Questions and Replies
31 March 2022 - NW494
Masipa, Mr NP to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
Whether she will furnish Mr N P Masipa with a breakdown of (a) the source of the funds and (b) the (i) total amount and (ii) service providers used to refurbish the (aa) office, (bb) canteen and (cc) reception office of the Onderstepoort Biological Products over the past 10 financial years; (2) whether the amount(s) was/were approved by the board; if not, will she furnish Mr N P Masipa with the deviation details and/or sanction taken against the persons and (b) the processes going forward; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
(1)(a),(b),(i),(ii),(aa),(bb),(cc),(2)(b)
Yes. The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) has consulted with the Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP) and agreed that due to the nature of the information required, an investigation and mining of data needs to be undertaken. The process will assist to ensure correctness of the information in order for DALRRD to be able to respond with certainty and accuracy. DALRRD undertakes to investigate and respond to the question as soon as possible.
31 March 2022 - NW265
Montwedi, Mr Mk to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
(a) Which plans have been put in place to deal with dysfunctional Communal Property Associations (CPA) and (b) what (i) total number of CPAs are considered dysfunctional in the Republic and (ii) are their names?
Reply:
a) Dysfunctional Communal Property Associations (CPA) have been identified and the dysfunctionality ranges from non-compliance with the Act, mismanagement of CPA resources as well as conflicts and disputes amongst the members. The Department has therefore in terms of section 13 of the CPA Act approached the courts having jurisdiction in the area where the CPAs are situated and applied for an order to place the Communal Property Association or Provisional Association under the administration of the Director General. The Director General has, pursuant to such orders being granted, and powers given to him/her, appointed judicial administrators to administer and manage the affairs of the association as directed by the court. This intervention has resulted in the dysfunctional CPAs being placed under administration.
b) (i) Six (6) CPAs are considered dysfunctional in the Republic.
(ii) Please refer to the table below on CPAs under administration:
Province |
CPA Name |
Reg No |
Eastern Cape |
Mgungundlovu |
15/1451/A |
Mpumalanga |
Moloto |
08/1109/A |
North West |
Barolong Boo Modiboa |
07/0982/A |
Northern Cape |
Khomani San |
09/1230/A |
Northern Cape |
Richtersveld Sida! Hub |
99/0146/A |
Western Cape |
Elandskloof |
99/0001/A |
31 March 2022 - NW441
Cebekhulu, Inkosi RN to ask the Minister in the Presidency
What is the role of the State Security Agency in the Government’s efforts to combat gangsterism and organised crime, especially in (a) Cape Town, (b) Durban and (c) Johannesburg?
Reply:
The mandate of State Security Agency is to provide timely intelligence to government on domestic and foreign threats or potential threats to national security across the country, including in the three mentioned cities. Hence the SSA directed by various legislative prescripts plays a supportive role to law enforcement agencies through the provision of intelligence on threats posed by gang activities to the country’s national security with emphasis on the following:
- The nature and extent to which gangs threaten the economy, human welfare and sovereignty.
- The nature and extent to which gangs contribute to the manifestation of corruption.
- The nature and extent of relationships between gangs and organised crime syndicates.
- The efficacy and functionality of the state’s anti-gang policies and interventions.
The SSA, through the Intelligence Coordinating Committee (ICC), shares information with South African Police Service Counterintelligence for further investigation on identified or potential perpetrators to guide law enforcement on ensuring successful prosecution. Hence, the SSA supports investigations and mitigation strategies to address transnational organised and syndicated criminal activities, as well as their causal factors.
The countering strategy is to focus on the extent to which organised crime undermines good governance, sabotages the State’s economy and threatens the welfare of communities and sovereignty.
31 March 2022 - NW235
Ceza, Mr K to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
What intervention has she made to resolve the perennial financial problems at Amahlathi Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape, which has consistently failed to pay its workers because it has financially collapsed?
Reply:
The municipality was previously placed under intervention in terms of sec 139(1)(b) and (5) of the Constitution between March 2019 to November 2019. An administrator was appointed in line with subsection 5(c) of the Constitution from the beginning of March 2019.
Forensic investigations were instituted by the Eastern Cape Provincial CoGTA in accordance with section 106 of the Municipal Systems Act to probe allegations of procurement processes and irregularities.
In January 2020, the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs in the Eastern Cape wrote a letter to the National Department requesting financial bailout on 16 financially distressed municipalities including Amahlathi Local Municipality. A joint technical team comprising of CoGTA. Provincial CoGTA, National and Provincial Treasury and SALGA was convened to develop a diagnostic report on the challenges in identified municipalities ranging from governance, institutional capacity, service delivery and financial management, wherafter recommendations were made to this effect.
The financial paralyses in Amahlathi Municipality comprise of various factors, including structural and systematic issues, institutional stabilization, administrative and governance matters. The wage bill of the municipality is significantly higher than the norm of 40% and unprocedural processes on the standardization of salaries has increased the wage bill.
Amahlathi Municipality is amongst the 64 municipalities identified in the recent State of Local Government Report as being dysfunctional. The Department is working jointly with the National Treasury, SALGA and their provincial counterparts, and municipalities to finalize the Municipal Support and Intervention Plans.
The Department has promulgated the Municipal Staff Regulations in September 2021, setting out amongst others uniform norms and standards for municipal staff systems and procedures, including organisation design principles, financial ratios, organisation design norms and metrics. The implementation of these Regulations will provide needed stability and curtail the bloating of municipalities.
In addition, the implementation of the Regulations comes with the prototype staff establishments. The Department is on the verge of rolling out the prototype staff establishments in selected municipalities, including Amahlathi Municipality, which is aimed at guiding municipalities to organise their administration in such a manner that they are fit for purpose and responsive to the needs of communities.
31 March 2022 - NW245
Siwisa, Ms AM to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
In light of the fact that in 2021 councillors of the Nquthu Local Municipality took a case of irregular appointment of senior municipal officials to the High Court in Pietermaritzburg, which found that indeed the appointments were irregular, and noting that at present an Acting Municipal Manager has been appointed at Newcastle Local Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal without any resolutions of the full council sitting, (a) how is her department going to ensure that municipalities do not continue with illegal appointments in future and (b) what steps will be taken against those who are involved in such illegal activities?
Reply:
a) To circumvent this and similar situations, a number of plans aimed at strengthening administrative systems, governance and improving accountability in local government were unveiled including the enactment of the Local Government: Municipal Systems Amendment Act, 2011, (Act No 7 of 2011) [herein referred to as the “2011 Amendment Act”]. The 2011 Amendment Act comes as a policy response to institutional and administrative challenges of municipalities. It outlined government’s resolve to professionalise local public administration to ensure fair, efficient, effective and transparent municipal administration. It also empowered the Minister and MEC responsible for local government to take apprioptiate steps as may be necessary to enforce compliance with the appointment requirements, where an appointment has been made in contravention with these requirements, including an application for a declaratory order to the court. As the Honourable Member maybe aware, the Constitutional Court declared the 2011 Amendment Act unconstitutional and invalid in its entirety in March 2019, as the Bill preceding the 2011 Amendment Act was incorrectly tagged by Parliament 2011 which has negatively impacted government’s resolve to professionalise the sector. The Local Government: Municipal Systems Amendemnt Act [herein referred to as the “Amendment Bill”] was re-introduced to Parliament in February 2019 with the same provisions as enacted in 2011. Parliament is hard at work to finalise the Amendment Bill. In the interim municipalities will continue to be monitored and supported to adhere to the legislation in respect of the appointment of senior managers, and to ensure that municipalities comply with key recruitment and selection statutory provisions.
b) Where a councillor(s) knowingly took an unlawful action or decision, which invariably results in instability in municipalities that councillor(s) will be held liable for any fruitless and wasteful expenditure that the municipality may incur as result of voting in favour of resolutions before the council or a committee of the council which conflicts with legislation applicable to local government. It introduces a liability clause in the Code of Conduct for Municipal Councillors contained Municipal Structures Act, 1998.
31 March 2022 - NW214
Mokgotho, Ms SM to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
In light of the fact that the Moses Kotane Local Municipality in North-West built two reservoirs in 2019 in order to supply the community of Ledig with water but to date the reservoirs are without water, (a) what are the reasons that the reservoirs are not in use and (b) on what date is it envisaged they will be put to use?
Reply:
The information received from the North-West Province:
1. There are no two (2) reservoirs that were built in 2019 and the only existing reservoir is the 3,5 ML/day reservoir that was built in 2009 and on its own does not have sufficient capacity to cater for the demand, it feeds from Valkop Water treatment works.
