Questions and Replies

Reply:

1. On 21 September 2020, the SABC was granted concurrent approval by the Ministers of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT) and Finance to dispose of 25 non-core properties including Rockland Villas through an open market auction in terms of section 54(2)(d) of the Public Finance Management Act, 1999. The concurrent approval was also granted in keeping with National Treasury’s prefunding conditions which were attached to the financial bailout allocation and turnaround plan implementation to dispose of all residential properties as the leasing of properties does not form part of SABCs core mandate.

2. The Department of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation has since submitted a request and proposal to the DCDT on 05 May 2021 for possible acquisition of the Rocklands Villas residential property based in Cape Town, Sea Point by the Housing Development Agency for human settlement development purposes. DCDT is currently facilitating engagements between the SABC, Department of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation as well as the Housing Development Agency (HDA) seeking to find an amicable solution between the parties (SABC and the HDA).

 

MS. STELLA NDABENI-ABRAHAMS, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

 

Reply:

I have been advised by the Department as follows:-

(a)(i)   See table below. The data provided below is from StatsSA and has a margin of +/- 15% accuracy - noting the dynamic circumstances of households that proceed to voluntarily migrate via the existing commercial digital broadcast platforms. The Department used data from StatsSA as a reference point for planning.

 

	ESTIMATED SUBSIDY BENEFICIARY HOUSEHOLDS
Free State	322 970
Northern Cape	101 885
North West	391 767
	646 116
	381 717
Eastern Cape	551 649
KwaZulu Natal	817 383
Western Cape	380 100
	1 091 256
	4 684 843

 

 

(a)(ii)   See table below. Installations are conducted in a sequential provincial schedule, as depicted in the order of provinces below:-

PROVINCE	Total Registrations Completed as at June 2021	Total Installations Completed as at June 2021
Free State	278 069	213 902
Northern Cape	72 429	44 356
North West	155 530	85 224
Limpopo	86 817	37 381
Mpumalanga	97 095	49 288
Eastern Cape	163 162	25 231
KwaZulu Natal	206 652	77 639
Western Cape	54 860	2
Gauteng	33 895	8
TOTALS	1 148 509	533 031

 

(b)       Monthly household migration targets are not used as a yardstick. Instead, a determination is made to conclude a critical mass threshold of 70% household migration within a target transmitter coverage area (which covers a number of predetermined towns/villages). The outcome is then applied to determine the analogue transmitter switch off (ASO) in the provincial sequence. The ASO is carried out in a provincial transmitter sequence in this controlled manner until the final transmitter within the province is switched off.

The table below provides depicts the preliminary migration schedule for each province. The ASO process is carried out in an overlapping manner between provinces. The schedule is subject to continuous revision to optimise where practical, taking  external circumstances and internal implementation variables into account.

MIGRATION AND ANALOGUE SWITCH-OFF (ASO) PROVINCIAL SCHEDULE
PROVINCE	Start	Finish (revised)
FREE STATE ASO	08/01/2018	07/03/2022
NORTHERN CAPE ASO	08/01/2018	21/02/2022
NORTH WEST ASO	05/04/2021	21/01/2022
LIMPOPO ASO	06/09/2021	08/03/2022
MPUMALANGA ASO	03/06/2021	14/02/2022
EASTERN CAPE ASO	02/08/2021	31/01/2022
KWAZULU-NATAL	26/07/2021	15/03/2022
WESTERN CAPE ASO	23/08/2021	01/03/2022
GAUTENG ASO	13/09/2021	22/03/2022

 

(c)(i)   Total budget allocated so far for decoder subsidy, excluding goods and services, is approximately R1,2 billion.

(c)(ii)   The anticipated combined national decoder subsidy shortfall is approximately R563-million for the vouchers; an additional amount will be required for the voucher system which still needs to be determined.

 

 

 

MS. STELLA NDABENI-ABRAHAMS, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

Reply:

1. I presume the Honourable Member is referring to the Health Promotion Levy (HPL) on sugary beverages that was introduced on 1 April 2018, to give effect to health policy to counter the rise in diabetes, obesity and other related diseases in South Africa. There is no “sugar sweetened drings tax” nor any “sugar tax”.

The HPL is administered and collected by SARS. The HPL is a domestic consumption tax and payable by manufacturers in the Republic. Imported sugary beverages are taxed when cleared for domestic consumption.

The cumulative revenue collected from the on domestically produced and imported products, from inception on 01 April 2018 to 31 March 2021, is R7.9 billion. Collections in 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2020/21 were R3.2 billion, R2.5 billion and R2.1 billion respectively. These revenue figures from both domestically produced and imported sugary beverages are published on the National Treasury website at http://www.treasury.gov.za/comm_media/press/monthly/monthly_2021.aspx.

2. Tax revenues from the HPL are not earmarked or ringfenced for any particular expenditures, but instead flow into the National Revenue Fund. However, additional funding for health promotion and chronic disease prevention was allocated in the National Department of Health budget (see 2018 Estimates of National Expenditure). This allocation is approximately R50 million per annum over the 2021 MTEF. The National Department of Health has spent R24 million in 2019/20 and R14 million spent in 2020/21 on the health promotion allocation.

3. The rate for the HPL was not changed for the 2021/22 fiscal year and no announcement has been made for the 2022/23 fiscal year. Rate and levy changes are normally only made as part of the annual Budget announcements.

In terms of revenue estimates, the 2021 Budget Review showed an expected growth of HPL collections from R2.0 billion to R2.2 billion for the 2021/11 fiscal year. Measured against the actual unaudited revenue outcomes for 2020/21, the estimates for 2021/22 were forecast to increase by R101.4 million (4.8%), with most of the growth emanating from the HPL on domestically produced products. In the next year, HPL collections were estimated to increase from R2.2 billion to R2.4 billion in 2022/23, representing a growth of R152.1 million (6.9%).

4. During the 2020/21 financial year, HPL collections from locally manufactured sugary drinks, which are the vast majority, contracted year-on-year by 16.4% when compared to the 2019/20 financial year. During the early stages of the hard lockdown levels, most manufacturers of sugary drinks were not classified as essential services and thus production was affected. Furthermore, it appears that the impact of the restricted sales on alcoholic products during the COVID- lockdown is one of the drivers behind the lower manufacturing of sugary drinks as demand has also fallen.

During the 2018/19 financial year the imports of HPL amounted to R1.34 billion with R53.1 million in duties collected, and imports increased to R1.45 billion with duties registering R67.8 million. In 2019/20 imports amounted to R1.23 billion with duties of R66.6 million.

The imports of HPL improved to R556.7 million and duties of R26.2 million in 2020 during the first five months of the strict lockdown, as compared to R444.4 million and R24.70 million of duties during the same period in 2019. Overall, Covid-19 had an insignificant impact on HPL collections from imports.

(5) At present there have been two studies that have been shared with the Ministry of Finance on the effectiveness of the health promotion levy. The first detailed the impact of the health promotion levy on the prices of beverages and did not find any evidence of price increases for beverages that were exempt from the health promotion levy, whiles those beverages that were taxed increased in price by around R1 per litre on average. The second study examined the impact of the health promotion levy on the consumption levels of sugary beverages. The study finds that there was a decrease in the consumption of taxable beverages, with a smaller increase in the consumption of non-taxed beverages, and that the impact was greater for lower income households. The citations of the two studies are provided below:

• Stacey, N., Mudara, C., Ng, S. W., van Walbeek, C., Hofman, K., & Edoka, I. (2019). Sugar-based beverage taxes and beverage prices: Evidence from South Africa's Health Promotion Levy. Social Science & Medicine, 238, 112465.
• Stacey, N., Edoka, I., Hofman, K., Swart, E. C., Popkin, B., & Ng, S. W. (2021). Changes in beverage purchases following the announcement and implementation of South Africa's Health Promotion Levy: an observational study. The Lancet Planetary Health, 5(4), e200-e208.

