Questions and Replies

Reply:

1. Robberies, targeting schools, are addressed as part of the National Crime Combating Strategy of the South African Police Service (SAPS), which employs a five pillar approach, to combat crime. The five pillars are as follows:
   • Pillar 1: intelligence gathering, analysis and coordination.
   • Pillar 2: Proactive and high visibility approach.
   • Pillar 3: Combat and reaction approach.
   • Pillar 4: Reactive through detection, including an organised crime approach.
   • Pillar 5: Communication and Liaison.

As part of the proactive and high visibility approach, Pillar 2, the SAPS and the Department of Basic Education have a protocol in place, since 2011, to strengthen school safety. As part of this programme, all police stations have school safety officers, who are designated to prO\/ide support to schools, educate pupils about crime and safety tips and coordinate any crime prevention interventions, in schools. The schools are also linked to their local police

stations, in order to streamline the crime reporting process. The SAPS conducts school safety programmes across the country, on an annual basis, including crime awareness campaigns, operations required by the schools and other proactive crime prevention programmes, such as the Junior Commissioner Initiative, crime dialogues and sports against crime projects.

The Department of Basic Education and provincial education departments are also involved in the structures of the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) Cluster, including the National and Provincia! Joint Operational and intelligence committees, which allows them to cooperate with the SAPS, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and other departments in the JCPS Cluster, to ensure a coordinated response to crime and other threats targeting schools.

2. From 30 June 2021 to 26 July 2021, a total of 411 burglaries were reported at schools nationally. A total of 34 suspects were charged and referred to court, in 26 cases.

3. The JCPS Cluster and the SAPS provide regular feedback on notable successes, including arrests, but does not necessarily share information on every arrest and every person charged. Court proceedings are mostly public proceedings, which allows for the media to report on any person, who appeared as an accused in court.

4. The National Crime Combating Strategy serves as a blue print for the fight against crime and the School Safety Programme provides for a specific focus on preventing crime that affect schools, in recognition of the importance of education and of schools being safe spaces for children.

Reply to question 1820 recommended

NATIONAL COMMISSIONER: SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE
KJ SITOLE (SOEG)
Date: 2021/09/15

Reply to question 1820 approved

MINISTER OF POLICE
GENERAL BH CELE, MP
Date: 18/09/2021

Reply:

(a) The South African Police Service (SAPS) is obliged, in terms of its Constitutional mandate to prevent, combat and investigate crime, maintain public order, protect and secure the inhabitants of South Africa and to enforce the law. Police operations, which were conducted following the protest action that started, on 9 July 2021 and looting that started, on 11 July 2021, were informed by the need to restore public order, recover stolen property and enforce the law to deter further violent protests and footing.

(b)(i) Practical guidance for the procedures to be followed during searches and seizures were provided to the SAPS, in a circular issued, on 12 May 2016. This circular was distributed again to inform the procedures followed during operations, to recover stolen property, in July 2021.

(b)(ii) The SAPS relies on Sections 21 or 22 of the Criminal Procedure Act, 1977 (Act No. 51 of 1977), that provide for search and seizure with a warrant, as we!! as search and seizure without a warrant. The SAPS also relied on Section 13 of the SAPS Act, 1995 (Act No. 68 of 1995), to cordon off particular areas to ensure the safety of the public or to restore order, in particular areas.

(c) The SAPS required people, who were in possession of suspected stolen or looted items, to provide proof of purchase.

Reply to question 1799 recommended

NATIONAL COMMISSIONERGENERAL: SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE
KJ SITOLE (SOEG)
Date: 2021/09/15
 

Reply to question 1799 approved

MINISTER OF POLICE
GENERAL BH CELE, MP

Date:

Reply:

(1)(a) The total number of cases outstanding, since 1 March 2021, in each forensic laboratory of the South African Police Service (SAPS), is reflected in the table below:

 

Biology
Category	Biology Eastern Cape	Biology KwaZuIu- Natal	Biology Head Office	Biology Western Cape	Total
Unclassified > 3 ' days	7 050	8 438	34 829	14 197	64 514
Routine > 35 days	921	81	4 399	2 539	“     7 940
DNA Intelligence > 90 days	0	0	25 996	14 483	40 479
Non-routine » 113 days	0	0	10	22	32
Reference Index Intelligence > 90 days	0	0	72 615	52 051	124 666
Total	7 971	8 519	137 849	83 292	237 631

Find here question reply

 

Reply:

a) PRASA will request all service providers that are currently rendering services where physical contract documentation could not be traced to submit copies of the signed contract agreements with PRASA.

b) (i) PRASA has signed a Secondment Agreement with SIU to investigate all contracts that were identified in the Public Protector Derailed report and flagged also by AGSA as irregular. Such investigation would shed light on how contract documents went missing in the first place and what corrective measures should be taken against responsible individuals. Internally the key challenge is on non-availability of documents and SIU seems to be having capacity constraints. SIU has indicated that the capacity challenges are being addressed and the investigations will be finalised in June 2021.

(ii) The process to pay for services where contract documentation is missing requires end-user departments to compile the necessary submissions with relevant source documents and confirmation of receipt of goods or services for approval by the GCEO and Finance prior to processing of any payment, especially for goods and services of a critical nature that PRASA cannot afford to operate without. In instances where payments have been processed without the necessary documents, based on the SIU investigation, appropriate corrective action will be taken against responsible individuals.

 

Reply:

South Africa’s foreign policy is based on its Constitutional values and principles central to which are the rights of the Child. In the context of the post-apartheid era where an array of laws and frameworks have been put in place to protect the child, South Africa has complemented these with actions at the regional, continental and United Nations level.

In order to build on the AU campaign and promote the SADC Model Law, the AU followed up with the End Child Marriage campaign that is based on the 5 Year Strategic Plan, which commenced in 2019 to 2023. The AU campaign held in 2014-2017 needed to be built on to provide an environment to enhance the effectiveness of the SADC Model Law. South Africa, at the national level, will work with traditional leaders, teachers, church leaders and social partners to ensure the eradication of this practice in the country.

South Africa has participated in AU and SADC forums and other consultative engagements that have been held to address the issue of Child Marriages in the respective member states. It should be taken into consideration that South Africa participates as part of the collective in these multilateral engagements where member states engage and take individual decisions to domesticate AU and SADC policy positions. In this regard, South Africa as Member State of the African Union (AU) has been in the forefront of the efforts to eradicate this harmful practise including being part of the campaign to End Child Marriage through the 5 year strategic plan (2019-2023).

Reply:

I have been furnished with a reply to the question submitted, by Ms Thabang Mampane, Commissioner of the National Lotteries Commission.

Ms Mampane says the following:

“ In terms of section 2A (3) which states that: The Commission may, upon request by the Minister, board or on its own initiative in consultation with the board, conduct research on worthy good causes that may be funded without lodging an application prescribed in terms of this Act.

a) In compliance with section 2A (3) the NLC allocated and disbursed R 140 923 864,10. In addition to that, the NLC compiled a Report on COVID-19 Funding outlining the integrated response to Covid – 19 relief funds. The report is attached as Annexure A for reference.

b) The list of funded organisations and the amounts is attached as Annexure B.

c) The balance of unallocated funds amounting to R9 076 135,90 will be disbursed in the current financial year as the pandemic is still on-going and the Commission is assessing needs in relation to worthy good causes relating to the pandemic.

d) All the grants that were awarded under the Covid Relief Fund fell under the small grants category as such the reporting shall be done in terms of Regulation 10 of 2015 which states that:

“An applicant to whom a small grant is made must, at such period as may have been imposed at the time when a grant is made submit to the National Lotteries Commission a report detailing how the grant funds were used, together with all supporting invoices and any other relevant documents for the purposes of financial accounting.”

Considering the above, the NLC is awaiting reports from the beneficiaries for the Commission to compile a consolidated Monitoring and Evaluation Report.”

Attachments:

Annexure A

Annexure B

-END-

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

a) I have been informed by the Department that the value of the current maintenance project WCS 046748 is R 88, 997, 040.00 including VAT.

b) The name of the contractor who was awarded the maintenance contract is "Ilitha Painters & Decorators" t/a The Construction Co.

c) The contract was awarded on the 7th of April 2020.

d) The intruder alarms system challenges will be addressed, per Parliamentary Village, on the dates listed below:

• Acacia Park – on works completion of the Park on the 19th of May 2022
• Laboria Park – on works completion of the Park on the 9th of February 2023
• Pelican Park – on works completion of the Park on the 4th of December 2023

Reply:

The Basic Conditions of Employment Act, prohibits work by children if the child is under 15 years old; under the minimum school-leaving age (where this is 15 years or older); over 15 years but under 18 years old, if the work is inappropriate for the age of the child or if the work places at risk the child’s well-being, education, physical or mental health, or spiritual, moral or social development or has been prohibited through regulations.

The Basic Conditions of Employment Act further explicitly criminalises all offences related in the engagement of the child labour and regulates that any person convicted of the prohibition of child labour may be sentenced a maximum term of imprisonment of up to six years.

As a country, we further pride ourselves in the Child Labour Programme of Action (CLPA) which is the country’s roadmap towards the prevention, reduction and eventual elimination of child labour. It serves to focus and guide the efforts of a number of Government departments and civil society groups, including business organisations, labour federations and organisations serving the interest of these children.

In order to collect reliable and credible statistics on child work in the country, the Department of Employment and Labour commissioned Statistics South Africa in 2019, to conduct a national household-based survey; the Survey on the Activities of Young People (SAYP). The SAYP is a household-based sample survey that collects data on the activities which children aged 7 to 17 years who live in South Africa get involved in.

According to the 2019 Survey on the Activities of Young People which was realised in March this year:

• There was a decline in the number of children who were involved in child labour from 779 000 in 2010 to 577 000 in 2015 and 571 000 in 2019;
• Children aged 16-17 years were more likely to be engaged in child labour;
• Compared to other population groups, black African children were more likely to be involved in Child labour;
• In both 2015 and 2019, the difference between boys and girls involvement in child labour was minimal;
• Children in KwaZulu-Natal were more likely than those in other provinces to be involved in child labour at 8,8% in 2019 from 10,0% in 2015;
• At 2,5% urban areas had the lowest proportion of children involved in child labour compared to 8,5% of children in non-urban areas in 2019;
• The proportion of children who were exposed to at least one hazardous working condition decreased from 34,2% in 2015 (0,8 of a percentage point) to 33,5% in 2019.
• Furthermore, girls (34,1%) were more likely to be exposed to hazardous conditions compared to boys (32,9%) when both engaged in all economic activities in 2019.
• In both 2015 and 2019, boys who were engaged in both market activities and production for own consumption (or household use) accounted for the largest share of children who were exposed to at least one hazardous condition (60,8% and 53,0% respectively).

END

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

1) I have been informed by the Department that an investigation into the allegations made in December 2020 against the Registrar and President of SA Council for the Architectural Profession (SACAP) has been concluded. The report has will be submitted to the Portfolio Committee today, 17 September 2021.

(2) The Registrar of SACAP is not a member of the anti-corruption forum. However, the President of the SACAP is a member.

Reply:

1(a) Open Water Advanced Risk Solutions was appointed to conduct an investigation

(b) The investigation was completed in July 2019.

(i)(aa) the detailed findings are contained in a report, and confirm the 2017/18 AGSA findings.

(bb) the recommendations are contained in the report.

(ii) The Department has hard copies of the report.

2(a) the Director-General has been found guilty and dismissed with a 30 day notice period. In respect of other implicated officials, consequence management is currently underway.

(b) The Department brought a review application on 10 March 2018 to have the tender award reviewed and set aside by the High Court. The review application also request for the recovery of the money that was paid to the service provider by the Department. The hearing on the matter took place on 12 and 13 October 2020. The judgement was reserved and the Department is waiting for the outcome.

Reply:

In terms of the Lotteries Act, the appointment of the new Chairperson of the NLC requires that Parliament must put recommendations to the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition before a decision is made, following which the Minister must consider the matter and make an appointment. The matter of the appointment was referred to Parliament in November 2020. The Ministry awaits the recommendations from Parliament as required by the legislation.

The court proceedings referred to in the question relates to an entirely different issue, namely the appointment of an acting chairperson pending finalisation of a decision on the Chairperson.

-END-

Reply:

1. (a) and (b)

Table 1 shows that as at July 2021, 177 108 social grants were received by employees of national and provincial government departments. The Table also shows the breakdown by grant type.

NATIONAL/PROVINCIAL DEPARTMENT	Care Dependency Grant	Com	Child Support Grant	Disability Grant	Foster Child Grant	Old Age Grant	TOTAL
EASTERN CAPE	413	47	8570	435	2063	595	12123
FREE STATE	116	8	2916	114	529	144	3827
GAUTENG	537	15	20136	460	901	221	22270
KWAZULU/NATAL	1717	74	61384	3321	3414	8449	78359
LIMPOPO PROVINCE	267	10	8577	186	826	466	10332
MPUMALANGA	224	4	7744	302	617	512	9403
NATIONAL DEPARTMENTS	630	22	10113	372	1605	522	13264
NON GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS			14	1	2		17
NORTH WEST	416	25	17074	579	846	246	19186
NORTHERN CAPE	127	14	3474	217	313	228	4373
WESTERN CAPE	192	3	3079	111	473	96	3954
TOTAL	4639	222	143081	6098	11589	11479	177108

Table 1: Number of National and Provincial government employees receiving social grants per province

2. (a) The total amount that SASSA has spent in paying Public Service employees who applied for and received SASSA administered grants is

approximately R200, 7 million. Table 2 shows the amount paid during July 2021.

Table 2: Amount paid to public servants during July 2021 per province by grant type

REGION	CSG	DG	FCG	CDG	COM	OAG	Total
Eastern Cape	R8,037,695	R1,513,124	R3,719,837	R1,259,226	R232,733	R1,613,858	R16,376,473
Free State	R2,232,898	R342,625	R949,518	R323,190	R36,540	R349,913	R4,234,684
Gauteng	R13,158,586	R1,115,230	R1,753,063	R1,426,750	R76,020	R620,144	R18,149,793
KwaZulu Natal	R63,236,049	R9,706,180	R7,970,354	R5,564,046	R419,155	R20,866,448	R107,762,232
Limpopo	R9,902,243	R642,859	R1,638,430	R881,959	R54,540	R933,824	R14,053,855
Mpumalanga	R7,233,146	R882,309	R1,129,420	R722,528	R27,510	R1,249,995	R11,244,908
North West	R2,797,271	R646,044	R650,465	R435,553	R62,160	R553,705	R5,145,198
Northern Cape	R14,185,790	R1,504,404	R1,958,887	R1,310,375	R106,680	R534,644	R19,600,780
Western Cape	R2,081,331	R294,809	R960,180	R516,273	R29,610	R337,522	R4,219,725
Total	R122,865,009	R16,647,584	R20,730,154	R12,439,900	R1,044,948	R27,060,053	R200,787,648

2. (b) Steps taken against the implicated employees

It should be noted that all social grants are means tested, apart from the foster child grant. Public servants are entitled to receive the foster child grant. Where the foster child grant is paid in conjunction with a care dependency grant for the same child neither are means tested, and public servants would not be contravening any laws by receiving these grants.

For the remainder of the grant types, the means test would need to be applied. Since the information has been extracted, arrangements have been made to suspend the grants, apart from the foster child grants, for all public servants. Those who still qualify will have to come in and review the grant, and provide current information on their income, to determine whether they still qualify to receive these grants.

Measures will also be taken to recover any funds overpaid. Where it is found that the public servants were receiving a grant to which they were not entitled, the matter will be reported to their employing department, for disciplinary action to be taken.

Reply:

1. (a) The total number of Veterinarians in North West is 30 Veterinarians. This includes 7 Veterinarians that are in middle management, 4 the laboratory.

(i) There are 9 vacant posts.

(ii) 9 posts have been advertised and the shortlisting process has been completed waiting for approval. Interviews will be held immediately afterwards. These include posts that are occupied by short term contract veterinarians.

2. In each State Veterinary area there is one (1) State Veterinarian taking care of all livestock unit’s needs. These includes activities related to animal health, veterinary public health and export related matter of all commodities.

3. Yes. The Department is implementing Compulsory community services for veterinarians in the North West Province. In 2021, eleven (11) Compulsory Community Services veterinarians are employed mainly in the rural areas providing both primary animal health care services and State Veterinary services.

4. (a) During the past financial year we have has the following major outbreaks of diseases

(i) African Swine Fever

(ii) African Horse Sickness

(iii) Avian Influenza

(iv) Rabies

There were also singular/minor outbreaks of the following

i. Blue Tongue

ii. Salmonella enteritidis

iii.Malignant Cattarhal Fever

(b) Interventions undertaken to treat diseases:

i. African Swine Fever: The outbreak was controlled by depopulation of the farm both initially by the farmer and later due to a court instruction. Carcasses were buried with lime on the farm. The farm was cleaned and tested and the quarantine notice will be lifted when the last test indicates negative results

ii. African Horse Sickness: These outbreaks were reported and quarantine notices issued. The individual outbreak farms were advised to vaccinate the animals and employ location of animals to higher lying areas to avoid vector insects.

iii. Avian Influenza: The affected farms had their flock culled. The company/farm used their own rendering plant to dispose of dead carcasses. Surveillance was conducted and quarantine lifted after negative results.

Reply:

a) According to PERSAL Dr DC Mamphiswana is currently not employed in the Public Service.

b) Dr DC Mamphiswana was the previous Director-General at the Public Service Commission and was appointed on 01/06/2016. He was dismissed for misconduct in January 2021.

c) Not applicable as the person is no longer employed in the Public Service.

End

Reply:

a) The South African Government has not been directly approached by the mentioned organisation or Rwandan citizens or civil society on this matter.

South Africa’s foreign policy is based, amongst others, on mutual respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries with whom it has diplomatic relations. In this regard, South Africa believes in non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries unless requested or invited to do so by the affected country or as part of a multilateral team or mandate. In principle, South Africa encourages parties involved in political conflict to settle internal disputes and differences through dialogue and within the confines of their domestic law. In the case of Rwanda, South Africa conducts its bilateral relations through the Joint Commission for Cooperation (JCC) and high level meetings where issues of mutual concern are discussed, including those of human rights where merited.

b) South Africa has not been approached by any party from Rwanda to intervene in Rwanda. Rwanda is a member state of the East African Community (EAC) and as such, any proposals for intervention should be processed through the EAC and supported by the Rwandan parties. The success of South Africa’s national reconciliation, nation building and respect for human rights is internationally recognised and should any country wish to emulate the South African example and learn from the experience, South Africa is most willing and available to assist or share.

Reply:

1. (a) There are 39 posts of which only 24 are filled.

(b) (i) The current vacancy rate is 33% that is 13 positions are not filled.

(ii) The process of filling these critical vacant posts has started. The Department will be advertising the posts within this financial year.

2. There are approximately 1150000 livestock units in Mpumalanga province with only 24 veterinarians servicing the animals which translates into approximately 48 000 livestock units per State Veterinarian. This are State Veterinarians and therefore excludes private veterinarians.

3. Yes, Mpumalanga has implemented the Compulsory Community Service. There are 24 CCS Veterinarians placed in Mpumalanga.

4. (a) Prevailing animal diseases during the past financial year in Mpumalanga were African Swine Fever. Mpumalanga province occasionally experiences outbreaks of Foot and Mouth Disease and Avian Influenza.

(b) Interventions to treat the diseases includes strategic guidance, provision of technical advice, assistance with procurement of the Foot and Mouth Disease vaccine and continual monitoring and reporting.