2. As per the above, it is the 2009 built 3,5 ML/Day that requires refurbishment or upgrade to cater for its demand.
31 March 2022 - NW645
Nodada, Mr BB to ask the Minister of Basic Education to ask the Minister of Basic Education
(1) What interventions are made for the (a) development and (b) reskilling of (i) under- and (ii) unqualified teachers; (2) whether there are mechanisms in place to monitor the quality of teaching delivered by the specified teachers in the classroom; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
Response:
1. (a) The DBE does not have developmental programmes for (1) unqualified teachers because the sector does not appoint such teachers since it is against the SACE requirements and laws. (2) the DBE has a small percentage of educators who are under qualified. To qualify this, these are educators with Diplomas in teaching - 3 year programme from former colleges of education. As per the guidelines of roles and responsibilities of subject advisors, they are entrusted with the responsibility to constantly provide improvement content programmes as indicated in the DBE three-year CPTD plan. Under-qualified teachers are also encouraged to enrol for the PGCE in order to upgrade their skills in specific content.
2. The Department has mechanisms to monitor the quality of teaching through the QMS and trackers for the whole cohort of teachers without aggregating per level of qualifications.
31 March 2022 - NW652
Masipa, Mr NP to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
Whether she will furnish Mr N P Masipa with the details of the communal areas in (a) Mpumalanga and (b) KwaZulu-Natal in terms of the (i) number of dipping tanks for sheep and cattle, (ii) districts and/or areas where they are located, (iii) distances that the animals travel to reach the dipping facilities, (iv) details of the dipping committees and (v) frequencies of dipping in the past 10 years; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
(a) Yes.
(i) 46 dipping tanks for cattle. There are no dipping tanks for sheep in Mpumalanga.
(ii),(iii),(iv),(v) Please refer to Annexure A.
b) Yes.
(i) 2 146 dipping tanks for cattle. There are no dipping tanks for sheep in KwaZulu-Natal.
(ii),(iii),(iv),(v) Please refer to Annexure B.
ANNEXURE A OF NA-QUES 652 OF 2022: DIPPING TANKS IN MPUMALANGA PROVINCE
Categories |
No. of Dipping Tanks |
(a)(ii) Districts |
Local |
Village |
(a)(iii) Distances that the animals travel to reach the dipping facilities |
(a)(iv) Details of the dipping committees |
(a)(v) Frequencies of dipping in the past 10 years. |
cattle |
1 |
Ehlanzeni |
Bushbuckridge |
Ireagh A |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Weekly |
cattle |
1 |
Ehlanzeni |
Bushbuckridge |
MP Stream C |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Weekly |
cattle |
1 |
Ehlanzeni |
Bushbuckridge |
Belfast |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Weekly |
cattle |
1 |
Ehlanzeni |
Bushbuckridge |
Huntingdon |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Weekly |
cattle |
1 |
Ehlanzeni |
Bushbuckridge |
Calcutta A |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Weekly |
cattle |
1 |
Ehlanzeni |
Bushbuckridge |
Ireagh B |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Weekly |
cattle |
1 |
Ehlanzeni |
Bushbuckridge |
Huntingdon |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Weekly |
cattle |
1 |
Ehlanzeni |
Bushbuckridge |
Enkeldooring |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Weekly |
cattle |
1 |
Ehlanzeni |
Bushbuckridge |
Klipbankspruit |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Weekly |
cattle |
1 |
Ehlanzeni |
Bushbuckridge |
Newforest |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Weekly |
cattle |
1 |
Ehlanzeni |
Bushbuckridge |
Buffelshoek B |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Weekly |
cattle |
1 |
Ehlanzeni |
Bushbuckridge |
Acornhoek B |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Weekly |
cattle |
1 |
Ehlanzeni |
Bushbuckridge |
Dumfries A |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Weekly |
cattle |
1 |
Ehlanzeni |
Bushbuckridge |
Dumfries B |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Weekly |
cattle |
1 |
Ehlanzeni |
Bushbuckridge |
Calcutta A |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Weekly |
cattle |
1 |
Ehlanzeni |
Bushbuckridge |
Ludlow B (New one) |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Weekly |
cattle |
1 |
Ehlanzeni |
Bushbuckridge |
Agincourt A |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Weekly |
cattle |
1 |
Ehlanzeni |
Bushbuckridge |
MP stream B |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Weekly |
cattle |
1 |
Ehlanzeni |
Nkomazi |
Khombaso |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Twice a Month |
cattle |
1 |
Ehlanzeni |
Nkomazi |
Mabundzeni |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Twice a Month |
cattle |
1 |
Ehlanzeni |
Nkomazi |
Sikwahlane |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Twice a Month |
cattle |
1 |
Ehlanzeni |
Nkomazi |
Jabulani |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Twice a Month |
cattle |
1 |
Ehlanzeni |
Nkomazi |
Langeloop 1 |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Twice a Month |
cattle |
1 |
Ehlanzeni |
Nkomazi |
Langeloop 2 |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Twice a Month |
cattle |
1 |
Ehlanzeni |
Nkomazi |
Mawewe |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Twice a Month |
cattle |
1 |
Ehlanzeni |
Nkomazi |
Steenbok |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Twice a Month |
cattle |
1 |
Ehlanzeni |
Nkomazi |
Mandulo |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Twice a Month |
cattle |
1 |
Ehlanzeni |
Nkomazi |
Mananga |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Twice a Month |
cattle |
1 |
Ehlanzeni |
Nkomazi |
Masibekela |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Twice a Month |
cattle |
1 |
Ehlanzeni |
Nkomazi |
Tshambokhulu |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Twice a Month |
cattle |
1 |
Ehlanzeni |
Nkomazi |
Mbuzini-Ndindindi |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Twice a Month |
cattle |
1 |
Ehlanzeni |
Nkomazi |
Goba |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Twice a Month |
cattle |
1 |
Ehlanzeni |
Nkomazi |
Ngweti |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Twice a Month |
cattle |
1 |
Nkangala District |
Dr JS Moroka |
Mmamatsu |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Monthly |
cattle |
1 |
Nkangala District |
Dr JS Moroka |
Borolong |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Monthly |
cattle |
1 |
Nkangala District |
Dr JS Moroka |
Napo |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Monthly |
cattle |
1 |
Nkangala District |
Dr JS Moroka |
Mthambothi |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Monthly |
cattle |
1 |
Nkangala District |
Dr JS Moroka |
Sybrandkraal |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Monthly |
cattle |
1 |
Nkangala District |
Dr JS Moroka |
Gemsbokfontei |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Monthly |
cattle |
1 |
Nkangala District |
Dr JS Moroka |
Buffelshoek |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Monthly |
cattle |
1 |
Nkangala District |
Dr JS Moroka |
Kraanspoort |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Monthly |
cattle |
1 |
Nkangala District |
Dr JS Moroka |
Roodeportjie |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Monthly |
cattle |
1 |
Nkangala District |
Dr JS Moroka |
Welverdiend |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Monthly |
cattle |
1 |
Nkangala District |
Dr JS Moroka |
Zaaihoek |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Monthly |
cattle |
2 |
Gert Sibande |
Dr Pixley Ka Seme |
Daggakraal |
2 to 3 km |
Committee per dip tank and Regional dip tank committee |
Monthly |
Total |
46 |
ANNEXURE B OF NA-QUES 652: DIPPING TANKS IN KWAZULU NATAL PROVINCE
Categories |
No. of Dipping Tanks |
(b)(ii) Districts |
(b)(iii) Distances that the animals travel to reach the dipping facilities |
(b)(iv) Details of the dipping committees |
(b)(v) Frequencies of dipping in the past 10 years; |
cattle |
175 |
UMkhanyakude |
1 to 10 km |
Livestock Associations and District Committee Mr Mbatha: 072 701 0107 |
|
cattle |
447 |
Zululand |
1 to 10 km |
Livestock Associations and District Committee Mr Buthelezi: 072 117 3769 |
|
cattle |
192 |
King Cetshwayo |
1 to 10 km |
Livestock Associations and District Committee Mr Buthelezi: 072 179 5288 |
|
cattle |
234 |
UMzinyathi |
1 to 10 km |
Livestock Associations and District Committee Mr Strong: 083 404 6259 |
|
cattle |
88 |
Amajuba |
1 to 10 km |
Livestock Associations and District Committee Mr Masuku: 073 040 2068 |
|
cattle |
299 |
UThukela |
1 to 10 km |
Livestock Associations and District Committee Ms Mthethwa: 078 591 5979 |
|
cattle |
141 |
UMgungundlovu |
1 to 10 km |
Livestock Associations and District Committee Mr Mpungose: 072 118 0858 |
|
cattle |
222 |
Harry Gwala |
1 to 10 km |
Livestock Associations and District Committee Mr Mthembu: 079 221 5354 |
|
cattle |
180 |
UGu |
1 to 10 km |
Livestock Associations and District Committee Mr Mavundla: 066 064 2782 |
|
cattle |
69 |
ILembe |
1 to 10 km |
Livestock Associations and District Committee Mr Mkhwanazi: 083 503 2098 |
|
cattle |
99 |
EThekwini |
1 to 10 km |
Livestock Associations and District Committee Mr Mthembu: 078 607 2544 |
|
Total |
2 146 |
31 March 2022 - NW346
McGluwa, Mr JJ to ask the Minister in the Presidency
What steps will be taken against persons in the employ of the State Security Agency who have been found guilty of misconduct and the abuse of State resources in terms of the Intelligence Services Act, Act 65 of 2002?
