Questions and Replies

Reply:

1) (a) Mr Raymond Cele, the Chairperson of the Construction Education and Training

Authority (CETA), did not receive a letter from Mr Truman Prince.

(b) Not applicable.

(2) Not applicable.

 

 

Compiler/contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 339 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

1. (a) The building contractors for 3 Technical and Vocational Education and Training college campuses have been appointed, and the sites are currently under construction.

The table below responds to questions (b), (c) and (d) above.

TVET College	(b) Anticipated Completion Date	(c) Estimated Costs	(d) Areas that will be serviced by the campuses
Bhambanana	July 2016	R 167 427 900.00	uMkhanyakude district with localities such as Jozini, Mkuze, etc.
Nkandla A	June 2016	R 194 019 880.00	uThungulu district such as Nkandla, Babanango, Nkungumathe, etc.
Thabazimbi	April 2016	R 190 093 606.63	Waterberg district such as Regorogile, Northam, Swartklip, Amandelbult, etc.

2. (a) Yes, the TVET Infrastructure Development Programme has planned to build 12 new campuses and refurbish 2 existing campuses across the country, at 16 sites. To date 3 sites are currently under construction. The processes to commence construction at the remaining 12 sites are underway. These projects will be implemented through the initial allocations of the programme. Relevant details are tabulated below:

 

TVET College	Campus	Local and District Municipality	Scope of Work	(iii) Project Estimate Costs
Eastcape Midlands	Graaff-Reinet	Camdeboo Local, Cacadu District	New college campus	R 99 273 672.84
Ingwe	Ngqungqushe	Ngquza Hill Local, OR Tambo District	New college campus	R 111 184 487.86
Ikhala	Sterkspruit	Senqu Local, Joe Gqabi District	New college campus	R 124 999 717.95
	Aliwal North	Maletswai Local, Joe Gqabi District	New college campus	R 108 128 554.14
Esayidi	uMzimkhulu	uMzimkhulu Local, Sisonke District	New college campus	R 94 554 838.06
Umfolozi	Nkandla B	Nkandla Local, uThungulu District	New college campus. There is only one Nkandla campus. This campus spans across two delivery sites, namely Nkandla A and Nkandla B.	R 116 564 136.04
Umgungundlovu	Greytown	uMvoti Local, uMzinyathi District	New college campus	R 124 999 717.95
	Msinga	Msinga Local, uMzinyathi District	New college campus	R 127 157 312.09
Mthashana	KwaGqikazi	Nongoma Local, Zululand District	Refurbishment of existing college campus. Refurbishment of the KwaGqikazi and Nongoma delivery sites, which is situated on the same portion of farm reserve.	R 91 065 653.69
	Nongoma	Nongoma Local, Zululand District		R 112 464 595.16
	Vryheid	Abaqulusi Local, Zululand District	Refurbishment of existing college campus	R 108 128 554.14
Letaba	Giyani	Greater Giyani Local, Mopani District	New college campus	R 92 573 493.64
Gert Sibande	Balfour	Dipaleseng Local, Gert Sibande District	New college campus	R 106 722 623.82

(ii) The tender process commenced in March 2016 and the campuses are planned to be completed within 18 months from the date of site handover to the contractor.

 

Compiler/contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 462 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

1. (a) The Department has a unique funding factor in the annual block grant subsidy calculations for universities, which caters specifically for students from previously disadvantaged groups, whereby a weighting factor is determined for each university based on the proportion of students from previously disadvantaged groups, i.e. African, Coloured and Indian groups. This weighting factor generates additional teaching input units for a university, i.e. enrolled funded full-time equivalent students.

(b) (i)	(aa)	(bb)	(ii)
Table 1: ACTUAL AVERAGE FULL COST OF STUDY - 2013 -2015
INSTITUTION	2013	2014	2015
	FCS (A)	FCS (A)	FCS (A)
Cape Peninsula University of Technology	40 635.00	41 991.00	48 331.00
Central University of Technology	55 200.87	58 152.05	61 380.93
Durban University of Technology	70 754.79	74 055.46	81 170.30
Mangosuthu University of Technology	62 092.00	67 673.00	75 480.00
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University	56 510.00	61 816.00	71 010.00
North West University	59 584.00	67 494.00	76 870.00
Rhodes University	80 950.00	87 850.00	94 900.00
Tshwane University of Technology	51 125.24	54 851.84	58 352.36
University of Cape Town	92 636.00	102 318.00	113 602.00
University of Fort Hare	69 150.00	66 991.00	71 043.00
University of the Free State	56 788.42	61 427.64	72 769.48
University of Johannesburg	82 630.00	88 958.00	95 199.00
University of KwaZulu-Natal	62 215.76	67 950.30	77 475.91
University of Limpopo	57 795.00	64 113.00	69 553.00
University of South Africa	18 070.00	14 600.00	18 350.00
University of Venda	66 717.24	71 090.02	78 263.22
University of Pretoria	66 767.00	80 369.00	85 081.00
University of the Western Cape	55 690.91	61 240.00	67 320.00
Vaal University of Technology	53 892.00	60 604.00	68 019.00
University of the Witwatersrand	93 446.06	101 928.80	99 170.00
Walter Sisulu University	47 820.00	42 270.00	55 718.00
University of Zululand	43 528.00	46 479.00	50 536.00
Stellenbosch University	73 134.00	78 910.00	86 990.00
Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University	85 618.00	88 923.00	94 997.00

2. Information regarding the Full Cost of Study for the 2016 academic year is currently not available.

 

Compiler/contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 344 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

(a) The amounts set aside for grants in the form of allocations, i.e. loans and bursaries, and the utilised and unutilised amounts for the financial years are set out in the table below:

Period	Allocation	Utilised	Unutilised
2011-12	R 6 446 162 143.00	R 5 969 148 797.00	R 477 013 346.00
2012-13	R 7 897 127 056.00	R 7 718 060 811.00	R 179 066 245.00
2013-14	R 9 332 096 983.00	R 8 690 772 922.00	R 641 324 061.00
2014-15	R 9 744 064 387.62	R 9 001 627 964.51	R 742 436 423.11
Since April 2015*	R 9 874 948 322.00	R 9 220 319 386.78	R 654 628 935.22

* It is assumed that question (a)(ii) should read “since April 2015”. The unspent amount for the current financial year (2015/16) is not yet finalised nor has it been audited, but it is a transactional amount based on actual payments made to date.

For the periods 2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15 financial years, the amounts reflected are as per the Quarter 4 financial overview submitted to the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) Board and Department of Higher Education and Training.

(b) (i) Funds are allocated to a university based on a formula. Universities thereafter apply the NSFAS parameters and selection criteria to determine which students are funded, and for what amount. Universities, and Technical and Vocational Education and Training colleges then facilitate the process whereby students sign the contracts and submit to NSFAS for payment. The appropriateness of this formula and model was one of the factors that resulted in the new student-centred model, where the money follows the student rather than the institution. This could result in a situation where some universities have not spent their allocation and only notify NSFAS of this late in the financial year, at which stage it may not be possible to fund other students, as the academic year has ended. In many cases, funders may under-utilise committed funds for students which they pre-select and communicate to NSFAS.

It is important to note that all funding, which is not utilised in a given year, is rolled over to the next academic year to service payments for claims that are received late and re-submitted. In the case of funders, such as the Department of Social Development, these funds are then used to cover the first semester costs of students in the following year, which are then topped up based on their appropriation from National Treasury. In the event that funds are under-utilised by institutions, requests to shift funds between universities need to be reviewed and approved, and this limits the ability to more responsively direct funding to institutions where the need is greater.

(ii) The new student-centred model is currently being rolled out. Once in place, the funds will follow the student and allow students to attend institutions of their choice, subject to meeting the entrance criteria of an institution. This will give NSFAS the mechanism to ensure that all funds are allocated and where permitted, allow the shifting of funding more intuitively between funders.

 

 

Compiler/contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 342 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

The issue of outsourcing has not been finalised by universities that are affected by the call to terminate outsourcing of services. This issue is linked to institutions’ operational plans and budgets, and is the responsibility of individual institutions. Universities South Africa has informed the Department that they are considering a joint process. However, at this stage, each institution is working with its stakeholders to address the issue. Universities were requested to inform the Department on the progress made and challenges experienced with respect to this issue.

Compiler/contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 334 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

The purchasing of books and subscriptions to journals for university libraries are operational activities performed by individual institutions. As the Minister, I am not involved in the operational activities and budgeting processes of institutions.

 

Compiler/contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 333 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

1. The Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college system, including individual institutions such as Western TVET College, uses the criterion-referenced system of student performance measurement and evaluation, i.e. Internal Continuous Assessment (ICASS) and Integrated Summative Assessment Tasks (ISATs), which are designed to measure student performance against a fixed set of predetermined criteria, learning performance standards and outcomes. This system of student performance measurement and evaluation is critical for the TVET system as it reveals what each student can or cannot to do against a set standard in the classroom, workplace, workshop or trade test centre. It is an appropriate system for determining the levels of individual student competence and provides information about areas where each student can be supported to ultimately be successful in their studies. At the level of the national quality assurance system executed by Umalusi, the Quality Council for General and Further Education and Training, a norm-referenced system of student performance evaluation is applied. This type of student performance evaluation yields an estimate of the position of the tested individual in a predefined population, with respect to the trait or level of knowledge being measured. To determine the validity of all performance measurement results, a standardisation process is used to mitigate the effect of factors other than students’ knowledge and aptitude on their performance, as well as other sources of student performance variations stemming from the difficulty of question papers, undetected errors, and student interpretation of questions.
2. The Bell Curve grading system is neither applied nationally nor at Western TVET College. Given the apartheid legacy of this country, it is not and would not have been in the best interest of this country’s education system to apply the Bell Curve theory in the measurement and evaluation of student performance in the TVET college system or any other part of our education system.

Compiler/contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 267 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

1. (a) The students of the Vukani Aviation Project have not been abandoned as the Department is in the process of sourcing an alternate school for the cadets. To date presentations have been received from flying schools and the Department is in the process of finalising the selection of an alternate school.

(b) The Department is in contact with the students, informing and updating them of the progress made in securing alternative training with the last being on 4 January 2016.

2. (a) Yes, the students have always been assured that the Department has their interests at heart and that they will be awarded an opportunity to complete their respective training.

(b) The Department has on several occasions during meetings held with the students expressed its displeasure surrounding the circumstances that emerged from this project and have assured the cadets that this matter will be finalised in their favour. The Department has fully and comprehensively explained the situation to the students.

