Questions and Replies

Reply:

(1)(a)&(b) The Department of Small Business Development (DSBD), nor its agencies – the Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda) and the Small Enterprise Finance Agencies (sefa), have not funded /contributed to the supply and/or installation of the production line for the manufacture of protective masks from the Dick Whittington Shoe Factory in Pietermaritzburg.

(2) The Department has not awarded any tender to any factory for the supply of masks. The masks procured in March 2020 were procured through a quotation process.

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RESPONSE RECOMMENDED BY:

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MR LINDOKUHLE MKHUMANE

ACTING DIRECTOR GENERAL: DEPARTMENT OF SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

DATE:

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RESPONSE RECOMMENDED BY:

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MS ROSEMARY CAPA, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

DATE:

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RESPONSE APPROVED BY:

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MS KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP

MINISTER OF SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

DATE:

Reply:

The Honourable Member is well aware that the document titled “Guide to Parliamentary Questions in the National Assembly”, prohibits Members of Parliament, including the Executive, from providing names in parliamentary questions and responses to questions. The document referred to states that:

“Questions are to be framed as concisely as possible. All unnecessary adjectives, references and quotations are omitted. Names of persons, bodies and, for example, newspapers are only used in questions if the facts surrounding the case have been proven. As the mere mention of such names could be construed as publicity for or against them, it should be clear that this practice is highly undesirable. If a question will be unintelligible without mentioning such names, the Departments concerned are notified of the name (-s) and this phrase is used: ".......a certain person (name furnished)”

I am therefore unable to provide the information requested by the Honourable Member as it contains company names and other confidential inform

Reply:

The Department of Small Business Development (DSBD) did not have any work exchange programme with the Republic of Cuba and has not employed any Cuban Nationals. There are no plans in the pipeline in this regard.

1. Not applicable.
2. Not applicable.

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RESPONSE RECOMMENDED BY:

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MR LINDOKUHLE MKHUMANE

DIRECTOR GENERAL: DEPARTMENT OF SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

DATE:

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RESPONSE RECOMMENDED BY:

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MS ROSEMARY CAPA, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

DATE:

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RESPONSE APPROVED BY:

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MS KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP

MINISTER FOR SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

DATE:

Reply:

The business case has been submitted to the relevant Ministers for inputs. The Department is currently taking the draft business case through government structures to get Cabinet endorsement on the preferred option first before finalisation of the business case which will then be followed by the drafting of the relevant legislation.

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RESPONSE RECOMMENDED BY:

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MR LINDOKUHLE MKHUMANE

ACTING DIRECTOR GENERAL: DEPARTMENT OF SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

DATE:

______________________________________________________________________________

RESPONSE RECOMMENDED BY:

________________________

MS ROSEMARY CAPA, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

DATE:

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RESPONSE APPROVED BY:

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MS KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP

MINISTER OF SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

DATE:

Reply:

(1) Honourable Member, I have been informed that the residents of Jika Joe Informal Settlements will benefit from the rental units under construction in Msunduzi Local Municipality. They are the primary beneficiaries of the new development as per the target market of the CRU Policy. The project is still in the first phase of construction.

(2) (a) The process of allocation has commenced per the Tenant Management Plan approved by Council and in line with the CRU Allocation Policy. Several community engagements have been held, requesting people to register at the office located at the CRU Complex.

(b) The rental charges range from R500 to R800 per month and are calculated at 30% of income.

(c) (i) It is anticipated that the first occupation will take place by 1 July 2021.

(ii) Rental agreements are expected to be concluded by the end of June 2021.

(3) A social survey of residents of the informal settlements was undertaken in 2018 and the information was updated in February 2021. The list of prospective tenants for the CRU project is available, however, we are not in a position to share it as it contains confidential individual personal details.

Reply:

(i) Honourable Member, the KwaZulu Natal Provincial Department of Human Settlements and Msunduzi Local Municipality confirmed that plans are afoot to formalise the Jika Joe informal settlements.

(ii) I have been informed that the KwaZulu Natal Provincial Department of Human Settlements will undertake an upgrading of informal settlement programme within Msudunzi Local Municipality, which will include the Jika Joe informal settlement. The Municipality has identified Ethembeni and Signal Hill Housing Projects, which are at Planning Stage, for the potential beneficiaries who will not qualify to rent in the Community Residential Units.

(iii) The Kwazulu Natal Provincial Department of Human Settlements provided relief for people whose shacks were destroyed by a fire. The 174 beneficiaries were given materials in 2020 to rebuild their dwellings. It must also be noted that more than 350 temporary structures were built from 2014 to cater for the people whose shacks were affected by fire and those who were on the flood line and under power lines.

Reply:

The Department is well sensitised to the potential threats and risks posed to small enterprises. It is however important to note that the use of technology by small enterprises cannot be directly managed by the Department as this is an individual entity’s responsibility. Where the Department’s accountability lies is within the technology it exposes to small enterprises through its online platforms; and within this area, the Department has increased its own security measures and performs regular monitoring on potential breaches. Regular updates to the public via social media is maintained to inform of any risks or scams related to the Department.

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RESPONSE RECOMMENDED BY:

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MR LINDOKUHLE MKHUMANE

DIRECTOR GENERAL: DEPARTMENT OF SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

DATE:

______________________________________________________________________________

RESPONSE RECOMMENDED BY:

________________________

MS ROSEMARY CAPA, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

DATE:

_______________________________________________________________________________

RESPONSE APPROVED BY:

_________________________

MS KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP

MINISTER FOR SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

DATE:

Reply:

(1)(a) Following the application to the Northern Cape High Court, in terms of case number 961/2019, by the Director General of the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD), and the order granted by the same court on 28 February 2020; Honey Attorneys were appointed as Judicial Administrator of the Richtersveld Communal Property Association (CPA). Mr Don Madjiet is a representative of Honey Attorneys and responsible for the day-to-day running of the CPA as per the Court Order.

(b) The terms of reference of the Judicial Administrator are as per the Court order of 28 February 2020 of case number 961/2019. The Administrator is required to exercise powers of the executive committee of the Richtersveld CPA and perform all functions assigned to him in terms of the said court order. The Judicial Administrator has developed a comprehensive workplan which has been approved. The details are specified in the court order. Please refer to Annexure A.

(c) The Judicial Administrator is appointed for a period of three (3) years from the date of the court order i.e. 28 February 2020 until 28 February 2023.

(d) The costs are determined as per the rates of the Land Rights Management Facility (LRMF). The rate of compensation depends on the experience of the appointed Administrator and the hours he spends doing activities relating to the work of the CPA. The minimum is R475.00 to a maximum of R750.00 per hour, and the minimum per day is R3 800.00 to a maximum of R6 000.00.

(2)(a) In 1998 the Richtersveld community lodged a claim against the Government for dispossession of land under the Restitution of Land Rights Acts 22 of 1994. Following protracted court proceedings, the Constitutional Court awarded the land and mineral rights to the community of the Richtersveld. The Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) and the then Department of Land Affairs represented the Government in the settlement negotiations. The Deed of Settlement (DoS) was signed on 22 April 2007. In order to protect the interests of the community, the DoS sought to create a very comprehensive structure of Trusts and Companies to house the interests of the Community. The DoS signed by the parties in 2007 directed that at least two (2) Trusts: Richtersveld Community Trust and Richtersveld Investment Trust) and eight (8) companies must be established to manage and operate the various business dealings of the Richtersveld Community Claim and one (1) Communal Property Association as a land-holding entity. DALRRD is responsible for the CPA as determined through Communal Property Association Act, 28 of 1996. The Department of Justice, as the custodian of the Trusts in terms of the Trust Property Control Act 57 of 1988, is responsible for the administration and management of Trusts.

