Reply:

THE OCCUPATION OF STELLA OFFICES IN NALEDI LOCAL MUNICIPALITY

On the 11th of November 2021 the Municipal Manager, Mr MT Segapo convened a meeting at the unoccupied office to introduce the Acting Manager for the satellite Office. The newly constructed office space was vandalised during riots in 2018, and the service provider vacated the site with snags remaining to complete the project. These developments affected service delivery negatively in the surrounding rural areas. To extend that community members were commuting from Stella to Vryburg just to access proof residence.

In view of the above, Administration took a decision to pay the service provider the outstanding amount due, utilising the operating budget to complete snags on the structure using municipal workforce.

With the project timelines at our disposal the Municipality will officially occupy the office in January 2022.

Reply:

Current measures contained in the regulations for dealing with the disaster in the context of the risk adjusted strategy therefore remain necessary to limit the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Accordingly, ongoing assessments by the National Coronavirus Command Council and Cabinet will determine the satisfaction of conditions for terminating or allowing the state of disaster to lapse. The current epidemiological trends, health system capacity and other factors, including, the rate of infected persons needing hospitalisation and the mortality rate, underscore the rationale to maintain lockdown regulations after the elections.

Reply:

(a)(i)(ii)(aa)(bb)(b)

The agreed timeframes by the department to investigate reported cases of irregular, fruitless, wasteful and unauthorised expenditure within Community Work Programme (CWP), is estimated to be approximately a year . The budget spent is depicted in the table below :

• 1. Investigations are outsourced where necessary to ensure that cases are concluded timeously
  2. All cases of corruption are reported to the South African Police Service and are subjected to departmental disciplinary procedures.

The department has put in place the consequence management measures to deal with non- compliance where disciplinary actions were initiated.

Reply:

a. Water: The municipality is working close with the District Municipality as the service provider to ensure that communities get access to clean basic water.

b. Electricity: The municipality recently rolled out electrification project (household connections) in the close vicinity through the Integrated National Electrification Programme (INEP) Grant Funding, These will be rolled out until all areas are saturated, ESKOM is also electrifying a number of areas in the municipality, the objective is to collectively reach universal access for Umhlabuyalingana citizens (Hlokohloko area is already planned for by ESKOM to be electrified in the next two year rolling plan. It is at design stage now. The project is known as Madonela Phase 2).

c. Roads: The area is accessed via D1834 which is owned and maintained by DoT, the municipality purchased yellow plant (X1 Grader, X2 TLBs, X2 Tipper Trucks, X1 Water Cart) to internally maintain its access roads, there is a ward- based plan and this area will also be attended to in line with the said plan.

d. Employment Opportunities: The municipality as with the rest of the country, is facing deepening unemployment rates, however, there are structured programs that assist with creation of job opportunities ranging from short term relief programs to more sustainable ones, e.g. Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) & Community Works Programme (CWP).

To illustrate employment opportunities through Community Works Programme (CWP) as at end October 2021: In uMhlabuyalingana Municipality there were 1746 participants in the programme of which 186 were youth, 1573 non-youth of which 1449 were female while in respect of Hlokohloko area participants were 44 of which 3 were youth and 36 women.

Cabinet has also approved the District Development Model (DDM) as an All of Government and Society Approach by which all three spheres of government and state entities work in unison in an impact-oriented way, where there is higher performance and accountability for coherent and effective service delivery and development outcomes.

The DDM aims to improve integrated planning and delivery across the three spheres of government in a spatially targeted way focused on the 52 district and metropolitan spaces as convergence points for all of government and private sector investment, which includes the development of communities in rural mining areas. The envisaged integrated planning and delivery in relation to district and metropolitan spaces will be enabled by joint planning, budgeting and implementation processes.

The DDM focusses on implementation of immediate priority projects, stabilisation of local government and long-term institutionalisation of integrated planning, budgeting and delivery anchored on the development and implementation of the “One Plan” in relation to each district and metropolitan space.

Reply:

FIND REPLY HERE

Reply:

South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA)

1. Unlike the occurrences i.e., accidents/serious incidents conducted under either ICAO Annex 13 or Part 12 of the Civil Aviation Regulations, the SAA Alpha Floor investigation was conducted under Section 73 of the Civil Aviation Act (Act 13 of 2009).

“Section 73 reads -

2. In addition to the functions referred to in subsection (1) the Civil Aviation Authority has the following functions:

m) to investigate aircraft accidents and aircraft incidents that the Aviation Safety Investigation Board has determined not to investigate in terms of Chapter 4 and for purposes of regulatory compliance with this Act;”

Investigations conducted under the above regulation are meant to determine regulatory compliance and therefore they are not published nor shared with the public as they present the compliance status of the operator and may also include punitive action taken against the operator or licence holder by the Regulator. Regulatory compliance inspections, audits and investigations are of a confidential nature as they may contain individual organisation’s sensitive information.

(2) The SACAA, did not receive nor is aware of any complaints and/or charges received from any Belgium and/or other jurisdiction and/or authority regarding any regulatory breaches allegedly committed by SAA. Our investigation though did reveal that the Alpha Floor activation at OR Tambo for the outbound flight to Brussels was not the first one the operator had experienced; an enforcement action has been taken against the operator for a failure to report both the last occurrence and the three previous occurrences.

Reply:

The eThekwini Rolling Stock fleet has been severely affected by the following:

• Theft and vandalism;
• Old railway lines affecting the condition of the rolling stock wheels.

The above mentioned resulted in the loss of coaches which could not be recovered through internal maintenance processes.

PRASA has appointed a panel of external service providers for a period of 36 months through a Maintenance Support Contract to assist with the recovery of coaches as well as reliability improvement which will result in the functionality of trains.

In addition, PRASA is also concluding the procurement of Mission Critical Components contract, which will also improve the availability of spares and sustainability of rolling stock.

With regards to infrastructure, rehabilitation work is planned for the Durban-KwaMashu line as follows:

• Substation rehabilitation
• Rehabilitation of the Over Head Tract Equipment (OHTE) system\Replace stolen signalling equipment
• Track rehabilitation\installation of backup fibre
• Bridges project
• Station rehabilitation

Infrastructure work on the Durban-Umlazi lines will cover the following:

• Substation rehabilitation
• Tunnels rehabilitation
• Signalling rehabilitation
• Perway rehabilitation
• Installation
• Bridges rehabilitation
• Station rehabilitation

Reply:

Penalties fees are charged in terms of section 45A of the National Railway Safety Regulator Act NO.16 of 2002 as amended and the penalty fee model developed in terms of the Penalty Fee Regulation of 2011.The penalty fees are approved by the Minister of Transport and published in the Government Gazette. The purpose of imposing such penalties is to: (i) Promote, improve and achieve sustained compliance with the National Railway Safety Regulator so that incidents where penalties are reduced over a period of time; and to (ii) promote safe railway operations.

The RSR uses various tools to regulate the rail industry which includes; issuing of safety permits, issuing penalties (fines) in accordance with the Act, conducting safety awareness and training of operators, developing standards, conducting audits, investigations and inspections to monitor compliance with the RSR regulatory tools, with the main aim of improving safe railway operations. As indicated issuing of penalties (fines) is only one of the instruments used by the RSR and it is intended to serve as a deterrent from contravening the Act. The issuance of penalties is not intended to be a revenue generating tool. It should be noted that the RSR does not budget for penalties. Penalty revenue for 2019/20 and 2020/21 amounted to R770 000 and R800 000 respectively.

The significant bank balance that the RSR has, is as a result of the entities implementation of its 2018 financial recovery plan and 2021 financial sustainability plan.

Reply:

(a). (i) & (ii) Leasing and usage of locomotives does not take place at PRASA Corporate, but happens at regional level.

Gauteng Metrorail is currently leasing shunting locomotives which are primarily supposed to be used for shunting operations in the marshalling yards at Wolmerton and Braamfontein depots.

The Eastern Cape service are operated with diesel locomotives as opposed to electrified motor coaches as PRASA has a 25KV AC overhead voltage as opposed to 3KV DC in other regions/provinces for commuter services.

In the Western Cape diesel locomotives are leased for hauling movements of train sets/wagons/coaches where no Over Head Traction Equipment is available to enable self powering of motor coaches. Metrorail also lease diesel locomotives for shunting purposes of coaches and train sets within the maintenance yards, other related depots as well as for train set rescue in section and emergency during incidents/accidents.

KZN Metrorail is currently leasing shunting locomotives which is primarily used for shunting operations in the Durban marshalling yard and in Springfield maintenance yard.

(b). The number of Transnet locomotives that have been in use under the specified rental, lease and/or loan agreement conditions in the past 36 months are as follows:

1. Operational costs on Transnet locomotives carried by (i) PRASA and (ii) Metrorail:

• 1. Refer to response in (a)
  2. Operation cost per region

Reply:

a. Zones of increased vigilance are areas identified for their increased elephant impact and where the intensity of use is influenced by various factors that may drive undesirable impacts on biodiversity at a local scale. Research conducted by SANParks indicates that the elephant impact is not directly related to elephant density, but rather to the places elephants use in a landscape, the time they spend in those areas, the demographics of the specific elephants and what they are doing when they are there (feeding, drinking, comfort and safety).

The implementation of elephant management in the Kruger National Park (KNP) focuses on maintaining resource gradients in elephant habitats through fire, water and fence management policies. The zones of increased vigilance are intended to monitor elephant behaviour and influence elephant use space. Access to water, fencing off certain areas, the net-fencing of large trees and fire management are used to influence elephants’ use of space. The outcome of the implementation of zones of increased vigilance is intended to ensure that elephants reduce the use of areas where they are impacting negatively on the local biodiversity.

2. a. The zones of increased vigilance are used to identify elephant impact areas (EIAs) where the intensity of use is influenced by various factors which may drive undesirable impacts on biodiversity at a local scale.

b) The new concept of “zones of increased vigilance” is under development and, at this stage, only elephant impact areas have been identified. The zones of increased vigilance and management therein, are under development in the KNP and are informed by the current Elephant Norms and Standards.

3. a. There is no specific final measure at this stage as the zones of increased vigilance relate to the impact of elephants on local zones and less on a large-scale shift of elephant densities. Progress will be assessed within an adaptive management approach. At this stage, local intensity of elephant use at the end of the dry season serves as a good index of disturbance and will be a useful indicator of elephant impact. Methods used to monitor intensity of use currently being validated include dung counts, mark recapture techniques using camera traps, and collared individual movement patterns.

b) As research and validation is under way, it is not clear how long it will take for the interventions to yield meaningful results and guide ongoing management interventions.

Regards
MS B D CREECY, MP
MINISTER OF FORESTRY, FISHERIES AND THE ENVIRONMENT
DATE: 22 December 2021

Reply:

(a) . A total of 33 owners of ammunition have been identified and charged and the investigation is continuing.

(b). The 963 live rounds of ammunition were confiscated from the 33 arrested persons and the ammunition has been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for ballistic examination, in order to determine the manufacturer of the ammunition (the source).

Reply to question 2359 recommended

GENERAL NATIONAL COMMISSIONER: SOUTH AFRICANPOLICE SERVICE
KJ SITOLE (SOEG)
Date: 2021-12-15

Reply to question 2359 approved

MINISTER OF POLICE
GENERAL BHCELE, MP
DATE: 2021-12-21

Reply:

There is no Alberton North Police Station, in Gauteng.

(a)(i) Not applicable.

(a)(ii) Not applicable.

(b) Not applicable.

A Planned Maintenance Project was registered, by the National Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (NDPWI), for maintenance to the existing Alberton Police Station. The project is currently dormant, due to the fact that the Contractor is in default, because of the non-fulfillment of an obligation, with respect to time (in mara).

Reply to question 2335 recommended

GENERAL NATIONAL COMMISSIONER: SOUTH AFRICANPOLICE SERVICE
KJ SITOLE (SOEG)
Date: 2021-12-15

Reply to question 2335 approved

MINISTER OF POLICE
GENERAL BHCELE, MP
DATE: 2021-12-21

Reply:

(a) The South African Police Service (SAPS) provided inputs, with regard to the envisaged Section 97 Presidential Proclamation, to the Border Management Authority (BMA). The SAPS obtained a legal opinion, from counsel, which concludes that the envisaged Section g7 Presidential Proclamation will be ultra vires (beyond the powers).

Therefore, the SAPS is of the view that the sections of the legislation, mentioned in the envisaged Presidential Proclamation, do not deal with functions of the Minister of Police and may, therefore, not be transferred, in terms of Section 97, The only exception, is Section 92 of the Firearms Control Act, 2000 (Act No. 60 of 2000), which is the only section dealing with a clear power or function, assigned to the i4inister of Police. In terms of Section 92, the Minister of Police may prohibit or restrict the acquisition, disposal, possession or use of ammunition of a specified Clgss of ammunition.

(6) The SAPS and the Commissioner of the BMA are presently in a process of engagement, to find ways and means to empower border guards, to perform border law enforcement functions.

2

Reply to question 2616 recommended

GENERAL NATIONAL COMMISSIONER: SOUTH AFRICANPOLICE SERVICE
KJ SITOLE (SOEG)
Date: 2021-12-15

Reply to question 2616 approved

MINISTER OF POLICE
GENERAL BHCELE, MP
DATE: 2021-12-21

Reply:

A task team of Detective Service members, has been established, at the Phoenix Police Station, to investigate the matter. The task team is currently conducting enquiries with the view to obtain eyewitness statements.

The complainant alleges that there is video footage, which could help to identify the suspects. Several attempts have been made by the task team to locate the video footage, with no positive results. Up to date, no suspects have been identified, Once the suspects have been identified by witnesses, as well as video footage, thereafter arrests will be made.

The task team is also in the process of tracing the organisers of the march, to obtain their statements. The case docket with be submitted to the National Prosecuting Authority {NPA), for prosecutor-guided investigation.

Reply to question 2330 recommended

GENERAL NATIONAL COMMISSIONER: SOUTH AFRICANPOLICE SERVICE
KJ SITOLE (SOEG)
Date: 2021-12-15

Reply to question 2330 approved

MINISTER OF POLICE
GENERAL BHCELE, MP
DATE: 2021-12-21

Reply:

1. SANParks is of the view that the rhinoceros populations in the Kruger National Park (KNP) did not decline by 720 in the 2020/2021 financial year. With respect to annual rhinoceros population counts, annual census figures are given with confidence limits (CLs), which state that there is a 95% probability that the actual number of animals counted fall between the upper and lower confidence intervals. For public reporting, the median figures are given as an indicative figure. There is still a 5% probability that the real number is outside the upper or lower CLs. For consecutive reporting years, it is possible for the lower CL of the preceding year to overlap with the upper CL of the subsequent year. If there is an overlap, it is possible that no real decline took place, even if the median figure is lower in the subsequent year, as is the case with the 2018 and 2019 census figures. However, when the lower and upper CLs do not overlap, as is the case with the census figures for 2019 and 2020, there is a real decline. It is not possible to attach a specific number to that decline as we are working within CLs, but also due to the challenges associated with rhinoceros counting over such a large area.

The value of game censuses lies in the population trends shown over time and not in the specific numbers counted owing to the number of variables involved. The rhinoceros population has clearly been in decline since 2010 and that trend is continuing. In a vast area such as the KNP, it is not possible to know the exact numbers of animals due to the many variables that impact game surveys.

2. The counting of rhinoceros in an area the size of the KNP is not an exact science and errors in counting, which create uncertainty, include –

• availability bias (rhinoceros under trees are not seen);
• observer bias (rhinoceros missed in the open);
• detectability bias (rhinoceros further away missed); and
• sampling error (for example, rhinoceros counted twice/not counted).

The growth rate is also variable owing to environmental and biological factors, including synchronisation of births after the last drought. Rhinoceros do not calve annually due to a 16- month gestation period. Other biological factors impacting births and natural deaths, such as drought impacts, predation on calves, cow fecundity (fertility), and intraspecific fighting between rhinoceros.

Regards
MS B D CREECY, MP
MINISTER OF FORESTRY, FISHERIES AND THE ENVIRONMENT
DATE: 22 December 2021

Reply:

(1)(a) The total number of inspectorate officials is 677.

(1)(b) The total number of vehicles the department has assigned to deportations is:

(2) The measures that are in place to curtail illegal foreign nationals into the Republic are border patrols conducted by the SANDF, immigration inspections done by Home Affairs and crime prevention and crime combatting operations conducted by the South African Police supported by other law enforcement agencies as well as Home Affairs.

END

Reply:

The section 1 of the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (Act No. of 2013) (“POPI Act”) defines a “person” as meaning a natural or a juristic person. POPI Act, in this case, requires the Government Printing Works (GPW) to safeguard information in its possession. Further, section 36 of the Promotion of Access to Information Act, 2000 (Act No. 2 of 2000) (the “Access to Information Act”) also requires GPW to ensure protection of commercial information relating to third parties. In this instance, section 36 finds expression in protecting the commercial interest of the companies that GPW does work with.

The Access to Information Act, in terms of section 42, also provides mechanisms under which a public body may not disclose information relating to economic interests and financial welfare of the Republic and commercial activities of public bodies.

END

Reply:

1. (a) The 2008 Elephant Norms and Standards (ENS) are very prescriptive in terms of what could be done to manage elephants and their use of space. One of the key challenges for SANParks is the restriction on the number of times an individual elephant can be translocated.

Parks outside of the Kruger National Park, such as Marakele, have had their elephant population seeded from other populations, which meant that these individuals could not be translocated a second time unless there were extraordinary circumstances necessitating such translocation. The same is true for responding to repeat offender damage-causing animals. SANParks’ proposal on translocating elephants a second time under extraordinary circumstances has been included in the revised ENS.

The revised ENS still considers the potential stressful impact of translocation on elephants. Therefore, the approach of the ENS to allow the repeat translocation of elephants only in extraordinary circumstances has, therefore, not been changed.

The NCOP has approved the final draft revised ENS. The process to obtain the Minister’s approval for the publication of the final draft ENS in the Government Gazette for implementation has been initiated and the document is currently undergoing legal vetting.

2. One of the important developments in the revised ENS was the inclusion of Chapter 28 on Research. This will allow for well-structured, repeatable research, meeting the criteria as listed in the revised ENS in order to improve the knowledge and understanding of elephants, their use of space and how to better manage their impacts at a local scale. The outcomes of such research, if and when undertaken, may have a bearing on future policy iterations, which is in keeping with a strategic adaptive management approach, as set out in the ENS specifically and in conservation policy more broadly.

Regards
MS B D CREECY, MP
MINISTER OF FORESTRY, FISHERIES AND THE ENVIRONMENT
DATE: 22 December 2021

Reply:

During the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, operators experienced a significant increase in both recorded and unrecorded theft and vandalism security-related incidents on their assets and infrastructure. The RSR continued to advocate for means to curb these incidents throughout the rail sector influence and stakeholders. State agencies, private security employed to guard assets and infrastructure and law enforcement agencies, such as the South African Police Services (SAPS) have been actively engaged by the RSR to employ proactive measures to arrest perpetrators of these incidents. These activities included the RSR making submissions during the National Rail Crime Combating Forum under the guidance of the SAPS for action, including proactive investigations for possible prosecutions.

The 105% does not mean it is an increase between two financial periods but between 2010/11 and 2018/19 reporting. The immediate comparison between the 2019/20 and 2020/21 reporting period, reflects a decrease from 9 996 to 8 052 security-related incidents. This represents a 19% decrease.

Reply:

FIND REPLY HERE

Reply:

The expenditure on the 183.2 km of national roads which are under SANRAL in the Uthukela District of KwaZulu-Natal is summarised in the table below for each financial year. Please note that the employee cost of SANRAL’s regional office in Kwazulu-Natal has been pro-rated in proportion to the network length in the Uthukela District as SANRAL has no employees at municipal level.

Table 1: SANRAL Annual Expenditure Uthukela District (R Million)

Reply:

1. The National Commissioner of the South African Police Service {SAPS) is appointed by the President of the Republic of South Africa (RSA), in terms of Section 207(1) of the Constitution of the RSA, 1906. It is, therefore, the prerogative of the President, to determine the process in appointing a National Commissioner, for the SAPS.
2. Adequate human capital is, however, key to the provisioning of a comprehensive policing service, which, despite available technology, is required in order in to execute this labour-intensive function. The reduction of the SAPS staff compliment over the medium-term, by implication, negatively Influences the SAPS’ ability to maintain an adequate work-force, in the pursuance of its objectives. Currently, the SAPS Management is forced to take strategic decisions, regarding the strategic resourcing and the operational focus of the SAPS, on the basis of the budget allocation, rather than on the reality on the ground and the associated demand for policing.

The R27,7 billion budget reduction, over the 2021 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), in relation to the 2020 budget estimates, comprises a reduction of R26, 2 billion, in respect of the compensation of employees and a

R1,5 billion reduction, in respect of goods and services. Of the R26,2 billion reduction on the compensation of employees, a reduction of approximately R18,8 billion is as a result of salary increases, which have not been provided for, over the period. As a result of these reductions, apart from the salary adjustments, the SAPS s ability to sustain the new intake of new recruits, as well as the capacitation of specialised units, will be severely affected.

In order to continue to allow for rte addressing of critical vacancies only and the augmenting of capacity at police stations, reprioritisation will remain a prominent feature over the medium-term. This will be achieved, by reducing the actual number of personnel allocated to non-operational, national and provincial competencies, in order to allow for the addressing of critical vacancies and the capacity at police stations and other key frontline capabilities, so as to ensure the sustainability of service delivery to communities. The reducing of non- operational national and provincial competencies, may however, compromise the various governance-related process that these capabilities are responsible for and which the operational environment relies on.

The Visible Policing Programme comprises of three sections, the first of which is Crime Prevention, which incorporates the majority of the basic functions that are performed at police station level; certain key abilities are, such as the Central Firearms Register (CFR) and the majority of the Crime prevention- orientated partnership initiatives, such as the Community Police boards and forums. The Specialised interventions Section represents critical specialised Capabilities, including the Public Order Policing (POP) Units, the Tactical Response Teams (TRT's) and the Special Task FORGO (STF). The final section, Border Security, includes the policing and border control functions that are performed, in respect of ports of entry.

The R14, 4 billion budget reduction in the Visible Policing Programme, over the 2021 MTEF, in relation to the 2020 budget estimates, amounts to R13.6 billion reduction in the Compensation of employees and a R0,8 billion reduction in goods and services. Approximately R9,8 billion of the R13, 6 billion reduction in the compensation of employees, is as a result of salary increases, which are not being provided for, over the period. In view of the decline in the budget allocation to the compensation of employees over the medium-term, alternatives such as technological enhancements and force-multipliers will be addressed, e.g. the recruitment of reservists has been identified as a mechanism that could compliment the SAPS’ personnel numbers, over a medium-term to longer period.

The situation means that SAPS must attempt to optimally use its existing resources but it also means that during the time, where intense police operations are required, for example during the festive season, the SAPS must resort to short-term interventions, e,g. not allowing members to take leave, recalling members from rest days and making use of overtime.

The SAPS is committed to ensure that it makes optimal use of its limited resources, to ensure that policing is not compromised, during festive season,

Reply to question 2482 recommended

GENERAL NATIONAL COMMISSIONER: SOUTH AFRICANPOLICE SERVICE
KJ SITOLE (SOEG)
Date: 2021-12-15

Reply to question 2482 approved

MINISTER OF POLICE
GENERAL BHCELE, MP
DATE: 2021-12-21

Reply:

The expenditure on the 1321 km of national roads under SANRAL in KwaZulu-Natal, including the portion of the N3 concessioned to the N3 Toll Concessionaire is summarised in the table below per financial year.

Table 1: SANRAL Annual Expenditure in Kwazulu-Natal (R Million)

Reply:

1. (a) The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) initiated a criminal investigation in relation to the operations undertaken by Alexkor SOC (Ltd) (Alexkor), which is situated in Alexander Bay.

(a)(i) The criminal investigation against Alexkor commenced in 2020 and was registered with the South African Police Service (SAPS) under CAS Alexander Bay 19-09-2020. This investigation is complete and was submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in

the Northern Cape for a decision to be made on whether or not to institute a prosecution. The DFFE is currently awaiting the decision from the office of the DPP.

(a)(ii) In addition to the criminal investigation, the DFFE issued Alexkor with a Compliance Notice, dated 29 July 2021. This Compliance Notice is aimed at instructing Alexkor to implement measures to address the harm that was caused to the environment during the construction of the cofferdams by using mafic rocks and to cease the use thereof.

(b)(i)(ii) According to the departmental records, there are no reports of non-compliance that bears reference to Koingnaas.

1. As explained in (a)(ii), a criminal case was registered by the DFFE with Alexander Bay CAS 19/09/2020 as reference against Alexkor. According to departmental records, there is currently no investigation in relation to any activities in Koingnaas.

Regards

MS B D CREECY, MP
MINISTER OF FORESTRY, FISHERIES AND THE ENVIRONMENT
DATE: 22 December 2021

Reply:

The South African Police Service (SAPS) planned to build a total number of two police stations, in the rural areas, during the financial year 2020/2021, however, these police stations are not finalised yet,

The two police stations, which were scheduled for completion, are both in the North test Province

Reply to question 2628 recommended

GENERAL NATIONAL COMMISSIONER: SOUTH AFRICANPOLICE SERVICE
KJ SITOLE (SOEG)
Date: 2021-12-15

Reply to question 2628 approved

MINISTER OF POLICE
GENERAL BHCELE, MP
DATE: 2021-12-21

Reply:

Price-fixing is a statutory offence under the Competition Act (part of cartel-behaviour by firms who collude). The Competition Commission therefore does not make recommendations in this respect to the Executive but instead the Commission prosecutes firms where there is evidence of price-fixing. During the review of the Competition Act in 2017, the Ministry identified measures to strengthen the penalties applicable to cartel behavior (including price-fixing) by firms in the SA economy. This has subsequently been incorporated into law by Parliament.

In respect of data prices, the Minister requested the Competition Commission in 2017 to undertake a market inquiry into data prices charged by mobile operators. The results of the market inquiry were publicly released by the Commission and the Ministry. Based on the outcome of the market inquiry, three mobile networks reached settlement agreements with the Commission or changed their prices on data for consumers.

The Commission has provided me with information that shows that prices have reduced substantially over 2 price changes – the first in April 2020 and the second in April 2021. Vodacom and MTN implemented deep price reductions ranging from 13% to 50%. The price reductions are a combination of direct price reductions on certain bundle sizes (see details below), increases in bundle sizes on certain price points (e.g. Vodacom increased the bundle size at R12 from 39MB to 50MB) or a complete replacement of bundles (e.g. Vodacom replaced the 300MB priced at R63 with 325MB priced at R55.

Vodacom prices of the monthly 1G data bundle reduced from R149 per month (original price) to R99/ month (April 2020) and then to R85 per month (April 2021) reflecting a - 43% reduction in prices overall.

MTN prices of the monthly 1G data bundle reduced from R149 per month (original price) to R99/ month (April 2020) and then to R85 per month (April 2021) reflecting a -43% reduction in prices overall.

The zero rating of websites is another major area of impact. Before the consent agreement was reached less than 100 websites were zero rated. This grew to 2 261 websites post the intervention. This growth was further substantially spurred by the DCDT gazzetting directions for the zero-rating of websites for education and health on 5 June 2020.

The number of users of newly zero-rated websites increased 22% over the last year from 3 266 895 In April 2020 to 10 744 224 in April 2021.

I am advised that the interventions saved consumers approximately R2.1 billion (annualized at R1.97 billion) for the first 13 months from April 2020.

To enable the Commission to undertake its work on areas such as data prices, the Ministry supports the budget requests of the Commission.

-END-

Reply:

(1) (a) 57 406, 6707 hectares.

(b) The current usage of the land is for livestock, crop production, and settlement.

1. The commonage land belongs to different municipalities and they will assist the beneficiaries should the need for water rights arises.

1. Yes. Please refer to Annexure A.

1. No. There are no reports of any invasion of commonage land that has been reported to the Department by the Municipalities.

• 1. ,(b) Falls away.

ANNEXURE A OF NA-QUES 2701 OF 2021

Reply:

The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) provides technical support and advice to the organic farming sector. This include cultivation practices, pests and disease control and post-harvest handling practices. Provincial departments of agriculture provide financial support to farmers through the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme (CASP) and Ilima/ Letsema conditional grants.

Organic farming has great potential in terms of economic growth and job creation. This is due to the fact that organic farming is highly labour intensive. There is a bigger scope for increasing the size of the industry in terms of hectares and farmers because organically produced products fetch premium prices on both local and export markets.

DALRRD had also collaborating with the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition regarding linking smallholder organic farmers to retail outlets, including the big supermarket chains. The biggest efforts were directed at helping farmers to comply with market requirements of these retail outlets. This was in line with recommendations from the Fund for Research into Industrial Development, Growth and Equity (FRIDGE) study on organic farming carried out through National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC).

DALLRD is also responsible for regulating the organically produced products through the Agricultural Products Standards Act (Act 119 of 1990). This is done to ensure that good agricultural products are used when products are produced as well as the post-production handling procedures to ensure the quality and safety of products destined for local as well as export markets. Inspection services of the DALRRD ensures that all farmers and other stakeholders in the food value chain comply with the prescribed requirements.

Reply:

(1) (a) 17 945,6863 hectares.

(b) The current usage of the land is for crop, livestock production and settlement.

The commonage land belongs to different municipalities and they will assist the beneficiaries should the need for water rights arises.

Yes. Please refer to Annexure A.

No. There are no reports of any invasion of commonage land that has been reported to the Department by the Municipalities.

,(b) Falls away.

ANNEXURE A OF NA-QUES 2803 OF 2021

Reply:

1. (a) The Honourable Member is requested to source the document title ‘Guide to Parliamentary Questions’ from Parliament.
   1. Not applicable
   2. Not applicable
   3. Not applicable

1. The Honourable Member is requested to furnish the full information including the names of contractors.

Reply:

The department regrets to report that there has been no additional budget for demand generation. The additional resources have been provided by the private sector and voluntarily placement of advertisements and radio slots. The investments include making vaccination mean more to people (through demand creation) and making it easier to get vaccinated (through establishing more vaccination sites, using outreach and extending vaccination site times, primarily to weekends). Doses in the arms, especially of older people mean a lot fewer admissions and savings to the health system. Calculations have been done which show that vaccination of people over 65 years saves the health system around R850 per vaccination based on a cost of admission which is about R75 000 per admission. It has also been estimated that vaccinating 83 men over 65 years could prevent 1 admission, saving R903 in admission cost for this group.

The cost of vaccines and associated supplies remains the major investment. The cost of the logistics to provide the vaccinations increases exponentially as it becomes more difficult to reach people. Increasingly more effort and investment are required to drive towards critical thresholds of coverage. People who are willing to vaccinate if their personal costs or constraints are reduced cost the vaccination programme more to reach than those who have no limitation on access at their own costs.

The public investment case is that COVID-19 has had a devastating effect on both society and the economy:

• COVID-19 has increased the number of deaths by about 30% since May 2020. There were 238,949 excess deaths in South Africa recorded between 3 May 2020 and 14 August 2021 (age-standardised excess death rate of 401 per 100,000 population).

• Vaccination against COVID-19 will provide a return on investment of 11 to 20 times in terms of infections averted and costs to the economy.

• COVID-19 related mortality is concentrated in older age groups: 82% of COVID-19 deaths recorded in South Africa have been among people over fifty years of age and 61% of recorded deaths among people over 60 years.
• The net saving to the health system of vaccinating all men and women over 65 years of age is approximately R1.3 billion (R500 and R250 per person respectively), based on a mortality hazard ratio of approximately 2:1,4 an average cost per hospitalisation managed in a public general ward of R75,0005 and an unit cost of vaccination of R350.

• The vaccination of younger people (aged 18-39 years) is crucial in securing the social and economic returns on investment in the medium-term. In the short-term, the vaccination of younger people will incur a net cost to the health sector (about R300 p.p.). However, they constitute over half (56%) of the total population and their uptake patterns will largely determine whether or not we reach critical thresholds of coverage.

END.

2

Reply:

• 1. The department is considering various options including the usage of third parties (e.g. courier companies) to facilitate the turnaround times for passport applications abroad in the interim, while the long-term include the deployment of e-Home Affairs and Live Capture abroad.
  2. The department is in the process to establish the viability of extending the online passport application systems abroad which will significantly shorten the time-frame for issuance of passports. The installation of the e-Home Affairs and Live Capture System in offices abroad is receiving attention.

END

Reply:

The findings and recommendations of the Report of the Ekurhuleni Water Care Company are indicated in the table below:

Reply:

Response: (a)

Please note that the department does not have comparison of learners without IDs between 2020 and 2021. However, the number of learners uploaded on LURITS were verified with the Department of Home Affairs. This analysis is not specific for the last 12 months. About 91.3% of learners with ID’s were verified with the Department of Home Affairs.

Table 1: Number of South African learners with verified ID numbers on LURITS, in 2021

Source: 2021 LURITS

(b)(i)(ii)

Table 2 indicates that there were 465 826 South African learners without ID numbers captured in the School Administration System in 2021. The majority of these learners are in Gauteng, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 144 218 and 92 572, respectively.

Table 2: Number of South African learners without ID numbers submitted on LURITS, in 2021

Source: 2021 LURITS

c) Engagements between the Department of Basic Education and the Department of Home Affairs have been enhanced and formalised under the leadership of Deputy Ministers of both Departments. Officials have also established teams not to only focus on South African learners, but all undocumented learners in all schools. The teams are led by the Deputy Directors-General of the two departments, and these teams include Chief Directors and Directors. Through the collaboration, the Department of Home Affairs has access to schools; and both departments exchange information of undocumented learners with the aim of facilitating their registration.

Reply:

The outbreak of Covid–19 brought new challenges in the Traditional Health Practice, which led to the Department of Health developing Guidelines for Traditional Health Practitioners in dealing with Covid-19.

The Department supported the role played by Traditional Health Practitioners during the hard lockdown period by providing them with travel permits to allow them to continue looking after their patients and assist in the prevention and control of COVID-19. Traditional Health Practitioners have also been supported by the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC), by providing them with PPE procured through the Global Fund money.

END.

Reply:

No COVID-19 vaccines are currently approved for use in South Africa in children under the age of 12 years.

Trials in young children have been completed for two inactivated vaccines (Sinovac-CoronaVac and BBIBP-CorV), and these products have been approved by Chinese authorities for use in children 3-17 years. However, although these vaccines have received emergency use approval from the World Health Organization (WHO) for adults, they have to date not been approved by WHO for use in children1. Several additional COVID-19 vaccines are undergoing trials in young children (including children as young as 6 months of age). Results from these trials are expected in late 2021 or early in 2022, and it is likely that the manufacturers will then apply for regulatory approval for the vaccines to be administered to children under five years of age. Decisions to vaccinate young children in South Africa will require approval by SAHPRA, and will be guided by recommendations of the Vaccine Ministerial Advisory Committee.

It should be noted that whilst initial COVID cases caused by the Omicron variant included a large proportion of children under five years of age, this pattern has changed with more cases now being seen in older (adult) age groups. The incidence and severity of disease in young children is being carefully monitored in order to understand the impact of the new variant on young children.

Caregivers should protect young children from COVID infection by ensuring that all household members and other close contacts who are eligible to be vaccinated, are fully vaccinated, and that standard COVID prevention practices are followed at all times.

END.

1 World Health Organization. Interim statement on COVID-19 vaccination for children and adolescents. 24 November 2021

Reply:

1. (a) There are 10 nursing colleges in the Republic. One located in each of the nine provinces and the 10th being the South African Military Health Service (SAMHS). These colleges have 45 campuses and 40 sub-campuses located in district and subdistrict level in each of the provinces to ensure access to nursing education by local communities

(b) (i) None of these colleges were shut down in the past two financial years.

(ii) Not applicable

1. The colleges are running effectively and smoothly, phasing in new programmes whilst phasing out the legacy (old) programmes in compliance with relevant legislation guiding nursing education. While the accreditation process by the Council for Higher Education (CHE) for some programmes has been slower than expected, department is communicating with the CHE to expedite the accreditation of these programmes.

1. (a) Table 1 overleaf reflects the number of graduates who were produced by South African Nursing Colleges in the past five-years in question:

Table 1. Number of graduates produced by South African Nursing Colleges in the past five years

(b) The following table reflects the number of eligible graduates who were absorbed into statutory posts for Professional Nursing Community Service in the past five years (The numbers below are inclusive graduates from Nursing Colleges and Universities)

Table 2.

NB. After completing Community Service, Professional Nurses are not automatically absorbed into permanent posts. They need to apply and compete for advertised positions either Public Service or Private Sector. Based on the individuals performance during the selection process the favourable candidate is appointed into a post.

END.

2

Reply:

1. While dropping out is a matter that the Department of Basic Education monitors closely, it would be difficult to provide a response to question (a) for two reasons. Firstly, how the Department has monitored dropping out over the years, has changed as methodologies and data have improved; meaning that there is no comparable number for each of twenty years which can simply be added together. It should be pointed out that dropping out is seldom, if ever monitored in the manner implied by the question. Secondly, even if an attempt were to be made to standardise values over time, this would have to be in response to a question that defines clearly who is a dropout. There is no universally accepted definition of this. Young people, who leave school before obtaining the ‘Matric’ to find work, or to further studies somewhere else, are not easily identified or defined.

It should be clarified that the Department takes the matter of dropping out very seriously, and reports transparently and frequently on this. The annual report on the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations, available on the Department’s website, provides comprehensive analysis of who obtains and who does not obtain the National Senior Certificate (NSC). For example, the report for the 2020 examinations indicates that ‘the percentage of youths successfully completing Grade 12, has increased from about 45% in 2005, to around 57% in 2019’. The 57% implies that around 420 000 in one youth age cohort, do not obtain the NSC. Statistics South Africa data indicate that a further 3%, do not obtain the NSC; but do obtain some other national qualification outside the schooling system, for instance at a college. (This is explained in, for instance, the Department’s Action Plan to 2024.)

The 2020 NSC examinations report, moreover makes the important point that successful completion of twelve years of education in South Africa is roughly to similar to that found in other middle income countries. The key point is that the situation is improving in South Africa. A growing percentage of young South Africans, have been obtaining the NSC, and the NSC with a Bachelors-level pass in particular.

1. Most dropping out, occurs between Grade 10 and Grade 11, and between Grade 11 and Grade 12. Figures in this regard appear in the 2020 NSC report.

1. Dropping out is caused mostly by learners not coping academically. By far the most important interventions implicitly aimed at combatting dropping out, focus on improving the quality of learning and teaching. Such interventions include upgrading the skills of teachers at the secondary level, and initiatives aimed at ensuring that learners have all the textbooks they need, as well as the support / remedial programmes they require. Important longer-term interventions, include improving the way reading, writing and numeracy are taught in the earliest grades. Details appear in the Department’s Annual Performance Plan and other documents on the Department’s website.

In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic poses immense threats to educational quality. In this regard, the Department has focussed strongly on returning learners to regular daily attendance, for instance by insisting on the prioritisation of teachers in the national vaccination programme.

Reply:

(a). All gazetted hospitals in the country are declared ready for the Covid-19 variant. These hospitals are able to manage Covid-19 cases in the context of the hierarchy of health services per type of facility. This arrangement ensures that the patients are referred the next level of care as and when the condition of the patient changes, from mild, moderate to severe state.

(b). The department has prepared all the 336 gazetted public hospitals plus the private sector hospitals for Covid-19 variant depending of the packages of services and hierarchy of care for each level of the hospital. At the start of the pandemic in 2020, the department did the following in order to determine the state of readiness for Covid-19 admissions:

• • conducted an audit for oxygen reticulation capability;
  • identification of respiratory support devices needs;
  • determined infrastructure needs as well as Human Resource needs.

This is the information that has been used to ensure that the hospitals are ready for all various Covid-19 variants, including preparations for this current variant. Based on the Intra-Action Review that was conducted for the third wave, the department was confident to confirm during the planning for the fourth wave that all hospitals are ready for this new variant.

END.

Reply:

1. A total of R 11 504 666, 67 bonuses has been paid during the 2020-21 financial year for the 2019/20 Performance management cycle.
2. The following amounts were paid iro benefits to employees:
   1. R 1 109 654,60 paid to employees who were on suspension
   2. R 1 788 516,00 paid to employees who have resigned while under internal investigation.

END

2729. Mr A C Roos: (DA) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs: Written Reply 

Reply:

(a). Based on section 5 of the Border Management Authority Act, the Authority is required by law to ensure the effective management of the movement of people, goods and services across the country’s Ports of Entry (PoE). Therefore, the establishment of the Authority is intended to improve efficiencies in the facilitation of trade between South African and the rest of the African continent and the world. Further, the establishment of BMA seeks to ensure the integration of various functions (e.g. immigration, port health, agriculture, access control) which are currently implemented by individual government departments in a fragmented manner. Therefore, BMA’s establishment seeks to improve efficiencies in this regard by integrating all those functions into a single command and control. To this end, in executing its functions, the BMA will remain guided by the overall policy directives adopted by the respective parent departments and therefore will in no way work towards hindering any trade activities or market access between South Africa, African countries and the world.

(b). The BMA, in collaboration with relevant government stakeholders, has prepared an operational plan for the border environment for the 2021/22 festive season wherein mitigation strategies have been developed for identified challenges such as traffic congestion and crowd control. The plan has been endorsed by multiple stakeholders including the National Joint Operational Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS), Provincial Joint Operational Intelligence Structures (PROVJOINTS) especially those of Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the Free State. Further, the Border Management Authority is leading discussions at the Joint Technical Committees with our respective neighbours to ensure the alignment of systems to ensure the smooth movement of cargo between our respective Ports of Entry. We have also finalised discussions to increase the operating hours and the deployment of additional human resources especially in the busiest ports such as Beit Bridge, Lebombo, and Maseru Bridge, amongst others.

​(c). Whilst the leadership of Border Management Authority is busy putting systems in place to operationalise the Authority and the ultimate deployment of the Border Guards, the Ports of Entry are currently secured by the South African Police Service (SAPS) in order to deter and intercept any illegal activities in the port environment. Regarding security at the private and public airports, the members of SAPS are working closely with the private security company to ensure that the port environment is fully secured and protected. These security arrangements also cover the Fire Blade private airport area as described in order to ensure that there is no smuggling taking place in the environment.

Reply:

The following interventions are made to assist the Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital:

(a) The hospital has an annual turnover of about 30 – 50 community service doctors;

(b) The hospital annually plans by commencing interviews with community service doctors who may be interested to continue working at the hospital around June – July;

(c) The hospital has completed the human resources process on time and the applicants were informed of the outcome of the interviews and the list of recommended applicants has been sent to the Head of Units;

(d) The hospital is currently filling 31 posts, following a resignation of a medical officer

​2. Yes.

(a) The hospital always had backlogs in ophthalmology, general surgery, and orthopaedics. This is due to an ongoing challenge of a shortage of nurses trained in theatre technique. The hospital does, from time to time, arrange blitz sessions to reduce the backlog;

(b) The total backlog for general surgery currently stands at 492;

(c) The long-term plan is active recruitment, coupled with training nurses in theatre technique to cover the rest of the province. This will allow the hospital to plan outreach programmes into the districts to minimise the burden on the tertiary hospital for beds.

(3) The Ministry and National Department of Health will continue to support the province as we do with us provinces in the identified area of staff shortages across all categories.

END.

Reply:

1. There are four officials from the National Department of Health (NDOH) that have been suspended and are currently undergoing a disciplinary hearing. Charges were served on the officials and the Disciplinary Hearing commenced on 22 November 2021, it is currently underway.
2. Kindly refer to (1) above, charges have been served on the four implicated officials.
3. The NDOH has resolved to minimize the use of deviations, and these will only be resorted to under extremely exceptional circumstances. In addition, the NDOH is the process of improving its contract management processes to ensure efficient and effective contract management.

END.

Reply:

1. The finalisation of the report on the National Investigation Task Team, was delayed by the outstanding forensic investigation report that was carried out on the cell phones that were voluntarily submitted by candidates. The final Report has since been submitted to the Portfolio Committee.
2. The investigation relating to the Government Printing Works as well as the other components of the investigation are part of the criminal investigation that is conducted and managed by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI). All information relating to the criminal investigation will only be made available to the Department of Basic Education, after the investigation is concluded and the courts have ruled on the matter.

Reply:

Yes, Honourable Komane

Stats SA intends to roll out multi-modal data collection tools, namely (i) Computer Assisted Web Interviewing (CAWI), (ii) Computer Assisted Telephonic Interviewing (CATI) and (iii) Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI). The latter is also referred to as face to face interviewing.

The CAWI and CATI modes allows us to collect and interact with the public remotely, hence we encourage all people/households and institutions to register to be enumerated on our data-free platforms (getcounted.statssa.gov.za) or call our Tollfree service (0800 110-

248) to help them register. This process triggers members of the public to share with us their contact details, which will aid us to engage them even remotely (telephonically- CATI)

Face to face has been undertaken during the last pilot (August 2021). The challenge has been the discomfort from the public to open their doors to the field staff. The level of restrictions imposed at a given time will determine the roll out of face to face (e.g., any restrictions from level. 3 and lower still allows us to conduct face to face- with appropriate PPE equipment.). Any higher levels of restrictions (level 4-5) will lead to the rescheduling/ delayed deployment of face to face).

We are aware of limitations in rural areas either due to literacy levels or connectivity challenges, hence we advocate that CAPI is still the best mode to reach all settlements and population groupings (homeless, transients, households and the institutionalized).

We therefore intend to use all these methods in rural areas. In areas/cases where these other two modes cannot be deployed, we intend to deploy face-to-face primarily with the appropriate levels of restrictions as determined/pronounced from time to time.

The approach will be to provide all our field staff with (appropriate PPE’s, face masks and sanitizers), in addition our training includes a module on adherence to Occupation, Health and Safety (OHS) measures/guidelines in line with COVID-19 regulations. This includes either conducting interviews in open spaces within, outside the dwelling unit or asking for telephone numbers and calling the respondent immediately thereafter via using the tablets (over the fence or otherwise).

Finally, we also have a workplace vaccination program, wherein we encourage our employees to be vaccinated by setting dates for vaccinations within our various national and provincial offices in collaboration with GEMS.

Thank You.

Reply:

The Honourable Member is kindly informed that this kind of information is not readily available at the National Department of Health. This information must be sourced from hospitals in provinces, and therefore the department is busy collating the information from the hospitals through the provinces. The information will be shared with the Honourable Member and Parliament as soon as it is received from the provinces.

END.

Reply:

The Trans-Caledon Tunnel Authority (TCTA) raised R15.45 billion from six local banks, including DBSA, in May 2021, as part of its mandate to raise and manage funding for the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (“LHWP”), including the construction of Phase 2. This followed the raising of R6.5 billion in 2018 from three local banks. The loans contribute to:

• Fulfilment of South Africa’s obligations in terms of the Treaty with Lesotho;
• Servicing of the existing debt portfolio; and
• New capital expenditure on LHWP-2 and liquidity management.

The LHWP augments the Vaal River System (VRS) which supplies water to 45% of South Africa’s population in Gauteng municipalities including Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni, Tshwane, Rustenberg in the North West; as well Govan Mbeki Municipality (Secunda, Evander, and Bethal) in Mpumalanga. The Vaal River System also supports 60% of the South African economy, including:

• The bulk of Eskom’s power stations;
• Sasol’s plants in Sasolburg and Secunda;
• The goldfields of the North West and Free State provinces;
• The Iron and Manganese mines in the Northern Cape; and
• ArcelorMittal South Africa’s steel works in Vanderbijlpark and Vereeniging.

The long-term outlook for the VRS is that water requirements are outstripping the available water resources and there is a need to assure water security for the several provinces dependent on the VRS.

The transactions are an investment in an impactful project that contributes to social and economic development. Apart from the direct benefit of additional water supply for the VRS, the LHWP-2 is anticipated to contribute and maintain a total of R244.4 billion (in 2018 constant prices) GDP and Sustain 544 586 new job opportunities, of which just over 214 570 will be for unskilled workers; thereby significantly contributing to South Africa’s job creation, according to a Technical Due-diligence Report prepared by consulting company called WSP for the benefit of Development Finance Institutions lenders.

The loans are all denominated in local currency and therefore do not have foreign currency exposure and have maturities of between 5 and 20 years. They will be repaid through water tariffs charged by the Department of Water and Sanitation on the Vaal River System water users.

The TCTA's repayment obligations under the LHWP are covered by an explicit South African Government Guarantee as required by the Treaty on the Lesotho Highlands Water Project. The details of the loan agreements are provided in table 1 below.

TABLE 1: LOAN AGREEMENTS DETAILS

Reply:

1(a) (i)(ii) and 1(b)(1). The table below shows the information on the staff component of all non-teaching posts including professional staff (Therapists, Social Workers and Nurses)

1(b) (ii) The vacancies reported have accumulated since 2015, which was the last time posts were filled at both schools.

1(b)(iii) 36 posts for special schools targeted for learners with Severe to Profound Intellectual Disability have been advertised for filling with effect from 01/04/2022. Some of the posts, once filled, will offer services to the two schools. Furthermore, 228 additional posts (professional and non-professional) to be distributed to all special schools in the province have been submitted to the Provincial Treasury for approval to be filled during the 2022/23 financial year.

1. There is currently one (1) Therapist post filled at Tshilidzini Special School with 11 vacant, and none at Helene Franz Special School with two (2) vacant. Both schools are currently receiving therapeutic support provided by Therapists appointed through the Learners with Severe and Profound Intellectual Disability grant.

1. There are no recorded oversight visits to the specific schools at national level.

Reply:

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

Reply:

Learner admission, is a provincial competency. The Department of Basic Education (DBE) developed Business Processes that all provinces should implement in the management of the admission process. The DBE has ensured that all provinces have:

1. developed Circulars to guide the admission process in the admissions in line with the Business Process;
2. used various media platforms to conduct advocacy to inform parents and stakeholders about important dates and procedures for admissions;
3. established admission committees at provincial and District level to manage admissions in the province;
4. established a team to manage and respond to appeals;
5. established centres to deal with late registration and the distribution of learners from over-subscribed to where there is still available space.