Questions and Replies

Reply:

1. (a) Total number of health and safety inspectors in the republic?

Province	# Inspectors (includes vacancies)
TOTAL	674

(b) Number of inspectors per Province?

Provinces	Number of Inspectors (includes vacancies)
EC	66
FS	70
GP	118
KZN	167
LP	62
MP	39
NC	27
NW	47
WC	78
TOTAL	674

This number includes the five hundred new inspectors that have just joined the Department

2. The only assessment that has been done so far relates to the degree to which the inspectors are able to achieve their targets as well as the quality of work that they produce with specific regards to OHS inspectors, the majority of them are new and are still undergoing training, mentoring and coaching.

Inspectors are required to ensure that they comply with the requirements of the Standard Operating Procedures when conducting inspections and reporting thereof.

In observing the inspections conducted and the notices served, the provinces are deemed to be effective in their reach and in terms of their footprint. Inspectors have risen to the ocassion over this period of COVID-19.

Table: Total number of OHS inspections for Public and Private sector (April 2020 to January 2021)

Province	Total Inspections	Number Compliant	% Compliant	Number Noncompliant	% Compliant	% Non-Compliance
EC	2228	1585	71	643	71	29
FS	4948	2825	57	2123	57	43
GP	2200	1947	89	253	89	12
KZN	4476	2357	53	2119	53	47
LP	1059	405	38	654	38	62
MP	1904	643	34	1261	34	66
NC	846	356	42	490	42	58
NW	1412	808	57	604	57	43
WC	5180	2690	52	2490	52	48
TOTAL	24253	13616	56	10637	56	44

Reply:

(1) In its records the Department of Employment and Labour found no employee who (a) performed work in addition to the responsibilities related to his /her work, outside working hours, in the past five financial years

(b) There are no employees who have been performing such work during the 01 April 2014 up to current.

(i) Zero number of staff members

(ii) Zero number of job or categories of specified staff.

(2) No approval was granted (a) if cases of this nature are received the Department of Employment and Labour utilise Section 30 of the Public Service Act, 1994 and Guide on other Remunerative work in the Public Service (b) if applications of this nature are received they then get considered by the Ethics Office and approval if there is any need for permission to be granted that is done by the Accounting Officer and the Executive Authority respectively, (c) Zero as the Department did not have cases,(d) No transgressors identified. If any transgressors are found disciplinary action get instituted.

 

Reply:

a) Vaccines are approved for use after clinical trials are successful and the data is assessed by regulators. Regulators must consider claims of the efficacy of the vaccine as part of the market authorization. SAHPRA will perform this function in South Africa hence all vaccines we procure will be efficacious.

b) The regulator and research will conduct regular assessment of the vaccine against new and emerging variants. The timelines for the effectiveness of the vaccine is dependent on various factors including the type of variants that emerge and the rate of these mutations.

END.

Reply:

a) According to the Gauteng Provincial Department of Health, (a) the number of vacant funded posts as at 25 February 2021 is 544 posts. The breakdown is as follows:

Row Labels	Number of Posts
Administration Staff	34
Allied Professionals	79
Allied Support Staff	6
Clinical Professionals	119
Management Professionals	1
Nursing Professionals	238
Support Staff	67
Grand Total	544

The process of replacing vacated posts is a decentralised function and the Hospital Management ensures that vacated posts are filled continuously on a monthly basis with priority given to core functions (i.e. health professions categories).

(b) Some of the reasons that the Hospital has struggled with to fill the specified vacancies include but not limited to a recurring challenge of limited skills of Specialised Nurses Categories in the Country (limited resources available). The recruitment of Clinicians is also a challenge as some of the candidates prefer to work in other Academic and Tertiary Institutions like Steve Biko Academic Hospital and Dr. George Mukhari Academic Hospital lose out because of their geographic area. The Hospital is also affected by the budget reductions under Cost of Employer (COE) experienced in the public health sector and the filing of most or all the 544 posts will result in over-expenditure.

(c) To mitigate this challenge, management appoints experienced Professional Nurses in those speciality areas who are capable of dealing with work demands. Continuous support is given to these nurses through training programmes and supervision. The Hospital has further put in place mechanisms to minimise the impact of vacant posts on service delivery through task sharing, overtime and rotation of staff.

END.

Reply:

1. The list of vaccination sites for the Sisonke phase 3b study is attached;

2. The vaccine has not been study in children hence we are not sure about the efficacy and safety of these vaccines in children;

3. We have good evidence from clinical trials  to support the efficacy of the Johnson&Johnson vaccine against the 501Y.V2 variant. In vitro studies suggest that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are effective as well against the 501Y.V2. We are awaiting the data relating to the effectiveness of the Sinopharm, Sinovac and Sputnik V vaccines against the 501Y.V2. In terms of Astra Zeneca and Novovax the studies to date suggest these vaccines have diminished effectiveness and the Ministerial Advisory Committee does not support the use of these vaccines at this stage.

END.

Reply:

1. The terms sheet with the Serum Institute of India was signed on the 7th January 2021.

2. The terms sheet for Pfizer was signed on 15 January 2021. The terms sheet for Johnson & Johnson was signed on 05 January 2021.

END.

Reply:

The COVID 19 vaccines were developed over 12 months in order to respond to the global crisis relating to the COVID 19 pandemic. The clinical trials that were done in the development of the vaccines did not identify cancer, seizures, heart disease, allergies and autoimmune disease as adverse events. There is also no data to suggest that vaccines in general cause any of these conditions.  Nevertheless we have implemented a pharmacovigilance programme to monitor any adverse events should they arise and will take the appropriate steps should they arise.

END.

Reply:

1. (a) Yes

(b) Yes, information available from 2017/2018 – 2020/21

Financial Year	Applications Received	Applications Approved (i)	Job categories of approved applications (ii)
2017-18	12	1	Environmental Health
2018-19	7	5	Health Attaché’; Environmental Health, Supply Chain Management, Stakeholder Support and Liaison Demand and Acquisition (Supply Chain)
2019-20	9	5	Internal Audit (X3) Admin Clerk Intern
2020-21	6	3	Stakeholder Support and Liaison (HIV/AIDS) Demand and Acquisition (Supply Chain) Environmental Health.