Reply:

It was noted that some departments are not capturing or updating the NQF qualifications and personal information as often as expected. This practice leads to unreliable data regarding officials. The capturing is done on the PERSAL system and hence departments are required to urgently update the information on the PERSAL system. (b) Currently there is no prescribed timeline for the updating of information on the PERSAL system. Departments are, however expected to update information on PERSAL system when employees are promoted or transferred to another department and/or at any time when personal information changes. (c) Heads of various departments are responsible, hence the Circular is directed to Heads of Departments. (d) The matter will be escalated to Executive Authorities where there is non-compliance with the Circular. The MPSA also has the option of reporting the non-compliance with the Circular to the President if no-noticeable change is reported after escalation to Executive Authorities

End

Reply:

The department’s focus is on implementation of Norms and Standards for safe operations by the sector. The department also supports the call for South Africans to get vaccinated so that we could reach population immunity which would be a more sustainable way to mitigate against economic disruption.

Reply:

All organs of state must develop sustainable regulatory measures for the control of COVID-19 beyond the state of disaster. Measures must be infused into policies and regulations to normalise COVID-19 preventative measures in the society.

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

Once sustainable sectoral regulatory measures for COVID-19 response are in place or the need to invoke current extraordinary measures provided for under the state of disaster ceases, all the Regulations and Directions issued under the national state of disaster will cease to exist.

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.

Reply:

In my address to the nation on 16 July 2021, I described the violence and destruction of the preceding days as an attempted insurrection that failed to gain popular support.

In that address I outlined some of the key features of this attempted insurrection, including:

• deliberate, coordinated and well-planned actions intended to cripple the economy, cause social instability and severely weaken – or even dislodge – the democratic state;

• the exploitation of the social and economic conditions under which many South Africans live to provoke ordinary citizens and criminal networks to engage in opportunistic acts of looting;
• economic sabotage through targeted attacks on trucks, factories, warehouses and other infrastructure necessary for the functioning of our economy and the provision of services to our people;

• attempts to inflame racial tensions and violence through social media, fake news and misinformation.

The characterisation of the unrest in these terms was based on reports and analysis received by the National Security Council, meetings with stakeholders, site visits to areas in KwaZulu-Natal affected by the violence and media reports of the events.

Reply:

1. 1. The total overtime expenditure by provincial and national departments for the 2019/20 and 2020/21 financial years are set out in the table below. In instances where no values are displayed, it is due to either the department splitting or merging with another/other department(s) or overtime payments not having been captured on the PERSAL system:

Department Name	2019-20	2020-21
	Amount (R)	Amount (R)
Eastern Cape Provincial Administration	Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs	1,207,384.23	131,393.44
	Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism	511,581.59	249,209.73
	Education	18,113,853.20	13,965,584.32
	Health	829,123,891.33	922,173,581.39
	Human Settlements	183,421.78	130,867.37
	Office of the Premier	959,684.20	155,510.05
	Provincial Treasury	65,511.58	5,302.19
	Roads and Public Works	1,876,901.37	537,655.44
	Rural Development and Agrarian Reform	4,583,294.67	3,966,340.06
	Safety and Liaison	956,381.49	191,975.32
	Social Development	3,258,168.59	1,348,584.50
	Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture	971,988.92	29,116.44
	Transport	39,490,326.66	44,816,427.05
Free State Provincial Administration	Agriculture	1,406,881.16	1,517,070.60
	Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs	27,482.18	326,724.86
	Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs	3,686,637.87	1,145,811.34
	Education	6,663,922.23	6,077,107.86
	Health	412,804,512.48	448,065,887.45
	Human Settlements	919,669.23	282,820.62
	Office of the Premier	5,841.27	28,560.38
	Police, Roads and Transport	26,522,898.56	26,223,630.44
	Provincial Treasury	193,997.36	129,203.80
	Public Works	1,261,530.82	1,371,970.70
	Social Development	9,747,433.92	6,324,314.36
	Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation	1,029,939.76	116,687.64
Gauteng Provincial Administration	Agriculture and Rural Development	3,992,205.46	836,076.84
	Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs	280,270.04	954,484.62
	Community Safety	26,033,682.97	77,501,930.44
	E-Government	4,989,355.16	6,067,932.15
	Economic Development	14,159.93	40,695.39
	Education	21,995,472.75	24,786,642.54
	Health	2,435,543,294.00	2,763,210,382.50
	Human Settlements	129,667.01	58,370.18
	Infrastructure Development	28,723,049.87	29,295,939.15
	Office of the Premier	713,338.14	2,973,302.02
	Provincial Treasury	441,709.44	256,062.17
	Roads and Transport	2,286,377.10	8,877,497.13
	Social Development	1,435,832.52	1,268,506.95
	Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation	6,240,455.90	706,086.43
KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Administration	Agriculture and Rural Development	7,863,906.28	8,384,542.17
	Arts and Culture	221,106.35	11,173.32
	Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs	1,130,739.09	563,901.35
	Community Safety and Liaison	260,549.36
	Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs	1,150,064.72	648,309.55
	Education	45,741,563.54	42,181,719.06
	Finance	1,374,313.87	615,340.64
	Health	1,443,466,029.40	1,651,250,447.20
	Human Settlements	1,753,104.14	487,113.17
	Office of the Premier	1,133,266.41	1,083,368.74
	Public Works	1,273,475.07	671,446.33
	Social Development	4,797,599.77	6,104,190.08
	Sport and Recreation	3,602,378.24	1,135,364.42
	Transport	120,146,901.38	114,084,581.30
Limpopo Provincial Administration	Agriculture and Rural Development	10,515,966.75	2,981,688.70
	Co-operative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs	4,358,545.18	1,093,578.77
	Community Safety	88,452.17
	Economic Development, Environment and Tourism	21,306,916.98	17,419,216.45
	Education	21,490,655.33	12,084,855.07
	Health	912,828,046.45	834,820,747.92
	Office of the Premier	2,626,255.86	207,299.01
	Provincial Treasury	61,181.02	83,157.58
	Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure	5,185,352.43	1,313,613.05
	Social Development	644,331.84	171,781.02
	Sport, Arts and Culture	381,760.10	19,709.53
	Transport and Community Safety	134,489,211.93	118,715,430.12
Mpumalanga Provincial Administration	Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs	2,512,911.27	1,108,970.79
	Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs	535,146.73	448,455.16
	Community Safety, Security and Liaison	21,406,246.29	27,837,333.02
	Culture, Sport and Recreation	3,558,405.69	1,892,291.27
	Economic Development and Tourism	786,429.45	8,047.20
	Education	9,496,317.00	10,047,619.84
	Health	425,888,487.00	495,675,959.89
	Human Settlements	2,742,950.17	1,418,061.16
	Office of the Premier	689,522.46	502,770.65
	Provincial Treasury	867,846.68	62,664.65
	Public Works, Roads and Transport	25,012,772.13	28,574,276.03
	Social Development	1,779,451.45	13,441,056.28
North West Provincial Administration	Agriculture and Rural Development	2,926,869.15	3,070,211.19
	Arts, Culture, Sports and Recreation	280,463.39	496,449.11
	Community Safety and Transport Management	48,715,985.02	40,785,276.66
	Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs	1,154,554.32	1,826,152.58
	Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism	815,951.62	509,190.39
	Education	12,774,961.63	7,752,329.84
	Health	493,620,723.57	648,705,462.33
	Human Settlements		29,555.38
	Office of the Premier	916,062.45	1,049,945.94
	Provincial Treasury	3,060,051.70	1,629,648.73
	Public Works and Roads	14,270,996.60	5,642,349.40
	Social Development	1,116,656.03	1,731,924.82
Northern Cape Provincial Administration	Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development	1,419,518.86	751,237.42
	Education	4,511,565.10	3,364,596.93
	Environment and Nature Conservation	461,153.72	170,158.66
	Health	189,446,067.37	223,175,196.17
	Office of the Premier	891,074.34	549,628.18
	Provincial Treasury	64,866.20
	Roads and Public Works	1,556,828.92	419,632.24
	Social Development	193,823.21	193,274.31
	Transport, Safety and Liaison	1,630,716.95	3,176,554.74
Western Cape Provincial Administration	Agriculture	3,802,633.61	2,770,686.47
	Community Safety	1,857,729.80	1,460,201.91
	Cultural Affairs and Sport	1,686,526.30	135,725.04
	Economic Development and Tourism	131,377.14	174,957.97
	Education	11,463,379.32	5,749,486.77
	Environmental Affairs and Development Planning	326,097.58	63,502.19
	Health	1,157,736,241.00	1,243,312,634.20
	Human Settlements	5,295,675.96	1,742,808.98
	Local Government	943,099.21	851,712.07
	Provincial Treasury	669,139.26	389,753.04
	Social Development	8,378,531.97	9,032,576.23
	Department of the Premier	3,517,839.63	1,247,110.44
	Transport and Public Works	12,378,007.36	9,447,650.95
National Departments	Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries	17,779,803.32
	Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development	80,389,519.07	40,098,966.40
	Basic Education	7,897,621.06	5,681,828.67
	Civilian Secretariat for the Police Service	794,037.21	400,803.16
	Communications	541,647.64
	Communications and Digital Technologies	639,577.01	138,099.45
	Cooperative Governance	4,412,709.39	4,270,256.25
	Correctional Services	193,914,775.91	211,578,343.23
	Economic Development	280,232.85
	Employment and Labour	55,125,049.13	53,047,865.35
	Energy	612,460.36
	Environment, Forestry and Fisheries	10,565,727.39	12,219,404.08
	Government Communication and Information System	2,950,394.84	702,593.22
	Health	20,001,395.84	25,895,317.01
	Higher Education and Training	16,976,257.16	9,595,677.26
	Home Affairs	85,684,534.47	50,468,033.79
	Human Settlements	2,257,343.29	1,731,822.84
	Independent Police Investigative Directorate	1,816,320.14	1,339,076.49
	International Relations and Cooperation	11,755,886.85	8,905,729.97
	Justice and Constitutional Development	18,089,042.44	9,119,949.42
	Military Veterans	1,804,463.19	917,236.95
	Mineral Resources and Energy	4,878,887.82	2,823,676.98
	National School of Government	225,216.84	14,284.23
	National Treasury	16,347,923.84	3,179,421.72
	Office of the Chief Justice	2,194,424.04	856,071.81
	Office of the Public Service Commission	380,286.14	118,374.03
	Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation	1,099,056.25	408,591.27
	Police	1,058,957,936.40	703,439,233.53
	Public Enterprises	633,577.65	54,097.31
	Public Service and Administration	1,182,159.50	941,606.03
	Public Works and Infrastructure	41,830,007.47	22,785,119.14
	Science and Innovation	634,812.48	176,458.79
	Small Business Development	258,870.39	80,442.36
	Social Development	3,978,318.46	5,318,308.53
	Sport and Recreation South Africa	740,229.15
	Sport, Arts and Culture	2,211,959.45	1,123,723.21
	Statistics South Africa	1,750,411.32	1,208,001.54
	The Presidency	11,214,516.50	4,723,079.39
	Tourism	711,130.74	1,497,175.97
	Trade, Industry and Competition	1,058,217.03	282,276.81
	Traditional Affairs	550,756.28	23,888.86
	Transport	3,285,644.20	2,572,738.80
	Water and Sanitation	33,960,826.74	31,247,215.11
	Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities	190,896.72	44,683.56

Data Source: PERSAL

Compile by the DPSA

Excludes Defence and the State Security Agency

1. Overtime work is informed by the service delivery requirements of a department. Hence, Regulation 49 of the Public Service Regulations, 2016 requires that a department must have an approved overtime policy in place. The said departmental overtime policy must be in keeping with the overarching policy requirements set out in the Public Service Regulations, 2016, applicable collective agreements and the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, 1997, as amended.

a) The overarching policy requirements were established with the introduction of the Public Service Regulatory Framework in 1999 and the conclusion of Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) Resolution 3 of 1999.

b) The said policy requirements are reviewed as and when required, for example, with the introduction of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, 1997, as amended, in the Public Service in July 2000 and with the promulgation of the 2016 Public Service Regulations. The applicable Regulation is currently being reviewed.

End

Reply:

1. (a) (i) The department has an internship programme, for a 24-months period, which started in 2020.

(ii) A total of thirty-two (32) interns have been appointed into this programme.

(b) A needs analysis is done prior to the start of the internship programme. An advert clearly stipulates the fields and recruitment panels are set up to select and recommend suitable interns per field, from applications received. Mentors from each programme are identified and linked to an intern.

2. No, the departmental internship is done as a public service programme. Thus, it does not provide for organisations outside the department. Applications are done by prospective interns in their individual capacity.

(Please see below a table with the number of interns per programme)

Branch / Office	Programme	Number
Ministry and Deputy Ministry	-	2
Office of the Director-General	-	1
Corporate Management	Strategy and Operations	2
	Transport and Travel Services	1
	Financial Management	3
	Risk and Integrity Management	1
	Communications	1
	Legal Services	1
	Internal Audit	1
	Information Technology	1
	Human Resources Utilisation and Employee Health and Wellness	2
	Human Resources Administration and Employee Relations	1
Tourism Sector Support Services	Enterprise Development	2
	Transformation	1
	Tourism Visitor Services	1
	Responsible Tourism	1
	Tourism Incentives Programme	1
Destination Development	Destination Planning	1
	Working for Tourism	2
	Programme Coordination Unit	1
	Tourism Enhancement	1
Tourism Policy Research and International Relations	Research	1
	Knowledge Management	1
	Bilateral Relations	1
	Monitoring and Evaluation	1

Reply:

(a) and (b)

Community Tourism Organisations (CTOs) are independent associations based on voluntary participation by their membership. The organisations are responsible for their own operations including financial aspects thereof. The Department of Tourism does not fund CTOs. The work of the department is guided by the Annual Performance Plan wherein all the details are provided.

Reply:

The Honourable member is referred to the Department of Tourism’s website where a list of all beneficiaries of the Tourism Relief Fund is published. The Honourable member is also referred to responses to Parliamentary Question (NA) 219 of 15 June 2020 and PQ 197 (NCOP) of 5 June 2020. Below is link to the Department’s website to access the list of beneficiaries:

https://www.tourism.gov.za/AboutNDT/Documents/Tourism%20Relief%20Fund%20Beneficiaries.pdf#search=Tourism%20relief%20Fund

Reply:

1. Overtime work is informed by the service delivery requirements of a department. Hence, Regulation 49 of the Public Service Regulations, 2016 requires that a department must have an approved overtime policy in place. The said departmental overtime policy must be in keeping with the overarching policy requirements set out in the Public Service Regulations, 2016, applicable collective agreements and the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, 1997, as amended.

a) The overarching policy requirements were established with the introduction of the Public Service Regulatory Framework in 1999 and the conclusion of Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) Resolution 3 of 1999.

b) The said policy requirements are reviewed as and when required, for example, with the introduction of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, 1997, as amended, in the Public Service in July 2000 and with the promulgation of the 2016 Public Service Regulations. The applicable Regulation is currently being reviewed.

2. Overtime payments are a function located in departments through the PERSAL system. The Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) does not have access to, and control over the payment function taking place in departments. However, the DPSA from time to time does extract data on overtime from PERSAL and analyse the overtime expenditure in the Public Service. This analysis is used to engage with departments to ensure compliance with Public Service Regulations, 2016 including on the proper alignment of departmental structures to service delivery requirements. Since 2020, the DPSA has held regular meetings with departments that have been found to be non-compliant with applicable regulations and technical support has been provided to improve compliance.

End

Reply:

1. (a) The Department of Tourism does not have programmes, initiatives, streams and/or projects regarding Community Tourism Organisations. The Department’s point of entry to community organisations is through Provincial and Local government with due recognition of the concurrency of the tourism legislative mandate

(b)– (c) Not applicable

2. (a – b) Not applicable

(i)-(ii) The Department of Tourism does not have policy and/or legislative responsibilities regarding Community Tourism Organisations. However, the department has a responsibility to reach out to tourism stakeholders at all levels, and to maintain sound intergovernmental relations by working with and through provinces and local government where appropriate. The department acknowledges concurrent legislative competence and that local govenment is responsible for the development of local tourism including matters related to community tourism organisations.

Reply:

I have been advised by the Department and SOEs as follows:

a) DEPARTMENT

Yes

(i) Name of the company

Vimtsire Protection Services

(ii) Purpose

To provide physical security for the department (both Hatfield and Cape Town offices).

(iii) Value

R 18 091 921,34

(iv) Duration

Three years (01 December 2018 – 30 November 2021)

b) State-Owned Entities (SOEs)

Entity	(b)	(i)Name of Firm	(ii)Purpose	(iii)Value	(iv)Duration
ICASA	Yes	Modise Protection Services	Physical guarding	R 5 097 931.15	3 years
		CIYTech Systems Cc	Maintenance of security systems (CCTV cameras & biometrics)	R 174 018.00	3 Years
		ADT Fidelity	Armed response & alarm monitoring	R 88 591.40	3 Years
		Modise Protection Services	Physical guarding	R 262 649.76	1 Year
		Televonic Systems	Maintenance of security systems (CCTV cameras & biometrics)	R 56 223.50	3 years
		Rishumele Trading	Maintenance of security systems (CCTV cameras & biometrics)	R 95 041.17	3 years
		Ubomi Technologies	Physical guarding	R 298 515.13	7 months
		Pro-Secure PTY Ltd	Maintenance of security systems (CCTV cameras & biometrics)	R 99 056.80	2 years
		Multi-Locking systems	Maintenance of security systems (CCTV cameras & biometrics)	R 268 984. 16	4 Years
		Multi-Locking systems	Maintenance of security systems (CCTV cameras & biometrics)	R 173 111.71	3 Years
Postbank	Yes	Vusela Security Company	Monitor access control; screening employees; escorting clients; protection of company assets and personnel, report criminal activities to SAPS and assist in handover of Postbank Visa and SASSA cards	R 44 000 per month	5 years
Nemisa	Yes	Rise Security Services	Provide physical protection in the Parktown Building	R 3 732 056.51	3 years (ending March 2021)
		PEPLER ALARMS CC	Provide reaction service and 24/7 monitoring of the alarm in the Franschhoek Building	R 462.30	Month to month contract
SABC	Yes	Mafoko Security Patrols (Head Office-Gauteng)	Provision of physical security services at SABC Auckland Park offices and TV Outside Broadcasts	R 185 519 425. 61	5 years
		Khayalami Security CC (Eastern Cape)	Provision of physical security services at TV Outside Broadcasts and Provincial offices	R 13 838 216. 62	2 years
		Khayalami Security CC (Western Cape)	Provision of physical security services at TV Outside Broadcasts and Provincial offices	R 11 525 746. 05	3 years
		Vhugi Protection Services (Limpopo)	Provision of physical security services at TV Outside Broadcasts and Provincial offices	R 17 421 396. 43	3 years
		Modise Protection Services (North West)	Provision of physical security services at TV Outside Broadcasts and Provincial offices	R 17 415 286. 04	3 years
		Mafoko Security Patrols (Free State)	Provision of physical security services at TV Outside Broadcasts and Provincial offices	R 7 186 607. 46	3 years
		Khayalami Security CC (Northern Cape)	Provision of physical security services at TV Outside Broadcasts and Provincial offices	R 4 569 137. 04	3 years
		Mafoko Security Patrols (Mpumalanga)	Provision of physical security services at TV Outside Broadcasts and Provincial offices	R 4 966 994. 66	2 years
		Mafoko Security Patrols (Gauteng)	Provision of physical security services at TV Outside Broadcasts and Provincial offices	R 3 236 391. 24	2 years
		Mafoko Security Patrols (KwaZulu Natal)	Provision of physical security services at TV Outside Broadcasts and Provincial offices	R 7 361 514. 50	3 years
Broadband Infraco (BB)I	Yes	Selkirk Security services	Provision of security services at Head Office	R 2 440 944. 00	3 years
		Mzuzovama (Pty) Ltd	Provision of alarm monitoring and ad hoc call outs for emergency responses at Newcastle Point of Presence	R 148 940. 00	2 years
		Nthuthuko Zulu Innovative Holdings	Provision of alarm monitoring and ad hoc call outs for emergency responses at Mzintlava Substation	R 20 400. 00	2 years
		Azifani Security and Cleaning Services	Guarding services on emergency basis and escorting of technical employees to dangerous sites in the Northern Cape and Gauteng regions	R 1 220 662.12	As and when – value is for the period 1 April 2020 to 28 February 2021 Provision of alarm monitoring and ad hoc call outs for emergency responses at Mzintlava Substation R 20 400.00 - 2 years
		National K9 Security Services	Guarding services on emergency basis and escorting of technical employees to dangerous sites in KwaZulu-Natal	R 572 784. 00	As and when – value is for the period 1 April 2020 to 28 February 2021
		Bohlale Security Services	Guarding services on emergency basis and escorting of technical employees to dangerous sites in the Free State	R 208 874. 00	As and when – value is for the period 1 April 2020 to 28 February 2021
Sentech	Yes	Collins Sebola Financial Services (PTY) LTD JV Ramadzwi Security Services and Training Agency (PTY)	NKP Security guards’ deployments	R 14 532 175. 93	3 years
		Afriguard Security Services	Security guarding for the sites	R 4 591 766. 81	2 years
		Fidelity Security Services	Emergency security guard’s deployment due to power and RF cable theft on site	No contract value, services charged on a month to month basis	Month to month until new contract is set up.
		Fidelity-ADT Security Services	Armed Response and monitoring	R 32 905. 00	5 years
		Buyisa Security Services	Guarding of the offices afterhours only and 24 hours on weekends and Holidays	R 753 210. 36	3 years
		Fidelity ADT and Technical	Armed Response and monitoring	R 27 000. 00	3 years
		National Security and Fire	Armed Response and Monitoring	R 24 443. 64	3 years
		National Security and Fire	Armed Response and Monitoring	R 15 120. 00	3 years
		Red Alert (PTY) LTD	Armed Response and Monitoring of all four areas/sites	R 85 523. 71	3 years
		Harambe Technologies	CCTV system maintenance	R 663 964.56	5 years
		Craddock Sekuriteit CC	Armed Response, monitoring and escorts to sites	R 9 457,20	3 years
SAPO	Yes	Fidelity Cash Solutions ** All Provinces	South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) Pay point Services Cash-in transit (CIT) & Guarding	R 825 000 000. 00	2 years (RFP to be issued)
		Fidelity Security Services ** Gauteng	Guarding Services Static and SASSA	R 201 032 089. 00	5 years
		Fidelity Security Services ** Eastern Cape	Guarding Services SASSA	R 81 449 264. 51	5 years
		Fidelity Security Services ** Western Cape	Guarding Services SASSA	R 33 376 527. 70	5 years
		G4S ** All Provinces	CIT Services	R 400 447 987. 28	5 years (New Award pending)
		Vusela Sanmva Joint Venture ** Free State ** North West ** Kwazulu-Natal ** Northern Cape	Guarding Services Static & SASSA	R 240 656 922. 50	5 years
		Isidingo (UNITRADE 1047 CC) ** Western Cape	Guarding Services Static	R 33 422 400. 00	5 years
		Tyeks Security Services ** Eastern Cape	Guarding Services Static	R 59 942 143. 30	5 years
		Marumofase Security ** Limpopo	Guarding Services Static & SASSA	R 2 859 247. 04	1 year
		Ally’ s counter Force Security ** Limpopo	Guarding Services Static & SASSA	R 1 714 828. 32	1 year
		Clearpoint Security & Hygiene ** Mpumalanga	Guarding Services Static & SASSA	R 1 153 047. 60	1 year
		Sakhile Ezweni Group ** Mpumalanga	Guarding Services Static & SASSA	R 4 191 095. 23	1 year
		Khayalami Security ** Mpumalanga	Guarding Services Static & SASSA	R 8 667 153. 9	5 years
		Ndivhuwo Security Training ** Limpopo	Guarding Services Static & SASSA	R 3 302 970. 48	5 years
Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa (USAASA)	Yes	PMT Security Service	Provision of physical security services	R 29 000 per month	1 year
SITA		SITA currently does not have security contracts in place for the East London, Bhisho and Port Elizabeth offices.	SITA is receiving security services from the Landlord’s Security at East London and Bhisho that are on site. At Port Elizabeth there is currently no security on site. It is for this reason that a new Security Contract for SITA has been concluded for all 3 sites.	SITA is not paying for security service exclusively, as it is incorporated in the lease agreements.	We can thus not quantify any value for security service. East London Lease Term: 01 Mar 2019 to 28 Feb 2024 Port Elizabeth Lease Term: 08 Jul 2020 to 07 Jul 2021 Bhisho Lease Term: 01 Nov 2019 to 31 Oct 2024
		Bangilizwe Security Services	Physical Building security for SITA Eastern Cape premises (East London, Gqeberha and Bhisho)	R 475 410. 00	6 months
		Tyeks Security Services	Provide guarding and security services for SITA Free State premises ( Fort Drury Building and DATA CENTRE in Bloemfontein)	R 2 752 318. 30	3 years
		4B Protection Services	Provide 24/7 Physical Security Services for SITA Gauteng premises (Erasmuskloof, Centurion, Beta and Numerus Buildings )	R 50 248 823. 29	3 years
		Sbu & Sbo Protection Services (Pty) LTD	Provision of 24/7 Physical Security Services for SITA KZN premises (Pietermaritzburg & Durban Office)	R 4  839 720. 07	3 years
		R5 Security services Pty Ltd	Provision of physical security services for SITA Limpopo premises (Polokwane Office)	R 2 741 598. 87	3 years
		Mthenjankave Security Service	Provision of physical security service for SITA Mpumalanga premises	R 1 495 315. 01	3 years
		This forms part of the Landlord (Bridge Trust) Lease agreement. The security company is CCL Services	Provision of physical building security for SITA Northern Cape premises (Kimberley office)	R 151 800. 00 (Only 1 day shift guard, seven days a week from 06h00 to 18h00)	1 year
		SITA currently does not have a security contract in place as this forms part of the Landlord Lease agreement.	Provision of security services for SITA North West premises (Mafikeng, Rustenburg and Potchefstroom)	SITA is not paying for security service exclusively in terms of the lease agreements.	We can thus not quantify any value in terms of security.

The Film and Publication Board (FPB) and ZADNA do not make use of any private security firm as their offices are located at an office park which has its own security company.

Reply:

Law enforcement agencies have arrested several individuals alleged to have been involved in the instigation and/or incitement of the violence that occurred in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng in July 2021. These cases are now before the courts and the law must be allowed to take its course. Investigations by law enforcement agencies are ongoing. It would not be correct to pre-empt the outcome of these processes.

In addition, I have appointed a panel of experts led by Professor Sandy Africa to undertake a full analysis of the possible causes of the unrest and the response of our law enforcement agencies. I look forward to their report, which they have promised me will be ready at the end of the year.

Reply:

(1) All universities have measures in place to raise awareness and offer guidance and advice on GBV related matters. These include but are not limited to workshops or presentations during orientation weeks and during various parts of the year for students; roadshows; training; production and dissemination of brochures and other literature for the university community; and information on institutional websites. In addition to these initiatives, a large number of students have completed a curriculum on GBV prevention and mitigation via Higher Health, empowering them with knowledge and understanding of GBV and related matters. Higher Health is the Department’s implementing agency for student health, wellness and development in the post-school system.

There is a need for more comprehensive training embedded in institutional policies. The Ministerial Task Team established to advise the Minister and Department on gender- based violence and related matters, is exploring the possibility of national standards and principles about what should be included as a minimum in training sessions.

Higher Health has established relationships with campus and community radio stations to engage young students routinely on matters related to sexual and gender-based violence, and mental health as a matter of priority. There is also Higher Health's 24-hour toll-free helpline available in all 11 official languages. The line offers health, wellness and psychosocial risk assessment toolkits for early screening, empowerment and referral related to gender-based violence, mental health, HIV, TB and other matters.

(2) Following the release of the policy framework and as part of its work, the Ministerial Task Team held a series of engagements with university communities across various institutions. Amongst others, the aim was to establish how universities respond to sexual harassment and gender-based violence and harm, and what support is needed from the Department to enable the effective implementation of the policy framework.

(3) It has been established that not all universities have sufficient means to deal with GBV, and the Department and Higher Health aims to support campuses in addressing the problem. There has to be a coordinated implementation of the framework by universities through a fully coordinated national response. The Ministerial Task Team will advise on areas requiring improvement in institutional responses to gender-based violence and sexual harassment, and appropriate levels of support needed for the implementation of the national policy framework to address gender-based violence by universities.

Higher Health, through the Department, has released a set of instruments that will further strengthen the realisation of the policy framework. These instruments are directives to all institutions and management to put the necessary infrastructure towards a comprehensive response on cases of sexual and gender misconduct, rape and sexual assaults across all our campuses. The procedural guidelines and protocols on rape, code of ethics ensure that reporting of cases, disciplinary systems, safeguarding evidence, provision of rape kits, psychosocial support services and survivor-friendly infrastructure are developed across campuses.

The Department will play an oversight role, monitoring institutions to ensure that they take full responsibility for addressing GBV on their campuses.

Reply:

I have been advised by the SAPO as follows:

(a) On 11/07/2020 a fraudulent reissue card was performed (Card number 4213 xxxxxx100415) at Umzinto Post Office. The account was reimbursed on the 28/09/2020.

(b)(c) Another card was issued (4213xxxxx991290) on 18/11/2020 at Halfway Post Office which has an active status on the client’s profile.

(d) SAPO did not receive any new affidavit for any other disputed amounts.

Stats below refer:

(e) The modus operandi that criminal syndicates embark on from time to time changes continually. SAPO/POSTBANK have embarked on a process of cleansing its payment system and circumventing unauthorised access.

Reply:

The President of the Republic of South Africa has in terms of section 42A(3) of the Public Service Act,1994 (Proclamation 103 of 1994) delegated powers to the Minister of Home Affairs to deal with the possible precautionary suspension of the Director-General of the Department of Higher Education and Training, Mr Qwebinkundla Qonde. This arises from adverse audit findings made by the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) in an audit of the financial years 2018/19 and 2019/2020 of the National Skills Fund, where the DG is an Accounting Authority.

The DG, as required by the law, was afforded an opportunity to make representations before the decision could be taken on the matter. After considering the entire case, he was put on precautionary suspension to pave the way for the forensic investigations to be conducted without any form of disturbance or interference. It is important to note that each case needs to be considered on its own facts.

In terms of the Public Service Act and the PFMA the relevant and responsible Ministers are in a position to respond to the Ministry-specific questions. Furthermore, questions related to the Auditor-General can be posed directly to the Auditor-General as the Auditor-General is accountable to Parliament.

Reply:

I have been advised by the South African Post Office (SAPO) as follows:

Yes, the South African Post Office does offer registered digital communication. There is one system in operation, namely:

(a) Registered electronic mail system on RiPoste TrEx from Escher Group (IRL) Ltd;

b) SAPO entered into the Escher contract on 29 November 2013 and a modification was done on 27 June 2016. The original design of the service was one sender to one recipient. One sales engagement with customers, it became clear that customers were looking for an automated system to cater for one sender to many recipients (bulk). The cost of the modification amounted to R17 398.00.

c) The original cost was R 8 512 830.00. The maintenance cost amounted to R677 988.00 per quarter. SAPO has not paid maintenance for nine quarters due to the process of changing hosting providers. However, SAPO does not anticipate the need to pay outstanding maintenance costs.

d) The registered electronic mail system was concluded on agreement number 4600000491. The tender number was RFP No 03 E Registered Mail 12/13/HM. There was no tender conducted for the revenue sharing concept, it followed an investment procedure. The SAPO/Service Provider Agreement; SAPO Limited Bidding Document; and e-Registered Mail Statement of Work Agreement is attached as Annexures B1, B2 and B3 respectively.

Reply:

(a) and (b)

Engagements with both trade and media in the markets indicate that crime is a factor in tourist decision making. To this end, the department working with South African Police Services put in place and implemented the Tourism Safety Strategy. However, it is encouraging that respondents to the exit survey conducted on departing inbound tourists through South African Tourism, indicate a higher level of satisfaction with the levels of safety in the country based on their experiences.

Reply:

1. The Department is in the process of evaluating its internal skills with a view to creating the necessary capacity for its work.

2. A review of its enterprise architecture is also underway. This will allow it to better plan its systems in line with the Government Wide Enterprise Architecture framework while pointing out areas where dependency on SITA can be managed

3. In addition, the Department has had an Executive Engagement with SITA, and the following interventions are currently in the pipeline:

• SITA’s proposal for an upgrade to Gold or Platinum will be tested through a proof of concept.
• Go to Market Strategy for Access Link – The implementation of a strategy wherein DHA has access to a localised pool of pre-approved service providers wherein a procurement of a connectivity service can be expedited without the onerous procurement processes has long been awaited by DHA. SITA’s promise to implement in early 2022/23 will be closely monitored and reported upon.
• SITA Strategy and Investment Plan for Uninterruptible Networks - SITA submitted a proposal to DHA that required a financial investment by DHA to the tune of R700m, whilst the Plan may not have been wholly accepted by DHA, the following critical parts of the Plan are being implemented by SITA and DHA:
  • Upgrade and maintenance of the dilapidated network equipment (routers and switches) - DHA.
  • Upgrade of SITA Switching Centres – SITA.
  • Expansion of SITA Core Network to reduce regional network outages – SITA.

END

Reply:

1. The draft Proclamation in terms of section 97 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (the “Constitution”), to transfer functions from relevant Organs of State, has been drafted and being consulted on with the said relevant Organs of State. Once there is concurrence on the contents of the Proclamation, the draft Proclamation will be forwarded to the Presidency for the President to approve same. Thereafter, the Department will cause the Proclamation to be gazetted.

2. The current draft Proclamation, in terms of section 97 of the Constitution has been revised to remove legislation that affects SARS-Custom and the SANDF. The Department is currently undergoing consultations with organs of state as required by the requisite processes and they have undertaken to provide such feedback by no later than 10 September 2021.

3. The establishment of the BMA in South Africa is an unprecedented “Whole-of-Government” endeavour led by the Presidency and guided by the Department of Public Service and Administration, and the National Treasury in terms of the Public Service Act, the Public Finance Management Act and the National Macro-Organization of Government (NMOG)principles.

The operationalization of the BMA Act involves multiple Organs of State, and complex regulatory, legislative, staffing, budgeting and funding processes; and as such, the BMA Act, 2020 will be operationalized in an incremental manner over a ten (10) year period ending in 2030.

END

Reply:

1. Public Transport Network Grant

a) The Public Transport Network Grant (PTNG) is a Division of Revenue Act (DoRA) schedule 5B conditional Grant allocation;

To provide funding for accelerated construction and improvement of public and non-motorised transport infrastructure that form part of a municipal Integrated Public Transport Network (IPTN) and to support the planning, regulation, control, management and operations of fiscally and financially sustainable municipal public transport network services.

b) The PTNG allocations are subsequently appropriated to municipalities that submit business plans with associated expenditure estimates per Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) period, wherein the 1st year of the MTEF reflects an actual appropriation whilst the 2 outer years are indicative allocations.

The allocation is governed by the Public Transport Network Grant Framework that is published with the annual Division of Revenue Act.

c)Infrastructure allocations:

Items	2016/17	2017/18	2018/19	2019/20	2020/21
Infrastructure component: Ekurhuleni	R 450 m	R 581 m	R 478 m	R 413 m	R 289 m

d) Capital expenditure for each of the five phases.

See table below. The initial costing of the system was based on build first and operate later approach whereby all corridors will be developed with dedicated bus lanes, however this approach is being reviewed and a financially contained approach will be implemented for future phases.

The total costs to date on Phase 1 are R 2 2290 mil. Due to a scaling down to now operate first and built later strategy, the infrastructure expenditure has been reduced for the next few years and for future phases. The estimates for the future phases are high-level and more accurate estimates will be developed during the design stage of each phase.

The NDoT will continue to work with the City to reduce costs, ramp up operations faster and increase fare revenue while reducing operating deficits.

It must be noted that the City is still operating a starter pilot service since November 2017 and therefore it is operating sub optimally and should have scaled up to a fully fledged service by July 2019.

Phase	Phase 1	Phase 2	Phase 3	Phase 4	Phase 5		Total (R mill)
Corridor	2	1	3	5	4	7	6
Financial Year	2021/22	191								191
	2022/23	330								330
	2023/24	385								385
	2024/25	421								421
	2025/26	439								439
	2026/27	92	391							483
	2027/28		430							430
	2028/29		473							473
	2030/31		284	407						691
	2032/33		170	428	221					819
	2033/34			470	199					669
	2034/35			376	219					595
	2035/36			263	131	350				745
	2036/37				144	385	271			801
	2037/38					424	298			722
	2038/39					466	328			794
	2039/40					513	361			874
	2041/42						397	348		745
	2042/43							383		383
	2043/44							422		422
	2044/45							464		464

(2) What was the exact (a) operating costs, (b) fare income and (c) council funding for each specific cost including operational in the (i) 2016-17, (ii) 2017-18, (iii) 2018-19 and (iv) 2019-20 financial years?

Items	2016/17	2017/18	2018/19	2019/20	2020/21
Operations Cost	R0	R119,2m	R126,7m	R168,4m	R232,2m
Fare Income	R0	R0,33m	R4,7m	R8,1m	R8,5m
Council Funding	R0	R0	R0	R0	R0

 

Reply:

The matter was queried with the North West Department of Public Works and Roads and the Administrator has indicated that there are disputes that are being handled in court and committed that the Department will maintain the roads until the litigation processes are complete as to ensure trafficability and safe condition of the road for commuters. Upon completion of the Legal processes, Department will expedite procurement processes as to ensure completion of all the outstanding work.

Reply:

(a) In line with the Public Transport Action Plan and Strategy of 2007, the National Land Transport Act (NLTA) of 2009 and the Division of Revenue Act (DORA) Public Transport Network Grant framework, provision is made for the payment of compensation to incumbent public transport operators whose businesses will be affected by the implementation of Integrated Public Transport Networks (IPTN’s).

The interim compensation item is contained in periodic project progress reports that are submitted to the National Department of Transport and National Treasury.

The NDoT has informed the City that the interim compensation started in 2017/18 and was expected to be replaced by a final compensation agreement by 2018/19. The City is therefore required to urgently conclude a final negotiated compensation agreement that is based on an accurate valuation of the operating licences that will be affected.

2(a) R3.6 million.

2(b) The interim compensation agreement makes provision of R10.00 per fare paying passenger for the compensation of daily passenger revenue loss.

2(c) The Ekurhuleni Taxi Industry (ETI) comprises of the following Associations:-

LIST OF TAXI ASSOCIATIONS WITH COE AREA
No.	Taxi Association	Abbreviation
	Johannesburg Tembisa Taxi Association	JJTA
	Kempton Park Taxi Association	KETA
	Birchleigh Oakmoor Taxi Association	BOTA
	Lethabong Taxi Association	LETA
	Tembisa Pretoria Taxi Association	TEPTA
	Tembisa Alexandra Taxi association	TATA
	Tembisa Local Taxi Association	TELTA
	Tembisa Long distance Taxi Association	TELDTA
	Benoni Taxi Association	BTA
	Greater Brakpan Taxi Association	GBTA
	Springs Long Distance Taxi Association	SLDTA
	Springs Taxi Association	STA
	Nigel Taxi Association	NTA
	Daveyton-Kempton Park Taxi Association	DKTA
	Zonkizizwe Taxi Association	ZOTA
	Vosloorus Boksburg District Taxi Association	VBDTA
	Katlehong People’s Taxi Association	KAPTA
	Reiger Park Boksburg District Taxi Association	RTA
	Greater Germiston Taxi Association	GGTA
	Greater Alberton Taxi Association	GATA
	Bushbuck Transport Services	BTS
	Thaba-Bosiu Express Services	TBES
	Thahameso Nthwanatsatsi Thusanang	TNT
LIST OF TAXI ASSOCIATIONS WITH COE AREA
No.	Taxi Association	Abbreviation
	Germiston-Natalspruite LD Taxi Association	GNLDTA
	Germiston Limpopo LDTA	GLLDTA
	Ezibeleni Sterkspruite LDTA	ESLDTA
	Germiston- Jane Furse LDTA	GJFLDTA
	Inkanyezi LDTA	INLDTA
	Thuthukani LDTA	TLDTA
	Zamokhuhle LDTA	ZLDTA
	Taung-Bophirima LDTA	TBLDTA
	Izizwezomsinga LDTA	IZLDTA

CROSS-BORDER OPERATORS REGISTERED WITH THE CROSS-BORDER ROAD TRANSPORT AGENCY (CBRTA), OPERATING THE CROSS-BORDER ROUTES FROM WITHIN THE AREA OF JURISDICTION:
No.	Taxi Association	Abbreviation
1.	Boksburg Cross-Border Taxi Association
2.	Ekurhuleni Cross-Border Taxi Association
3.	Kempton Park Taxi Association (Cross-Border members)	KETACB
4.	Benoni Taxi Association (Cross-Border members)	BTACB
5.	Springs Long Distance Taxi Association (Cross-Border members)	SLDTACB
6.	Springs Cross-Border Taxi Association	SLDTACB
7.	Thaba-Bosiu Express Taxi Association (members)	TBES
8.	Kopanang Dikila Makaota Cross-Border Tax Association???	KDMCBTA
9.	Thahameso Nthwanatsatsi Thusanang Taxi Association	TNT
10	AMR Chitova Bus Express (Pty) Ltd
11	LJ Mokhabela Bus Company

(3) The NDoT has not been informed of the abovementioned correspondence by National Treasury and requests that this be sent directly to the Director General of the Department of Transport.

 

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

(1) (a) (b) Information I received is that CBE waiver was not passed on to registered persons. The CBE levy waivered accounts for 1.1% (for Candidates R21 per person and for Professionals R42 per person) of the total annual fee invoice, the waiver granted by CBE which amounts to R218 672 for the 2020/21 financial year was utilized to assist the Council with some financial relief as cashflow was affected.

(2) No. see (1) above.

(3) Yes, new registrations paid the full registration fee; however, they are subjected to a pro-rated discount on their annual fees which is dependent on when the persons got to register.

(4) Below is a reconciliation of registered persons from 2019/20 to 2020/21 financial years. The reconciliations are as at 31 March 2021.

(i) Unpaid registered persons were 5 349 as at 31 March 2021 and

(ii) New registrations were at 900.

Analysis of declared membership movement
	Professional	Candidates	Totals
Record of client membership headcount 31 March 2020	6 979	4 684	11 663
Opening Balance at 01 April 2020 / Declared/audited	6 979	4 684	11 663
Movement
Additions	435	465	900
Upgrade to professionals	40	- 40	-
Reinstatement	17	12	29
De- Registration - Bad debts write off	- 289	- 783	- 1 072
Less/Add Balancing Figure that could not be traced			- 96
Closing Balance at 31 March 2021 / Declared/audited	7 182	4 338	11 424
Less unpaid registered persons	2 844	2 601	5 349
Total paid up membership declared: Paid membership- 2020/21	4 338	1 737	6 075
(b) Levies declared to CBE during the 2020/21 Financial Period
	Paid up membership
Total paid up membership declared: Paid membership- 2020/21	4338	1737	6075
CBE levy rate	42	21
Total payable to CBE for 2020/2021 period	182 196	36 477	218 673

(4)(b) The difference between registered persons is 239 (see table below).

Professional Category	2019/20 Financial year	2020/21 Financial year	Difference
Professional Construction Manager	888	919	31
Professional Construction Project Manager	1689	1679	-10
Professional Construction Mentor	28	13	-15
Professional Construction health and Safety Agent	100	109	9
Construction Mentor	8	9	1
Construction Health and Safety Officer	3367	3437	70
Construction Health and Safety Manager	921	905	-16
Candidate Construction Manager	417	542	125
Candidate Construction Project Manager	1945	1654	-291
Candidate Construction Health and Safety Agent	139	125	-14
Candidate Construction health and Safety Manager	107	78	-29
Candidate Construction Health and Safety Officer	2054	1954	-100
Grand Total	11663	11424	-239

Reply:

The Department has no plans to open a Technical and Vocational Education and Training College in ePhongolo.

Reply:

The SA Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA), (a) During the period 01 January 2020 and 15 August 2021 the following Instrument Landing Systems were switched off / were non-operational:

(a) Station	Facility	Description	(b) Unserviceable Dates	(b) Serviceable Dates	(c) Reasons why the systems were not operating.	(d) (e) Details of the persons who have been held accountable for the systems not being operational	(f) (g) what are the relevant details of the persons and/or entities who were responsible for the maintenance of the ALS during the specified period
FAPP	ILS	FAPP ILS RWY	August 2020	N/A	System unserviceable	Airport Management	The maintenance of ILS facilities is the responsibility of the airport management.
FAKN	ILS	KMIA ILS RWY 05	29-30 March 2021	31-Mar-21	25 days extension expired	The SACAA Flight Inspection Unit aircraft crashed on 23 January 2020 and the organisation went on a tender to source a service provider to conduct the calibration for its clients. The tender was approved, and an SLA signed in April 2020. The service provider appointed sub-contracted equipment and crew from a European company. Due to Covid-19 the service provider could not reposition the aircraft from Europe to South Africa due to Covid-19 travel restrictions. There were delays in obtaining a Foreign Operator Permit from the Air Service Licencing Council due to the Covid-19 outbreak. All the major airports are equipped with modern based technology such as GNSS and RNAV approaches, in addition to the standard VOR approaches. So, being without an ILS doesn’t leave an airport stranded with traffic that cannot land in bad weather. They can also use the GNSS/RNAV approaches to achieve the same effect. At the time of submitting this report all ILSes were operational and within the regulated parameters except for those where the owners opted not to calibrate.
FALA	ILS	Lanseria ILS RWY 05	27-Mar-21	18-May-21	FALA Airport closed down due travel restriction
FAOR	ILS 03R	OR Tambo ILS 03R	10-Aug-20	22-Aug-20	Exemption Period Lapsed
	ILS 21L	OR Tambo ILS 21L	10-Aug-20	23-Aug-20	Exemption Period Lapsed
	ILS 03L	OR Tambo ILS 03L	10-May-21	11-May-21	Exemption not yet granted
	ILS 21R	OR Tambo ILS 21R	10-May-21	11-May-21	Exemption not yet granted
FACT	ILS 19	Cape Town ILS 19	13-Aug-20	25-Aug-20	Exemption Period Lapsed
	ILS 01	Cape Town ILS 01	13-Aug-20	26-Aug-20	Exemption Period Lapsed
FALE	ILS 06	King Shaka ILS 06	06-May-20	02-Sep-20	Maintenance failure that needed flight calibrations resulting in the equipment NOTAM'd off air
	ILS 24	King Shaka ILS 24	02-Jul-20	31-Aug-20	Exemption Period Lapsed
FAEL	ILS 29	East London ILS	16-Aug-20	12-Sep-20	Exemption Not Granted
	ILS 11	East London ILS	16-Aug-20	11-Sep-20	Exemption Not Granted
FAPE	ILS 08	Port Elizabeth ILS 08	18-Aug-20	14-Sep-20	Exemption Period Lapsed
	ILS 26	Port Elizabeth ILS 26	18-Aug-20	28-Sep-20	Exemption Period Lapsed
FAGG	ILS	George ILS 11	10-Jul-20	29-Aug-20	Exemption Period Lapsed
	ILS	George ILS 29	10-Jul-20	28-Aug-20	Exemption Period Lapsed

 

Reply:

The Department of Home Affairs in partnership with the Matatiele Local Municipality has identified space to temporarily accommodate Home Affairs. This will ease congestion at the current location which is within the Department of Justice. The current space does not suit the needs for clients and resultantly leads to complaints and poor services in the area.

The envisaged temporary relocation to the ESKOM Building makes way for the erection of the office structure on the offered land to the Department by the Matatiele Local Municipality Council, which is next to the Matatiele Police Station.

The Department took a decision to render certain services during adjusted lockdown level 3. This amongst others, includes the issuance of identity documents to first time issuance and temporary identity certificates for those who may have lost their IDs.

END

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure :

The information that I have received from the SACPCMP in response to the question is as follows:

(1) (a) (i) The number of construction health and safety officers who failed examinations is 299 out of 585.

(ii) The number of construction health and safety managers who failed examinations is 61 out of 92

(iii) The number of construction health and safety agents who failed interviews is 6 out of 12

(iv) refer to (iii) above

(b) 32 failed more than once.

(2) The examination/interview tests the competence in the application of the scope of services and regulations that govern the Construction, Health and Safety Professions. It is an expectation therefore that candidates must be conversant with these.

(3) The examination/interview tests competence in the application of scope of services and regulations that govern the Construction, Health and Safety Professions.

Reply:

The matter was referred to the Section 100 Administrator for the North West Department of Public Works& Roads and he confirmed that the suspension of the Chief Director for Roads in North West has been finalized and he was dismissed from Public Service on 29 November 2019. This matter is currently before the General Public Service Sectoral Bargaining Council as he is challenging his dismissal.

Reply:

a) The City of Ekurhuleni’s 40 buses for Harambee are currently operational

b) The City has been instructed to speed up the Phase 1 operations rollout, reduce costs, increase passengers to over 10 000 a day and urgently conclude a final compensation agreement. Until all this is achieved, no future phases will be approved.

c) The City of Ekurhuleni does not have a bus lease contract as the 40 buses have been purchased outright by the bus operating company.

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure

The information that I have received from the SACPCMP in response to the question is as follows:

1. (a) (i) Candidates who want to view their examination script are at liberty to apply to

view their scripts.

(ii) Candidates will know which questions they got right or wrong when they view their script and that should assist them to go back to the drawing board to fix their mistakes.

(b) Candidates who failed examination or interview are required to pay the full fee to rewrite.

(2) (a) The cost of examinations includes hiring venues, marking, moderating, storage and logistics of managing the entire examination process by the appointed service provider. This should be understood in the context of the Council being a self-funding entity. For business sustainability, the administrative cost of all of the Council’s processes must be recovered.

(b) The breakdown of the costs will reflect in the annual report for the 2020/21 financial year, which will be submitted to Parliament together with audited financial statements.

(3) The Council has determined that examinations should be delivered online and urgently, spurred on by the constant disruptions to examinations brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and its restrictions. However, security considerations necessitated the Council to investigate options to ensure that examination and interview security are not compromised. The Council has had a breach of its examination administration in the past, which was plagued with security vulnerabilities and corruption, where examination papers were leaked and also on social media platforms, in some cases, sold online. It is important that the Council, when it transfers its examination administration to an online system, ensures that it is secure and make breaches of the past impossible to repeat.

The Council had to ensure that it explores all the avenues required to enhance examination security including preventing the leaking of examination questions, which is paramount, given the high stakes nature of the examinations. The following aspects are being considered and finalised:

• Development of an online examination platform;

• Protecting the examination process through virtual proctoring software;

• Creating accessibility to the online examinations;

• The new logistical hurdles occasioned by the transition to a different delivery mode; and,

• The financial impact of moving examinations online – to ensure that there is no exorbitant increase in cost that must be transferred to applicants.

The timeline for the launch of online examinations has been determined as follows:

• The development of the online examination platform will be finalised and tested within four (4) weeks.

• Supply Chain Management (SCM) processes for procuring of a virtual proctoring service provider will commence after the budget review in October 2021.

• Once a virtual proctoring service provider is appointed, it will require approximately four (4) to six (6) weeks to set up the proctoring environment and integrate with the Council’s examination platform.

• The Council is most likely to be able to launch its online examinations in November 2021.

• Management will require approximately six (6) months to develop a plan for creating accessibility to its online examinations, through amongst others, partnering with service providers or institutions who have suitable computer facilities, disturbance free environments and secure Internet.

Reply:

a) The Contractor KPMM ran into financial difficulty around November / December 2018 and declared the commencement of business rescue proceedings in May 2019. Up to the present date KPMM is still in business rescue and this has significantly slowed the N2 Gwaing River bridge construction progress. SANRAL has provided the necessary support the during this process in the interest of ensuring that the project is completed. The Contractor has now informed SANRAL that they cannot continue with the works.

b) The contract was awarded to KPMM Roads and Earthworks (Pty) Ltd to the value of R161 200 000-00 (including VAT). The contract commenced on 29 January 2018 with a completion date of 28 July 2020. The contract duration was for a 30 months period. At this stage, the works are 58.4% complete with a total of R 96 238 948.87 (including VAT) spent to date. SANRAL has been in continuous discussions with the Contractor regarding performance and has been applying all applicable contractual penalties. With the contractor now having informed SANRAL that they cannot continue any longer, SANRAL is taking the necessary actions in terms of the Contract to assign the contract to a replacement contractor to complete the outstanding works.

Reply:

1. In December 2020, the NRF communicated the funding outcomes for new successful masters and doctoral student applications for the 2021 academic year, including the extension support for masters and doctoral studies who would have completed in 2020 but were impacted negatively by the Covid-19 lockdowns. In March 2021, additional awards for extension support were made following the DSI approval of R9,08 million of reprioritised funds to award additional masters and doctoral extension support funding for the 2021 academic year. The deadline date for the submission of honours applications was extended to March 2021 to accommodate universities whose academic years have been extended due to the Covid-9 lockdown. Between April 2021 and May 2021 all honours awards had been concluded and communicated.

Successful applicants received their provisional award letters for postgraduate funding from the NRF and were required to submit the signed Conditions of Grants (CoGs), together with the proof of registration to the NRF, for the funds to be released to the university. Delays in the release of funding by the NRF were due to delays in the submission of the signed CoGs, and proof of registration. The Department has duly instructed the NRF to maintain constant communication with the universities’ Research Offices to facilitate the submission of outstanding documentation, by the universities to the NRF, to enable the release of outstanding funds within this year and before some of the students finish their studies.

In order to manage cash-flow, the universities have a grant deposit from the NRF which is used to pay out funds to postgraduate students and other grantholders. The grant deposit ensures the availability of funds at the university to honour grant payments and is replenished as the university invoices the NRF on grant expenditure.

2. Between 2017 and 2019 the NRF entered into a phase of preparing for the implementation of the DSI-NRF Postgraduate Funding Policy and held numerous engagements with the university stakeholder community. In 2020 and 2021, the NRF continued to hold virtual engagements with all 26 universities to ensure alignment with the implementation plan of the policy and to address challenges experienced by stakeholders. It must be noted that the start of the implementation of the policy coincided with the start of the COVID-19 related national lockdown and this may have impacted on the readiness of institutions to implement the new Full Cost of Study (FCS) and Partial Cost of Study (PCS) Funding.

The DSI has requested the NRF to engage further with the universities to streamline the payment processes in the 2022 academic year. Towards this goal/end, the NRF has made and authorised the following adjustments in relation to improving the payment processes for the 2021 academic year:

Accredited private rental accommodation - The NRF has taken note of the challenges relating to the requirement for universities to accredit all private rental accommodation occupied by postgraduate students and has therefore taken the decision to rescind the requirement for ‘accredited accommodation.’ The NRF is considering the option of setting regional accommodation allowances which could eliminate the need for a valid lease agreement for the private rental accommodation.

Payment of allowances to students - In order to be audit compliant, payments for allowances will be made either on a monthly or quarterly basis to students. The quarterly provision is made to accommodate institutions that have not as yet implemented systems and processes for monthly payments of student allowances.

Payments may be made according to the semester of registration – The NRF has provided clarity to the universities relating to this matter. If the student registered in the first half of the year (first semester), regardless of the month of registration, and is registered for the full year, the student is eligible for the full year scholarship which must be made available to the student. Likewise, if the student registers in the second half of the year (second semester), only half the scholarship may be made available for the 2021 academic year. The payment rules for each of the allowances still apply.

Payment of allowance for electronic study device – The NRF has provided clarity to the institutions relating to this matter. The institution and the NRF will not require quotations or proof of purchase for the electronic study device allowance. The allowance will be made available only once irrespective of whether the student receives NRF funding for a further postgraduate degree(s).

Reply:

a) In 7 of the 9 provinces affected by the backlog, working hours have been extended including operations on Saturdays. Challenges relating to overtime is preventing the extension of operating hours in some provinces.

b) The department has extended the validity and grace period of all learner’s licences, driving licence cards, temporary driving licences and professional driving permits that expire during the period that commenced from 26 March up and including 31 August 2021 to 31 March 2022l.

Considering that Gauteng poses the biggest challenge due to the large population of motorists and the fact that it remains the only province that has extensively deployed the online booking system, an email service for Gauteng users who experience difficulties with online bookings and renewing their licences has been activated.

Processes are underway to introduce online payments.

The RTMC is in discussions with the Health Professions Council of South Africa to conclude a Memorandum of Understanding which will allow motorists to make use of private optometrists who will have the authority to upload eye test results directly to the Natis system.

The interface of live enrolment units with home affairs has been completed. This will enable immediate validation of the fingerprints and reduce delays.

A process to deploy new Natis end-user equipment in all provinces has started.

The RTMC is opening additional DLTCs with more staff working from 7 in the morning and ending at 9 at night for seven days a week. This initiative will increase the capacity in Gauteng by 30%. The initiative can be deployed nationally in consultation with the MECs concerned

A new DLTC in Tembisa has opened its doors.

Two busses have been fitted with state of the art equipment to serve as mobile centres to assist with licence renewals

Two self-service kiosk are being prepared for testing and should be rolled out by October 2021.

Reply:

The South African Government’s industrialisation and localisation policies aim to build and upgrade domestic production to supply domestic and foreign markets, support wider economic development and promote employment growth.

I draw the Honourable Member’s attention to the fact that localisation policies are not simply that of the DTIC. Localisation is a policy framework that enjoys resounding support among South Africans who recognize the need to industrialise our economy. It is the policy of the Administration and follows the commitment in the Manifesto of the ruling party to stronger localisation as a pillar of its industrial policy. The commitment to localisation is included in the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan of government.

The approach on localisation has also been unanimously endorsed by the business, labour and community representatives at Nedlac. They represent a large number of firms and entrepreneurs, workers in different sectors of the economy and organisations made up of representatives of various community interests. Indeed the agreement at Nedlac specifically provides for a quantitative target and a list of sectors and products. In these circumstances, the consultations on the South African approach to localisation were at the appropriate level at which consultations on policy matters normally take place, namely with social partners and with other Government policy-makers.

I further draw the Honourable Member’s attention to local industrialisation policies of governments across the world, in both developed and developing countries. It is what governments do to enable achievement of national objectives and indeed there is today a growing consensus on the value of carefully targeted and well-implemented industrial policy measures. I will be happy to brief the Portfolio Committee in due course on these developments should the Committee so request. There is also a growing literature on the subject which is easily accessible to the public.

In respect of trade, the localisation policies are consistent with South Africa’s international trade obligations and building industrial capacity is the very purpose of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement in order to reduce the over-reliance by countries on the continent to imports of manufactured products from elsewhere in the world. The localisation policies followed by the SA government (with the support of business, labour and community organisations) represents inter alia the plan to build South Africa’s industrial capacity within the framework of the AfCFTA.

I also draw attention to the Policy Statement on Localisation for Jobs and Industrial Growth as well as the Trade Policy for Industrial Development and Employment Growth, available on the DTIC’s website.

-END-