3. The contract between Vukani Aviation and the Department ended in December 2015, and the service provider is in the process of submitting a closeout report. It is important to note that payments to service providers are only processed on performance and delivery of programmes. Upon receiving the closeout report, the Department will determine whether there is any amount owed to the service provider.

4. The training provider has been fully accredited by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) and the Department believes that only SACAA has the authority to take legal steps against the training provider if any air safety regulations have been flouted.

5. This matter lies within the competency of SACAA and it is suggested that this question be directed to SACAA.

 

Compiler/contact persons:

Contact number:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 338 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

(a) The Department of Higher Education and Training appointed Nexus Forensic Services on 23 September 2015 to conduct an investigation into allegations of fraud and corruption in the allocation of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme loans and bursaries at ten identified public higher education as well as Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions.

(b) (i) The investigation is expected to be concluded within a period of 12 months from the date of the appointment of Nexus Forensic Services.

(ii) The forensic investigation is conducted within the legal framework of the Constitution and applicable legislation, taking into account any limitations in order not to infringe individual rights. Once the report has been received and after applying due diligence, a decision will be made on releasing of the report.

 

 

Compiler/contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 331 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

1 (a) Based on information provided to the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) by universities:

1. 130 818 students were fully funded; and
2. 55 287 students were partially funded.

1 (b) and 2 The loan agreements, completed by universities on the old system, only reflect the loan amount and do not show the actual cost of study. These costs will be captured in future by NSFAS as they migrate to the new student-centred model. As a consequence, NSFAS is unable to provide the requested information based on the categories provided.

Compiler/contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 128 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

Yes, all Ministers are subject to Performance Agreements with the President.

(a) The Performance Management Framework for Ministers is the Medium-Term Strategic Framework (MTSF) for 2014-2019, which is the first 5-year implementation plan of the National Development Plan (NDP) 2030. The performance targets and indicators are derived from the 14 Outcomes which government seeks to achieve.

These outcomes and targets constitute government’s Programme of Action (POA), against which performance is tracked and reported at least on a quarterly basis. POA reports are publicly available on government’s website.

(b) – (e) Cabinet closely monitors the implementation of the NDP 2030/MTSF 2014-2019 through POA reports. These reports are tabled before an Implementation Forum of a   Cluster of Ministers collectively responsible for MTSF outcomes, and then submitted to Cabinet, where progress is noted, bottlenecks to implementation are discussed, and recommendations to address bottlenecks are considered and approved.

 

 

Compiler/contact persons:

Contact number:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 84 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr B NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

No, there are no frozen vacant positions within the office of my Ministry.

 

 

Compiler/contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 29 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

Based on the Departmental approved fees, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges are permitted to adjust these fees up to 10% in terms of the National Norms and Standards for Funding TVET Colleges.

The Department uses a costing model designed to calculate the cost per Ministerial approved programme. These include personnel costs, capital expenditure and other costs such as learner material, printing, stationery, lecturer support material, etc. Capital costs are costs related to the depreciation of assets owned and utilised by TVET colleges in the delivery of teaching and learning.

For 2013, 2014 and 2015, Compensation of Employee (CoE) costs were increased by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) + 1% as per the collective agreement reached over a three-year period, as well as 1.5% for pay progression for both TVET college lecturing and support staff as tabulated below:

Year	2012	2013	2014	2015
CoE Adjustment	10%	8%	9.4%	7.1%

The increase in Capital and Non-Personnel Non-Capital items were based on CPI adjustments only. The prescribed Departmental programme cost (fees) per student for TVET colleges for both the National Certificate (Vocational) [NC (V)] and Report 191 Programmes were as follows (calculated as an average cost of the programme):

NC (V) Programmes

Year	Full Programme Cost (R)	Funded by the State (80%) of the Full Programme Cost (R)	Annual increase (%)
2012	39 528	29 387	6.2%
2013	42 240	33 792	6.9%
2014	46 171	36 937	9.3%
2015	49 261	39 409	6.7%

REPORT 191 Programmes

Year	Full Programme Cost (R)	Funded by the State (80%) of the Full Programme Cost (R)	Annual increase (%)
2012	21 078	16 862	N/A
2013	24 832	19 866	18%
2014	26 861	21 489	8%
2015	28 986	23 181	8%

 

 

N.B: There was no incremental adjustment from 2011, since Report 191 was re-introduced in 2012.

In both programmes, funding is used to cater for direct costs such as learner materials, text books, subscriptions, excursions, printing, stationery, first aid kit, consumables, protective clothing, research, CoE, as well as indirect costs such water and electricity and CoE relating to support staff.

Compiler/contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 130 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

1. The estimated total number of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) applicants for university study in 2014/15, i.e. the 2014 academic year, was 289 105 applicants. The racial profile of applicants is not available, as it was not captured at the university level.
2. Of those who applied, 240 092 met the NSFAS criteria.
3. 186 105 Applicants received funding, whilst 53 987 applicants did not receive funding due to insufficient funds being available. The racial breakdown of students who received funding is tabulated below.

NSFAS allocations in 2014/15 by Race

Race	2014/15
	Number of students	%
African	168 351	90.4
Coloured	8 139	4.3
Indian	1 527	1.0
White	5 255	2.8
Other*	2 833	1.5
Total	186 105	100%

*NSFAS was unable to provide this data due to the race group of these applicants not being identified.

 

Compiler/Contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 4180 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr B NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

1. No Sector Education and Training Authorities have procured services from the Dambuza Community Development Trust.
2. and (3) Not applicable

Compiler/Contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 4179 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

1.Yes.

(a) In November 2015, the University of Fort Hare (UFH) informed the Department that it has continued to experience financial strain and requested approval to utilise R35 million of its earmarked infrastructure grant to enable short-term relief. Approval was granted and the University must reimburse this amount from its subsidy in April 2016. This will not negatively impact on the progress of projects.

(b) Operating deficits are projected for UFH in the 2015/16 and 2016/17 financial years.

(c) The University was requested to provide a turnaround strategy to manage the cash flow constraints and bring it onto a sound financial footing.

2. The Department does not provide bailouts to universities. The Annual Ministerial Statement on University Funding deals with the funding instruments to steer the university sector, and is issued in accordance with the requirements of the Higher Education Act, 1997 (Act 101 of 1997 as amended) and the funding framework for universities (Government Gazette, No 25824 of 9 December 2003). All universities are funded as explained in this statement.

3. No. As indicated, the allocation of the total funding available to universities is articulated in the approved Annual Ministerial Statement on University Funding. The 2014 statement for the 2015/16 and 2016/17 financial years is available on the Departmental website.

 

 

Compiler/contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 3983 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

1. No, I have not tabled a proposal to Cabinet in respect of free tertiary education.
2. Not applicable.
3. No, Cabinet has not mandated me to work with the National Treasury in preparing a funding model for free tertiary education.

In terms of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, White Paper 3: A programme on Transformation of Higher Education in South Africa of 1997, or the White Paper for Post-School Education and Training of 2013, it is not government’s policy to consider free tertiary education for all. The position has consistently been to ensure affordable university education, support those who cannot afford to pay through financial aid, and progressively introduce free university education for the poor in South Africa.

The National Development Plan affirms this position indicating that:

• all students who qualify for the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) must be provided access to full funding through loans and bursaries to cover the costs of tuition, books, accommodation and other living expenses; and
• students who do not qualify for NSFAS should have access to bank loans, backed by State sureties.

In order to support this position, the Department of Higher Education and Training has, in line with the recommendations of the Ministerial Working Group on Fee Free Education for the Poor of 2013, submitted annual bids to National Treasury in 2013, 2014 and 2015 as part of the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) budget process.

In the 2015 MTEF bid process, the Department focused on the increase required for NSFAS funding to assist financially needy and academically deserving students as identified in the Ministerial Working Group. The emphasis of the bid was to address the need to fully fund all qualifying NSFAS students at university level through Full Cost of Study (FCS) loans, for which an amount of R36.983 billion was requested over the 2016/17 to 2018/19 MTEF period for university students.

The Department has also brought this matter to the attention of the Standing Committee on Appropriations at meetings held on 21 October 2014, 26 May 2015 and 4 November 2015. At the Standing Committee on Appropriations meeting of 4 November 2015, as part of the parliamentary/political process for the finalisation of the 2016 MTEF allocations., requirements of supporting university and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college students through NSFAS loans and bursaries were discussed.

National Treasury attended the Committee meeting and is fully aware of the status of NSFAS funding.

In addition, National Treasury and the Department of Performance, Monitoring and Evaluation are undertaking an Expenditure and Performance Review of the NSFAS, which was initiated in October 2014.

Compiler/Contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 3857 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

1. (a) The information we got indicates that the Safety and Security Sector Education and

Training Authority (SASSETA) concluded five contracts without obtaining three

quotations.

(b), (c) and (d) The table below gives details of the names of the awarded companies, services procured and value of each contract:

Awarded Company	Services	Value/Amount
(a) Mabuya Auditors	Witnessing in a disciplinary case	R12 500.00
(b) Maweza	Information Technology services	R479 988.00
(c) Wolf	Security	R250 000.00
(d) TRONCOP	Construction	R22 175.28
(e) Bokhabane Event Hire	Catering	R2 580.00

2. (a) Yes, corrective action has been taken to prevent future irregular expenditure. The

following corrective action were taken:

• Supply Chain Management policies and procedures were reviewed and implemented;
• Forensic audits/investigations were conducted; and
• Regulation of spending.

(b) Yes, disciplinary action was taken as outlined:

• The Administrator of SASSETA has instituted disciplinary action against three affected staff members, all of whom are no longer with SASSETA.
• A notice to suspend a senior staff member, pending the finalisation of investigations into irregular activities, has been served.

3. (a) Based on the information at our disposal, the Local Government Sector Education and

Training Authority (LGSETA) concluded three contracts without obtaining three

quotations.

(b), (c) and (d) The table below gives details of the names of the awarded companies, services procured and value of each contract:

Awarded Company	Services	Value/Amount
Nameng Chartered Accountants (SA) Incorporated	Asset Verification Project	R432 960.00
MQQR Investment CC	Events Management Services - Sterkspruit Career Exhibition	R2 395 776.12
Jacqueline K Consulting	Provision of Project Management services to assist LGSETA with the office relocation project	R999 780.24

4. No corrective or disciplinary action was taken, due to the following reasons:

• Assets Verification Project: Three quotations were not obtained for this transaction on the basis that it was an emergency. The transaction was correctly identified as irregular expenditure, condoned by the Accounting Authority and disclosed in the Annual Financial Statements in line with revised National Treasury guidelines on irregular expenditure.
• Events Management Services-Sterkspruit Career Exhibition: This project did not follow the normal competitive processes of advertising through the Tender Bulletin. Since the SETA was under administration, there was no Accounting Authority to approve its condonation other than the originator of the transaction, i.e. Administrator, which performed the role of both the Chairperson and Accounting Authority of the SETA. The transaction was correctly disclosed in the Annual Financial Statements.
• Provision of Project Management Services: Three quotations were not obtained for this transaction on the basis that it was an emergency. The transaction was correctly identified as irregular expenditure, condoned by the Accounting Authority and disclosed in the Annual Financial Statements in line with revised National Treasury guidelines on irregular expenditure.