Reply:
In terms of section 18(2) of the Intelligence Services Act, 2002 “a member may be discharged from the Agency or demoted by the Director-General if, after a hearing in the prescribed manner as to his or her fitness to remain in employment or to retain his or her rank or grade, the Director-General is of the opinion that such member is guilty of misconduct.” However, there are other sanctions that the Director-General may impose in respect of a member who has been found guilty of misconduct, as provided for in Regulation 14 of Chapter XVIII of the Intelligence Services Regulations, 2014.
When a member of the SSA is found to have committed financial misconduct that has resulted in financial loss for the Agency, the matter is referred to the relevant law enforcement Agency for investigation, as contemplated in section 86 of the Public Finance Management Act, 1999, read with Regulation 4 of the Treasury Regulations.
31 March 2022 - NW544
Zondo, Mr S S to ask the Minister in the Presidency
Whether, with regard to advanced connectivity that has brought the world closer together, making the movement of persons, goods, and services easier than ever, and in view of the International Chamber of Commerce projection that the global economic value of counterfeiting and piracy could reach $2,3 trillion this year, the State Security Agency has put any mechanisms and/or measures in place to effectively tackle counterfeiting and piracy within the Republic; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
While dealing with counterfeit goods falls mainly within the mandate of the South African Revenue Service (SARS), the nature of the challenges to address it necessitates a holistic government approach and this is where the State Security Agency plays its part.
The SSA’s approach to the illicit economy is guided by its mandate and the provisions of the National Strategic Intelligence Act No 39 of 1994, namely:
• Section 2 (1) (a) – identify any threat or potential threat to national security and supply intelligence regarding any such threat to NICOC
• Section 2 (1) (b) – relates to the counterespionage responsibility
• Section 2 (1) (c) – relates to assistance to other departments.
Departmental support is central to the SSA’s function and entails the provision of intelligence on any threats or potential threats to national security that fall within the functions of a department of State, and include the provision of intelligence needed by such a department in order to neutralise the threats.
The SSA’s focus is on a strategic level to determine and advise on the nature and extent of the risks posed by the illicit economy to South Africa’s economic well-being, and to evaluate the strategic implications of the illicit economy for the state’s national interests, -security and -power. Intelligence inputs are provided for in the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) that identifies intelligence priorities. The SSA has identified illicit trade and illicit commodities as a risk in its Departmental Intelligence Estimate of 2021.
Consequently, the focus is on economic security of which a major part is to determine the threats and provide early warning on the nature and extent of the risks that the illicit economy and economic crimes pose to South Africa’s economic well-being, and to evaluate the strategic implications of the illicit economy as stated above. Hence, the SSA’s role is to conduct operational activities and provide intelligence support in the mitigating of economic crimes and illicit economic activities in cooperation with relevant stakeholders.
The SSA only considers illicit economy activities for purposes of collection and analysis when such activities are evaluated to represent a significant threat to: (i) South Africa’s economy (ii) the welfare of its citizens, (iii) and/or the legitimacy and continuity of the democratic state.
The SSA will continue to support interdepartmental processes at a national level with the aim of addressing the illicit economy. The main function of the SSA in these interdepartmental initiatives is to provide policy- and operational intelligence support in line with its departmental function when requested by other departments. One such area of cooperation in which the SSA is an active participant relates to mitigating risks posed by vulnerabilities at Ports of Entry and the borderlines that are exploited to transfer counterfeit goods. Vulnerable ports are continuously monitored and tactical operations are conducted on illegal shipments, consequently, transgressors are apprehended and dealt with through the various law enforcement agencies that have executive powers. The SSA also shares information with the Border Management Authority (BMA).
Further, the SSA endeavours to improve skills training amongst its intelligence officials to carry out financial investigations and to increase the use of financial information in all relevant investigations.
The illicit economy will also remain a priority for engagements with foreign counterparts to ensure processes are in place for effective and efficient exchange of information. The SSA has prioritised the illicit economy, including the issue of counterfeiting, in various past engagements of the Committee of Intelligence and Security Services in Africa.
31 March 2022 - NW618
Mohlala, Ms MR to ask the Minister of Water and Sanitation
With reference to the financial component of the establishment of the National Water Resources Infrastructure Agency (NWRIA), how will (a) the Presidential Infrastructure Fund and (b) loans from the Development Bank of Southern Africa complement the work of the NWRIA?
Reply:
South Africa requires an ongoing and sustained multiple water resource infrastructure build programme, in addition to effectively operating and maintained existing assets. However, due to fiscal constraints, DWS cannot only rely on fiscal support to develop the required infrastructure especially for the implementation of the National Water and Sanitation Master Plan.
The National Water Resources Infrastructure Agency (NWRIA) would be better positioned than the Department of Water and Sanitation to raise funds from sources other than the fiscus and be able to seek lines of credit with international multilateral institutions. These will include commercial banks and development finance institutions such as the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA).
The NWRIA will consider a hybrid model when it comes to infrastructure funding, which will also include the Presidential Infrastructure Fund. Based on its PFMA listing and authority, credit rating and condition of assets, the NWRIA would be able to raise commercial and development finance, domestic and international markets. The DWS will continue engagements with the Infrastructure Fund with the aim of identifying projects that could be financed through the Fund.
31 March 2022 - NW415
Herron, Mr BN to ask the Minister of Public Service and Administration
(1)Whether she has received the Premier of the Western Cape’s motivation for the appointment of Mr B S Madikizela at Level IV (details furnished), despite Mr Madikizela having admitted to claiming a degree he does not have; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details; (2) whether she has found that Mr Madikizela is recognised as a competent expert at (a) national and (b) international level; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, how is Mr Madikizela recognised as a competent expert at (i) national and (ii) international level; (3) whether she has found that Mr Madikizela has very high level skills and/or scarce skills; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, in what respects are Mr Madikizela’s skills high level and/or scarce; (4) whether skill level includes consideration of educational and/or professional qualifications; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, how does Mr Madikizela qualify for Level IV remuneration; (5) (a) what does Mr Madikizela’s curriculum vitae disclose as his highest educational qualification and (b) on what date was it obtained?
Reply:
- Yes. The Minister for the Public Service and Administration received a request for approval of compensation level IV on the appointment of Mr. Madikizela as Special Adviser for the Premier of the Western Cape. This is in compliance with paragraph 11 of the Dispensation for the Appointment and Remuneration of Special Advisers (“the Dispensation”) which provide that “Executive Authorities must submit proposals/recommendations for the appointment of individual Special Advisers to the Minister for the Public Service and Administration for approval of the individual’s compensation level before the appointment/upgrade is effected”. Upon assessment of the request from the Premier, the MPSA approved compensation level III for Mr. Madikizela as Special Adviser to the Premier of the Western Cape.
For purposes of determining which compensation level should apply, paragraph 24 of the Dispensation requires, among others, that the Executive Authority considers the particular individual’s level of expertise and the stature in the particular field before submitting a request to the Minister for the Public Service and Administration. For this purpose, paragraph 25 of the Dispensation provides the following guidelines:
Compensation level I:
- i. The individual must enjoy noticeable national recognition as a competent expert.
- ii. The complexity of advice to be rendered is comparable to that given by a Director (Senior Management Service Grade A) in the Public Service.
Compensation Level II:
-
- The individual must enjoy recognition as a competent expert at national level.
- The complexity of advice to be rendered is comparable to that given by a Chief Director (Senior Management Service Grade B) in the Public Service.
Compensation level III:
-
- The individual enjoys recognition as a competent expert at national and to some degree international level.
- The complexity of the advice to be given is comparable to that given by a Deputy Director-General (Senior Management Service Grade C) in the Public Service.
Compensation level IV:
-
- The individual enjoys recognition as a competent expert at national and international level.
- To appoint and retain persons with very high level skills and/or scarce skills.
- The complexity of advice to be rendered is comparable to that given by a Director-General (Senior Management Service Grade D) in the Public Service.
2. Based on the above, an assessment of Mr Madikizela’s CV indicated that he enjoys a sufficient degree of recognition as a competent expert at national and international level to justify the awarding of compensation level III.
3. The Dispensation does not specify the level of skills that a Special Adviser should possess except in instances where compensation level IV is to be awarded. As indicated in paragraph 1 above, the Dispensation rather focuses on the degree of recognition as a competent expert that the individual enjoys as well as the complexity of the advice that he/she would render. It should also be noted that skills does not only relate to formal educational qualifications. It also includes skills and competencies gained through other means such as work experience. Based on his CV, Mr Madikizela is highly experienced at political and executive levels.
44. The Dispensation does not specify that a Special Adviser must possess any specific educational or professional qualifications for the awarding of any of the compensation levels.
5. According to the CV submitted by the Premier, Mr Madikizela is in possession of Matric (Standard 10/Grade 12), obtained in 1996.
End
31 March 2022 - NW693
Basson, Mr LJ to ask the Minister of Water and Sanitation
What is the (a) total amount that her department was owing the water boards at the end of January 2018, (b)(i) name of each water board owed and (ii) amount outstanding in total in respect of each specified water board and (c) on what date is it envisaged that the amounts will be paid to the respective water boards?
Reply:
Name of the Water Boards |
Period |
Amount outstanding in total |
On what date is it envisaged that the amounts will be paid to the respective water boards |
Amatola Water |
2021/2022 |
6 914 022,59 |
Amount will be settled by not later than the 25 March 2022. |
Bloem Water |
2021/2022 |
1 536 436,37 |
Amount will be settled by not later than the 25 March 2022. |
Lepelle Northern Water |
2020/2021 |
13 290 001,62 |
The amount will be settled by the 31 March 2022 after budget reprioritization. |
Magalies Water |
- |
No outstanding invoices |
|
Mhlathuze Water |
- |
No outstanding invoices |
|
Overberg Water |
- |
No outstanding invoices |
|
Rand Water |
2020/2021 |
132 211 798,20 |
Amount of R1,4 million will be processed by not later than the 25 March 2022.The balance will settle after the budget reprioritization 31 March 2022. |
Sedibeng Water |
- |
No outstanding invoices |
|
Umgeni Water |
- |
No outstanding invoices |
|
Total |
153 952 258,78 |
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31 March 2022 - NW225
Chabangu, Mr M to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
On what date is it envisaged the national state of disaster will come to an end; and b) what are the reasons for the unending extensions?
Reply:
a) The National State of Disaster is envisaged to end by the 5th April 2022.
b) The national state of disaster was extended each time following the determination by the National Coronavirus Command Council and Cabinet that the need to augment the existing legislation and contingency arrangements through the disaster management regulations was still required.
31 March 2022 - NW263
Ceza, Mr K to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
Taking into account the depth of decay at the Amahlathi Local Municipality, which has led to the municipality being unable to deliver any sort of services, what are the reasons that the municipality has been left on its own without any intervention from either the provincial or national government?
Reply:
The Eastern Cape Executive Council intervened in the affairs of Amahlathi LM in March 2019 in terms of section 139(1)(b) and (5) of the Constitution due to financial crisis and failure by the municipality to provide basic services. The intervention was revoked in November 2019, and an Administrator’s close-out report indicated both progress and outstanding challenges remaining. The recommendations from the Administrator’s report was for the remaining challenges, post the revocation, must be dealt with by the province in providing support to the municipality in terms of section 154 of the Constitution, amongst others these challenges included finalising the municipal turnaround plan, strengthening revenue collection, reviewing organogram, and continuation of deepening public participation. To some extent the intervention yielded some positive results, electricity losses were addressed and there was improved state of governance.
In addition, based on our departemnt’s own assessment of the State of Local Government, Amahlathi LM was identified as dysfunctional. In bringing stability in this municipality, the Department developed Municipal Support and Interventions Plan(MSIP) in collaboration with Department and National Treasury and other sector departments, focusing on four (4) key performance areas, namely: Governance, Administration/Institutional Capacity, financial management and Service Delivery/ Disaster Management.
Amahlati LM was identified by National Treasury as amongst those municipalities requiring Section 154 support by national and provincial government. To that end, national and provincial government are providing support to the municipality.
31 March 2022 - NW676
Van Minnen, Ms BM to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
With reference to a recent meeting of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, where the Director of Public Prosecutions claimed that they had a 90% conviction rate with regard to high-profile corruption matters but, while the decision to prosecute is reviewed by a court, the decision not to prosecute is not open to review, what (a) number of matters classified as high-profile corruption cases have not been prosecuted after investigation by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations and (b) is the true statistics for convictions in this class of crime?
Reply:
a) The Anti-Corruption Task Team (ACTT) defines “high-profile corruption cases” as those corruption cases that have been selected by the Case Management Committee to be part of the ACTT Priority List. The aforementioned case management committee consist of members from various institutions including the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations (DPCI), Special Investigating Unit (SIU), Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC), National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), National Treasury and Department Public Service and Administration (DPSA).
The case intake criteria have been reviewed by the ACTT Executive Committee (EXCO), and consists of a number of variables such as the monetary value, profile of the accused such as Municipal Managers, Accounting Officers and alike, government priorities based on sectors identified to be vulnerable and the crime type, which are scored according to set criteria in order to determine if any particular matter should be adopted onto the list.
The statement made as part of this parliamentary question, that “a decision not to prosecute is not open to review”, is not factually correct as a number of options are open to any complainant or person with material interest in the matter. In terms of section 6(b) of the Criminal Procedure Act, Act 51 of 1977, such persons may apply for a “nolle prosequi” certificate and decide to institute a private prosecution. Apart from this review procedure in court, any party dissatisfied with a decision of any member of the prosecution authority relating to a decision to prosecute or not to prosecute, may make representations to the relevant Director of Public Prosecutions and/or the National Director of Public Prosecutions.
Furthermore, it is not commonly known that the decisions not to prosecute are explained and discussed amongst the members within the ACTT Case Management Committee where the reason(s) for the decision is/are analysed, and methods considered to see if any future preventative steps can lead to another result.
The following provide a breakdown of the methods of finalisation of priority cases over the past ten (10) years:
1. Verdict Cases:
a) Convictions were obtained in sixty-one (61) trial cases; and
b) There were eight (8) acquittals.
2. Forty-five (45) matters were declined to prosecute.
3. Matters currently under investigation/enrolled:
a) Seventy-two (72) cases are in court, of which nineteen (19) are partly heard. This means that a decision to prosecute was taken in 75% of the aforementioned cases.
b) True statistics for convictions in this class of crime?
Sixty-one (61) convictions related to cases in which:
1. A total of ninety-one (91) accused were convicted from the ninety-nine (99) accused prosecuted and sixty-one (61) of the sixty-nine (69) cases resulted in a conviction. This translates to:
a) 92% conviction rate on persons convicted
b) 88% conviction rate on number of cases prosecuted.
The conviction rates are only measured against the cases and/or the accused prosecuted, as various matters may not be prosecuted for reasons outside the control of the investigating authorities and the prosecution authority.
The aim is not to see how many convictions may be achieved, but to ensure that justice is done, and also seen to be done, in all matters. It is therefore important to understand that after thorough investigations, there may not be sufficient evidence to institute prosecution or for other reasons, such as the unavailability of witnesses or accused.
END
31 March 2022 - NW647
Brink, Mr C to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
Whether she has been informed of any contravention of sections 57A(1) and (3) of the Municipal Systems Act, Act 32 of 2000; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what (a) are the details of each contravention and (b) measures has she taken in response to each of the contraventions?
Reply:
1. This register became a dormant as a result of the invalidation of the Amendment Act on 9 March 2019, therefore sections 57A(1) and (3) are no longer applicable.
(a) Not applicable.
(b) Not applicable.
31 March 2022 - NW643
Brink, Mr C to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
Whether (a) she and/or (b) her department have kept a record of all staff members of municipalities who have been dismissed and/or resigned prior to the finalisation of disciplinary proceedings against them as contemplated in section 57A(9) of the Municipal Systems Act, Act 32 of 2000; if not, why not; if so, (i) what are the relevant details of each entry in the record, including the name of the person concerned, the municipality where they were last employed and the reason for their entry on the record and (ii) what period were they employed; (2) what are the details of the manner in which the record is shared among municipalities?
Reply:
1(a) and (b) Yes, the Minister established and maintained a record of staff members of municipalities dismissed for misconduct or staff that resigned prior to finalisation of the disciplinary proceedings against them in terms of the Municipal Systems Amendment Act, 2011 (Act No. 7 of 2011).
(i) The Municipal Systems Amendment Act, 2011 was invalidated by the Constitutional Court on 9 March 2019. In terms of the principle of constitutional legality, the authority of the Minister to maintain and disseminate the record has taken away. Therefore, the Minister cannot legally continue to exercise this authority.
(ii) As regards details of employment of staff, the information information is kept by municipalities in their capacity as employers. The Honouarable Member is advised to direct his question to municipalities.
2. The record is moot.
31 March 2022 - NW428
Msimang, Prof CT to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
In light of a recent inter-departmental report on the implementation of the Child Justice Act, Act 75 of 2008, submitted to the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services, which indicated that there has been an alarming increase of 55% in the total number of rape charges against children compared to the previous reporting period and considering the seriousness of the situation, what (a) steps will be taken by his department to investigate the reasons for the exponential increase in the rape charges and (b) co-operation will be pursued with other departments to find solutions to this dire state of affairs?
Reply:
As reported in the 2020/21 Departmental Annual Report on the Child Justice Act, 2008 our courts recorded a 55% increase in the number of rape charges against children who appeared in preliminary inquiries, compared to the previous reporting period. The percentage calculation is based on a percentage contribution of rape to all the charges recorded during the 2020/21 reporting period compared with the percentage contribution of rape to all the charges recorded during the 2019/20 reporting period.
(a) What steps will be taken by the department to investigate the reasons for the exponential increase in the rape charges?
In addressing the alarming rise in sex crimes perpetrated by children, the Department has commenced with a two pronged approach at provincial and national levels:
(a)(i) The Department has already identified 6 provinces, which recorded the highest numbers of rape charges against children appearing in preliminary enquiries, as the focal areas where primary interventions must be undertaken, and these are: Mpumalanga (50%), North West (45%), Limpopo (36%), Eastern Cape (30%), Free State (30%) and KwaZulu-Natal (29%). Each of these provinces has a fully-functional multisectoral Provincial Child Justice Forum- tasked to monitor the provincial implementation of the Child Justice Act. Each Forum will conduct an investigation to identify the core drivers of the high numbers of child sex offenders in its province so as to develop tailor-made interventions for prevention, response and care by the end of May 2022. These plans must be correlated with the National Strategic Plan on Gender-based Violence and Femicide (NSP GBVF) (2020- 2030), which seeks to end GBVF and sex crimes in the country, whether perpetrated by adults or children.
(b)(ii) The Department has also considered the recent research study on Children Seeking Justice: Safeguarding the rights of child offenders in the South African Criminal Court[1], which reveals the increasing number of children who commit sexual offences against other children. The study found that many child offenders fall into the highest vulnerability category because of previous sexual abuse victimization, apart from neglect and abuse. On 22 February 2022 the Directors- General Intersectoral Committee on Child Justice requested the National Technical Intersectoral Committee on Child Justice to consider the recent studies on this issue as the basis on which the national action plan for intervention can be developed. This is to ensure that government actions target the identified root causes of the problem. The Departments of Social Development and Basic Education will be the key implementers of this Plan since they are the key drivers of the early crime prevention programmes for children and parents. The two Departments are represented at all levels of child justice and the NSP collaborations. This Plan will be the enhancement of the NSP GBVF to avoid the unnecessary duplication of government interventions.
(b) What co-operation will be pursued with other departments to find solutions to this dire state of affairs?
(b)(i) The Department intends to use the existing collaborations of the NSP GBVF to find and execute solutions, as aspired by the NSP. The NSP is a multisectoral strategic framework to realise a South Africa free from gender-based violence and femicide. Its collaborations draw representations from a wide spectrum of government and civil society organisations at national, provincial and local levels. It targets all perpetrators of GBVF, irrespective of age. Among its collaborations is the GBVF Inter-Ministerial Committee, chaired by the Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, and tasked by Cabinet to give political oversight in the implementation of the NSP.
Understanding the array of social ills that are the core drivers of child offending in South Africa, the NSP GBVF recognises children who experience violence within families and institutions as the main target group for intervention. Poverty, malnutrition, racism, bullying, drug addictions, corporal punishment at home, dysfunctional families, poor/lack of parenting are some of the dominant and fundamental breeding foundations for GBVF child offending. Pillar 2 of the NSP GBVF provides key activities for prevention and restoration of social fabric which include:
- the adoption and roll out of school-based gender-based violence prevention programmes;
- GBV prevention integrated into the roll out of Early Childhood Development programme; and
- parenting and early childhood development programmes to build non-violent and gender transformative approaches to parenting.
These NSP indicators are spot-on towards ending child offending in sex crimes and GBVF-related crimes. The Department therefore does not intend to re-invent the wheel as the government and civil society formations of the child justice sector are already the key stakeholders in the implementation of the GBVF NSP.
The NSP stakeholders, including the DoJ&CD, report performance to the Presidency via the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities on monthly basis. The reports are signed by the respective accounting officers or heads of government institutions. The Directors-General Intersectoral Committee on Chid Justice will receive similar reports for monitoring purposes.
Songca, R. 2019. Children seeking justice: safeguarding the rights of child offenders in South African Criminal court. De Jure Law Journal. p. 316-334. Available at http://dx.doi/org/10.17159/2225-7160/2019/v52a17 ↑
31 March 2022 - NW694
Basson, Mr LJ to ask the Minister of Water and Sanitation
(1) What steps does the Rand Water intend to take to resolve the electricity problems. (2) Whether the Rand Water is looking at new ways of generating electricity; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
(1) Rand Water consumes an average of 682 MWh a day of electricity for abstraction, treatment and distribution of water. Due to this requirement, Eskom and municipalities are the only electricity providers with distribution licences. A substantial portion of electricity is consumed at the treatment and booster stations.
Issues of planned and unplanned power outages are covered by the Electricity Supply Agreements between electricity suppliers and Rand Water as well as NERSA regulations. Rand Water ensures enforcement of the provisions in line with the contracts. In addition, Rand Water has undertaken a comprehensive risk assessment of its power suppliers and their infrastructure and is consulting Eskom with a view to understand their upgrade plans.
Rand Water has also embarked on projects to provide emergency power generators at its pumping stations. The project to provide these emergency power generators at six of tertiary pumping stations has been completed. The emergency power provision at the larger booster pumping stations is currently underway with anticipated completion by end 2023.
(2) Rand Water is embarking on the installation of Hydropower and Solar PV at some of its sites. However, it should be noted that even though this will provide additional electric energy, it will not be sufficient to supply treatment plants and booster stations due to the size of Mega Watts (MW) that will be generated as well as the geographical locations of installation. Innovative ways of generating electricity for Rand Water are still at very early stages and the entity continues to depend on Eskom for supply.
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31 March 2022 - NW677
Van Minnen, Ms BM to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
In view of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) dealing with the referral process from the Special Investigating Unit to the National Prosecuting Authority that is still in a draft format, and in light of the fact that the SA Police Service (SAPS) and the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations (DPCI) need to be included in the final MOU which still stands to be completed, (a) what are the reasons that the SAPS and the DPCI have not yet been included in the MOU and (b) on what date does he envisage the process will be completed?
Reply:
a) Although the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) dealing with the referral process, which was signed during 2017, is between the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), efforts to amend same with the view to include the South African Police Service (SAPS) were undertaken by the NPA since 2020. A draft MoU to this effect was submitted by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations (DPCI) to the SAPS National Commissioner to sanction, as it was envisaged that the less complex criminal investigations emanating from the SIU referrals would have to be conducted by the SAPS General Detectives.
In a communication dated 19 February 2021, the National Commissioner, in response to the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP)’s formal communication, requesting that the process of the signing of the MoU should be fast tracked, advised that because of “the lack of clarity in respect of the mandate between the various investigative capacities, command and control, criteria for the referral of the cases to the SAPS and the DPCI, and proper process flow/case referral mechanisms, the draft MoU could not be signed in its current form, as it could not be translated into an actionable implementation plan”.
The National Commissioner further advised that he directed that the “SAPS ought to first work on the draft MoU, to ensure that the views of the SAPS, inclusive of the DPCI, are aligned and translated into a practical working document”. In addition, that “all parties to the MoU would only meet as a collective for a workshop, in order to draft an agreement that addresses the needs and objectives of all parties concerned, once the process is finalised”.
The NPA has, on a number of occasions, enquired from the DPCI on the progress of the process as outlined above, the latest of which was on 15 February 2022. The response received is that there are no new developments, and that the mandates of DPCI and Detective Service must still be clarified.
b) On what date does he envisage the process will be completed?
The NPA is unable to commit to a date during which the process will be completed, as that is dependent on the SAPS’ process as outlined above.
31 March 2022 - NW699
Breytenbach, Adv G to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
In light of the fact that faulty court machinery has been identified as the reason a rape case of a certain person (name furnished), which has been dragging for nearly two years, was postponed yet again in early February in the Parow Regional Court and the reason for the umpteenth postponement was that the stenotype machine was not working, which is a perennial problem in the specified court and others countrywide, what is he and/or his department doing to ensure that proper (a) contracts and (b) maintenance plans for the machinery are in place to ensure optimum utilisation of court time?
Reply:
The Department regrets the inconvenience caused to all victims of crime, and in particular, to victims of gender-based violence and femicide for further subjecting them to trauma as a result of more postponements. The Department is committed to upholding and respecting the rights of all victims of crime and ensuring that their matters are heard and finalized as soon as possible.