(b) DALRRD does not have any figures relating to the total amount of funding that is currently in the Trust account. It should be noted that Trusts are independent legal entities. Trustees had to report to the CPA on its operation but such could not be obtained from the previous CPA committee. The administrators function is to facilitate that such reports are consolidated and made available when meetings are convened and reports tabled to the members of the CPA.

(c) The term of office of the trustees has expired and DALRRD will assist the community with the elections of all structures within Richtersveld, as instructed by the Administration court order of 28 February 2020.

(d) DALRRD does not have that information and will only be known once trustees have reported to CPA members and submitted a report to the Administrator.

(e) Unknown at this stage.

Reply:

1. No. The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development is not a shareholder in the business of Solms Delta.

a) The Department did not put the Solms-Delta farm under business rescue. The shareholders are the ones who resolved to put it under business rescue on 27 July 2017. Ms Timme (first BRP appointed) was subsequently replaced by Tayfin Forensic and Investigative Auditors on 01 November 2018), when the former applied to the high court to place the business under liquidation. In response to Ms Timme’s action, the beneficiaries themselves approached the Department for assistance and intervention. This led to an out of court settlement between, the interested parties, which resulted in the appointment of Tayfin Forensic and Investigative Auditors on 01 November 2018

b) The business rescue practitioners were Price Waterhouse Cooper (PWC), represented by Ms Alison Mary Timme and Tayfin Forensic and Investigative Auditors, represented by Mr Mahier Tayob. The former resigned following the out of court settlement.

c) The amount of R1 120 293.00 was paid to the business rescue practitioners since the farm was placed under business rescue.

2. Yes. If the Business Rescue Practitioner agrees.

(3)(a) The current position of the farm is that the business is operating, even though not at full capacity partly due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

b) The financial situation has not changed much and that is why there is a meeting of stakeholders scheduled for 18 May 2021 to try to resolve the challenges.

Reply:

1(a) Following a reconciliation of all available information, a total of 31 929 grants were paid to clients who did not qualify for these in the period from May to July 2020. The grants were paid as the information available to SASSA at the time excluded databases of COVID relief paid to citizens through other government programmes such as the relief to sportsmen, spaza shop owners and farmers. In addition, SASSA only received the database from correctional services which included information on inmates in correctional facilities later in the process.

(b) A total of R11 175 950 was paid to citizens who did not qualify.

(c) No qualifying beneficiary was not paid as a result of the above incorrect payments.

2(a) All food parcels which were identified as not complying with the standard set for food parcels issued by SASSA were replaced by the relevant service provider.

(b) The distribution of food parcels was monitored by SASSA staff in the provinces, as the food parcels were distributed. SASSA staff were available at all distribution points to confirm the content of the food parcel, that the food parcel was collected by the approved beneficiary and that the invoices for food parcels distributed was received from the relevant service provider.

3. The food parcels were distributed to the approved applicants. Where an approved applicant did not arrive to collect the allocated food parcel, the parcel would be distributed to another approved beneficiary, after following a standard process to cancel the initial application and replace it with another applicant, who met the qualifying criteria.

The processes followed at the time were all manual, as SASSA was operating under Level 5 lockdown restrictions, with minimal staff available for this project.

In conclusion of the project, SASSA undertook a reconciliation process, to ensure that for every food parcel ordered and distributed, there was an approved application form; and that the support provided was captured on our grant system. This has taken a lot longer than initially planned, but has been now been completed.

Reply:

(a) Since the introduction of the Performance Monitoring and Evaluation System in 2010 and subsequent Medium-Term Strategic Framework, the Department has been engaging with universities through enrolment planning on their targets for scarce skills areas.  In the new enrolment planning cycle, the targets for first time entering students into the scarce skills areas of engineering, life and physical sciences, human health, animal health and vet science, and teacher education are indicated in Table 1 below:

TABLE 1: 2020 to 2025 Proposed targets for first time entering students in scarce skills
	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025
Engineering	16 152	16 647	17 085	17 639	18 100	18 317
Life and Physical Science	16 948	17 161	17 584	17 391	17 459	17 614
Human Health	9 796	10 155	10 418	10 838	11 155	11 516
Animal and Veterinary Science	1 116	1 154	1 194	1 209	1 229	1 257
Initial Teacher Education	22 752	22 746	22 788	22 855	22 951	23 380

The targets for all undergraduate enrolments for the scarce skills are in Table 2 below:

TABLE 2: 2020 to 2025 Proposed targets for all undergraduate qualifications in scarce skills
	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025
Engineering	77 062	77 003	77 158	78 916	80 796	83 019
Life and Physical Science	58 267	59 240	60 613	61 218	62 092	62 890
Human Health	47 411	47 488	47 597	49 120	50 406	51 926
Animal and Veterinary Science	5 001	5 208	5 343	5 469	5 592	5 729
Initial Teacher Education	136 272	139 733	142 893	144 791	147 471	150 117

 (b) (i) Universities are funded through Teaching Input Units (TIUs) based on their approved enrolment plans.  If the universities adhere to the agreed upon targets, they will receive their full funding in terms of their approved TIUs.  If they are more than 2% under-enrolled, universities will be penalised financially and if they are more than 2% over-enrolled in their first-time entering enrolments, they will also be penalised due to the impact which over-enrolment has on the sector.

(ii) The above-mentioned strategy is not expected to have a significant impact on the Social and Human Sciences as the enrolment plan targets are also set in terms of the percentage in the Human Sciences (includes Social Sciences).  The targets are reflected in Table 3 below:

Reply:

(1) (a) South Africa fluctuates between being a net exporter or importer of beef. Drought and FMD outbreaks are the major factors that contributes to the direction of beef import or export. The country currently produces 1 081 900 tons and consumes about 1 065, 000 tons of beef per year. It is currently a net exporter of beef, with only 3 000 tons imported in 2019/2020. The country exported 37 000 tons in the same period. South Africa consumes just over 97% of the beef that is produced locally and only about 3% from the imports.

1 (b) From which countries is the beef imported;

In the past 12 months live animals were imported mainly from Botswana & Namibia for feedlots. In that period 383,400 live animals were imported from these countries. Beef cuts that were either frozen or fresh were imported from the following countries:

• Botswana

• Lesotho

• Namibia

• Swaziland

• Australia

• New Zealand

• France

• Germany

• Republic of Ireland

• Spain

• Switzerland

• the United Kingdom

• the USA

• Argentina

• Brazil and

• Uruguay.

2. The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) is implementing Beef Recording and Improvement Schemes including the transformative Kaonofatso Ya Dikgomo scheme, that tracks performance of the individual beef animals farmed in South Africa under stud and commercial farming. The scheme also focuses on getting a beef farmer to be on a continuous improvement path through training and linkages with good markets. DALRRD also strategically included beef farming support on all funding scheme i.e. CASP; Ilema/Letsema; Blended funding and the Jobs Fund. DALRRD is in the advance stage of implementing the Livestock Identification and Traceability system which will help with health control and market access and thus improved productivity and profitability of the sector.

Reply:

(1) Although agriculture was declared as essential service, smallholder production activities were negatively affected in the sector as they struggled to access their fields during initial lockdown period. There were post-harvest losses because of agro-logistics challenges experienced by farmers. Many smallholder farmers experienced loss of income and were also unable to prepare for the next planting season. There were reduced availability and access to extension services particularly during levels 5 and 4 of lockdown. There were other challenges such as:

• Closure of input dealerships and temporary hike in input prices in the first two months of lockdown as well as challenges in travelling to purchase inputs due to movement restrictions during lockdown levels 4 and 5. This included the massive congestion at the Durban port as Cape Town was considered the epicenter of the pandemic from around April to end May/early June 2020
• Lack of transport/slow processing of permits impeded the ability of workers to get to work in the first months of the outbreak of the pandemic and the general misinterpretation of disaster management regulations by law enforcement agencies
• During levels 5 to 3 of lockdown, almost all types of informal markets where smallholder farmers supply their farm produce were closed, including those that trade in cooked / prepared food. Informal food traders were not allowed to operate during the hard lockdown without permit and distribution plans for the perishable foods already harvested); & even when they were eventually allowed to operate, the customer base was significantly reduced.