Reply:

(a) Based on information available to the DPSA (a)(i) Three Director General or Head of Component posts were re-advertised as follows:

(aa) CEO: Government Printing Works was re-advertised in June 2018.

(bb) Director-General: Department of Home Affairs was re-advertised in November 2019.

(cc) Director-General: Cooperative Governance was re-advertised was advertised in February 2020.

(a)(ii) Based on information available to the DPSA, state the number of HOD posts (i.e. three (3) Provincial HoD posts were re-advertised:

(aa)

(bb)

(cc)

(b) The reasons provided to the DPSA by the advertising Departments included that advertising requirements were not being met, including attaining the delegation of authority to fill the post from the President and allowing for a fair or adequate time to reply to an advert. It should be noted that in terms of section 3(7)(a) and (b) of the Public Service Act, 1994 the relevant executive authority of department has power and duties to manage the recruitment and appointment in his or her department which includes filling of a posts. The mandate of the DPSA as far as advertising is concerned, is limited to the publication of the vacancies and facilitation of the cabinet memorandum specifically for the Director-General and Deputy Director General posts.

(b) The DPSA issues the PSVC publication at no cost to the departments, any other costs related to the re-advertisement of such post in the media is managed by the relevant department.

End

Reply:

1. During March 2020, the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) referred the matter directly to the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) Head Office. The matter was referred to the AFU Durban as it falls within the jurisdiction of that office.
2. There is currently no criminal case registered with the South African Police Service (SAPS) in this matter. However, the AFU in Durban is engaging with the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations (DPCI): Anti-Corruption, with a view to initiate a criminal investigation on the matter. It should be noted that the SIU is also involved in disciplinary proceedings brought against the person by the Department of Correctional Services.

Reply:

a) The Northern Cape Provincial Government complied with the due date of 31 October 2020 on the signing of PAs for the 2020/2021 performance cycle as set by DPSA Circular 32 02 2020. There was therefore, no reasons required.

b) The performance management and development system (PMDS) prescribe the specific measures for dealing with non-compliance on the signing of PAs including:

• Empowering Executive Authorities and Heads of Department to take appropriate disciplinary action against employees who fail to comply with the PMDS; and
• Disqualifying any employee who fails to comply from participating in any performance incentive, i.e. pay progression and performance bonuses;

The Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) monitors compliance to these policy prescripts and issues compliance notices. Advocacy meetings are also held with FOSAD and Provincial Executive Councils led by Premiers to highlight areas of concern. If a Department is highlighted to have consistently failed to comply, the Minister also has the option to escalate the matter to the President.

End

Reply:

1. The Department of Public Service and Administration has not concluded any work exchange and/or employment agreements with any entity of the Republic of Cuba from the 2010-11 financial year up to the 2020-21 financial year. There was no need identified in this regard.

2. Not applicable.

End

Reply:

(1) See attached Annexure A;
(2) See Annexure B;
(3) See Annexure C;
(4) See Annexure D
 

Reply:

 

1. The Agreement on Collaboration Between the Government of the Republic of South Africa and the Government of the Republic of Cuba on Professional Services in the Field of Basic Education was concluded in November 2016, valid for five years from 2017-2022. The Agreement is for the DBE to employ 20 Cuban Subject Specialists in Maths and Science. The break-down has been as follows:
2.  
3. 2017-2018 (10) Cuban nationals based at DBE, (4) based at Eastern Cape
4. 2018-2019 (10) Cuban nationals based at DBE, (4) based at Eastern Cape
5. 2019-2020 (4) Cuban nationals based at DBE, (6) based at Eastern Cape (6) based at Free State (2) Gauteng (2) Limpopo
6. 2020-2021 (4) Cuban nationals based at DBE, (5) based at Eastern Cape (6) based at Free State (2) Gauteng (2) Limpopo
7. 2021-2022 (4) Cuban nationals based at DBE, (5) based at Eastern Cape (6) based at Free State (2) Gauteng (2) Limpopo
   (b) are the details of the work that each of the specified Cuban nationals was and/or will be employed to perform, Their responsibilities include:
8. Improving teacher capacity, development and support;
9. Strengthening MST Curriculum to respond to Curriculum Implementation;
10. MST Educator Subject Content Training;
11. Producing and Compiling Teacher and Learner Support Material;
12. Analysing MST results; 
13. Screening books, videos, manuals and question papers to look for gaps in the proposed approaches

 (c) The Cuban nationals are specialists in Maths and Science; these subjects are listed as scarce skills where there is a struggle to find properly qualified teachers. The specialists have long standing practice in how they teach particular methodologies in Maths and Science that help teachers to master teaching difficult concepts and areas of work. All Cuban Specialists have Masters Degrees. They have also developed materials that are provided to the department to help convey understanding in these methodologies in the identified scarce skills subjects. Since their arrival, they were able to assist the department in identifying some of the problems that the department has experienced in how to teach and what better pedagogical approaches can be explored to overcome these challenges. They

(d) R733 257.00 p.a. The DBE currently has four specialists.

(2) The Cuban subject specialists have been employed to train teachers and strengthen the sector capacity, and not to teach the children. They have conducted meaningful workshops for teachers and Subject Advisors that help them to better understand the concepts and are able to go back into the classroom to teach the learners based on this assistance.        

 

Reply:

The Department of Employment and Labour can amplify the reply further but it suffices to state that our President, Mr. Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa, established an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) led by the Department of Employment and Labour, which amongst others has been tasked with the responsibilities of dealing with challenges facing the Road Freight Industry Logistics.

As the Department of Transport, we have published Government Gazette 44484 dated 23 April 2021 proposing an insertion of Regulation 116A into the National Road Traffic Regulations, 2000. For ease of reference, the aforesaid draft provides as follows:

116A. Authority of a Professional Driving Permit issued in a foreign Country

(1) the Authority provided by a professional driving permit issued in a foreign country shall apply in respect of a vehicle registered in the country that issued any such permit.

(2) A permit referred to in sub-regulation(1), shall not apply to a vehicle registered in the republic.

The Draft Amendments will therefore effectively ban drivers who hold a Public Drivers Permit (PDP) issued by a foreign country from operating vehicles registered in South Africa.

Reply:

1. There are plans in place to rehabilitate the rail infrastructure in various corridors across the country. In the City of Cape Town specifically, the Central Line Corridor which carries the majority of residents in the city from their places of residence to work is a flagship project announced by the President where the entire line is earmarked for major rehabilitation covering the following:

• Removal of illegal settlements from rail servitude;
• Rehabilitation of the Power Supply System;
• Rehabilitation of the Perway Infrastructure;
• Modernisation of the Signalling Infrastructure;
• Repair of station facilities for customers.

Apart from the Central Line the following corridors are also earmarked for resumption of services and rehabilitation of infrastructure:

• Cape Town – Simonstown (WNB & ATL)
• Cape Town – Strand

In Johannesburg a number of corridors are also being rehabilitated for the MTEF period:

• Leralla – Johannesburg
• Johannesburg – Naledi
• Residensia – New Canada
• Kwesine – Germiston
• Randfontein – Johannesburg

2. In order to protect the existing infrastructure from further deterioration and destruction the following preventative measures will also be put in place to address recurrence:

• Close off the corridor through Walling
• Provision of Street to Street access to pedestrians to cross the railway line
• Upgrade of the Security Interventions across the corridor incorporating the community involvement approach where community members volunteer their services to provide intelligence to the SAPS, CPF and PRASA Protection Services on crime incidents along our corridors.

Reply:

1. (a) The Domestic Violence Act, 1998 (Act No. 116 of 1998) was enacted to address and combat domestic violence. An applicant can apply to court for a protection order against the perpetrator’s abuse, in terms of the Domestic Violence Act.

The court may, if it is satisfied that it is in the best interest of any child:

• by means of an order, refuse the respondent (alleged perpetrator) contact with such child
• order contact with such child on conditions as it may consider appropriate
• prohibit the respondent (alleged perpetrator) from entering the residence shared by the complainant and the respondent (alleged perpetrator), provided it is in the best interest of the applicant.
• The applicant can apply for an order for temporary placement of children in care facilities.
• Further, the domestic violence court may not refuse to issue a protection order or impose any condition or make any order which is competent to impose or make merely on the grounds that other legal remedies are available to the complainant.

In providing the necessary relief, the court considers the facts presented before

it. The court, in making any order where it affects placement of children or removal of the respondent (alleged perpetrator), depending on the facts and application before it, will consider the best interests of the child, including safety, health, the well-being, perceived risk of further harm or violence, personal and material interests of both the applicant and the children and the best interests of the child.

The best interests of the child, in addition to that of the applicant, is emphasised to demonstrate that in all matters of gender-based violence where children are affected, the court will probe the details of a case in order to have all facts before it, so as to make an appropriate order. In this regard, the court may, where circumstances permit, in terms of the Mediation in Certain Divorce Matters Act, 1987, refer such matters to the Office of the Family Advocate for the court to obtain the Family Advocate’s report containing the recommendations on the best interests of children affected by the domestic violence.

The Family Advocate will conduct an investigation into the welfare of the children and make such recommendation that will first identify the risks and factors that have a direct and an indirect impact on the wellbeing of the children, and then recommend the necessary safety nets to mitigate such risk pending the finalization of the domestic violence case. These recommendations may include supervised contact between the children and the alleged perpetrator, in appropriate circumstances.

The Domestic Violence Act also provides for the court to consider an application brought before it by a child under this Act and if it deems fit, grant the interim protection order. In addition, if the court finds that the applicant child is in need of care, that child will be referred to the children’s court for further intervention.

The provision above demonstrates that minor children have to be protected and can deviate from the norm of a minor having to be accompanied by a parent or guardian, as an order can still be sought against either. The court will respond to any emergency application before it and grant the temporary relief sought, after considering all facts before it and the rights of children affected.

Where the perpetrator contravenes the interim order or removes the children against the court order, that will amount to contempt of court. Legal consequences ensue and the warrant of arrest by the domestic violence court is immediately given effect to. It must be noted that these are immediate orders which are interim pending the return date for further hearing, including that of the alleged perpetrator, for either the confirmation thereof or any order appropriate.

The Sexual Offences and Community Affairs (SOCA) Unit of the national prosecuting Authority provides regular training on the Domestic Violence Act to prosecutors and other partners in the criminal justice system to ensure that the intention of the Domestic Violence Act is fully realized.

(b) Where the victim of domestic violence is a primary care giver of the children (the

victim resides with the children) they will still retain the primary care of the children pending the finalization of the matter. The right that the victim has is that they can request assistance from the Office of the Family Advocate with regards to the drafting of a Parenting Plan. In the Parenting Plan they can set out arrangements as regards the children’s residence as well as the contact regime (how they will continue having contact with the alleged perpetrator) pending the finalization of the case. The victim can also request the Office of the Family Advocate to assist with assessments of the children, interactional analysis as well as observation of the children to ensure that they retain the custody of the children.

2. Children cannot be uprooted from their stable environment without any lawful reason. In the case where a child is unlawfully removed from their stable environment, that is they are removed without a court order or any form of agreement between their parents, the primary caregiver, in this case, the victim of domestic violence has a right to launch an application at the Children’s Court to have the children returned to their primary residence.

During such proceedings, the court will as a way of preserving the best interests of children, make an order to the effect that an investigation be conducted by the Office of the Family Advocate so as to provide the court with the recommendations on the best interests of the children given the prevailing circumstances.

Reply:

The Department is in a process of finalising technical integration designs and procuring a court audio visual solution that will be used for court participant’s interviews and testimony in cases where direct contact is not feasible or very expensive, as well as in cases where expert witnesses are required in court. This will also allow victims and witnesses to easily get in touch and communicate with the CJS practitioners that are responsible for their case. This includes Interpreters, Witnesses, SAPS & DHA Laboratory Experts, Sexual Offence Facilitation and External Experts. This is initially related to virtual court appearances integrating to court recording solution for the court record, however it will be expanded to cater for virtual courts eliminating the physical appearance of all parties in courts and the adjudication of the case online.

The current Annual Performance Plan target for the Court Audio Visual Solution is the implementation of 45 identified sites for the current financial year.

a) As part of the digital transformation of courts and court processes, the Office of the Chief Justice (OCJ) in the spirit of the modernization approach has leveraged digital and virtual opportunities to ensure efficiency and continuity in court services and led by the Judiciary is in the process of developing and implementing Court Online, an advanced cloud-based collaboration solution aimed at providing a platform for the filing of court documents electronically (E-Filing) over the Internet from anywhere. Court Online is an E-Filing, Digital Case Management and Evidence Management system for the High Courts of South Africa. It provides Law Practitioners with the opportunity to file documentation electronically online anywhere and anytime without being physically present at court. It also affords Law Practitioners the ease of managing their court appearance diaries and court evidence instantaneously online.

Within the court room and chambers, Judges shall make use of the Court Online system to adjudicate disputes electronically. Office of the Chief Justice has partially implemented the Court Online system in the Gauteng Division of the High Court. Case-Lines as a stand-alone solution for evidence management was successfully piloted in these courts. The aim is to roll-out this electronic platform to other service centres during the Medium Term Strategic Framework (MTSF) period.

b) Provision for virtual hearings have further been made in the Directives issued by the Heads of Court/Judges President in line with the Superior Courts Act, 2013.

c) The Draft Court Online (E-Filing) Court Rules, drafted by the Judiciary and supported by the Office of the Chief Justice, are currently before the Rules Board. These rules will institutionalize Court Online (E-Filing) and are a major step in the digital transformation of courts and court processes.

d) The Office of the Chief Justice has further provided Judges and officials with ICT solutions to enable the courts to operate virtually. Amongst others, these measures included the provision of enhanced end user equipment, increased bandwidth for internet as well as increased data access.

e) Licenses have been provided for modern enterprise video communications/video conferencing platforms such as MS Teams or Zoom, along with concomitant storage space for the recording of proceedings, to enable virtual hearings to be conducted at the Superior Courts.

f) To improve network access, Wi-Fi was expanded at all Superior Courts.

g) All Constitutional Court hearings are currently livestreamed on the Judiciary YouTube channels.

h) In order to assist with readiness for digital transformation and improved service delivery, the Office of the Chief Justice is implementing the ICT Infrastructure Refresh Project, which would focus on the replacement of old hardware infrastructure. It is further supported by the recently installed Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) systems which ensures continuous availability of ICT systems and virtual platforms during power interruptions.

Reply:

1. The Magistrates Commission confirms that it has received a number of serious complaints against KwaZulu Natal Regional Court President. On 31 August 2018, the Commission resolved to charge him. A charge sheet with 50 counts of misconduct was personally served on the KZN Regional Court President on 04 September 2018. An amended charge sheet with a total of 162 charges was served on him via his attorney on 30 March 2021. He has been provisionally suspended from office which suspension was confirmed by Parliament on 9 October 2018. He is subjected to a disciplinary hearing which will be commencing within the next two months.

(a) No.

Reply:

a) (i) The dispute between LexisNexis and the Department is with regard to the interpretation of clause 12.19 of RFB 2019 03 which requires the service provider to provide a shared one license accessible from all domains (DOJ&CD, OCJ, Constitutional Court, Legal Aid SA, NPA, The Public Protector and the Special Investigating Unit) for online (internet) services.

LexisNexis interpreted clause 12.19 of the bid to require a shared license from all domains which in their view is different from a concurrent user access which is attached to a domain.

The Department’s interpretation is that clause 12.19 of the bid required a shared one license accessible from all domains for online (internet) services which was clearly explained during the briefing session (question and answer session) to mean a concurrent user access attached to a domain. These questions and answers were provided by the Department in writing to all the bidders including LexisNexis.

(ii) The Department engaged with LexisNexis on the 12 March 2021 and urged them to restore the services and the services were restored on the same date.

b) The services were restored with immediate effect and there was no need for any contingencies.

c) The services were restored with immediate effect and officials have access.

Reply:

SANRAL participated in the Technical Task team, led by the Director-General of Transport, to present various options to Ministerial Committee, which was led by the President and included the Ministers of Finance and Transport as well as the Premier of Gauteng. The Technical Task team concluded their work some time before lockdown in 2020. The decision is now in the hands of Cabinet.

In the meantime, SANRAL has to continue to operate within existing financial constraints and in line with National Treasury budget approval.

 

Reply:

1. As at 25 May 2021, 55 TRC cases have been referred to the DPP Offices in the jurisdictions where the crimes were committed. These cases are all being investigated by the DPCI. A further 59 cases have been identified as warranting investigation, which will be referred to the regions once there is the necessary capacity in the NPA / DPP Offices.
2. Cases are referred to the DPCI either because of the public interest which they attract or due to requests being made by relatives of the victims or other interested parties. The cases are referred merely upon request and are not subject to any pre-evaluation process.
3. Yes, I will make a statement.

Reply:

a) As part of monitoring of administrative support to the courts the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DoJ&CD) has included a Key performance indicator on the Annual Performance Plan which is monitored monthly. The Department has set a target that in less than 0.3 % in criminal cases the main cause of postponement of the case should relate to the unavailability of court administrative officials essential to a court sitting relating to Indigenous language as well as Foreign language interpreters as well as court recording system operators.

The performance in relation to this indicator for the period 1 April - 30 April 2021 is a National average of 0.14% against the 0.3% target.

See breakdown into regions and District and regional courts as per table below:

b) The Department is appointing interpreters as and when positions become vacant. The Regional Heads have delegations to advertise and fill the vacancies where required. Currently, the Department has a vacancy rate of 7.7%. The table below depicts the number of positions on the establishment, number of posts filled as well as the number of vacant positions:

Job Title	Filled Posts	Vacant Posts	Total Posts	Vacancy Rate
Court Interpreter	1 262	88	1 350	6.5
Senior Court Interpreter	396	49	445	11.0
Court Interpreter Principal	63	8	71	11.3
Assistant Director: Court Interpreting	32	1	33	3.0
Deputy Director: Court Interpreting	6	1	7	14.3
TOTAL	1 759	147	1 906	7.7

In relation to Foreign Language Interpreters and Sign Language Interpreters, they are sourced from the database as and when they are required, paid a daily allowance for appearance in court.

Reply:

It is not a function of the National Treasury to recover such amounts but well that of the related department. Once any formal processes in such cases have been concluded, and if it has been found that the department is to recoup monies from an individual or entity, then a debt must be recorded by the department on its financial system. It is only when such records are contained in systems controlled by the National Treasury that some report can be provided but again the correctness and completeness of such report will rely solely on the full and correct information submitted by the department itself.

Of such systems that National Treasury maintain, 84 individuals were identified from 17 National and Provincial Departments for the financial years 2016/17 – 2020/21 where cases were recorded on the Personnel and Salary System (Persal) where it relates to financial misconduct. The total amount of R 23 449 484,48 was recorded during this period on Persal where it relates to these cases where 13 individuals were dismissed.

The data for these cases and related individuals identified through Persal as per the above was then used to identify the appropriate recording of the related debt on the Basic Accounting System (BAS). Information for 46 officials of the 84 identified in Persal was captured in BAS with a debt take on amount of R 479 801,28. Of the take on amount recorded in BAS, R 385 697,91 has been recovered. The information is based on the appropriate recording of the data on BAS. And it must be emphasised that the correctness and completeness of this information is based on the appropriate recording of the data by the related institutions.

Reply:

1. PRASA’s business model does not devolve the operation of train services to a district or local municipality level in terms of the municipal demarcations framework but is based on a corridor approach managed at a Regional (Provincial) level. Therefore, the assessment of damages suffered will follow a corridor based model.

Thus, the full relevant details of the damages suffered by Metrorail due to (a) theft, (b) vandalism in (i) each (Region) province, to date are listed in the tables below.

Narrative for Crimes Related Incidents – 2019/2020

Narrative for Crimes Related Incidents – 2020/2021

2. The measures which are in place to ensure the safety of all passengers at all times is:

• Insourcing of security services to replace irregular contracts that were terminated in 2020;
• Joint operations with South African Police Services within the rail operational tunnel as well as disruptive operations at second-hand dealers to arrest those that buy stolen goods;
• Commuter Policing Forum deployment in home-based (township) stations;
• Increased train patrols on identified problematic trains in effort to arrest perpetrators;
• Line-based closures / stop-and-search with South African Police Service to search for stolen property that is being transported by train; and
• Commuter Forum engagement to share intelligence information that may assist in improving commuter experience.

Reply:

1. None
2. Disciplinary processes are implemented in conjunction with Labour Relations at Head Office and through the Desk as and when a transgression arises.
3. There are currently no pending cases of any nature
4. There are currently no disputes
5. There are currently no disputes

Reply:

1. After liaising with my officials, I confirm that the letter referred to was received and not responded due to the transition from manual processing of documentation to electronic.

2. The National Treasury was not consulted with prior to the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans undertaking the visit to Zimbabwe with the ANC delegation using the SAAF Falcon 900.

3. Furthermore, the National Treasury was not part of the determination of the costs to be paid by the ANC but did receive proof that R105 545 was paid to the Department of Defence for this purpose.

4. The National Treasury has and will always engage departments and entities to ensure that they comply with the provisions of legislation that require consultation and concurrence of the National Treasury. As you may be aware, this matter has been handled and finalised by the President in terms of remedial actions.

Reply:

1. Matters related to vehicle licensing falls under Schedule 4 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa and are therefore within the purview of provinces. The Department must first seek concurrence of the respective provinces on this matter and only then can a decision be taken accordingly.

2. In view of the above, the Department recently held a meeting with the Committee of Provincial Heads of Departments of Transport and the Private Charter Passenger Association (PCPA). The latter made a broad representation regarding the impact of Covid19 on the Charter and Coach operators due to lockdowns and subsequent travel restrictions. As part of their submissions, they alleged their members were unable to generate any income during lockdown level 5 and 4, since all borders were closed and tourism activities suspended. The Department sought concurrence of the respective provinces, since vehicle licensing matters are provincial in scope. Once concurrence has been received from provinces, if at all, the Department will only then proceed to issue a Direction under regulations 4(7) made under section 27(2) of the Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act No. 57 of 2002).

Reply:

Yes. The draft 2021 “List of Qualifying Physical Impairment or Disability Expenditure” (draft 2021 Disability List) was prepared by SARS following proposals made by a stakeholder who represents a special needs school for learners with disabilities and, in addition, represents an association of independent schools. These independent schools provide general education together with interventions required as per the disability of each learner.

The guiding principle for qualifying expenses has always been to determine what additional expenses the person with a disability would incur, without which the person would not be able to perform activities of daily living. The amendments proposed in the draft 2021 Disability List were intended to assist schools and parents in more accurately drawing the distinction between expenses for education in the ordinary course, which would be incurred irrespective of whether the learner was living with a disability or not, and expenses for interventions required in consequence of disability, the latter of which would enjoy a tax privileged status under the Income Tax Act, 1962.

The stakeholder put forward the proposition that it was feasible for the schools to itemise their invoices and/or provide a letter to SARS separating the expenses for general education from those incurred in consequence of a disability, with the latter qualifying for tax relief. This appeared reasonable from the facts presented and the draft 2021 Disability List was accordingly prepared and workshopped with various stakeholders representing persons with disabilities before being published for general public comments.

Concerns were, however, raised by the public at large and some other schools. SARS has always been empathetic insofar as expenses required in consequence of disability are concerned and so decided to withdraw the draft 2021 Disability List in order to permit more time to engage with relevant stakeholders, consider the comments/suggestions raised, and clarify the intent behind the draft changes. It is only once this process has concluded that a further draft may be published.

Reply:

(1) The Public Investment Corporation (PIC) has not abandoned its inquiry into Musa Group. The section 417 enquiry is chaired by a Commissioner and run by legal teams on behalf of the liquidators. Currently the forensic accountant is analysing the information gathered during the first part of the enquiry.

(2) Following the completion of the section 417 enquiry and the receipt of the Commissioner’s report, the liquidators and the PIC will be in a position to decide what legal and other steps should be taken.

Reply:

1. The Department allowed provinces to utilise up to 5% of the Public Transport Operations Grant funds reprioritised to respond to Covid-19 pandemic for the sanitisation of public transport vehicles and other public transport facilities, including the provision of personal protective equipment for public transport workers and hand sanitisers for passengers. For the 2020/21 the maximum amount provinces could utilise for the acquisition of personal protective equipment totalled R337 480 000 broken down as follows:

Eastern Cape: R13 450 000

Free State: R14 871 000

Gauteng: R129 965 000

Kwazulu Natal: R62 318 000

Limpopo: R20 102 000

Mpumalanga: R33 847 000

Northern Cape: R3 026 000

North West: R6 221 000

Western Cape: R53 680 000

2. Provinces are responsible for determining how these funds are distributed to individual operators and ensure that expenditure is within the allocated amount. The Department only receives high level consolidated monthly performance reports from provinces in line with the requirements of the grant framework. Specific details relating to names of operators/companies and precise amounts are retained by provinces.

(3) All grant related information including allocations, grant conditions and past performance are gazetted in the annual Division of Revenue Act and its Framework hence there is no need for an announcement.

Reply:

The National Treasury, annually as required by section 8 of the Public Finance Management Act, Act 1 of 1999 (PFMA), prepares consolidated financial statements (that include a statement of financial position or balance sheet) for national departments and Parliament (including the National Revenue Fund, State Debt and Loans Accounts) as well as for National public entities separately and these two sets of consolidated financial statements are then audited and tabled in Parliament. The consolidated financial statements are prepared separately for both national departments and public entities since these two types of institutions use two separate accounting frameworks. The latest sets of consolidated financial statements that were tabled in Parliament are for the 2019/2020 financial year. The consolidated financial statements are published on the Office of the Accountant-General website and can be obtained from https://oag.treasury.gov.za/Publications/Forms/AllItems.aspx?RootFolder=%2FPublications%2F04%2E%20Consolidated%20Financial%20Statements&FolderCTID=0x0120007EBBC03F454D95408FB944B7B07F6166&View={EA6E6B15-593D-4839-A804-A91A49CB20A0}

Reply:

1. (a) The size of Erf 292 Butterworth in the Mnquma Local Municipality is 595 m2

(b) No. The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) does not have a lease agreement with anyone on Erf 292.

(c) Falls away.

2. (a),(b),(c) Falls away.

3. Yes.

• a) The total amount of R 11 134.64 is in arrears.
• b) The invoice indicated that the outstanding amount is for April 2021.
• c) The outstanding amount will be paid as soon as an engagement between DALRRD, Provincial Department of Public Works and the Municipality had reached an agreement.

Reply:

Yes, all funded Non-Governmental Organizations, including those in the disability sector are monitored in line with the Public Finance Management Act as detailed below:

1. First and foremost, for the organization to be funded, it must provide the information requested by the relevant department to demonstrate that it has the necessary capability and understanding to provide services according to the specified minimum norms and standards for that particular service, in this case, disability services.

2. Secondly, before the funds are transferred to any organization (including those rendering disability services), the Department obtains a written assurance from the organization that confirms that the organization implements effective, efficient and transparent financial management and internal control systems. The purpose of this assurance is to ensure that throughout the funding period, the organization is monitored towards adherence to its internal control systems as these are reviewed and tested on an ongoing basis during the funding cycle.

3. Lastly, as part of monitoring the organizations; appropriate measures are maintained to ensure that subsidies to organizations are used for their intended purpose in line with the norms and standards of that particular service. Such measures include-

• regular progress and annual reporting procedures on performance in line with the objectives and specifications i.e. for disability services – in this instance,
• analysis of the submitted progress reports to monitor performance and achievement of quarterly targets. This is also aimed at determining the release of the next tranche,
• internal and external audit requirements and, where appropriate, submission of audited statements; and
• regular monitoring procedures; which include both scheduled and unscheduled on-site visits to review whether the agreed upon objectives are attained or not.

4. All-in all, the organizations are monitored against the service level agreements that they enter into with the relevant department in terms of compliance, performance, financial management and reporting requirements.

Reply:

South African Ministry of Employment and Labour concluded a Bilateral Agreement with the Cuban Ministry of Employment, Social Security and Occupational Health and Safety in Cape Town on the 1st March 2004 that is renewable unless terminated by either party through diplomatic channels. This agreement remains in force and forms part of the Republic of South Africa and the Republic of Cuba relations.

The rest of the questions posed by Honourable Mrs N I Tarabella Marchesi with regard to employment of Cubans locally are not applicable under this agreement.

The agreement with the Cubans only confines itself to cooperation in the fields of “Employment, Social security and Occupational Health and Safety on the basis of equality and mutual benefits, taking into account the experience of specialists in these fields and possibilities of cooperation available in each country” Each country bears its own costs in implementing the agreement.

Reply:

1. (a)The total number of veterinarians in the Eastern Cape is 34.

(b) (i) The vacancies is 12, which gives us a current vacancy rate of 26 %.

(ii) The intended date to fill the vacant positions is 1 August 2021.

2. Livestock census as per National livestock statistics are as follows:

Cattle = 3 050 m which is equivalent to 3.050 m LSU

Sheep = 6 513 m which is equivalent to 1.085 m LSU

Goats = 1 991 m which is equivalent to 0.331 m LSU

Therefore, total Live Stock Unit (LSU) = 4.466 million which is equivalent to 131 352 LSU per veterinarian. The international norm is 100 000 LSU per veterinarian. (SOUTH AFRICAN VETERINARY STRATEGY (2016-2026, p26: FAO). There are therefore fewer veterinarians per livestock unit than desired.

3. Compulsory Community Service for Veterinarians is a National driven program, which is implemented in all provinces including the Eastern Cape. For 2021/2022 financial year, the Eastern Cape has been allocated 22 CCS veterinarians. These have been distributed to the six (06) districts of the Eastern Cape.

4. (a) Prevailing animal diseases during the past financial year are Rabies and African Swine Fever.

(b) Awareness and vaccinations were carried out in areas with Rabies outbreaks. Awareness and surveillance were carried out in areas with African Swine Fever outbreak.

Reply:

Yes.

a) 365.3609 hectares.

b) The Payne and Qelana communities.

c) Crops production and grazing.

Reply:

(a) The total number of social workers who graduated in 2020 is 284.

(b)

No of Social Workers absorbed	2020-2021
Gauteng	86
KwaZulu-Natal	150
Northern Cape	53
Mpumalanga	128
Limpopo	180
North West	13
Free State	92
Western Cape	118
Eastern Cape	128
TOTAL	948

2. (a) The monthly salary of a Social Worker is R29 408, 42 at an entry level (inclusive of service benefits).

(b) The monthly salary is R29 408, 42 which is the same across provinces (inclusive of service benefits).

3. The number of vacancies for social workers:

Province	Vacancies
Gauteng	356
KwaZulu-Natal	155
Northern Cape	158
Mpumalanga	72
Limpopo	5
North West	178
Free State	117
Western Cape	313
Eastern Cape	136

Reply:

(1)(a)(b)(c) There are 17 Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) units, in the Northern Cape. The details are reflected in the table below:

Reply:

Nr	Province	(a)Unspent Amount	(b) How has their underspending affected the budgets available to welfare programmes?
	Eastern Cape	R262 293 000	The amount of effect in the Welfare programmes is that, a big quantum of the beneficiaries could not get the food relief meant to be funded by the funding referred to. The employees in the ECD centres could not access the stimulus package meant by the conditional grant (Presidential stimulus package).
	Free State	R 50 870 000	The Programme for Children and Families is the worst affected in that R48.432 million was not spent. The under expenditure is mainly as a result of additional funding amounting to R38,880 million for Early Childhood Development (ECD) received late in the year (third quarter) during the adjustment budget process. The application and verification process for the stimulus package by National DSD was slow and it took longer than anticipated; as a result, the bulk of the funds were not spent. Furthermore, some ECD`s were partially paid and some not paid due to COVID-19 restrictions. A roll-over has been requested.
	Gauteng	R438 000 000	Programme 2: Social Welfare Services Food parcels at Anti-Retroviral Treatment (ART) clinics were not distributed as planned and the HIV Social and Behaviour change programme was not fully implemented by the end of the financial year. Programme 3: Children & Families Beneficiaries of Presidential ECD Employment Stimulus Relief Fund (ECD-ESRF) were not paid as the verification process took longer than anticipated. The underspending also affected the distribution of school uniform to identified learners because the production of school uniform was not finalized on time by the appointed cooperatives. In addition, the funding of ECD centres was affected by the changes of some of the municipalities by-laws. Programme 4: Restorative Services The underspending affected the implementation of substance abuse mobile services. Delays were caused by lockdown restriction and the Department contracted with NPOs from the third quarter after the easing of lockdown regulations. Programme 5: Development & Research The underspending in this programme was mainly recorded on dignity packs. Thus, the Department did not distribute the number of dignity packs planned by the end of the financial year. Roll-over of unspent funds The Department requested the roll-over of unspent funds from the 2020/21 to 2021/22 financial year on both equitable shares and conditional grant. A total of R 158 586 013 was requested to be rolled over to fund the commitments as per the signed Service Level Agreement and Purchase Order created.
	Kwazulu Natal	R97 627 000	If the rollover of R91,242 million is not approved, the Department will have no funds to pay for ECD practitioners, whose applications have been approved. The underspending did not affect the budgets available to welfare programmes to be offered in 2021/2022 but the budget cuts of R223 million will result in limited services made available to the needy communities.
	Limpopo	R 45 444 000	The ECD Employment Stimulus Relief Fund has its own allocation and has not affected budget for other Welfare programmes.
	Mpumalanga	R 44 836 000	The underspending affected Early Childhood Development (ECD) programme in that not all batches of claims received from Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs) eligible and approved to benefit from the funding were not processed for payment. Roll over application request amounting to R30.495 million of the unspent funds of Presidential Employment Initiative has been made to the Provincial Treasury.
	North West	R144 100 000	The budget available to welfare programme will be for sustenance of existing programs and projects. Expansion of services will be visible on COVID-19 relief initiatives e.g. Provision of food parcels to vulnerable households and care and services to the homeless. The rollover of R28million for stimulus package has been requested to fund ECD practitioners who applied before the end of the financial year in question
	Northern Cape	R 53 059 000	Programme 1: R3.786 million Programme 1 incurred a saving of R3.786 million. The Department will request a roll-over of R3.479 million for Buildings and Administration for the construction of office buildings in Daniëlskuil. Programme 2: R3.786 million The underspending did not have a negative effect on welfare programmes because the reason for the underspending was due to the following: Resignation and death of community caregivers. Two (2) NPOs rendering Social Behaviour Change programmes did not utilize all their allocated funds due to the Covid 19 pandemic, therefor the allocation of the second tranche was decreased.   Programme 3: R40 464 of which R39 300 million was for the Presidential Stimulus ECD Fund. The unspent budgets did not negatively affect welfare programmes due to the following: The Province was overfunded for the Presidential Stimulus Package. Any funds required in the 2021/22 financial year for the stimulus purpose will be requested as a roll over. Lesser ECD centres were funded due to expired registration certificates. Certain ECD centres did not submit applications for funding because they received funding from other sources ECD Centres did not open and therefore submitted Due to restrictions on movement during the Covid Pandemic, the process of returning children, who have been visiting friends and family, to CYCC’s, were delayed. This resulted in some of the centres not operating at full capacity for the entire financial year. Since claims submitted are based on occupancy of the centres, the underspending of reflects this exceptional situation. Programme 5: R5.331 million Saving incurred due to the closure of Soup Kitchens based on Covid-19.
	Western Cape	R5 067 000	The department was able to deliver on its services but was not able to expand their services to the extent which it planned to, due to fewer facilities than anticipated applying for funding, and because of non-compliant facilities.

Reply:

The South African Police Services (SAPS) in partnership with the National House of Traditional and KhoiSan Leaders (NHTKL) and other stakeholders coordinate the implementation of the Rural Safety Strategy. The strategy primarily focuses on rural safety, including safety in traditional community areas.

In addition, the KwaZulu-Natal Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs has advised that it has undertaken the following steps to address the recent killings of traditional leaders:

a) The Department entered into a Memorandum of Outstanding on 26 November 2020 with the Department of Safety and Liaison to foster safety and security in rural communities.

b) The Department of CoGTA met with the acting Provincial Commissioner, Mr. Zondi on 5 February 2021 to discuss progress on traditional leaders’ murder cases.

c) There are workshops planned for July 2021 that will be conducted for all local houses in partnerships with the Department of Safety and Liaison with the intent to create awareness on rural community safety strategies.

d) The Executive Council has also been apprised of the rampant killings of traditional leaders, which is a matter of concern.

e) An Imbizo has been planned and will soon be convened to communicate government interventions on Amakhosi and Izinduna killings.

Reply:

(1)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)

	(1)(a) 2017/2018	(1)(b) 2018/2019	(1)© 2019/2020	(1)(d) 2020/2021
& (ii)	Firearms	6669	7373	7752	8388
	Knives	4902	4772	4553	3675
	Other sharp objects	2571	2330	2415	2097

* It is not possible to differentiate between legal and/or /licensed firearms and illegal and/or unlicensed firearms, as the type of weapon used is one reflected as “Firearm‘ on the Crime Administration System (CAS)/investigation Case Docket Management System(ICDMS).

(2) The Minister of Police will decide if he will make a statement. in this regard

Reply to question 1637 recommended

GENERAL NATIONAL COMMISSIONER: SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE
KJ SITOLE (SOEG)
DATE: 2021-07-01

Reply to question 1637 approved

MINISTER OF POLICE
GENERAL BH CELE., MP
DATE: 22/07/2021

Reply:

(1)(a)(b)(c) There are 13 Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) units, in the North West Province. The details are reflected below:

Reply:

a) The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs has not signed any agreements on behalf of the South African Government over the past 10 financial years with the Republic of Cuba.

b) The question is not applicable due to the response provided in (a).

c) There are no amounts of money paid to any Cuban entities in the past 10 financial years by the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs or any entities reporting to the Minister of COGTA.

Reply:

1. (a) The NDA raised an amount of R399 485 000 since 2016/17 to date (Three hundred and ninety nine million four hundred and eighty five thousand rand) towards support to civil society organisations. The funds were raised through strategic partnerships such as DoSD (National and Provincial), SASSA, Unemployment Insurance Fund, CARA and National Lotteries Commission.

(b) The revenue generation will be anchored on partnerships with strategic private sector partners such as Business Unity South Africa (BUSA), the Solidarity Fund and the Jobs Fund in order to establish high yielding collaborative partnerships in the fight against poverty. Within government, the NDA will seek to establish partnerships within the three spheres of government with regards to co-ordination of community-based development efforts. The NDA will also employ cross referral strategies with other funding agencies such as the National Lotteries Commission, NYDA and SEDA whereby unsuccessful applicant CSOs can be referred to the NDA for further capacitation.

2. The NDA has created linkages and ensured access to markets for 978 co-operatives through SASSA which provide social relief to poor communities through the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) programme. This programme procures uniforms, including sanitary pads for children and they provide nutritious food for families identified to be in social distress.

3. The Mikondzo approach affirmed the critical role that NDA has to play in building the capacities of the NGOs working in the most deprived wards and municipalities. As a result, the NDA adopted a decentralized approach that would be achieved through establishing district offices to bring its services closer to the communities. Nine District offices were then established with 52 additional Development Officers hired to work in the Districts across the country. In the process over 25 550 CSOs were profiled and formed the database of the NDA.

Reply:

(1)(a)(b)(c) There are 26 Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) units, in the Western Cape. The details are reflected in the table below:

Reply:

No. The department has not concluded work exchange and/or employment agreements with any entity of the Republic of Cuba from the 2010-11 financial year up to the 2020-21 financial year.

Reply:

(a)(b) and (c)

Financial years		Total number of firearms, per owners category
	Individual owners	Official institutions	Non-official institutions
2020-2021	2727620	3467398	163980
2019-2020	2819004	3330083	163653
2018-2019	2791972	3286576	159917
2017-2018	2993425	3228,946	152385
2016-2017	2993425	2965282	147824
2015-2016	3 002 858	No record on the EFRS	141400

Source: Enhanced Firearm Register System(EFRS)

Reply to question 1666 recommended

GENERAL NATIONAL COMMISSIONER: SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE
KJ SITOLE (SOEG)
Date: 202107-31

Reply to question 1666 approved/not approved

MINISTER OF POLICE
GENERAL BH CELE, MP
Date: 04/08/2021

Reply:

1. The following Table shows the breakdown of implicated public service employees in each government department

Name of Department	Number of employees
Agriculture And Rural Development	1
Agriculture Land Reform and Rural Development	4
Cooperative Governance And Traditional Affairs	2
Correctional Services	2
Culture Sport And Recreation	1
Economic Development Environment Conservation &Tourism	13
Education	75
Health	71
Justice And Constitutional Development	3
Offices Of The Premier	7
Police	1
Public Works	7
Public Works and Infrastructure	1
Roads And Public Works	1
SANDF	1
Social Development	5
South African National Biodiversity Institute	1
Statistics South Africa	1
Transport	45

 

2. The target date for the conclusion of the outstanding investigations is March 2022.

3. SASSA wrote to the Heads of the affected Departments on 1 April 2021. The 19 departments that have been listed in the response to question 1 have been approached to assist with the recovery of the monies that were paid and the disciplinary process.

SASSA has also elicited the assistance of the Department of Public Service and Administration.

The matter of government employees who benefitted from Covid 19 relief funds is also being investigated by the Fusion Centre.

Reply:

(1)(a)(b)(c) There are 15 Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) units, in Mpumalanga. The details are reflected in the table below.

Reply:

a) SASSA currently links all children benefiting from social grants who are in matric to the Departments of Basic Education and Higher Education, so that they can be considered for NSFAS funding for further education. This is done in an effort to foster economic independence and break the inter-generational dependence on social grants.

With regard to citizens who receive disability grants, the ability to link them to opportunities is slightly more challenging. One of the qualifying criteria for a person to receive a disability grant is that the disability must be such that it prevents the person from being employed or able to support him/herself. The persons who receive permanent disability grants are effectively excluded from the open labour market. However, those who receive temporary disability grants, where the condition is likely to improve to the extent that it does not prevent the person from being employed, should be the target for opportunities.

In addition to SASSA interventions, DSD continues to support Persons with Disabilities in improving their socio-economic conditions with the following programmes:

• Protective Workshops

This programme seeks to improve and enhance the quality of life for persons with disabilities through socio-economic development programme, in order to ensure their full and equal inclusion into mainstream society and economy. The key elements of this programme are psycho-social developmental services, inclusion of persons with disabilities as important role-players in mainstream socio-economic growth and development and promoting income generating programmes through business partnerships between government departments, the business sector and protective workshops, functioning under the auspices of the NGOs.

• Residential Facilities

Residential facilities provide protection, support, stimulation, skills development and rehabilitation services for persons with disabilities who are unable to live independently, making provision for the ultimate re-integration back to the community, where possible. Most residential facilities have protective workshops empowering residents and persons with disabilities from surrounding communities through psycho-social programme, skills development and business skills. DSD will continue to support and subside these protective workshops, residential facilities and Independent Living facilities and Supported Living facilities through the country.

• Disability Mainstreaming

This programme is implemented through a two-pronged approach:

• The provincial departments implement disability mainstreaming services within the Welfare services to facilitate the mainstreaming of disability across all services.
• Through a technical cooperation project implemented since 2012 in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to develop approaches on the empowerment of persons with disabilities and disability mainstreaming (the DEM approach) towards the promotion of social participation of

Persons with Disabilities in South Africa.

• The above-mentioned DEM project engages key departments, including local government and other stakeholders to identify and address disabling barriers, negative attitude and exclusion, as well as ensuring that persons with disabilities play central role in creating an inclusive society as change agents in order to improve their quality of life in line with the vision of the National Development Plan (NDP).

• Capacity Building/Training Programme on Covid-19

Children with disabilities and their parents have faced difficulties in accessing significant information such as COVID-19 news, especially in rural areas. As a measure against COVID-19, DSD in collaboration with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) plans to conduct training for children with disabilities and their parents to deliver information effectively on COVID-19 in a train-the-trainer format.

b) The creation of opportunities for persons with disabilities is not a SASSA or Social Development sector responsibility alone, but requires a whole of government response.

Applicants for the R350 social relief grant who self-declared disabilities totalled 1 405 824. An initiative which has already been implemented is to try and link the applicants for the social relief grant who are aged between 18 and 35 with opportunities through cooperation with the Presidency. A project has been implemented in cooperation with both the public and private sector to list opportunities for employment and training for youth on the Youth.mobi website. SASSA sent approximately 6,5 million SMS notifications to the youth who had applied for the social relief grant (including those who self-reported disabilities) to advise them to register on the website.

The other initiative to provide opportunities for persons with disabilities is through direct employment. SASSA has a target to ensure that a minimum of 3% of the labour force comprises people with disabilities. We currently have achieved a total of 2.2%.

In addition to SASSA’s interventions, DSD has several plans including the following to enable persons with disabilities to achieve economic liberation:

• Protective Workshops and Residential Facilities

DSD has developed a Delivery Model for Protective Workshops that recognizes a need to identify beneficiaries’ barriers impeding their development and growth. An experiential learning will be conducted in nine provinces focussing on the following components of this Model:

• Psychosocial and Personal skills, including assessment, social services, self-care, life skills and assistive devices.
• Workplace Skills Development focusing on technical skills, job coaching, vocational, ABET, financial management, business skills, entrepreneurship and simulations.
• Supported Employment, including job placement, internships, job coaching, contract work, apprenticeship and learnership.

The key determinant factor for the successful implementation of the delivery model is collaboration with key and relevant stakeholders such as the Departments of Health, Trade and Industry, Small Business Development, Education, Labour, disabled people’s organizations and private sector partners.

DSD plans to identify residential facilities that have good practice protective workshops that have established partnerships with the private sector implementing economic empowerment programmes and contributing to the independent living of persons with disabilities in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons Disabilities.

• Disability Mainstreaming

DSD is planning to roll out the DSD/ JICA’s Guidelines on Empowerment of Persons with disabilities and Disability Mainstreaming (DEM) that were implemented Limpopo, KZN, Eastern Cape, Free State in Northern Cape and Mpumalanga provinces in 2021-2022 financial year, as follows:-

• Create a platform to roll out disability mainstreaming through supportive partnerships and cooperation among provincial governments, municipalities, relevant departments, NGOs, Disabled People Organizations (DPOs), national and international organizations.
• Empowering persons with disabilities through leadership training and strengthening the capacity of disabled people organizations and mainstreaming through creating barrier free environments to ensure the active participation of persons with disabilities in society.
• Establishing partnership with government departments that have shown interest in utilising the DEM guidelines to enhance the integration of disability considerations in government services.
• Consultation with SALGA and COGTA to develop a programme to train municipalities on the Guidelines are at an advance stage.

• Training in Covid-19

The planned DSD/ Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Covid-19 Training project for 9 provinces will focus on obtaining knowledge and skills on prevention, containment and management of COVID-19 and consists of the following two capacity development programmes:

• Training of Trainers for social workers in DSD and NGOs.
• Workshop for persons with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities.

Capacitated persons with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities will be able to share knowledge and skills obtained with their families, friends and communities, including participating in the rolling out of the training. They will subsequently be able to participate and benefit from mainstream economy, despite the adverse impact of this pandemic.

Reply:

(a) No. The Department renders services to orphand and vulnerable children irrespective of the cause of orphanhood.

(b) The department has developed a core package of services (CPS), which are central to the delivery of Community-Based Prevention and Early Intervention services (CBPEI). This core package of services is provided to all orphaned and vulnerable children a irrespective of the cause of the vulnerability to address different needs that they are presenting. The CPS was developed to operationalise community-based services by identifying and mobilizing the protective resources within children, families and communities to reduce risks and build resilient children.

(c) The department utilise the Prioritisation Framework of the CPS to identify the level of risk children find themselves in. This Framework provides guidance on the risk categorisation, expected actions and timeframes for service initiation based on escalating seriousness of the circumstances of the child. The Framework also ensures continuous support to children receiving CBPEI services form the time they are identified as being at risk and requiring services to the time they exit the system. Continuous assessment is done throughout the process of rendering services to establish their level of resilience.

Reply:

(1)(a) The total number of private firearm owners, in the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is 1 614 291.

(1)(b) The total number of firearms, in private ownership, is 2 718 300.

(2)(a) The number of firearms, which have been acquired for personal self-defence and/or protection, is reflected in the table below:

	Application reason		Type of firearm		Number of firearms
SECTION 13	COMBINATION	417
SECTION 13	LIGHT MACHINE GUN	1
SECTION 13	MAIN FIREARM COMPONENT	15
SECTION 13	PISTOL	825 617
SECTION 13	REVOLVER RIFLE	236 285
SECTION 13		24 582
SECTION 13	S/L: PISTOL CAL - RIFLE/CARB	1 241
SECTION 13	S/L: RIFLE CAL- RIFLE/CARBINE SHOTGUN	449
SECTION 13		28 649

Source. Enhanced Firearm Registration System (EFRS), as at 2021-06-10

(2)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv) The data, which is recorded on the EFRS, is not categorised, in terms of race or gender. The information, pertaining to black persons, white persons, brown per9one and Indians is, therefore, not available on the EFRS.

(3) The South African Police Service (SAPS) does not have a record of the number of illegal firearms, in the RSA. Illegal firearms are only recovered through policing activities.

(4) The Minister of Police will decide, whether to make a statement, in this regard.

Reply to question 1639 recommended/

GENERAL NATIONAL COMMISSIONER: SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE
KJ SITOLE (SOEG)
Date: 202107-31

Reply to question 1639 approved/not approved

MINISTER OF POLICE
GENERAL BH CELE, MP
Date: 04/08/2021

Reply:

Price controls on cooking oil is not part of the country’s legal framework. However, we are concerned at spikes in food prices, including what was witnessed recently. For this reason, the Competition Commission has been monitoring prices to determine whether these increases are a result of the existence of monopolies or dominant firms abusing market power or through cartels colluding to raise prices.

The Competition Commission has recently noted global reports relating to oil producing crop shortages internationally, including sunflower, palm, soya and canola. It has provided me with a briefing on its observations, which I reflect in this reply.

In the Competition Commission’s preliminary view, the increases currently seen in the prices for cooking oil in the local market could be influenced by the global developments. Domestic wholesale prices for vegetable oil and retail prices for cooking oil (sunflower and canola), as seen from StatsSA data, shows a recent increasing trend in these prices.

Various commodity outlook reports have cited reasons for the recent surge in global oil prices including slow production and supply shortages in the large oil crop production regions including Malaysia and Indonesia (driven by poor weather and pandemic-led worker shortages), as well as stronger-than-expected consumption patterns from the main consumer nations of oil seed products such as China and India, further adding to global supply strains. In terms of soy oil, prices have risen off the back of global soybean shortages and shipment delays mainly due to the drought being experienced in the primary soybean crop areas like Argentina and Brazil. Furthermore, reports note that some countries have also lowered import tariffs or raised export tariffs on domestically produced vegetable oils in order to lessen the higher costs for vegetable oils.

Within the context of oil crop prices rising in global markets for the reasons outlined above, these price increases are feeding into domestic markets which appears to be flowing through into higher retail prices for cooking oil as South Africa imports a substantial portion of its oil seed requirements. In this regard, the Competition Commission will continue to monitor developments and may institute enforcement action should the information point to abuse of market power in the pricing.

In addition to the above, I have also asked the Consumer Commission to consider the rising prices and provide me with a report on its causes and any remedial action that may be required.

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Reply:

(1)(a)(b)(c) There is a total of 25 Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) units in KwaZulu-Natal. The details are reflected in the table below: