Questions and Replies

Reply:

(1) (a) (i) – The details of the Aircraft that must replace the crashed aircraft are as per the tender specifications advertised on public platforms including the SACAA website on 20 November 2020. These specifications are public knowledge and can be accessed on www.caa.co.za

(a) (ii) – The amount budgeted for the replacement of the Aircraft as well as the Calibration equipment is R164 million.

(a) (iii) – The details of the specifications for the replacement aircraft are as per the tender – copy of tender specifications are attached herewith.

(b) Due to the outbreak of COVID-19 and the impact that this has had on SACAA’s financial position, the SACAA management supported by the Board took a decision to place the acquisition of the aircraft on hold for another year until the financial position of the SACAA improves.

(2) The current service provider performing the calibration work is Tamifield (Pty) Ltd. The successful service provider was disclosed as required and published on the SACAA website.

Reply:

(a). The amount spent on consultants by each Entity reporting to my department are responded to on the attached spreadsheet for your further attention.

(b). The Department is encouraging public entities to utilise in-house available expertise for the services required. Where consultants are utilised, the Department encourages entities to use a cost effective means to source services in line with the National Treasury cost curtailment measures.

Reply:

a) Currently, the Department does not have backlog as we have cleared all outstanding adoption cases.

(i) Not applicable

(ii) Not applicable

Reply:

Leaders including politicians who are eligible to be vaccinated based on the prevailing eligibility criteria have been encouraged to vaccinate in order to publicise the vaccine roll-out, and to build confidence in the programme amongst vaccine-hesitant citizens.

President Cyril Ramaphosa and Minister of Health, were vaccinated in public on 17th February 2021 at the Khayelitsha District Hospital in the Western Cape at the start of the Sisonke Early Access programme.

However, vaccination status of individuals remains confidential, and the National Department of Health is therefore not in a position to divulge the vaccination status of the other persons identified in the above question.

END.

Reply:

The National Department of Health is still awaiting information from the University of Pretoria, to enable the Minister to respond to this question. The response will be provided to Parliament as soon as information has been received from the University of Pretoria.

END.

Reply:

I would like to inform the Honourable Member that neither the Department nor any of its entities has a lease agreement with the Department of Defence.

Reply:

The process of legislative mandate review of RTMC and RTIA, has started and National Treasury has been engaged on the issue of the DLCA and we are awaiting their response on the migration of their functions to the RTMC.

This is work in Progress, particularly the Legislative mandates pertaining to RTMC and RTIA , and this will need Parliamentary process to give ratification on the proposed amalgamation.

 

Reply:

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

“(1)(a)(b) The panel for service providers relating to the promotion of public knowledge and awareness by, amongst others developing and implementing educational and informational measures to educate the public of the Lotteries about the lotteries and provisions pursuant to section 2(5)(a)(i) of the Lotteries Act - Operations: Brand Positioning, Grant Funding and Regulated matters. Catering for the organisation was procured in line with relevant PFMA, Treasury Regulations and National Treasury guidelines as follows:

OPERATIONAL COSTS PURSUANT TO SECTION 2(5) OF THE LOTTERIES ACT, NO 57 OF 1997
2016/17 Financial Year	2017/18 Financial Year	2018/19 Financial Year	2019/20 Financial Year
Name of Service Provider Contract Start Date Tsalena Media 15-Jul-14	No panel appointed.	Name of Service Provider Contract Start Date Anzomode 1-Oct-18 Tau Ya Phoka (Pty) Ltd 1-Oct-18 Roadshow Marketing 1-Oct-18 Cheniwell 1-Oct-18 Khanya PR and Media (Pty) Ltd 1-Oct-18 Chilo Group 1-Oct-18 Be- Sure Events Solutions (Pty) Ltd 1-Oct-18 Black Moon Advertising and Research (Pty) Ltd 1-Oct-18	Name of Service Provider Contract Start Date Anzomode 1-Oct-18 Tau Ya Phoka (Pty) Ltd 1-Oct-18 Roadshow Marketing 1-Oct-18 Cheniwell 1-Oct-18 Khanya PR and Media (Pty) Ltd 1-Oct-18 Chilo Group 1-Oct-18 Be- Sure Events Solutions (Pty) Ltd 1-Oct-18 Black Moon Advertising and Research (Pty) Ltd 1-Oct-18

(2) (a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv) and (b)

OPERATIONAL COSTS PURSUANT TO SECTION 2(5) OF THE LOTTERIES ACT, NO 57 OF 1997

It is noteworthy to mention that the following suppliers provided education and awareness as it relates to Education and Awareness publication costs as per PQ466, and it is our understanding that the current PQ seeks to gather information relating to Education and Awareness workshop and conferencing costs.

• Anzomode
• Tau ya Phoka (Pty) Ltd
• Roadshow Marketing
• Chilo Group (Pty) Ltd
• Cheniwell
• Be-Sure Events Solutions (Pty) Ltd
• Blackmoon Advertising and Research (Pty) Ltd.”

-END-

Reply:

The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) did not appoint Sekela Xabiso to conduct an investigation. The company was appointed by the NLC and attached herewith is the response from the NLC regarding the matter. Below is the reply to the question, submitted by Ms Thabang Mampane, Commissioner of the National Lotteries Commission.

1. “The Board of the NLC initiated the investigation by offering members of the public an unrestricted platform to report any acts of wrongdoing, corruption or fraud through the appointed independent audit firm and to provide all evidence, notwithstanding those matters previously independently investigated and concluded. The investigation was expected to be concluded by end of May 2020; however, the due date fell within the period of the Level 5 hard lockdown. Thus due to COVID-19 restrictions, the inability to travel to conduct site visits and/or verification of infrastructure projects, the voluminous matters to be investigated and many other factors that led to a delay in the work of the audit firm gaining momentum the initial conclusion date was not met as anticipated.

2. The investigation process is underway and final outcomes of the investigation pending. The Board will make available the final outcomes of the investigation upon conclusion and adoption by the Board, as previously undertaken to the Portfolio Committee.

3. The total cost of the investigation to date is R9,657,867.10.

4. In responding to the question, extract of NLC’s response provided on PQ 695 bears reference.

Extract of PQ 695

The National Lotteries Commission is required to fulfil its mandate and ensure that the Commission performs its functions efficiently and effectively in compliance with the Lotteries Act and any other applicable law. The budget spend over the past three financial years to ensure that the NLC provides guidance and support to the Board whilst applying the principles of openness and transparency to advise the Minister on the efficacy of legislation pertaining to lotteries and ancillary matters, exercise its power to institute legal proceedings in order to properly discharge its functions and responsibilities and approach any court for any order the board deems appropriate for effective regulation and enforcement of the Lotteries Act is detailed below. The rapid increase of the Legal and Investigations budget over the past three years is attributed to independent investigations as a result of increased media exposure and enforcement of the Third National Lotteries Licence, pursuant to ensuring that the National Lottery and Sport Pools are conducted with all due propriety and strictly in accordance with the Constitution, the Act, all other applicable law.

The total budget allocated for Legal & Investigations Division was R36 500 000.00, being 2% of its National Lotteries Commission’s total expenditure including Grant Allocations.”

-END-

Reply:

(a) The Department is working on a single source funding model for Productivity SA in line with the provisions of section 12 of the Employment Services, where funding will flow from the appropriation as well as the UIF in terms of section 5 (d) of the UI Amendment Act.

(b) The Department has made provision for (i) the Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme (TERS) which is the outcome of the Presidential Jobs Summit Framework Agreement to assist companies facing economic distress (financial and operational difficulties) and contemplating retrenching workers. A Joint Adjudication Committee is established, and the CCMA, UIF and Productivity SA collaborate to assist the companies as provided for in the LRA and section 7 of the Employment Services Act.

Further interventions are through Productivity SA whereby the entity implement turn-around strategies and plans to restructure and improve the productivity and operational efficiency of companies facing distress to be sustainable, competitive and create conditions conducive for job retention and creation. Funds have been made available in this regard and for the 2020/21 financial year over R104m was allocated to Productivity SA.

Reply:

1. (a) The total number of children born in the Republic in the period 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2020 was 9, 609, 814.

(b) The total number of children born in the Republic in each year in the period 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2020 was as follows:

2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
947,912	962,705	957,798	961,036	926,723	891,482	924,898	970,698	1,010,853	1,055,709

Source: DHIS

2. (a) The total number of children born in each province in the period 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2020 was as follows:

Province	Year 2011 to 2020
Eastern Cape Province	1,124,581
Free State Province	471,875
Gauteng Province	2,178,280
KwaZulu-Natal Province	1,964,786
Limpopo Province	1,283,147
Mpumalanga Province	795,754
Northern Cape Province	220,051
North West Province	592,056
Western Cape Province	979,284
Total	9,609,814

Source: DHIS

b) The total number of children born in each province in the period 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2020 was as follows:

Province	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
EC	119,7	121,606	118,302	120,048	113,52	103,988	101,902	106,139	108,034	111,342
FS	48,55	49,439	47,377	46,432	44,992	41,625	45,769	48,394	49,598	49,699
GP	207,963	211,389	212,873	211,247	209,181	206,18	218,149	224,414	231,927	244,957
KZN	195,541	196,27	194,074	193,032	182,634	177,795	184,828	202,388	218,535	219,689
LIMP	129,695	129,807	129,952	130,059	122,813	119,09	121,728	125,612	131,004	143,387
MPU	75,891	78,53	78,146	79,472	75,654	72,928	77,239	81,482	83,698	92,714
NC	21,473	22,643	22,24	22,973	22,318	20,549	20,918	22,079	22,313	22,545
NW	59,004	59,695	58,999	58,304	57,55	56,309	57,362	59,8	61,591	63,442
WC	90,095	93,326	95,835	99,469	98,061	93,018	97,003	100,39	104,153	107,934
Total	947,912	962,705	957,798	961,036	926,723	891,482	924,898	970,698	1010,853	1055,709

Source: DHIS

END.

Reply:

Note: This response should be read in conjunction with the response to Question no: 1398.

Breach of contract is when either of the parties did not comply with any or all the terms of conditions. Thus a notice of breach of contract is issued when the supplier defaulted on the terms and conditions. Breach of contract is a pre -requirement for the contractor to be declared as a defaulter (Non-compliance of contract) (PFMA Regulation 16A.9.2 and Treasury Guidelines – (Government Procurement – General conditions of Contract – Annexure A)

a) How are (i) service providers and (ii) suppliers who default in the services that they render to the department dealt with.