2. Fourteen (14) applications were approved from 2017/18 – 2020/21.

a) Permission to perform remunerative work outside employment is granted in terms of section 30 of the Public Service Act, 1994, as amended;

b) RWOPS applications by employees at salary levels 2-14 are approved by the Director General. Applications by employees at level 15 are approved by the Executive Authority;

c) A total of 2 applications were found to have a conflict of interest in 2019/20 and 1 employee was found to have conflict of interest in 2020/21.

d) Disciplinary measures were initiated against the transgressors.

END.

Reply:

1. The UNEP (United Nations Environmental Programme) DDT Expert Group in its eighth meeting reaffirmed the continued need for DDT for IRS (Indoor Residual Spraying)-based malaria vector control in specific settings. South Africa is one of these settings in which DDT is indicated for malaria control owing to high level pyrethroid resistance in the major malaria vector mosquito species Anopheles funestus. Two factors support the continued need for DDT. Firstly, an anticipated resurgence in malaria cases and deaths, as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic and cyclone Eloise, necessitates the use of DDT as a highly effective insecticide with proven efficacy over a very long period. Secondly, in South Africa DDT plays a role in resistance management via a mosaic strategy that also utilizes pyrethroid insecticides. New vector control products and tools are on the horizon and are expected to provide new modes of action for IRS as supplementary methods, but continued financing will be essential to support the epidemiological trials necessary to inform international and local policy.

2. In 2011, the World Health Organisation (WHO) published a review on the human health effects of DDT and its metabolites in relation to DDT use for malaria control. The conclusions were that relevant exposure scenarios for the general population in countries using IRS are not of concern, because DDT and DDE (Dichloro-Diphenyldichloro-Ethylene) serum levels in sprayed households were generally below potential levels of harm. Recent findings showed weak associations between exposure to DDT and its breakdown product DDE and symptoms and diagnoses of allergies from an IRS area in Vhembe, Limpopo Province, South Africa. Another recent study reported that prenatal exposure to DDT, in Limpopo, a communitybased education programme was developed to reduce insecticide exposure from IRS. Community presentation through drama and song were implemented in 16 IRS pilot villages. The results showed an increase in the attendees’ knowledge of precautions to take before and after spraying, suggesting that the approach has promise to limit exposure to IRS insecticides.

It is especially important to note however that all insecticides have potentially harmful effects on human health, but their use is nevertheless necessary for the control of malaria, a potentially fatal disease. It should also be noted that malaria vector control via the use of insecticides, especially DDT, has reduced malaria incidence in South Africa by at least 95%, enabling South Africa to adopt an elimination strategy that will ultimately require fewer amounts of insecticide as malaria control becomes more targeted.

END.

Reply:

1. National Treasury does not need to approve donations to public entities. Treasury Regulation 21.2.1 permits accounting officers to accept gifts, donations and sponsorships.

2. National Treasury is not able to quantify the irregular expenditure at this point.  Irregular expenditure is incurred when the resulting transaction is recognized in the financial records of a department, constitutional institution or public entity in accordance with the relevant Accounting Framework. For a department or a government component applying the Modified Cash Standards (MCS) to incur irregular expenditure, the non-compliance must be linked to a financial transaction. Although a transaction may trigger irregular expenditure, a department or government component will only record irregular expenditure when a payment pertaining to the non-compliance is actually made (i.e. when the expenditure is recognized in accordance with the Modified Cash Standards). For a government component, a constitutional institution, a trading entity or a public entity listed in Schedules 2 or 3 to the PFMA applying Generally Recognised Accounting Practice (GRAP) or International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) to incur irregular expenditure, the non-compliance must be linked to a financial transaction. Although a transaction may trigger irregular expenditure, a constitutional institution, government component, trading entity or public entity will only record irregular expenditure when a transaction is recognised as expenditure in the Statement of Financial Performance in accordance with GRAP or IFRS, whichever is applicable. The National Treasury only receives applications for condonation of irregular expenditure once it is declared as such and this is usually for previous financial years as a result of audit findings.

3. The National Treasury supports the work of the Fusion Centre with the review of bid processes followed. The reviews are conducted on cases referred and based on an assessment of specific procurement processes followed by a given institution in line with the principles of the definition of emergency procurement and its adherence with various COVID Emergency Instruction Notes. Findings are then submitted to the Fusion Centre for further handling. Further detail on the outcome of cases investigated can be provided by the Fusion Centre.

The Centre is compromised of the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), State Security Agency, SA Revenue Service, the Hawks and the Financial Intelligence Centre, and acts as the coordinating body of law-enforcement agencies tasked with looking into Covid-19 related graft.

Reply:

a) The officials responsible for the misallocation is the Director Finance, Senior State Accountant and the Accounting Clerk. The misallocation does not relate to allocation of funds. It relate to a payment of an invoice that was erroneously paid from programme 4 instead of programme 5.

b) The 3 officials take responsibility for the honest mistake as this is the first time such a mistake occurred in the past 9 financial years and the Director Finance already had a discussion with the other 2 officials regarding the seriousness of misallocation of amounts and indicated that the 3 of them must take the responsibility for the mistake and going forward all payments must be thoroughly checked to ensure that similar cases will not recur.

_________________________

Approved by Minister

Ms M Nkoana-Mashabane, MP

Date _____________________

Reply:

In 2020, a total of seven cases of human rabies was laboratory confirmed in South Africa, six of which originated in eThekwini District, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Province and one in Limpopo (LPP) Province. This compares to 10 laboratory-confirmed human cases in 2019.

In addition, three children were identified in 2020 who had dog bites/exposure and died of clinically compatible rabies disease. These cases could not be confirmed in the laboratory and were classified as probable cases in the provinces of KZN (n=1), LPP (n=1) and Eastern Cape (n=1).

To date, for 2021, 1 case of human rabies was reported from eThekwini, KZN.

The provinces that reported rabies cases during 2020 and 2021 have put in place prevention activities and plans. KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Limpopo have put the following measures in place:

Actions taken in KZN

• A circular informing all districts was released;
• There are On-going health education and awareness campaigns, which is being among the affected communities;
• There is ongoing training of Health Care Workers;
• Rabies meetings were held by eThekwini District with role players;
• A One health approach is in place, in collaboration with Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD);
• Alerts were sent out by DALRRD with real time surveillance maps and
• Animal rabies vaccination campaigns were completed in the affected areas.

Challenges identified by eThekwini District

• Patients presented late to health care facilities for medical help.
• Cultural beliefs resulted in delayed health seeking behavior by patients.
• Patients did not complete their vaccines according to the schedule given.
• There were delays in reporting on the notifiable medical conditions (NMC) system by health practitioners.

The DALRRD is responsible for controlling rabies in animals; most human rabies cases were as a result of dog bites. The DALRRD have also been experiencing challenges such as:

• too many stray dogs were roaming in the community;
• dog owners were not vaccinating their dogs on time;
• there was a need for further rabies education in the community and
• a high number of government vehicles were hijacked while rendering animal health services, including dog vaccinations.

Eastern Cape noted that despite the Covid-19 response having priority, the following were conducted:

• Routine surveillance of animal bites in humans were conducted (which was a proxy for suspected human rabies);
• Healthcare workers at the facility level were trained on case management;
• Treatment protocols were developed and distributed to health facilities;
• routine surveillance of rabies among animals by Veterinary Services are ongoing.
• Health promotion activities were conducted in high risk areas, especially when there were animal cases reported by Veterinary Services.

Rabies control in Limpopo are as follows:

• Health talks for the communities were conducted in collaboration with DALRRD.
• The DALRRD also vaccinated dogs; this is ongoing.
• Annual rabies awareness days were celebrated every year jointly with DALRRD.
• Politicians were engaged in promoting rabies prevention messages in the community.
• The province ensured that rabies post exposure prophylaxis was available in facilities.
• Refresher training for health workers were conducted and is ongoing.
• Health education on rabies were conducted for traditional healers.

END.

Reply:

(a) Data from the District Health Information System (DHIS) indicate that in the calendar year 2020, infant PCR test positivity rate is 0.51% at birth, 0.69% around 10 weeks and 0.23% at 18 months;

(b) Mother-to-child-transmission of HIV remains multi-factorial and thus interventions are developed at each possible point of infection. It could be (1) high viral load due to new infection during prenatal and post-natal period or pregnant women not virally suppressed, (2) pregnant women who are not aware of their HIV status, (3) women who develop drug resistance/ or treatment failure;

(c) The PMTCT guideline was revised in 2019 to address the mother to child transmission of HIV by introducing the following interventions:

• HIV negative pregnant women are retested for HIV at every basic antenatal care visit and at labour and delivery, and those who test HIV positive are initiated on ART immediately;
• Maternal viral load monitoring for pregnant HIV positive women done at ANC, at the time of delivery and another viral load monitoring at 6 months post-delivery to identify mothers who are at higher risk of transmitting HIV to their infants/babies;
• Enhanced infant prophylaxis where HIV exposed infants whose mothers has high viral load or the viral load is unknown receive HIV prophylaxis until their mothers are virally suppressed thus reducing the risk of transmission.

END.

Reply:

Government is constantly engaging experts and scientists to keep abreast of any new variants that are emerging and the efficacy of the various vaccines that are currently available on the global market. This includes getting clinical and scientific advisories from relevant Ministerial Advisory Committees. Furthermore, part of our risk management strategy includes ensuring that we actively engage with various vaccine manufacturers and suppliers to ensure that the population has access to a diversity of vaccines as part of the vaccination roll-out campaign.

The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) has as its mandate, a responsibility to ensure that vaccines approved for use are efficacious. In this context SAHPRA requires that all vaccine manufacturers provide evidence of the efficacy of their vaccines against variants.  

END.

Reply:

The current Covid vaccines assessed by SAHPRA and approved for emergency use do not contain any of these mentioned materials. In general, as part of the quality review of manufacturing, formulation and control of the vaccine, SAHPRA checks for all excipients and any possible impurities from these and from active substances used as well as their interactions and degradation products and establish if they are in acceptable safe limits, if not they are not approved.

END.

Reply:

As I had indicated previously the discussion held between Johnson&Johnson is subject to a non-disclosure agreement that government had to sign off on before discussions regarding access to them could be held. While we would certainly prefer to disclose as much information as possible this condition of non-disclosure is in place from all manufacturers. Nevertheless we can share some information with the Honourable Member.

(a) There were six formal meetings between Johnson&Johnson and the Department of Health between June 2020 and December 2020. In the period 1 January 2021 and 1 March 2021 there have also been six formal meetings. In addition, there has been significant exchange of email correspondence between officials and Johnson&Johnson.

(b) While there were various issues discussed in the meetings over the past 9 months the key issues are the following:

• • The characteristics of the vaccine-type of vaccine, storage, mechanism of action, dosing, administration requirements;
  • The anticipated date for completion of the phase 3 study;
  • The anticipated quantity of vaccine that can be delivered and the timelines for delivery;
  • The price of the vaccine;
  • The conditions in the advanced purchase agreement including liability, payment conditions, delivery dates, penalty clauses;
  • Access to the excess Johnson&Johnson trial doses following the pausing of the Astra Zeneca vaccine rollout;
  • Structure of the phase 3b study, logistics, reporting co-ordination, dose delivery dates.
  • The proposed contractual agreement from Johnson&Johnson has been reviewed by National Treasury and concurrence has been obtained. The agreement has been signed off for 11million doses with an option for an additional 20m doses based on availability of stock. The Johnson&Johnson vaccine is the most cost-effective vaccine for the following reasons:
  • it provides high level of protection against hospitalisation and death from clinical studies in South Africa;
  • It is effective against the 501Y.V2 variant;
  • Single dose vaccine;
  • It is stored at fridge temperature;
  • Price is lower compared to other vaccines

END.

Reply:

a)  On 29 January 2021 Johnson&Johnson released the results of their phase 3a clinical trial done in various countries including South Africa. The results of the trial indicate that the vaccine is 85% effective against preventing hospitalization and severe Covid-19 and 100% effective against death. The vaccine is also effective against the 501Y.V2 variant which is predominant in South Africa and was 57% effective in preventing moderate to severe symptoms.

b) The Johnson&Johnson vaccine has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the United States of America. We anticipate that Johnson and Johnson will also submit a similar application to SAHPRA for consideration.

END.

Reply:

a) There were no approved social grant beneficiaries who were not paid at the Upington Post Office in January 2021. All beneficiaries who were entitled to the grant were paid.

b) At the end of December 2020, SASSA lapsed a total of 1 672 temporary disability grants as the period for which the grant was approved had expired; and 68 care dependency grants, where the beneficiary had turned 18 years of age during the course of 2020. These clients in the Upington area were not paid in January 2021, and need to re-apply for the grant, if their disability or medical condition still prevents them from working and thus earning an income with which to support themselves.