 

 

Compiler/Contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 3820 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

Yes, there is a service level agreement in place between the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) and Celbux SA (Pty) Ltd.

  (a) The parties to the sBux Scheme consist of NSFAS, Celbux SA (Pty) Ltd, students who receive allowances in the form of cell phone vouchers via the sBux Scheme and designated merchants who contract with both NSFAS and Celbux SA (Pty) Ltd.

There are several agreements in place which regulate the relationship between various parties participating in the sBux Scheme. The type of agreements and the parties to those agreements are provided below:

• a service level agreement between NSFAS and Celbux SA (Pty) Ltd;
• loan and/or bursary agreements are concluded between NSFAS and students in terms of which allowances are allocated to students; and
• merchant registration agreements are concluded between NSFAS, Celbux and merchants.

 (b) NSFAS and Celbux have contracted in the form of a service level agreement in terms of which NSFAS has procured access to the technology, licences, authorisations and facilities to offer a mobile payment solution which ensures that the sBux service is available to the students at all times. The sBux service is a free service which is available to NSFAS students who are eligible for allowances. Presently however, only students registered at the eleven institutions participating in the new student centred model are able to receive their allowances in the form of cell phone vouchers.

NSFAS enters into contracts with students for the provision of non-cash allowances in the form of unique cell phone vouchers across four spending categories. These categories include books, meals, private accommodation and transport. However, as the transport category is not yet enabled, students receive cash vouchers in lieu of transport. In the latter case, the students are able to withdraw cash up to predetermined daily limits from registered cash withdrawal agents such as Shoprite (Pty) Ltd and Boxer (Pty) Ltd.

The agreement with Celbux makes provision for an audit trail for all transactions made on the system and additionally makes provision for fraud monitoring services.

Compiler/contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 3850 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

1.Yes, I have investigated the feasibility of providing free quality education for the poor and working class. In 2012, the Ministerial Working Group on Fee-Free Higher Education was established, to investigate and advise on the feasibility of making university education fee-free for the poor in South Africa. The responsibilities of the Working Group included the following:

a) determine the actual cost of introducing fee-free university education for poor people in South Africa; in other words, what would it cost South Africa to offer fee-free university education to cover people classified as poor;

b) suggest a working definition of poor people in South Africa, if necessary suggesting different categories and how all can be provided fee-free university education;

c) consider existing policy provision and broadly consult documentation of other task teams/working groups in the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) which deal or dealt with related fields;

d) examine various models and options of providing fee-free higher education for poor people used elsewhere in the world and make recommendations to the Minister; and

e) contemplate all possible implications and consequences of providing fee-free university education for the poor.

The Working Group acknowledged that at this point in time in the development of South Africa, a well-considered system of free university education for the poor could go a long way towards increasing both access to and the quality of higher education, and in so doing help to tackle unemployment and poverty, reduce inequality and deepen democracy. It concluded that free university education for the poor in South Africa is feasible, but will require significant additional funding for both the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) and the university system.

The Ministerial Working Group on Fee-Free Higher Education advised that fee-free university education for the poor is feasible, if built on the current NSFAS cost sharing and recovery model. The implementation of fee-free university education is dependent on significant funding being made available, but the quantum of funding required varies depending on the range of parameters and policy decisions.

The report recommended that NSFAS be strengthened to implement the scheme and that a policy dialogue should be put in place to discuss the parameters and develop regulations for implementation. However, before the final policy and regulations are published, funding to support the scheme must be committed.

A Policy Dialogue comprising of the DHET, NSFAS, Universities South Africa, the University Council Chairs Forum, National Treasury, the South African Union of Students and the Council on Higher Education has been established to identify current and projected funding challenges and propose policy and legislative amendments in line with the recommendations of the Working Group on fee-free education, as well as the recommendations articulated in the National Development Plan that “all students who qualify for NSFAS must be provided access to full funding through loans and bursaries to cover costs of tuition, books, accommodation and living expenses”.

2. A copy of the report is available on the following link:

http://www.dhet.gov.za/SitePages/OrgUniversities.aspx

 

 

 

Compiler/contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 3849 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

a. Yes, Mr Amos Monyela is still an employee of the Department of Higher Education and Training. He was seconded to the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (NEHAWU) as he was elected as an Office Bearer in the Provincial Office.

b. He was appointed in the position of Deputy Director: Human Resource Management.

c. Unfortunately, I am not at liberty to divulge the salary particulars of employees without consent.

d. and (e) The official reports for work at the Gauteng Provincial Offices of NEHAWU in Johannesburg, with effect from 1 February 2012 to date.

 

Compiler/Contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 3818 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

1. All student clubs, societies and organisations apply to the Student Representative Council (SRC) for affiliation. Applications for affiliation are made as per provision of the Constitution of the SRC of an institution. Affiliation entitles a club, society or organisation to:

• apply for a financial grant from the SRC;
• use any premises on the University with approval from the respective University department;
• use designated notice boards provided that those notices are signed by the SRC;
• use SRC transport subject to the specified rules; and
• use other resources incidental to its existence as a club, society or organisation subject to the specified rules of the University.

The Department does not have access to the financial records of the SRCs as they are governed by their (SRC) individual constitutions in terms of reporting and accountability to students. Furthermore, the allocation and management of funds by the SRC are done in line with the financial policy of the individual universities. The Student Parliament should, by a simple majority, recommend to the SRC, affiliation and budgets of student structures subject to specified criteria and the SRC making the final decision.

2. The source of budget of all SRC affiliated structures is made up of the allocation from the respective SRCs as well as donations that should be declared. SRC affiliates do not receive or source any funds directly from the state subsidy. All funds made available by the University for student governance is applied and managed in accordance with an approved budget and financial policies of the University. All affiliated structures submit annual budgets in prescribed form to the SRC.

3. In order to be recognised as a legitimate student organisation, and receive a financial grant from the SRC, a candidate-organisation must submit an application on the prescribed form and attach a founding declaration by a minimum of fifty (50) students (the number varies from one institution to the other) that they have committed to become members of an organisation. This declaration must contain the names, student numbers and signatures of these founding members, and a draft constitution for the new organisation, which includes at least the proposed name of the organisation, purpose and main objectives, management structure and the duties and responsibilities of its office-bearers. The club or society should also submit a programme of action to be considered by the SRC and the Student Parliament. Upon submission of all these documents, the SRC will consider for approval and affiliation of the new structure.

A newly affiliated organisation must present audited financial statements and an acceptable annual report at the Annual General Meeting held in the second semester of a year in which they receive recognition as an SRC affiliate (reporting differs from institution to institution). Failure to do so could result in the SRC withholding further use of the resources and/or penalising the organisation in the following year.

The Treasurer of the SRC is accountable for the budget of the SRC and affiliates, financial transactions and records, and fundraising in accordance with financial policies and rules of the University. Affiliated organisations shall receive funding as determined by the SRC budgetary guidelines which are approved by the SRC in consultation with the Student Parliament, but may approach the SRC for additional financial assistance if such is considered and justified in terms of their approved programme of activities for the current year.

Compiler/Contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 3817 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

No, the Department did not have a meeting with the leadership of the University of Fort Hare (UFH) to discuss the decision to exclude students who had defaulted on fee payments from writing their examinations at the end of the 2015 academic year. In terms of the Higher Education Act of 1997, Councils of universities are governing bodies and have the autonomy to decide on university governance matters, including settling of fees. Councils are the highest decision making bodies of our respective universities. There was no request from UFH for intervention by the Department. The matter is still being handled by UFH’s internal structures.

Compiler/Contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 3779 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

1. (a) The Council on Higher Education (CHE) has provided information that there is no prescribed period by which a service provider’s course and/or programme should receive accreditation as this is not possible, given the nature of the accreditation processes and the variety of applications received. Accreditation is a peer driven qualitative evaluation process.

(b) (i) CHE’s target period for the application for accreditation of new programmes is six months. Factors affecting the achievement of this target are the following:

• Deferrals, i.e. sent back to the institution for omitted or additional information. This could happen multiple times until all the necessary information has been received and the application is sent to a peer evaluator.
• A site visit is undertaken to verify that the programme will meet the Higher Education Qualifications Committee’s (HEQC’s) criteria for programme accreditation. The site visit report and paper-based evaluation report need to be integrated before the application is tabled.
• A large number of applications are received and they cannot all be tabled on the agenda of the Accreditation Committee (AC) that has the capacity to consider approximately 140 applications of various kinds (accreditation of new programmes, reaccreditation of existing programmes, deferrals, representations, relocation of sites and approval of new sites) in a two-day meeting. This year, one–two day meetings were extended to three days and an additional unscheduled meeting will take place at the end of October to deal with the large number of applications. This expansion in the number of applications submitted is due to new nursing and education programmes submitted to meet the changed professional bodies’ and Higher Education Qualifications Sub-Framework (HEQSF) regulations. In addition, many institutions are submitting replacement programmes for those that cannot be aligned to the HEQSF.

(ii) In terms of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) Act, section 13(1)(h)(i) and (ii), the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) is responsible for the development, registration and publication of qualifications and part qualifications; and to register a qualification or part qualification recommended by a Quality Council (QC) if it meets the relevant criteria. SAQA does not accredit education and training providers or service providers that offer learning programmes. Accreditation is the responsibility of the CHE, which conducts the accreditation and then submits the documents to SAQA for a qualification or part qualification to be registered on the NQF. The service provider will be recorded as the accredited provider on the NQF. The prescribed and targeted period by which SAQA will register qualifications or part qualifications on the NQF is four months from the time of receipt from the CHE.

2. (i) There were approximately 120 applications submitted at the CHE for accreditation of new programmes between January and August 2015 that are still at various stages of processing and peer evaluation. At the next HEQC meeting scheduled to take place at the end of November 2015, 72 applications for accreditation of programmes will receive an outcome and 15 programmes are still in process or have already been through an application process, but may have been referred back for further amendments. These applications will be on the agenda of the Accreditation Committee meeting in January 2016.