(2) Yes. The Department provided disaster-specific relief to farmers. The Minister of Agriculture of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development secured funding of R1.2 Billion to assist smallholder farmers during April and May 2020. The fund was able to assist about 14 400 distressed smallholder farmers due to COVID-19 pandemic. A further R1 billion was allocated to the Department from the Presidential Employment Stimulus Initiative (PESI) to assist about 74 626 subsistence farmers who were not considered for the R1.2 Billion COVID-19 Relief. The Department is still implementing the R1 billion PESI intervention through e-vouchers.

Reply:

The request for the extension of the R350 grant has been processed through the relevant structures within government and as soon as guidance has been provided, the Department will be in a position to respond to the public accordingly.

Reply:

a) The major production areas for cotton in South Africa are Kwa-Zulu Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape and North-West Provinces. The 2020/21 cotton crop is just over 80 000 lint bales for April 2021, which is considerably lower compared to the 2019/20 of 134 230 lint bales. This is largely because some cotton farmers have switched to food crops because of relatively good prices and the lateness of the marketing of the previous season’s crop that contributed to a contraction in planted area. In certain production regions, excessive wet and adverse conditions during planting season led to scaling down of number of hectares for cotton. Therefore, the 2020/21 cotton plantings are considerably lower compared to the previous season, which led to lower cotton crop volumes. The table below is an illustration of the status of cotton in the country.

 

Production	2021/21 estimate	2019/20 estimate
Hectares irrigated	5 836	11 543
Hectares dryland	11 122	16 132
Total ha	16 958	27 675
Yield: seed cotton kg per ha
Yield irrigated	4 542	4 393
Yield dryland	1 577	1 206
Total production of 200kg lint bales	80 235	134 230

b) South Africa is known for producing good quality cotton despite many challenges it is facing. It is true that the increase in volumes of imported cotton threatens the viability and sustainability of the cotton industry in South Africa. Government and stakeholders in the cotton sector established the Sustainable Cotton Cluster (SCC) in June 2014 led by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition. The SCC connects the entire cotton value chain under one umbrella: farmers, gins, yarn manufacturers, weavers and knitters, dyers, finishing plants and retailers. In the six years it’s been in operation, cotton production and processing has increased 800% and almost 50,000 jobs have been created or maintained in the cotton sector.

The outbreak of Covid 19 had a negative impact on this good initiative. During the lockdown harvesting and processing continued, but exports were suspended, striking a severe blow to the sector. Since then, export restrictions have been lifted, but global demand for cotton is decreasing and so are global prices. With around 80% of locally produced cotton being exported, this has significant implications for the sector. At the same time, severe financial strain on retailers is adding pressure. One of the main purposes of the SCC is to increase consumption of cotton by local retailers, aiming to increase local procurement from the pre-Covid average of 45% to 63% by 2030. Government is positive that by addressing the challenges, growth could be restored in 2021/22 and beyond.

Reply:

1) The Department of Basic Education has developed a comprehensive plan to provide learners and teachers with digitised content as well as Learning and Teaching Support Materials (LTSMs). Different types of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) gadgets will be provided to learners in the Primary as well as Secondary schools, based on the type of teaching and learning resources that will be installed on these devices.  The department has also developed the Remote Learning Strategy that ensures education continuity during the period imposed by the pandemic.  This includes the Tswelopelo platform for primary school learners, and the zero-rating of education sites.

(2) The Department of Basic Education is working with State Information Technology Agency  (SITA) and National Treasury to put all the necessary procurement processes in place to provide learners and teachers with ICT devices.  The DBE has partnered with the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies to zero-rate over 300 education sites, that provide digital and video content to all learners.  Furthermore, the DBE has developed a comprehensive recovery plan for teaching and learning that includes broadcast through TV OVHD Channel; use of both public and community radio broadcast; and printed materials have been made available and are collected at schools by parents and caregivers to complement all the other efforts by the department.  

Reply:

The definition of indigenous languages in the "Language Policy Framework for Public Higher Education Institutions" (2020) was developed following broad consultations with different language practitioners and stakeholders in the country. In line with the Higher Education Act, the Department relied heavily on the advice from the Council on Higher Education, which made substantive input on the content of the policy, including the list of definitions included in the policy's initial draft. The Department also sought consistency in the use of terms with the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, which uses the term "indigenous languages", to underscore the importance of recognising and developing historically marginalised languages of the people of South Africa.

Alternatively, the policy framework could have used the terminology "indigenous African languages" as commonly used in literature. However, this expression could easily have been construed as excluding Afrikaans as it emphasizes the "Bantu" origins of the languages and their wide usage by the native population. The definition of the term "indigenous languages" in the policy is used purely to highlight the historical marginalisation of African languages as a result of both colonial and apartheid legacies, and the need to develop these languages for scholarly ends.

The policy framework does not in any way exclude or disadvantage Afrikaans or any other South African language, for that matter, as the need to develop all official South African languages other than English is well articulated in the policy, and in fact is, its underlying motive. The main objective of the policy is not to argue or settle the debate around the issue of indigeneity or otherwise of languages, but rather to highlight the fact of historical marginalisation of African languages in academia and propose ways and mechanisms in which this historical injustice could be corrected.

In terms of the Khoi language, the definition includes the following “an indigenous language is a language that is native to a region or country and spoken by indigenous people”. It, therefore, includes the Khoi language family.

These definitions should be read in the context of the policy and its aims. The policy aims “to contribute to transformation in higher education with specific reference to universities through enhancing the status and roles of previously marginalised South African languages to foster institutional inclusivity and social cohesion”. This policy does in no way, imply that Afrikaans must be removed/or not further developed. It simply aims to achieve the aspirations of Section 29(2) of the Constitution by making sure that all previously marginalised languages enjoy parity of esteem and that language is not an obstacle to access for all South Africans.

As indicated above, the Policy Framework does not exclude Afrikaans and San languages as indigenous languages. The definition adopted in the Policy when read correctly within the broader context of the framework is meant to highlight the colonial and apartheid history of the exclusion of indigenous African languages or simply indigenous languages of Bantu origin. At no point is the Policy intended to settle the debate of the indigeneity or otherwise of Afrikaans or any other language.  

Reply:

(1) To assess the real impact of the proposed Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system budget cuts, it is important that the earmarked budget provided by National Treasury for the purpose of implementing the TVET Post Provisioning Norms (PPN) be excluded from the baseline increase, as it is actually being subsidised through a baseline reduction from the TVET Direct Transfers (subsidies). The PPN allocation is, therefore in real terms not a baseline increase, as the TVET sector and public TVET colleges will receive no additional funding for this purpose in particular.

The following table reflects in real terms the proposed budget reduction for the TVET sector over the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), which excludes the PPN:

Budget	2021/22 R'000	2022/23 R'000	2023/24 R'000	Total R'000
TVET Compensation of Employees (CoE) budget cut	(908,399)	(1,206,281)	(951,175)	(3,065,855)
TVET subsidy budget cut	(100,000)	(100,000)	(100,478)	(300,478)
Sub-Total	(1,008,399)	(1,306,281)	(1,051,653)	(3,366,333)
TVET operationalisation of new campuses budget cut	(16,664)	(22,136)	(31,648)	(70,448)
TVET Infrastructure and Efficiency Grant budget cut	(204,282)	(265,613)	(458,610)	(928,505)
Total	(1,229,345)	(1,594,030)	(1,541,912)	(4,365,287)
Impact on student enrolments: TVET CoE and subsidies
Budget reduction %	-8.39%	-10.47%	-8.60%	-9.17%
Annual Performance Plan Targets
Headcount enrolments in TVET colleges (State funded)	505 770
TVET enrolment reduction	(42 419)	(52 978)	(43 492)	(138 889)

As can be noted from the above table, the budget for the rest of the MTEF has been reduced by R3.3 billion affecting the TVET Compensation of Employees (CoE) and TVET Direct Transfers (subsidies), which translates to a reduction of student headcount enrolments by approximately 138 889 over the MTEF period. 

(2)   For many young people, attending a TVET college secures them with the skills and opportunities for employment in industries and businesses, and for some to venture into self-employment. A reduced budget will restrict access to TVET colleges for many students who come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, thereby exacerbating the challenges of escaping the generational trap of poverty.

(3)  The Department has been supporting TVET colleges in developing strategies to overcome the difficulties faced by the contracting budget:

-     The Department has identified the need for TVET colleges to expand access by developing partnerships with both private and public sector enterprises, and has incorporated this as a performance target for colleges to achieve. Colleges with partnerships have been able to increase their enrolments despite facing constrained budgets.

-     The Department has encouraged colleges to initiate online learning as a platform of learning that can be accessed by a larger number of individuals that do not require to be physically at the college.

-     In line with this and in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, computers will be disbursed to TVET students thereby enabling the digital revolution for expanded blended and online learning.

All these innovations will boost the quality and quantity of competency achieved by young people attending TVET colleges.

Reply:

1. Yes, the Department can sustain the social assistance budget of R190 billion. This allocation is made in terms of the Social Assistance Act (Act 13 of 2004),which mandates government to provide social assistance to specified categories of vulnerable people, including children, the elderly above the age of 60 years and persons with disabilities. All the social grants are means tested, with the exception of the foster child grant, to ensure that only the most vulnerable are able to access it. Over the past 20 years, the budget has been kept constant at around 3% of the national gross domestic product (GDP), thus staying more or less in line with the economic performance of the country.

2. Yes, the Department is considering a more comprehensive social security system, which will create a three-pillar system comprising social grants, contributory social insurance and voluntary insurance to ensure that those who are able to contribute towards their own social security provision are provided with appropriate institutional platforms to participate in social security cover. The policy makes extensive proposals for ensuring that all working people in the country, both in the formal sector and those in atypical forms of employment are mandated or encouraged to make contributions during their working years, so that they will have adequate income in the event of retirement, death or disability. These policy proposals will be the subject of wide stakeholder consultations during this financial year.

Reply:

1. (a) and (b)The member completed similar courses in Cuba in 1983.

(c) and (i)On a parade officiated by erstwhile C J Ops on 24 March 2006, the member was awarded honorary Special Force (SpecF) insignia; and again on a parade hosted by then Officer Commanding 44 Parachute Regiment on 05 September 2016, he was awarded honorary Dispatcher wings.

(ii) SpecF operations is a top secret matter.

(iii) Only operators currently executing SpecF tasks are required to maintain a jump log, it is not applicable to the member being enquired on.

Reply:

With reference to her reply to question 696 and question 697 on 23 March 2021, (a) on what date did the specified SA Social Security Agency (SASSA)-led investigations commence

On 9 July 2020, SASSA received the findings from the Auditor General containing 20797 exceptions relating to the Covid-19 SRD grant. These exceptions included 216 government employees (PERSAL registered) who received the special COVID 19 SRD grant for the month of May 2020.

On 16 July 2020, SASSA received additional findings from the Auditor General containing 11845 exceptions of which 25 related to government employees (PERSAL registered) who received the special COVID 19 SRD grant for the month of May 2020.

Thus the total number of government employees who were flagged by the Auditor General is 241.

On 7 August 2020 SASSA received additional findings from the Auditor General containing 1513 exceptions consisting of company directors whose companies had received payment for government contracts. It is important to highlight that SASSA did not have access to the databases that the Auditor General used to identify the exceptions.

SASSA’s Project Management Office, upon consideration of the reports of the Auditor General and in consultation with management immediately suspended payments to certain categories of Covid 19 SRD grant beneficiaries. Among those that were immediately suspended were payments to the implicated government employees and the 1513 company directors.

As a result of the suspension of the payments, the implicated government employees each received R350 for May 2020 and no more.

SASSA engaged the Auditor General on the exceptions/findings with particular focus on some of the discrepancies. For instance, of the sample records tested from the findings provided by AGSA for instance the Grants it was noted that the applicants did not receive any grants in April 2020 – they only received grant payments from May 2020 and thus qualified to receive the R350 in May 2020. This was confirmed during a walkthrough with the AGSA on the system in terms of two records which AGSA themselves had chosen for verification and validation.

SASSA placed a focus on the 1513 company directors and the 241 government employees who received the Covid-19 SRD grant for further investigation.

SASSA has since written to the Departments where the implicated officials are employed so that disciplinary action can be taken including recovering the monies that were paid. Most of the implicated government employees work for the Department of Education (75), Department of Health (71) and the Department of Transport (45), with the remaining 50 officials spread across 16 departments.

The investigation into company directors who benefitted from the Covid funds was referred to the Fusion Centre that consists of various law enforcement bodies for further processing.

(b) what number of the specified investigations (i) have actually been resolved and (ii) are still outstanding

Please note that none of the investigations have been finalised. The Fusion Centre is still conducting the investigation into the company directors. Regarding, public servants, SASSA is engaging the relevant departments to ensure that the monies are recovered.

(c) who specifically at SASSA is conducting the investigations

The investigations at SASSA Head Office are conducted by 2 Fraud managers, 2 assistant managers and 1 specialist.

(d) what number of people at SASSA are currently responsible for conducting the investigations

The Fraud Management department at Head Office has 5 investigators, two of which are managers (level 12), 2 are assistant managers (level 10) and 1 level 8 specialist.

The post of General Manager: Fraud Management has been vacant for more than 5 years. However, this position has been advertised and a new GM: Fraud Manager has been appointed and expected to start duty as of 01 June 2021. The Fraud Management department does not have senior managers. In the interim the General Manager: Information Management has been assisting in managing the Department in addition to his normal functions.

This team is responsible for conducting all the investigations that emanate from Head Office or are cross-cutting, including SASSA card related fraud, general administration including supply chain matters, and the special Covid 19 SRD grant related matters.

(e) how are the investigations being conducted?

Due to shortage of staff, the SASSA fraud team relies primarily on data analytics in conducting its investigations. In addition the Fraud Management team works with law enforcement agencies, other state institutions and banking industry partners. Where possible the team also conducts field visits as part of the investigations.

It should be noted that the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) is also conducting investigations emanating from the presidential proclamations numbers R.37 of 2019 and R. 23 of 2020.

In addition, in February 2021 SASSA requested the Special Investigating Unit to assist the Agency with forensic specialists to conduct complex investigations.

Reply:

(1) (a) Project THUSANO has not been extended to operational matters in the SANDF, only the basic maintenance and utilisation at technical level information was exchanged with SANDF members in order to ensure proper servicing of equipment developed together with the Cubans as part of skills transfer.

(1) (b) (i) and (ii) Project THUSANO activities are beneficial to the SANDF as its internal capability is being built. The SANDF dependency on industry for maintenance and repair will be reduced. The cost of training will be drastically reduced, including improving shooting capability in simulation of different types of combat arenas which may be encountered, thereby, reducing the need for physical travel of trainees and the concomitant costs.

(2) Project THUSANO was analysed and compared with SANDF and best international techniques and proved to be the cheapest and cost-effective way of reducing costs of maintenance and repair, as well as acquiring skills through imparting technical knowledge to SA Army artisans.

(3) (a) According to Contract TI 17-001 South Africa Annexure 6 signed in October 2018, the total cost is US$ 5,975,545.00 (ZAR 86,645,402.50) based on a rand-dollar exchange rate of R14,50:US$1.

(3) (b) Economic pressures and budget reductions require innovative and creative approaches as the funds to outsource maintenance and repair are limited. Building internal capability is one of the initiatives intended to manage the limited budget and/or budgetary constraints. The skills could have been acquired very expensive if these members were sent to private institution for training and skills development.

Reply:

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) is providing financial support to the Harry Gwala District Municipality in order to address water supply challenges. The support provided through the Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant (RBIG) and Water Services Infrastructure Grant (WSIG) is as indicated below:

a) The DWS is funding the implementation of the Greater Bulwer Bulk Water Project through RBIG. The project will supply water potable water to 23 729 households living within the Doctor Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and Ubuhlebezwe Local Municipalities. The project is being implemented by the Harry Gwala District Municipality. The estimated project cost is R556 363 974. To date, the Department has transferred R352 973 445 to the municipality for implementation of the project.

b) Since the introduction of the WSIG in the 2016/17 financial year up to the 2020/21 financial year, the Department has transferred R384 518 000 to the municipality for implementation of various water and sanitation projects. The municipality has implemented the following projects funded through WSIG:

Name of project	Local municipality	Villages benefitting	Project status
Hlokozi Water Supply Phase 4	Ubuhlebezwe	Kwa-Bhengu, Nhlangwini, Sigcakini and Ngcikica	Completed
Nokweja/Mashumi Water Supply Scheme Upgrade Phases 1 and 2	Ubuhlebezwe	Nokweja, Mashumi, Webbstown, St Allois, Plainhill, Kwa Dladla, Nkoneni, Ngongoneni, Mazabekweni, Madungeni, Ntambama, Mdabu, Magaba and Bovini	Completed
KwaSpheni Water Supply Scheme	Ingwe	KwaSpheni, Maxhini, Maphempeni and Sokhela	Completed
Mqatsheni Stepmore Water Supply	Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma	Mqatsheni and Stepmore	Completed
Ndawana Water Resource Upgrade	Umzimkhulu	Ndawana	Completed
Water Supply for Identified Villages under Umzimkhulu Jurisdiction	Umzimkhulu	Ngujini, Sdadeni/Nguse, Gujendlini, KwaSenti 02, Chancele, Pholanyoni, Thonjeni, Tsaule/Mbomvini, Ngwagwane and Gaybrook	Completed
Umzimkhulu Sanitation	Umzimkhulu	Ndawana, Nyanisweni, Bonvini, Nsikeni, Dumanomoeh, Nazareth, Ngwinjini, Chancele, KwaJames, Rhauka, Mfundweni, KwaTshaka, Bombo, KwaDay, St Barnabas, Madakeni, Gijima and Mahobe	Completed
Capital Infrastructure Refurbishment/Updgrade in Kokstad: (Kokstad CRU Development)	Kokstad	CRU Developments	Completed
Capital Infrastructure Refurbishment Upgrade in Kokstad: Upgrade of CBD Pipeline	Kokstad	CBD Upgrade	Completed
Capital Infrastructure Refurbishment Upgrade in Kokstad: Upgrade of Mamiesa Developments	Kokstad	Mamiesa Developments	Completed
Capital Infrastructure Refurbishment Upgrade	Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma	Bulwer, Donnybrook, Kwezela, Nkumba	Completed
Capital Infrastructure Refurbishment Upgrade in Ubuhlebezwe: Upgrade of Jolivet Water Supply	Ubuhlebezwe	Jolivet	Completed
Mariathal, Mandilini and Esperance Water Supply Project Phase 4	Ubuhlebezwe	Mariathal, Mandilini and Esperance	Under construction
Capital Infrastructure Refurbishment Upgrade	Umzimkhulu	Riverside	Under construction
Capital Infrastructure Refurbishment Upgrade - Upgrade of Mhlabashana Water Supply	Ubuhlebezwe	Mhlabashana	Under construction
Universal Rural Sanitation coverage	Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Kokstad and Ubuhlebezwe	Construction of 1000 VIP toilets scattered in the following wards for Kokstad (6,2,3 & 4) & 1000 VIP toilets scattered in the following wards for Dr Nkosazane Dlamini-Zuma (1,4,6,12&14)	Under construction
Nokweja-Mashumi Water Supply scheme Phase 3	Ubuhlebezwe	Mbambalala and Mgodi	Under construction
Water Supply to Masimini Mbuzweni Villages Intervention Schemes	Umzimkhulu	Ndawana, Masameni, Mnyembe, Gudlintaba	Under construction
Water Supply to Masimini and Mbuzweni	Umzimkhulu	Ndawana, Masameni, Mnyembe, Gudlintaba	Under construction
Villages Intervention Schemes
Marriaskop Water Supply Intervention Schemes	Greater Kokstad	Marriaskop	Under construction
Refurbishment/ Augmentation of water supply schemes	Dr Nkosazane Dlamini Zuma	Mabedlane, Tarr's Valley, Goxhill, Kwa-Bhobhi, Sandanezwe	Under construction
Refurbishment/ Augmentation of Springvale water supply	Ubuhlebezwe	Springvale	Under construction
Refurbishment/ Augmentation of Ebhayi/ Gudlucingo Water Supply	Ubuhlebezwe	Ntapha, Gudlucingo, Chibini, Ngomakazi, Bhethani, Ebhayi, Thathani	Tender stage

The 2021 WSIG Medium Term Expenditure Framework allocations to the Harry Gwala Municipality for the completion of projects under planning and implementation respectively are as follows:

Financial Year	Amount
2021/22	R 90 700 000
2022/23	R 95 000 000
2023/24	R100 000 000
TOTAL	R285 700 000

 

c) A Directive has been issued to the Umgeni Water Board to commence with the planning and implementation of the Stephen Dlamini Dam to provide a long term sustainable water source for the Greater Bulwer Project.

Reply:

(a) Bojanala House

90 Protea Road, Cnr Impala and Protea,

City of Johannesburg,

Sandton,

2196

Gauteng Province

b) (i) Zoning - Business 4 Offices as per Town Planning Regulations

(ii) Extent of property is 5 345.00 m². Gross building area including ground floor, first floor, basement, covered patios, balconies, guardhouse and refuse area is 6 025.00 m².

c) The building is owned by the South African Tourism Board.

Reply:

(a) The construction of the De Hoop Dam, Phase 2A, is complete and the dam is currently operational. With regard to Phase 2C, a steel pipeline from the De Hoop Dam to Steelpoort was completed and is also operational. The dam currently delivers raw water to Sekhukhune District Municipality through the water treatment plant at Ga-Malekana (Steel Bridge) and Steelpoort. It is the responsibility of the local authority to treat the water and arrange for its reticulation to communities.

Notwithstanding, it is critical to complete the remaining phases for the dam to be utilised optimally. The remaining phases and status are indicated below:

• Phase 2B – Pipeline Flag Boshielo Dam to Mokopane, design complete, construction to commence once funding is available.

• Phase 2D – New pipeline from Steelpoort to Mooihoek and Balancing Dam, pipeline design has been completed and final work packages for tender purposes was submitted to the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) and are under review. The project is ready to commence with the construction stage pending confirmation of funding required for the entire project. In addition, delays in the finalisation of the acquisition of land may adversely impact the progress with the construction programme due to the required relocations/ resettlements.

• Phase 2E – 10 km gravity pipeline from Mooihoek to Havercroft Junction, tender design stage. This phase is currently on hold due to no funding being allocated.

• Phase 2F – 46 km gravity pipeline from Havercroft Junction to the existing Olifantspoort WTW, tender design stage. This phase is currently on hold due to no funding being allocated.

(c) The design and construction of the De Hoop Dam meets the requirements in terms of Chapter 12 of the National Water Act 36,1998 (Act No. 36 of 1998). The dam was developed under the auspices of an Approved Professional Person.

(d) Delays in completing the project cannot be attributed to specific officials, therefore, no officials of the department are being held to account in this regard.

Reply:

I wish to indicate to the Honourable Member that the names of contractors or service providers involved in the provision of the services indicated in the reply have been concealed because the document titled “Guide to Parliamentary Questions in the National Assembly” prohibits Members of Parliament, including the Executive, from providing names of individuals or companies in parliamentary questions. The document referred to states that:

“Questions are to be framed as concisely as possible. All unnecessary adjectives, references and quotations are omitted. Names of persons, bodies and, for example, newspapers are only used in questions if the facts surrounding the case have been proven. As the mere mention of such names could be construed as publicity for or against them, it should be clear that this practice is highly undesirable. If a question will be unintelligible without mentioning such names, the Departments concerned are notified of the name (-s) and this phrase is used: ".......a certain person (name furnished)”.

The information provided in the table below relates to service providers that provided quotations for Personal Protective Equipment:

SUPPLIERS	QUOTED PRICE	TOTAL POINTS SCORED(PRICE & B-BBEE)
	R675 700.00	100 points
	R800 800.00	64.18 points
	R1 249 500.00	32.06 points
	R11 600 200.00	-1193.42 points

The information provided below relates to service providers that conducted screening of employees and visitors in the Department of Human Settlements:

SUPPLIERS	QUOTED PRICE	TOTAL POINTS SCORED(PRICE & B-BBEE)
	R 345 000.00	100 points
	R 388 000.00	90.02 points
	R 465 000.00	72.17 points
	R 562 650.00	49.53 points
	R 661 200.00	26.67 points
	R 1 884 000.00	-256.86 points

Quotations received from service providers for the provision of fumigation services is provided in the table below:

SUPPLIERS	QUOTED PRICE	TOTAL POINTS SCORED(PRICE & B-BBEE)
	R 242 213.00	80 points
	R 447 803.26	points

Quotations received from contractors for deep cleaning and sanitizing of buildings in the Department of Human Settlements:

SUPPLIERS	QUOTED PRICE	TOTAL POINTS SCORED(PRICE & B-BBEE)
	R467 386.20	100 points
	R498 291.00	points
	R 733 500.00	points
	R174 464.00	80 points
	R411 298.88	-8.60 points
	R476 504.80	-58.50 points
	R879 896.50	-243.47 points

 

Reply:

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), as the water sector leader is required to ensure compliance with minimum water quality norms and standards as well as the efficient use of water in its pursuit to strengthen the regulation of the water sector. However, the maintenance of Waste Water Treatment Works (WWTW) is the responsibility of Water Service Authorities (municipalities) and DWS plays a regulatory role. 

In accordance with the above, the Department is aware of the state of the Waste Water Treatment Works (WWTW) in the Naledi Local Municipality in the North West. The Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mopati District Municipality is the water service authority while Naledi Local Municipality is the water service provider. I am informed that Service level agreement disputes between the two municipalities have resulted in a breakdown of services to the community. 

Contractors are appointed by Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mopati District to operate and maintain the Vryburg WWTW on a short term basis which contributes to the plant payment disputes between the municipalities and the service provider. In addition, the capacity of the plant is also inadequate for the increased sewer requirements. Therefore, there are spillages from the sewer pipelines and partially treated and untreated sewer spillages from the plant. 

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) issued a Directive in terms of Sections 19(3) and 53(1) of the National Water Act, 1998 (Act No 36 of 1998) to the DRSM DM addressing both the Vryburg WWTW and the Farm Rosendale 673 pollution in October 2018. There were some improvements in infrastructure and operation and maintenance of the WWTW thereafter, as the municipality implemented corrective measures. 

However, there were recurring sewer spillages and the DWS took legal action against the municipality. A court order was granted on 18 September 2020 against the DRSM DM by the High Court of South Africa (North West Division) for the municipality to take all necessary steps to ensure that raw sewage is not discharged. The following were long term interventions that were part of the action plan to remedy the situation: 

• The Naledi Local Municipality recommended construction of a new WWTW as the existing plant was originally designed for 4.8 ML/d but the daily flow had reached 8-9 Ml/day overtime 

• The DWS recommended an amount of R314 410 500 towards the upgrade and development of a new 16Ml/d WWTW in Vryburg to be funded through the Municipal Infrastructure Grant and issued a water use license to the facility. 

• The DWS also provided R5.2 million to the Municipality through the Water Services Infrastructure Grant (WSIG) for the refurbishment of the pump station, the sewer network and refurbishment of the Sludge handling facilities.

The DWS conducted inspections during May 2021 and found that the situation has not improved despite the undertakings in the Action Plan submitted by the municipality. Given the non-compliance to the Directive and the court order, the department will proceed with additional legal action to ensure that the municipality implements corrective action. 

 

Reply:

According to information received from the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Department of Human Settlements and Msunduzi Local Municipality;

(i) & (ii) The HSDG funding has been received and allocated

(iii) In the aftermath of a fire that broke out in the Jika Joe Informal Settlement, the Msunduzi Local Municipality requested the assistance of the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Department of Human Settlements to appoint a service provider to supply building materials for the 174 households that were affected by the fire.

An amount of R1 510 416.00 was spent to supply building materials for the 174 households that were affected by the fire.

Reply:

(1)(a) and (d) The Member is kindly referred to the Annual Performance Plan for 2021/22-2023/24 that was tabled on 25 March 2021 (ATC no 43 of 2021) as well as the Presentation of 4 May 2021 to the Portfolio Committee on Tourism. Details of projects are reflected in the above-mentioned documents. As the member knows infrastructure projects will be implemented through the Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA) and they are currently in the planning phase.

(b) The skills projects are in an advanced procurement process. No budget can be disclosed until finalisation of such processes which include competitive bidding and price negotiations in some cases, as it will compromise the requisite competitiveness and could influence market prices. The member’s attention is drawn to slide 65 of the above-mentioned presentation where the overall budget for EPWP projects is reflected under Working for Tourism. This budget is also reflected in the Estimates of National Expenditure (ENE) page 779 as tabled by the Minister of Finance on 24 February 2021.

(c) No projects, are yet concluded for this Financial Year, thus the final number of persons employed/ gaining experiential work experience is not yet available. Slide 40 of the abovementioned presentation give an indication of the number of people that are targeted for the Work Opportunities of Infrastructure Projects and the target numbers for the Capacity Building projects are indicated in the presentation (Food Safety Programme, Chefs- Professional cookery, Wine Service Training Programme (Sommelier), Hospitality Youth Programme (HYP), Data Collectors and Tourism Safety Monitors)

(2) The participants in these projects are provided with accredited and non-accredited training and in some projects full accredited qualifications.

Reply:

(1) Details requested entail the SANDF’s tactical employment of strategic assets, any information so required may only be disclosed in a closed session.

(2) The Automated Shooting Range (ASR) system will benefit the SANDF as it is intended to improve its members’ shooting skills and combat effectiveness with limited ammunition and the simulation of different combat scenarios in the midst of the dwindling budget allocation.

(3) The ASR was specifically designed for the SANDF; the Department is not aware of a similar capability within the local defence industry.

(4) The system was benchmarked and requested at a bi-lateral (Cuba/RSA) level, thereby no tender process was followed.

Reply:

HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

The Department has not concluded any work exchange and/or employment agreements with any entity of the Republic of Cuba from the 2010/11 financial year up to the 2020/21 financial year.

SCIENCE AND INNOVATION

(1) (a) South Africa and the Republic of Cuba signed a science and technology agreement in 2001 to promote development cooperation in S&T by means of exchanging scientists, research workers, specialists and scholars and exchange of scientific and technological information. However, the department has not employed any Cuban nationals and it is not due to employ any in the 2021-23 Medium Term Expenditure Framework period.

(b) There are no Cuban nations to be employed in the department, therefore there are no details of work to be carried out.

(c) There are no details for specific skills sets possessed by Cuban nationals to be communicated as there are no Cuban nationals employed/to be employed in the department.

(d) Details of the costs of employing Cuban nationals are not available as there are no Cuban nationals employed in the department.

2 (a) Despite having a bilateral agreement with the Republic of Cuba, the department has had no plans to employ Cuban nationals, and as such has not taken any steps to ensure that any specific skill set was not available amongst South African citizens.

(b) As no Cubans with specific skills set were employed by the department, the department has not taken any steps to ensure the specific skills set of the Cuban nationals were available in the Republic amongst South African citizens.

Some contextual issues

Following South Africa’s democratic transition, South Africa and Cuba established formal diplomatic relations on 15 May 1994 and opened resident Embassies in Pretoria (1994) and Havana (1995), respectively. Cuba has since become an established strategic partner for South Africa in the Latin American region. This led to the signing of an agreement on Scientific and Technological cooperation between the countries in 2001.

Reply:

a) The Department will be undertaking work at the Tisani Cutural village situated in Ga-Tisani village, Makhuduthamaqa Local Municipality in the Sekhukhune District Municipality. The Department of Tourism has appointed the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) as the implementing agent to construction or complete the following: 10 chalets, 10 braai areas, conference facility, new entrance gate, swimming pool with ablution facility, cultural village with museum, furniture, security fence and landscaping.

b) Employment opportunities will be provided during the implementation of the project. The workers will mainly be from the villages of Tisani, Sekwati, Magukubu and Ga-Phaahla.

Non-accredited and accredited training will be also be provided during construction stage. After completion the project will be operational to create permanent jobs for local people.

Reply:

a) The word “survey” was used to refer to public comments received by the Department following the gazetting of Schedule II of the Electricity Regulation Act (ERA) in relation to the threshold for embedded generation licencing.

b) The comments were received through the post and email.

c) There were no questions as comments were on the gazette notice.

d) (i) Over 15000 comments were received.

(aa) Majority is in support of the 10MW threshold.

(bb) The remainder is split between those who disagree completely with embedded generation and those who prefer a higher threshold.

Reply:

Yes, every regulation issued in terms of section 134 of the Correctional Services Act, Act 111 of 1998 as amended was referred to the relevant parliamentary committees as required by section 134(5). The 2004 regulations (promulgated in government gazette 26626 dated 30 July 2004) and 2012 regulations (promulgated in government gazette (35277 dated 25 April 2012) are the only regulations issued and there have been no amendments since 2012.

(a) Not applicable.

(b) Not applicable.

END.

Reply:

1. Permission to access to Correctional Centres is permitted under section 99 of the Correctional Services Act, 111 of 1998. This section must be read together with Section 123 which relates to prohibited publication. The Department has a gang combating strategy in place to deal with gangsterism in our facilities.

In the case of the mentioned documentary, permission was granted during 2019 for filming of the documentary at the Brandvlei Correctional Centre, filming then commenced in January 2020.

2. Yes, It is also common practice for the Department to provide qualified Employee Assistance Practitioners (EAP) to officials. Group awareness and therapy programmes are regularly presented to correctional officials. Individual consultations are also arranged for officials who are either referred to the EAP for debriefing or through voluntary personal requests. In the event that further assistance and intervention is required, the cases are referred to external practitioners.

END.

Reply:

1. The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DoJ&CD) has never concluded any agreement with the Republic of Cuba or any entity in Cuba for work exchange and/or employment during the period from the 2010-11 financial year up to the 2020-21 financial year.

The DoJ&CD is currently negotiating an Extradition and Mutual Legal Assistance agreements with Cuba. These agreements have not yet entered into force and are not linked to any work exchange programme and/or employment between the two countries.

The position is that the DoJ&CD does not currently have any plans to conclude work exchange programme and/or employment with any entity of the Republic of Cuba.

Neither the Department of Correctional Services concluded any work exchange or employment agreements with any entity of the Republic of Cuba since 2010/11 financial year up to 2020/ 21 financial year.

(a) Not applicable

(i) Not applicable

(ii) Not applicable

(b) Not applicable

(c) Not applicable

(d) Not applicable

2. Not applicable

(a) Not applicable

(b) Not applicable

END.

Reply:

(1) Shiva Uranium has been issued with three mining rights, and they are all valid

(2) This matter is still before the Business Rescue Practitioner (BRP) and is yet to be finalised. The Department does not get to be involved in the process of appointing the potential buyers, it is only once purchase has been concluded wherein an application to transfer ownership would be made in accordance with the provision of section 11 of the MPRDA. At this stage, such application has not been brought for our attention as the BRP’s process is not yet concluded.

(3) (a) Please see (2) above

(b) Please see (2) above

(c) The date cannot be confirmed as the rescue process is still underway

(4) (a) The Department is of the view that the issue of communicating with previous employees of the mine remains to be the responsibility of the BRP as they are assuming the responsibility of the right holder (b) 31 May 2021

(5)(a) There is financial provision to the value of R61 424 275.00 that has been deposited into Rehabilitation Trust (Cash Deposit) held by the Department.

(b) The environmental liability that was determined by the independent environmental assessor (before the mine went through the BRP’s process) was estimated at R101 018 658. 57, the mine was further directed to address the shortfall of R39 594 383.57, which is still pending.

(c) The shortfall of financial provision has be discussed with the Business Rescue Practitioner in the sense that the potential buyer will be required to demonstrate that they have financial capacity to address the required financial provision before section 11 application is finalised.

 

Reply:

a) The DMRE has no Inter-Governmental Agreements with Cuba.

b) N/A

c) (i) N/A, (ii) N/A

Reply:

1. No, the Department of Correctional Services has not yet embarked on the 2021/22 Learnership Programme. The enrolment will be determined by the human resource needs and the availability of funds. The absorption of learners who have completed their learnership is not a determining factor for the enrolment of the next group of learners on the programme. The aim of the programme is to provide training and skills development opportunities to the youth preparing them for the labour market.

(1)(a) None

(1)(b) Not applicable

2. No, the learnership programme is a 12 month development programme and not an employment contract, in the case of group 1 of 2019/20 the contract was extended as the programme was suspended for two months during the lockdown levels 5 and 4. The programme came to an end on 31 December 2020.

3. Yes, their contract appointment on the PERSAL system is created in such a way that, when the contract end date is reached, the learner is automatically removed from the PERSAL system enabling them to pursue alternative employment.

END

Reply:

Section 16 for prospecting right and 22 for mining right read with Regulation 5 and 10 of the MPRDA outlines granting criteria for such rights.

Reply:

The South African Police Service (SAPS), is not in a position to provide the information on the granting of protection orders. This is a court process and falls within the mandate of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development.

The number of protection orders, which were violated, in 2019/2020, per province, is reflected in the table below:

Province	Number per Province
Eastern Cape	28
Free State	11
Gauteng	22
KwaZulu-Natal	22
Limpopo	12
Mpumalanga	5
Northern Cape	5
North West	33 45
Western Cape
Total	183

Reply to question 1824 recommended

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

Reply to question 1624 approved/not approved

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

Reply:

1. No, the Department is not responsible for the licensing of power generation, that is the function of Nersa. Nersa was consulted and they have confirmed that they have not received any licence application from DNG Energy for its proposed Khensani Gas to Power Plant in Komatipoort.
2. See (a) above.

Reply:

(1)       What was the total number of unplaced learners (a) of each grade and (b) in each province (i) when schools re-opened on 15 February 2021 and (ii) on the latest date for which information is available; 

Response:

Kindly refer to the attached consolidated table as provided by provinces.