If steps as per reply to Question No: 1398 are not successful, the following action are taken:

• Termination of contracts with penalties i.e. partial payment for services delivered
• Notice of Breach of Contract
• Black listing of defaulters on the departments database as well as the data base of National Treasury
• Case referred to SAPS for investigation and possible prosecution
• Contract with provider can be suspended

b) What number of service providers and suppliers have defaulted in each month in the past three financial years and since 1 April 2021

The Honourable member is referred to the letter and report submitted to the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Tourism on 3 February 2021 by the Minister and subsequently distributed to members of the committee.

c) What are the reasons for the default in rendering the services

• Non adherence to the terms and conditions of the contract by the service provider with regards to project reporting, fraudulent transactions, non compliance etc.
• Non performance
• Non reporting and refusing to comply with terms of the contract
• Collusion in obtaining the tender

d) What steps are taken to reduce the default incidences

As per reply to Question No 1398

e) What financial losses have been incurred in each month in the past three financial years and since 1 April 2021

Financial Year	Financial losses incurred
Since 1 April 2021	Information will only be audited in 2022/23 financial year.
2020-2021	Information in process to be audited.
2019-2020	Information can be obtained from that tabled Annual Performance Report of 2019/20 as tabled on 22 October 2020 ( ATC no 151 – 2020)
2018-2019	Information can be obtained from the tabled Annual Performance Report of 2018/19 as tabled on 1 October 2019 (ATC no 72 -2019)

Reply:

According to data from Statsa (Q4 2020), the table below indicates the number of people that remain unemployed, ranging from less than 3 months to more than five years.

Unemployed youth (15-24 years) by duration of unemployment
	Less than Matric	Matric	Other Tertiary	Graduates	Total
Less than 3 months	47,558	30,998	11,213	5,406	95,175
3 months to less than 6 months	27,752	21,612	2,983	211	52,559
6 months to less than 9 months	30,041	29,459	5,290	998	65,787
9 months to less than 1 year	34,422	79,550	18,946	2,643	135,560
1 year to less than 3 years	200,574	278,745	35,182	0	514,501
3 years to 5 years	128,614	116,697	6,094	1,347	252,753
More than 5 years	106,805	79,162	10,718	1,666	198,351
Don't know	0	0	1,969	0	39,929
Total	581,440	647,680	93,157	12,632	1,334,909

Source: Statistics South Africa, Quarterly Labour Force Survey, Quarter 4 2020

Reply:

(1)(a). The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee indicated that subsequent to the postponement of the Games, funds were only spent on PR and Media in relation to the Marketing of the Games e.g. 100 days to Olympic Games. The amount spent is R349, 351, 17.

Funding amounting to $60.000 has also been provided to participating National Federations that have a potential to qualify for the Games and these funds were an allocation from ANOCA in relation to athlete’s preparation. It must be noted that the procured sponsorship such as Mr Price Sport has taken care of some costs within the projected budget such as Team SA Clothing and others as SASCOC continue to procure more sponsorships. Noting measures put in place by the IOC/ IPC, Tokyo 2020 and the Japan Government towards ensuring safe Games, SASCOC has an obligation to appoint a Covid-19 Liaison Officer in the lead up to the games as per the guidelines from the Playbook. Costs have been spent in this regard.

(b). SASCOC further indicated that there has been no impact on the operational budget of the organization. However, from a games delivery perspective, particularly for Tokyo, the budget is different as follows:-

1. Additional provisions need to be made to comply with all Covid-19 protocols prescribed by the IOC/IPC. These include staggered arrival of athletes to the Village, extended camps due to quarantine requirements and the appointment of a Covid-19 Liaison Officer in the lead up to the games
2. Cost of flights may increase due to the shortest possible lay over being a priority rather than cost effectiveness.
3. Flights may be more costly than previously with some airlines not yet flying and therefore there is very little pricing competition.
4. There will be limited interaction and stay by the athletes as they will arrive just before their event and leave immediately after. The cost of maintaining the athletes at the games will therefore be reduced.
5. There has been savings on competition tickets and NOC guest’s costs due to no foreign spectators being allowed entry into Tokyo

(2). SASCOC indicated that the organization follows the directive from the IOC and IPC. The IOC and IPC are not considering a cancelation nor have they addressed contingencies for a cancellation. The Games are going ahead, albeit managed and staged differently in light of Covid-19.

(a)(b). should the games be cancelled there would be no loses as no payments have as yet been made towards the team delivery to the games. It will be a huge loss for all the sponsors and mainly the clothing ones as they commenced with design and producing clothing for Team South Africa

Reply:

(1) None of the Navigational Aids has been decommissioned as a result of the SACAA aircraft crash of 23 January 2020. Only Bhisho and Mafikeng were decommissioned by the owners of the facilities approximately 10 years back.

(2) N/A (a) N/A (b) N/A.

(3) Set out below is the bonuses paid to senior managers in the past five years.

Notes

• The 2018/19 numbers include the Performance and Retention bonuses. Retention bonuses are paid after 3 years of uninterrupted service in line with the retention policy for Executives who are on fixed term contracts.

• Performance bonuses for 2020/2021 were not paid due to the outbreak of COVID-19 and its financial impact on the SACAA.

Reply:

The issues relating to the commonage land and farming activities are managed and administered by the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development. The Honourable member is advised to direct this question to the said department.

Reply:

a) The auditors of The Sports Trust since its inception until end financial year 2018 was KPMG. From 2019 to date SizweNtsalubaGobodo-Grant Thornton Inc. has been the auditors as appointed.

b) {i} Covid-19 funds received R10,281,000.00

{ii} The spend has been as per the directive of DSAC to pay the beneficiaries as selected by DSAC through the Department’s governance processes.

c) Delays with the audit completion of the 2019-20 Annual Report was partially due to Covid-19 and the sudden death of the late Financial Consultant, Mr. Lawrence Van Heerden in September, which impacted on their auditioning cycle. The Sports Trust was required to secure a replacement to manage and lead the audit process together with the Executive Director and the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee. The audit was completed in March 2021 and presented to the Board for approval.  Thereafter the finalization process of the Annual Report was completed and then circulated to the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee for review, and then final review by the Board. The Annual Report is earmarked for Website upload by 31st May 2021.

Reply:

(1) The plan to establish a command centre for Table Mountain National Park originated in 2019.. The command centre was officially established on 1 October 2020 and it is located at Newlands fire base in Cape Town. Although the Command Centre is still in the process of establishment, specifically with regards to the specialized technical infrastructure and specialized training of staff, it is already partially operational and in use by SANParks and other key security cluster stakeholders. Once completed the capacitated Command Centre will be resourced with capabilities to take action based on the intelligence it collects.
The implementation plan for the Command Centre will be divided into Phases. Phase 1 has been implemented effective from 1 April 2021 and Phase 2 implemented from 1 June 2021.
Despite the fact that the Command Centre was not fully functional during the December 2020 festive season, a successful special operation, which included aerial observation support, was conducted. A similar operation was conducted during the April 2021 festive season, with similar positive effects.
(b) The Command Centre will be complimented with a special taskforce/response team which is anticipated to be operational by November 2021. The Command Centre control room is already 60 percent functional and manned by SANParks officials.
(2) Operational plans from the security cluster are not normally placed in the public domain.
(3) SANParks wishes to clarify that a Command Centre is established, not a Joint Operations Centre.
(a)(i) Approximately R500 000 has been set aside for Operational Expenditure while an amount of R1.5 million has been budgeted for Capital Expenditure under Phase 1. To date an amount of R24,899.15 has been spent on operations and R76,569.85 has been spent on capital related expenditure.
(ii) The Command Centre aims to integrate the Ranger staff with the special taskforce/response team as well as external role players in the security cluster, namely SAPS, Metro Police, City Law Enforcement and others. This integrated approach will streamline and facilitate a more focussed response to area integrity.
b) The Command centre will be complemented by external resources such as SAPS, Metro Police, Environmental monitors and other relevant City Law Enforcement officials. It will ensure those whose primary responsibility is law enforcement also focus on safety of user in the Table Mountain National Park.
(4) The Table Mountain National Park has a total of 112 Rangers, 14 Environmental Monitors and 59 Tourism Monitors. The command centre is manned by a dedicated team who come from a Conservation and Tourism background and thus have the knowledge and experience to ensure effective and efficient deployment.
Twenty of these staff members will be trained to operate as a tactical response team, to respond to any sea, mountain and other incidents reported through the Command Centre.
(5) At this stage, SANParks is testing appropriate technologies. The organisation will select those technologies which are most feasible and deliver the intended outcomes. SANParks will also pursue partnerships, where appropriate, to further enhance safety and security and share technology, such as the existing partnership with the Table Mountain Arial Cable Company.
Helicopters will also be deployed from time to time on joint planned operations, especially during festive seasons as was done during the December 2020 festive season.

A Canine Unit for the Table Mountain National Park will be in place by August 2021.

Regards

MS B D CREECY, MP

MINISTER OF FORESTRY, FISHERIES AND THE ENVIRONMENT

DATE: 4/6/2021

Reply:

a) (i) The total number of non-governmental organisations (NGO) that are registered in the disability sector is 3 765; as below:

Province	Count of NPOs by Province
Eastern Cape	337
Free State	226
Gauteng	975
Kwa-Zulu Natal	605
Limpopo	526
Mpumalanga	375
North West	230
Northern Cape	107
Western Cape	384
Grand Total	765

1.  

(ii) the number of NGOs funded by the department in each province as follows:

Province	Number of NPOs funded by the Province
Eastern Cape	86
Free State	97
Gauteng	111
Kwa-Zulu Natal	180
Limpopo	87
Mpumalanga	141
North West	47
Northern Cape	27
Western Cape	154
Grand Total	930

(b) the total amount of funding allocated for each specified NGO, detailed as per attached Annexures:

Annexure A - Eastern Cape

Annexure B - Free State

Annexure C - Gauteng

Annexure D - Kwa Zulu Natal

Annexure E - Limpopo

Annexure F - Mpumalanga

Annexure G - Northern Cape

Annexure H - North West

Annexure I - Western Cape

 

Reply:

First and foremost, on the matter of handling of alleged rape cases, it must be borne in mind that the process of investigating the alleged rape must follow a specific and prescribed chain of evidence to ensure that medico-legally there is no compromise to the quality of evidence collected, thus protecting the victim when the evidence is before a court of law. Bearing this in mind, the response to this question is as follows:

(a) The total number of Thuthuzela care centres (TCCs) in the country is 55.

Eastern Cape: 9

Free State: 4

Gauteng: 7

KwaZulu Natal: 8

Limpopo: 7

Mpumalanga: 5

Northern Cape: 4

North West: 5

Western Cape: 6

a) Hospitals are not obligated to have rape kits as the Department of Health is not involved in the procurement and delivery of rape kits as procurement and delivery is the responsibility of the South African Police Service (SAPS). The SAPS brings these kits along to the Thuthuzela Care Centres (TCCs) as and when there is a sexual assault reported. Therefore the issue of keeping rape kits at health facilities only emanates where there is a discussion between the health facility and the SAPS station responsible.

b) Not applicable based on the response in 1(b). 

2. There is no prescribed number of rape kits required in each hospital. The provision of rape kits is a competency of the SAPS. However as Department of Health we take Gender based violence very seriously and it is our duty to ensure that these rape kits are available at all times to execute evidence collection at our health facilities.

We are therefore working closely together with SAPS to ensure that rape kits are always available. These kits are then delivered to the health facilities by the SAPS, for collection of evidence by health professionals, during physical examination of the survivors of sexual violence. The evidence collected by health professional using these rape kits, is then taken by SAPS to the Police Forensic Laboratory for DNA analysis.

(3) Yes, hospital staff in emergency wards is trained in processing a rape victim.

The Department of health provides service at all hospitals to manage and process survivors of rape. This is done through:

• qualified clinical forensic nurses and doctors
• Ten (10) to more days training using the manual developed by the South African Medical Research Council, the content of which is highlighted below. if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details; 

Health professionals provide the following services to survivors of rape:

• physical examination,
• Collection of forensic evidence using J88 form. Medico-legal evidence comprises both documentation on the examination done and DNA evidence collected during the examination.
• in children, laboratory evidence of particular sexually transmitted infections can also be used as evidence.
• reporting child abuse, neglect and exploitation to Department of Social Development and SAPS where necessary.
• registration of women and children seen for sexual assaults at health facilities
• providing HIV testing and counselling, which includes providing post exposure prophylaxis
• provision of Prophylaxis (PEP) medication to survivors of rape; which should be available 24 hours a day and patients should be prioritised irrespective of the nature of physical injuries among others.
• provision of ccomfort packs for rape victims;
• referral of women and children to Department of Social Development in the instance their safety is at risk to ensure that they are provided a safe environment such as shelters.
• referral to Psychiatrists and Psychologist to manage emotional and psychological trauma.

(4) No, hospitals are not precluded from processing a rape survivor if that person has not given a statement at a police station first. Survivors of rape have a choice of which authority they wish to access first. We however have noted that majority of rape survivors access the health facility first before they report the matter to a police station and are not dismissed at all.

END.

Reply:

No. There were no reasons furnished to the minister that travel restrictions are not necessary to be imposed on persons who have travelled to India, in order to prevent the spread of the specific coronavirus variant, such as the B.1.617. This is because there are no direct flights from India to South Africa.

The Department of Health has made general recommendations on the additional travel control measures that should be applied to travellers from all “Countries of Concern” and not necessarily from India only, which is part of these countries. The proposed intervention is for travellers who have travelled from or transited through any “Country of Concern” within 14 days of arriving in South Africa to be subjected to antigen testing at the point of entry on arrival.

END.

Reply:

The targets for the vaccine roll-out as follows:

Phase	Time period	Number of vaccinations
1	February – May 2021	1.2 million
2	May – October 2021	16.6 million
3	November 2021 – February 2022	22.6 million

The targets remain as previously announced. The targets are linked to the vaccine supply pipeline, and may need to be revised if vaccine manufacturers do not supply vaccines according to the agreed timelines.

END.

Reply:

On Sarah Baartman Centre of Remembrance

1(a). The initial budget for the project was R164 386 247.29 and thus far R 221 338 422.72 has been spent since April 2014.

(2)(a).Yes it was necessary for the Department to increase the initial budget based on offers received which were higher than initial budget estimates, and (a) the total amount of R182 418 492.80 was approved as the initial contract amount, and this amount also increased over time increased due to delays, hence expenditure to date is at R 221 338 422.72

(b) Reasons for escalation of the project amount include approval of Variation Orders for treatment of Asphalt, borehole and pump in response to drought conditions in the area of Hankey, where project is implemented. Additionally, other increases include Professional Fees due to Extensions of Time, Contract Price Adjustment Provision (CPAP) and Preliminaries and General (P&G) costs, and approvals of these items were between April 2019 and December 2020 to the total amount of R 35 958 918.

3. Regarding Fruitless and Wasteful expenditure

(a) The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture did not pay any invoices to the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure until it was assured that the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure did not incur any fruitless and wasteful expenditure. The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture expressly requested the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure to provide the Department with a signed letter from the Acting Director-General indicating that it did not pay the current contractor for work already undertaken by the first contractor. This particular matter was raised because the current contractor was doing remedial work on the construction work undertaken by the first contractor. The letter from the Acting Director-General of the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure indicating that it did not pay the second contractor for work originally done by the first contractor was received in December 2020.

(b) There has been a payment made by DPWI to the first contractor, whom part of his work was discovered as defective and needed to remedy by the current contractor and this claim is part of the dispute that is under mediation process. DSAC has sought assurance, through a letter, from DPWI that no claims will be paid through its budget allocation for the remedial work done by the second contractor, as payments for the defective work done by first contractor and his retention were already made by DPWI, and DSAC cannot pay double for the same service. No substandard work has been paid under the second contractor, but since project is behind schedule, there may be a possibility of penalties, which may be settled, in the final account.

(4)(a) No amount reported to have been lost due to fraud and loss in the SBCR project.

   

On National Archives (HVAC Project)

(1)(a). The initial budget allocated for this infrastructure project R 92 853 000 and (b). the total amount spent to date is R 106 564 132.

(2)(a). It was necessary to increase the initial budget allocation with additional R 91 518 673 to the total of R184 371 673 which became the actual initial contract amount. (b) The increase of the amount was a result of an increase of scope. The initial scope for phase1 of the project was only the fire suppression system and HVAC, but during advertisement of a tender, DPWI consolidated phase both 1 and phase 2 of the project. The scope of the added phase 2 included Mobile shelving in the 49 strong rooms; Mobile Archival Facilities and undercover control system.

(3)(a). No fruitless and wasteful expenditure has been declared so far, including due to overcharges and/or (b) substandard work.

(4)(a). There is no amount reported lost due to fraud and loss (i) in the department, (ii) but only with PACOFS as one of the department’s entity

(b) The following steps were taken

• In 2015, the Department placed a moratorium on the implementation of the infrastructure projects after discovering the maladministration of the Infrastructure budget.
• In 2016, the Department then requested National Treasury to conduct forensic investigation into the entity’s infrastructure programme, and National Treasury appointed Nkonki Inc. to conduct phase 1 forensic investigation.
• The cost of the investigation was carried by the Office of National Treasury, under the budget of the Specialised Audit Services.
• The recommendations of the forensic outcome were implemented by PACOFS council.
• The CEO and the CFO were dismissed, and there was a settlement with the service providers which were implicated.
• The settlement agreement was drafted by the State Attorney and was made an Order of the court in March 2018.
• In 2019, the National Treasury instituted phase 2 forensic investigation, which is still underway.

Reply:

(1) The capital expenditure for the Table Mountain National Park’s (TMNP) Hoerikwaggo trail was approximately R15 million.
(2) No consequence management needed to be implemented because the trail is still functional and no staff member acted negligently. As a result, SANParks did not incur any fruitless or wasteful expenditure. Currently, there are two tented camps which are not operational: the Silvermine Tented Camp was destroyed in the devastating 2015 fires and the Orangekloof tented camp was closed due to persistent crime incidents and security challenges in the area. SANParks will establish a feasible commercial opportunity at the Silvermine camp. The Orangekloof tented camp is harder to secure as it is situated in close proximity to human settlements and is easily accessible through various non-controlled access points as Table Mountain is an open access national park.
(3) The trail is still functional, and the organisation derives value from the use of the trail for Tourism purposes. Guests still book into the Wash houses, Overseers Cottage, Slangkop and Smitwinkel tented camps for overnight stays and to hike sections of the trail. Therefore, the amount spent on the trail does not qualify to be declared fruitless and wasteful expenditure in terms of the Public Finance Management Act, 1999 (No. 1 of 1999).
(4) The skills development of employees is an ongoing exercise and staff have been trained on various courses or skills as part of the program outputs.
(5) Employees who had been employed at the tented camps that were closed down were redeployed in other areas of the Park and are all still employed at TMNP. Therefore, there were no job losses as a result of the closure of the two camps.

Regards
MS B D CREECY, MP
MINISTER OF FORESTRY, FISHERIES AND THE ENVIRONMENT
DATE:4/6/2021

Reply:

The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee indicated that;

a) (i) Apart from the President, who leads and represents the our National Olympic and Paralympic Committee (SASCOC), no other board member will be taken to the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.

(ii) No guests will be taken to the Tokyo Olympic.

(b) Mr Barry Hendricks as President of SASCOC

(c) (i) (ii) (iii) SASCOC did not specify costs for sending the President to the Olympics and Paralympics

Reply:

(a). The incomplete projects implemented through DPWI include both the Sarah Bartmann Centre of Remembrance (SBCR) and the installation of Heating Ventilation and Air- Conditioning (HVAC) at the National Archive Building.

On SBCR (Sarah Bartman Centre of Remembrance)

(i) Site was handed over to the contractor to commenced on 14 April 2014.

(ii) Project was supposed to be completed on 14 October 2016.

(a). The first contractor experienced cash flow problems early in the project. The quality of work was, on many occasions, not up to standard and therefore works had to be redone which caused delays in the construction programme.

Three strikes occurred in July, September and October 2014.These strikes related to Hankey workers requesting to be subcontracted to the project.

Unfortunately, many of the SMME’s and workers who wanted to be subcontracted did not have paperwork in place, did not want to submit quotations for the work; as well as a misunderstanding between the salaries paid to workers on building vs civil works.

In early 2015, the contractor applied for a revision of the practical date of completion. Strikes were experienced in 2017 due to the fact that the workers had not been paid their August and a portion of their September 2017 salaries. After assigning of the contract to the second contractor, work progressed. However, delays in the approval of Extension of Time applications and other Variations by DPWI contributed to further delays under a new contractor. A dispute also arose between DPWI and assigned contractor over defective work, which the latter remedied, because that defective work was only discovered after a site was handed over.

Additionally, the dispute also includes overpayment to the first contractor, and these are now being recovered or subtracted from the current contractor claims. The due date for completion has moved every year since 2014.

On HVAC project

(i) Site was handed over to the contractor to commence on the 16 January 2013.

(ii) Project was supposed to have been completed on the 17 July 2014.

a) The delays experienced were as a result of:

• Cash flow problems experienced by the contractor and this delayed progress on the project, and in 2019, main contractor decided to assign the contract to a sub-contractor subject to approval by DPWI. Unfortunately, this approval from DPWI is still outstanding since 2019, and this delay have implication on the validity of the contract, and related transaction that have to be processed. This includes payment of outstanding invoices, as such transactions must have contractual basis.
• The last Extension of Time approved was in Mach 2018, and this is also another matter that has a negative bearing to payment of some invoices, and affects cash flow and seamless implementation of the project
• The sub-contractor appointed to provide shelving was liquidated, and this led to significant delays in delivery and installation shelving facilities required for archiving. The new main contractor could not find a suitable replacement sub-contractor in the country and resorted to importation of the shelves from China.
• No budget for handling/removal of material that require specialized services.

These materials are not removed in some storerooms because approved budget was spent in full and approval of additional budget is subject to finalization of the assignment.

Reply:

Yes, the Department has taken formal steps to secure international cooperation on access to patents and technology for the Republic on the production of Covid-19 vaccines. In October 2020 South Africa and India tabled a proposal at the WTO calling for a temporary waiver of intellectual property rights of certain provisions of the TRIPS Agreement. Work has been done with both DIRCO and with the Department of Science and Innovation. President Ramaphosa has engaged with Heads of State to take forward the proposal for the Waiver.

Equitable vaccine rollout across the world is urgent, necessary and in the interest of people across the world. Reportedly about 75% of the vaccines administered were done in just 10 countries and many countries have not yet received a single dose.

On Wednesday, 14 April 2021, on behalf of the SA Government, I addressed the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on the importance of vaccine equity in the face of the most severe health and economic crisis of our generation. The discussion, which included the trade ministers of India, the European Union and United States, as well the heads of the WTO (Dr Okonjo-Iweala) and World Health Organisation (Dr Adhanom) provided a platform for South Africa to lay out its argument for temporary waiver of key areas of the WTO agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).

We pointed out that the world faces a dramatic supply-constraint. At current levels of vaccine production, it may take the world a number of years to bring the virus under control. The gap in availability of supplies will give time for the virus to spread, and to mutate into more deadly or contagious strains. Vaccine nationalism, the race to purchase vaccines by those who can afford them and vaccine hoarding are not a solution to the global supply-constraint. They are pernicious examples of beggar-thy-neighbour policies.

We made the case for stepping up production on-scale. This means using all available capacity and repurposing capacity where this can be done safely and by adhering to necessary standards.

The constraints to scaling up production include technical challenges, inadequate investment to repurpose existing production facilities and the current intellectual property rights regime.

In this context, we called for a ‘Covid New Deal’ to significantly and rapidly increase supply of vaccines and related medical goods and promote more equitable access to such essential goods.

Until the pandemic is brought under control, support for the Waiver will continue to grow.

Voluntary arrangements as provided for in the WTO’s TRIPS Agreement in many cases are simply contract production on a ‘fill and finish’ basis that do not address backward integration and distribution rights; whilst compulsory licensing procedures are onerous and cumbersome.

Negotiations with suppliers are hampered by information and bargaining asymmetries that can result in inequitable outcomes and untenable conditions attached to their procurement.

TRIPS flexibilities were simply not designed to meet the scale of the challenge we now confront.

Based on this, we proposed that the Covid package or New Deal be pursued on parallel and mutually reinforcing tracks, done pragmatically and covering five areas.

First, to scale-up production, in partnership with pharmaceutical companies, that can cover investment and funding to enhance supply capacity in different and additional parts of the world. This necessitates effective transfer of technology, sharing of know-how, backward integration of the raw materials and distribution rights. It must unlock productive capacity not just fill and finish.

Second, a timebound and targeted TRIPS waiver covering only essential diagnostics, vaccines, therapeutics and supplies.

Third, protocols covering transparency of contracts and price stability undertakings.

Fourth, commitment to avoid resort to vaccine nationalism; and

Finally, a TRIPS provision dealing specifically with future pandemics, that provides automatic rights of use and obviates the need for special arrangements and waivers.

Considerable progress has been made to put together a broad coalition of countries in support of the Waiver proposal. Sixty-three WTO Members have co-sponsored the Waiver Proposal and another 50 have indicated their support. There is support across the developing world, and from members of the US Congress, among EU Parliamentarians and from civil society globally. The United States and New Zealand became the first developed countries to support the Waiver. However, not all European countries have as yet supported the proposal for the Waiver put forward by South Africa and India. However, it does seem that all countries are in agreement that the status quo is inadequate and that the WTO will need to find a solution to enable rapid scaling-up of production of vaccines. Discussions are now continuing and South Africa and India together with the other co-sponsors, are engaging more countries to build further support for the proposal for a Waiver.

We have a responsibility imposed by circumstances; and need to build a common approach to act with boldness to save lives.

-END-

Reply:

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for increased vaccine security and therefore, self-reliance. However, the development of local vaccine manufacturing is a complex process that has high risk associated with it. To ensure the quality and consistency of vaccine manufacturing, hundreds of process steps need to be followed and there are thousands of check points for testing. The transfer of intellectual property rights as well knowledge transfer on vaccine manufacturing should be coupled with massive investment in manufacturing capacity. Currently there is an unprecedented level of support across African governments, African and Global Public Health (GPH) institutions, and the private sector, which is driven by the need for increased vaccine security and self-reliance highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

As part of the African Union we have embarked upon a project to understand the strengths to leverage and challenges that could be faced develop a framework on vaccine manufacturing on the continent including opportunities for collaboration with a range of public and private sector stakeholders. This work is ongoing and is aimed at future pandemic preparedness.

END.

Reply:

The Sports Trust indicated that their review has uncovered an unfortunate oversight (error) which led to the confusion. Noting that they used the same reporting template and accounting framework for the financial years in question. The indication is that the amounts as mentioned are correctly reflected in the Audited Financial Statements; the error was the incorrect reference to these line items under question but the amounts remain the same.

The discrepancies in question for the periods stated are as follows

a) For the 2016 financial period an amount of R19,813,800 was reported as Infrastructure Spend the error occurred during this period of the 2016 – 2017 annual report where the web page 18 reflected an amount of R129,724,372 for the same line item. The amount of R129, 724,372 is the total amount for Projects Spend, which comprises of the elements of Infrastructure Spend of (R19, 813,800) and the balance of the total amount is made up of Programmes, and Equipment and Kit Spend.

The Infrastructure Spend line item is incorrectly referenced with the total amount of R129, 724,372; it should be Projects Spend as reflected on Page 19 of the Statement of Profit or Loss and Other Comprehensive Income. Please refer to the second line from the bottom of the page as attached.

b) For 2017 an amount of R8,860,520 was reported as Infrastructure Spend; the error occurred during this period of 2017 – 2018 Annual Report where the web page reflected an amount of R86,171,816 for the same line item. The amount of R86, 171,816 is the total amount for Projects Spend, which comprises of the elements of Infrastructure Spend of (R8, 860,520) and the balance for the total amount compromises of the following items in the form of Programmes, and Equipment and Kit Spend.

The Infrastructure Spend line item is incorrectly referenced with this amount of R86,171,816; it and should be Projects Spend as reflected on Page 19 of the Statement of Profit or Loss and Other Comprehensive Income.  Please refer to the second line from the bottom of the page as attached.

The amount of R96, 505,140 reflects the Total Income raised that comprises of the Projects Spend (R86, 171,816), Fundraising, and Operational Expenses (R9, 401,488).

In both instances the amounts mentioned under Infrastructure Spend and Project Spend are the same amounts but incorrectly referenced.

Reply:

On 14 April 2021, the CCMA directed correspondence to Advance Call, the CCMA’s anonymous whistle – blower fraud hotline. The purpose of the correspondence was to request Advance Call to facilitate engagement with the whistleblower for them to furnish further details regarding the complainant, for purposes of initiating an investigation.

Advance Call attempted to contact the Whistle-blower and sent a letter via email to obtain more information, however, no response has been received by Advance Call, and consequently, neither the CCMA.

Investigation into this matter cannot take place without further information from the Whistle-blower. It is for this reason that the CCMA does not have reliable and verified information regarding the financial transactions nor has disciplinary action been taken against the alleged Commissioner.

As per the letter to the Honourable Member dated 15 April 2021 on same, once the CCMA has received trusted advice of Advance Call on developments herein and legitimate reason to launch an investigation, an investigation shall be duly initiated and a report be furnished to the Honourable Member.

 

Reply:

The Municipality concern has not responded yet.

Reply:

According to the information provided by the Provincial Health Departments the reply is as follows:

EASTERN CAPE

a) The following table reflects the details in this regard.

PERIOD	CATEGORY	TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES	CASES ABOVE R100,0000
	FRAUD	CORRUPTION
2017/2018	7	11	18	2
2018/2019	7	13	20	2
2019/2020	2	8	10	-
2020/2021	2	3	5	-
TOTAL	18	35	53	4

b) No tenders have been cancelled as a result of irregularities or corruption.

c) The bulk of irregular expenditure as per the table below comprises of extension of contracts above the 15% NT threshold. The 2020/21 figure not yet final.

d) All bids above R500k are advertised on the e-Tender portal other than deviations due to sole source or emergency procurement.

e) All bids above R500k are advertised on the e-Tender portal other than deviations due to sole source or emergency procurement.

f) (ii) The Eastern Cape Department of Health is currently using manual systems which are paper based. The plans to digitise procurement processes have been included on the departmental strategic plan and processes are underway to engage SITA for assistance.

FREE STATE

a) Free State Psychiatric Complex – Fraudulent payment to various transactions to suppliers at FSPC. Double payment were made to various suppliers on same order numbers by means of LOGIS and Sundry Payments (BAS System). Cost involved R7,821,587.62.

b) None, tenders were not cancelled due to irregularities or allegations of corruptions.

c) The total amount registered for Free State Department of Health is: R1,605,678,521.22.

d) 100% all tenders were published on e-Tender portal.

e) 100% tenders were uploaded on e-Tender portal and published on the Provincial Tender Bulleting.

f) (ii) 80% processes are paper based.

GAUTENG

a) 

Year	No of Cases of Corruption	Costs
2020-21	None	R0
2019-20	6	R12 600 944.78
2018-19	1	R2 773 209.60
2017-18	7	R2 875 716.49
2016-17	1	R987 032.00

b) There are two tender that have been cancelled, are as follows;

• GT/GDH/118/119/120/121/2016) Supply of Physical Security Services
• (GT/GDH/123/2013)-ICT Infrastructure Refresh – the provision of V-Blocks to Head Office, Zola, New, Natalspruit, Steve Biko and Charlotte Maxeke Hospitals.

Year	Amount
2017	2 050 841 000
2018	1 703 205 000
2019	2 862 156 000
2020	2 318 994 000
2021	3 549 745 000
TOTAL	12 484 941 000

d) 100%- Tenders are advertised by E-Gove as well as Government Tender Bulletin.

e) 100% Tenders are advertised by E-Gove as well as Government Tender Bulletin.

f) (ii) All tenders are advertised through National Tender Bulletin and can be downloaded from respective provincial e-tender portal by prospective bidders.

KWAZULU-NATAL

FY 2016/2017 R 16 918 744,00

FY 2017/2018 R 8 505 932,68

FY 2018/2019 R 118 169 545,62

FY 2019/2020 R 474 767,75

FY 2020/2021 R 110 000,00

b) No tenders have been cancelled in the province in the past 5 years due to irregularities and/or corruption in KZN.

c) 

	‘000	‘000	‘000	ROOO	ROOO
Period	2015/2016	2016/2017	2017/2018	2018/2019	2019/2020
Totals	R1,257,484	R1,325,084	R1,464,342	R1,541,732	R1,433,975

d) 100%. All tenders in the province have been advertised on the e-Tender portal.

e) 100%

f) (ii) 100%

LIMPOPO

a) None.

b) None.

c) No irregular expenditure as a result of corruption within the department.

f) 100% of tenders were put on the e-Tender portal in the past five years.

e) 100% of tenders were uploaded on e-Tender portal site of the department.

f) (ii) 100% of tender process are paper based in the department

MPUMALANGA

a) The Department does not have known cases of corruption reported

b) The Department has cancelled contracts for appointed service provider for supply of perishable and non-perishable food due to non-compliance with UIF

c) 

Financial year	2016/17	2017/18	2018/19	2019/2020
Amount	1 552 623 000	309 920 000	138 899 000	122 157 000

d) Not applicable – Provincial Treasury competency

e) Not applicable – Provincial Treasury competency

f) (ii) Not applicable

NORTHERN CAPE

a) No cost of corruption incurred in the past five financial years

b) No contract was cancelled as a result of irregularities and/or corruption in the past five years.

c) 

2016/17: R574,183,000

2018/19: R714,939,000

2019/20: R497,829,000

2020/21: R492,748,000 (Preliminary)

Total: R2,692,078,000

d) 

2016/17: No tenders issued

2017/18: 60% (3 out of 5)

2018/19: 0%

2019/20: 0%

2020/21: 0%

e) No tenders were ever uploaded on the e-Portal site.

f) (ii)

2016/17: No tenders issued

2017/18: 40% (2 out of 5)

2018/19: 100%

2019/20: 100%

2020/21: 100%

NORTH WEST

a) No cost of corruption incurred in the past five financial years

b) NWDOH 40/2021, Supply of Physical Security Services

c) 

Year	Amount
2016/2017	721 445 000
2017/2018	809 267 000
2019	1 333 654 000
2020	1 189 467 000
2021	682 000 000
TOTAL	4 735 833 000

d) Irregular expenditure for the past 5 years = R4 728 202 000.

e) 100%- Tenders are advertised by E-Gove as well as Government Tender Bulletin

f) 100%- Tenders are advertised by E-Gove as well as Government Tender Bulletin

g) (ii) All tenders are advertised through National Tender Bulletin and can be downloaded from respective provincial e-tender portal by prospective bidders

WESTERN CAPE

a) None.

b) None based.

c) 

(R’000)

2020/21:               2,452 (unaudited)

2019/20:               6,472

2018/19:             13,260

2017/18:             23,553

2016/17:             11,459

2015/16:               7,284

d) Indeterminable. E-portal is a NT app and has been off-line for a few months. NT unable to provide date as to when it will become available.

e) Indeterminable. E-portal is a NT app and has been off-line for a few months. NT unable to provide date as to when it will become available.

f) (ii) BSC, BEC, BAC processes were paper based up to March 2020. Since March 2020, documents had to be worked on electronically, meetings had to be held electronically and declarations of interest and confidentiality of meetings had to be declared at each virtual meeting.

END.

Reply:

Note: This response should be read in conjunction with the response to Question No: 1396.

Breach of contract is when either of the parties did not comply with any or all the terms of conditions. Thus a notice of breach of contract is issued when the supplier defaulted on the terms and conditions. Breach of contract is a pre -requirement for the contractor to be declared as a defaulter (Non-compliance of contract) (PFMA Regulation 16A.9.2 and Treasury Guidelines – Government Procurement – General Conditions of Contract – Annexure A)

a) How are (i) service providers and (ii) suppliers who are in breach of their contracts with the department dealt with.

• Service Providers who are in breach of their contracts are informed immediately of such breach and remedy is usually sought from the service provider as per the signed Service Level Agreement (SLA).
• If the service provider does not cooperate in providing the required remedy, a notice of breach is then drafted to compel the service provider to rectify the breach
• Upon non-cooperation after a notice of breach , the Departments’ standard process in terms of the Agreements is to call for a meeting with the Service Provider chaired by a senior official to resolve any impasse.
• If the meeting with the Service Provider does not yield any resolution and the Department has suffered loss or rights and obligations have been undermined, the Office of the State Attroney is instructed to initiate court proceedings against the Service Provider.

b)) What number of service providers and suppliers have been in breach of contract in each month in the past three financial years and since 1 April 2021

The Honourable member is referred to the letter and report submitted to the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Tourism on 3 February 2021 by the Minister and subsequently distributed to members of the committee.

c) What are the reasons for the breach of the contracts.

• Failure to comply with the provisions contained in the signed Service Level Agreement/Contract between the Department and the Service Provider.
• Non adherence to the terms and conditions of the contract by the service Provider with regards to project reporting or fraudulent transactions and expenditure
• Collusion in obtaining the tender

d) What steps are taken to reduce the instances of breach of contract.

• Project and contract management principle are used to manage issues as they arise in order to make sure these projects are successful in the end. Issues are rectified the moment these are identified,
• Changes are implemented such as putting limits to advance payments to the service providers for EPWP contracts;
• Systems are put in place to support service providers adherence to Departmental supply chain management policies and guidelines as determine by the PFMA Act;
• Close monitoring of the service providers in order to detect potential issues before they materialise; and
• Putting management control mechanisms in place in terms of processes to be followed for approvals without and quality assurance of all evidence e.g. invoices before they get paid. The Department also pursues the following methods to deal with cases of alleged non-compliance:
  • Mediation,
  • Issuance of Notices of breach,
  • Issuance of Letters of demand
  • Recovery of funds

e) What financial losses have been incurred regarding the breach of a contract in each month in the past three financial years and since 1 April 2021

Financial Year	Financial losses incurred
Since 1 April 2021	Information will only be audited in 2022/ not audited as yet.
2020-2021	Information in process to be audited
2019-2020	Information can be obtained from that tabled Annual Performance Report of 2019/20 as tabled on 22 October 2020 ( ATC no 151 – 2020)
2018-2019	Information can be obtained from the tabled Annual Performance Report of 2018/19 as tabled on 1 October 2019 (ATC no 72 -2019)

Reply:

(a) Costs incurred to date for:

1. Advertisements on newspapers is R42 209 19
2. Venues for local consultations were provided by the Buffalo City Municipality free of charge
3. Honoraria paid to the Eastern Cape Provincial Geographical Names Committee is R 23 998.19
4. Honoraria paid to the South African Geographical Names Council for its sitting is R147 986.00.

(b). Applications for name changes were received as follows: application for the name change of King Williamstown to Qonce was received on the 15th of October 2014 and the application for the name change of East London to Gompo was received on the 13th of October 2014.

Reply:

The preparations for the Local Government Elections are underway to be held on 27 October 2021, as announced by the Honourable President.

The Electoral Commission has indicated that it will be ready to deliver the elections within the constitutionally prescribed timeframes. With regard to the COVID-19 induced climate in which the elections will take place, the required health and safety protocols will be put in place to ensure that the elections are conducted in a manner that does not place any person at risk.

Given the uncertainty of the trajectory of the pandemic, the situation will be continuously monitored and assessed to ensure that the relevant interventions are made. Should circumstances require that the elections be postponed for outside the constitutionally defined period, then the required interventions will be pursued, which will include approaching Parliament and the Constitutional Court.

Reply:

1. (i) There were three Johnson&Johnson trials conducted in South Africa, the ENSEMBLE 1 trial which was a Phase 3 single dose study, ENSEMBLE 2 which is a phase 3 two dose study (which is still ongoing), and the SISONKE study which was an open label phase 3b trial. 

(ii) The SISONKE trial ended recently (on 17 May 2021) and the analysis is only just starting. 

The ENSEMBLE trial was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, main author GJ Sadoff: Safety and Efficacy of Single-Dose Ad26.COV2.S Vaccine against Covid-19. A summary of the results: “A single dose of vaccine protected against symptomatic Covid-19 and asymptomatic COVID-19 infection and was effective against severe-critical disease, including hospitalisation and death. Safety appeared to be similar to that in other phase 3 trials of Covid-19 vaccines. 

(iii)-(iv) (aa) SISONKE: the trial ended on 17 May and the analysis on the data is starting now. 

ENSEMBLE: a total of 44 325 participants underwent randomisation of which 43 783 received either placebo or vaccine. The per-protocol population included 39 321 participants, 19630 of which received vaccine and 19630 received placebo. 

(bb) SISONKE: the trial ended on 17 May and the analysis on the data is starting now. 

ENSEMBLE participants 

Median age: 52 years

Gender: female 45% male 54.9% other <0.1%

Ethnicity: American Indian/Alaskan native <1%; South American 9%; Asian 3%; Black 19%; Pacific Islander <1%; White 58%; Multiracial 6%; unknown 3%.

Country: Latin America 40.9%; South Africa 15%; USA 44.1%

> coexisting condition: 40.8%

Outcomes & Results: Vaccine efficacy after 28 days administration

Moderate to severe-critical COVID-19: 66.1% (95% confidence interval 55.0 – 74.8%)

Symptomatic COVID-19 of any severity: 66.5% (55.5-75.1)

No differences in vaccine efficacy were observed among subgroups (sex, race or ethnic group). Only a marginal decrease in vaccine efficacy noted in participants > 60 with comorbidities after 28 days after administration. Vaccine efficacy against hospitalisation was 100% 28 days after administration. Of the South Africa population, 95% of participants had the 501Y.V2 variant, but the vaccine efficacy remained high. 

 

(2) (a) ENSEMBLE was conducted in South Africa, Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru) and the USA.

SISONKE was conducted in the following 17 institutions, from all 9 provinces:

EC: Frere, Livingstone, Nelson Mandela Academic, Netcare Greenacres hospitals

FS: Bongani, Fezi Ngumbentombi, Life Rosepark, Pelonomi, Universitas hospitals

GP: Ahmed Kathrada, Charlotte Maxeke, Chris Hani Baragwanath, Dr George Mukhari, Netcare Milpark, Steve Biko Academic hospitals

KZN: General Justice Gizenga Mpanza, Edendale, Madadeni, Netcare St Augustines, Prince Mshiyeni Memorial hospitals

LP: Tshilidzini, Donald Fraser, Malamulele, Mediclinic Polokwane, Netcare Pholoso, St Ritas hospitals

MP: Ermelo, Life Cosmos, Mediclinic Nelspruit, Mapulaneng, Rob Ferreira hospitals

NC: Mediclinic Upington, Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe hospitals

NW: Job Shimankana Tabane, Klerksdorp-Tshephong Tertiary, Life Peglarae, Mahikeng Provincial, Moses Kotane hospitals

WC: Groote Schuur, Tygerberg, Gatesville, George, Karl Bremer, Khayelitsha District, Paarl, Worcester hospitals.

(b) ENSEMBLE was a multi-national study funded by Janssen Research and Development and others. 

Vaccines for SISONKE were secured by the Department of Health and were administered by teams of researchers and vaccinators. Research staff from the South African Medical Research Council where responsible for ensuring the cold chain and drawing up the correct amount of vaccine. Vaccinators where responsible for complete assessment checks, administering the vaccine and monitoring the participants for a few minutes after administration. END.

Reply:

a)(b)(c)

The SANParks 2020/21 financial statements are not available because they are in the process of being audited. The only available audited information is from the 2019/20 financial year, on page 191 of the SANParks 2019/20 Annual report.

The attached Excel document (Annexure A) provides a breakdown of the Audited 2019/20 Annual Financial reports indicating financial performance of each National Park, Regional Office and National Corporate Business Unit (Head Once) in terms of:

(i) income;

(ii) operating and capital expenditure; and

(iii) the number of staff in each National Park and Regional Office is provided in the table below.

PARK NAME	TYPE OF EMPLOYMENT	Grand Total
	PERMANENT EMPLOYMENT	TEMPORARY EMPLOYMENT	INTERSHIP PROGRAM	LEARNERSHIP PROGRAM
Addo Elephant National Park	162	10	0	2	174
Agulhas National Park	25	0	0	0	25
Augrabies National Park	37	4	0	0	41
Biodiversity and Special Projects	0	1419	2	0	1421
Bontebok National Park	17	0	0	4	21
Camdeboo National Park	29	3	1	1	34
Cape Town Office	9	0	0	0	9
Golden Gate Highlands National Park	196	2	1	0	199
Groenkloof National Park	Head Office		273	18	2	0	293
Karoo National Park	45	1	0	2	48
Kgaiagadi National Park	118	7	0	1	126
Kimberly Game Capture Office	28	1	0	0	29
Knysna National Park	65	0	0	1	66
Kn/sna Regional Office	14	0	0	0	14
Kruger National Park	2258	167	2	0	2427
Mapungubwe National Park	82	0	1	0	83
Marakele National Park	60	0	0	2	62
Meerkat National Park	7	2	0	0	9
Mokala National Park	48	5	0	0	53
Mountain Zebra National Park	34	2	1	2	39
Namaqua National Park	21	0	0	0	21
Port Elizabeth Regional Office	7	3	0	0	10
Richterveld National Park	33	4	0	0	37
Rondevlei Research Office	19	1	1	0	21
Table Mountain National Park	209	3	2	4	218
Tankwa Karoo National Park	15	0	0	0	15
Tsitsikamma National Park	130	27	1	2	160
Up	ington Regional Office	3	2	0	0	5
West Coast National Park	31	0	0	0	31
Wilderness National Park	82	0	0	1	83
Grand Total	4057	1681	14	22	5774

Regards

MS B D CREECY, MP

MINISTER OF FORESTRY, FISHERIES AND THE ENVIRONMENT

DATE:

Reply:

a) Ivermectin Authorisation Status 25/05/2021
	Approved	Rejected	Pending	Duplicate
Tier 3: Section 22C(1)(b) - licence holder	8	3	0	0
Tier 2: Healthcare Facility Stock	134	40	0	4
Tier 1: Named-patient	112	15	0	2
TOTAL	254	58	0	6	318

b) The use of Ivermectin in the treatment and prevention of COVID-19 infections received avid interest recently due to the antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties in vitro. Available data to date, mostly from small under-powered studies, show a trend towards some benefit in the management of COVID-19. National and international bodies have reviewed the data; and have concluded that there is unclear evidence of both benefit and harm, in the treatment and prevention of COVID-19. After consideration of the impact of the second wave as well as the clinical equipoise that was presented through the various studies reviewed, SAHPRA implemented an Ivermectin Controlled Compassionate Use Programme for approved unregistered ivermectin products to be accessed via a three-tier programme for Section 22C(1)(b) permit holders, healthcare facilities, and named-patient applications. On 16 March 2021,SAHPRA registered Soolantra 10mg/g cream formulation, which contains ivermectin. Soolantra Cream is indicated for the topical treatment of moderate to severe inflammatory lesions of papulopustular rosacea in adult patients and is not for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19. The registration of this product enabled the compounding of ivermectin on a prescription basis for specific patients as well as off label use of ivermectin under the section 21 Controlled Compassionate Use Programme.

END.

Reply:

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

Ms Mampane’s reply is as follows:

NO.	FINANCIAL YEAR	DESCRIPTION	COSTS (R)	INTERNAL STAKEHOLDER
	2016/17	Educating the public by explaining the process, requirements and qualifications relating to the application for grants in terms section 2(5)(a)(i) of the Lotteries Act - Call for Applications	R446 092.65	External
	2016/17	Promotion of public knowledge and awareness by, amongst others developing and implementing educational and informational measures to educate the public of the Lotteries about the lotteries and provisions pursuant to section 2(5)(a)(i) of the Lotteries Act - Operations : Brand Positioning	R250 000.00	External
	2016/17	Promotion of public knowledge and awareness by, amongst others developing and implementing educational and informational measures to educate the public of the Lotteries about the lotteries and provisions pursuant to section 2(5)(a)(i) of the Lotteries Act - Operations :Regulatory Mandate	R1,901 904.00	External
	2016/17	Promotion of public knowledge and awareness by, amongst others developing and implementing educational and informational measures to educate the public of the Lotteries about the lotteries and provisions pursuant to section 2(5)(a)(i) of the Lotteries Act - Operations: Grant Funding Mandate	R45,291.06	External
TOTAL EXPENDITURE FOR 2016/17	R2,643,287.71

NO.	FINANCIAL YEAR	DESCRIPTION	COSTS (R)	INTERNAL STAKEHOLDER
	2015/16	Promotion of public knowledge and awareness by, amongst others developing and implementing educational and informational measures to educate the public of the Lotteries about the lotteries and provisions pursuant to section 2(5)(a)(i) of the Lotteries Act - Operations: Supply Chain Management	R179 533.82	External
	2015/16	Promotion of public knowledge and awareness by, amongst others developing and implementing educational and informational measures to educate the public of the Lotteries about the lotteries and provisions pursuant to section 2(5)(a)(i) of the Lotteries Act - Operations: Grant Funding Mandate	R10 147 553.06	External
	2015/16	Educating the public by explaining the process, requirements and qualifications relating to the application for grants in terms section 2(5)(a)(i) of the Lotteries Act - Call for Applications	R6,469,486.94	External
	2015/16	Promotion of public knowledge and awareness by, amongst others developing and implementing educational and informational measures to educate the public of the Lotteries about the lotteries and provisions pursuant to section 2(5)(a)(i) of the Lotteries Act – Operations :Regulatory Mandate	R1 460 009.36	External
	2015/16	Promotion of public knowledge and awareness by, amongst others developing and implementing educational and informational measures to educate the public of the Lotteries about the lotteries and provisions pursuant to section 2(5)(a)(i) of the Lotteries Act – Stakeholder Relations, Marketing and Communication	433 105.38	External
TOTAL EXPENDITURE FOR 2015/16	R18 689 688.56

NO.	FINANCIAL YEAR	DESCRIPTION	COSTS (R)	INTERNAL STAKEHOLDER
	2014/15	Promotion of public knowledge and awareness by, amongst others developing and implementing educational and informational measures to educate the public of the Lotteries about the lotteries and provisions pursuant to section 2(5)(a)(i) of the Lotteries Act - Operations: National Lotteries Commission: Operational Changes	R2,368,544.70	External
	2014/15	Promotion of public knowledge and awareness by, amongst others developing and implementing educational and informational measures to educate the public of the Lotteries about the lotteries and provisions pursuant to section 2(5)(a)(i) of the Lotteries Act - Operations: Grant Funding Mandate	R5 849 966,38	External
	2014/15	Educating the public by explaining the process, requirements and qualifications relating to the application for grants in terms section 2(5)(a)(i) of the Lotteries Act - Call for Applications	R1,567,772.57	External
	2014/15	Promotion of public knowledge and awareness by, amongst others developing and implementing educational and informational measures to educate the public of the Lotteries about the lotteries and provisions pursuant to section 2(5)(a)(i) of the Lotteries Act - Operations: Supply Chain Management	R3,820.96	External
	2014/15	Promotion of public knowledge and awareness by, amongst others developing and implementing educational and informational measures to educate the public of the Lotteries about the lotteries and provisions pursuant to section 2(5)(a)(i) of the Lotteries Act – Operations :Regulatory Mandate	R232,924.45
TOTAL EXPENDITURE FOR 2014/15	R10 023 029,06

Reply:

Of the 102 law firms reported to the Legal Practice Council (LPC) for mismanagement of their trust accounts, only 42 firms (listed below) have as yet not repaid the duplicate payments they received from Road Accident Fund (RAF).

As part of its recovery procedures the RAF withheld further payment to law firms identified as having received duplicate payments. However, a full bench of the North Guateng High Court, Pretoria, delivered judgment on 9 April 2021, in the matter of Road Accident Fund v Legal Practice Council and Others (58145/2020) [2021] ZAGPPHC 173, ordering the suspending of certain categories of writs of execution and warrants of attachment against the RAF, and in its judgment states that it does not believe that the RAF should withhold payments from successful claimants because of a dispute between the RAF and the law firms acting for the claimants. The court indicated that the RAF must instead approach the court on a case-by-case basis.

Consequently, the RAF has brought an Application in the North Guateng High Court, Pretoria, citing the 42 legal firms; the LPC; the Sheriff, Pretoria Central; the Sheriff, Pretoria East; the Sheriff, Centurion East the Sheriff, Johannesburg Central; the Sheriff, Johannesburg North; and, ABSA Bank Ltd. The details of the 42 law firms cited in the Application are as follows:

 

1. Phefadu AP Attorneys with its business address at Suite 407-408, Savelkouls Building, Cnr Paul Kruger & Pretorius Street.

2. CN Phukubje Attorneys with its business address at 83 Albertina Sisulu Street Corner Von Brandis Street Bradlows Building, Works @ Market 4th Floor Offices 405-407.

3. Feke-Myeko Attorneys with its business address at 380 Bosman Street Pretoria.

4. Frans Rabie Attorneys with its business address at 110A Themba Shozi Street, Balfour, Mpumalanga, 2410.

5. Gura Tlaletsi & Partners with its business address at 38 Carrington Street Mafikeng Industrial Mafikeng, North West.

6. KG Mashigo Attorneys with its business address at 58 Marshall Street Marshall Street Marshalltown Johannesburg.

7. Lekopane Khumalo Attorneys with its business address at Office 1, Grongo’s Centre, 40 Mouton Street, Hendrina, Mpumalanga.

8. Letheba Makgato & Associates with its business address at 81 Ampthill Avenue, Suite 2, @nd Floor, Central House Building, Benoni.

9. Mahlangu SV with its business address at 507 Spuy Street, Sunnyside, Pretoria, Gauteng.

10. Makhurupetzi Attorneys with its business address at Suite 106 and 107, First Floor, Olivetti House, Cnr Pretorius and Sophie De Bruyne Streets.

11. Makokga Sebei Inc with its business address at Tudor Chambers Office No 0240 229 Helen Joseph Street Pretoria.

12. Malange Attorneys with its business address at 28 Helen Joseph Street, Suite 107 Church Square Building, Pretoria.

13. Malose Matsaung Attorneys with its business address at 238 Paul Kruger Street, Standard Bank Chambers, Pretoria Central, Pretoria.

14. Maluleka Tlhasi Inc with its business address at 754 Stanza Bopape Street, Eastcliff, Pretoria.

15. Mammile A M Attorneys with its business address at Mammile Law Chambers, 130 Highveld Road, Kempton Park.

16. Matodzi Neluheni Attorneys with its business address at 70 Sutherland Street, Newcastle Central, Newcastle.

17. Mphahlele MR Attorneys with its business address at 17B Biccard Street, Polokwane Central, Polokwane, 0699.

18. Mpho Mashiloane Attorneys with its business address at 38 Marloth Street, Mbombela,1201/ Tarentaal Shopping Center, corner Ou Kaapschenhoop & N4 Nelspruit Office No TA 03

19. Muleya Attorneys with its business address at G06, 1064 Arcadia Street, Hatfield, Pretoria 0083.

20. Musa Baloyi Attorneys with its business address at Mageza Road, Giyani-E, Giyani 0826.

21. Mzamo Attorneys with its business address at Suite 2, 3rd Floor, West Wing Suites, 132 Fox Street, Johannesburg.

22. N.T Ntshele Attorneys with its business address at Suite 325, Bank Towers, 190 Thabo Sehume Street, Pretoria, 001.

23. Ndambakuwa Attorneys with its business address at 200 Pretorius Street, Pretoria Central, Pretoria.

24. Ndlovu Attorneys with its business address at 15A Park Street, Kempton Park Central, Kempton Park, 1620.

25. Nomvula Meyiwa Incorporated / Meyiwa Inc with its business address at 525 Mendelson Street, Cnr Garsfontein & Isie-Smuts Street, Constantia Park, Glenstantia, Pretoria.

26. Nxumalo and Radebe Inc with its business address at Stand Number 265 Elukwatini Crossing, Elukwatini-A, Elukwatini.

27. PM Mositsa Inc with its business address at Lapa Building,380 Bosman Street, Pretoria. 28. PP Milazi Attorneys with its business address at 212 Rahima Moosa Street, Johannesburg 2001.

29. Raleswinga Attorneys with its business address at 523 Stanza Bopape Street, Arcadia, Pretoria, 0007.

30. Ramaselela MC Attorneys with its business address at 100 Pretorius Street, Suite 106 Olivetti House, Pretoria.

31. S Twala Attorneys with its business address at 2nd floor, Mathomo House, 132 Fox Street, Cnr Kruis Street.

32. Shabangu & Beauchamp (Pretoria) with its business address at Shop 15, Bothongo Plaza West, Francis Baard Street, Pretoria Central, Pretoria,0001.

33. Simpsons Attorneys Incorporated with its business address at 77 Troon Road, Greenside, Randburg.

34. T A Matshanda Trust with its business address at Suite 1309 - 1310, 13th Floor, His Majesty Building Cnr Commissioner & Joubert Street, Johannesburg.

35. T Khumalo Attorneys with its business address at Office 6, 17th Floor, Marble Towers, 201 Rahima Moosa Street, Johannesburg.

36. Taute Bouwer & Cilliers Incorporated with its business address at 827 25th Avenue, Rietfontein, Pretoria.

37. TC Rampatla Incorporated with its business address at Absa Building, Suite 208, 250 Pretorius Street, Pretoria Central.

38. K Malao Attorneys with its business address at 3710 Amberfield Valley Capensis Avenue Rooihuiskraal North Ext 24 Centurion.

39. Mouton & Williams Attorneys with its business address at 263,297 Ontdekkers Road, Carenvale, Roodeport,1724.

40. Modibedi Sebele Phethoe Attorneys with its business address at 44 Rooihuiskraal Road, The Reeds Centurion.

41. HC Madike Attorneys with its business address at 13 Jan Kemp Street Pongola Kwazulu Natal and at 235 Helen Joseph Street Suite 303, 3rd Floor Burlington House, Pretoria.

42. Erasmus ELS Inc t/a Erasmus Scheepers with its business address at 172 Bronkhorst Street Nieuw Muckleneuk Pretoria.

The names of the 102 law firms reported to the Legal Practice Council (LPC) for mismanagement of their trust accounts, are as follows:

1. ABRAM PHUTIANE PHEFADU
2. BALOYI ATTORNEYS
3. CHUEU ATTORNEYS INC
4. CN PHUKUBJE ATTORNEYS
5. ERASMUS ELS INC T/A ERASMUS SCHEEPE
6. ERWEE ATTORNEYS (MUSINA)
7. FEKE-MYEKO ATTORNEYS
8. FRANS RABIE ATTORNEYS
9. GUMBO & CO
10. GUR TLALETSI & PARTNERS
11. HANLIE BRUWER ATTORNEYS
12. HLUNGWANI TG ATTORNEYS
13. JACOBS AND MAKWAKWA ATTORNEYS
14. JD SKHOSANA ATTORNEYS
15. K MALAO INC
16. KG MASHIGO ATTORNEYS
17. KHOROMMBI MABULI INCORPORATION
18. KOMANE ATTORNEY
19. LEKOPANE KHUMALO ATTORNEYS
20. LETHABO MOKOENA ATTORNEYS
21. LETHEBA MAKGATO & ASSOCIATES
22. LM MAILA INCORPORATED
23. M RAMOGOTSWA INC ATTORNEYS
24. MA MOTHAPO ATTORNEYS
25. MA MPHOLOANE INC
26. MADIKE HC ATTORNEYS
27. MAHLANGU SV
28. MAHOLOBELA INC ATTORNEYS
29. MAJA MATSIMELA ATTORNEYS
30. MAKAU PHEFADU & PARTNERS
31. MAKHURUPETZI ATTORNEYS
32. MAKOKGA SEBEI INC
33. MALAN M ATTORNEYS
34. MALANGE ATTORNEYS
35. MALATJI ATTORNEYS
36. MALATJI MOLOSH & POOE
37. MALOSE MATSAUNG ATTORNEYS
38. MALULEKA TLHASI INC
39. MAMMILE A M ATTORNEYS
40. MAMOKGALAKE CHUENE ATTORNEYS
41. MANTON J J S
42. MASHAPA
43. MASHEGO P PROKEREURS INC
44. MASWENENG ATTORNEYS
45. MATHEKGA ATTORNEYS
46. MATODZI NELUHENI
47. MBOWENI MALULEKE INCORPORATED ATTOR
48. MG MALI ATTORNEYS
49. MJ MOSIKARI
50. MMELA MTSWENI
51. MODIBEDI SEBELE PHETOE ATTORNEYS
52. MOGAU SETSHOANE
53. MOHULATSI ATTORNEYS INC
54. MOKGATLE LESOLE ATTORNEYS
55. MOKHABUKHI ATTORNEYS
56. MOLEPO INCORPORATED ATTORNEYS(PTY)
57. MOLOSI
58. MOUTON & WILLIAMS ATTORNEYS
59. MP MNGOMEZULU INCORPORATED
60. MPHAHLELE MR ATTORNEYS
61. MPHO MASHILOANE
62. MT MAKWELA ATTORNEYS
63. MTSHWENI INC ATTORNEYS
64. MTSWENI INC ATTORNEYS
65. MULEYA ATTORNEYS
66. MUNRO FLOWERS & VERMAAK
67. MUSA BALOYI ATTORNEYS
68. MZAMO ATTORNEYS
69. N.T NTSHELE ATTORNEYS
70. NDALA ATTORNEYS
71. NDAMBAKUWA
72. NDHLOVU BORNVENTURE ATTORNEYS
73. NDLOVU ATTORNEYS
74. NDOBELA AND LAMOLA ATTORNEYS
75. NOMVULA MEYIWA INCORPORATED
76. NTLOEDIBE ATTORNEYS
77. NTSHANGASE SS ATTORNEYS
78. NXUMALO AND RADEBE INC
79. PJ FAURIE ATTORNEYS
80. PM MOSITSA INC
81. PN HLATSWAYO ATTORNEYS
82. PP MILAZI ATTORNEYS
83. RALESWINGA ATT
84. RAMASELELA MC ATTORNEYS
85. RATSHIVHOMBELA ATTORNEYS
86. RENE FOUCHE INCORPORATED
87. ROME ANTHONY IAN
88. S TWALA ATTORNEYS
89. SANCHEZ SKOSANA INCORPORATED
90. SELAMOLELA INC
91. SELOLO TLOU INCORPORATED
92. SHABANGU & BEAUCHAMP (PRETORIA)
93. SIMPSONS ATTORNEYS INCORPORATED
94. SPRUYT INC
95. T A MATSHANDA TRUST
96. T KHUMALO ATTORNEYS
97. TAUTE BOUWER & CILLIERS INC
98. TC RAMPATLA INCORPORATED
99. THINDISA ATTORNEYS
100. TL KEKANA ATTORNEYS
101. VAN VELDEN DUFFEY
102. VAN WYK ATTORNEYS (MARSHALLTOWN)

Reply:

The Department of Health strives to take reasonable legislative and other measures to achieve the progressive realisation of the right to have access to health care services including reproductive health care in terms of its Constitutional obligations. Section 27 (1) (a) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa states that everyone has the right to have access to health care services, including reproductive health care. Section 27 (3) further states that no one may be refused emergency medical treatment.

The statistics on the total number of babies who were born to undocumented foreign nationals and/or illegal migrants in government health facilities in each year in the past five years is not available as our health facilities do not keep statistics on foreign nationals.

END.

Reply:

The National Department of Health is still awaiting information from the Gauteng Provincial Department of Health, to enable the Minister to respond to this question. The response will be provided to Parliament as soon as information has been received from the Provincial Department of Health.

END.

Reply:

With the outbreak of the COVID-19, There is now a sense of URGENCY to accelerate implementation of the Employment Services Act, No. 4 of 2014; the UI Amendment Act, No. 10 of 2016, specifically section 5 (d) which provides for the financing of the retention of contributors in employment and the re-entry of contributors into the labour market; the Presidential Jobs Summit Framework Agreement, 2018 with a focus on: (i) protecting jobs, (ii) informal sector support, and (iii) inclusive growth interventions. The COVID-19 pandemic coupled with the advancement in technology presents us as a country with an opportunity to place productivity at the centre of the country’s long-term competitiveness and economic activity and recovery.

The pandemic, which has devastating effects on our socio-economic systems and the labour market is also creating an important opportunity for leadership in government to create an enabling environment and partner with leaders in business and labour to take decisive and urgent action to turn things around.

Over the next ten (10) years (2021 to 2030), Productivity SA strategic objectives and plans will be focused on vigorously unlocking South Africa’s productivity and potential for sustained competitiveness and economic growth as part of our interventions to implement the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan, particularly priority areas 2: Industrialisation and Growing the productive economy; and priority area 5: Macro-economic interventions and enablers for economic growth. During this period, our Enterprise Development and Support Programmes will be focused on supporting an Integrated Enterprise Development and Support Ecosystem (government-wide programme in collaboration and partnership with social partners) to create a coherent platform to enhance access and coordination of SMME support to preserve existing job and create productive and decent employment.

The Department has allocated over R104m to Productivity SA whereby the entity implements turn-around strategies and plans to restructure and improve the productivity and operational efficiency of companies facing distress to be sustainable, competitive and create conditions conducive for job retention and creation. Funds have been made available in this regard and for the 2020/21 financial year over R104m was allocated to Productivity SA. Part of the interventions include establishing Workplace /Future forums (committee comprising on management and workers), training and capacitating their members on productivity improvement solutions.

Productivity SA also have a productivity and Competitiveness Improvement Programme which is designed to improve the competitiveness and sustainability of enterprises, targeting small enterprises and cooperatives in the productive sectors of the economy in line with the Sector Master Plans. Overall, 2796 companies were supported through the programme in the 2020/21 financial year, which included emerging entrepreneurs and cooperatives.

There are also targeted interventions through the Workplace Challenge Programme (WPC), with 109 companies mostly in the Special Economic Zones and Industrial Parks assisted and 3 industrial clusters were established in the Forestry, Footwear and Leather, and the Creative sector.

Reply:

The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) indicated that the budget has been updated to provide for only those costs that are essential for the delivery of Team SA to the Tokyo Games. Sponsors have been signed up and more sponsors are being engaged.

Additional costs due to the Covid-19 protocols with regards to the team travel, camp and medical services as prescribed in the Play Books published by the IOC and IPC Book has been considered and factored into the budget.

The original projected budget was R45, 000.000 but with the sponsorships, funding received and revisit to adjust for only those line items that are critical for games delivery, the budget is now well under R20, 000,000.

Reply:

The (a) full details of the person(s) and/or companies that provide funding to the SA Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) and (b) breakdown of the total amounts provided by each funder are indicated in the table below:

Full details of the person(s) and/or company that provide funding to the SAHPRA	Breakdown of the total amounts provided by each funder
Clinton Health Access Initiative	R 1 441 170 (Direct donation)
Centers for Disease Control	R 16 739 056 (Direct donation through NDOH)
Public Health Enhancement Fund	R 2 580 000 (Services in kind)
Right to Care	R 94 204 (Services in kind – Office accommodation)
Bill and Mellinda Gates Foundation	R 73 000 000 (Services in kind)
National Treasury	R60 000 000 (Conditional Grant)

END.

Reply:

I have been advised by the SABC as follows:

Yes, public education has historically formed part of the SABC’s standard elections coverage mandate and will continue to do so during this current election cycle. The SABC News will drive this process from an editorial perspective as has always been the case post democracy with covering and contextualizing the elections, Constitution and functioning of municipalities.

MS. STELLA NDABENI-ABRAHAMS, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

Reply:

The two major vaccine manufacturing countries are China and Russia. Vaccines require regulatory approval from SAHPRA. Countries cannot be the applicant and have to work through commercial entities to obtain approval. We have been in discussion with a number of companies having obtained marketing approval from the Gamaleya Institute of Russia for the Sputnik vaccine and with Numolux for the Sinovac vaccine. When all regulatory mattera have been attended to, the negotiations will progress further.

END.

Reply:

1. The SAMRC has a variety of grant programs (both internal and through strategic partnerships) that are supporting drug discovery research and development in key health priority areas. These projects are leading to novel drug targets and candidate molecules and include plant-based medicines as well as biologicals such as vaccines and monoclonal antibodies.

The Technology Innovation Agency, with funding from the Department of Science and Innovation has established an API Cluster aimed at increasing the capacity of the country to develop the processes and manufacturing capability for the manufacture of active pharmaceutical ingredients. This cluster links innovators at the universities and science councils with industry, including development partners and pilot production facilities. This provides a mechanism to advance new drugs in development by local innovators towards testing and approval. One of the objectives is to synthesise molecules that may have efficacy against Covid to ensure continuity of supply. We are in discussions with international partners round this.

Government, through the Department of Science and Innovation, is a shareholder in The Biovac Institute, which has embarked on an ambitious journey to bring manufacture of vaccine APIs to the country. Biovac has been pursuing a backward integration strategy and has undertaken technology transfers with major pharmaceutical companies to establish the capacity for formulation, fill and finish of vaccines. It is raising funding to expand this capacity and to add a production suite for antigens/immunogens/biologicals. The same applies for Afrigen Biologics. Biovac and Afrigen are, further, developing its own vaccine candidates. Government has also been supporting the CSIR’s efforts to establish GMP manufacture of biologicals using plant production systems. The team are actively working on a concerted strategy to leverage off South Africa’s scientific investments to see if these can translate into products.

There are a number of pockets of excellence in drug discovery and vaccine development research in South Africa, situated predominantly at the universities and science councils. A key bottleneck, however, is the pilot scale manufacture of these under GMP conditions for clinical trials and later commercial manufacture at scale. This is where further investment is required to ensure that the full pharmaceutical and vaccine development value chain is in place in the country.

2. On 2 October 2020, India and South Africa proposed the TRIPS Waiver”, a proposal to suspend intellectual property protections for products and technologies needed for the fight against COVID-19, including vaccines, for the duration of the pandemic. This would involve a temporary suspension of certain rules set out in the Trips agreement, the intellectual property treaty of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The waiver proposal by India and South Africa presents an important opportunity for all governments to unite and stand up for public health, global solidarity, and equitable access through a concrete step at the international level that can provide an automatic and expedited solution to address IP and technology challenges collectively.   The TRIPS Waiver proposal is now gaining support from major drug manufacturing countries.

The Department of Science and Innovation, and Trade, Industry and Competition are developing strategies for the local production of pharmaceuticals, especially the production of the active pharmaceutical ingredients.

Inter-Ministerial Committee on Covid-19 vaccines has a DPME lead Technical Working Group tasked with mobilizing local capacity to deliver the dosages required and building a long-term capability step by step using current capacity from upstream to downstream to prepare for the next pandemic. They are starting by looking at the vaccines already developed and approved and those in the pipeline to determine what they can do locally in ensuring dosages by using a fill/finish strategy and then move to how to build capabilities to enable future pandemic response.

The following are key milestones that have been achieved to date:

1. Several partnerships established with current and under development Covid-19 vaccines developers (Biological E partnership; ImmunityBio; Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology of Cuba; Greenlight BioScience for technology transfer of mRNA technology; Kentucky Bio-Products; and J&J – already manufacturing locally through Aspen)
2. South Africa have the following competitive advantages which can be used to build permanent State Infrastructure to enable future pandemic response

      a) South Africa has experienced principal investigators who are employees of universities and Science Councils which is an advantage.

       b) Bioanalytical laboratories e.g. North-West University/DSI – Preclinical Drug Development Platform facility has been developed for this purpose

       c) Ethics related expertise including individuals for the data safety and management board

       d) Existing capabilities locally: CAPRISA, SAMRC, AURUM, DESMOND TUTU, WITS HEALTH, AHRI, and others on the clinical research side

END.

Reply:

We are carefully monitoring developments with regards to the COVID-19 pandemic. Government has gazetted a number of regulations to limit the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Adjusted levels 1 and 2 of the regulations have opened more space for political activity. While these Regulations are in place, preparations made for the recent by-elections and the upcoming local government elections by stakeholders such as the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), political parties, government, communities etc, must be done in accordance with the provisions set out in the Regulations.

Working closely with the IEC, we have put processes in place in response to challenges that come with a global pandemic. The IEC has recently appointed Justcie Dikgang Moseneke to lead the inquiry into ensuring free and fair local government elections during Covid-19. The salient features of the terms of enquiry for the inquiry are to:

• Enquire into, make findings and report on, and make recommendations concerning the likelihood that the Electoral Commission would be able to ensure that the forthcoming 2021 general local government elections will be free and fair, in view of –

1. challenges posed by the COVID 19 pandemic; and
2. measures promulgated by the government to curb the continued spread of the pandemic; and

• Indicate additional measures that the Electoral Commission may be required to implement in order to realise free and fair elections within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The IEC is also considering the introduction of an on-line platform to enable the registration of eligible voters.

The regulations may change going forward, depending on the Covid-19 situation, and advice from the Minister of Health and the National Coronavirus Command Council.

Reply:

The extension of the national state of disaster to 15 May 2021 by implication also extends the Regulations (GN R 480 as published in Government Gazette 43258 as amended) made in terms of Section 27(2) of the Disaster Managent Act, 2002.

The regulations are designed to limit the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and whilst these regulations are in force, preparations made for the local government elections by stakeholders such as the Independent Electoral Commission, political parties, government, communities etc, must be done in accordance with the provisions set out in the regulations.