The Supply Chain Management Unit in the Department worked very hard with National Treasury to find the most expedient method of procurement so that we can re-start the service and the maintenance program. A reputable service provider that is approved by the manufacturer of our court recording technology has since been appointed for a period of twelve months to repair and maintain the court recording and sexual offences systems in the courts.
The service provider has already commenced with the processes to repair damaged and faulty equipment by adopting a risk-based approach that starts with courts with highest calls logged and dysfunctional equipment. Stakeholders have also been consulted to identify courts with greatest need and said priority lists have been furnished to the service provider. Site assessments of various courts to diagnose the problem and repair or order parts where necessary are already in motion and in some courts the systems are already in operation.
Court Services’ senior managers are meeting with the service provider on a weekly basis to monitor progress and ensure that we are on track. At the same time, the procurement process for a long-term solution has begun. A bid specifications committee has been appointed and the committee has already drawn up the specifications that will soon go out on tender for a three-year period.
In order to avoid a similar mishap from happening in the future, the Department is strengthening the Contract Management Unit and reviewing all current contracts that are due to expire within a period of eight months to ensure that we can procure on time and thus avoid disruptions and have optimally functional systems.
END
31 March 2022 - NW725
Groenewald, Mr IM to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
Whether, in the light of the statement by the President of the Republic, Mr M C Ramaphosa, in the State of the Nation Address on 13 February 2020 that residents of the Mamusa Local Municipality in North West have already seen the District Development Model (DDM) in action and it was effectively utilised, service delivery and good governance have been restored successfully and in a sustainable manner through the implementation of the DDM in the specified municipality; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
The President raised the matter of DDM in the context of that all provincial government departments were able to collectively work together in addressing service delivery issues in Mamusa Local Municipality in January 2020.
Mamusa Local Municipality was stabilised after it's dissolution as all senior manager posts were filled which were vacant for a number of years also there was significant improvement in revenue collection and the municipality was able to pay its long outstanding obligations.
However, in the advent of new council that came in after local government elections these gains were reversed as currently the Political in fighting by councilors and that affects service delivery. The Premier has established a team of MECs who are on the ground in a bid to resolve the challenges.
31 March 2022 - NW295
Chirwa-Mpungose, Ms NN to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
What (a) is the current total number of cases of child maintenance that are being held in abeyance because the parents against whom support is claimed cannot be found and (b) steps are being taken by his department to trace parents in instances where a parent who must pay support cannot be found?
Reply:
a) The Department’s Maintenance Integrated Case Management System (Maintenance ICMS) data collection system does not collect information on the number of cases kept in abeyance specifically for cases where parents against whom support is claimed cannot be found. The Maintenance ICMS captures data relating to court processes and therefore does not specifically collect data on maintenance investigation processes which are administrative processes conducted outside of the court related processes before or during formal enquiry as part of maintenance file preparation. As Maintenance Investigators carry out investigations on a variety of issues which are critical as part of preparation of maintenance cases, these were not captured because of lack of human resources capacity. However, other efforts are underway to establish monitoring systems for the administrative processes relating to case preparation functions carried out by court support officials (Maintenance Clerks, Investigators and Officers). These include the linking of the TransUnion System to the Maintenance ICMS and the development of the Person Verification System (PVS) for Family Matters. The first PVS to be developed by the Integrated Justice System in conjunction with the Office of the Chief Family Advocate (OCFA) will be the Maintenance PVS.
b) The Department is currently using the services of a third party provider, a credit bureau institution (TransUnion), to help to investigate maintenance respondents in first time applications and in cases where the respondents have defaulted in maintenance payments. This system is used to track and trace the respondents’ whereabouts; their financial information; and the assets to ensure that the Magistrate is provided with sufficient information to hold formal enquiries in respect of the various types of maintenance applications applicable. This system enables the Department to bring to court maintenance respondents and defaulters who may not want to be found to ultimately pay maintenance for their children as obliged in terms of the law. Third party provider systems are not the only means used to conduct investigations to track and trace the whereabouts of the respondents or Defaulters. Maintenance Investigators use a host of other sources to gather both personal and financial details of parties involved in maintenance applications. These include information from Municipalities Vehicle Registration Offices, Department of Labour, Department of Housing; South African Revenue Services (SARS) etc.
END
31 March 2022 - NW620
Mohlala, Ms MR to ask the Minister of Water and Sanitation
What is the reason that residents in Sekhukhune in Limpopo do not have access to clean water, in spite of living near De Hoop Dam?
Reply:
The De Hoop Dam, including the first section (40km) of the primary bulk pipeline to Steelpoort (ORWRDP Phase 2C) was completed in 2014. The construction of a secondary bulk to distribute water to the villages within the Nebo Plateau from De Hoop dam from the Malekana Water Treatment Works (WTW) commenced in January 2009.
The implementation of Nebo Scheme was planned in a phased approach and the first phase of the project was completed in December 2011. It was however, not commissioned due to delayed completion of the De Hoop Dam.
The commissioning of the completed Jane Furse pipeline from Malekana WTW to Jane Furse was also delayed due to deteriorated components of the pipeline and pump stations. The commissioning of the pipeline was halted because the contractor experienced cash flow challenges and the company was placed under business rescue.
The scheme has a capacity of 12 Ml/d and has been partially commissioned. It is operating at 4Ml/d through the Malekana WTW as construction for most of the bulk infrastructure is still in progress. The plant provides water to eight villages including Ga-Malekana, Ga-Masha, Ga-Maepa, Makakateng, Mphana, Mpelegane, Ga-Maphopha and Ga-Rantho. The Sekhukhune District Municipality (DM) is in the process to resume the commissioning process to functionalise the pipeline from Malekana to Jane Furse, which will supply water to forty-two (42) more villages.
Once the construction of the bulk water supply infrastructure pipelines is completed, the capacity of the Malekana WTW will ensure the sustainable water provision to all the villages that are meant to benefit from the scheme.
To cater for growing demand for water in the area, the Sekhukhune DM has concluded the technical report to upgrade the WTW from 12Ml/d to 24Ml/d. However, the funding remains a challenge as the Municipal Infrastructure Grant is fully committed. There is a need to reprioritise funding for the WTW upgrade as soon as possible to align with bulk distribution projects. The funding required amounts to R121 million.
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31 March 2022 - NW29
Buthelezi, Ms SA to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
(1)With regard to the Amended COVID-19 Alert Level 1 Regulations which were gazetted on 1 February 2022, will she expressly advise and define what is meant by the term mandatory prophylaxis and whether or not this might include mandatory vaccination as a part of such prophylaxis, especially since there is currently so much discourse around the issue of mandatory vaccinations; (2) whether the Government is considering introducing mandatory vaccination for COVID-19 in the Republic; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
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.
31 March 2022 - NW427
Msimang, Prof CT to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
In view of media reports on his address at the Constitutional Rights Conference in Cape Town in February 2022, during which he stated that the mandate of Legal Aid South Africa (LASA) will be expanded to assist victims of evictions, what steps have been taken by his department to extend the statutory scope of LASA; (2) Whether there has been any investigation by his department on the additional capacity that may be required by LASA to fulfil the additional services; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
1. In view of media reports on his address at the Constitutional Rights Conference in Cape Town in February 2022, during which he stated that the mandate of Legal Aid South Africa (LASA) will be expanded to assist victims of evictions, what steps have been taken by his department to extend the statutory scope of LASA;
1. Legal Framework
In accordance with the Legal Aid SA’s mandate and the objects as provided in the Legal Aid South Africa Act, 39 of 2014:
1.1 Regulation 17 determines as follows in respect of the granting of legal aid in terms of the Restitution of Land Rights Act:
“17. (1) Legal Aid South Africa may grant legal aid for cases under the Restitution of Land Rights Act, 1994 (Act No. 22 of 1994) if the Land Claims Commissioner—
(a) makes funds available to Legal Aid South Africa to fund the matter;
or
(b) is the opposing party to the litigation or possible litigation.
(2) Legal aid may not be granted for the claim lodgement and investigation under the Restitution of Land Rights Act, 1994.”
1.2. Regulation 18 provides for legal aid for persons affected by the Land Reform Act, the Extension of Security of Tenure Act, and the Prevention of Illegal Occupation and Eviction from Land Act and reads as follows:
“18. (1) Legal aid may be granted to persons affected by the Land Reform (Labour Tenants) Act, 1996 (Act No. 3 of 1996), the Extension of Security of Tenure Act, 1997 (Act No. 62 of 1997) and the Prevention of Illegal Occupation and Eviction from Land Act, 1998 (Act No. 19 of 1998): Provided that the granting of legal aid in terms of this regulation is subject to the making available of funds by the relevant government department.”