(2)       whether each province removes a learner from the list of unplaced learners once the learner has been offered a place and/or once a place has been accepted by the learner’s parent;

Response:

Learners are removed from the list of unplaced learners as and when placement is confirmed.

(3)       what is the total number of learners who have been removed from the list of unplaced learners in each province without parents having accepted any of the places that were offered? 

Response:

There are no learners removed from the list of unplaced learners without the consent  of the parents. They are only removed when placement is made and confirmed by parents.                                                                  

Reply:

(a) and (b) As the Minister of Basic Education, I do not know who was responsible for issuing the specified contracts, and what steps will be taken by the Gauteng Administration in that regard.  Matters of procurement in all the 9 Provincial Education Departments (PEDs), are processed and finalised by the respective PEDs; and the national Department of Education (DBE) has no jurisdiction over any of the PEDs on such matters.  PEDs, similar to the DBE, have an obligation in terms of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), Treasury Regulations, Treasury Instruction Notes, Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act (PPPFA) and PPPFA Regulations, to follow due process when procuring goods and services. 

Reply:

a) Independent Trustees were appointed by the Master of the High Court Cape Town in 2018 and letters of authority were issued for these Trustees to finalise the verification of members of the Ndabeni Community Trust in collaboration with the Office of the Regional Land Claims Commission: Western Cape. The Trustees are assisted by a committee of six representatives appointed from the community and regular meetings are held by the parties to resolve all the outstanding issues.

b) We are unable to confirm the date envisaged for the claimants to have full use and benefit of the land as yet because negotiations with the City of Cape Town, the Commission, the Department and representatives of the unlawful occupiers are still on going.

END

Reply:

a) The loan from the International Monetary Fundf (IMF) was a Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI) facility, which was a temporary arrangement by the IMF for its member countries in response to the Covid outbreak. It is a loan that provides rapid and low-access (including low-interest) financial assistance to member countries facing an urgent balance of payments need, without having to agree to a full-fledged IMF structural adjustment program. It provides support to meet a broad range of urgent needs, including those arising from commodity price shocks, natural disasters, conflict and post-conflict situations, and emergencies resulting from fragility. South Africa applied for the loan in the context of an unprecedented fall in government revenues, coupled with a spike in borrowing costs in the market. The loan was for the following purposes:

• 1. Implement a counter-cyclical fiscal policy, by avoiding a dramatic and damaging reduction in government spending in response to an unprecedent fall in tax revenues as a result of the CoVid-induced economic crisis; and
• 2. Finance a sizeable potion of the Covid relief package announced by the President on 21 April 2020 and implemented in the Special Adjustments Budget of 24 June 2020. At the time, this loan financed was estimated to finance between R70 billion and R75 billion of the overall fiscal relief package overall.

The loan supported the spending plans in the 2020 Special Adjustments Budget of 24 June 2020, along with other sources of borrowing. At the time of the Special Adjustments Budget, the total planned borrowings amounted to R776.9 billion. This was revised substantially down to R670.3 billion at the time of the 2021 Budget, with the IMF loan being around R75 billion of this. South Africa will repay the loan over a maximum 5-year period as stipulated in the Letter of Intent (LOI).

b) The loan is part of the overall pool of government borrowings and all the financing instruments that are accessed by government are used to finance spending appropriated by Parliament. At the time of finalizing the RFI arrangement with the IMF, there was no credible information internationally on a widely-available vaccine, and this was not the intended purpose of the loan. Following the development of a vaccine, government has made allocations for a full-vaccination programme over the MTEF. The spending ceiling was lifted in 2021/22 mainly for the vaccine, meaning that borrowings are in part directed towards the vaccine.

c) The loan was given with the broad understanding that it would assist with mitigating the effects of the economic crisis, and did not require earmarking of the funds towards specific spending items. The loan was not subject to conditionalities that compromised fiscal sovereignty. However, as outlined in the Letter of Intent (LOI) signed by the Minister of Finance and the Governor of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB), government is obligated to provide broad spending reports to the IMF in line with the requirements of the PFMA. The National Treasury has published spending reports on the 2020 Special Adjustments Budget in terms of section 32 of the PFMA, and provided an update on the spending against this package in the Budget Review published on 24 February 2021.

Reply:

(1) It is not yet necessary for the Department of Basic Education (DBE) to take any steps against the Principal until the Gauteng Department of Education, through its relevant Education District authority, has had an opportunity to interact with the School Principal to provide proper hearing on how the standpoint of the Code of Conduct at the school on such matters has been interpreted.

The Provincial Department and District Office will be advised ahead of time of their interaction with the School Principal, to clarify with the School Principal the fundamentals of the DBE Human Rights Education programme offering, in raising awareness among learners, regarding constitutional imperatives; as well as violence and crimes against humanity.  Thereafter, the necessary adjustments and modifications will follow, which could include further clarification in the provisions in the Code of Conduct, or retraction of the instruction by the Principal where violation is detected.

(2) The DBE will not be issuing any such directive at this stage.  Instead, an invitation is being extended to all Provincial Departments and schools to participate in the Oral History, Moot Court, and Youth Citizen Action programmes, where such matters are safely discussed and debated, to support the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) existing provisions in Social Sciences, Lifeskills and Life Orientation.

Reply:

a) The budget cut on the Grant in 2020/21 totaled 1.5% over the 2021 MTEF.  This cut has affected all provinces; especially on priorities, such as the meal costs, which were not substantially increased against the rising food prices.  Also the honoraria for Volunteer Food Handlers could not be increased in line with the Ministerial Determination of the Department of Employment and Labour.

b, The number of learners/meals was affected by the rotation timetable. However, no meals were reduced, as all learners attending school or collecting meals/food parcels were catered for at the school. 

Reply:

(1)(a)(i)(ii) Section 19 of the Government Employees Pension Law, 1996 (Proclamation No. 21 of 1996) states, inter alia, that a member shall have the right to retire on pension and shall be so retired on reaching the age determined by the law governing his or her employment. Section 52 of the Defence Act, 2002 (Act 42 of 2002) makes provision for members to be appointed and utilised in the Regular Force from the age of 18 to 65 years of age. In terms of Regulation 21 of Chapter III of the General Regulations for the South African National Defence and the Reserve an officer serving in the Permanent Force shall have the right to retire on pension and shall be so retired, on the date when he or she attains the age of 60 years. Regulation 22 of Chapter III also states that the maximum age limit for temporary service in the Permanent Force shall be 65 years. In terms of the Regulation 29 of the Regulations for the Reserve Force, the date of retirement of a Reserve Force member may be extended to the date on which he or she attains the age of 75 years.

(b) The following are the reasons and motivations for certain persons not retiring at the age of 60:

i) To ensure continuous effective strategic direction and management to the SANDF.

ii) To ensure the effective management of medical and health services to the Department of Defence (DOD).

iii) To retain specialist skills, especially where there is a shortage of skilled members in the Senior Management System, such as Medical Officers and Special Forces Operators.

iv) To ensure the retention of experienced members to mentor young and inexperienced members.

(2) The Defence Act makes provision for members to be appointed and utilised in the Regular Force from the age of 18 to 65 years, while the Regulations for the Reserve Force makes provision for the extension of the retirement of a Reserve Force member from 65 to 75 years.

Reply:

There is a total of 1 139 unqualified educators employed by Provincial Education Departments (PEDs) across the country.  This number is made up of 1 038 temporary and 101 permanent educators.  The 101 permanent educators are the protected group, who were made permanent in 2001.  The number of unqualified educators has declined, and is down to zero in some PEDs.  Some of these educators, are either in scarce skills subjects; or are teaching in farm and rural schools.  Some are in technical schools, where they teach technical-vocational subjects.