Questions and Replies

Reply:

The Provincial Department of Social Development (Limpopo) has engaged Huis Talje Children’s Home (Children’s Home) after it was notified by the Children’s Home that there were funding discrepancies in terms of costing of services. It was noted that a means test was used to determine funding of services rendered by the Children’s Home, instead of applying for service package costing that focuses on the capacity of the Children’s Home. The Children’s Home is currently in possession of a funding letter from the district which indicates the correct funding determination. During the 2015/16 financial year the Children’s Home has already received R321 250 for both the first and second quarter.

The discrepancy has been brought to the attention of the Provincial Department’s finance section, and reconciliations are effected for transferring of funds in the third quarter and will be aligned to the capacity of the Children’s Home.

The funding of Child and Youth Care Centres are determined according to Section 195 of the Children’s Act 38 of 2005. Each provincial department determines its own unit cost provided that Children’s Home meets registration requirements.

The Limpopo Provincial Department had determined its unit cost per child at R2 500.00 per month and has a capacity of 66 children. Based on the above information provided, the Provincial Department’s Finance Section is busy with a reconciliation process to determine outstanding funding to be transferred in the third quarter.

Reply:

The hounourable member should get this information from the Department’s annual report tabled in Parliament.

Reply:

1. Huis Tekna is a registered Child and Youth Care Centre (CYCC) established in accordance with the Children’s Act 38 of 2005. CYCCs do not receive social grants but subsidies from the Department of Social Development.
2. The Limpopo Provincial Department could not transfer funds to all assessed Non-Profit Organizations in the Waterberg district, in the 1st quarter: April-June 2015 as they were conducting investigations conducted in the district. This was a result of a complaint lodged by a concerned community member on how the assessment processes was conducted for the 2015/16 funding. During April 2015, 1096 business plans were audited and comprehensive report compiled. The result of this audit indicated that there were no discrepancies in the assessment process.

Subsequent to the audit, the first and second funding trench was paid out in August 2015 to all affected NPOs in the Waterberg district.

3. Transfers of funds to the non-profit organizations are done quarterly after the reconciliation and relevant organizations are receiving subsidies in line with the business plans and claims submitted to the Department. The Waterberg district office is in regular communication with the organizations to ensure meaningful and continuous working relationship.

Reply:

Please refer to my reply to question 3797 on this matter.

Reply:

Please refer to my reply to question 3797 on this matter.

Reply:

I have taken legal advice that this matter is before the Gauteng High Court (case 21904/2015) and therefore will await the outcome of this case.

Reply:

As I have stated previously, I have set up a Ministerial Task Team made up of senior officials from the Department, SASSA, Black SASH and community organizations to look into this matter of illegal or unauthorised deductions and to recommend possible remedial actions, some of which we are currently implementing.

When I received the Honourable Member’s correspondence on this issue, I accordingly advised that we join our efforts by working jointly with the Task Team in order to avoid unnecessary duplication. This would have enabled the Honourable Member to familiarize himself with the work of the Task Team and the various measures we are currently implementing to address this matter. An impression created through sensational and misleading media articles that I don’t take this matter seriously is very unfortunate, especially from the Honourable Member who knows that we have been constantly briefing the Portfolio Committee about various measures we are implementing in this regard.

Unfortunately, the Honourable Member chose to conveniently hijack this serious matter in order to score cheap and warranted political points by publishing false media articles about how the Department and Government as a whole is handling this matter. This is an act of extreme political desperation for a political party that does not have a political agenda.

I take this matter seriously and I have instructed both the Department and SASSA to take necessary legislative measures to swiftly clamp down on illegal and fraudulent deductions.

Reply:

Please refer to my reply to question 3797 on this matter.

Reply:

Please refer to my reply to question 3797 on this matter.

Reply:

(1) (a) Yes. The budget of the Central Drug Authority (CDA) for the 2016-2017 financial year by 6.2% according to Medium Term Expenditure Framework. The current budget is R6.1 million which covers both personnel and goods and services.

(b) Yes. The budget will to some extent enable the Department to collect baseline data against which we will measure the impact and efficacy of current interventions, at least in one province.

(2) To ensure a seamless and coordinated approach to the implementation of the National Drug Master Plan, the Department has commenced with the process to conduct an audit of all structures. I will furnish the Honourable Member with a comprehensive reply upon completion of this process.

(3) Yes. Measures currently underway include the upgrading of the Directorate to a Chief Directorate to ensure proper coordination and support to the CDA.

Reply:

The hounourable member should get this information from the Department’s annual report as tabled in Parliament.

Reply:

1. The department has established a paypoint in Tsakane where beneficiaries can draw their cash - grants over the first five days of the months and it is a kilometer away from Tsakane Mall.
2. & (3) There is no pay point at Tsakane Mall in Brakpan. Because of the multiple options and benefits beneficiaries derives in receiving their grants, other distribution channels exist and in this regard there are 3 merchants stores which are pay out centres. The beneficiaries opting these pay – out centres not only withdraw money but also access other services in the mall. The department is constant contact with the service provider to improve queue management during the pay days.

Reply:

The hounourable member should get this information from the Department’s annual reports as tabled in Parliament

Reply:

(a) No

(b) No

1. Not applicable
2. Not applicable
3. Not applicable

Reply:

(a) Refer to PQ 115

(b) Refer PQ 115

(i) Yes

(ii) Documents attached

Reply:

(a) (b) Not applicable

Reply:

1. None
2. Not applicable
3. Not applicable
4. Not applicable

Reply:

Minister and Deputy Minister did not travel to China during 201-2015 financial year. However, 3 officials visited China from 28 November - 6 December 2014 and participated during the World Family Summit.

Breakdown of costs:

Flights: R 144, 109.12

Accommodation: R59, 000.00

Allowance: R 18, 300.00

Total: R 221, 409.12

Funds have been budgeted for this activity

Reply:

Honourable Members refer to previous question 727 on 30 April 2015 and questions 952, 1011 and 1596 on 26 May 2015.




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Reply:

(a)  (i) The Department of Social Development through the Social Assistance Act, 2004 (Act No.13 of 2004) has entrusted the responsibility to administer social assistance and pay social grants to the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA). In an effort to fulfill its oversight responsibility the Department has further established formalized engagement structures where matters relating to the administration of social assistance including payment of social grants and compliance with norms and standards are discussed.

(ii) The department is busy looking at the options of protecting older persons’ accounts from unscrupulous loan sharks and other schemes.

(b) The bank accounts of social grant beneficiaries operate within the confines of the national payment system rules. Therefore, although Regulation 26A in terms of the Social Assistance Act, allows deductions for a funeral policy or scheme to take place directly from a social grant before the grant money is paid into a beneficiary’s bank account, however once the grant money is transferred into the bank account of a beneficiary this Regulation ceases to operate.



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Reply:

This question is too broad and it is about the work of other departments. The member must ask the question to the departments concerned as well as provinces concerned.



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Reply:

Please refer to my previous reply to question 115 on 17 March 2015 in which I explained the reasons for the provision of close protection services for SASSA employees and other affected officials.



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Reply:

Provincial Youth Camps are conducted by the provinces themselves. Since the Honourable Member is interested in province-specific issues, the details of which I do not readily have, I advise that the Honourable Member liaise directly with the relevant Provincial MEC

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Reply:

The Honorable Member must refer to previous replies to question 727 on 30 April 2015 and questions 952, 1011 and 1596 on 26 May 2015, and question 3171.




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Reply:

The Honourable Member must refer to my previous reply to question 2725 on 04 September 2015 as this matter in which I have outlined all reasons.

Reply:

Both education and social security are constitutional rights. Section 27(1)(c) of the constitution provides that everyone has the right to have access to social security, including, if they are unable to support themselves and their dependants, appropriate social assistance. The South African Schools Act and accompanying regulations make schooling compulsory for all children, while the Social Assistance Act and regulations emphasizes the parental responsibilities of caregivers while making social work services available to those caregivers who are struggling. At present this seems to be working well with over 96% of social grant beneficiaries in school. The current legislation is developmental in nature; however the department is continuously reviewing it with the view of improving and giving better expression to the rights afforded to all in the Constitution. Well researched inputs that promote development without compromising the values of society, expressed in our constitution, are always welcomed.

From a fiscal stance the National Treasury does not seem to be worried about sustainability of the social grants, and they have publicly pronounced on this: “From a fiscal point of view, there is nothing unsustainable about the financing of the current system of social grants”.

(http://www.bdlive.co.za/national/2013/07/02/treasury-assures-on-south-africas-welfare-bubble). The department agrees with this view and has not seen any evidence suggesting any need to be alarmed. Furthermore, social grants remain one of government’s largest poverty alleviation programmes that also make a large impact on inequality. Both poverty and inequality is unsustainable in the long term.

Reply:

The Department and its entities advertise in different media groups. The member is referred to the annual reports of the aforementioned financial years.

Reply:

The Department initiated a sector-wide service delivery improvement process. This initiative enables the Department and its entities to engage directly with beneficiaries of its services. This will allow the Department and entities to identify any regulations that hinder the effective delivery of services on the ground and come up with plans to address such.

Reply:

1. (a) No training provider appointed

(b) (i) The costs are not known at this stage

(ii) Under normal circumstances, the RPL process takes 12 months, but for this group the period has not yet been determined

(2) Same as (ii)

(3) The main aim of conducting RPL is to eliminate unnecessary repetitions and duplication in the training programme. The Masupatsela Youth Pioneers have already undergone some form of training. The SAQA guidelines on RPL clearly specify that it should be embedded within broader personal development and career path. It is for this reason that the Masupatsela Youth Pioneers will undergo the RPL process first before the commencement of training.

(4) As stated earlier, the main of conducing RPL is to provide the Masupatsela Youth Pioneers with accredited training to enhance their skills and knowledge, as well as improve career development and open access to better job opportunities even outside the social sector.

Reply:

(a) The RFP was not specific on the anticipated number of beneficiaries to be enrolled. However, the costing template which was attached as an Annexure stipulated the number of 9 082 251, and it was on this basis that the bidders costed the service. During the finalization of the bid, SASSA confirmed with the service provider that there was no charge for the enrolment of 9 082 251 beneficiaries. When the contract was implemented, it was realized that enrolment of all beneficiaries, procurators and children would require more time than initially expected. The enrolment had initially been planned for all grant collecting adults (the 9 082 251 quoted) but the decision was made to include the re-registration of all children and procurators since SASSA and the service provider would have face-to-face contact with each person collecting a grant. It would have created serious hardship for social grant beneficiaries had we completed the enrolment of the 9 082 251 beneficiaries, and then still expect the same beneficiaries to return at a later date to re-register their children and procurators. The extension and the inclusion of the children and procurators at the same time that enrolment was taking place was agreed to in a management meeting held in June 2012.

It would have not made any business sense for the Agency to appoint another service provider to render this service, as this would have resulted in SASSA having disparate databases, something which the re-registration and enrolment process sought to eliminate at the first place. It should also be noted that in the original RFP, consideration had always been given to paying a separate fee for the enrolment and re-registration of beneficiaries – it was not originally expected to be included within the capped fee of R16, 50 per transaction. However, the service provider, who had budgeted to absorb the cost of bulk enrolment within the service fee quoted, indicated that, with the extension of both time and numbers, there would be a cost for the service. This cost was to cover his direct costs related to the payment of staff, overtime, transport, leasing of re-registration venues and hiring of tents in areas where there was a need to do so.

(b) Given the foregoing, the payment in question cannot be regarded as a transgression of the contract. The re-registration of all beneficiaries, children and procurators was part and parcel of the long term plan. However, the ability to implement this within the set time frame and within budget was found to exceed the practical limits which had been set, and approval was therefore given for the extension of time and resources to complete the project, with as little disruption and inconvenience to social grant beneficiaries as possible. Yes, the implementation of this exercise came at a cost but in terms of the long term benefits and safeguarding the integrity of the social grant payment system, this exercise will provide the benefits will far outweigh the initial costs, as the Agency managed to accrue savings of R3.2 billion in the 2013/14 financial year for Government.

Reply:

(1) (a) The centre has not yet been opened because the construction is still in progress.

(b) The initial planned budget for the construction of the centre was R96 410 237.86

(2) Yes, the building development exceeded the originally proposed costs.

(a) The building costs was exceeded by an amount of R4 157 810.84

(b) The reason of exceeding the originally proposed building costs was due to an approved variation order for the extension of time which had cost implications.

(3) It is expected that the project be completed in September 2015, and will start admitting service users from 1st of November 2015.

Reply:

1. The nine provincial substance abuse fora; are situated at each provincial Department of Social Development (in nine provinces of the country); which are: Eastern Cape (Bisho), Gauteng (Johannesburg), Free State (Bloemfontein), Northern Cape (Kimberly), Mpumalanga (Nelspruit), Kwa-Zulu Natal (Pietermaritzburg), Northwest (Mafikeng), Limpopo (Polokwane) and Western Cape (Cape Town) provinces. The Secretariat function of all the nine Substance Abuse fora resides within the Department of Social Development as it leads the coordination of the forums.
2. Yes, the Central Drug Authority (CDA) has a plan of action to encourage the

Government departments, private institutions, Provincial Substance Abuse Forums and Local Drug Action Committees to compile strategies to address substance abuse in line with the goals of the National Drug Master Plan 2013 – 2017 (NDMP). The CDA has on an ongoing basis guided the above mentioned structures to develop and implement strategies to address the scourge of substance abuse within respective areas of operation. These strategies focus on Demand Reduction, Supply Reduction and Harm Reduction. The CDA has also visited Provincial Legislatures in some provinces (Eastern Cape and Gauteng) in order to solicit political support in the implementation of the National Drug Master Plan 2013-2017. CDA is still awaiting the response of other provinces in this regard.

Government departments, Provincial Substance Abuse Forums and the Local Drug Action Committees submit their six monthly and annual reports to the CDA in accordance with their Drug Master Plans.

3. In 2011, the CDA held the 2nd Biennial Summit which was preceded by provincial summits and a house- hold survey. CDA used the information and facts gathered together with resolutions of the summit to develop the National Drug Master Plan 2013-2017. The resolutions of the summit were further used to develop an Integrated Anti-Substance Abuse Programme of Action. Subsequently, the CDA focused on the preparation for the 3rd Biennial Anti-Substance Abuse Summit, which is envisaged to take place in the 2015/2016 financial year. This planned summit will review the past resolutions.

An evaluative study was conducted on Ke Moja education and awareness programme, and the findings were used to review this programme. CDA held a Substance Abuse Treatment Symposium, with a view of developing treatment strategy which will guide the development and implementation of standardized treatment programmes. Community Based Services Model, After Care and Reintegration Model, Anti-Substance Abuse Prevention Model for adults and Treatment Model; were developed based on the current situation in the country. Annually CDA compile a report to inform government interventions to combat substance abuse.

Reply:

The Honourable Member must refer to my previous replies to questions 727 on 30 April 2015 and questions 952, 1011 and 1596 on 26 May 2015. Partnerships for Social Development present many opportunities. They allow different sectors of society to have access to the comparative advantages of their partners. Again, international cooperation is becoming increasingly important in development because of growing trans-border challenges and major population movements.

The Department is therefore involved in a number of bilateral and multilateral engagements where South Africa is both a partner and a member. The country and Department in particular benefits from these international partnerships through capacity building, development support and information exchanges. The Department regularly conducts an overall assessment of partnership arrangements which focus on long-term view that goes beyond short-term financial goals Partnership often exact large costs in time, energy and financial inputs otherwise known as high transaction costs. Given the importance and desirability of foreign partnerships, high transaction costs are often unavailable. The Department while engaging with partners fully considers benefits on costs, short term versus long-term implications and potential impact of social development.

Reply:

No; the Department of Social Development does not have nor intend having a policy for Social Workers to make enquiries about the extent in which a mother was exposed to alcohol during pregnancy when a child with problematic behavior is taken to children’s home or another form of care .

However, the Department of Social Development has assessment tools that are being administered when children including children with FASD (Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder) are admitted to a children’s home or another form of care. The assessment tools provide the social workers with background information of every child including the family circumstances of the child. Additionally social workers can access information from other health care workers to assess the impact of the family and environmental circumstances on the behavior of the child.

Reply:

1.

2. The Department of Social Development does not have any memoranda of Understanding with both the Departments. What is in place are the Terms of Reference, agreed upon among the Interdepartmental Committee for ECD which includes the departments mentioned in the question. The South African Integrated Programme of Action for ECD: Moving Ahead was approved by Cabinet on 18 September 2013, which outlines the roles and responsibilities of all Departments that deals with ECD issues.

3. According to the Children’s Act 38 of 2005, the provincial head of social development must conduct inspections at the prescribed intervals of partial care facilities in the province to enforce the provisions of this Act. Each province conducts monitoring of ECD centres on a quarterly basis, based on their targets for the quarter.

Reply:

The Honourable Member must refer to question 300 on 28 April 2015 and question 1650 on 09 June 2015 in which I replied to these questions in details.

Reply:

1. Yes
2. These reports on the payment model are being discussed at SASSA executive management level.
3. Currently there are no planned international trips but this does not preclude the Agency or the Department to do so when the need arises.

Reply:

At the time of replying to this question the Department was still awaiting a comprehensive response from provincial departments which are responsible for this function. I will furnish the Honourable Member with a reply upon receipt of provincial inputs.

The Member can also look for information through the relevant Provinces.

Reply:

1. & (b) The Honourable Member is referred to Table 18 on Page 51 of SASSA’s

Annual Report 2014/15 Financial Year.

Reply:

The reports are in the quarterly reports that the Department and its entities submit to the Portfolio Committee and the annual reports of each respective financial year.

Reply:

When a disability grant is approved, the approval is based on set criteria and is not related to the type of disability. Therefore no such information regarding the specifics of the disability is retained on the database. The system only captures the fact that the beneficiary is disabled and not the type of disability.

Reply:

The Honourable Member must refer to my previous reply to question 1960 in which I have outlined the international trips undertaken for benchmarking purposes. The Honourable Member must also be clear in terms of what she is asking for because in the previous question the focus was on the period leading up to SASSA’s promulgation and now the question includes this period post SASSA’s establishment.

Reply:

SASSA has been in consultation with SAPS Crime Intelligence and VIP Protection Services on this matter since 2013.

Reply:

This question has already been replied to and the Integrated Community Registration Outreach Programme (ICROP) concept document was sent for the Honourable Member’s attention on 16 July 2015.

Reply:

(a) The law firm reviewed the outcome of the constitutional court judgment on the payment tender and the leakage of information to media houses.

(b) The law firm was appointed in terms of SASSA‘s Annual Procurement General Exemptions SASSA-12/10 which enables the Minister to appoint a commission of enquiry, special investigating units, forensic auditors and also to enable the Agency to procure services to seek legal opinion from Legal Firms without following the procurement process due to the sensitivity of the nature of the service.

Reply:

(1) (a) The estimated cost of developing the Recruitment and Retention Strategy

for Social Workers which came into effect in 2006 was R500 000 and a further cost of Rapid Assessment Study of the strategy was R250 000; (b)(i)The implementation plan was not time bound but ongoing and Provinces were required to source funding from their Provincial Treasury to implement Recruitment and Retention Strategy for Social Workers; (ii) The National Department of Social Development has since the 2007/08 to the 2015/2016 financial year received an estimated R1, 6 billion as part of the resource for the recruitment part of the strategy (scholarship programme); (iii) the Rapid Assessment Study’s findings indicated some notable strides by provinces in the implementation of the strategy in terms of improved office accommodation, vehicle allocation, improved conditions of social workers salaries following the regrading of salaries of social workers. This is despite the many challenges that still need to be addressed.

2. The estimated cost to the department for hosting the Social Work Indaba in March 2015 at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in Durban was R 12 119 060.97 of which R3m was spent on implementation of Communication plan for the event. It should however be noted that the costs for conferencing amounting to R2.8m were incurred and paid for by USAID.

3. The resolutions taken at the Social Work Indaba affirm the findings and recommendation of the strategy. The Social Work Indaba involved a broader representation of stakeholders which included social workers from NGOs, other government institutions, universities and national and provincial departments of Social Development. The Recruitment and Retention Strategy process involved only Provincial Departments of Social Development.

Reply:

(a) Neither the National Department of Social Development (b) nor the NDA has paid the out the said amount since the 2008/09 financial year.

With regard to SASSA, an amount R1 151 317.20 was paid to Ms B Rankin (Executive Manager: Corporate Services) due to her early termination of her employment services in the 2008/09 financial year.

In the second case, an amount of R 313 267.51 was paid to Mr J Mofokeng (Chief Financial Officer) as a dispute settlement which resulted in early termination of employment contract.

Reply:

(1) Social relief of distress is provided in terms of the criteria set in the Social Assistance Act, 2004. The policy on SASSA responses to disaster is a guide for SASSA staff to implement the legislative requirements in a uniform and consistent manner.

(2) Please refer to Section 4 of the SASSA guidelines.