(ii) There is no backlog at SAQA regarding qualification registrations.

3. (a) and (b) In terms of the targeted date for accreditation and overdue applications, 84 private institutions submitted applications for accreditation in 2014. Of these, 14 programmes from 9 institutions are still in process as either deferrals or a representation (an opportunity for an institution to provide information in response to the reasons for non-accreditation of a programme submission) after receiving a non-accreditation.

4. (a), (b) and (c) (i) Programmes submitted in 2015: 1 January–30 April 2015: programmes from the following institutions as per the table below, are still in process. Each of these applications went through more than one process and was returned to the institution either for more information (a deferral) requested by the Accreditation Committee or have had a non-accreditation outcome; in this instance they have sent in a representation that again had to go through the evaluation process. These applications will be on the agenda of the Accreditation Committee meeting scheduled for January 2016

.

Name of Institution	2015 submission dates
	12 Jan	19 Jan	10 Feb	12 Feb	23 Mar	24 Mar	26 Mar	31 Mar	1 Apr	9 Apr	13 Apr	22 Apr	24 Apr	Grand Total
African Academy	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	1
Akademia	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	1
Caerus Nursing School	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	1
Chatsmed Candlelight Nursing School	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1
Darul Uloom Zakariyya	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	2
Equine-Librium College	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1
Foundation for Professional Development	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1
Oakfields College	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	1
Prestige Academy (Pty) Ltd	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	1
S Buys Academy	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1
SAISI (South African Institution of Sensory Integration)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	1
Thembelani Institute of Nursing Education and Training	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1
Tshwane University of Technology	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	2
Grand Total	2	1	1	1	1	1	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	15

(c)(ii) SAQA has no current delay regarding processing qualifications and part qualifications received from the CHE for registration.

 

 

 

Compiler/Contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 3752 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

1. Mr Mbana was transferred as the Principal of Eastcape Midlands Technical and Vocational Education and Training College (EMC) to the Department of Higher Education and Training on 1 April 2013. All Principals are appointed as Directors at salary level 13.

(2), (3) and (4) The Department will bring this matter to the attention of the College Council requesting that it forms part of the forensic investigation in terms of Section 46 of the Continuing Education and Training Act of 2006, as amended. The Terms of Reference for the forensic investigation will be addressed in consultation with the College Council.

Compiler/Contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 3534 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr B NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

a) (i) Public Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges have a number of enrolment intakes within an academic year. Headcount enrolments in public TVET colleges across the nine provinces as at 21 August 2015 are tabulated below. This excludes headcount enrolments for Engineering Trimester 3 N1 – N6 programmes, which will only be available on 30 October 2015.

Total Headcount Actual students enrolled as at 21 August 2015
Province	NC(V) Engineering	NC(V) Business and General Studies	Engineering	Intro N4 - N6 Business Studies	Other Programmes	TOTAL Headcount Actual students Enrolled
			N1 - N3	N4 - N6
Eastern Cape	5 600	15 066	10 294	4 959	29 880	2 646	68 445
Free State	1 721	5 273	10 380	4 760	24 744	1 851	48 729
Gauteng	8 426	18 303	38 059	18 122	52 234	4 983	140 127
KwaZulu-Natal	9 800	21 365	20 880	10 259	43 898	10 255	116 457
Limpopo	9 839	16 538	19 622	7 450	32 181	1 044	86 674
Mpumalanga	4 590	6 912	9 133	3 299	9 270	119	33 323
North-West	3 405	6 628	9 886	3 293	14 554	1 017	38 783
Northern Cape	731	1 537	3 686	269	6 814	756	13 793
Western Cape	3 887	10 920	11 403	3 057	25 391	13 369	68 027
National	47 999	102 542	133 343	55 468	238 966	36 040	614 358

Data source: Weekly Enrolment Monitoring as at 21 August 2015.

(ii) Universities have a number of enrolment intakes within an academic year and will be submitting their 2015 enrolment data to the Department on 30 November 2015. The university headcount enrolment target for the 2015 academic year is 1 020 000.

b) The preliminary headcount enrolment targets for the 2016 academic year are as follows:

   (i) Public TVET colleges: 829 000

   (ii) Universities: 1 035 000

 

 

 

Compiler/Contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 3695 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr B NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

a) The investigation commissioned by the Administrator of the Culture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality and Sports Sector Education and Training Authority (CATHSSETA) found no wrongdoing by Board members, but instead made certain findings against some senior staff members of CATHSSETA.

b) Not applicable.

c) (i) Staff members implicated by the findings were formally charged and have since left the organisation.

(ii) To prevent the occurrence of similar fraudulent activities in the future, the Administrator developed new policies and amended existing policies, such as:

• Risk Management

A Risk Management Framework was developed to address identified shortcomings in the risk register, fraud prevention policy and procedures, and risk management policy.

• Discretionary Grant Allocations

A Discretionary Grant Policy and Procedures was developed to guide the allocation of discretionary funding.

• Financial Management and Procurement Procedures

These procedures were amended to improve financial management.

 

 

 

Compiler/Contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 3551 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

1. (a) The following table provides details of the amounts spent by Eastcape Midlands Technical and Vocational Education and Training College (EMC) on its internal and external security.

Security	Per month	Amount Spent from January to September 2015
1. Internal	R45,417.00	R408,753.00
2. External
(a) Metro Security Services (3.5 months only)	R239,474.61 per month	R838,161.15
(b) Eagle Eye Security Services and Guarding (monthly)	R622 634.60 per month	R5,603,711.40
Total (9 Months)	R6,850,625.55

(b) The table below provides details of each external firm:

Name of the Firm	Number of Guards	Grades	Commencement Date	Termination Date
Metro Security Services	20	A, B, C and D	26 January 2015	15 May 2015
Eagle Eye Security Services and Guarding	52	A, B, C, D and E	1 March 2014	28 February 2017

NB: It should be noted that Metro Security Services was only appointed to bolster security at

EMC during the unrest.

2) (a) The current operating budget deficit for 2015 is R9.9 million which excludes non-cash items totalling R14.5 million for depreciation and bad debts.

     (b) The budget deficit is predominantly attributable to extraordinary items not budgeted for such as strike related costs in terms of security, repairs to property, legal fees, etc.

(c) Following the conclusion of the employees’ industrial action and restoration of normal operations, a budget review will be undertaken. Whilst there were exceptional strike related costs, there were also savings on certain expenditure items that will mitigate the deficit. A revised budget, including virements will be presented to the College Council before the end of the financial year.

3) Funds from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme have not been utilised by the College for any purposes other than student bursaries.

 

 

Compiler/Contact persons:

Contact number:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 3492 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

1. (a) The Department of Higher Education and Training will be initiating a new forensic investigation at the Eastcape Midlands Technical and Vocational Education and Training College (EMC) in terms of Section 46 of the Continuing Education and Training Act of 2006, as amended. The initiation date will be finalised with the College Council once the situation at EMC has been normalised.

(b) The Terms of Reference of the forensic investigation will be finalised in consultation with the College Council.

(c) The volatile situation related to the unprotected strike and labour unrest delayed the initiation of the new forensic investigation at the College.

2. (a) In 2014, thirteen allegations were made by the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (NEHAWU).

(b) The allegations which prompted the forensic audit were:

• Non recognition of NEHAWU;
• Employer-Employee Forum;
• Non implementation of Collective Agreements;
• Non-consultation;
• Irregular appointments;
• Lack of human resource capacity;
• Corruption;
• Lack of transformation;
• Attitude of the Principal;
• Victimisation of union members;
• Lack of policies;
• Unexplained deduction of employees’ salaries; and
• Wasteful Expenditure.

(c) The outcome of the forensic audit has been interdicted and no action can be taken due to the court ruling.

 

 

 

Compiler/Contact persons:

Contact number:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 3488 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

(1) Yes. The Eastcape Midlands Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college in conjunction with the Department of Higher Education and Training will be conducting a union membership audit as part of an annual requirement to determine which recognised unions have organisational rights within the College.

(a) The audit will be conducted during the last quarter of the 2015 academic year.

(b) No. Collective bargaining can only take place at a central level through the General Public Service Sectorial Bargaining Council (GPSSBC), Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) and/or Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC). It is envisaged that through the College Labour Relations Forum, many issues of rights can be discussed, which will improve and enhance employer-employee relations, as well as secure labour peace and stability.

(2) (a) The College, after seeking legal advice, realised that the dismissals could be declared null and void on procedural grounds. The College therefore agreed to a "re-hearing'', which meant the dismissals would be null and void. There is no concept of "re-hearing" in the labour relations regime and such a process would be highly contestable. The dismissals would have only been fully effective after their appeals were rejected, and even then they would have had the right to challenge the dismissals further through dispute resolution mechanisms, including the labour courts and other courts. The affected employees were not rehired but re-instated.

The inherent risks in waiting for the process to be concluded and based on the legal advice, the unprocedural actions by the College would have impacted on the normalisation of learning and teaching, as well as resources of the College. If the College was found to have acted "unprocedurally" during the hearings, the possibility existed that the employees could have returned to the College on their own terms which was something that the Department and College had to mitigate against. The re-instatement of the employees was part of a settlement agreement with the National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (NEHAWU).

(b) The terms and conditions of the settlement agreement are as follows:
• The employees were on leave without pay from the date of their dismissal to 6 September 2015;
• All employees who embarked on the unprotected strike will forfeit a month's salary and repay any payments made to them while they were part of the unprotecied strike. This is aligned to the principle of "no work no pay"; and
• Accept a twelve month final written warning not to engage in any misconduct activities. The final written warning indicates that if the employee is found guilty of any misconduct. it will lead to a call for their dismissal.

While there were a number of employees who faced charges related to acts of arson, intimidation and attempted murder, they remain innocent until found guilty of the charges in terms of the South African legal system. In South Africa, both criminal charges and disciplinary hearings can be undertaken in parallel. It should be noted that charges were laid/instituted by individuals and not the College. At this time, the Department and College are investigating all employees who embarked on the unprotecied strike for misconduct, which will soon be followed by disciplinary action.

(3) The positions were not advertised as there were appeal processes still to be completed. However, the College opted to appoint temporary lecturers to replace striking or dismissed lecturers in order for teaching and learning to continue.

(4) Since no single employee could be identified for causing any loss or damage, the College will be undertaking a forensic audit to accurately quantify the expenses and damage incurred or caused during the strike. According to estimated College calculations, the monetary value of expenses and damage caused to property is estimated at R4 297 180.16. The College intends exercising its right to claim these damages from NEHAWU and individuals who are found guilty after disciplinary hearings are completed. This excludes the expenses and damage caused to the vehicles and property of College personnel who were not on strike, as they have their right to claim damages reserved.

Compiler/Contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 3491 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:
 

Reply:

a) Mr Abdullah was initially placed at the Eastcape Midlands Technical and Vocational Education and Training College (EMC) in 2012 as a Support Chief Financial Officer by the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA). At that stage, neither SAICA nor the Department were aware of the alleged irregularities or outstanding audit queries emanating from his previous employer, i.e. Coega Municipality.

Subsequent to his deployment, SAICA and the Department were made aware of potential contractual irregularities at EMC. SAICA, as his employer, appointed Pricewaterhouse Coopers to investigate these irregularities.

Mr Abdullah resigned from SAICA before the disciplinary process could proceed and was subsequently appointed by the former Principal of EMC as a Senior Resources Manager at the College.

This alleged irregular appointment formed part of the scope of the initial forensic investigation, but due to the court verdict indicating that the Department could not apply section 8 of the National Treasury Regulations, expenditure management, but instead had to follow section 46 of the Continuing Education and Training Act of 2006, as amended, the outcome of the irregular appointment could not be confirmed.

b) Mr Abdullah is still in the employ of the College Council as a Senior Resource Manager. His alleged irregular appointment will form part of the Terms of Reference of the new forensic investigation that is planned to be initiated with the College Council, before the end of the 2015/16 financial year.

 

 

 

Compiler/Contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 3489 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

1. There is no need for scientific facts to validate the response provided in my reply to question 2649. The response is validated by the fact that all schools in South Africa teach English, either as a first language or second language, whilst other African languages, including Afrikaans, are also taught as a first or second language, depending on the geographical area or school types. This therefore makes English a common or cross cutting language for all matriculants entering University, something that cannot be said for all other African languages. As mentioned previously, this does not detract from the development of all African languages, which is a necessary process. The fact that some students are not proficient in English is a separate matter, however the fact remains that they have been exposed to English in comparison to other African languages.
    
2. I would like to indicate that a similar parliamentary question, published in internal question paper no. 25 of 2014, was posed to me. Therefore, the honourable member should refer to my response to question 2319 of November 2014.

END

Reply:

The Department does not manage the affairs of any university and the following responses to the above questions have been obtained from the Central University of Technology (CUT):

1. The success rate of the Emergency Medical Care (EMC) programme is currently below 50% compared to the university average of 76%. Ten students graduated on 4 September 2015 with the Diploma in EMC with 87 students at years two and three levels in the programme.
2. No student protests have occurred, however some of the students reported the challenges experienced in the programme to the media. The Deputy Vice Chancellor: Academic and Research, Acting Dean and Head of Department (HOD) engaged with the students and staff to discuss and put strategies in place to address the concerns raised by students and staff.
3. Yes, the university is aware that the life of Mr RG Campbell, one of the lecturers in charge of one or more of these courses, has been threatened. The University has put processes in place to deal with the matter according to its internal policies.
4. Yes, the university took cognisance of this petition and alleged false pretences. The Dean, HOD and Director of Human Resources have had several engagements with the particular staff member and students. This matter has been resolved and the lecturer has continued lecturing from July 2015.
5. The following interventions were implemented by the university during 2014/15:

• A task team was established to monitor the EMC programme at a strategic level for the period January to June 2015;
• Accreditation by the Professional Board for Emergency Care;
• Appointment of an Internal Review Panel;
• Improvement of the staffing situation in the EMC programme;
• Strengthening of student academic support;
• Increase in the effectiveness and efficiency of the Work-Integrated Learning programme to ensure that sufficient placement opportunities for students are secured;
• Improvement in communication structures;
• Regular meetings between CUT and the Professional Board;
• Interventions by Senate; and
• Regular interventions by university management.

END

Reply:

1. and (2) (a) Annexure A comprises of the names and allocation of the training projects that are currently funded by the Construction Education and Training Authority (CETA).
2. (b) CETA works on a performance-based payment system. Therefore, CETA reimburses funded entities and does not make upfront payments. It only pays after training and/or services have been rendered.
3. Please refer to Annexure B attached to this response.
4. (a) and (b) All projects on the commitment schedule, as at 31 March 2015, were independently audited by the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA). The findings in respect of the selected programmes will be reported in the 2014/15 annual report.
5. (a) The CETA has an invoice processing unit which looks into compliance requirements that must be met by all approved entities before any payment can be made. Each funded learning pathway, e.g. Learnerships, has its own invoice compliance requirements to be met as per the approved budget. If the invoice is compliant, the Requestor signs the invoice and it is reviewed by the relevant Manager, endorsed by the Chief Financial Officer and approved by the Chief Executive Officer.

(b) The following positions have delegations of authority to sign-off payments:

• Projects Manager;
• Core Business Manager;
• Core Business Executive;
• Finance Manager;
• Chief Financial Officer; and
• Chief Executive Officer.

 

 

 

Compiler/Contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 3240 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

The Dambuza Community Development Trust is a non-profit organisation founded in 2007 to promote community participation in the development of the Dambuza and greater Edendale areas, including education and training opportunities for the youth.

The honourable member is welcome to request any information directly from the Trust.

 

 

Compiler/Contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 3244 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

1. (a) The Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) work in accordance with the White Paper for Post-School Education and Training, thus responding to the National Development Plan (NDP). Earlier this year, the Department tabled in Parliament its Strategic Plan (2015-2020) which was developed on the basis of the vision espoused in the NDP, 2014 - 2019 Medium Term Strategic Framework, and policy imperatives of the White Paper, which gives the direction to the entire post-school education and training sector.

(b) Yes, the Skills Development Act, 97 of 1998 directs that SETAs must, in accordance with any requirements that may be prescribed; develop Sector Skills Plans within the framework of the national skills development strategy. Goal 5 of the National Skills Development Strategy (NSDS) III focuses on encouraging better use of the workplace-based skills development, whereupon SETAs are required through mandatory and discretionary grants to support the training of employed workers as well as encourage employers to expand such training, in order to improve the overall productivity of the economy and address skills imbalances in the workforce and labour market. The Department is required in terms of the Skills Development Act to enter into Service Level Agreements with SETAs to ensure that goals enunciated in the NSDS III are implemented, including but not limited to skilling the workforce, monitored on a quarterly basis. All SETAs directly respond to the sector skills priorities, which are derived from the Sector Skills Plans. The Sector Skills Plans are developed using information received from the respective sector stakeholders hence, training interventions implemented by SETAs address skills that the country requires. I promulgated a national list of occupations in high demand on 4 November 2014 through Government Gazette No. 38174.

(c) Yes, SETAs are implementing PIVOTAL learning programmes as directed, amongst others, by the SETA Grant Regulations regarding monies received by a SETA and related matters, as published on 3 December 2012, which includes but is not limited to offering bursaries to learners at Universities, and Technical and Vocational Education and Training colleges leading to part or full qualifications as recognised nationally, i.e. learnerships, internships, artisanship, work integrated learning, amongst others.

2. Whilst the SETA system has contributed positively in addressing challenges of skills development in the country, I have been upfront and on record in acknowledging the challenges facing the SETA system, hence I am in the process of reviewing the SETA system in accordance with the White Paper for Post-School Education and Training, NDP and other relevant government strategic policy documents.

 

 

Compiler/Contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 3314 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

1. (a) and (b) Please refer to Annexure A which lists the total number of students trained and training periods thereof.
2. (a) The table below provides details of the duration and number of students trained and

qualified:

Learning Programmes	Learners Trained
Number of employed Learnerships entered (funded)	0
Number of employed Learnerships entered (unfunded)	78
Number of unemployed Learnerships entered (funded)	3 005
Number of unemployed Learnerships entered (unfunded)	350
Number of employed Bursaries entered	0
Number of unemployed Bursaries entered	581
Number of employed Skills Programmes entered (funded)	119
Number of employed Skills Programmes entered (unfunded)	67
Number of unemployed Skills Programmes entered (funded)	1 006
Number of unemployed Skills Programmes entered (unfunded)	97
Number of unemployed Internships entered (workplace experience)	686
TVET College Graduate Placement	58
Candidacy programmes entered	0
University Graduate Placement	342
Number of apprenticeships entered (unemployed)	2 982
Number of apprenticeships entered (employed)	0
Number of RPL programmes entered (employed)	0
Number of RPL programmes entered (unemployed)	1 218
Total	10 589

(b) The table below provides details on the duration of the programmes offered:

Learning Pathways	Duration
Apprenticeships	1 year
Learnerships	3 years
Short Skills Programmes	1 – 4 months
Internships	3 years
Candidacy	1 year

3. (a) and (b) Please refer to the response to questions 2 (a) and (b) above.

4. 50% of the grant amount was allocated towards the learner stipend, and the remaining 50% was for the actual implementation of the training.

Learning Pathways	Unit Cost
Apprenticeships	R46 350.00
Learnerships	R36 000.00
Short Skills Programme	R13 500.00
Recognition of Prior Learning	R3 500.00
Trade Tests	R3 500.00
Internships	R36 000.00
Work Placements	R36 000.00
Candidacy	R60 000.00
Bursaries	R60 000.00
Total	R294 850.00

 

 

 

Compiler/Contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 3241 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

1. (a) In the erstwhile Adult Education and Training (AET) centres, when reference is made to

‘salary payments’ the concept is also used to refer to other forms of payment such as claims and stipends. Claims for instance, are part-time and extra-ordinary payments, usually over and above the normal salary of a person. The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) became responsible for the payment of salaries of staff members teaching in AET centres from 1 April 2015, and is unable to respond to delays in salaries, which may have occurred prior to the AET function shift when the function was still with the Provincial Education Departments (PEDs). The response covers the period from 1 April 2015 to 31 August 2015. In view of the above, 2 540 staff members teaching at AET centres experienced delays in salaries during the transition from provincial to national competence.

(b) Table 1 below responds to the delays experienced by AET teachers of the Eastern Cape Province

Dates	Scale	Average length of delays
Month Affected	Date salary paid	Actual calendar days delay
April 2015	17 August 2015	119 days	10 AET teachers	17 days
May 2015	17 August 2015	88 days
June 2015	17 August 2015	48 days
July 2015	17 August 2015	17 days
August 2015	31 August 2015	0 days

The System Change Control (SCC) was not performed by the Eastern Cape PED which led to the appointment of AET teachers onto the DHET PERSAL on 1 June 2015 instead of 1 April 2015. The salaries of the affected AET teachers were backdated from 1 April 2015 to 31 July 2015 and paid on 17 August 2015, and their salaries for August 2015 were paid on 31 August 2015. Currently, there are no staff members teaching at Eastern Cape AET centres experiencing any delays in salary payments.

Tables 2 to 5 below outline the delays experienced by the Northern Cape, North-West, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape AET teachers with regards to payment of stipends and claims.

Table 2: Delays experienced by AET teachers of the Northern Cape Province

Dates	Scale	Average length of delays
Month Affected	Date salary paid	Actual calendar days delay
April 2015	30 June 2015	61 days	248 AET teachers paid stipends	45.5 days
May 2015	30 June 2015	30 days
June 2015	30 June 2015	0 days

In the Northern Cape and North West provinces, delays were experienced with the payment of stipends in April and May 2015 mainly because the appointment of AET teachers who are paid stipends could not be performed programmatically. AET teachers had to be uploaded manually onto the DHET’s PERSAL system. The stipends for April and May 2015 were paid on 30 June 2015 as supplementary payments together with stipends for June 2015. There have been no delays experienced with the payment of stipends since June 2015.

Table 3: Delays experienced by AET teachers of the North-West Province

Dates	Scale	Average length of delays
Month Affected	Date salary paid	Actual calendar days delay
April 2015	30 June 2015	61 days	1 340 AET teachers paid stipends	45.5 days
May 2015	30 June 2015	30 days
June 2015	30 June 2015	0 days

With regard to the stipends in the Northern Cape and the North-West Provinces the stipends will run automatically every month as fixed amounts per month have been loaded.

Table 4: Delays experienced by AET teachers of the Western Cape Province

Dates	Scale	Average length of delays
Month Affected	Date salary paid	Actual calendar days delay
April 2015	22 June 2015	53 days	400 AET teachers paid on a claim system	37.5 days
May 2015	22 June 2015	22 days

The reason for delay is the late submission of claim forms to the DHET by the PED. The payment of claims received from the Western Cape is up to date with exception of approximately forty-nine problematic cases which involve officials working in Community Learning Centres (CLCs) that are above the age as prescribed by the Public Service Act, 1994 or have taken severance packages during 1998 and 2001 and were only allowed to work for one (1) continuous year, or were previously dismissed from service. Such cases have been discussed with the Management of the Western Cape and contracts for these officials will end on 31 December 2015.

Table 5: Delays experienced by AET teachers of KwaZulu-Natal Province

Dates	Scale	Average length of delays
Month Affected	Date salary paid	Actual calendar days delay
April 2015	22 July 2015	83 days	542 AET teachers paid on a claim system	47.5 days
May 2015	28 July 2015	58 days
June 2015	2 September 2015	64 days
July 2015	30 September 2015	61 days
August 2015	Claims not yet received

The KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Province used the claim system to pay AET teachers. As explained in my response to question 1, a claim is not a salary and in the case of KZN, these are extra-ordinary appointments because most of the AET teachers are already appointed as full-time teachers by the KZN PED. In order for any claim to be processed, the DHET has to verify the claim through the Centre Manager, the Regional Manager and the Vocational and Continuing Education and Training Programme Manager. The claims for April and May 2015 were submitted late in June 2015 by the KZN PED. DHET officials worked overtime to first appoint AET teachers onto the DHET PERSAL system and then verify claims and ultimately process payment of claims.

It should also be noted that for the claims method of payment, AET teachers who were transferred from PEDs had to be first appointed onto the PERSAL system before the claims could be processed. There are still cases whereby relevant documentation for appointment is still outstanding and on-going communication is taking place with the KZN Regional Office to rectify this, hence, payments for these claims are still outstanding. This delay affects approximately 542 AET teachers for the period between April and July 2015. These are mainstream teachers who have not completed and submitted the necessary Human Resources Management and Administration (HRMA) mandate documentation. This is due to the fact that they believed it is unnecessary as they are already employed full-time by the KZN PED. Such officials are being assisted by HRMA and the Acting Community Education and Training College Principal to complete and submit documentation for their appointment, processing and payment of their claims.

Other causes of the delays in the payment of claims in KZN is the non-appointment of AET teachers or non-payment of claims because of instances of negligence and/or irregularities in the forms that are submitted to the DHET for loading appointments and processing of payments. For most of the 542 outstanding cases, the DHET has not effected appointments or processed claims as doing so would be in contravention of the prescripts of both the PSA and the Public Finance Management Act, 1999 (PFMA). Such cases include instances where:

• Documentation submitted to the DHET was incorrectly completed;
• AET teachers have not submitted original documents required to upload their appointment;
• An AET teacher signs as both the Claimant and Centre Manager on his/her own claim forms;
• Discrepancies are found between the hours claimed and the actual hours worked;
• The hours claimed far exceed the maximum hours the teacher is allowed to work per month;
• Information provided is not correct and relevant to the applicable officials, i.e. incorrect identity document numbers and PERSAL number were used; and
• Some documents submitted are not signed by the necessary delegated officials and incorrect calculations are made on the forms.

(c) There are no bridging funds that were provided as the PFMA does not allow for such.

(d) The DHET has not received any reports of teachers having been evicted from their homes.

2) No, there are no outstanding salary payments but there are outstanding payments of claims. The DHET is liaising with the Regional Offices to ensure that correct documentation, which are correctly and accurately completed, is submitted to enable uploading of appointments and processing of payments. The DHET is in the process of paying claims received on an on-going basis. Queries are received through the Rapid Response Team and escalated to the relevant managers for a solution.

 

 

Compiler/contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 3209 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

1. The Chief Executive Officer and/or the Board of the Construction Education Training Authority did not receive any petitions signed by staff members since 1 January 2013.
2. and (3) Not applicable.

 

 

Compiler/Contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 3243 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

The table below provides details of travel and accommodation costs between Gauteng and Pretoria during the 2014/15 financial year for the Deputy Minister and myself:

Executive Authority	Total amount spent	(ii) Number of trips undertaken
	(i) Travel	(i) Hotel	(aa) Residential in Cape Town	(bb) Residential in Pretoria
Minister	R128 065.00	R0.00	R0.00	R0.00	16
Deputy Minister	R203 463.00	R0.00	R0.00	R0.00	29
Total	R331 528.00	R0.00	R0.00	R0.00	45

Compiler/Contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 3290 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

(a) Whilst the Eastcape Midlands Technical and Vocational Education and Training College (EMC) has been operating in a stable and violence-free environment since 9 March 2015, the unprotected strike continued due to delays in the disciplinary processes initiated by EMC against a number of employees.

The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (NEHAWU) National Office Bearers, Department of Higher Education and Training and EMC Council signed a settlement agreement intended to restore and improve working relations between the parties on 7 August 2015. The strike was agreed to be called off with effect from 4 September 2015.

(b)  Regular classes have been conducted by appropriately qualified EMC employed lecturers and others engaged on short-term contracts via a temporary employment agency to replace striking or dismissed lecturers. The College participated in the interviews of the temporary lecturers to confirm that they were qualified as per the curriculum prescripts for the various programmes.

(c) (i) All employees, including dismissed employees who took part in the unprotected strike have been mandated to agree in writing on the settlement terms finalised on 7 August 2015 as a prerequisite to returning to work on 7 September 2015. The settlement agreement requires all employees who embarked in the unprotected strike to forfeit a month’s salary, repay any payments made to them while they were part of the unprotected strike, and accept a twelve month final written warning not to engage in any misconduct activities.

(ii) Students who participated in the strike action for a prolonged period of time have failed to meet the 80% attendance policy requirements for entry into trimester/semester final examinations. Therefore, they have been advised to deregister or return to the college in the following trimester/semester or the following year, depending on the programme for which they had registered.

(d)  Not only have the activities and threats to render the specified TVET college ungovernable, subsided but it has completely stopped.

 

 

 

Compiler/Contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 3208 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

(a) and (b) At the time of compilation, eighteen out of the twenty-six entities have responded to the question.

Name	(ii) How do you define red tape?	a) What specific interventions/systems that have been applied to identify red tape	(b) What specific interventions / systems that have been implemented to reduce red tape
Department of Higher Education and Training	The Department does not have its own definition of red tape. Using the conventional use of the word “red tape”, it is understood to be unnecessary delays caused by a lack or non-existence of delegations of authority to lower levels and/or too many officials having to be in the decision-making processes of an organisation.	I have approved the Delegations of Authority to the Director-General in respect to the Public Service Act and Public Service Regulations, and the Director-General has further delegated some of the functions to other performer levels. Further to this, the College Councils of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and Community Education and Training (CET) colleges are empowered by the Continuing Education and Training Act to make certain decisions and consult, and report to the Minister on decisions made where necessary. This is to ensure that decisions are made at lower levels to ensure that there is efficient and effective management as well as governance of institutions.	Service standards in certain operational areas and a service delivery charter have been developed to assist in monitoring delays in the operations of the department. The standard operating procedures have been developed in certain operational areas, aimed at ensuring that the decision-making processes are clear and applied consistently across the Department within set timeframes.
Banking Sector Education and Training Authority (BANKSETA)	Red tape is understood to be the regulations and/or rules that are considered unnecessary that hinders and delays work done as decision-making process is rather lengthy and negatively impacting stakeholders depending on the outcome and decisions of processes.	The frequency of Board meetings in a year Through previous experiences or lessons learned over the years. Customer Satisfaction Surveys and Stakeholder Forums and Sub-Committees’ feedback. Assessment of time taken for standard applications to be processed.	BANKSETA has a flat organisational structure with its Heads of Departments given a mandate to make decisions that allow the daily running of the business. This means that it is not in all instances where the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) has to make decisions. In the event where the CEO is out of the country, the acting CEO has the delegated rights and responsibilities of the CEO to action decisions needed. The Accounting Authority has also delegated some responsibilities and provided the CEO with the mandate to make certain decisions to aid the business to proceed with operations without waiting for the Board sitting. In the event where urgent decisions need to be made which falls outside the delegation to the CEO; urgent meetings/teleconference can be arranged to allow the Accounting Authority opportunity to consider what is put forth and make a decision. The other option is having round robin decision by the Accounting Authority.
Culture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport Sector Education and Training Authority (CATHSSETA)	Defined as administrative (i.e. rules, procedures, procedures and processes) and regulatory hurdles, to achieving the original purpose, that affect or impose unnecessary delays, inaction, costs that exceed their benefits, productivity, and/or delivery (Including competitiveness).	We track and monitor the intended application of the regulatory requirements (i.e. Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), Treasury Regulations, Skills Development Act, etc.) to address non-compliance. There are now relevant registers (i.e. Supply Chain Management, Asset Management, Financial Management, etc.) in place that assists in identifying red tape.	Appointed leadership that is committed to continuous improvements and rooting out corruption. Trained staff as part of capacitating them and improving their skills so that they provide excellent service to all our stakeholders. Refocused management to effectively manage performance, processes, systems, people and finances. Improved supply chain management practices in order to address irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditures. Set tools and monitoring mechanisms in order to track payment of suppliers within the 30 days period from receipt date of invoice.
Chemical Industries Education and Training Authority (CHIETA)	The bureaucracy that results in delays in service delivery.	Continuous development and review of organisation’s operational framework. Monthly dashboard analysis of divisional targets and achievements. Monitoring of turnaround times of key performance indicators of executives and managers and implanting strategies to address deviations.	Line managers have been empowered to make decisions within the broad spectrum of the organisation’s operational strategy and are fully involved in strategic and business planning. Monitoring, evaluation and tracking of performance against targets and continuous review and development of strategy to optimise return. Business process reengineering to ensure maximum efficiency, effectiveness and economy for core business processes. Replacement of manual processes with increasingly automated systems. Enforcing a culture of delivery, client orientation and focus maximising return of investment.
Council on Higher Education (CHE)	CHE does not have its own definition of red tape.	Not applicable	Not applicable
Financial and Accounting Services Sector Education and Training Authority (FASSET)	Non-essential procedures, forms, reporting and regulations where cost heavily outweighs benefit and stands in the way of skills development.	Management meetings are held fortnightly to discuss issues relating to efficient and effective delivery of the SETA. The SETA also interacts regularly with DHET and provides input to various matters of engagement.	An Enterprise-wide risk management system is in place to ensure optimal management of all risks associated with the performance of functions and delivery of services to support governance responsibilities. Robust Quality Management System is also in place. Furthermore, the staff at the SETA understands and delivers on reporting requirements.
Fibre Processing and Manufacturing Sector Education and Training Authority (FP&M SETA)	The process undertaken to facilitate decision making without making the processes too onerous and time consuming in order to ensure efficiency and enhancing service delivery.	The SETA developed and adopted a new business model, which resulted in the review and enhancement of business processes.	A more flattened organisational structure was developed and implemented to fast-track service delivery and decision making. The SETA has adopted a more direct reporting line and structure. The delegation of authority was reviewed by the Executive Authority to broaden and provide increased capacity for the CEO. The roles and responsibilities of Board Committee Structures have been streamlined for effectiveness and efficiency.
Food and Beverages Manufacturing Sector Education and Training Authority (FOODBEV SETA)	Red tape refers to excessive regulation or rigid conformity to formal rules that are considered redundant or bureaucratic and hinders or prevents action or decision-making.	None	None
Health and Welfare Sector Education and Training Authority (HWSETA)	A tedious process of decision making which has an adverse effect on the beneficiaries of the service being rendered.	The stakeholder sessions of the Board. Delivery model of the HWSETA. Innovation sessions with all stakeholders.	Service Delivery Charter. Revision of the delegation of authority. Decentralisation and devolution of powers.
Insurance Sector Education and Training Authority (INSETA)	Unnecessary and invalid / irrelevant requirements.	Process mapping and stakeholder feedback.	Bi-annual updates to processes and guidelines.
Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services Sector Education and Training Authority (MERSETA)	MERSETA does not have its own definition of red tape.	Not applicable	Not applicable
Mining Qualifications Authority (MQA)	Lengthy policies that hinder progress of activities that need to be carried out.	Engagement in tender processes as it takes too long to finalise a tender, ±60 days is a long process including 21 days of advertisement.	Improved policies, that are more enabling, are being investigated.
National Skills Fund (NSF)	The NSF does not have a formal definition for red tape.	The NSF implemented Project Siyaphambili aimed at improving the overall effectiveness and efficiency of the entity. This included a current state assessment of the NSF to identify inefficiencies throughout the organisation, taking into consideration various reviews conducted on the skills levy system and NSF specifically.	The NSF will improve efficiencies in the organisation through the implementation of enabling technology (ERP system, document management system, monitoring technology, etc.) and through delegations of authority to a more efficient restructured organisation. Turn-around times will be monitored throughout all processes.
National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS)	NSFAS does not have its own definition of red tape.	Not applicable	Not applicable
Public Service Sector Education and Training Authority (PSETA)	Red tape is bottlenecks/ bureaucratic procedures that take long to achieve/ approve matters for implementation in the organisation, which inhibits performance.	No specific intervention or system has been applied to identify red tape.	Clearly defined workflows. Standard Operating Procedures that outline roles and responsibilities, and turnaround times. Delegations of Authority Framework. Regular management meetings to review performance and to fast track decision-making.
Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO)	Needlessly time-consuming procedures.	QCTO regularly monitors their procedures to identity areas of red tape, by reviewing the number of days allocated to process applications or requests received from stakeholders and by continually monitoring the chain of command in the processing of requests to improve turnaround time.	Systems and processes are continuously assessed to reduce red tape. Moreover, processes are governed by policies and procedures which stipulate turnaround times for processes. These timeframes are also part of the QCTO’s key performance indicators against which the organisation is audited.
South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA)	Unnecessary steps or procedures in our processes that client’s need to follow to access our services.	SAQA’s systems are reviewed constantly in line with our established client service standards. SAQA has a customer care helpline/helpdesk that records any customer complaints. These complaints are reviewed and the effects on the turnaround times are scrutinised so that SAQA can ensure continuous improvements in terms of its service delivery.	SAQA ensures that all unnecessary steps are eliminated from the processes.
Safety and Security Sector Education and Training Authority (SASSETA)	Excessive rules and/or regulations which are redundant and prevent action taking place or decision-making.	Delegations of authority are in place, which are aligned to National Treasury prescripts and promote governance per PFMA requirements. Since the body is under administration, the delegations of authority are under review.	Segregation of duties to employees in the entity to allow approvals / recommendations at various committees / levels. Operational plans that are linked to the mandate of the organisation are in place to ensure tasks at various levels are outlined and agreed upon. These operational plans are translated into performance assessment contracts.
Services SETA	It is any unnecessary and unjustifiable processes that have the effect of making it impossible for role players to achieve required goals and therefore hinder service delivery.	An Organisational Development process has been embarked upon to analyse all processes, procedures and policies with a view to eliminating anything unnecessary and shortening anything which may be too lengthy or cumbersome, but without compromising quality and compliance.	The discretionary grant application system has been simplified and automated. Project implementation steps are clearly articulated in the offer letters to service providers. Documentation required for disbursements is clearly outlined and disbursements are based on pre-agreed deliverables outlined in contracts. Stakeholders receive direct support and training on requirements so as to reduce the amount of back and forth engagement on matters. A tool is being developed to enable real time reconciliation of learner attendance to facilitate timely payments of learner stipends.

 

 

Compiler/Contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 3068 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

1. – (3) There are three Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges in Mpumalanga. The table below provides further details to questions 1 (b) to 3:

TVET college	Student enrolment	Annual Student Registration Fees	Increment on Registration Fees
Ehlanzeni TVET college	8 043	None	Not applicable
Gert Sibande TVET college	9 123	None	Not applicable
Nkangala TVET college	11 603	None	Not applicable
Total	28 769

1. The table below responds to questions 4 (a) and (c):

TVET college	Number of students awarded NSFAS allowances	Number of students not receiving NSFAS allowances	b) Reasons for students not receiving NSFAS	Number of students
				(i) forced to suspend their studies	(ii) not attended classes due to non-payment of NSFAS subsidies
Ehlanzeni TVET college	3 330	153	Students providing incorrect bank accounts	0	0
Gert Sibande TVET college	2 798	403	Lost Identity Documents and incorrect bank accounts	0	0
Nkangala TVET college	2 290	1 236	Students not submitting claims to finance timeously.	0	0
Total	8 418	1 792		0	0

 

 

Compiler/Contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 2977 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr B NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

The Initial Teacher Education Research Project (ITERP) that is currently being conducted by JET Education Services is a partnership project between JET, the Education Deans Forum and Departments of Basic Education, and Higher Education and Training. It is a longitudinal project, which is investigating initial teacher education programme delivery at a selected sample of universities. It is also tracking new teacher graduates as they take up posts in schools in an attempt to understand their readiness as beginning teachers and their ability to make the transition from teacher education into teaching.

The ITERP was conceptualised and is being implemented as part of efforts to strengthen teacher education and is not separate from this. The project findings are fed directly back to universities through engagements with individual universities and regular reporting on findings at the quarterly meetings of the Education Deans Forum.

It must be noted that the ITERP is researching the initial teacher education programmes that were designed and implemented in line with the former teacher education qualifications policy, i.e. the Norms and Standards for Educators in Schooling of 2000. All teacher education programmes have to be redesigned to align with the new standards set by the Higher Education Qualifications Sub-Framework of 2007, revised in 2013 and the Policy on Minimum Requirements for Teacher Education Qualifications (MRTEQ) of 2011, revised in 2015. One of the main purposes of the ITERP is to inform the design of new teacher education programmes.

The MRTEQ sets standards for teacher education at the programme level. Initial teacher education programmes have to meet the standards set for teaching specialisations in terms of knowledge mix, credits and levels. This will assist to respond to one of the key findings that emerged from the ITERP and the degree of variation between programmes offered by different universities.

The MRTEQ also, more closely, regulates the teaching practice component of teacher education programmes to strengthen this component of initial teacher education programmes. It sets standards regarding the nature of schools to be used for teaching practice, the nature of the teaching practice component within initial teacher education programmes, and the time spent in schools.

A national Teacher Education Programme Evaluation Committee (TEPEC) has been set up, chaired by the Department of Higher Education and Training, involving the participation of the Department of Basic Education, South African Council of Educators and Education and the Training and Development Practices Sector Education and Training Authority (ETDP SETA). This committee reviews all teacher education programmes to ensure that they meet the requirements stipulated in the Policy on Minimum Requirements for Teacher Education Qualifications.

In addition to the policy measures that have been put in place to strengthen teacher education, the Department of Higher Education and Training is implementing a 5 year (2015/16 – 2019/20) Teaching and Learning Development Capacity Improvement Programme (TLDCIP) that will support universities to strengthen teacher education programmes at the level of curriculum structure and curriculum delivery.

A specific project in the TLDCIP will focus on strengthening university capacity for primary teacher education. It will involve the implementation of a range of activities to strengthen the capacity and capability of universities for the delivery of quality primary school teacher education programmes, including the following:

• Establish new initial teacher education programmes at universities where specific specialisations are not yet offered but which are needed and which the university is interested to offer;
• Develop and roll-out a national advocacy campaign for teaching generally, specifically Foundation Phase teaching as a viable and attractive career choice;
• Support academic communities of practice focused on priority teaching subject specialisations (Mathematics, Languages, Science and Technology), which would have the responsibility to understand university practices across the system with respect to the specialisation, with a view towards the development of knowledge and practice standards for the teaching specialisation, which could assist to achieve greater convergence and rigour in teacher education curricula;
• Support appropriate research, programme development and material development activities that will improve the quality of initial teacher education programme delivery;
• Finalise norms and standards for professional practice and teaching schools as well as mechanisms for their establishment;
• Develop a national database of schools that will be developed as professional practice schools;
• Support universities to develop business plans for the establishment of teaching schools;
• Develop a national programme to support the professional development of school teachers that act as tutors and mentors to initial teacher education students, which can be delivered in a blended mode, with a significant online component; and
• Develop an online platform/course for the teaching practice/work-integrated learning component of teacher education programmes.

 

 

 

Compiler/Contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 3245 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

1. There are no outstanding National Accredited Technical Diploma (NATED) Report 190/1 certificates, as these are issued within 3 months after the release of results as per the national policy.

There are however students who did not receive their National Certificate (Vocational) [NC (V)] certificates at the Thaba Nchu campus of Motheo Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college for the period 2008 to 2010. The table below provides details on the number of outstanding NC (V) certificates:

Examination cycle	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4	Total
200811	2	8	0	10
200903	8	0	0	8
200911	6	13	5	24
201003	9	3	5	17
201011	27	9	19	55
Total	52	33	29	114

2)  Yes. The outstanding NC(V) certificates affect all public TVET and private colleges and are due to a consolidation error on the examinations Information Technology (IT) system managed and maintained by the State Information Technology Agency (SITA). Through the intervention made by my Director-General and the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training, SITA has sourced additional project management and technical capacity from an outside IT service provider to eliminate the backlog and ensure that it does not recur. In accordance with the project plan tabled to the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training in August 2015, all outstanding NC (V) certificates will be available at TVET college examination centres by January 2016.

The Department is intervening, on behalf of graduates being denied access to the workplace and/or higher education study programmes due to outstanding certificates, respectively in the following manner:

• Letters of verification are issued on request;
• Employers are contacted on behalf of students; and
• Higher education institutions are contacted on behalf of students.

 

 

 

Compiler/Contact persons:

Contact number:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 3168 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

The National Reviews’ Directorate of the Council on Higher Education (CHE) circulated the draft manual, proposal and guidelines for the review of all Bachelor of Law (LLB) programmes on 5 August 2015 for comments.

The starting point of the review is the LLB qualification standard, which has been recently developed by CHE in consultation with the Reference Group on Standards Development comprising of academic experts in the field of law education. The review is an assessment of whether or not the current LLB degree programme meets the qualification standard and complies with criteria for design, delivery, output, impact and sustainability, derived from the CHE’s Criteria for Programme Accreditation.

Furthermore, the Department has representation on the National LLB Task Team, which will upon completion of the national review process, advise me on the structure of the programme at all universities. The National LLB Task Team comprises of representatives from the South African Law Deans Association (SALDA), Society of Law Teachers of Southern Africa (SLTSA), Law Society of South Africa (LSSA), General Council of the Bar (GCB), Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, and the Department of Higher Education and Training.

 

 

Compiler/Contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 3004 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

(a) Students who graduated from the University of South Africa (UNISA) with a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) before the programme’s accreditation status was changed to ‘not accredited’ by the Council on Higher Education (CHE) in June 2015, are not affected by the change. Therefore, only graduates in 2015 are affected but will be allowed to register with the South African Council on Social Service Practitioners. Students who are currently enrolled in the programme will be transferred to the new programme once accredited. The University has already commenced with the recurriculation of the programme and will submit the programme to CHE for accreditation before the end of 2015. No new enrolments in the BSW will be allowed at UNISA for 2016. Once new enrolments are allowed in 2017, current students will be transferred to the new accredited programme.

(b) The primary employer of BSW graduates is the Department of Social Development (DSD). The Department, DSD and UNISA met to discuss the implications of the de-accreditation. The primary employer is therefore aware of the processes going forward, with regard to the development and offering of a new accredited BSW at UNISA.

(c) Inadequacies are remedied through recurriculation. A communication and teach-out plan for current BSW students has been developed by UNISA. Transferring current students to other programmes, until the new BSW is accredited, is considered as an option. More resources will be allocated to the Department of Social Work at the University and additional staff will be headhunted.

(d) Sixteen BSW programmes were reviewed.

(e) Seven received full accreditation, five received accreditation with conditions, one with a notice of withdrawal, whilst three were de-accredited, including UNISA’s programme.

(f) The four primary concerns were about staff competencies, the theoretical underpinning and content of the programme, programme design, and the nature and extent of practical sessions in the programme.

 

 

Compiler/Contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 3139 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

1. The Department concluded one contract with Vukani Aviation, which commenced on 8 January 2013 covering a period of 36 months and includes the information on the requested financial years.

The Vukani Aviation Cadet Pilot Scheme Programme has the following targeted outcomes:

Programme	Target
Aviation Awareness: Recruitment and Selection	500
Psychometrics Test	500
Simulation	100
Life Skills Programmes	60
Commercial Pilot License	60

It should be noted that the cadets were split into 3 groups of 20, to allow for reasonable instruction time.

(2) (a) A summary of achievements since the inception of the programme are as follows:

• Training

Training Programmes
Learners who completed the Commercial Pilot License and Advanced Pilot Training	4
Learners currently undergoing Commercial Pilot License Training	19
Learners who have obtained their Commercial Pilot License and currently undergoing Advanced Pilot Training	15
Cadets who have found employment after completing the Commercial Pilot License and Advanced Pilot Training	5
Total students who dropped out / dismissed / absconded	17
Total	60

• Aviation Awareness: Recruitment and Selection - The aviation awareness portion of the project started on 16 February 2013 targeting 500 learners. Vukani Aviation visited rural and township based schools in five provinces, as well as utilizing radio stations and local newspapers to ensure greater awareness and project reach. According to the data provide to us, over 10 000 students were reached through this awareness campaign.
• Psychometric Test: 189 Psychometric tests were done.
• Simulation: 100 Learners were shortlisted and went through the simulation process.

Life Skills Programmes: The planned target for the Life Skills Programme was 60 learners, with 50 learners benefitting whilst 10 learners left the programme before completing all the required activities.

(b) The intention was that all 60 cadets would complete all the required tasks and flight hours in a period of 18 months, which proved to be difficult due to the following reasons:

• According to Vukani Aviation, the Private Pilot License Ground School component took longer than anticipated, as the cadets struggled with mastering the required content and some were given more than the required attempts to accomplish certain tasks.
• During the period leading up to the funeral of the late President Nelson Mandela, flight schools around Gauteng lost almost a month of flying time due to restrictions placed on the Gauteng airspace.

(3) (a) 9 Cadets have completed the Commercial Pilot License and Advanced Pilot Training with 5 cadets already having found employment, 19 learners are currently undergoing Commercial Pilot License Training and 15 learners are currently undergoing Advanced Pilot Training.

(b) The total budgeted programme cost is R77 070 921.00.

(4)  The entire programme, as per the contract with Vukani Aviation, is expected to be completed by 31 December 2015.

 

 

 

Compiler/Contact persons:

Contact number:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 2886 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

No, I did not interact with my counterpart during my recent visit to China as I was invited by the Deputy President, Mr Cyril Ramaphosa to form part of his delegation. I therefore followed the Deputy President’s programme and accompanied him to all his meetings.

However, there are many useful lessons that other universities in China can offer South Africa. There are on-going collaborations between various Chinese and South African Universities, e.g. the Universities of Pretoria and Stellenbosch have partnered with Northeast Normal and Hunan Universities.

A Centre for Chinese Studies (CCS), based at Stellenbosch University, has been established to analyse China-related research by collaborating with scholars from Africa, China and other international academic centres with similar interests, and publishes regular discussion papers, policy briefings and short opinion pieces on current issues. CCS also hosts visiting academics and government officials within the China Forum that provides a platform to discuss and debate on China-African related subjects.

CCS has co-operative linkages with key universities and institutions pursuing both research collaboration and exchange undertakings, prioritising linkages with Chinese institutions that include Beijing University, Tsinghua and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. CCS is also home to the Confucius Institute, the first institution of its kind established in Africa.

 

 

Compiler/Contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 2921 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

1. (a) False Bay Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) College commenced renting and sharing the facilities of Portlands Primary School from 1 April 2004 until the end of 2006. The operations were then relocated to Spine Road High School from 1 January 2007 to date. The demand has outgrown the facilities and the college has secured 17 classrooms at Khanya School for usage from January 2016. The headcount enrolment at the Mitchell’s Plain site in 2014 was 1 149, with the additional facilities secured at Khanya School, the college will be able to accommodate approximately 1 500 students in 2016. The education activities at the Mitchell’s Plain campus will be delivered from two sites in 2016.

(b) The Department had identified the need for expansion of infrastructure for both the Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha campuses in 2011. The requirement has been included in the Department’s infrastructure planning and funding bids to National Treasury each year. The process that the Department follows is that all funding secured is mapped against the identified demands and basis of prioritisation. This process is informed by factors such as current available facilities and level of such, pool of potential students and finally the Provincial Indices of Multiple Poverty. In this regard, priority had to be given to sites in other provinces that are listed on a higher level of priority. The funding requirement of False Bay TVET College is still active on the Department’s infrastructure funding list.

(2) False Bay TVET College presented its proposal for the establishment of a campus at the Swartklip Denel site at a meeting, which was chaired by my Deputy Minister on 14 January 2014. I, together with the Department, have since been playing an active role in assisting the college to secure the site. The site is ideally placed to provide access to both the Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha areas.

(3) False Bay TVET College, supported by the Department, has been in active dialogue with Denel and the Department of Public Enterprises. Recently, the Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) has shown an interest in purchasing the Swartklip site. To date the college has had two meetings on 29 July 2015 and 5 August 2015 with ACSA in order to ensure that our interests are taken into consideration in the process of acquiring the site from Denel. The Department will be approaching the Minister of Transport in order to secure support for the college, as ACSA resides under the Department of Transport.

(4) The Department works on the basis of prioritised infrastructure support and available funding. In light of the current fiscal climate and the Department’s steadfastness to complete its infrastructure commitments in areas that have high poverty rankings, it is not possible to make a budgetary provision in the current Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF). The Department will however explore innovative means to assist with the refurbishment of the Swartklip site once funding has been secured.

 

 

Compiler/Contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 2786 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE: