Reply:

The table in the Annexure responds to a, b, c, d, e(i), e(ii). and e(iii)

Thank You.

PQ 424 Ms D Kohler (DA) to ask the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, NW463E

 

ANNEXURE: Response to Parliamentary Question 424

Reply:

I have been advised by the Department as follows:

A project team comprising of representatives from the State-owned entities namely; the State Information Technology Agency (SITA), Broadband Infraco (BBI), Sentech and the Department was established. The project team is finalising the technical designs across all provinces and these will feed into the implementation plan which will be finalised before the end of the current financial year (2022/23). The department has been engaging various stakeholders (National, Provincial and Local governments) to present the project and solicit input in terms of the sites that will require connectivity. ICASA is also engaging the telcos (who are the recipients of the recently auctioned spectrum) on the Social Obligations Connectivity as per the ITA (Invitation to Apply) conditions. The Implementation of Phase 2 is planned to commence in the next financial year (2023/24) after budget confirmation.

The relevant details on the roll-out are attached herewith as Annexure A.

Thank You.

PQ 310: Hon.Z Majozi (IFP) to ask the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies,

Reply:

I have been advised by the SABC as follows:

The SABC Sales division uses various standard trading models with associated payment plans to commercialise inventory and generate revenue. In the case of unsold inventory for prime and shoulder time, the SABC offers advertisers who pay upfront an 86% discount or a 700% exposure deal in order to boost sales revenue. The exposure deal implies that advertisers who buy exposure and pay upfront for, example, R100 from the SABC get value of R700 or an 86% discount.

The respective models are mutually agreed to by the client and the SABC based on the nature of the requirements and deals, and the revenue generated is used for various business operations.

Thank You.

 

PQ 46: Hon.D Kohler (DA) to ask the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, NW 46E

 

Reply:

1. Yes, there was communication to effect that the position of the CEO will not be filled on a permanent basis due to considerations of the future organisational structure of BBI post the acquisition of BBI by Sentech. For this reason, the position is filled on a short-term contract basis with the approval of the Minister.

2. No, there is no deadline set for appointment of the permanent CEO because the future organisational structure of BBI post the acquisition of BBI by Sentech will dictate what happens to the CEO position.

Thank You.

PQ 309: Hon.Z Majozi (IFP) to ask the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, NW323E

 

 

 

 

Reply:

I have been advised by SAPO as follows:

Yes, charges have been brought against individuals implicated in issuing fraudulent vehicle licenses:

a) 24 criminal cases have been registered with the South African Police Services (SAPS) for fraud and contravention of the section 7 of the Cybercrimes Act No. 19 of 2020 - unlawful acquisition, possession, provision, receipt or use of a password, access code or similar data or device.

b) Internal disciplinary proceedings have also been instituted for contravention of the Cybercrimes Act and not protecting usernames and passwords as well as not following policies as required by the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC):

87 employees were identified for contravening the Cybercrimes Act and policy:

• 3 employees resigned prior to their suspension;
• 84 employees in total were suspended, of which 15 disciplinary hearings have been concluded and following a guilty conviction, these employees were dismissed. 69 employees are currently on suspension awaiting conclusion of the disciplinary processes.

Thank You.

PQ 41: Hon.T Bodlani (DA) to ask the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies

 

 

PQ 41: Hon. M Bagraim (DA) to ask the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies

 

Reply:

I have been advised by SITA as follows:

1. Vandalism and theft of private sector operator infrastructure as well as that of State-owned Enterprises (SOEs), that have partnerships with SITA through contracted services, have been one of the biggest challenges, negatively impacting delivery of ICT services to government. These acts of vandalism and theft manifest as follows:

a) Overhead routes are targeted, where wooden poles are vandalised and stolen leaving optic fibre cables damaged.

b) Equipment facilities at various network sites are vandalised and batteries stolen, that negatively impact backup power that mitigates against load sheading or loss of power.

c) Rail infrastructure is targeted for various metals and other material, thereby damaging optic fibre cables that use the rail infrastructure routes.

d) Underground infrastructure routes are targeted through manholes for copper and other metals thereby damaging optic fibre cables. The incident that affected access to government websites on 8 February 2023 was related to this type of vandalism and theft.

There have been various interventions as follows:

a) SITA has been working with organisations owning the infrastructure to ensure speedy restoration of services to government.

b) Implementation of service improvement interventions with organisations owning the infrastructure, in the form of establishing alternative routing to improve the already existing layers of redundancy.

c) The South African Police Service (SAPS) and private security companies have been engaged through the relevant processes to address these acts of vandalism and theft. This is through frequent monitoring of targeted areas and investigations to hopefully apprehend those responsible.

(2) SITA has been in communication with its shareholder department, the DCDT, on these challenges and the required interventions to address these matters with the relevant stakeholders.

 

Thank You.

PQ 287: Hon. Z Majozi (IFP) to ask the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, NW298E

 

Reply:

I have been advised by SAPO as follows:

1. The total number of call centre agents employed by Post Office is currently 55.

2. SAPO plans are to consolidate all call centres within Post Office into one platform. This includes revising the organisational structure, upgrading the Call Centre IT systems, should funds permit.

