Questions and Replies
23 December 2020 - NW68
Bagraim, Mr M to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans
What (a) type of performance and/or incentive bonuses exist in her department excluding the 13th cheque and (b) amount was budgeted for these performance and/or incentive bonuses in the (i) 2017-18, (ii) 2018-19 and (iii) 2019-20 financial years?
Reply:
a) The Public Service Regulations (PSR), 2016, provides for the Head of Department to establish a financial incentive scheme for employees or any category of those employees.
The Department of Defence pays a Performance Bonus in terms of its Performance Management and Development System (PMDS). The Performance Bonus is a financial reward granted to eligible officials in recognition of performance that is significantly above expectations provided that the official completes a continuous period of at least twelve months in his/her salary level on 31 March of a specific year.
(b) The amounts budgeted are indicated in the table below:
FY2017/18 |
FY2018/19 |
FY 2019/20 |
|||
Budget Vote |
Expenditure |
Budget Vote |
Expenditure |
Budget Vote |
Expenditure |
R355,996,901 |
R191,601,890 |
R277,289,665 |
R200,571,892 |
R289,517,939 |
R224,545,442 |
22 December 2020 - NW2361
Bergman, Mr D to ask the Minister of Health
(1)With reference to international travel restrictions under Level 1 of the lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19, what methodology was used to identify (a) China as a low-risk travel country and (b) Maldives a high-risk country; (2) whether (a) non-residents, (b) persons employed abroad and (c) persons who will be relocating will be allowed to travel to identified high-risk countries; if not, why not; if so, what are the further relevant details?
Reply:
1. The model that South Africa used to determine the red list of high-risk countries from where persons are permitted to travel to the Republic is based on a scientifically robust and tested approach that was benchmarked with other countries. The benchmarking process assisted the country to understand how best other countries are implementing interventions to enable proactive risk categorisation processes. The model and the criteria applied were based on globally accepted standards taking into consideration the guidelines as set by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Several criteria and scientific data are utilised to design, develop and refine the RSA risk categorization model. The primary considerations include the following:
a) the number of new cases per 100,000 persons over 14 days;
b) the number of new deaths per 100,000 persons over 14 days; and
c) the total number of accumulated cases in the given country since the first case.
Furthermore, the model also considers sensitivity analyses to assess the tolerance level rate to the RSA baseline. Other parameters such as testing data and active cases are considered. However, due to the absence of sufficiently updated data across different countries, it was recommended that these factors are not significantly relied upon. Based on all these factors, countries were classified according to three distinct categories: “Low Risk”, “Similar Risk” and “High Risk”. The “High Risk” category is what is used to create the red list of high-risk countries.
Therefore, the methodology outlined above is what was used to determine (a) China as a low-risk country and (b) the Maldives as a high-risk country. It must be noted that due to recent global developments and trends, the Cabinet resolved that the strategy of using the red list of high-risk countries should be changed and instead use the 72-hour PCR test and the screening of incoming passengers to determine if they should be allowed into the country or not.
Based on recent global developments and trends, the Cabinet resolved that the strategy of whether (a) non-residents, (b) persons employed abroad and (c) persons who will be relocating will be allowed to travel to identified high-risk countries should be based on the use of the 72-hour PCR test and appropriate screening interventions at both the departing border and those implemented in the destination country to which all individuals are expected to comply as per those countries’ COVID-19 prevention and screening protocols. This decision takes into consideration the WHO’s guidelines on public health considerations while resuming international travel as published in June 2020 and subsequently updated advisories.
END.
22 December 2020 - NW2982
Dyantyi, Dr PP to ask the Minister of Health
With reference to the issue of personal protective equipment (PPEs) which came under the spotlight in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, what (a) actions and/or measures has he and/or his department taken to address the (i) availability, (ii) quantity and (iii) quality of PPEs and (b) role has the relationship between his department and the labour unions played to improve the situation and to ensure that frontline healthcare workers, including community health workers, are well protected against the pandemic?
Reply:
1a) Actions and/or measures has he and/or his department taken to address the
(i) Availability of PPEs
The National Department of Health developed an Infection Control and Prevention (IPC) Guideline that identifies in detail what PPEs are required in by health care and support personnel require in the different health care service delivery settings. This document formed the basis of determining what PPE’s and in what quantity each health care worker and support personnel will require.
(ii) Quantity of PPEs
The IPC Guidelines informed the PPE demand forecast, initially projected for a 6-month period and subsequently the PPE forecast was projected until March 2021. The PPE demand forecast projections are utilised to identify resources required to procure PPEs, finalise transversal contracts with National Treasury, secure and negotiate availability of PPEs with suppliers.
A PPE module was also added to the stock visibility system (SVS) used to monitor medicines. This enabled health facilities and depots in provinces to report PPE stock on hand against forecasted demand and identify shortfalls and surpluses. The SVS system is used by provinces to monitor PPE availability and to address shortfalls at a health facility level.
(iii) Quality of PPEs
The National Department of Health in collaboration with South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA), the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) sets the quality standards for the various personal protective equipment items. Each province is responsible for ensuring that the quality standards of PPE’s procured are maintained.
The National department of Health has also supported the provinces with availing a Policy on Respiratory Protective Equipment and a list of PPE specifications that provinces can utilise to guide the PPE procurement process. In addition, PPE quality assurance training was conducted for provinces. The Department of Trade and Industry also provides support to local manufacturers and distributors in respect of compliance with applicable standards and conformity assessments to assist them to prepare for the licensing and approval process.
Meetings with provincial PPE coordinators, depot managers and PPE supply chain officials are convened bi-weekly to monitor and address availability, security of supply and quality assurance of PPE.
b) The labour unions participate in the weekly Project Management Office meetings chaired by the Director-General where updates are given on personal protective equipment (PPE) availability and quantity at facility level through analysis of data on the Stock Visibility System (SVS). The SVS also allows for access to trade union representatives to sign-off on the quantity of PPE at the facility level. I have convened meetings with the trade unions to update them on PPE availability and quantity. In addition, PPE and Occupational Health and Safety are standing agenda items on the Tech-NHC and NHC meetings.
END.
22 December 2020 - NW2978
Dhlomo, Dr SM to ask the Minister of Health
In view of the recent report by the Minister of Police, Mr B H Cele, wherein he stated that the highest number of rape cases are in the areas of Inanda and Umlazi and that rape is usually associated with violence and the killing of women and children, what full, detailed information can his department provide for the period 1 January 2019 to 30 June 2020 from four forensic pathology services mortuaries (names and details furnished) with regard to the (a) total number of (i) women, (ii) men and (iii) children admitted, (b) breakdown of the specified women, men and children according to race, (c) total number of (i) women and (ii) men admitted with gunshot wounds, (d) total number of victims admitted with (i) stab wounds and (ii) soft tissue injuries suggestive of trauma inflicted and (e) total number of victims of motor vehicle accidents?
Reply:
According to the KwaZulu Natal Provincial Department of Health, the following tables reflects the details in this regard:
(a)
Mortuary |
number of (i) women admitted |
number of (ii) men admitted |
number of (iii) children admitted |
|||
Jan-Dec 2019 |
Jan-June 2020 |
Jan-Dec 2019 |
Jan-June 2020 |
Jan-Dec 2019 |
Jan-June 2020 |
|
(i) Pinetown, |
263 |
94 |
1 148 |
542 |
134 |
45 |
(ii) Gale Street, |
452 |
74 |
1 872 |
340 |
129 |
36 |
(iii) Phoenix, |
256 |
159 |
1 265 |
652 |
121 |
70 |
(iv) Park Rynie |
92 |
34 |
426 |
196 |
41 |
9 |
(b)
Mortuary |
number of (i) women admitted |
|||||||||
African |
Asian |
Coloured |
White |
Other |
||||||
Jan-Dec 2019 |
Jan-Jun 2020 |
Jan-Dec 2019 |
Jan-Jun 2020 |
Jan-Dec 2019 |
Jan-Jun 2020 |
Jan-Dec 2019 |
Jan-Jun 2020 |
Jan-Dec 2019 |
Jan-Jun 2020 |
|
(i) Pinetown, |
221 |
70 |
23 |
10 |
3 |
2 |
16 |
11 |
0 |
1 |
(ii) Gale Street, |
338 |
55 |
41 |
8 |
20 |
2 |
31 |
4 |
22 |
5 |
(iii) Phoenix, |
190 |
124 |
49 |
30 |
3 |
2 |
14 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
(iv) Park Rynie |
89 |
30 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
Mortuary |
number of (ii) men admitted |
|||||||||
African |
Asian |
Coloured |
White |
Other |
||||||
Jan-Dec 2019 |
Jan-Jun 2020 |
Jan-Dec 2019 |
Jan-Jun 2020 |
Jan-Dec 2019 |
Jan-Jun 2020 |
Jan-Dec 2019 |
Jan-Jun 2020 |
Jan-Dec 2019 |
Jan-Jun 2020 |
|
(i) Pinetown, |
986 |
464 |
116 |
45 |
4 |
9 |
41 |
24 |
1 |
0 |
(ii) Gale Street, |
1 563 |
292 |
135 |
25 |
65 |
8 |
93 |
15 |
16 |
0 |
(iii) Phoenix, |
1 031 |
536 |
193 |
83 |
11 |
5 |
30 |
28 |
0 |
0 |
(iv) Park Rynie |
403 |
189 |
9 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
14 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
Mortuary |
number of (iii) children admitted |
|||||||||
African |
Asian |
Coloured |
White |
Other |
||||||
Jan-Dec 2019 |
Jan-Jun 2020 |
Jan-Dec 2019 |
Jan-Jun 2020 |
Jan-Dec 2019 |
Jan-Jun 2020 |
Jan-Dec 2019 |
Jan-Jun 2020 |
Jan-Dec 2019 |
Jan-Jun 2020 |
|
(i) Pinetown, |
132 |
43 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
(ii) Gale Street, |
120 |
35 |
8 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
(iii) Phoenix, |
106 |
62 |
12 |
6 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
(iv) Park Rynie |
35 |
9 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
(c)
Mortuary |
number of (i) women admitted with gunshot wounds |
number of (ii) men admitted with gunshot wounds |
||
Jan-Dec 2019 |
Jan-Jun 2020 |
Jan-Dec 2019 |
Jan-Jun 2020 |
|
(i) Pinetown, |
31 |
13 |
292 |
160 |
(ii) Gale Street, |
42 |
3 |
391 |
82 |
(iii) Phoenix, |
26 |
12 |
320 |
133 |
(iv) Park Rynie |
9 |
2 |
76 |
65 |
(d)
Mortuary |
total number of victims admitted with (i) stab wounds |
total number of victims admitted with (ii) soft tissue injuries suggestive of trauma inflicted and |
||
Jan-Dec 2019 |
Jan-Jun 2020 |
Jan-Dec 2019 |
Jan-Jun 2020 |
|
(i) Pinetown, |
157 |
59 |
181 |
91 |
(ii) Gale Street, |
282 |
33 |
223 |
73 |
(iii) Phoenix, |
188 |
81 |
148 |
104 |
(iv) Park Rynie |
68 |
24 |
69 |
44 |
(e)
Mortuary |
total number of victims of motor vehicle accidents |
|
Jan-Dec 2019 |
Jan-Jun 2020 |
|
(i) Pinetown, |
232 |
67 |
(ii) Gale Street, |
490 |
80 |
(iii) Phoenix, |
280 |
136 |
(iv) Park Rynie |
130 |
27 |
END.
22 December 2020 - NW2720
Powell, Ms EL to ask the Minister of Public Service and Administration
Whether he will furnish Ms E L Powell with the details of all (a) total cost to company salaries and (b) bonuses of executive employees, including the chief executive officers in all entities reporting to the national Departments of Water and Sanitation and Human Settlements for the past five financial years?
Reply:
The information requested by the Honourable Member is provided in Annual Reports tabled yearly in Parliament by departments and public entities.
22 December 2020 - NW3012
De Freitas, Mr MS to ask the Minister of Health
(a) What (i) criteria and (ii) scientific data are used to create the red list of high-risk countries from where persons are permitted to travel to the Republic, (b) on what date is the list updated and (c) what criteria determine that the list needs to be updated?
Reply:
a) (i) The model that South Africa used to determine the red list of high risk countries from where persons are permitted to travel to the Republic is based on a scientifically robust and tested approach that was benchmarked with other countries. The benchmarking process assisted the country to understand how best other countries are implementing interventions to enable proactive risk categorisation processes. The model and the criteria applied were based on globally accepted standards taking into consideration the guidelines as set by the World Health Organisation.
(ii) Several criteria and scientific data are utilised to design, develop and refine the RSA risk categorization model. The primary considerations include the following:
(1) the number of new cases per 100,000 persons over 14 days;
(2) the number of new deaths per 100,000 persons over 14 days; and
(3) the total number of accumulated cases in the given country since the first case.
Furthermore, the model also considers sensitivity analyses to assess the tolerance level rate to the RSA baseline. Other parameters such as testing data and active cases are considered. However, due to the absence of sufficiently updated data across different countries, it was recommended that these factors are not significantly relied upon. Based on all these factors, countries were classified according to three distinct categories: “Low Risk”, “Similar Risk” and “High Risk”. The “High Risk” category is what is used to create the red list of high risk countries.
b) The list was updated fortnightly, that is, every 14 days. Given the nature of the pandemic and the evolving data dynamics in every country, the model that was utilised could not be static as the baseline was expected to change over time. The considerations include the 10% tolerance level on the South African baseline which are used to compare against other countries. Countries with an estimated baseline of +/-10% to South Africa were considered “Similar Risk”; those with a score that was higher than the baseline + 10% were classified as “High Risk”; and all other countries with a population of less than 1 000 000 people were classified as low risk (or ignored). All countries in Africa were classified as low risk (or their high scores are ignored).
c) Taking into account recent global developments and trends, the Cabinet resolved that the strategy of using the red list of high-risk countries should be changed and instead use the 72 hour PCR test and the screening of incoming passengers to determine if they should be allowed into the country.
END.
22 December 2020 - NW3047
Hlengwa, Ms MD to ask the Minister of Health
(1)What (a) is the total number of ICU and high care nurses who have been recruited, trained and have been assigned to work in COVID-19 sites in KwaZulu-Natal thus far and (b) are the full details of the sites the specified nurses have been dispatched to; (2) whether his department intends to employ the nurses permanently once the COVID-19 pandemic has ended; if not, why not; if so; where will the nurses be assigned to work; (3) how does his department intend to deal with the shortfall in clinical psychologists and physiotherapists in the province as they indicated that funds were unavailable to recruitment?
Reply:
1. According to the KwaZulu Natal Provincial Department of Health, there is a total of 153 Nurses which is inclusive of nurses employed on contract basis and permanent employees. Nurses were from the following sites:
- Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital
- Greys Tertiary Hospital
- King Edward Hospital
- Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital
- RK Khan Regional Hospital
- Mahatma Gandhi Regional Hospital
- Port Shepstone Regional Hospital
- Newcastle Hospital
- Madadeni Hospital
- Addington Regional Hospital
- Ladysmith Regional Hospital
- General Justice Gizenga Memorial Regional Hospital
- Ngwelezane Tertiary Hospital
2. These nurses have been employed on contract up until 31 March 2021. No decision has been taken regarding the retention of these healthcare personnel on permanent basis after Covid-19 pandemic. The decision will be based on need and availability of budget.
3. The Department intends to prioritize appointing post-community service personnel into permanent existing posts of clinical psychologists and physiotherapists. Plans are also in place to advertise more bursaries in these professional categories. The Department also intends to target students who are pursuing Honours and Master’s Degree to address the shortfall.
END.
22 December 2020 - NW2722
Powell, Ms EL to ask the Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation
(1)Whether she will furnish Ms E L Powell with the details of all advisory committees and/or advisory bodies reporting to (a) her, (b) any structure, (c) employee, and/or (d) entity of the national departments of (i) Human Settlements and (ii) Water and Sanitation; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, on what date; (2) what is the (a) name and (b) highest qualification of each person serving in such advisory committee and/or advisory body; (3) what are the details of the legislative prescripts which empower the establishment and functioning of each advisory committee and/or advisory body; (4) what are the details of the remuneration and bonuses paid to each member in each week, month and year?
Reply:
The Honourable Member is referred to the reply I provided to her question, number 657. Further, there are no bonuses payable to the members of the Advisory Panel in the Department of Human Settlements and the Advisory Committees in the Department of Water and Sanitation.
22 December 2020 - NW2981
Dyantyi, Dr PP to ask the Minister of Health
As the Republic enters the holiday season, and with malaria being an important public health consideration, with the World Health Organisation predicting more deaths due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, what (a) impact has the COVID-19 pandemic had on programmes aimed at mitigating against the malaria epidemic, such as Indoor Residual Spraying, community testing and treatment and (b) plans and measures will his department put in place to mitigate against the malaria epidemic?
Reply:
a) Malaria is a seasonal disease, transmission increases during the summer months, and is exacerbated when there is higher rainfall. The COVID-19 pandemic started in March and peaked in July this year- when the malaria transmission period was waning.
There was a timely start of the Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) programme this year despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Spraying started as planned in September 2020 in each of the malaria-endemic provinces. As 18 November 2020, a total of 1,112,637 structures (624,365 structures in Limpopo; 410974 in Mpumalanga and 77298 in KwaZulu-Natal) have been sprayed of the targeted 2 059 979 structures for the 2020/2021 financial year. The current national spray coverage is 54% (51.94%, 54.29% and 76.53% in Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KZN provinces respectively), noting that spraying will continue into the early part of the new year.
Community testing and treatment was adopted as part of the malaria elimination strategy for South Africa and cross-border collaboration with eight malaria eliminating countries (E8) that form the SADC Elimination 8 countries. It mostly targets the border districts to prevent secondary transmission from malaria cases imported from the high malaria-endemic countries bordering the Republic of South Africa. The screening process was slow with only a few cases reported during the initial days of the COVID-19 pandemic due to level 5 Lockdown and border closures when travel was limited. The screening gradually improved and will continue in the border areas over the festive period. During the 2020/2021 financial year a total of 66 162 people suspected to have malaria have been tested in the community and a total of 517 have been found to be positive through active case detection. All the positive cases were treated with the recommended treatment for malaria.
b) The holiday season (Christmas and New Year) coincides with the malaria transmission season hence the Malaria programmes embark on spraying in September 2020 to protect the communities at risk in the three malaria-endemic provinces of Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal. The provincial Malaria Programmes have updated their Epidemic Preparedness Plans to ensure that there are adequate stocks of diagnostics, treatment and insecticides.
In addition, health promotion and awareness campaigns are essential interventions for the prevention of malaria morbidity and mortality and were enhanced during the first week of November 2020 when the SADC Malaria Day was event was commemorated in the endemic provinces. These interventions will continue during the peak season covering December to April.
END.
22 December 2020 - NW2998
Wilson, Ms ER to ask the Minister of Health
(1)Whether, with reference to the 2019-20 Annual Report (details furnished) of his department wherein it is stated that R5 000 of registered irregular expenditure was for repairs to his DStv, he will provide the relevant information as to why his department is paying for the repairs to his DStv; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details; (2) who is the person and/or persons who authorised the payment of the repairs; (3) whether he is prepared to pay back the R5 000 paid to repair his DStv, and provide proof thereof; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
1. Yes, the costs in question were incurred by Department, however it serves to be mentioned that the total cost of R 5000.00 was incurred by the Department as a result of Chapter 8 paragraphs 2.9 and 7 of the Guide for Members of the Executive that came into effect on the 20th of November 2019 which states that:
2.9 “Where a Member moves from a State-owned Residence to a Private Residence to be used for official purposes in the same seat of office, personal effects may be packed and transported at the expense of the relevant Department. This is a non-recurring concession and cannot be utilised more than once during the Member’s term of office”.
7. “The relevant department shall be responsible for the costs of installation and maintenance of fax, internet/wifi facilities, computer equipment and relevant television subscription services for official use by the Member at the Official Residence”
2. The service in question was initiated and sanctioned by the support staff in the Office of the Minister and it took place based on the call out fees and diagnostic services. Once the service provider has submitted the invoice, proper procedures will have to be undertaken through Supply Chain for the purpose of processing the payment. It also serves to be mention that services of this nature are not easy for three (3) quotations to be sourced due to the fact that a diagnosis to determine the nature of work to be done must be concluded prior to rendering a service. Sourcing three (3) quotations will require that three providers must go on site of which they will all charge a call out and diagnostic fees which may result to fruitless and wasteful expenditure, hence one (1) quotation was sourced.
3. Based on Chapter 8 paragraphs 2.9 and 7 of the Guide for Members of the Executive, the Minister is not liable for the cost but it for the account of the Department.
Lastly, this transaction has to be subjected to a determination process which includes an investigation to determine the cause, the impact of the transgression and who must be held accountable in terms of Irregular Expenditure Framework issued by National Treasury.
END.
22 December 2020 - NW3015
Wilson, Ms ER to ask the Minister of Health
With reference to a certain person (name furnished) who was appointed by his department, (a) what number of hours did the specified person work in the six months, (b) what was the total amount paid to the person in terms of the contract, (c) what other amounts, over and above the hourly rate, were paid to the person and (d) what legislative processes were followed in terms of the appointment of the specified person?
Reply:
a) 946 hours over 6-month period.
b) R1,740,632.26 over 6-month period.
c) R13,234.26 as reimbursement for use of private vehicle to and from the airport at a rate of R3,61 per km over a 6-month period.
d) A departmental tender (NDoH20/2019/2020) was awarded to the supplier.
END.
22 December 2020 - NW2983
Dyantyi, Dr PP to ask the Minister of Health
In view of the important role that public-private partnerships have played in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, (a) are there any other initiatives that he and/or his department have to continue in co-operation with the public-private partnerships and (b) how will the co-operation be taken forward to achieve a unified healthcare system under the National Health Insurance?
Reply:
a) The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the need for a concerted societal response to design and implement innovative, quick and practical solutions to address the impact of the pandemic on the national health system. A key element of this response was the interactions between the public and private sector stakeholders of different kinds (most importantly private healthcare professionals) to collaborate with Government at various levels. This collaboration and open engagement allowed for some innovative solutions, such as the Private Laboratory network (22 Laboratories) agreeing to work with the National Health Laboratory system (27 Laboratories) to scale up testing capacity; the private health facilities availed their beds and ICUs for the management of cases; as well as establishing platforms for the coordination and sharing information with the private sector which was essential in monitoring ICU capacity and where additional patients could be referred particularly during periods of the pandemic peaks in some provinces.
b) The National Department of Health continues to cooperate and regularly engages the private health sector on a variety of matters pertaining to priority programmes for the sector. This engagement and cooperation will continue to be followed through as we make progress towards the implementation of National Health Insurance (NHI), through ensuring a coherent and sustainable plan as outlined in the White Paper on NHI and the NHI Bill. Some of the core areas for continued engagement with the private sector include how best to incorporate the skills and clinical insights of the private sector into both the primary and hospital-based health care services, the role to be played by the multidisciplinary district health teams; and the development and implementation of alternative reimbursement strategies. Equally important is the aspect of digital integration of private health information platforms into the Health Normative Standards for Interoperability with the systems that are being designed and implemented as part of the NHI Fund’s information system.
END.
22 December 2020 - NW2979
Dhlomo, Dr SM to ask the Minister of Health
(1)What strides has his department made with the Public Health Infrastructure Refurbishment Programme which was one of the key focus areas for his department as part of implementing the pillars of the Presidential Health Compact; (2) whether the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted or assisted to accelerate the specified programme; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
1. The approved Health Compact raised a pillar that required the execution of an infrastructure plan to ensure “adequate, appropriately distributed and well maintained” health facilities. The Public Health Infrastructure Refurbishment Programme identified as the vehicle to do so and executed within the legislative framework of government facilities. This framework guides the maintenance of government faculties that includes health facilities and infrastructure as guided by strategies and guidelines driven from the national department of public works as the mandated department for all public properties in the country.
The National Department of Health (NDOH), together with National Treasury (NT) implemented a system which requires Provincial Departments to develop and submit what is called an User Asset Management Plan (U-AMP). This plan details the condition of each health infrastructure asset per province and their equipment. From the U-AMP, provinces are required to draw a three-year priority plan called an Infrastructure Programme Management Plan (IPMP). This is the plans that are submitted to the Implementing Agents (i.e. Public Works, Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) etc.), who should provide the Provincial Health Departments with an Infrastructure Project Implementation Plan (IPIP). The IPIP indicate the readiness of the Implementing Agents to execute the projects listed and all of these plans are submitted to NDOH and NT for review and approval.
Provinces are allocated three-year Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) budget based on the needs identified and the money available and required to adjust their plan to fit within the approved budget. These adjusted plans are presented to Provincial Executive Committee (EXCO) for endorsement and implementation.
From a systems perspective thus, strides have been made to ensure that the programme is well executed and prioritised facilities where refurbishment is most needed. In addition to this, the National Department in partnership with the various Provincial Health departments and supported by DBSA, initiated not only the development of a Health Maintenance Strategy, but also appointed contractors to develop a 10-year Infrastructure Plan.
The Maintenance strategy developed under the aegis of the Department of Health, seeks to establish a consolidated maintenance management approach, that is specific to health infrastructure and includes the specialist field of health technology equipment that is vital for the effective and efficient health services across the country. On the other hand, the 10-year infrastructure plan aims to provide a development window to ensure that the distribution and planning of infrastructure refurbishments are in alignment with the needs of the provinces as identified through the various communities they serve.
2. COVID-19 has elevated the need for properly maintained and adequate health facilities and have thus contributed towards a reprioritisation of projects in order to facilitate the curbing of the spread. Towards this end the various maintenance projects related to oxygen and ICU wards were brought forward and expedited.
In the Eastern Cape for example eighty-five (85) contract awards, amounting to R578,902,253 million have been made to contractors for refurbishment of 67 Health Facilities across the province for COVID-19 purposes. Of these 85 projects, forty-eight (48) have now been completed at a total cost of R123,809,915.06 and have yielded 1259 Covid-19 isolation beds. A total of thirty-seven (37) projects are currently at advanced stages of construction within the province with a combined cost of R466,618,721.25. Upon completion, these projects will yield a total of 1179 Covid-19 isolation beds. The total cumulative expenditure to date on the 85 projects is R248,507,116.
For the primary health care facilities in terms of clinics and community health centres, various movable units were targeted for space augmentation to improve service delivery as part of the COVID-19 Treatment Surge and Resurgence. Post COVID-19 the units will be utilized for the HIV Treatment Surge in line with the project identified during the 2018/19 financial year under the auspices of the PEPFAR Facility Infrastructure Improvement Project.
In the hospitals, these units will be used to complement the screening and testing spaces needed during this COVID-19 Surge and Resurgence. Post COVID-19, the units will be mainly utilized for records storage. Currently patient files and general records are highly paper driven resulting in volumes of files that need to be appropriately kept for ease of retrieval and maintenance.
In Gauteng a Rapid intervention programme was launched to assess 32 hotspot facilities in the province to increase its COVID-19 surge capacity. This included the provision of P1, P2 and P3 level care related to administration of oxygen, especially high flow oxygen, provision of beds in terms of high and critical care beds and to identify problems in dealing with capacitation at these sites. As a result of these assessments, various projects were identified and now in planning, procurement and implementation to facilitate the improvement and refurbishment of surge capacity at these priority facilities.
END.
22 December 2020 - NW2275
Mohlala, Ms MR to ask the Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation
(a) What total number of water boards have had their boards dissolved in the current financial year, (b) on what date will the boards be appointed again and (c) what has she found to be the causes of so much instability in the water boards?
Reply:
(a) Honourable Member, three (3) Water Boards were dissolved during the current financial year and these are: Sedibeng Water, Amatola Water and Umgeni Water.
(b) The process of appointing the Boards for these water entities is currently underway.
(c) I am not aware of any instability in the water boards.
22 December 2020 - NW2686
Hlengwa, Ms MD to ask the Minister of Health
In view of recent reports of hospital administrators being investigated and/or suspended following misconduct and deteriorating security conditions in their hospitals leading to alarming cases of violence and rape between patients, what (a) total number of hospital administrators are currently under investigation leading to temporarily suspension throughout the Republic in the past five years, (b) are the names of the specified (i) hospital administrators and (ii) the respective hospitals and (c) is the nature of the specified investigations?
Reply:
According to the Provincial Departments of Health, the responses to these questions are as follows:
1. Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape Department of Health does not have a hospital administrator (CEO) that is currently under investigation leading to temporal suspension. In 2018, the CEO of Livingstone Hospital was suspended and subsequently resigned and left the service. He was on a precautionary suspension and investigated on allegations of fraud and corruption.
2. Free State
NAME OF EMPLOYEE |
RACE |
SALARY LEVEL |
GENDER |
NAME OF THE INSTITUTION |
DATE OF THE SUSPENSION |
DATE SUSPENSION LIFTED |
REASON FOR SUSPENSION |
TYPE OF TRANS-GRESSION |
REASON FOR DELAY / FINALISATION |
HIGHLIGHTS / CHALLENGES OR TRENDS |
Noge SR |
A |
7 |
F |
Bongani Regional Hospital |
27 March 2019 |
10 May 2019 |
Misconduct |
Irregular Expenditure |
Charge sheet is complete the role players to be appointed |
N/A |
Tau LW |
A |
11 |
M |
Bongani Regional Hospital |
27 March 2019 |
10 May 2019 |
Misconduct |
Irregular Expenditure |
Charge sheet is complete the role players to be appointed |
N/A |
Mfanta X |
A |
12 |
M |
Pelonomi Regional Hospital |
27 April 2019 |
23 October 2019 |
Misconduct |
Sexual Harassment and Irregular Expenditure |
The case was set down for the first time on the 27th November 2020. |
N/A |
NAME OF EMPLOYEE |
RACE |
SALARY LEVEL |
GENDER |
NAME OF THE INSTITUTION |
DATE OF THE SUSPENSION |
DATE SUSPENSION LIFTED |
REASON FOR SUSPENSION |
TYPE OF TRANS-GRESSION |
REASON FOR DELAY/ FINALISATION |
HIGHLIGHTS/ CHALLENGES OR TRENDS |
Kgaile P.I |
A |
11 |
M |
Mangaung Metro |
20 May 2019 |
30 August 2019 |
Misconduct |
Irregular Expenditure |
Investigations has been Finalized and the charge sheet is still being Formulated |
N/A |
Christou A |
W |
10 |
F |
Mangaung Metro |
30 May 2020 |
30 August 2020 |
Misconduct |
Irregular Expenditure |
Investigations has been Finalized and the charge sheet is still being Formulated |
|
Ramodula BS |
A |
14 |
F |
Pelonomi Regional Hospital |
31 March 2020 |
29 May 2020 |
Misconduct |
Failure to put measures in place for management of COVID-19 ward |
Case Finalized and Final Written Warning issued on the 29 May 2020. |
N/A |
Molefe M |
A |
11 |
F |
Pelonomi Regional Hospital |
31 March 2020 |
29 May 2020 |
Misconduct |
Failure to put measures in place for management of COVID-19 ward |
Case Finalized and Final Written Warning issued on the 29 May 2020. The appeal of the Final Written Warning was upheld. |
N/A |
Seboko JM |
A |
13 |
F |
Free State Psychiatric Hospital |
16 May 2019 |
19 July 2019 |
Misconduct |
Gross negligence |
Waiting for the Investigations to be finalized. |
N/A |
Marefeka MJ |
A |
12 |
F |
Free State Psychiatric Hospital |
16 May 2019 |
19 July 2019 |
Misconduct |
Gross negligence |
Waiting for the Investigations to be finalized. |
N/A |
Moshao IN |
A |
11 |
F |
Free State Psychiatric Hospital |
16 May 2019 |
19 July 2019 |
Misconduct |
Gross negligence |
Waiting for the Investigations to be finalized. |
N/A |
3. Gauteng
INSTITUTION |
FINANCIAL YEAR |
DATE OF THE INCIDENT |
SURNAME & INTIALS |
JOB TITLE |
SALARY LEVEL |
RACE |
GENDER |
TYPE OF MISCONDUCT |
SANCTION |
STATUS |
Dr Yusuf Dadoo |
2018/2019 |
19/02/2018 |
Maanwane KM |
Session Doctor |
Session |
African |
male |
Rape |
contract expired |
Closed- the perpetrator left the Department |
4. Kwa-Zulu Natal
There are no investigations that are currently being conducted on hospital administrators for alleged maladministration.
5. Limpopo
There are no investigations that are currently being conducted on hospital administrators for alleged maladministration.
6. Mpumalanga
- The Mpumalanga Department of Health has not experienced any case of violence and or rape between patients and therefore, there are no Hospital administrators who are being investigated or temporarily suspended regarding this matter.
- As stated in paragraph (a) above, none of the Hospital Administrators are under investigation nor suspended, therefore there are no investigators taking place for the past five years up to the current financial year.
7. North West
The North West Department of Health does not have such cases. The only CEO currently under investigation and on suspension has not relationship whatsoever with security concerns, violence and/or rape.
8. Northern Cape
The Northern Cape Department of Health does not have CEOs that are currently suspended from the hospitals for any of the allegations as contained in this question.
9. Western Cape
The Western Cape Department of Health does not have such cases for the last five years neither do we have current or pending cases.
END.
22 December 2020 - NW3067
Mohlala, Ms MR to ask the Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation
Whether the appointment of a certain person (name furnished, Advocate Terry Motau) to investigate fraud and corruption in the water boards and in her department is not a duplication of the investigation done by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU); if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what steps has her department taken to implement the recommendations of the SIU investigations?
Reply:
No, there is no duplication. The Terms of Reference for the person referred to by the Honourable Member are specific and indicate that those cases investigated by the SIU will not be included in his scope of work.
A joint media statement was issued by the Department of Water and Sanitation and the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) on 26 November 2020. It highlighted all the work that the Department and the SIU are doing related to the fight against fraud and corruption as well as the outcomes of some of the investigations.
The joint statement referred to above is attached for the Honourable Member’s ease of reference.
21 December 2020 - NW2879
Arries, Ms LH to ask the Minister of Social Development
What steps has her department taken to ensure that the quality and standards of early childhood development (ECD) centres in townships and villages is equal to that of ECD centres in more affluent areas?
Reply:
The Children’s Act and regulations outlines the general norms and standards for all ECD programmes wherever they are. The Act also prescribes that ECD services can be registered conditionally. To address this, the department developed the registration framework which gives effect to the registration of the services conditionally. The framework recommends registrations in three levels, that is bronze, Silver and gold. The bronze and silver level gives programmes the opportunity to register even when they do not comply with all the norms and standards. This is a developmental approach that has been taken to assist the programmes for the department to assist them to ultimately move to full registration (gold). This quality standards apply to all programmes whether in urban, settlements, rural and farm areas.
21 December 2020 - NW2918
Masipa, Mr NP to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
Whether, with reference to her reply to question 1373 on 6 August 2020, she has seen the need to conduct a study of the farms to (a) understand the level of productivity of each farm, (b) ascertain the reason for the productivity problems of each farm where there is no productivity and (c) establish the required targeted approach to address issues faced by each farm and the beneficiaries; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
(a), (b), (c) Yes. The Department has appointed service providers to conduct a full assessment of all farms acquired since the inception of the Land Reform Programme in 1994 which will determine the production levels. The drafted terms of reference confirm that the study will cover the level of productivity of each farm, the reason for the productivity problems of each farm where there is no productivity and the required targeted approach to address issues faced by each farm and the beneficiaries
To date, the Department has conducted a study on PLAS farms to determine the assets verification and suitability, post-acquisition support and enable monitoring of progress of these farms. Although the study did not focus exclusively on productivity, the variables within the questionnaire triggered the response on the actual productive status of the farm to provide a baseline performance statistic.
21 December 2020 - NW2908
Steyn, Ms A to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
What are the reasons for the failure to proclaim a commencement date for the Animal Health Act, Act 7 of 2002, since 24 July 2002 to date; (2) whether she will furnish Mrs A Steyn with a detailed list of the reasons with specified timeframes; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
The information provided for NA Question No 2991 is sufficient for response to this Question as well.
21 December 2020 - NW2886
Sonti, Ms NP to ask the Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation
With reference to her reply to question 118 on 19 June 2020, what steps has her department taken to ensure that the Rustenburg Local Municipality has used the Water Infrastructure Grant of R88 million provided by her department to complete the projects that will provide the community of Marikana in the North West with access to clean quality water?
Reply:
(a) Honourable Member, the Department of Water and Sanitation allocated R88 million through the Water Services Infrastructure Grant WSIG), to the Rustenburg Local Municipality as the Water Services Authority to implement water infrastructure projects within the jurisdiction of the municipality. The R88 million was not only allocated for the Marikana Project. Of the total allocation of R88 million, the Marikana Project was allocated R12 513 355.
(b) The Marikana Project is being implemented by the Rustenburg Local Municipality and is currently at 90 % completion. The Department of Water and Sanitation is monitoring the project through site visits and receives progress reports for its provincial office on a monthly basis. The projected completion date provided is March 2021.
21 December 2020 - NW2993
Steyn, Ms A to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
With reference to both the agriculture and land reform departments, what (a) total number of formal investigations has her department undertaken since 1 April 2014 and (b) are the reasons for each specified investigation; (2) whether any of the investigations led to (a) criminal charges and/or (b) disciplinary hearings; if not, why not; if so, (i) in which cases and (ii) what was the outcome of the charges; (3) whether she will furnish Mrs A Steyn with a copy of all the reports of the investigations; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
1. (a) 120
(b) Please refer to Annexure A.
2. (a),(b),(i),(ii) Please refer to Annexure A.
It should be noted that criminal action is not recommended where the investigation’s findings and conclusions could not reveal any element of criminality by all involved in the transaction, being officials or third parties; and disciplinary action is not recommended where no fault or culpability could be found on the part of any official of the Departments.
3. The investigation reports of the Department are confidential in nature and where there is some further action that needs to be taken, release of the reports can jeopardise these actions. The forensic reports are generally not shared, unless a request for access to the reports is made in terms of the applicable law, notably Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000.
21 December 2020 - NW2460
Selfe, Mr J to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
(1)Whether any correctional centres in the Eastern Cape are confronted with water shortages as at the latest specified date for which information is available; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, which specified correctional centres; (2) what (a) immediate and (b) longer-term steps are being taken to alleviate the water shortages; (3) whether he has found that such water shortages have had any effect on (a) discipline and (b) operations of the specified correctional centres; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
1. Yes, the DCS centres have been affected by water shortages.
1.1 The following are the centres under OR Tambo District Municipality
- Lusikisiki;
- Flagstaff;
- Mqanduli; and
- Ngqeleni.
The major challenge is the capacity of water treatment plants that cannot cope with the demand. However, the Department has bought water tankers for those centres to augment when there is no municipal supply.
1.2 In addition, the following centres under Chris Hani District Municipality:
- Sada;
- Queenstown;
- Dordrect;
- Cofimvamba;
- Lady Frere;
- Engcobo; and
- Middelburg
The biggest challenge in this District is the high demand versus the capacity of the plant and ageing municipal infrastructure.
1.3 Furthermore, the following are the centres under Amathole District Municipality
- Idutywa
- Butterworth
- Middledrift
The biggest challenge is drought (drying up of dams which causes silting). DCS has also bought water tankers for those centres to augment when there is no municipal supply.
1.4 The following are centres under Nelson Mandela Metro:
- St Albans Medium A;
- St Albans Medium B; and
- St Albans Maximum;
The main challenges are lack of rainfall and this started beginning of this year. DCS is procuring Jojo tanks and 3 water tankers and is in talks with the municipality for alternative ways of supply.
(2)
(a) The immediate intervention undertaken by the Department is procurement of storage tanks and water tankers for various areas;
(b) Medium to long term plans are to survey ground water availability in order to drill boreholes. The process of surveying has started at St Albans.
Municipalities, as water services authorities, need to upgrade their water treatment plants to be in line with the population demand and maintenance of plants thereof.
(3)
(a) Discipline
Offenders were addressed regarding the problem of water in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan (NMBM), and how this problem will affect the normal running of the activities in the Correctional centre. They were also alerted of attempts that were being made to mitigate the risk of no water. The briefing made offenders not to revolt or be aggressive as they see that even though there is no running water is provided for drinking and bathing.
(b) Operations
Water shortages in centres compromises security and the entire operations of a centre due to the following reasons:
- No steam to prepare food for offenders;
- No hot water generation for bathing;
- The hygiene of offenders is severely compromised. The security of the centres is also at risk.
END
21 December 2020 - NW2864
Hendricks, Mr MGE to ask the Minister of Home Affairs
Whether, in view of the historical relationship between the Republic and Palestine (details furnished) and the enormous challenges and burdens that Palestinians are faced with when travelling abroad, even in the Republic, as the old apartheid policy of restrictive travel measures for visa requirements are still being enforced on Palestinians travelling to the Republic, he intends to scrap restrictive measures for Palestinians such as proof of medical insurance, hotel bookings and sufficient funds; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
The Department of Home Affairs has already approved a waiver of visa requirements for diplomatic and official/service passport holders of Palestine. Currently the necessary protocols are being applied in order to conclude a reciprocal visa waiver agreement between the two countries. In so far as normal passport holders are concerned, the Department is currently exploring ways to lower the restrictive travel measures which applies to Palestinian nationals. The latter process is more extensive and requires wider consultation with various Government Clusters prior to conclusion.
END
21 December 2020 - NW2909
Steyn, Ms A to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
(1)What specific interventions has her department, in collaboration with The Presidency, put in place to resolve the problems standing in the way of the proclamation of commencement of the Animal Health Act, Act No 7 of 2002; (2) whether she will furnish Mrs A Steyn with a list of all interventions spanning the period since the date of assent on 24 July 2002; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
1. The Presidency has not yet been approached to proclaim the Animal Health Act, Act 7 of 2002.
2. The Department has been working on the draft regulations and assessing appropriate cooperative governance structures and delegation of the veterinary authority. The Department continued this work over an extended period of time. However, a number of delays have been experienced and other processes such as the assessment of the Performance of Veterinary Services (PVS) by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) have indicated conflicting and often limited legislative considerations. Based on these developments, the Department is currently consulting with Legal Services on how to further address the current challenges and could possibly consider repealing the Animal Health Act of 2002.
21 December 2020 - NW2992
Steyn, Ms A to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
Whether, following her announcement (details furnished) on 1 October 2020 to release 700 000 hectares of underutilised and/or vacant state land for agricultural purposes and the resultant panic from emerging farmers after their farms were listed under the specified programme, she will provide (a) clarity on why productive farms were listed, (b) relevant details of whether existing farm occupants were consulted on the Government’s intention to place the property on the list, (c) reasons for listing a farm whose occupant already possesses a lease agreement and (d) documented evidence of the reasons that informed the inclusion of each of the 896 farms on the list; if not, why not, in each case; if so, what are the relevant details in each case?
Reply:
a) Yes. The focus was on underutilized and vacant land; productivity of the land was not the determining factor for advertisement.
b) Yes. On 1 October, the Minister informed the public through a briefing that was streamed live on SA Government Facebook page, Twitter and You Tube channels about the whole process before any advertisement.
c) Yes. There was no intention from Government to advertise a farm with a current and legal lease agreement in place; if this was done, it can be regarded as an error. Details should be brought to the attention of my office to resolve the matter.
d) No. The farms that were listed for advertisement were those that were vacant or underutilised or were without any valid agreement with the state in place regarding their occupancy. A Land Rights Enquiry will determine each case and the rights of those that are on the farms will be protected through formalization and regulation of their occupation. Land that was abandoned or vacant will be allocated and land that is underutilised will be assessed and each case will be treated according to its own circumstances.
21 December 2020 - NW2433
Abrahams, Ms ALA to ask the Minister of Social Development
(1)With reference to her reply to question 1319 on 19 August 2020, what comparative progress has been made to reduce the backlog in each province of the (a) temporary disability and (b) care dependency grants that will lapse on 31 December 2020; (2) what comparative progress has been made to employ doctors that are experienced in making such assessments in each province; (3) what is the (a) current number of (i) disability and (ii) care dependency grant backlog and (b) total number of the specified grants that will lapse on 31 December 2020; (4) what plans have (a) her department and (b) the SA Social Security Agency put in place to address the backlog?
Reply:
1. The backlog in the disability related grants is with new applications. The temporary disability grants and care dependency grants which will lapse at the end of December 2020 are all grants which were already in the system as at February 2020. The backlog of new applications reported in the response to Parliamentary question 1319 was 19 053. This has been reduced to 6 707 by end October 2020.
The provinces which still have a backlog of new applications are Gauteng with 1 282 and Mpumalanga with 277 and Western Cape with 5 148.
2. The numbers of doctors assisting with assessments is 472. This is 3 less than what was reported previously, as a result of 3 of the contracted doctors having passed away – 1 in Western Cape and 2 in KwaZulu-Natal. However, there are additional doctors from the Department of Health, particularly in the Western Cape Metro that are now assisting with assessments. Northern Cape, North West and Western Cape (for the Boland/Overberg and Eden/Karoo districts) are currently finalizing a procurement process to contract additional doctors to assist with the assessments.
Negotiations are also continuing with Provincial Departments of Health to identify additional medical officers who can assist with medical assessments. These discussions also extend to identifying facilities which can be used for assessments.
3. (a)(i) The number of temporary disability grants which will lapse at the end of December 2020 is 210 778.
(ii) The number of care dependency grants which will lapse at the end of December is 11 243.
(b) The total number of disability related grants which will lapse at the end of December is 222 021.
4. SASSA, with the Department of Social Development have been working on a plan to ensure that the beneficiaries who will be affected by the bulk lapsing have an opportunity to re-apply for the required grants by 31 March 2021.
Once care dependent children turn 18 years of age, their care dependency grants lapse, and they have to apply for a disability grant. This is because the care dependency grant is paid to a care giver of a severely disabled child, while a person over the age of 18 years is considered an adult, and must apply for the grant in his/her own name. For this reason, it cannot be an automatic conversion, but an application process.
However, in order to avoid the necessity for these young adults with severe disabilities to have to report to a SASSA office or health facility for a medical assessment and then to return at a later date to complete the application process, SASSA has developed a project plan to complete paper-based medical assessments, using the medical report already on file for the care dependency grant. The assessment will be done in the absence of the young person. This is provided for in the Social Assistance Act and can be implemented as there is a medical history for the applicant in SASSA’s possession.
Once the medical assessment has been completed, the care giver of the young person will be called in to the SASSA office on an appointment basis to complete the application as the procurator for the young person, in terms of Section 15 of the Social Assistance Act, 2004.
Measures have been put in place to manage cases where a medical report cannot be traced, or does not contain adequate information for the assessing doctor to make a recommendation, in order to manage risks associated with the process, and to ensure that SASSA can be accountable for decisions taken.
The above process will cater for the 11 243 care dependency grants which will lapse on 31 December 2020.
For the temporary disability grants, for those beneficiaries who are still unable to work as a result of the disability, assessments can start being scheduled in December already, with the application being done from January, since these can only be done once the temporary grant has lapsed. It should be borne in mind that a temporary disability grant is provided for a specific period only, because the assessment indicates that the condition can improve to the extent that it is not the disability which prevents the person from working. It is therefore not automatic that all those currently in receipt of the temporary disability grants will re-apply for the grant; or, if they apply, that they will qualify for the grant. A full application process, with a new assessment is thus required.
The process will be closely managed and all exceptions will be dealt with to ensure that inconvenience is limited as much as possible, and all who require access to services are attended to and people with disabilities are treated with care and respect.
21 December 2020 - NW2976
Bergman, Mr D to ask the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation
Whether she will approach the African Union to intervene and stop the fighting in Ethiopia; if not, why not; if so, what steps have been taken to date?
Reply:
President Cyril Ramaphosa in his capacity as Chairperson of the African Union (AU), appointed former President Joaquim Chissano of the Republic of Mozambique, former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of the Republic of Liberia, and former President Kgalema Motlanthe of the Republic of South Africa, as African Union Special Envoys to Ethiopia in order to assist the Government and people of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in finding a solution to the recent conflict that had occurred in the Tigray Region of that country.
The AU Special Envoys visited Ethiopia and held meetings with a range of interlocutors from 26 to 28 November 2020, including President Sahle-Work Zewde, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, the leaders of important Democratic Insitutions, and the leaders of opposition political parties. Subsequently, the AU Special Envoys have briefed President Ramaphosa on the outcomes of their visit to Ethiopia. The President will remain seized with the issue and future action will be decided in consultation with the Government of Ethiopia, the African Union Commission, and the AU Special Envoys to Ethiopia.
21 December 2020 - NW2857
Hlengwa, Ms MD to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
Whether, with reference to news reports which indicated that over 400 cattle in northern KwaZulu-Natal have tested positive for brucellosis, a bacterial disease transmittable to humans and which may cause infertility, miscarriages, birth complications and sore joints (details furnished), her department intends to co-operate with the national and provincial departments of health, to raise awareness of the effects of such a disease which disproportionately affect maternal health of rural women; if not, why not; if so; what are the relevant details of the initiatives?
Reply:
As per the media release of 18 November 2020, the Minister of Agriculture, Land reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) Ms Thoko Didiza, MP has been made aware by the MEC of Agriculture and Rural Development in KwaZulu-Natal Ms Bongi Sithole-Moloi, MPL of the brucellosis situation in the northern parts of Kwa-Zulu Natal.
DALRRD intends to co-operate with the National and Provincial Departments in raising awareness of the impact brucellosis in humans. Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease (can be transmitted from animals to humans) and it is crucial to follow a One Health approach involving Veterinary and Health Services.
DALRRD participates in the monthly Multisectoral National Outbreak Response Team (MNORT) meetings hosted by the Department of Health, where information on zoonotic diseases is shared between stakeholders. Provincial Veterinary and Health Services are mandated to work in close communication with each other when brucellosis is diagnosed in animals or in humans.
When brucellosis infection is identified in cattle or other animals, Veterinary Services are responsible for informing the owner of the animals that the disease can also be transmitted to humans. They are advised either not to drink milk from these animals, or to boil it first. Owners are advised to consult their clinic or doctor should they show any of the following non-specific flu-like symptoms: recurrent fever, flu-like symptoms, body aches and pains, headaches and depression. The disease in humans can become chronic if medical treatment is not obtained. Other specific symptoms may be seen, depending on the organ system involved. The reproductive organs of both men and women can potentially be affected by brucellosis, which can lead to epididymo-orchitis (swollen testes) and infertility in men and in miscarriages or abortions in pregnant women.
Men and women in rural communities are vulnerable to brucellosis if their cattle or livestock are infected, especially if they consume raw milk and milk products from these animals. Unfortunately, the symptoms of brucellosis are not very specific and can be confused with many other diseases. Clinics and doctors are not always particularly knowledgeable on brucellosis and may not consider it as a potential diagnosis. It is very important that the patient informs the clinic or doctor if they work closely with livestock or if they consume raw dairy products (unpasteurised/ not boiled).
The Department fully supports improved and continuous awareness of brucellosis in humans, through the national and provincial Departments of Health. Having decided to recognise November as a national brucellosis awareness month, the South African Veterinary Council, in partnership with the South African Veterinary Association, the National Animal Health Forum, the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development and all their associated partners, have embarked on an extensive awareness and education campaign regarding bovine brucellosis which will continue into December. The National Institute for Communicable Diseases and the National Department of Health will be invited to participate in the awareness campaign
21 December 2020 - NW2265
Arries, Ms LH to ask the Minister of Social Development
What (a) criteria does her department use to appoint doctors to assist citizens with grant applications (b) Total number of the doctors have had their contracts terminated for fraudulent applications and (c) Total amount has been lost through this kind of fraud over the past five financial years?
Reply:
1. Regulation 3(b) to the Social Assistance Act, 2004 confirms that a person is eligible for a disability grant if that person has attained the age of 18 years, and “the disability is confirmed by an assessment ….” The Act further defines an assessment as “the medical examination by a medical officer of a person or child in order to determine disability or care-dependency for the purposes of recommending a finding for the awarding o social grant..” and medical officer is defined as “any medical practitioner in the service of the State, or a person appointed under a contract to perform the functions or render the services of a medical officer in terms of the Act”.
Given the challenges in the Health environment with the provision of assessment services for all applicants and beneficiaries for disability-related grants, SASSA strategically decided to contract medical officers to supplement the services provided by the Department of Health by contracting doctors directly through an open tender process for a period of 36 months. A set criteria is used to select doctors who are contracted to conduct social assistance assessments, see below:
The medical doctors must:
1.1 Have a Medical Qualification or a Medical Degree;
1.2 Be currently registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) as a medical practitioner for at least 2 years;
1.3 Must demonstrate Tax compliance through the submission of a Valid Tax Clearance Certificate as issued by the South African Revenue Services;
1.4 Must be Registered with the Central Supplier Database held by National Treasury;
1.5 Have an understanding of Social Assistance issues; and
1.6 Be willing to attend induction workshops on the assessment tools and the Social Assistance Act No 13 of 2004 as amended and related Regulations. This ensures that the contracted doctors are able to comply with the requirements for the rendering of disability assessment services prior to commencement of undertaking assessments.
2. The doctors must not have:
2.1. Been convicted in any court of law for Social Grants Related Fraud; or
2.2. Been excluded or suspended from conducting medical evaluations for SASSA or any other organ of state. An affidavit is sufficient at the point of Bid submission but should any bidder fail a vetting process, SASSA has the right to terminate the services of that particular service provider.
b) There are no doctors who have had their contracts terminated because of fraudulent transactions
c) There is no loss that is attributable to fraudulent doctors over the past five financial years.
21 December 2020 - NW2435
Abrahams, Ms ALA to ask the Minister of Social Development
What would be the budgetary and expenditure implications for (a) her department and (b) the SA Social Security Agency should all (i) disability and (ii) care dependency grants that are due to lapse on 31 October, 30 November and 31 December 2020 be extended until 31 March 2021?
Reply:
(a) The temporary disability grants and care dependency grants which were due to lapse at the end of October 2020 have all been extended to 31 December 2020. The costs for this extension have been accommodated within the financial allocation for the social grants for the 2020/21 financial year.
(b) (i) The financial implications for the extension of the care dependency grants from October to December 2020 is R41 823 960.
(ii) The financial implication for the temporary disability grants for the period from October to December 2020 is R784 094 160.
(iii) The numbers of grants affected, should they be extended to 31 March 2021 is 11 243 care dependency grants and 210 778 temporary disability grants. To continue paying these for an additional 3 months will cost R62 735 940 for the care dependency grants, and R1 176 141 240 for the temporary disability grants (total of R1 238 877 180).
21 December 2020 - NW2661
Matiase, Mr NS to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
What (a) total number of (i) farmworkers and (ii) farm dwellers have been evicted from farms since 1994 and (b) is the total breakdown of evictions in each province?
Reply:
a) (i),(ii) The Extension of Security of Tenure Act of 1997 does not distinguish between farmworkers and farm dwellers. All persons (whether farmworker or farm dweller) residing on farms may be evicted legally in terms of the Act ie with a court order, or illegally which is an eviction without a court order as provided in the Act.
According to the Department’s records, 1 066 households were evicted from the farms from 2007 to 2020. This figure is the number of evictions granted from 2007 to October 2020 by Magistrates’ courts throughout the country. Evictions granted by the Land Claims Court from 1994 to 2020 are not included above as the court is still compiling its statistics and such information will be made available once received on or before 18 December 2020.
It should further be noted that not all evictions are reported to the Department or brought before courts.
b) The provincial breakdown of the 1 066 households is as follows:
Province |
Eastern Cape |
Free State |
Gauteng |
KwaZulu Natal |
Limpopo |
Mpumalanga |
North West |
Northern Cape |
Western Cape |
TOTAL |
Legal/Court Order |
20 |
112 |
10 |
21 |
2 |
37 |
11 |
8 |
548 |
769 |
Illegally |
33 |
65 |
27 |
4 |
11 |
48 |
9 |
2 |
98 |
297 |
Total |
53 |
177 |
37 |
25 |
13 |
85 |
20 |
10 |
646 |
1 066 |
21 December 2020 - NW3011
Roos, Mr AC to ask the Minister of Home Affairs
(1)Whether, with reference to his reply to question 562 on 18 November 2020 (details furnished), he has found that his department has taken no action to investigate and/or hold corrupt officials to account for their part in the specified scandal; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details; (2) what are the reasons that his department has not yet appointed a new service provider despite the current extortionate contract ending in November; (3) whether the interim arrangement is to extend the current contract with a certain service provider (name furnished) until such time that a new service provider is appointed; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
1. May the Honourable member please advise which scandal is he referring to.
2. The department completed its bid evaluation process and after finalising outstanding matters with selected bidders, such as confirmation of price and costs as well as any sub-contracting arrangements the preferred supplier may have, realised that the costing methodology in the bid did not allow for an equitable evaluation process of the pricing by the bidders, and as a result no appointment could be made by 30 November 2020. The department therefore extended the current contract by one month from 1 to 31 December 2020.
2. On 9 December 2020, the Bid Adjudication Committee (BAC) approved the cancellation of Bid DHA10-2020. It is therefore necessary to extend the existing service provider’s contract from 1 to 31 January 2021. This is a provisional arrangement during January 2021 to allow engagement with National Treasury so as to provide for an implementable timeframe allowing the department to re-advertise the Bid using a different costing method.
END
21 December 2020 - NW3001
Winkler-Lidgett, Ms HS to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
With reference to the briefing by her department to the Portfolio Committee on Environmental Affairs, Forestry and Fisheries on 13 October 2020, wherein it was stated that her department is still drafting various pieces of legislation to further clarify animal welfare requirements, (a) what are the details of the specific legislation currently under review, (b) what is the status of the review process, (c) on what date will the necessary public participation process commence, (d) on what date will the draft legislation be made public and (e) what is the latest draft amendment thereto?
Reply:
a) An Animal Welfare Bill is being drafted which will repeal the Animals Protection Act, 1962 and the Performing Animals Protection Act, 1935.
b) The drafting and consultation towards the Animal Welfare Bill is currently limited to structures within the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development. A phase 1 Socio-Economic Impact Assessment approval for the development of the Animal Welfare Bill was granted in 2019.
c) There are no specific dates that have been set yet for the gazetting and/or release of the documents for public consultation. However, consultation with stakeholders on the Bill will be undertaken during the 2021/2022 financial year.
d) Please refer to (c) above.
e) The Department is not working on any draft amendment in relation to the subject matter. The response in (a) above clarifies that new legislation is being drafted.
21 December 2020 - NW2966
Sarupen, Mr AN to ask the Minister of Social Development
(1)With regard to the subsidy from her department to the Springs Child Welfare, what (a) were the reasons that the subsidy was not paid for the month of October 2020 and (b) was the total amount that was paid to the Springs Child Welfare in November 2020; (2) whether her department was informed that the late payment caused the Springs Child Welfare to close its doors in October due to its dire financial circumstances; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what steps will be taken to ensure that payment will be made on time in future?
Reply:
(1)(a) Gauteng Social Development scheduled the third quarter subsidy payment of Springs Child Welfare which was due end of October 2020 earlier in the same month but could not release it due to system glitches.
(b) However, once the system glitches were resolved, an amount of R 488,353 was paid on 10 November 2020 which was an advance subsidy payment for the months of October to December 2020.
(2) Yes, Gauteng Social Development was informed about the possibility of Springs Child Welfare closing its doors due to late subsidy payment and the Department urged Springs Child Welfare not to do so, as their funding delays were receiving urgent attention. The subsidy was eventually paid on 10 November 2020 which was 10 days later than the cut-off date of 30 October 2020.
With regards to the consequences of payment delays, Gauteng Social Development endeavours to minimise the adverse impact of subsidy delays by providing alternative measures to NPOs such as giving assurance letters to be utilised to access short finance/funds from the banks.
Gauteng Social Development is currently upgrading its payment system which will come into effect mid-financial year of 2021/22. The system upgrade is geared to resolve the various glitches that causes payment delays and we expect to see improvement post implementation.
21 December 2020 - NW2991
Steyn, Ms A to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
Whether she still intends to proclaim a date of commencement for the Animal Health Act, Act 7 of 2002; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what is the time frame in which the proclamation can be expected?
Reply:
The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development does not have immediate intentions to proclaim the Animal Health Act, 2002. Despite the fact that the Department has continued work on the draft regulations to accompany the Animal Health Act, 2002, developments such as the assessment of the Performance of Veterinary Services (PVS) by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) have indicated conflicting and often limited legislative considerations. Based on these developments, the Department is currently consulting with Legal Services on how to further address the current challenges, including the possible repeal of the Animal Health Act of 2002. Timeframes will be considered when the legal consultations have been completed.
21 December 2020 - NW1924
Masipa, Mr NP to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
With regard to the Agricultural Research Council and Onderstepoort Biological Products, what are the (a) latest findings from the investigation ordered by the Auditor-General on (i) serious mismanagement, (ii) irregular expenditure and (iii) serious supply chain irregularities that took place over the past four financial years, (b) details of the refurbishment and modernisation of the existing Good Manufacturing Practice facility and (c) details of all procurement done for Covid-19 related purposes?
Reply:
AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH COUNCIL (ARC)
(a) Latest findings from the investigation ordered by the Auditor-General on:
(i) Serious Mismanagement
- AGSA previously reported findings of serious financial misstatement at the ARC which relates to over expenditure for the 2015/16, 2016/17 and 2017/18 financial years; this was classified as a serious mismanagement by AGSA in their management reports.
- Irregular Expenditure of the ARC for the years ended 31 March 2016 (R205 177 358), 31 March 2017(R 199 263 480.40) and 31 March 2018 (R103 810 688.60) are attributed to over-expenditure on the budget.
- Included in the irregular expenditure for the year ended 31 March 2017 of R199 263 480 is an amount of R30 642 913 taken from the Foot and-Mouth Disease (FMD) Account to finance the overspending of R168 620 567.
- For the year ended 31 March 2018, included in the irregular expenditure of R103 810 688.60 is the amount of R27 808 410.60 taken from the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) Account which was used to finance the overspending of R76 002 278.
- The 2017/18 calculation of the overspending was based on excess expenditure over break- even budget as advised by the AGSA and was not in line with the calculations done for the other two years.
The overspending for the 3 years was as a result of the ARC not having sufficient budget to cover their operating expenses as the former Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries had the Parliamentary Grant (PG). Based on the analysis of the cash balance for the 3 years under review, the reflected cash balances were not a true reflection of the cash available for the operations of the organisation as it had cash designated for conditional grants as well as deposits received as advance payments from customers.
For the year ended 31 March 2017, the ARC actually had a negative cash balance of R133 million over expenditure on the ARC’s budget that resulted in an irregular expenditure finding by the AGSA.
National Treasury’s Irregular Expenditure Framework provides that if the irregular expenditure is irrecoverable and there is no person who is liable in law, the Accounting Authority may write off the amount in line with the policies and procedures of the Public Entity.
The investigation by Internal Audit noted that:
- The Executive Management Committee (EMC) of the ARC has regularly, through quarterly performance reports, reported the financial position of the ARC to the Accounting Officer of DAFF. This was done in compliance with the PFMA.
- The ARC has through its Council Committees raised concerns about the financial situation of the entity and letters were submitted to the Executive Authority about this matter.
- The financial situation of the ARC as a going concern was raised by the Audit and Risk Committee; and Council to the Minister and to the Portfolio Committee in each of the years. This was reported in the annual reports of the ARC for the relevant years. This is indicative of prudent and responsible management pertaining to the situation the ARC found
sitself in and it was recommended that cost saving measures be implemented by the office of the Chief Financial Officer, which would include monitoring of expenditure on a monthly basis. - Details of the serious mismanagement and investigations are in Annexure A.
(ii) Findings on Irregular Expenditure.
- Irregular expenditure to the value of R2 414 755.84 was identified during the 2017/18 financial year. The matter was investigated, and consequence management was finalized against 3 employees; disciplinary hearings are continuing against the remaining 2 employees.
- During the 2018/19 financial year, irregular expenditure of R9 173 094.38 was identified by the AGSA. The irregular expenditure resulted from a misinterpretation of Treasury Instruction 3 of 2016-17 that Single Source procurements above R500 000 must be approved/supported by National Treasury; investigations have not yet been completed.
(iii) Same as (i) and (ii).
(b) Not applicable to the ARC.
(c) Please refer to Annexure B for details of COVID-19 related procurement.
ONDERSTEPOORT BIOLOGICAL PRODUCTS (OBP):
Following the Auditor General’s (AG) Report, the OBP Board requested that all tenders awarded in the past five years including the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) facility upgrade be investigated. Four companies were selected for the investigation viz,
- Succoth: security services;
- Hadi holdings: supply of animal feed;
- Pressure group: supply of coal; and
- DEC: GMP facility upgrade
a) The latest findings from the investigation ordered by the Auditor-General on:
(i) Serious mismanagement:
Several cases of serious mismanagement were identified and led to the following consequence management actions:
- The CFO was suspended in October 2019 for serious breach and non-compliance with supply chain policies and processes. He lodged a dispute at the CCMA against the suspension and the case was settled at the CCMA.
- Operations executive was suspended in January 2020 for gross dereliction of duties.
(ii) Irregular expenditure:
- The awarding of Development Engineering Consultant Ltd (DEC) a tender was found to be irregular because it did not comply with the definition of deviation. An application for condonation in line with National Treasury Irregular Expenditure Framework is in progress.
- Succoth was found to be irregular due to the owner being a state employee. The contract was immediately terminated. An application for condonation in line with National Treasury Irregular Expenditure Framework is in progress.
(iii) Serious supply chain irregularities that took place over the past four financial years:
- The review of the contracts with four of the above service providers found several irregularities and were terminated during the third quarter of 2019-2020, namely
- Succoth – security services: as described above.
- Hadi holdings – supply of animal feed: terms of the contract were crafted to be unfavourable to OBP (over-priced and over supply).
- Pressure group – supply of coal: contract crafted in a way that encouraged delivery of non-compliant coal.
- Two procurement administrators were suspended for amongst others collusion between staff and the tenderer / sub-contractors. They were charged and eventually resigned during the disciplinary hearings.
b) Details of the refurbishment and modernisation of the existing Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) facility.
In 2013 National Treasury approved and awarded OBP a grant of R493 million for the construction of a modern GMP compliant vaccine production facility. Upon receipt of the grant, Executive Management decided to use R130 million from the R493 Million received for refurbishment and procurement of equipment, leaving a balance of R363 million available for the GMP facility project. Later when the Executive Management established that the R363m will be insufficient for the initially planned new vaccine production facility (Green Field), they resolved to embark on the upgrade of the current facility (Brown Field Project).
The consulting engineers were then requested to drastically reduce the provisional sums, but the scope was not revised. The tender was advertised where DEC Engineering was appointed with a tender pricing of R31 million excluding value added tax, on a contract which includes a multidisciplinary team of consultants. ISF Construction was appointed for the construction and process equipment with a tender pricing of R277 million excluding value added tax.
Both internal and external audit raised a range of concerns. In November 2019, the project Manager resigned, leaving the Operations Executive as the driver. In January 2020, the Operations Executive was suspended and later charged for misrepresentation, gross dereliction of duties including lying to the Board. He resigned on mutual separation whilst the disciplinary process was in progress.
The CEO appointed a Project Manager reporting directly to his office and to a Project Steering Committee comprising of several executives and managers directly relevant to the project. The CEO and the Board resolved to commission an independent review that will provide a comprehensive status of the project including year to date variances, extrapolated expenditure, completion date and legislative impact.
To date the procurement of equipment is in progress and construction of the facility resumed after level 3 lockdown. The expected date of completing construction is 1 June 2021.
However, the CEO discovered that certain critical processes at downstream level were not included during the planning and advised the Board who resolved that a revision of process flow be conducted with the involvement of the Project Engineers, Operation Management and the Quality Assurance Manager. The Quality Assurance Manager was tasked to lead the process given the vast experience and certification in GMP of the newly appointed manager. The adjusted facility plan and subsequent budget will be finalised and presented to the board.
c) Details of all procurement done for Covid-19 related purposes
Below is a table listing all Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) procured during the COVID period. On or about 22 June 2020 it was brought to the CEO’s attention that surgical masks were purchased in a period of two weeks at a unit price of R32 (while the price from most suppliers was around R7 per mask). This resulted in an investigation which led to the suspension of the Supply Chain Manager on 25 June 2020. An investigation has taken place and the charges have been drafted and sent to the Supply Chain Manager; she is now facing a disciplinary hearing for gross misconduct on three charges. The Company will soon start with the disciplinary hearing into the matter.
Company Name |
Description |
Quantity |
Unit Price |
Total |
Siphumelele Industries |
Surgical Face Masks |
150*50(per box) |
R32 |
R240 000 |
Siphumelele Industries |
Surgical Face Masks |
180*50 (per box) |
R32 |
R288 000 |
Rashuma Consulting |
Surgical Face Masks |
300 * 50 (per Box) |
R7,20 |
R108 000 |
ACS Promotions |
99% Ethanol |
160*25 Liters |
R22,59 |
R90 390 |
KRU Energy |
Ethanol |
600*25 Liters |
R69 |
R1 035 000 |
KRU Energy (Pty) Ltd |
Ethanol |
2 000 liters |
R50,60 |
R105 685 |
KRU Energy (Pty) Ltd |
Hand Sanitizer |
2 000 |
R69 |
R138 000 |
KRU Energy (Pty) Ltd |
Hand Sanitizer |
7 020 |
R69 |
R484 380 |
21 December 2020 - NW2533
Steyn, Ms A to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
What (a) total number of farms have been bought for land reform purposes in the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality since inception of the Recapitalisation and Development Programme of her department up to the latest specified date for which information is available and (b) is the breakdown of each (i) local municipality, (ii) farm name, (iii) name of previous owner, (iv) amount that the land was bought for, (v) GPS coordinates of the farm, (vi) name of current beneficiary/project name and (vii) contact details of current beneficiary; (2) whether each farm received recapitalisation and development programme assistance; if not, why not; if so, what amount?
Reply:
1. (a) 54 farms.
(b)(i),(ii),(iii),(iv),(v),(vi),(vii) Please refer to Annexure A.
2. Please refer to Annexure A.
21 December 2020 - NW2755
Tafeni, Ms N to ask the Minister of Social Development
Whether she has been informed that the pensioners in Dutywa, Eastern Cape, did not receive their grant payments at the (a) banks and (b) Post Office early in November; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what (i) caused the delays in payments and (ii) measures will she put in place to ensure that this does not happen again?
Reply:
SASSA is not aware of any challenges with payment in Idutywa for the November payment cycle. SASSA deploys customer care officials to monitor the payment process at post offices, retailers and banking infrastructure throughout the Eastern Cape on a monthly basis. No incidents of non-payment were observed or reported for the November payment cycle, which started on 3 November.
I would respectfully request the Honourable Member to provide more specific information, to enable SASSA to investigate the complaint and implement corrective actions.
Our Team from SASSA on the ground, in the Eastern Cape will keep vigilance and engage with the Post Office to ensure that we avoid interruptions to systems as grants recipients collect their grants.
21 December 2020 - NW2233
Masipa, Mr NP to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
Whether she has found that there are sufficient vaccines and reagents for Foot and Mouth Disease at the Agricultural Research Centre (ARC) and Onderstepoort Biological Products to support the livestock farmers in the country in the long term; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details; (2) whether she will furnish the state veterinary doctor’s visitation programmes to farmers in all nine provinces for the year 2020 to date; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details; (3) whether she will furnish (a) reasons for the strike at ARC and (b) action plans to resolve the strike; if not, why not in each case; if so, what are the relevant details in each case; (4) whether she will furnish (a) reasons for the delay in blood samples being tested at ARC and (b) action plans to ensure that this situation is resolved; if not, why not in each case; if so, what are the relevant details in each case?
Reply:
1. Quantities of Foot and Mouth Disease vaccine are procured by instruction of the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) through the two State Owned Entities (SOEs), namely the Agricultural Research Centre (ARC) and the Onderstepoort Biological Products. These vaccines are sourced by the SOEs from the Botswana Vaccine Institute for routine vaccination and vaccination when there is an outbreak.
2. Agriculture is a concurrent function as per the Constitution of South Africa. The Provincial Departments of Agriculture are responsible for the provincial operations of veterinary services, including farm visits and schedules.
Below is the state veterinary doctor’s visitation to farmers for the financial year: 2019/20
Province |
Annual Target |
Pre-audited Annual Achievement *** |
Eastern Cape |
11 244 |
13 857 |
Free State |
3 200 |
4 634 |
Gauteng |
8 500 |
7 678 |
KwaZulu Natal |
15 000 |
17 326 |
Limpopo |
15 064 |
11 960 |
Mpumalanga |
17 798 |
15 314 |
Northern Cape |
6 000 |
6 558 |
North West |
12 230 |
17 030 |
Western Cape |
10 000 |
14 333 |
Consolidated |
99 036 |
108 690 |
***Kindly note that figures are based on 2019/20 pre-audited data as reported by provinces.
Below is the state veterinary doctor’s visitation to farmers for the financial year 2020/2021
Province |
Revised Annual Target |
Quarter 1 achievement |
Quarter 2 Achievement *** |
Annual Progress to date |
Annual (%) Performance |
Eastern Cape |
11 024 |
3 288 |
5 924 |
9 212 |
84% |
Free State |
2 400 |
547 |
923 |
1 470 |
61% |
Gauteng |
6 400 |
272 |
1 521 |
1 793 |
28% |
KwaZulu Natal |
20 000 |
3000 |
4 837 |
7 837 |
39% |
Limpopo |
3 050 |
1 767 |
2 939 |
4 706 |
154% |
Mpumalanga |
17 798 |
3 310 |
4 213 |
7 523 |
42% |
Northern Cape |
500 |
275 |
686 |
961 |
192% |
North West |
10 382 |
2 550 |
3 494 |
6 044 |
58% |
Western Cape |
10 000 |
1 911 |
3 768 |
5 679 |
57% |
Consolidated |
81 554 |
16 920 |
28 305 |
45 225 |
55% |
*** For all figures that are highlighted in red, the data has not been verified by DALRRD
3. There is currently no strike at the ARC.
4. (a) The ARC as with many other organizations experienced delay in the procurement of laboratory reagents, mostly due to disruptions in the global supply chains of imported chemicals. (b) The ARC has made adjustments to the complement of employees as per the changes allowed in respect of managing possible impacts of Covid-19, with limited employees on site at any particular point. The ARC is now on full complement of employees to provide full services timeously.
21 December 2020 - NW3032
Schreiber, Dr LA to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
(a) What is the name of the registered owner of the (i) Berg River Dam outside Franschhoek in the Western Cape and (ii) land immediately surrounding the dam, including Farm Number 1145 and Farm Number RE/1339, and (b) under what zoning does the specified land fall; (2) what is the name of the person who owns the dwellings on the land immediately surrounding the Berg River Dam? NW3860E
Reply:
(1)(a) (i) The basic footprint of the Berg River Dam falls on Farm 1716 (SG No. 447/2007) and is unregistered. There is also a subdivision of the above farm, being Portion 1 of Farm No. 1716 (SG No. 1628/2007).
(ii) The following farms surround the Farm 1716. It appears that many of the farms and portions are not yet registered. All unregistered land belongs to the State.
Property Description |
Ownership |
Zoning (according to Stellenbosch Zoning Maps) |
Farm 1145 |
Unregistered |
Agriculture and Rural Zone (Still part of Farm 1716/0 on Zoning Map) |
Remainder Farm 1339 |
Unregistered |
Agriculture and Rural Zone (Still part of Farms 1339/8, 1339/5, 1339/6, 1339/1) |
Remainder Farm 1619 (SG No. 3436/1999 |
Unregistered |
Agriculture and Rural Zone |
Farm 1235 (SG No. 1052/1974): |
Republic of South Africa |
Agriculture and Rural Zone |
Portion 1 of Farm No. 1339 (SG Mo. 3423/1999) |
Unregistered |
Agriculture and Rural Zone |
Portion 1 of Farm No. 1147 (SG No. 3421/1999 |
Unregistered |
Agriculture and Rural Zone |
Farm No. 1150 (SG No. 204/1831) |
Islanmore Estates Pty Ltd |
Agriculture and Rural Zone |
Farm No. 1151 (SG No. 249/1880) |
Islanmore Estates Pty Ltd |
Agriculture and Rural Zone |
Remainder Farm No. 1659 (SG No. 6211/2001) |
unregistered |
Agriculture and Rural Zone |
Portion 5 of Farm No. 1339 (SG No. 3427/1999) |
unregistered |
Agriculture and Rural Zone |
Portion 8 of Farm No. 1339 (SG No. 9216/2006) |
Unregistered |
Agriculture and Rural Zone |
Farm No. 1023 |
Republic of South Africa unalienated state land |
Agriculture and Rural Zone (still part of Farm 1618/0 on Zoning Map) |
Farm No. 1712 (SG No. 1627/2007) |
unregistered |
To be confirmed with Municipality |
Farm No. 1711 (SG No. 1626/2007) |
unregistered |
To be confirmed with Municipality |
Portion 3 of farm No. 1145 (SG No. 9215/2006) |
unregistered |
Agriculture and Rural Zone |
Portion 1 of Farm No. 1629 (SG No. 9217/2006) |
unregistered |
Agriculture and Rural Zone |
(b) Unregistered Farm No. 1716, Paarl Division is deemed to be zoned a natural environmental zone in terms of the Stellenbosch Municipal Zoning Scheme By-law, 2019 - [Source: NGMS]. Please refer to page 118 of the Zoning Scheme By-law which is attached.
“Natural Environment (natuurlike omgewing) means an area which is undeveloped, not necessarily restricted to wilderness or mountain areas and primarily consists of vegetation in a natural state. Vegetation may be indigenous or alien, the area may be rehabilitated to its indigenous state for the purpose of preserving the biophysical characteristics of the area, including flora and fauna living in the area, and may include river corridors, wetlands, water bodies, man-made dams, proclaimed nature areas, biosphere reserves, undeclared conservation or critical biodiversity areas, and may be in public or private ownership or managed under stewardship and it includes buildings which are reasonably connected with the management and maintenance of the area;”
(2) The Branch Deeds Registration is unable to determine the ownership of the dwellings surrounding the dam. The details of the dwellings are with the local municipality. Ownership information on the land can only be provided once the dwellings are identified which information can be obtained from the local municipality. The two identified private properties are owned by Islanmore Estates Pty Ltd
21 December 2020 - NW2890
Moteka, Mr PG to ask the Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation
By what date will she ensure that the community of Ga-Machacha in Ward 25 at Makhuduthamaga in Limpopo are provided with bulk infrastructure to which they can connect for clean drinking water?
Reply:
The Department of Water and Sanitation has allocated R53 million to the Sekhukhune District Municipality for the 2020/21 financial year through the Water Service Infrastructure Grant (WSIG) for the implementation of the following projects to ensure access to clean water in the Makhuduthamaga Local Municipality:
- Mogoroane Water Supply Project
- Uitspanning Water Supply Intervention
- Tukakgomo Water Supply Intervention Phase 3
- Mapodile Water Conservation and demand Management
- Rutseng Water Intervention Phase 2
- Construction of VIDP Toilets in Legolaneng
- Brooklyn (Phokwane) Water Intervention
- Maebe (Mohlaletsi) Water Supply Phase 3
- Nkosini Water Supply & Package Plant
- Laersdrift Water Supply
- Mashamthane Water Intervention
It should be noted that legislative mandate of the Department of Water and Sanitation is to ensure that the country’s water resources are protected, managed, used, developed, conserved and controlled in a sustainable manner for the benefit of all people and the environment.
The Water Services Act, 1997 refers to municipalities as Water Service Authorities (WSAs) responsible for distribution (reticulation) of water and to supply sanitation services. The Water Services Act in section 3 outlines the right of access to basic water supply and sanitation which mandates that “everyone has a right of access to basic water supply and basic sanitation” and places the responsibility on Water Services Authorities to ensure that they develop a Water Services Development Plan (WSDP) to ensure the realisation of this right.
Section 11 of the Water Services Act, 1997 mandates that “every Water Services Authority has the duty to all consumers or potential consumers in its area of jurisdiction to progressively ensure efficient, affordable, economical and sustainable access to water services.”
21 December 2020 - NW2845
Arries, Ms LH to ask the Minister of Social Development
Whether she has investigated allegations that a certain company (name furnished) in Bellville, Western Cape, lock homeless persons in cages?
Reply:
The temporary Homeless Shelter at Paint City in Bellville are managed by an NPO funded by the City of Cape Town and not by the Western Cape Provincial Department of Social Development. The City of Cape Town’s forensic unit is investigating the allegations.
21 December 2020 - NW3054
Hlengwa, Mr M to ask the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation
In view of the fact that her department’s foreign policy principles are centered on promoting peace, human rights and dignity for all people, (a) what is her department’s official position on internet shutdown and interruptions in Africa which have been linked to the countries with records of human rights violations and implicated in the practice of authoritarian regimes (details furnished) and (b) how has her department sought to engage with other countries in the African Union to deter the authoritarian and undemocratic practises?
Reply:
a) As a Member of the African Union (AU), South Africa respects the sovereignty of AU Member States as enshrined in Article 4 of the Constitutive Act of the AU. South Africa also encourages Member States through, inter alia, the AU and its Organs, to adopt a culture of human rights as a prerequisite to achieving the Africa We Want, envisaged in Aspiration 3 of Agenda 2063 which envisions “An Africa with good governance, democracy, respect for human rights, justice and the rule of law.”
b) In November and December 2020, South Africa participated in the 67th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), in
21 December 2020 - NW2434
Abrahams, Ms ALA to ask the Minister of Social Development
Whether, in light of the current disability assessment backlog and the shortage of doctors who are specialists to make such assessments in the Republic, she will consider extending the (a) disability and (b) care dependency grants which will lapse on 31 October, 30 November and 31 December 2020 to 31 March 2021; if not, why not, if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
The care dependency and temporary disability grants which would have lapsed at the end of October and November have already been extended to 31 December 2020. The cost for this extension has been accommodated within the budget allocation provided for these grants for the current financial year.
We are now working on a plan to address the significant number which will expire at the end of December, costing approximately R1.2 billion. This estimated cost cannot be accommodated within the existing budget, so we are considering alternatives to prevent bulk lapsing on 31 December 2020 by introducing staggered dates for lapsing between December 2020 and March 2021 to manage the influx for citizens who may wish to reapply for the disability grant.
21 December 2020 - NW2274
Ngwenya, Ms DB to ask the Minister of Social Development
What total number of (a) police stations and (b)(i) Thusong service centres and (ii) Thuthuzela care centres around KwaZulu-Natal have had social workers placed in their services since March 2020?
Reply:
(a) There are ninety-four (94) police stations around KwaZulu-Natal that have had Social Workers placed in their services since March 2020.
(b)(i) There are fifteen (15) Thusong Centre that have had Social Workers placed on specific days of the week
(b)(ii) There are eight (8) Thuthuzela Care Centres around KwaZulu-Natal that have had Social Workers placed in their services since March 2020.
21 December 2020 - NW2794
Masango, Ms B to ask the Minister of Social Development
(1)What (a) are the conditions and (b) is the state of the kitchen at the Gauteng Drug Abuse and Rehabilitation Clinic; (2) whether the staff at the clinic have been paid their salaries in full and timeously in (a) 2019 and (b) 2020; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details; (3) what months in 2020 were the tranches disbursed on time?
Reply:
The Gauteng Department of Social Development does not have a registered treatment centre called “Gauteng Drug Abuse and Rehabilitation clinic” on its database.
The Department is kindly requesting the Member to provide more details.
21 December 2020 - NW2559
Abrahams, Ms ALA to ask the Minister of Social Development
With regard to the findings of the National Income Dynamics Study Coronavirus Rapid Mobile Survey Wave 2 showing that early childhood (ECD) attendance dropped to just 13% from July 2020 to mid-August 2020, which is the lowest rate of attendance in 18 years, what (a) financial and/or (b) other support is her department offering to the ECD sector and the millions of children who are dependent on this essential service for care, protection, nutrition and education?
Reply:
The NIDS-CRAM Wave 2 Reports[1] provided insightful information to the Department of Social Development. The Department of Social Development appreciates that national surveys and studies assist with strategic decisions, while it is always important to interpret the findings of any study with rigour. However, the following needs to be noted with regard to findings and the generalisation thereof.
1. The NIDS-CRAM Wave 2 data was collected through telephone interviews from a total sample of 5,676 individuals (80% of the original wave 1 sample), of which only 2,722 individuals (48% of the sample) indicated that they are in a household with children age birth to six years (sub-sample)[2].
2. Furthermore, the data indicated that of this sub-sample 950 individuals (35% of sub-sample and 16.7% of total sample) indicated that their child(ren) aged birth to 6 years attended and early childhood development programmes “such as a pre-school, creche, playgroup or day-mother”. The questionnaire explicitly excluded attendance of Grade R in primary schools, where a large majority of 5 and 6 years find themselves2.
3. NIDS-CRAM Wave 2 data, most likely due to the design of the questionnaire, does not differentiate between attendance of registered and unregistered early childhood development programmes2, which is an important factor to be considered in the understanding and interpretation of data and trends, especially under the national state of disaster, for some of the following reasons:
3.1 ECD programmes are legally required to be registered in terms of the provisions of the Children's Act 38 of 2005 as to operate as a legal entity under the law passed by the Legislature and to be eligible for funding from government. Thus, a disaggregation in this study (and other studies by civil society) will be of value to indicate whether the impact of the minimum health, safety and social distancing measures to address, prevent and combat the spread of COVID-19 has affected and is comparable between registered and unregistered ECD programmes similarly or not.
3.2 ECD programmes that are registered generally have the capacity to meet the minimum norms and standards prior to the onset of the national state of disaster, which could have made them more resilient towards re-opening. Furthermore, lumping registered and unregistered ECD programmes together as one homogenous sample excludes a number of critical variables that differentiate these two groups significantly, while it prevents an analysis to determine whether there is bias in the finding towards unregistered or registered early childhood development programmes. Thus, it is not sure whether the findings of the NIDS-CRAM Wave 2 data are skewed towards the one or the other.
3.3 Registered ECD programmes are eligible to be funded by the provincial Departments of Social Development in accordance with section 93(1) of Children's Act 38 of 2005 should they meet the necessary requirements and subject to availability of funding. A disaggregation in such data will also assist in determining the different experiences between registered and unregistered early childhood development programmes.
3. At the time of the survey (July/August 2020), shortly after the re-opening date of all early childhood development centres on 6 July 2020, only 127 (13% of 950 individuals responded) of children attending an ECD centre in March 2020 had return to that ECD centre2. In this respect the following:
a) This was a relatively short time after the date of re-opening and as the NIDS-CRAM Wave 2 data confirms1 the reports that the Department of Social Development received from the field is that significant numbers of ECD centres, especially in in under resourced and rural areas, did not re-open2 (NIDS-CRAM Wave 2 data indicates that 55% of the respondents cited this as a reason)2.
b) Furthermore, 5.6% of the respondents indicated that they did not return their children due to the fact that they believe that the ECD centre is not prepared for COVID-19, while a third (33.1%) cited fear of their child contracting COVID-19 at an ECD centre as the reason for not returning a child to an ECD centre1;2.
4. The findings of the NIDS-CRAM Wave 2 data should not be compared with other historic data as the methodology and sample sizes differs significantly, i.e. “attendance dropped to just 13% from July 2020 to mid-August 2020, which is the lowest rate of attendance in 18 years”. Firstly, it compares historic data with an extraordinary time in South Africa. Secondly, the GHS of 2002 (18 years ago) was based on a different sample size and methodology, while it confirmed the findings of the 2000 ECD audit was done with 22,256 ECD sites across the country of 16% attendance of ECD programmes for children aged to birth to 6 years, which was also prior to the introduction of Grade R.
5. ECD programmes have not been determined to be an essential service, though it is regarded as an invaluable part of young children’s growth, development and early learning. Other than with schools, attendance of early childhood development programmes is not compulsory and remain the choice of the parent at any time (before the national state of disaster and there-after). The closing of ECD programmes, however, did follow roughly the same timelines of closure and re-opening as schools. During the same period of the NIDS-CRAM Wave 2 cited by the Member, the attendance if schools showed a similar trend, with return to school at 37.3% (for open grades) at that time1, while it is currently still well below the percentage of attendance in March 2020.
6. At the time of the NIDS-CRAM Wave 2 (July/ August 2020) on which the question is based:
Part (a) of question
6.1 the Minister of Social Development has issued Directions that directed the Provincial Departments of Social Development to continue paying subsidies to early childhood development programmes (see Government Notice 517 published in Government Gazette No 43300 of 9 May 2020 and Government Notice No. 762 in Government Gazette No. 43520 of 10 July 2020), which was executed by the Provincial Departments of Social Development in accordance with section 93(1) of the Children’s Act 38 of 2005 as provincial competency (see responses to Question NW1318).
6.2 The payment of social relief in distress grants during this time is believed to also indirectly benefitted children birth to 6 year old in households (see response to Questions NW2068 & NW1853)
6.3 Minister announced on 30 July 2020 the Department of Social Development’s contribution in relation to the Presidential Employment Stimulus (South Africa’s Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan) towards the early childhood development workforce. Since the following was approved by the national Treasury for the National and Provincial Departments of Social Development to continue to mitigate the impact of the national state of disaster on ECD programmes and to facilitate the continues re-opening of ECD programmes:
a) R380 million was allocated for unemployment risk support that will benefit 83 333 existing ECD related workers
b) R116 million was allocated for the support of 25 500 compliance support officers, who are existing staff members at early childhood development programmes that will play a compliance support role within their ECD programmes, contributing to mitigating a second wave of COVID-19
c) R16.5 million was allocated for registration support officers who will assist in scaling up registration as part of Phase 2 of the Vangasali campaign
d) The Department of Social Development engaged with experts from UNICEF and the Nelson Mandela Foundation as well members of the Inter-Sectoral Committee for ECD to develop an implementation plan for the implementation of this grant as part of the ECD stimulus package.
Part (b) of question
6.4 Funding was repurposed from the existing conditional grant allocation to provide PPE’s to qualifying ECD programmes (see responses to Questions NW1318; NW1578 & NW1652)
6.5 The Department distributed food parcels since the beginning of the lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus to indigent persons and those whose income was affected, which is believed to also provided support households with children birth to 6 years (see responses to Question NW1561)
6.6 The National and Provincial Departments of Social Development continued to provide advice and guidance to early childhood development programmes regarding re-opening, which include information on how to re-open safe and in the best interest of children (see responses to Question NW1652)
21 December 2020 - NW2176
Breedt, Ms T to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
(1) On what basis does her department continue to support the contested export of live animals, such as the export of thousands of sheep from the Northern Cape, via East London to the Middle East, given the cruelty to the animals and the potential loss of local jobs and loss of income; (2) how does her department intend to replace the jobs and income lost to the local farming communities and the meat processing industry and its dependants; (3) what progress has been made with the introduction of a proposed new Animals Protection Bill, undertaken by her predecessor in 2013 in the National Assembly, and pending this, regulations governing live export, especially in anticipation of the new export trade with Kuwait and the ongoing export of cattle to Mauritius; (4) whether she will make a statement on the matter?
Reply:
1. The National Development Plan (NDP) articulates the importance of both the domestic and exports markets towards realization of the inclusive growth of the agricultural sector. Further, the strategic plan of the Department supports cogent and sustainable agricultural business practices that will ensure economic transformation, inclusive growth and international competitiveness of the sector. Critical to inclusive growth is the participation of previously disadvantaged producers and communities in the mainstream agricultural value chains and export markets. Inclusive growth relates to creating value chain opportunities for penetration and participation by agribusinesses accompanied by growing jobs for the sector. The export of live animals from South Africa allows and provides the base for such participation. The Department only allows these exports when conducted within and in compliance to applicable legislation, including welfare legislation, the Animal Protection Act, 1962 (Act No. 24 of 1962) which regulates against cruelty to animals.
2. Inclusive economic growth is reliant on the competitiveness of the agribusinesses. Further, competitiveness of the agribusinesses drives the ability of the agricultural sector to create sustainable jobs.
3. The Department is working on a draft Animal Welfare Bill for introduction to the National Assembly in the next financial year. The department has received a positive response in the Phase 1 socio-economic impact assessment system (SEIAS) application to the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) and has started with internal consultation (DALRRD and provincial Departments of Agriculture) on the draft.
A two-pronged approach towards addressing regulations has been adopted by the Department. Firstly, the Department is drafting regulations relating to the export of live animals under the current Animals Protection Act, 1962 as an interim measure. Secondly the Department will draft new Regulations under the intended Animal Welfare Act once the new Bill has been assented to.
4. No.
21 December 2020 - NW2663
Matiase, Mr NS to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
Whether she has included any farms falling under the Gwatyu area in the Eastern Cape in the list of farms advertised for disposal to emerging farmers; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what will happen to the black communities already living and farming in the area?
Reply:
Yes. The land rights enquiry has already been conducted and priority will be given to the current occupiers (black communities) confirmed to be having land rights for occupancy and land use formalization.
21 December 2020 - NW2817
Masipa, Mr NP to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
Whether, with reference to her reply to question 479 for oral reply on 4 November 2020, she has been informed that the R35 million that was allocated for drought relief in the Northern Cape did not reach the farming community; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what steps does she intend taking to address the issue; (2) on what date does she intend following up with the province to address the drought crisis to relieve the negative impact caused by the drought condition?
Reply:
1. The drought relief funds were transferred to the provinces in July 2020. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, progress in implementing the required interventions has been low. Verification of the affected farmers was also impacted. The Northern Cape Province distributed drought relief vouchers from 9th November to 4th December 2020 to qualifying farmers.
2. The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development will visit the Northern Cape Province in January 2021 for monitoring purpose.