2. Steps taken-
2.1 In December 2019, the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Land Reform resolved to:
- Establish the Land Court to deal with all land related matters and that Legal Aid SA should be mandated and funded to provided legal representation to persons who are not able to afford their own legal representation; and
- Recommended the transfer of the Land Rights Management Facility (LRMF) from the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) to Legal Aid SA.
2.2 The Land Court Bill was introduced into Parliament on 01 May 2021, and confirmed the intended transfer of the legal representation function to Legal Aid SA at a Ministerial press briefing of 01 March 2021.
2.3 A Committee consisting of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DoJ&CD), Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development as well as Legal Aid SA was set up in February 2020 to implement the transfer of the Land Rights Management Facility to Legal Aid SA including compliance with the requirements of the PFMA for the transfer of the function.
2.4 A Task Team constituted by Legal Aid SA, Land Rights Facility Management of the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development as well as the NS Attorneys started the co-management of the Land Rights Management Facility from July 2021 to ensure a smooth transfer of the functions to Legal Aid SA on 01 January 2022. During this process, an assessment of the land matters handled by LRMF was conducted and this informed the organizational capacity/structure and funding which will be required by Legal Aid SA to deliver the additional mandate.
2.5 There are three (3) specific areas where Legal Aid SA is required to take over the function from the LRMF to provide legal services to litigants: Land Restitution, Labour Tenants and ESTA Evictions. Therefore, Legal Aid SA has a mandate to assist farm occupiers, labour tenants and the restitution claimants.
2.5.1 Third, Legal Aid SA will work in collaboration with other Departments (such as the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs and Department of Human Settlements) to assist the victims of evictions, labour tenants or land claimants.
2.5.2 Second, Legal Aid SA will challenge the constitutionality of any sections in the Extension of Section of Tenure Act 62 of 1997, the Land Reform (Labour Tenants) Act 3 of 1996 and Restitution of Land Rights Act 22 of 1994 that are not in line with the constitution.
2.5.3 Firstly, Legal Aid SA will instruct private lawyers to oppose evictions and to challenge any constructive evictions;
2.6 Legal Aid SA took over the management of the legal representation component of the Land Rights Management Facility from 01 January 2022.
2.7 The Intergovernmental Task team chaired by the DoJ&CD facilitated the transfer of the LRMF and transitional arrangements in accordance with the Department of Public Service and Administration Transfer of Functions and National Treasury Regulations. The Minister of Agriculture Rural Development and Land Reform submitted a motivation to the Minister of Public Service. Administration, with the support of the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services motivating for the transfer of the LRMF Function with the necessary Budget. The Minister of Public Service Administration in February 2022 approved the transfer to the function and submitted same to the Minister of Finance for the implementation of the Budget Transfer. National Treasury is currently in the process of implementing the transfer of the Budget to the baseline budget of Legal Aid SA for 2022/23.
2. Whether there has been any investigation by his department on the additional capacity that may be required by LASA to fulfil the additional services; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Investigation on additional capacity and staffing:
a) During the co-management process as indicated in paragraph 2.4 above, the investigation as to the additional capacity was assessed based on the current case load and the outcome of the investigations informed the structure below.
b) The staffing structure currently consists of the Legal Executive: Land Rights Management, 4 Senior Legal Practitioners and Administrative Staff – 1 Personal Assistant, 1 Administrative Officer (Account Capture), 1 Taxation/Verification Officer, 1 Finance Officer and 2 temporary Administrative Officers to assist with capturing R172M in commitments.
c) The Legal Executive: Land Rights Management is responsible for overseeing and monitoring the performance of the Land Rights Management Unit.
d) It is vital to mention at this stage that Legal Aid SA will implement this project in two phases. The first phase as mentioned above, is interim, and the second phase is permanent.
e) Going forward the legal services delivery model for land rights matters will be implemented as follows, and therefore additional capacity will be required
f) Legal Aid SA plans to employ its own staff in each province to undertake land rights matters, as opposed to the judicare system currently used. This will assist in reducing the contingent liability substantially as well as the ongoing costs of outsourcing these matters to practitioners in private practice. It will also assist in ensuring that quality legal services are provided to farm occupiers, labour tenants and land claimants. The legal practitioners from Legal Aid SA will be trained and equipped with the necessary skills and resources. The Legal Aid SA quality assurance programme will be applied in land rights matters.
g) The Provinces, as currently serviced by Legal Aid SA, will be divided into regions. The number of regions to be established and legal practitioners to be allocated to each region is determined by considering the number of active cases inherited by Legal Aid SA from the LRMF, as well as an anticipated increase in the numbers of land claims matters to be referred to the Land Claims Court as indicated by the Chief Land Claims Commissioner.
h) The following table summarises the proposed permanent structure and the staff of the Legal Aid SA Land Rights Management Unit.
Item No. |
Province |
No. of Regions |
Staffing Per Region |
Kwa-Zulu Natal |
4 |
|
|
Mpumalanga |
4 |
|
|
Western Cape |
4 |
|
|
Gauteng |
3 |
|
|
Eastern Cape |
3 |
|
|
Free State |
3 |
|
|
Limpopo |
3 |
|
|
North West |
3 |
|
|
Northern Cape |
2 |
|
END
31 March 2022 - NW565
Khawula, Ms MS to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
What progress has been made in resolving the administrative challenges relating to the management of the Ingonyama Trust Board; (2) whether King Misuzulu Zulu has been given the powers associated with being the sole trustee since the Ingonyama Trust Act declares that Ingonyama is the sole trustee of the Board; if not, why not; if so, what are the further relevant details?
Reply:
1. In order to resolve the administrative challenges relating to the management of the Ingonyama Trust Board, the Department of Agriculture Land Reform and Rural Development has seconded one official at the Chief Financial Officer level to assist with the Financial Management functions;
(2) No, Ingonyama as Trustee of Ingonyama Trust does not need to be given powers by anybody since such powers are conferred upon Ingonyama by the KwaZulu-Natal Ingonyama Trust Act No. 3KZ of 1994.
31 March 2022 - NW678
Van Minnen, Ms BM to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
In view of the fact that the Prosecution Policy and Policy Directives were last reviewed in 2014, and given the shifts that occur over time, particularly in the cybercrime realm, and the issues emanating from the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture, Corruption and Fraud in the Public Sector including Organs of State, on what date is it anticipated that the (a) policies and (b) directives will be reviewed?
Reply:
It is not correct that the Prosecution Policy and Policy Directives were last reviewed in 2014. While the Prosecution Policy is considered for review from time to time, the nature of the policy is such that it is and would be expected to remain fairly constant.
a) The Prosecution Policy is aimed at promoting the considered exercise of authority by prosecutors and contributing to the fair and even-handed administration of the criminal laws. The last amendment made to the policy was adopted in June 2013, where a paragraph was inserted dealing with the prosecution of corruption of foreign public officials. The rest of the policy remained the same. The last review of the entire policy was in 2020 and the view was held that no amendments were necessary. There is currently a process underway to consider the addition of a new part to deal with mechanisms for non-trial resolution of matters.
b) The Policy Directives are subject to an ongoing review process and relevant portions are amended from time to time in accordance with judicial decisions, changes in legislation and practical considerations. While the complete directives are considered from time to time, most recently in 2020, individual parts have been amended, with the most recent being on 1 July 2021. The review of the directives is an ongoing process. There are a number of parts currently under review.
END
30 March 2022 - NW167
De Villiers, Mr JN to ask the Minister of Public Service and Administration
Whether she and/or her department ever received correspondence from a certain political organisation (details furnished), via email, WhatsApp, hardcopy and/or in any other format of which the original file is dated June 2020; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, (a) on what date was the specified correspondence received, (b) who was the sender of the correspondence and (c) what steps were taken by her department in this regard?
Reply:
No.
a) No
b) Not applicable
c) Not applicable
End
30 March 2022 - NW668
Schreiber, Dr LA to ask the Minister of Public Service and Administration
(1)What has she found to be the key difference that enabled the Western Cape Government to implement lifestyle audits on all members of the provincial Cabinet within months of announcing the audits during the 2019 State of the Province Address, while the national government is still failing to implement lifestyle audits over three years after it announced the same for the national Cabinet; (2) whether she has taken any steps to approach the Western Cape Provincial Government so that it can teach the national government how to implement lifestyle audits for members of the national Cabinet; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
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
30 March 2022 - NW275
Motsepe, Ms CCS to ask the MINISTER OF PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION
(a) What is the current total number of vacancies in the public sector and (b) by what date does she intend to have all the vacancies filled?
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
30 March 2022 - NW903
Hlengwa, Mr M to ask the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation
In light of media reports that the South African non- governmental organisation, Gift of the Givers, has personnel on the ground in Ukraine providing emergency relief, supplies and medical assistance and raising funds to repatriate South African students who want to return to the Republic, what practical support, besides the notice on her department’s website providing details of the South African Embassy in Kyviv, is her department providing to South African citizens in Ukraine?
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.
30 March 2022 - NW195
Lotriet, Prof A to ask the Minister of Public Service and Administration
(a) What number of supplier invoices currently remain unpaid by (i) her department and (ii) each entity reporting to her for more than (aa) 30 days, (bb) 60 days, (cc) 90 days and (dd) 120 days, (b) what is the total amount outstanding in each case and (c) by what date is it envisaged that the outstanding amounts will be settled?
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
30 March 2022 - NW870
Sharif, Ms NK to ask the Minister of Basic Education to ask the Minister of Basic Education
What (a) is the total number of incidents of (i) sexual harassment and (ii) sexual assault that were reported in her department (aa) in each of the past three financial years and (bb) since 1 April 2021, (b) number of cases (i) were opened and concluded, (ii) were withdrawn and (iii) remain open or pending based on the incidents and (c) sanctions were meted out against each person who was found guilty?
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.
30 March 2022 - NW825
Gondwe, Dr M to ask the Minister of Public Service and Administration
(a) What will be the consequences for public servants who do not pass lifestyle audits and (b) on what date does she envisage that all the specified lifestyle audits will be completed?
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
30 March 2022 - NW976
Powell, Ms EL to ask the Minister of Human Settlements
With regard to the blocked housing projects that were presented by her department to the Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements on 2 March 2022, what (a) number of blocked projects was the National Rapid Response Task Team (NRRTT) of her department able to unblock, (b) is the name of each project that was unblocked since the 2018-19 financial year and (c) metrics were used to measure the performance?
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;
- Howell Road in KwaZulu-Natal Province
- Kamma Heights in Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality
- Mount Fletcher in the Eastern Cape in Kutloanong Location
- Jerusalem Park in Welkom, Free State- Matjhabeng Local Municipality
- Limpho Hani Section – Soul City in Viljoenskroon
- Disteneng – Seshego, Limpopo Province
- Paradise Park in Hermanus
- Scottsdene and Kraaifontein in Western Cape Province
- Parkwood protests – City of Cape Town
( c ) The metrics that were used to measure performance included the following;
- Liaise with various communities and stakeholders in relation to hotspot areas.
- Conduct investigations on allegations of irregularities and malpractices in the implementation and the delivery of human settlement programmes or projects.
- Engage key stakeholders to find solutions to Human Settlements challenges as raised by communities.
- Provide appropriate support to distress communities and make recommendations to the Minister on any Human Settlements related matters
- Investigate community concerns and report findings, together with recommendations on the most appropriate manner to resolve them to the Minister
- Identify appropriate steps and actions to be taken to improve implementation and delivery of Human Settlements programmes and/or projects.
30 March 2022 - NW932
Herron, Mr BN to ask the Minister of Human Settlements
(1)Given that in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, national departments were instructed in 2020 to initiate programmes and/or issue directives and/or regulations under their respective portfolios to contain the spread of the virus, and noting that her department proposed the implementation of the Transitional Residential Housing Units and the De-densification of Overcrowded Areas directive in order to contain the spread of COVID-19, which lead to the identification of a total of 29 informal settlements throughout the Republic for the specified directive, (a) which informal settlements were identified in each province and (b) who was responsible for the implementation of the Transitional Housing Units and De-densification directive for each informal settlement; (2) what was the Transitional Residential Housing Units and De-Densification directive for each specified informal settlement; (3) (a) which of the informal settlements were de-densified as proposed, (b)(i) where and (ii) how were they de-densified and (c) what was the nature of the transitional residential housing units that were provided?
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 |
|
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 |
|||
|
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 |
30 March 2022 - NW251
Tito, Ms LF to ask the Minister of Basic Education to ask the Minister of Basic Education
In light of the fact that many schools in the Eastern Cape have still not received their stationery, which measures has she put in place to follow-up on suppliers about the deliveries?
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.
30 March 2022 - NW761
Thembekwayo, Dr S to ask the Minister of Basic Education to ask the Minister of Basic Education
How does the Quality Learning and Teaching campaign galvanise civil society to support and ensure the delivery of quality education?
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.
29 March 2022 - NW696
Roos, Mr AC to ask the Minister of Home Affairs
(1)With reference to the presentation of his department to the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs on 31 August 2021, wherein his department indicated that, in addition to the current 27 sites, it plans to roll out eHomeAffairs services to a further 43 sites in the near future, what are the (a) details of the progress and time frames for the roll-out to 43 additional sites and (b) plans and time frames of his department to expand services further in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 financial years; (2) what challenges are currently preventing the eHomeAffairs services from being available at ABSA Stellenbosch Branch, where the equipment has allegedly already been in place for two years?
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
29 March 2022 - NW772
Opperman, Ms G to ask the Minister of Home Affairs
What total number of undocumented children with no birth certificates are in the North West?
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
29 March 2022 - NW879
Kopane, Ms SP to ask the Minister of Home Affairs
What (a) is the total number of incidents of (i) sexual harassment and (ii) sexual assault that were reported in his department (aa) in each of the past three financial years and (bb) since 1 April 2021, (b) number of cases (i) were opened and concluded, (ii) were withdrawn and (iii) remain open or pending based on the incidents and (c) sanctions were meted out against each person who was found guilty?
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
29 March 2022 - NW925
Opperman, Ms G to ask the Minister of Home Affairs
(1)What total number of girls under the age of 18 years have been married in the past five academic years in the Republic; (2) in which province and/or area has the practice of child marriage been the most prevalent?
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
29 March 2022 - NW904
Hlengwa, Mr M to ask the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation
With regard to her department’s media release of 24 February 2022 wherein South Africa calls on Russia to immediately withdraw its forces from Ukraine in line with the United Nations Charter, as well as the contents of the newsletter by the President of the Republic, Mr M C Ramaphosa, on 7 March 2022, wherein he explains that South Africa abstained from voting in last week’s United Nations resolution on the escalating conflict between Russia and its neighbour Ukraine because the resolution did not foreground the call for meaningful engagement (details furnished), what exactly is South Africa’s latest policy position regarding the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine; (2) Whether the Government intends to put pressure on Russia to withdraw its forces from Ukraine; if not, why not; if so, what are the details of the steps that the Government is going to take in this regard ?
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
28 March 2022 - NW837
Nodada, Mr BB to ask the Minister of Basic Education to ask the Minister of Basic Education
(1) What is the total number of teachers who have been identified as under-qualified for their positions in the (a) 2019, (b) 2020 and (c) 2021 academic years; (2) what is the total number of teachers who have been identified as (a) under- and (b) unqualified in each district where they do not possess the relevant (i) subject knowledge and/or (ii) qualification covering teaching methodology in the classroom in the specified period; (3) what is the name of each school that is affected by teachers who were found to be either unqualified and/or under qualified; (4) whether her department has taken any steps to compel the specified educators to attend further education to upskill themselves in the missing subject knowledge and/or teaching methodology qualifications; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
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.
25 March 2022 - NW876
Khumalo, Dr NV to ask the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment
What (a) is the total number of incidents of (i) sexual harassment and (ii) sexual assault that were reported in her department (aa) in each of the past three financial years and (bb) since 1 April 2021, (b) number of cases (i) were opened and conducted, (ii) were withdrawn and (iii) remain open or pending based on the incidents and (c) sanctions were meted out against each person who was found guilty?
Reply:
Find reply here
25 March 2022 - NW895
Majola, Mr TR to ask the Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Person with Disabilities
What (a) is the total number of incidents of (i) sexual harassment and (ii) sexual assault that were reported in her Office (aa) in each of the past three financial years and (bb) since 1 April 2021, (b) number of cases (i) were opened and concluded, (ii) were withdrawn and (iii) remain open or pending based on the incidents and (c) sanctions were meted out against each person who was found guilty
Reply:
Attached find here: Reply
25 March 2022 - NW911
Khumalo, Dr NV to ask the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment
whether her department is currently working on any environmental strategies to ensure the protection and further development of the Republic’s strategic water resources, given that global research currently indicates a change in fresh water cycle; if not, what is being done in order to mitigate against the impact of the change in water cycles that will see dry areas stricken by more drought and wet areas by more extreme floods and storms?
Reply:
Find reply here
25 March 2022 - NW907
Khumalo, Dr NV to ask the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment
With regard to the Republic’s rivers filled with waste and no one wanting to take responsibility for the high E.coli counts or the mountains of litter in the rivers, and in light of the fact that the Republic is a dry country classified as semi-arid and receiving just under half the average annual rainfall of the rest of the world and predicted to become even drier with climate change, how (a) is this phenomenon impacting on water quality and security and (b) will her department take action and intervene with specific time frames, roles and responsibilities to the astronomical E.coli numbers and pathogens found in the rivers to ensure good water quality and security throughout the Republic?
Reply:
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