3. The Post Office is currently right-sizing throughout the company due to volume drops and call centre will be affected one way or another. The right-sizing will ensure customer calls are not compromised and the acquisition of another telephone management system will enhance capacity more than adequately.

Thank You.

 

PQ 243 Ms D Kohler (DA) to ask the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, NW247E

Reply:

I have been advised by the department as follows:

1.(a)	Destination	See attached Annexure A
(b)	Total Costs	R 3 932 531.49
(i)	Accommodation	R 1 144 763.13
(ii)	Travel (International flights)	R1 918 800.35
(iii)	Other costs (road transport and VIP lounges)	R 868 968.01
(aa)	Total costs in respect of Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams	R 1 620 661.01
	Accommodation	R 530 502.63
	Travel (International flights)	R 797 093.45
	Other costs (road transport and VIP lounges)	R 293 065.20
		-
(aa)	Total costs in respect of Minister Khumbuzo Ntshavheni	R 1 835 961.26
	Accommodation	R 513 778.56
	Travel (International flights)	R 934 207.03
	Other costs (road transport and VIP lounges)	R 387 975.67
(bb)	Total costs in respect of Deputy Minister Pinky Kekana	R 218 838.31
	Accommodation	R 38 452.80
	Travel (International flights)	R 82 938.36
	Other costs (road transport and VIP lounges)	R 97 447.15
(bb)	Total costs in respect of Deputy Minister Philly Mapulane	R 257 070.64
	Accommodation	R 62 029.14
	Travel (International flights)	R 104 561.51
	Other costs (road transport and VIP lounges)	R 90 479.99
2.	Total cost incurred for domestic flights	R 1 381 782.95
(a)	Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams	R 684 705.78
(a)	Minister Khumbuzo Ntshavheni	R 328 875.00
(b)	Deputy Minister Pinky Kekana	R 112 450.17
(b)	Deputy Minister Philly Mapulane	R 255 752.00

 

Thank You.

Reply:

I have been advised by SABC as follows:

i) The News Channel has been running since 2019 and no additional budget will be required as the activities will be accommodated within current resources. ii) Yes, the channel is expected to attract income through advertising and partnerships.

iii) No funding is required.

 

Thank You.

PQ 418 Ms D Kohler (DA) to ask the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies

 

 

Reply:

I have been advised by SAPO as follows:

a) The Chatsworth Post Office has been burgled 8 times in the last 3 weeks - with access gained via a window, roof and the front door.

There was substantial damage to the branch infrastructure including network cabling and network points. Points of Sale were also stolen. Notwithstanding the damage and operational challenges, the Post Office has remained open, however, offering limited services to customers whilst some repairs were undertaken.

b) The branch has been fully operational from 02 March 2023 and able to provide online transactions including, Postbank and card swapping transactions.

Repairs to the structural damage to the branch is dependent on the availability of funding. The replacement of stolen work stations can only take place upon finalisation of the agreement/contract with the selected service provider and is also dependent on the availability of funding.

Thank You.

PQ 417 Ms D Kohler (DA) to ask the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies.

Reply:

I have been advised by SABC as follows: (a) The 389 instances under investigation relates to the period 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2022. From 2020 to date, disciplinary actions have been taken against sixteen (16) Supply Chain Management officials following the conclusion of the determination tests and the investigations. Approximately 100 incidents are currently under investigation and in the process of identifying responsible officials. A further 200 of these incidents are scheduled to be investigated and finalised over the next 12 months, with set targets in place. (b) None thus far.

Reply:

There was no investigation undertaken by the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) during or relating to the tenure of Mr Mark Barnes as Chief Executive Officer of the South African Post Office. (a) Not applicable (b) Not Applicable

Reply:

In terms of Section 3(5) when issuing a policy the Minister must consult the Authority (ICASA) and must, in order to obtain views of interested persons, publish the text on such policy in the Gazette; (i) declaring her intention to issue the policy or policy direction; and (ii) inviting interested persons to submit written submissions in relation to the policy or policy direction in the manner specified in such notice in not less than 30 days from the date of the notice. On 08 September 2022 the Minister issued a notice in Gazette 46873 of the draft Next Generation Radio Frequency Spectrum Policy for Economic Development and the closing date is 20 October 2022. On receipt of all the written submissions a list will be compiled as requested

Reply:

I have been advised by the Department as follows:

The Department (DCDT) has received Cabinet approval to roll out services to schools, health facilities and communities as part of SA Connect Phase 2. The Department consulted with various National Departments and Provinces to develop plans aligned with the District Development Model. The outcome of the consultations led to prioritisation of areas to be connected based on the input from beneficiary departments, provinces and municipalities.

Mobile operators are also required to connect a number of the public service institutions such as public libraries, public schools, government clinics, government hospitals and traditional authority offices. ICASA is still in a consultation process with the relevant stakeholders to ensure that the abovementioned obligations are implemented.

Reply:

I have been informed by the SABC as follows :-

(a) A grievance was lodged by the former Group Executive: News regarding alleged interference by the Chairperson of the SABC Board.

(b) The Committee/Panel was appointed in line with the Procedure on how to deal with grievances and/or complaints against Non-Executive Directors. This Procedure was approved by the Board. In terms of section 15(1)(a) of the Broadcasting Act No. 4 of 1999 (as amended), the President, as the appointing body defined in the Act, may remove a Non-Executive Director on account of misconduct or inability to perform his or her duties efficiently after due inquiry and upon recommendation by the Board. It was on this basis that the Board developed the Procedure to address/test/adjudicate the complaints and/or allegations of misconduct (“due inquiry”). If the allegations were found to be true the Board would only then recommend his removal to the President.

Reply:

The South African Post Office did not have an Annual General Meeting in June 2022.


Authorised for submission by _______________

MS. NONKQUBELA JORDAN-DYANI
DIRECTOR-GENERAL (ACTING)
DATE:

Recommended/not recommended

_______________________________

HON. PHILLY MAPULANE, MP DEPUTY MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES
DATE:

Approved/ not approved
___________________________________

HON. KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP
MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES
DATE:

Reply:

I have been informed by the entities as follows:

(1)(a)The State-Owned Company (SOC) Rationalisation project seeks to harmonise and align SOCs capabilities within the DCDT to form a coherent agent for the efficient delivery of ICT services to South African citizens.. Broadband Infraco holds an Electronic Communications Network Service (ECNS) licence whilst Sentech has both Electronic Communications Service  (ECS) and ECNS licences. The two entities capabilities are complementary in completing the service value chain and therefore logical to merge and equip for the growing service demand.

(1)(b)(i) Both the SENTECH and BBI capabilities will exist in the merged entities and will require workforce to manage these capabilities. Secondly, the merger is premised on Growth and to improve ICT services for South African. It therefore anticipated that the merger will not result in job losses. It will also create opportunities in other areas of the merged entity.

(1)(b)(ii) The Board directorship will be revised for efficiency and effective Leadership of a Merged entity in alignment with the market shifts.

(2)(a) A financial Due Diligence process is being undertaken by the two entities, whereafter the report will be shared with the Minister during third quarter of FY23.

(2)(b) The process is scheduled to be completed by the end of the financial year 2023.

Authorised for submission by

___________________

MS. NONKQUBELA JORDAN-DYANI

DIRECTOR-GENERAL (ACTING)

DATE:

Recommended/not recommended

________________________________

HON. PHILLY MAPULANE, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Approved/ not approved

____________________________________

HON. KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Reply:

Telkom has committed to engage with Department, as its significant shareholder. The Minister is confident that the matter will be resolved through the application of the relevant prescripts of the Companies Act, and the applicable JSE Securities Exchange rules and regulations.

Authorised for submission by

 

MS. NONKQUBELA JORDAN-DYANI

DIRECTOR-GENERAL (ACTING)

DATE:

Recommended/not recommended

__________________________

HON. PHILLY MAPULANE, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Approved/ not approved

________________________________

HON. KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Reply:

I have been advised by the Department as follows:

Parliamentary sittings are broadcasted to South Africans through Commercial, Public, and Community broadcasting platforms. Secondly the parliament channel is accessible through various streaming platforms.

1. Currently the public may follow sittings live on Parliament Radio and TV (DStv Channel 408), via live stream on Parliament YouTube channel and Twitter and Facebook pages. The public may subscribe to the Parliament YouTube channel to receive instant notification of live feeds, videos and streaming of the plenaries of the National Assembly and National Council of Provinces.
2. The SABC’s 2020 editorial policies define events of national importance to include “the opening of Parliament, the budget speech, major Parliamentary debates, and the opening of provincial legislatures…” that it will broadcast from time to time on its national television and radio platforms.
3. Parliamentary Channel is accessible through the Free-to-Air DTT platform together with other SABC television services..
4. Sentech is syndicating the Parliamentary channel to over 100 community broadcasters across the country
5. To further enhance above efforts, Parliament, Provincial and Local Legislatures must approve targeted funding to ensure that Parliamentary, Legislatures and Council plenary sittings and committee meetings that will ensure that they are accessible to the public through broadcasting platforms which are free to air.  This is at the core of the public service mandate of the SABC and various community media broadcasters of promoting universal access and making Parliamentary, Legislatures and Council plenary sittings, committee meetings and activities more accessible to the masses or for all South Africans on a free-to-air basis. It requires deliberate and targeted funding by the three spheres to ensure that it happens daily.
6. South Africa has sufficient DTT Multiplexes and streaming capacity to achieve greater accessibility, however content production and distribution costs must be covered

Authorised for submission by

 

MS. NONKQUBELA JORDAN-DYANI

DIRECTOR-GENERAL (ACTING)

DATE:

Recommended/not recommended

__________________________

HON. PHILLY MAPULANE, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Approved/ not approved

________________________________

HON. KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Reply:

1. About 1, 5 million registrations have been recorded since the commencement of registrations in September 2015 to date.

