sensing on ocean trade routes in combination with other platforms to ensure maritime safety and security, to fight piracy and improve harbours’ efficiency.

• END -

Reply:

The Human Resource Development Council established ten (10) Technical Task Teams based on the Five-Point Implementation Plan and focused on the following: Foundational Learning, TVET, Worker Education, Production of Academics and Stronger Partnerships between Industry and Higher Education and Training Institutions, Production of Professionals, Entrepreneurship and Education, Skills System Review, and Artisan Development as well as the Maritime Sector Skills. Broadly, the Technical Task Teams played a catalytic role towards the achievements of the Council.

Artisan Development

The Human Resource Development Council established a Technical Task Team on Artisan Development which assisted in ramping up the artisan development. Between 2014 and 2019, the number of competent artisans have steadily increased from 14 389 in 2014/15 to 24050 in 2019/20. Should this trajectory indeed be sustained, the country will be able to meet the National Development Plan target of producing 30 000 artisans per annum by 2030.

University Sector

The Department of Higher Education, Science and Technology has advised us that University enrolment at public institutions has increased from 495 356 in 1994 to 1 036 984 in 2017, indicating that the country is on course to reach the National Development Plan target of 1,6 million enrolments by 2030. The enrolments in Science, Engineering and Technology have increased with an average annual growth rate of 4,3% in 2017. The number of students graduating in technical fields in both Universities and Universities of Technology has also been increasing over the years.

 

TVET College Sector

Through the recommendations of the Human Resource Development Council, measures were put in place to reposition TVET as an important skills development sector to incrementally produce the required numbers of artisans. The TVET sector has expanded and enrolments amongst the youth. The TVET enrolment has increased from 358 393 in 2010 to 673 490 in 2019. This was made possible by mobilising government to make funding available to improve access, which has resulted in increased allocation for the National Student Financial Aid Scheme.

Maritime Skills

The Human Resource Development Council SA established the Maritime Sector Skills Technical Task Team in September 2013 to investigate blockages within the maritime skills development pipeline, and to propose measures that can be implemented to address those. The consequence of this intervention, amongst others, was the establishment of the South African International Maritime Institute which was funded by the National Skills Fund.

A considerable number of young people have benefited from the South African International Maritime Institute, as a result, some have been awarded bursaries, and scholarship to pursue maritime studies abroad.

 

In conclusion, the Human Resource Development Council has assumed the role of Human Resource Development pillar of the National Development Plan 2030 with an emphasis on “building the human resources required for an improved and competitive economy”. The location of Human Resource Development within the National Development Plan is intractably linked to achieving the broader socio-economic goals, including poverty alleviation, equity and social inclusion as central goals.

-END-

Reply:

(a) (i) The average national teacher-to-pupil ratio in 2021 was 1:31.4 (School Realities, published in January 2020). 

(ii) There is no regulated teacher-to-pupil ratio in South Africa. However, there is an established guideline that the average teacher-to pupil ratio at public ordinary schools should not be above 1:35 at primary and 1:40 at secondary schools. Although the afore-mentioned guideline which was established in terms of the Education Labour Relations Council's Resolution 4 of 1995 has since been replaced by the current post provisioning norms, it is being used as a point of reference.

(b) As indicated above, there is no regulated teacher-to pupil ratio in public education. 

Reply:

(1)       (a) By what date will the systemic tests commence nationally and (b) what grades will the specified tests cover;

            The systemic tests commenced on 28 February 2022 and covers grades 3, 6 and 9.

(2)       whether all learners in those grades will be tested; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

           In line with international testing methods, an intact class is randomly selected in approximately 3000 sampled schools for participation. All learners in this class participate but the learners in the other classes do not. This methodology maintains that a random selection of learners is able to statistically represent the broader learner population. The selected class is not known to the school before the test administration and the test items are confidential. 

(3)       who has formulated the tests;

        The tests were developed by test development panels who have been appointed and specifically trained by the Department of Basic Education to set high quality test items using item response theory. 

(4)       whether the tests have been internationally benchmarked; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details;

            Yes, the tests and test items have been quality assured by the Australian Council for Education Research (ACER)

(5)       whether the tests will be independently marked; if not, who will mark them; if so, what are the relevant details?    

            The tests have only multiple choice questions which are marked by a computer system. The marking is automated to reduce error and improve efficiency of resulting.                          

Reply:

(a)    R135 549 259.

(b)    EC: R13 893 274.12.

        FS: R11 970 558.79.

        GP: R47 000 000.00.

        KZN: R50 000 000.00.

        LP: The PED utilised the Norms and Standards funding for repairs.

        MP: R3 059 644.50.

        NC: R9 625 782.00.

        NW: The PED utilised School Norms and standards funding for repairs.

        WC: The PED utilised the Norms and Standards funding for repairs.

(c) All schools are fully operational.

(d) As per above.

(e) All schools were repaired or provided with mobile classrooms where required, and are fully operational.

Reply:

There has been no demand from the Department of Science and Innovation that South African scientists should not comment on the conflict in Ukraine. The Department has, however, advised the public entities reporting to the DSI, not to comment on the political aspects of the conflict, as these are matters of foreign policy, and it is the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, which is the competent authority to comment on foreign policy for the South African Government.

Reply:

(1)(a) The waiver was issued in 2016 long before I came to the Department and was never mentioned in any report. I was alerted to this waiver by the Director-General who himself was alerted by a phone interview on Thobela FM an SABC radio station, where a Zimbabwean citizen mentioned it.

(1)(b) In 2016 the Department only issued a waiver that allowed students who are studying towards a critical skill in terms of the old critical skills list of 2014, to be able to apply directly for permanent residence if they so opted. I am advised that this waiver was not in terms of the immigration laws and hence unlawful more so, it said the waiver is indefinite.

(2) Yes, the waiver has been withdrawn because we can’t perpetuate an illegality.

(3) No investigation has been conducted as graduates must ensure that they have the necessary valid visa if they stay in the RSA thereafter.

END

:

Reply:

The question has been referred to the North West Department of Education and a response will be provided as soon as it is received.

Reply:

Find reply here