SASSA has implemented a specific process for the clients who previously received the care dependency grants, where the grants lapsed at the end of December 2021, in order to limit inconvenience as much as possible. A care dependency grant lapses at the end of the month in which the care dependent child turns 18. However, as a result of measures implemented to reduce the spread of the corona virus in 2020, care dependency grants which should have lapsed were kept in payment until the end of the year.

When a care dependency grant lapses, the young person, who is now an adult, has to apply for a disability grant in his/her own name (the care dependency grant is paid to the care giver of the child). The application for a disability grant requires a new medical assessment, in line with the Provisions of the Social Assistance Act, 2004. However, in order to limit inconvenience, as a care dependent child is supposed to have a permanent, severe disability, the medical assessments for the disability grant application are being done off the file, using the previous medical report. Only where the previous medical assessment is not available, or where the information is inadequate, will an arrangement be made for the young person to be brought to the office for an assessment.

Once the assessment is completed, the care giver of that young person will be contacted to complete the application process as the procurator of the young person.

The above process has been implemented in order to prevent people with severe disabilities form having to come to SASSA offices to complete the application process.

The paper-based assessment process will be utilised as a permanent method of attending to disability grant applications, where the client was previously a care dependent child.

Lastly, I would like to inform the Honourable Member’s attention to the current language that is consistent with the White Paper is persons with Disabilities not “people living with disabilities”.

 

Reply:

According to the Acting Registrar of the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), Dr. Wouter Basson is still on the register of medical practitioners in terms of the Health Professions Act, 1974 (Act No. 56 of 1974) (“the Act”). The Acting Registrar further indicated that Dr. Basson is legally entitled to remain on the register of medical practitioners until he is removed from the register in terms of section 19 of the Act.

The HPCSA charged Dr. Wouter Basson with, and found him guilty of, unprofessional conduct on 18 December 2013. Dr. Basson was, inter alia, charged and found guilty of the following charges – Coordination of the production of drugs.

Having been found guilty of unprofessional conduct on 04 February 2015 and during the sentencing proceedings, Dr. Basson applied for the recusal of two of the members of the professional conduct committee arguing bias. The professional conduct committee which consisted of three members dismissed Dr. Basson’s application for recusal of two of its members. Dr. Basson thereafter applied to the High Court for the review and setting aside the dismissal of his application for the recusal of two members of the professional conduct committee.

The High Court dismissed Dr. Basson’s application for the review and setting aside the professional conduct committee’s refusal of his application for the recusal of the two members of the professional conduct committee.

Dr. Basson appealed to the Supreme Court of Appeal against the High Court’s dismissal of his review application, and the Supreme Court of Appeal upheld his appeal on 17 January 2018 and directed that the matter be remitted back to the High Court for a decision on the review application.

On 27 March 2019, the High Court granted the application for the review and setting aside of the professional conduct committee’s refusal of the application for recusal of two of its members.

The HPCSA unsuccessfully applied for leave to appeal the decision of the High Court. The HPCSA then unsuccessfully petitioned the Supreme Court of Appeal. The HPCSA applied for leave to appeal to the Constitutional Court, and on 05 February 2020, the Constitutional Court dismissed the HPCSA’s application for leave to appeal the ruling of the Supreme Court of Appeal.

Dr. Basson’s successful recusal of the two members of the professional conduct committee vitiated the entire professional conduct proceedings with the result that the professional conduct proceedings against Dr. Basson will now have to commence de novo (afresh) before the newly constituted Protecting the public and guiding the professions President: Prof M S Nemutandani, Vice President: Dr. S Sobuwa, Acting Registrar/CEO: Dr. MA Kwinda professional conduct committee and the HPCSA is preparing to commence these proceedings against Dr. Basson afresh.

END.

Reply:

1. We are currently providing healthcare workers with the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. Thereafter we will access the Pfizer vaccine for healthcare workers and persons eligible for phase 2. The commercial stock of Johnson and Johnson vaccines will become available in mid quarter two. Thereafter the rollout programme will be based on these two vaccines;

2. Johnson&Johnson Pharmaceuticals and Pfizer Pharmaceuticals;

3. A team has been investigating the cold storage capacity in South Africa and has been able to quantify the storage capacity across the country. The Johnson&Johnson vaccine is stored at fridge temperature for which there is adequate storage capacity. The Pfizer vaccine is stored at -70 degrees hence there is need for specialised storage facilities which we have secured. The team has been planning the logistics related to the storage, delivery and administration for each of the vaccines. South Africa has a vaccine programme that delivers close to 20m doses of vaccines annually so there is existing infrastructure, systems and human resources. This programme is on a much larger scale however vaccinations are not new for the department. 

4. The Department did provide an initial list of essential workers  that would make up phase two which included civil servants in particular sectors of the economy. Subsequently we have received representation from a number of sectors motivating for inclusion as essential workers. We are engaging with these matters and will provide a final list in the next couple of weeks.

END.

Reply:

The Department of Health has not been involved in the procurement of a “Cuban Covid-19 medicine” hence we cannot respond to this question. It must be referred to the Department of Defence.

END.

Reply:

According to the Mpumalanga Provincial Department of Health, the Department has noted water challenges in Kabokweni and Themba Hospital due to lack of / failure to provide bulk water supply from City of Mbombela municipality. The Department has subsequently installed two boreholes and procured two water tankers to supply the hospital with water in order to address water shortages at the facility. The Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport and City of Mbombela they are also assisting the Department with their own water tankers.

It must be noted that these tankers will remain in the hospital until Municipality bulk water supply is restored.

END.

Reply:

The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted the 2020 learning programs at Higher Education Institutions, resulting in Medical Students completing their final year studies late in December 2020. There was also a recorded delay for serving medical interns who were transitioning to community service: medical officer posts from 1 January 2021. The delayed completion, impacted on the finalization of the professionals registration with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), which is amongst others, one of the requirement for commencement of duty in a health facility.

Despite all these challenges, Provincial Departments of Health made provision to ensure viable appointments of health professionals (i.e. medical interns and community service doctors) are captured and finalized as soon as all the required documents are receipt.

The National Department of Health hereby confirms that Provincial Departments of Health across all Provinces, despite the challenges outlined above, managed to capture and finalize appointments of medical interns and community service and salaries have been paid successfully in this professionals bank accounts during the periods 31 January 2021 to 15 February 2021.

The only remaining challenge was in the Northern Cape where one medical intern and one community service doctor, who commenced duty from 1 January 2021 have not yet received salary due to the fact that at the time of capturing the appointment on the PERSAL System, the Northern Cape Provincial Treasury deactivated the appointment functionality in the Province for all Departments due to over expenditures encountered.

 

The Acting Head of Health Department (HoD) engaged the Acting Head of Provincial Treasury on the matter. The Province have since been given back the appointment function on PERSAL temporarily. The appointments have now been captured on the System and emoluments are due to be paid by 15 March 2021 backdated to January 2021 to the affected doctors.

END.

Reply:

1. The post of Chief Director: Governance and Compliance, Rights of Persons with Disabilities, is funded, vacant and in the process of recruitment;

2. The post has been advertised with a closing date of 12 March 2021 and the selection and appointment process is expected to complete by 31 July 2021.

_________________________

Approved by Minister

Ms M Nkoana-Mashabane, MP

Date _____________________

Reply:

Yes, the figure includes only learners who have been registered with and whose applications have been received by provincial education departments. 

Reply:

According to the Sol Plaatje Local Municipality, the water supply challenges currently experienced in Kimberley, emanate primarily from deterioration of raw water quality in the Vaal River. Due to upstream raw water contamination, the water had high turbidity levels, thus requiring of the municipality to invest additional effort and resources to strengthen production at the Riverton Water Treatment plant. This was to ensure acceptable quality levels of purified water into the system. This reduced the amount of water pumped to Kimberley by about 70%, and it became difficult to fill up reservoirs at Newton.

During the same period, the municipality experienced a massive pipe leak on the 965 pipeline, close to the R31. The leak was repaired on Tuesday 16 Feb 2021. While repairs were undertaken, pumping from Riverton to Newton plant was negatively impacted, resulting in levels dropping below the supply level.

While full production capacity has not been restored yet, it has improved greatly, with more water now reaching the reservoirs. The water tests have also demonstrated improved turbidity levels. The municipality has introduced scheduled water rationing, until full capacity of the reservoirs has been achieved.

Reply:

(a) and (b) In response to the leaked question papers in Mathematics and Physical Science, the Director General appointed a National Investigation Task Team (NITT) and the objectives of the NITT, inter alia, included: an identification of the source of the leakage and to make recommendations relating to improvement of the examination system so as to avoid a recurrence of these leakages. 

The DBE also reported the leakage to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), and the investigation is ongoing and one arrest has been made and the suspect appeared in court already and the case has been remanded to a date in March 2021. 

In the case of the NITT investigation, an audit was conducted of the Government Printing Works (GPW), where the Limpopo and North West provinces print their question papers and it has now emerged that one of the question papers that leaked could have come from the Government Printing Works (GPW). The security at the point of origination and the printing at GPW is susceptible to breaches and the investigation is now with the DPCI. Computers from GPW have been confiscated for further forensic investigation by DPCI. 

The conclusion of the criminal investigation will reveal the source of the leakage and the Department will put in place remedial measures to address these leakages. 

It needs to be noted that in both these alleged sources of the leakage, it is the human element that has contributed to the breach. The human factor is often difficult to control and hence the Department is exploring various technologies that will minimise the human element in the process of printing, packing and distribution. 

On a point of correction, it needs to be stated that the previous leakage of a question paper occurred in 2016 and this was limited to one district in the Limpopo province. This implies that there were no leaked question papers in the last three years.  

Reply:

(1)(a) Yes

(b) Yes, approval for Other Remunerative work has to be obtained and the approval is valid for 12 months (i) 120 since 01 April 2015 (ii) Line function and Administration components of the Department.

(2)(a) Yes, the policy of the Department that is followed is prescribed by the Public Service Regulations, 2016 and administred according to the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) Guide on Managing other Remunerative Work in the Public Service. Disciplinary steps may be considered if approval by the Director-General was not obtained.

(b) The appointed Ethics Officers in the Department receive the applications for processing and forward it to the Director-General for approval/disapproval

(c) None

(d) Not applicable

Reply:

In response to the leaked question papers in Mathematics and Physical Science, the Director General appointed a National Investigation Task Team (NITT) and one of the objectives of the NITT was to make recommendations relating to improvement of the examination system so as to avoid a recurrence of these leakages.   

Two recommendations emanating from the investigations of the National Investigation Task Team (NITT), relate to what needs to be done to improve the examination system so that a recurrence of a leakage is avoided. 

Firstly, it is recommended that an audit of origination and printing processes a the Government Printing Works (GPW) be conducted given that these processes are susceptible to security breaches. An audit of the protocols and processes for securing the origination and printing be undertaken and that if this proves necessary a new protocol be established. 

Secondly, in terms of the NITT report, the examination cycle has provided evidence of substantial compliance in most aspects of the process, from setting and moderation to the marking and resulting process, and in the handling of such other irregularities as did occur. The NITT is therefore, of the view that the system is otherwise secure. However, the DBE and the PEDs need to know how the leaks occurred and take such remedial action as may be necessary. The DBE will conduct a full audit of the printing, packing, distribution and storage of question papers across all the provinces and using the findings from previous audits will establish the extent to which the previous audit findings have been addressed and what are the new gaps that must be addressed. 

The DBE will also await the outcome of the criminal investigation by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), which will point the DBE to the actual source of the leakage and how it occurred. This will be fully interrogated and remedial measures will be put in place, ahead of the next examination.

The Department will also undertake to invest in the latest technology relating to the security of question papers. An implementation plan will be put in place as to how these new technologies can be phased in.

Reply:

Learner drop-out statistics are not available at this point. Based on the information provided by the Provincial Education Departments (PEDs) during the DG's weekly one-on-one virtual meetings with PEDs, provinces are still collating the drop-out statistics. As they work out drop-out-statistics, PEDs are identifying learners who do not physically come to school but have not dropped out because they are learning from home. These are learners who have comorbidities or other illnesses, as well as those who are in the home education programme.

 

Reply:

There were 28 758 learners that registered for the examination but did not write all six subjects in the final October/November 2020 examination, which represents 4.7% of the learners that enrolled. This absenteeism rate is extremely low compared to previous years. However, all learners who registered for the October / November 2020 NSC examinations will be allowed to write the May / June 2021 examinations.  These learners will be supported through the Second Chance Matric Programme, so that they are adequately prepared to write the examinations in May / June 2021.

Reply:

(a) Switching Schooling Model during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

The current schooling model under  the recently amended Directions issued in terms of Regulation 4(3) of the Regulations made under the Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act No. 57 of 2002) regarding the dates for the re-opening of schools, to provide for the 2021 academic year, and for measures to address, prevent and combat the spread of COVID-19 in the national Department of Basic Education, all Provincial Departments of Education, all education district offices and all schools in the Republic of South Africa, as published under Government Notice No. 343, in Government Gazette No. 43465 of 23 June 2020, as amended, is adequate to ensure sufficient curriculum coverage under the prevailing level of COVID-19 infections.  Therefore, there is no need for the Republic to switch over to home schooling alone.

(b) Alternative Teaching Methods

(i) Educational Broadcasting (TV & Radio):

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) in collaboration with the National Education Collaboration Trust (NECT) and various partners have since April 2020 adopted the use of online and broadcast platforms under the theme "Woza Matric Catchup Programme 2020".  Planning is currently underway to expand the online and broadcast learning support intervention to cover all grades (Grade R - 12) under the "Remote Learning Programme 2021".  This includes the following:

(aa) TV Educational Broadcasting:

• OVHD Channel 122 (DBE TV Channel): eMedia Investments in partnership with the DBE are broadcasting educational support material for learners and teachers on the Openview HD (OVHD) platform – channel 122. The channel is currently available for free to homes with OVHD decoders.
• Telematics: The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) in partnership with the University of Stellenbosch are broadcasting via the Telematics platform that uses satellite technology to broadcast lessons in 9 subjects from the University of Stellenbosch. The subjects include Mathematics, Physical Science, Life Sciences, Accounting, Business Studies, History, Geography, English FAL and Afrikaans HL. These lessons are planned by WCED subject specialists and presented by expert teachers.
• Mindset Network: Mindset is a digital satellite television free-to air channel. The Network broadcasts educational support material for learners and teachers on both Openview HD (OVHD) platform – channel 134 and DSTV - channel 319.
• SABC TV in partnership with the DBE broadcasted educational support material for learners and teachers on the SABC TV Channel 2 in 2020. Plans are underway to request the broadcaster to provide similar support in 2021 under the DBE/NECT Remote Learning Programme.

(bb) Radio Educational Broadcasting:

The SABC and private community radio stations in collaboration with Provincial Education Departments broadcasted Covid-19 Curriculum Support Programmes to parents and Grade R – 12 learners in 2020. Plans are underway to request the broadcasters to offer similar services in 2021 under the DBE/NECT Remote Learning Programme. This will include the following:

• Limpopo Province: Munghana Lo Nene FM;  Thobela FM and Phalapala FM Radio Stations.
• Mpumalanga Province: Ikwekwezi FM; Pulpit FM; Ligwalagwala FM, Radio Laeveld; Radio Kragbron; Community Radio Stations; and Rise FM Radio Stations.
• Eastern Cape Province: Umhlobo Wenene FM Radio Station.
• North West community radio stations.

ii) Applications for smartphones

There is already a proliferation of free educational smartphone applications available to users, ranging from content access, communicator, learning management systems and assessment Apps. Many of which are already being used by schools, teachers and learners to support remote learning. 

There is also a multitude of local online educational content portals and learning support platforms, some of which as zero-rated and accessible free of charge to support remote learning. Many of these platforms are augmented by smartphone applications.

The DBE website at https://www.education.gov.za/covid19supportpackage.aspx 

provides links for accessing online content resources for parents, caregivers and learners to support learning on its landing page.

 Some of the main online platforms and portals include:

• DBE and Bhelela partnership online portal at http://dbecontent.bhelela.com,   which provides access to free state-owned content resources such as electronic e-textbooks, teacher guides, study guides, e-workbooks in PDF, ePub and HTML formats as well as other Open Education Resources (OER) such as PhET simulations, Apps, storybooks, encyclopaedia, and Khan Academy videos etc.
• Provincial Education Department e-Learning Portals and Platforms provide learners with free access to educational content resources such as video lessons, Apps, eBooks, interactive revision material, Assessment, ATPs. These included:
  • WCED ePortal at https://wcedeportal.co.za/
  • GDE eContent platform at https://gdecontent.co.za/
  • KZN DoE e-learning solution at http://kznfunda.kzndoe.gov.za/
  • ECDOE Curriculum portal at https://www.eccurriculum.co.za/
• Many other private sector educational portals
  • Siyavula - https://www.siyavula.com/
  • Africa Teen Geeks - https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=africa+teen+geeks
  • 2Enable - https://www.2enable.org/
  • Vodacom e-Classroom - http://www.digitalclassroom.co.za/digitalclassroom/
  • Vodacom e-School https://www.vodacom.co.za/vodacom/services/vodacom-e-school
  • Interactive Simulations for Science and Math (PhET Simulations): PhET provides fun, free, interactive, research-based science and mathematics simulations: https://phet.colorado.edu/
  • African Storybooks: Provides Open access to picture storybooks in the languages of Africa: https://www.africanstorybook.org/
  • Khan Academy Math Videos: https://www.khanacademy.org/math
  • Khan Academy You Tube Videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/khanacademy
  • Khan Academy: Free Learning App: ttps://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.khanacademy.android&hl=en_ZA

Reply:

The question has been referred to the Kwa Zulu Natal Department of Education and a response will be submitted as soon as it is received.

Reply:

1. The proportion of expenditure incurred for black legal counsel is 59% as compared to white legal counsel of 41% since the Commission was instituted in March 2018. The proportion of the expenditure is tabulated below:

Race	Percentage (%)
White	41%
Black	59%
Total	100%

2. The proportion of expenditure incurred in respect of black legal counsel is further broken down into African and other as follows:

Race	Percentage (%)
African	46%
Other	13%
Total	59%

3. The proportion of expenditure for black legal counsel, specifically for Africans is 46%, compared to white legal counsel of 41% since the Commission was instituted in March 2018.

White	African
41%	46%

Reply:

I have been advised by the SAPO as follows:

a) The Pefferville Post Office in East London was closed in March 2019 following a housebreaking/robbery which caused extensive damage to the building and point of sale equipment. Despite the numerous attempts to repair the damages and equipment, several further incidents of housebreaking were reported and criminals continue to vandalise and steal the equipment of the Branch. The repeated incidents of housebreaking/robbery has resulted in the building being in an unhabitable state. Some of the damages that have been caused occurred whilst a guard was supposed to be securing the building.

b) Several attempts to repair and open the branch were unsuccessful due to repeated break-ins. This is despite security guards being deployed to secure the premises. Due to the above factors, the continued trading at this Post Office is under review and a decision will be made in due course. (Customers who require Post Office services may utilise the Buffalo Flats Post Office which is 4.5 kms away from the Pefferville Post Office)

 

MS. STELLA NDABENI-ABRAHAMS, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

Reply:

No, I was not aware of the closure of the aforementioned Post Office branch as SAPO did not provide such information to the Department.

I have since been informed by the SAPO as follows:

a) The Highveld Park Post Office, Centurion branch was locked by the landlord on 13 November 2020. The reason for the closure is due to non-payment of rent as the landlord decided to lock the branch until payment is made.

b) SAPO is currently paying a rental amount of more than R 50 000 per month at the Highveld Post Office and as such an alternative site nearby (Eco Park Centre) +/- 2 km away has been secured, at a negotiated rental amount of R 8 000 per month for the next 3 years. SAPO intends to move the Post Office to that site around March 2021. Preparations are at an advanced stage and business will resume soon for all the customers in and around Highveld Park.

 

MS. STELLA NDABENI-ABRAHAMS, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

Reply:

1. (a) The Green Tourism Incentive Programme (GTIP) was launched on 19 October 2017 and the first application window opened for applications on 1 November 2017.

(b) (i) The GTIP has been capitalised with a total of R142.5 million transferred in annual tranches over the 2017/18 to 2019/20 Medium Term Expenditure Framework to the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) as the appointed partner to develop, implement and administer the GTIP on behalf of the Department of Tourism.

(b)(ii) As at 31 December 2020, 50 applicants were approved for GTIP funding and 12 of these applicants have already had funds disbursed to them.

(b) (iii) The breakdown of funds disbursed so far are as per the table below:

Applicant 1	R 195 777-90
Applicant 2	R 141 472-60
Applicant 3	R 245 127-00
Applicant 4	R 575 229-30
Applicant 5	R 902 650-04
Applicant 6	R 22 128-45
Applicant 7	R 93 646-00
Applicant 8	R 249 046-21
Applicant 9	R 379 097-61
Applicant 10	R 514 081-47
Applicant 11	R 548 978-00
Applicant 12	R 369 373-02

(iv) The annual breakdown of disbursements are as follows:

Financial Year 2019-2020: R 783 947

Financial Year 2020-2021: R 3 452 660

2. Following the provisions of the Promotion of Access to Information Act, 2000, the personal details of the recipient may only be released following applicable processes and with the consent of the recipient.

 

Reply:

(a) The provincial education departments provided the budget and the expenditure for COVID-19, file attached. School specific amounts and the (b) companies that provided the services, can be requested directly from the provinces.

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

(a)

(i) The Questions office should refer this part of the question to the Department of Communications; which is the relevant department that deals with Post Offices

(ii) This part of the question should be referred to the Department of Basic Education, which is the relevant department that deals with Schools;

(b) The relevant Ministers as indicated in (i) and (ii) will respond accordingly.

Reply:

1 (a) Yes

(b) Yes

(b) (i)

2014-15	2015-16	2016-17	2017-18	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21
0	2	6	15	6	13	7

(b) (ii)

	2014-15	2015-16	2016-17	2017-18	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21
SMS	0	1	5	6	4	3	3
Levels 1-12	0	1	1	9	2	10	4

 

2.Yes.

a) An Employee must obtain prior approval to perform Other Remunerative Work and must not perform such work during official working hours and not use official equipment or state resources for such work.

b) The Executive Authority or the Director-General, depending on the salary level of the employee.

c) None

d) None, since there were no transgressions.

Reply:

1. Where does the department receive the Green Tourism Incentive Programme (GTIP) funding from.

Funds utilised for the design, implememtation and administration of the GTIP are part of the Tourism Incentive Programme allocation under the Department’s MTEF budget allocation.

(2) (a) The GTIP is implemented in collaboration with the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) who have been appointed to develop, implement and administer the GTIP on behalf of the Department of Tourism through a Memorandum of Agreement.

(b) No external funders are involved in the GTIP.

(c) No international contributors are involved in the GTIP.

Reply:

a) The Department has commenced with the process of bringing in a professional service provider for the design and development of the KIOSK for the provision of DHA services, including collection services. The request for the appointment of the service provider to design and develop a virtual interactive machine (KIOSK) for the provision of DHA service has been approved by the Bid Adjudication Committee (BAC) and members of the BSC and BEC appointed in November 2020. The Department envisaged advertising the tender during the first quarter of 2021/22 financial year and having the preferred service provider on board by end of the second quarter of the financial year, given the supply chain processes.

b) The appointed service provider will commence with the design and development of the virtual interactive machine (KIOSK) during the third quarter of 2021/22 financial year. It will only be during this period that the department will learn of the period it will take the service provider to design, develop and test the virtual interactive machine (KIOSK) for readiness and utilisation by the department.

END

Reply:

a) A Workplace Skills Plan (WSP) is developed and submitted to CATHSSETA on an annual basis. The Workplace Skills Plan is informed by needs analysis from the Annual Performance Plan, Business Units Plans as well as individual employees Personal Development Plans.

b) (i)- (iii)The Workplace Skills Plan is developed and submitted to CATHSSETA by end of April annually for approval. Subsequent to that the identified training interventions are implemented throughout the financial year. An Annual Training Report (ATR) is further compiled to report progress on the implemented training interventions and the ATR is submitted with a WSP of the following year.

c) Training interventions that are identified mainly focus on building core and functional capabilities across South African Tourism value chain. The following are some of the prioritised capacity development focus areas:

• Sales and Marketing,

• Project Management,

• Business Communications,

• People Management, and

• Business Risk Management.

 

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

1. I have been informed by the Department that no alternative accommodation has been acquired for Florida Detectives as yet due to non-responsive bids. There has been a joint walkabout between SAPS and DPWI to physically look for suitable accommodation in Florida and a suitable building was identified on corners of Jan Smuts and Jan Hofmeyer Avenue.

2. There have been investigations to establish whether (a) temporary structures can be placed on site at the current Florida police station site and (b) these have revealed that the available space will not be enough to accommodate the ± 500m² accommodation requirement for the detectives so the plan to continue with placement of temporary structures on site has been placed on hold.

3. (a) A suitable building has been identified on the corner of Jan Smuts and Jan Hofmeyer Avenue in Florida. (i) The building was identified by the Detectives Unit Commander for Florida detectives and it was established through a site inspection that there is enough floor space to accommodate the detectives’ current space requirements and also, enough space for future use should the need arise. This building is situated approximately 2km’s away from Florida police station and according to the Detective’s Unit Commander, will not cause much of an inconvenience in terms of their operations. (ii) The building has enough parking on site with parking bays available both underground and above ground (uncovered) at the identified premises.

(b) The condition of the building is fairly satisfactory and allows for easy implementation of access control to keep members and the public safe from any Occupational Health and Safety hazards.

4. The identified building will not require any refurbishment prior to uptake except for installation of IT and telephone lines which will be the responsibility of the tenant (SAPS).

5. (a) At the moment, it is difficult to determine how long the process of finalising this acquisition will take since SAPS has been requested to submit documentation to support a motivation to National Treasury for their accommodation to be procured on a negotiated process since previous open procurement strategies have not been successful.

(b) SAPS is intending for this facility to be leased for an initial period of 5 years whilst a long term property solution is being investigated.

Reply:

The question has been referred to the Western Cape Department of Education and a response will be submitted as soon as it is received.

Reply:

There have been a number of notable successes that the Inspectorate have achieved since 2019 such as maintaining regular deportations which have numbered 29376 in 2019/20 and in the financial year 2020/21 we have deported 11787.

The Inspectorate are participants in the weekly Okae Mulao Operations led by the Provincial Commissioner of SAPS.

The Inspectorate has also assisted in the removal of the UNHCR protesters in Pretoria in November 2021 and from Greenmarket Square and the Central Methodist Church in April 2020 and further verifications of such persons who were relocated to 2 Shelters at Wingfield and Paint during the course of October and November 2020 resulting in 204 arrests of undocumented persons.

The Inspectorate are also part of the inter-sectoral task team that deals with violence within the trucking industry in 54 joint law enforcement operations/roadblocks with the Department of Employment and Labour, Department of Transport, the South African Police Services, Metro Police Departments and Bargaining Council, whereby the Department was able to apprehend and charge offenders as follow, 33 cases were opened against Employers (Charged) and 160 Undocumented foreign truck drivers were charged.

During the period 2 January 2021 to February 20 2021 60 inspectorate officials were deployed to the high risk borderline areas and conducted 13088 direct deportations of those encountered attempting to enter the country clandestinely.

END

Reply:

a) The application in respect of PRP1726119 is currently within the adjudication workflow process and resides at the 3rd quality assurance level.

b) The application has not been finalised due to an accrued backlog of cases. The department is addressing this through a project that will ensure all unresolved cases dating back to 2016 can be resolved and finalised by 31 June 2021. Further processing of this application will be monitored to ensure that it is finalised by the end of March 2021.

END

Reply:

(a)(i) According to our national records, there were 1 106 827 learners enrolled in Grade 1 in 2009.  It needs to be noted that this figure includes learners that repeated Grade 1; and therefore, the number of learners that entered Grade 1 in 2009, will be slightly lower.

(ii) The number of full-time candidates who wrote the final examination in Grade 12  in 2020, was 578 468.

(b) The rest of the learners who did not write the final Grade 12  examination, but entered Grade 1 in 2009, are included in:

• the almost 30 000 learners who registered for the 2020 NSC examinations, but were absent for the examinations;
• a large number of learners would have failed in one of the earlier Grades; and thus, would be retained in the system as repeaters;
• a large number of learners would have left the schooling system in Grade 10, 11; and registered at the TVET Colleges;
• a significant number of learners would have entered the world of work; and
• a large number of learners would have exited the system in Grade 10 and Grade 11, or earlier; and registered to write the final NSC examinations, either in the May / June examinations, or in October / November examinations as part-time candidates.

Reply:

The department’s response to questions (a), (b), (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv) are as follows

a) I convened bilateral meetings with National Office Bearers of NEHAWU and PSA in which parties deliberated on the significance of processing collective bargaining procedures on working time arrangements. Parties agreed that collective bargaining process hold a key to working time arrangement in the Department of Home Affairs in compliance with the Constitutional Court judgement on working time arrangement. The Departmental Mandating Team, consisting of Senior Managers and chaired by the DDG: HRM&D, Ms N. Mohoboko was established and is operational.

The Mandating Team is guiding the Departmental Bargaining Council negotiators on matters for discussion. Currently, parties have agreed on the following:

1. A Task Team to develop shift models was established and terms of reference for the Team were drafted and agreed to.

2. A Task Team of funding model for the shift system was established. The latter Team will start its operation once the Team on shift models has finalised its task. The function of the Task Team on funding model is dependent on the outcomes of the shift models that will be agreed to. Negotiations at the Bargaining Council are currently deadlocked as Trade Unions have raised concerns on the program of the Youth Forum of the Department in which they agreed as Youth to volunteer to render services on Saturdays to their youth counterpart in procuring critical documents such as Identity documents to access matriculation studies and related services.

The impasse is referred to the Director General who has scheduled a meeting on the 19th of March 2021 with a view to break the deadlock.

b) The meeting between the Director General of the Department and Trade Unions is confirmed for the 19th of March 2021.

In terms of question (ii), (iii) and (iv) the department will provide feedback as soon as the parties have met on 19 March 2021.

END

Reply:

a) The plan for the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination is led by the National Department of Health (NDOH). 

b) The national strategy has three phases; with phase one focusing on health workers - phase one started during the week of 15 February 2021; and phase two will focus on frontline workers, including teachers.

c) The Department of Basic Education has developed Standard Operating Procedures for the containment and management of COVID-19 in schools and further gazetted Directions issued in terms of regulation 4(3) of the Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act No. 57 of 2002), regarding the reopening of schools and measures to address, prevent and combat the spread of COVID-19 in the basic education sector.