2. A date of 30 September 2022 is gazetted and remains the deadline for citizens to make application for Government subsidised Set-top box. We have created sufficient awareness around the final registrations date, and the Minister does not intend issuing another gazette to extend the registration deadline.

Authorised for submission by

 

MS. NONKQUBELA JORDAN-DYANI

DIRECTOR-GENERAL (ACTING)

DATE:

Recommended/not recommended

__________________________

HON. PHILLY MAPULANE, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Approved/ not approved

________________________________

HON. KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Reply:

I have been advised by the Department as follows:

1. All Policy Documents of the Department undergo public consultation with relevant stakeholders. Some of the consultations may require closed meetings and such are undertaken when requested included by political parties.

(i) The Draft White Paper on Audio and Audio-visual Content Services Policy Framework, Gazette No. 43797, published on 09 October 2020, was consulted with commercial media companies including eTV, Multi Choice, Primedia, National Association of Publishers.

(ii) The Draft Next Generation Networks Spectrum Policy was consulted with ACT,and WAPA, and the Department is currently considering a request from the individual telecommunications companies for private session to discuss the Draft policy.

(iii) The reason is to solicit the views of critical industry players through frank deliberations without fear of compromising business strategy.

 

Authorised for submission by

 

MS. NONKQUBELA JORDAN-DYANI

DIRECTOR-GENERAL (ACTING)

DATE:

Recommended/not recommended

__________________________

HON. PHILLY MAPULANE, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Approved/ not approved

________________________________

HON. KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Reply:

As the shareholder representative of Telkom, I am unaware of any intention to sell Government’s shares in the company.

Authorised for submission by

____________

MS. NONKQUBELA JORDAN-DYANI

DIRECTOR-GENERAL (ACTING)

DATE:

Recommended/not recommended

__________________________

HON. PHILLY MAPULANE, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Approved/ not approved

________________________________

HON. KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Reply:

a) The Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies did not decide to close any post office branch.

 

Authorised for submission by

_______________

MS. NONKQUBELA JORDAN-DYANI

DIRECTOR-GENERAL (ACTING)

DATE:

Recommended/not recommended

_______________________________

HON. PHILLY MAPULANE, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Approved/ not approved

___________________________________

HON. KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Reply:

I have been informed by the SABC as follows:

A special committee was set up to investigate the allegations. It was then found that the allegations were untrue. This report was made public by the SABC.

 

Authorised for submission by

 

MR TINYIKO NGOBENI

DIRECTOR-GENERAL (ACTING)

DATE:

Recommended/not recommended

__________________________

HON. PHILLY MAPULANE, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Approved/ not approved

________________________________

HON. KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Reply:

I have been advised by the SOEs as follows:

SOEs	(i) Flowers	(ii) Cards	(iii) Wreaths	(iv) Gifts
ICASA	R500.00	-	-	R8 250.00
Sentech	R63 905.00	R15 878.00	R4 322.00	R55 273.00
USAASA	-	-	-	-
FPB	-	-	-	-

• ICASA implemented the cost cutting measures as issued by National Treasury under Instruction Note 03 of 2017/18. The spending for flowers, cards, wreaths and gifts are classified under the staff welfare account. The above expenditure is as per ICASA’s employee value proposition and in terms of the then applicable HR Policies.
• Sentech has an employee benefits policy which regulates the buying of gifts and arrangement of long service and retirement functions. As part of their employee wellness and support initiatives the company normally hosts memorial services for deceased employees as well as buying flowers and wreaths for their employees who have passed away.
• USAASA and FPB indicated that no flowers, cards, wreaths and gifts were bought in the past eight (8) years.

Authorised for submission by

 

MS. NONKQUBELA JORDAN-DYANI

DIRECTOR-GENERAL (ACTING)

DATE:

Recommended/not recommended

__________________________

HON. PHILLY MAPULANE, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Approved/ not approved

________________________________

HON. KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Reply:

1. (a) The Department did not set aside budget for connectivity restoration on the affected network sites. In our engagements with the affected parties, which mostly consists of the Mobile Network Operators (MNO’s), they have indicated that they will work from their operational plans to restore connectivity on the affected sites.

(b) (i) The restorations and repair costs will be covered by the affected parties (ii) time frame has not been specified as the dependency is on restoration of power by Eskom and respective authorities on affected areas

2. Not applicable.

Authorised for submission by

 

MR T NGOBENI

DIRECTOR-GENERAL (ACTING)

DATE:

Recommended/not recommended

__________________________

HON. PHILLY MAPULANE, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Approved/ not approved

________________________________

HON. KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Reply:

I have been advised by SAPO as follows:

(a) Farramere Post Office was temporarily closed due to non-payment of rent however the branch is now open and all services are rendered.

(b) The mail is being sorted at the Post Box lobby.

 

 

Authorised for submission by

MS. NONKQUBELA JORDAN-DYANI

DIRECTOR-GENERAL (ACTING)

DATE:

Recommended/not recommended

__________________________

HON. PHILLY MAPULANE, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Approved/ not approved

________________________________

HON. KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Reply:

I have been advised by SAPO as follows:

Plans are afoot to relocate and combine the mailboxes with the Wierda Park Box Lobby.

 

Authorised for submission by

 

MS. NONKQUBELA JORDAN-DYANI

DIRECTOR-GENERAL (ACTING)

DATE:

Recommended/not recommended

__________________________

HON. PHILLY MAPULANE, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Approved/ not approved

________________________________

HON. KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Reply:

I have been advised by the USAASA as follows:

(a) The legal fees spent for the financial year 2021/22 amounted to R 2 535 000.00.

(b) The agency made a provision in its financial statements for the contingent liabilities in respect of the legal cases. Upon winding down of USAASA, the liabilities relating to legal cases will be dealt with in line with the National Treasury’s Guidelines for the Disestablishment of entities.

Authorised for submission by

 

MR T NGOBENI

DIRECTOR-GENERAL (ACTING)

DATE:

Recommended/not recommended

__________________________

HON. PHILLY MAPULANE, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Approved/ not approved

________________________________

HON. KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Reply:

The Department has advised me as follows:

(1)(a)(i) Three (3)

(ii) Nil (0)

(iii) N/A. Employees were instructed to report to office post the lifting of the Covid-19 regulations.

(b) The employees were expected to return to office. Disciplinary action is being taken against those who continue working remotely.

(2) No.

 

Authorised for submission by

 

MS. NONKQUBELA JORDAN-DYANI

DIRECTOR-GENERAL (ACTING)

DATE:

Recommended/not recommended

__________________________

HON. PHILLY MAPULANE, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Approved/ not approved

________________________________

HON. KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Reply:

I have been advised by SAPO as follows:

The programme of removing underutilised red letter deposit boxes is underway. The box at 57 Main Street is scheduled for removal in October 2022.

 

Authorised for submission by

 

MR TINYIKO NGOBENI

DIRECTOR-GENERAL (ACTING)

DATE:

Recommended/not recommended

__________________________

HON. PHILLY MAPULANE, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Approved/ not approved

________________________________

HON. KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Reply:

I have been advised by SABC as follows:

a) The Section 189 process was led internally by SABC Executives, i.e. the Chief Operating Officer and Group Executive: Human Resources. The process was facilitated by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA). No legal costs were incurred during this period. However, as is common knowledge, Organised Labour (BEMAWU) took the SABC to court during the tail-end of this process. The court ruled in favour of the SABC after which BEMAWU appealed. The court also ruled against the union upon appeal. Several individuals also took their cases to the CCMA and Labour Court respectively. The Labour Court upheld its earlier decision and ruled in favour of the SABC in all these cases. The rulings confirmed that the SABC executive followed all elements of procedural and substantive fairness. These matters are now considered closed. In total R 2 133 016.61 was spent on legal fees in the cases related to the S189 process.

b) The reorganisation of the SABC and the reduction in the employee compensation costs were vital elements in efforts to stabilise the finances of the Corporation as it embarked on a cost-cutting exercise. The SABC would have, in all likelihood, been left in a worse financial position were the status quo to have remained.

 

Authorised for submission by

 

MR TINYIKO NGOBENI

DIRECTOR-GENERAL (ACTING)

DATE:

Recommended/not recommended

__________________________

HON. PHILLY MAPULANE, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Approved/ not approved

________________________________

HON. KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Reply:

I have been informed by SAPO as follows:

1. 

Liabilities in 'R million	Mar-18	Mar-19	Mar-20	Mar-21	Mar-22
Trade Creditors and accruals	577	669	692	1,088	1,422
Rental	190	124	89	243	364
Statutory	102	150	108	1,396	2,443
Salary Debt				150	150
Total	869	943	889	2,877	4,379

2. In the past five years (2018/2019 to 2021/2022) SAPO has been dealing with the following, ongoing, court actions:

MATTER	BRIEF DESCRIPTION	STATUS
Mrwetyana Family (Uyinene Mrwetyana)	The Mrwetyana family issued a summons in November 2020 against SAPO and Others following the murder of Uyinene Mrwetyana allegedly by an employee of SAPO at Clareinch Post Office, Cape Town. The claim is for delictual and consequential damages.	Matter is still in progress with settlement negotiations underway. The initial settlement offer was rejected.
Postnet (PN)	SAPO lodged a complaint with ICASA around 2019 to challenge unlawful competition contrary to the Postal Services Act for doing business in the reserved area of under 1kg. SAPO was successful and the ICASA tribunal (Complaints and Compliance Committee – “CCC”) recommended a ruling against PN, which ICASA endorsed for PN to stop its unlawful competition. But PN and their professional association, SAEPA, is challenging the ruling/order, by having it reviewed. They also lodged an High Court application to interdict SAPO from implementing the ruling/order, and not allowing PN to do business whilst the matter is continuing. There are currently interlocutory and counter-applications between ICASA, PN and SAEPA.	Matters are still in progress. The Interdict against SAPO is still in place.
VC IT Insight (VCII) (BMC Management Tools & CHM Vuwani)	VCII sued SAPO in 2017 for approximately R14.9 million, for purchasing BMC Management Tools. It was not indicated that the actual purchase was from VCII instead of CHM VUWANI, whom was a BMC Partner. SAPO applied to the High Court to have the “contract” set aside, declared invalid, reviewed and to reclaim R10.38m from VCII, which has been paid. SAPO did not pay the balance of R14.9 million pending the outcome of investigations and the Court’s decision as to the validity of the contract.	Matter still in progress. The judicial review application by SAPO will be heard in the High Court when a date has been set for trial.
Koninklijke JOH Enschede B.V	SAPO was issued with a summons in 2015 for non-payment in respect of Madiba Stamps and Folders under a verbal agreement. SAPO made some partial payment in this regard. There were staff members disciplined and dismissed for this. SAPO had issued a judicial review to review and set aside the “agreement”. SAPO filed its founding affidavit, the plaintiff filed its answering affidavit and SAPO thereafter filed its replying affidavit. A trial date will be applied for at the Registrar of High Court, South Gauteng. SAPO is also claiming back the partial payment which was made previously. Delays in concluding the legal matters were mainly caused by SAPO being unable to pay its Attorneys in due time.	Matters still in progress in the High Court.
Medipos	A Settlement Agreement involving post-retirement medical aid benefits was made an Order of Court by the Supreme Court of Appeal. On 25 August 2022 the Constitutional Court reaffirmed the decision and declined to grant SAPO leave to appeal the Supreme Court judgement. On 6 September 2022, Medipos brought an application in terms of Rule 8 seeking urgent relief to enforce the original Court judgement.	On 11 September 2022, the SAPO Board reached out to the Medipos Board of Trustees regarding the implementation of the Constitutional Court judgement. Engagements are still ongoing.
Redefine Properties Limited	A liquidation application was brought by Redefine Properties (Pty) Ltd which is SAPO’s landlord in some postal outlets.	The matter was settled between the parties.
Blue Turtle Technologies (Pty) Ltd	The IT software provider filed a liquidation application and a provisional liquidation order was granted on 6 June 2022, with a rule nisi. Final liquidation was scheduled for 24 August 2022.	The matter was settled between the parties.
Zaliwa (Pty) Ltd	SAPO received a Notice of Motion for liquidation on 22 August 2022. SAPO is currently dealing with the matter and a court date has not yet been allocated.	The matter is pending.

Authorised for submission by

 

MR TINYIKO NGOBENI

DIRECTOR-GENERAL (ACTING)

DATE:

Recommended/not recommended

__________________________

HON. PHILLY MAPULANE, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Approved/ not approved

________________________________

HON. KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Reply:

I have been informed by the SABC as follows:

1. (a) The qualifications of the newly appointed head of news are as follows:

(i) Honours Degree (NQF 8) in Journalism

(ii) LLB Degree (NQF 8)

(iii) Post Graduate Diploma in Arts (NQF 8 equivalent)

(iv) Post Graduate Certificate - Management Advancement Programme

(b) The position of Group Executive: News and Current Affairs was advertised as per the SABC’s Recruitment and Selection Policy. The necessary approvals were obtained accordingly and the whole recruitment and selection process was fully compliant. All verification processes were duly undertaken, including psychometric tests. As per the advertisement, the inherent minimum requirements of the job are Journalism qualification (NQF 6/) or equivalent plus Post Graduate business qualification (NQF 8). MA/MBA was recommended.

2. The above job qualification requirements were fully met and exceeded by the current incumbent as per his qualifications stated in (a) above. The required working experience is 10 years’ work experience in News, Current Affairs and International broadcasting of which five years should be at Senior Manager Level and this was the second most important minimum requirement.

The above work experience requirements were also fully met and exceeded by the current incumbent which is evident in his CV which reflects 25 years overall relevant experience, that is:

(i) His Reporter experience began in 1996 to 2006.

(ii) His Functional leadership continued from 2007 to 2015.

(iii) His General Leadership continued from 2016 to 2021.

3. All Group Executive positions (including the Head of News) have secretary posts in their approved structures. This is consistent across the Corporation. The secretary serves the entire division, not the respective head of the division, in their performance of the divisional administrative functions. The appointment of the secretary was therefore not unique in the case of the Head of News as the secretary serves the entire division. The position was also advertised both internally and externally which allowed for any internal/external candidates to apply for the post. As such, the SABC is not aware of any available secretary that have been overlooked.

4. The current incumbent is part of the Group Executive Committee and attends all these meetings unless work engagements take preference. He is not an Executive Director and as such he is not part of Board meetings unless there is a specific reason for him to attend.

5. The required information is obtainable in the Annual Report which is duly audited by the Auditor-General.

 

Authorised for submission by

 

MR TINYIKO NGOBENI

DIRECTOR-GENERAL (ACTING)

DATE:

Recommended/not recommended

__________________________

HON. PHILLY MAPULANE, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Approved/ not approved

________________________________

HON. KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Reply:

I have been informed by the SABC as follows:

In 2019 the SABC entered into a year-long contract with Athletics South Africa (ASA). This lapsed amid the COVID-19 pandemic. During negotiations for a new ASA agreement, including securing the rights to broadcast the Comrades Marathon, the SABC learnt that ASA had already signed an exclusive contract with SuperSport for all premium ASA content, including the Comrades Marathon. This is despite the public broadcaster being open to negotiating a non-exclusive deal with ASA - allowing maximum rights revenue for the federation while ensuring most South Africans had access to premium athletic events.

The only recourse thereafter was for the SABC to sublicense these premium events from SuperSport. However, SuperSport's initial terms were unacceptable to the SABC as it wanted the public broadcaster to only broadcast the event a week after the event. After further negotiations it was eventually agreed, through ASA, that the highlights could be flighted within a few hours after the event. Also, the SABC would gain access to live coverage of the start and end of the Comrades Marathon as well as live updates. SuperSport further insisted on including clauses that severely limited where and how the SABC could broadcast the event, including a prohibition on carrying the content on the SABC Sports Channel (across all platforms).

SuperSport had previously tried to insert similar clauses in other sublicense agreements offered to the SABC and which were rejected. Consequently, SuperSport's actions forced the SABC to lodge a complaint of anti-competitive behaviour to the Competition Commission. The Competition Commission is currently dealing with the matter.

Authorised for submission by

 

MR TINYIKO NGOBENI

DIRECTOR-GENERAL (ACTING)

DATE:

Recommended/not recommended

__________________________

HON. PHILLY MAPULANE, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Approved/ not approved

________________________________

HON. KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Reply:

I have been advised as follows:-

No, the Department does not have programmes in place to promote cybersecurity training as the Department does not gave a training mandate.

However, the Department identified a gap in cybersecurity skills in the country and at present, partnered with the Bank SETA and the South African Banking Risk Information Centre (SABRIC) to develop a National Cybersecurity Skills Framework to guide the training of cybersecurity professionals by the relevant institutions.

Reply:

I have been advised by the USAASA as follows:

The company in question was liquidated in December 2018 and the appointed liquidators are Mr. R. K. Pollock N.O, Mr. R. F. Lutchman N.O. and Ms R Pieters N.O. The directors before liquidation were Mr. Itumeleng Mafoko and Ms. Mabuyi Memela.

Reply:

I have been advised by the Department as follows:-

(1)(a) The State Information Technology Agency (SITA)

(1)(b) Nil

(2) (a) No

(2) (b) The website is being redesigned.

Reply:

I have been advised by SAPO as follows:

a) The Verwoerd Park mail is now being redirected to the Alberton Post Office due to numerous complaints regarding the safety of clients while accessing their mail. The lobby box has a severe vagrant problem. This is despite a fence being erected and several interventions by the South African Police Service – both of which have not deterred the vagrants from returning and utilising the facility.

b) (i) No plans are in place due to lack of funds. The boxes are being relocated to Alberton Post Office lobby that have vacant boxes.

(ii) Same as above.

Reply:

I was advised by the Department and Entities as follows:

(a)(i) No

(b)(ii) No

(aa-ee) Not applicable

 

Reply:

I have been advised by the Department as follows:

a) As per the court judgement, the department needs to conclude 100% installations by 30 June 2022, for those who have registered before 31 October 2021. The numbers that were due for installations by 30 June 2022 as per Gauteng High Court judgement were completed by the set date except for 106, 571 in KZN and Eastern Cape due to the impact of the floods.

b) Applications and approved registrations from 1 November 2021 to 31 March 2022 were 260, 868. Applications received between 1 April 2022 and 30 June 2022 were only 49, 385

(i) At the time of publication of the question, the Gauteng High Court had extended the date for analogue switch off to 30 June 2022.

(ii) There is no way of knowing the number of households watching TV through analogue TV sets and it is for that reason that government called for those watching TV through analogue and qualifying for government assistance to apply for assistance. In addition, Digital television cannot only be watched through STBs but digital television sets which were already sold in South Africa since 2012. Between 2016 to date, more than 2.6 million Digital TV sets have been sold in South Africa and can be deemed majority TV sets in households. Furthermore, government has taken measures to ensure South Africans do not unknowingly buy Analogue TV sets in the market.

Reply:

I have been advised SAPO as follows:

Most post offices in urban areas were closed due to unprofitability, as well as congestion of branches. The few branches closed in rural areas were due to incidents of crime. As a result, a total of 144 branches were closed. Out of the 144 closed branches, 26 were due to non-payment of rentals.

Authorised for submission by

 

MS. NONKQUBELA JORDAN-DYANI

DIRECTOR-GENERAL (ACTING)

DATE:

Recommended/not recommended

__________________________

HON. PHILLY MAPULANE, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Approved/ not approved

________________________________

HON. KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Reply:

I have been advised by the Department as follows:

That the digital migration process commenced in South Africa around 2008 where the necessary Broadcast digital migration (BDM) Policies and Regulations guiding the broadcasters about the process was established. It is quite concerning and appalling that some broadcaster can claim that they are not ready after these many years.

(a) (i) At the time of publication of the question, the Gauteng High Court had extended the date for analogue switch off to 30 June 2022. As of 25 April 2022, 398 251 households were awaiting installations which must be completed by 30 June 2022.

(ii) Majority of South African television households are already receiving television services through satellite platforms. In addition, Digital television is also received through digital television sets which aresold in South Africa since 2012. Between 2016 to date, more than 2.6 million Digital TV sets have been sold.. Furthermore, government has taken measures to ensure South Africans do not unknowingly buy Analogue TV sets.

(b)       Refer to (a) above

Reply:

I have been advised by the Department as follows:

a) The total raised by the high-demand radio frequency spectrum auction is R14 477 889 512.60.

b) The revenue collected from the auction will go to the national fiscus.

c) Any details on the spending of the amount can be directed to the Minister of Finance.

Reply:

I have been advised by the Department and SOEs as follows:

a) Department

Department	i) Flowers	(ii) Cards	(iii) Wreaths	(iv) Gifts
	R47 363, 00	0	Included (i) due to BAS SCOA classification	R691, 00

(b-f)

SOEs	(i) Flowers	(ii) Cards	(iii) Wreaths	(iv) Gifts
SAPO	-	-	-	-
NEMISA	R3 549.90	-	-	-
SABC	R96 329.00	-	R4 463.00	R 116 181.00
SITA	R21 463.00	-	-	-
BBI	R69 156.00	-	-	R24 075.00

SAPO indicated that no money was spend for flowers, cards, wreaths and gifts in the last eight (8) years.

Authorised for submission by

 

MS. NONKQUBELA JORDAN-DYANI

DIRECTOR-GENERAL (ACTING)

DATE:

Recommended/not recommended

__________________________

HON. PHILLY MAPULANE, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Approved/ not approved

________________________________

HON. KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Reply:

I have been advised by the Department as follows:

a) The total amount spent on catering for the period in question was R738 982.91,

(i) Minister: R157 644.86

(ii) Deputy Minister: R 90 665.20

(iii) Officials in the Department: R490 672.85

b) The total amount spent on entertainment for the period in question was R0.00,

(i) Minister: R0.00

(ii) Deputy Minister: R0.00

(iii) Officials in the Department: R0.00

c) The total amount spent on accommodation for the period in question was R15 345 562.86

(i) Minister: R 3 615 001.95

(ii) Deputy Minister: R 1 021 003.90

(iii) Officials in the Department: R10 709 557.01

Authorised for submission by

 

MS. NONKQUBELA JORDAN-DYANI

DIRECTOR-GENERAL (ACTING)

DATE:

Recommended/not recommended

__________________________

HON. PHILLY MAPULANE, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER

DATE:

Approved/ not approved

________________________________

HON. KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP

MINISTER

DATE:

Reply:

I have been advised by the Department and SOEs as follows:

I have been advised by the SOEs as follows:

a) Department:

i) Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality:

(aa) Water R0.00

(bb) Rates R0.00

(cc) Electricity R0.00

ii) Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality:

(aa) Water R0.00

(bb) Rates R0.00

(cc) Electricity R0.00

iii) Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality:

(aa) Water R0.00

(bb) Rates R0.00

(cc) Electricity R0.00

(b-d) SOEs:

• SAPO has indicated that no amount is owed to any of the mentioned municipalities as at 07 March 2022. All utilities, rates and taxes accounts are paid in full.
• Nemisa indicated that municipal rates and taxes accounts are up to date
• SABC responded that the accounts at the municipalities mentioned were up to date as at 07 March 2022.

Authorised for submission by

 

MS. NONKQUBELA JORDAN-DYANI

DIRECTOR-GENERAL (ACTING)

DATE:

Recommended/not recommended

__________________________

HON. PHILLY MAPULANE, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Approved/ not approved

________________________________

HON. KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Reply:

I have been advised as follows:

The Department is guided by the Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Field (RF EMF) guidelines of March 2020 developed by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), which provide the necessary and sufficient levels of protection from adverse effects relating to exposure to RF EMF when networks including 5G are deployed or operated.

Authorised for submission by

 

MS. NONKQUBELA JORDAN-DYANI

DIRECTOR-GENERAL (ACTING)

DATE:

Recommended/not recommended

__________________________

HON. PHILLY MAPULANE, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Approved/ not approved

________________________________

HON. KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Reply:

I have been advised by the Department as follows:

No incidents of sexual harassment and sexual assault were reported in the Department in the past three years and since 1 April 2021.

Authorised for submission by

 

MS. NONKQUBELA JORDAN-DYANI

DIRECTOR-GENERAL (ACTING)

DATE:

Recommended/not recommended

__________________________

HON. PHILLY MAPULANE, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Approved/ not approved

________________________________

HON. KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

DATE:

Reply:

I have been advised by SAPO as follows:

(a) Since 1 January 2018 a total of 248 branches were closed, for various reasons.

(b) Please see attached spread sheet

(c) Please see attached spread sheet

Authorised for submission by:

 

MS. NONKQUBELA JORDAN-DYANI

DIRECTOR-GENERAL (ACTING)

DATE:

 

Recommended/not recommended

__________________________

HON. PHILLY MAPULANE, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER

DATE:

Approved/ not approved

________________________________

HON. KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP

MINISTER

DATE: