Questions and Replies

Reply:

Questions 1360, 1436 and 1437 were responded to, the status quo remains the same.

For the outstanding questions 1361 and 1438 I will write a letter to the President of SASCOC to impress upon them, their obligation to respond to questions posed by Members of Parliament.

Reply:

a) The principles of natural justice demand that officials who have been implicated in misconduct be given an opportunity to give their side of the story against allegations levelled against them. It is on this basis that the names of the officials are withheld until all the affected employees have been properly served with the final charge sheets.

The process has been assigned to the Office of the State Attorney. Both the initiator and the chairperson of the disciplinary hearings have been appointed. The provisional charges were served on the implicated officials on the 05 October 2020.The officials were given seven (7) working days to provide the department with the written representations as to why they must not be formally charged with misconduct. The officials have already made written representations to the department. The process is underway to consider all the written representations made by the officials. Thereafter the department will consider whether to confirm the charges against the officials or not. Once the final charge sheet is served the names will be provided.

b) All the affected employees will be subjected to disciplinary hearings. The process has already commenced as indicated in clause a) above.

Reply:

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has not been able to complete the Bucket Eradication Programme in the Free State Province for reasons beyond the control of the department. It is for this reason that I have appointed the Housing Development Agency (HDA) to assist with the backlog.

I have been informed that the backlog can be attributed to the procurement of materials on national tender and Works Quotations (WQ’s) below R500 000,00. In some cases, Works Quotations are rendered unsuccessful as bids received are non-responsive due to:

• Prices for required materials being very expensive; or
• Bids not being received on some tenders at all or an insufficient number of bids being received for competitive evaluation and award

In addition, cash flow and delivery (transport) challenges experienced by successful bidders delayed delivery of material to sites prior and during the lockdown period. However, this has since normalised and some materials have been received.

It should also be noted that Supply Chain Management processes are not geared towards the procurement of materials on short notice as all tenders needs to follow Section 217 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa.

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

1.(a) The total number of legal matters which are still ongoing relating to the IDT are 86 broken down asfollows:

Litigations	No.	Amount
By the IDT	16	R89,711,689.55
Against the IDT	45	R314,273,931.48
Dormant*	25	R22,592,395.04

* Dormant cases are those that were registered long ago for which there has not been any movement by the litigants but have not necessary been withdrawn or struck off.

b) The members who are still part of the IDT Board as confirmed by the Master of the High Court confirmedare:

1. DrGcwalisile CynthiaKabanyane-Zulu
2. Mr RashidPatel
3. Ms PhelisaNkomo
4. MrSiyadumaBiniza
5. Mr ZakheleZitha
6. Dr LulamaZitha

2. Yes, an IDT Exit Strategy Implementation Plan (IESIP) has been developed, but is not yet finalised pending the conclusion of all IDT client and stakeholder consultations on the future of the IDT. The IESIP gives an account of the portfolio of the IDT in terms of staff complement, committed and projected projects/programmes, assets and liabilities, litigations, and projectedrevenue.

The assessment depicts a bleak picture on the going concern status of the entity given its poor state of finance and weak balance sheet, where challenges have been mainly attributed to the gradual decrease in the IDT’s project portfolio due to a lack of client confidence, declining revenue that cannot cover its operational costs and corporate governance collapse, resulting in continued reliance on Government for funding.

3.(a) The IDT has 220 employees broken down asfollows:

Staff	Term	Total
	Fixed Term	Permanent	220
Core Technical and Social	56	40	96
Non-core / Support	43	61	104
Temp Support (finance)	10	0	10
Graduate trainees (technical)	10	0	10

b) Subject to the final decision on the future of the IDT, options on the potential transfer and/or retention of existing staff are currently being examined and will be done in compliance with the Public Service Act, the Labour Relations Act and other and associatedlegislation.

c) The 84 million referred to was not allocated, but identified as the total operational requirement for four months based on a calculation that the IDT’s total operational expenses amounted to R21 million permonth.

A total of R128 million has been confirmed and approved by National Treasury for reclassification in the Department’s baseline (following the identification of savings in certain economic classifications) and transfer to

the IDT subject to sections 38 and 29 of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA). Of this, a total of R72 million has already been transferred for 2020/21 where the balance of R56 committed for the remainder of the Financial Year, will be done in monthly tranches subject to the IDT submitting its operational shortfalls (on a monthly basis) and approval by the Accounting Officer.

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

1. I was informed by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) that the Department has thus far awarded a total of seven (7) lease contracts for the current financial year. Of these, five (5) have been awarded to black owned properties.

2. The Department continues to award leases to landlords who do not meet requirements of Black Economic Empowerment. The details are as provided in Annexure A (attached). It is not in the Empowerment Policy of the Department not to award any tender to landlords who do not meet requirements of the Black Economic Empowerment.

3.The Department will not cancel tender and restart the procurement processes solely on the basis of non-participation of bidders who comply with the requirements of Black Economic Empowerment.

Additionally, the cancellation of tenders are legislated in that departments are only allowed to cancel tenders in instances where due to changed circumstances there is no longer a need, funds are no longer available to cover the expenditure, no acceptable tender is received or there is a material irregularity in the tender process. Departments are only allowed to cancel a tender for the first time and thereafter any further cancellations must be approved by the National Treasury.

 

Reply:

Department of Human Settlements (DHS):

a) There was one Turnaround Strategy and Restructuring Programme undertaken by my Department of Human Settlements in the past 5 years. This was undertaken to align the revised departmental mandate from focusing on housing to the development of Human Settlements, as well as to align personnel resources in response to the National reduction of Compensation of Employees Budget. The process needed an Organisational Structure Review and Alignment, where there were:

• financial costs for the Organisational Structure Review and Alignment Project, which was done through an external service provider in 2016-2018, due to insufficient capacity internally;

• non-financial costs for review of the MTSF Strategy, as it was done by existing internal personnel.

b) The total external service provider costs amounted to R706 299.16 for consultancy services for the Organisational Structure Review and Alignment Project. The deliverables concluded by the service provider included:

1. Recommendations report
2. Business Case
3. Macro Organisational Structure
4. Micro Organisational Structure
5. Job Descriptions and reports
6. Job Evaluation and reports
7. Competency report
8. Implementation Plan and Migration strategy
9. Human Resource Plan (draft)
10. Employment Equity Plan (draft)
11. Project close-out report
12. Costing model
13. Project administration reports

Department of Water and Sanitation:

(a)(i) In 2019 the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), in consultation with National Treasury, developed a financial turnaround strategy that is currently being implemented. DWS has not sought the services of consultants.

(ii) The department is currently in the process of reviewing its organisational structure using internal resources.

(b) The DWS has not sought the services of consultants for the review of the structure or the financial and non-financial turnaround strategies in the past five years.

Reply:

Questions 1173 was responded to and the status remains.

For the outstanding questions 954, 955, 956 and 960 I will write a letter to the President of SASCOC to impress upon them, their obligation to respond to questions posed by Members of Parliament.

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

1. I was informed by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) that a total number of 360 new beds were procured by the Department for the three parliamentary villages.

2. Yes, the beds are intended for the main bedroom of all residences occupied by Members of Parliament at the three parliamentary villages.

(a) A total of 235 beds are intended for Acacia Park, a total of 56 beds are intended for Laboria Park and a total of 69 beds are intended for Pelican Park;

(b) All the beds of the main bedroom of Members of Parliament are entitled to replacement, unless a Member of Parliament feels that the bed does not require replacement;

(c) The value of the bed contract is R1,787,514.72;

(d) The contract for the provision of beds was awarded to Huracan term contract

3. This particular contract does not include any other items for the houses.

4. No, the Department does not have any plans to procure additional items for the specified houses as there is no need for it at the moment and the lifespan of the current items are still valid.

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

I was informed by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure that the Department did not contract with the Southern SunEmnotweni Hotel as a quarantine site.

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

No. I was informed by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) that there is no specificUser Asset Management Plan (UAMP) in place for Thaba Tshwane. The overall UAMP document submitted by the DOD includes projects for Thaba Tshwane. See paragraph 1 (d)

a) Maintenance in the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) are divided into two broad categories, preventative and corrective maintenance

• Preventative maintenance can be divided into two categories, interval based and condition based.
• Interval based preventative maintenance is carried out in accordance with an established time schedule or an established number of units of use.
• The condition based preventative maintenance is initiated by monitoring the condition of the asset, this involves inspection of assets, testing and parameter monitoring to determine if any maintenance is needed and then carrying out any requirements identified. The performance and parameter monitoring may be scheduled on request or continuously.

• Corrective maintenance is carried out after fault recognition and is intended to put an item back into a state in which it can perform a required function. This type of maintenance can be an emergency repair, unscheduled or planned repair based on inspection or customer complaints.

The maintenance approach in Thaba Tshwane facility is a blend of both Preventative and Corrective. There is part of work that is done on a Corrective basis, on what DPWI refer to as Day-to-Day maintenance. The other Correctivemaintenanceis what the department termedas Planned Maintenance, which entail planned repair, refurbishment and renovation.

• The date maintenance was last done on the infrastructure at Thaba Tshwane is grouped as follows:

• Preventative maintenance is an ongoing activities through a Total FacilitiesManagement (TFM). The TFM aspectscover wide range of services from technical maintenance to soft services in the up keeping of the 1 Military Hospital facility. The commencement of the TFM is of the 1st September 2020.

• Correctivemaintenancehas two categories at the department and are:

• Unscheduled/Emergency, they arereferred to as Day-to-Day within the department. The maintenanceactivities of these are ongoing and are on “as and when” basis.
• Planned maintenance entails planned repair, refurbishment and renovation.

b) Planned maintenance for the current financial year are as follows:

• Preventative maintenance that is covered in the TFM implementation. The TFM aspects cover wide range of services from technical maintenance to soft services in the up keeping of the 1 Military Hospital facility. The programme runs for 36 months;
• There is Unscheduled / Emergency maintenance, they referred to as Day to Day within the department is on the “as and when” basis;
• Planned maintenance which entail planned repair, refurbishment and renovation for the current financial year could not be allocated funding owing to limited budget.

c) The following is the breakdown of the budget allocation for maintenance:

Preventative maintenance that is covered in the TFM implementation, which runs for 36 months with annual budget of R 62 898589,10.

• Unscheduled/Emergency maintenance, referred to as Day-to-Day within the department doesn’t have a specific budget for Thaba Tshwane, rather there is an overall budget for the entire region in attending to the Unscheduled/Emergency maintenance and is on the “as and when” basis;
• Planned maintenance, which entails planned repair, refurbishment and renovation budget for the current financial year. There is no planned maintenance budget that was allocated for this financial year owing to limited available budget.

d) With regard to the date in which the UMP will be signed between the DPWI (custodian) and the client department, the Government Immovable Asset Management Act, 19, 2007, states the following:

• Clause 14 (1) The accounting officer of a user or custodian in its capacity as a user must, for all the immovable assets that it uses or intents to use;

• compiles in accordance with Section 8, a user immovable asset management plan that will form part of the strategic plan of that user;
• submits a copy of the user immovable asset management plan to the relevant custodian in accordance with Section 9.

In view thereof, no UMP is signed between the custodian and client departments. As per GIAMA, the user submits a copy of the UMP to the custodian. In this case the Department of Defence (client) has submitted their UMP to DPWI (custodian) on 05 August 2020.

(i) Regarding theservices that fall under the auspices of the DPWI; in respect of the UMP, the DPWI is responsible for the planning and execution of Capital Works projects (construction and upgrading of infrastructure) and the procurement of accommodation (acquisition or lease).

(ii) With regard to compliance with its obligations in terms of the UMP, the DPWI is currently managing the following maintenance projects as articulated in question a, b, and c above; and

The following dolomite projects are also being implemented:

• Thaba Tshwane Emergency Dolomite Call-Out Services: WCS 052046: Allocation for Financial Year 2020/2021 is R12 292 651;
• Dolomite Risk Management Services: Thaba Tshwane Personnel Services School: Upgrading of Civil Engineering Wet Services: WCS 048804: Allocation for Financial Year 2020/2021 is R1 000 000;
• Dolomite Risk Management Services - SAAF Thaba Tshwane: Air force Gymnasium, Mafkamp, Base Hill & Mobile Deployment Wing - Upgrade Civil Engineering Wet Services: WCS 048803: Allocation for Financial Year 2020/2021 is R100 000;
• Dolomite Risk Management Services - DOD Thaba Tshwane: Various Properties Fence line Repairs Including Additional Fencing to Shooting Range: WCS 047878: Allocation for Financial Year 2020/2021 is R150 000

(iii) With regard to budget allocation for implementation of the UMP, it should be noted that the prioritisation of projects for execution and its associated budget allocation is determined by the user. In view thereof, the Department of Defence (User) will be best positioned to respond to this question.

(iv) With regard to the budget sufficiency to comply with the terms of the UMP, it should be noted that the availability and confirmation of funding allocated for projects is a user prerogative and as such, the Department of Defence will be best positioned to answer this questiondirectly.

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

1. I was informed by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) that the Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs) that participated in DPWIExpanded Public Works Programmes (EPWP) COVID-19 response,were identified from an existing database of NPOs that were contracted by the Independent Development Trust (IDT)in 2019. These NPOs entered into a contractual agreement, with the IDT, for a period of two (2) years (i.e. 2019/20 – 2020/21) to implement the NPO programme activities.Considering their contracts were still active, the DPWI deemed it appropriate for the IDT to utilise the existing NPOs from the aforementioned database, subject to them being compliant with the Central Supplier Database (CSD) requirements.

Prior to contracting with the IDT in 2019, the NPOs had to undergo due diligence. The following criteria had to be met:

• Valid Tax Clearance from SARS
• Valid UIF Clearance Certificate
• A valid letter of good standing from Compensation Fund
• A valid letter from Department of Social Development confirming NPO registration
• Proof that organisation has been in existence or operational for a minimum of 2 years
• Submission of information of how the NPOs will create labour intensive (60%) activities and EPWP work opportunities
• Proof of the NPOs good financial, administrative and reporting systems
• Confirmation that work to be undertaken will have a developmental focus
• Proof that the NPO has a presence where work will be undertaken
• Attendance of compulsory briefing sessions for all NPOs.

For the purpose of COVID-19 interventions, of the 339 NPOs on the IDT database, 189 NPOs were contracted.

Three Hundred and Thirty Nine (339) NPOs were already part of the Non-State Sector (NSS) Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs) programme contracted for a period of two (2) years in 2019.

2.(a) I was informed that of the 339 NPOs who were already part of the NSS NPOs programme, a total of 150 NPOs contracted to the IDT were not used.

(b)The reason these NPOs could not be used is due to the fact that they either did not meet the participation criteria or were un-willing to participate in the COVID-19 emergency response project.The plan still remains to implement the original NSS EPWP NPO programme.

3.(a) The Plan still remains to implement the original NSS EPWP NPO Programme.

(b) Currently the IDT is implementing the EPWP COVID-19 response project until the end of November 2020.

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

1. The Expropriation Bill [B23-2020] is to replace the Expropriation Act 63 of1975. The Act of 1975 is inconsistent with the Constitution of South Africa, as also noted by the Presidential Advisory Panel on Land Reform and Agriculture. The Expropriation Bill [B23-2020] was published in the Government Gazette for submission to Parliament in terms of Rule 276(1) (b) and (c) of the Rules of the National Assembly.

2. No.The Office of the Chief State Law Advisor (OCSLA) granted the final certification on 28 September 2020. The OCSLA found that the Expropriation Bill [B23-2020] is constitutional and therefore should proceed for parliamentary processes.

The review of section 25 of the Constitution, 1996 is the preserve of the Constitutional Review Committee (CRC) of Parliament. In terms of the separation of powers doctrine the three arms of the state must respect the constitutional status, institutions, powers and functions accorded to each one of them.

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

1. (a) ISA was not established as an entity but a function to oversee the implementation of the mandate of Infrastructure. It is part of the National Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (NDPWI) functional organisational structure reporting to the Minister, responsible for PICC & IDMS roles emanating from the National Macro Organisation of Government (NMOG) processes including the urgent need for targeted infrastructure investment.On the 27 May 2020, Cabinet resolved to create Infrastructure South Africa (ISA) to be housed within DPWI to serve the purpose of being a single-entry point and to ensure that DPWI has a system accounting for all infrastructure projects at all levels of government.

(b) Public Service Regulations, 25 (2)(a) states that, based on the strategic plan of the department, an executive authority shall determine the department’s organisational structure in terms of its core mandated and support function. Public Service Act, section 41 stipulates the alignment with the said regulations as well as the role of the Minister of Public Service and Administrations.

(c) The structure depicts ISA at a macro level within the department with the Head of ISA reporting to the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure.

2. Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa is appointed in the Presidency on contract. The Ministerrequested the permission of the Presidency to utilize the expertise of Dr Ramokgopa in introducing the functions of Infrastructure within DPWI.

3. The start-up organisational structure of ISA was concluded by the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure and submitted to the Minister of Public Service and Administration for his concurrence in accordance with the Public Service Act and Regulations. The organisational has now been approved and ready for implementation.

4. The process of recruitment is currently underway. The positions of Head of ISA, Deputy Director Generals and Chief Directors was advertised on the 8 November 2020.

5. The Department has reprioritised the budget which was approved by National Treasury for an amount of R23.062m. The breakdown is as follows:

a) Compensation of Employees is an amount of R11.943 m

b) Goods and Services is an amount R11.119m

c) And (d) See Annexure A – Allocation letter.

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

With respect to the details requested for the projects, a summary of the attached documents is shown below for item (a) to (d):

Description	Document Attached	(a) Scope of Work	(b) Bills of Quantities	(c) List of Specifications	(d) Progress/ Implementation report
H18/038AI – Awarded on 10 May 2019	Annexure A	Refer to Page 80, 99 and 107	N/A Consultants Appointment	N/A Procurement Instruction received from Key Account Management	N/A Contractor not yet appointed
H18/034AI – Awarded on 10 May 2019	Annexure B	Refer to Page 78	N/A Consultants Appointment	N/A Procurement Instruction received from Key Account Management	N/A Contractor not yet appointed
H18/026AI – Awarded on 26 April 2019	Annexure C	Refer to Scope of work document	N/A Consultants Appointment	Refer to Procurement Instruction	N/A
H18/047AI – Awarded on 14 May 2019	Annexure D	Refer to Scope of work document	Refer to BoQ document	Refer to list of specifications	Refer to completion certificate reports
H18/029AI – Awarded on 14 March 2019	Annexure E	Refer to Page 66 to 102	N/A Consultants Appointment	N/A Procurement Instruction received from Key Account Management	N/A Contractor not yet appointed
H18/027AI – Awarded on 11 June 2019	Annexure F	Refer to Scope of work documentation	N/A Consultants Appointment	Refer to Procurement Instruction	N/A
H16/022 – Awarded on 20 October 2016	Annexure G	Refer to Scope of work document	Refer to BoQ document	Refer to tender document	Refer to progress report
H16/075 – Awarded on 3 March 2017	Annexure H	Refer to Scope of work document	Refer to BoQ document	Refer to tender document	Refer to progress report
H15/043 – Awarded on 23 June 2016	Annexure I	Refer to Scope of work document	Refer to BoQ document	Refer to tender document	Refer to progress report
H15/044 – Awarded on 23 June 2016	Annexure J	Refer to Scope of work document	Refer to BoQ document	Refer to tender document	Refer to progress report

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

1. (a) None. (b) In Pretoria there is one former Deputy Minister.
2. (a) None. (b) In Pretoria we have Mr Gert C. Oosthuizen, former Deputy Minister of Sport and Recreation.
3. (a) None. (b) In Pretoria the Departments’ Valuations Unit made a determination for a market related rental to the value of R480,000.00 which has been raised as a debt against Mr Gert C. Oosthuizen, former Deputy Minister of Sport and Recreation.

Reply:

One Turnaround Strategy has been developed implemented in two phases. First phase (Action Plan 1.0) was to stabilise the operations of the Compensation Fund and the second phase (Action Plan 2.0) was to improve controls in order to improve the audit outcomes. The implementation of the strategy is in progress.

Reply:

Overall progress on ASIDI is summarised as follows:

• Of the 365 schools that need to be replaced, 252 have already progressed to Practical Completion
• Of the 977 schools that required upgraded sanatition, 897 have already progressed to Practical Completion
• Of the 1214 schools that required upgraded water supply, 955 have already progressed to Practical Completion
• Of the 373 schools that required upgraded electricity supply, all 373 have progressed to Practical Completion

There are ASIDI schools which have been completed on both Inappropriate Structures and Basic Services which currently in occupied, and schools under construction which are in advance construction stages (Annexure B) and schools that requires funding (Annexure A-Backlog).

Reply:

The Child Support Grant (CSG) is part of the social assistance programme which is administered by the Department of Social Development (DSD).  However, it must be stressed that the right to basic education for all South African children is an unfettered right, provided for in our Constitution.  On the average, more than 80% of our learners are in no fee schools, which are fully funded by the State.  Therefore, learners who receive the CSG, who attend these schools, are fully covered.  But those, whose parents choose to send their children to fee-paying schools, those parents are expected to pay for their children's fees; pending the approval by the Provincial Education Departments to grant such parents fee exemptions.

Reply:

1. Regarding the invigilation of candidates that are tested positive, teachers are not be compelled to invigilate the examination at the isolation venue, where a candidate who has tested positive is writing. Teachers are fully briefed about the task to be performed; and if the teacher agrees to carry out the task, a written consent of the teacher is obtained. 

2. Given that teachers are not compelled to invigilate, the Provincial Education Departments have appointed private invigilators who could be used to replace teachers who refuse to invigilate. However, private invigilators are fully briefed of the at hand, and their consent is obtained to perform this task.

3. Learners who will not be able to write the November 2020 examination due to their severe COVID-19 symptoms, will be allowed to write the May/June 2021 examination.   

Reply:

1. The Department of Basic Education (DBE), in terms of the South African Schools Act, compels schools to develop School Codes of Conduct and policies on extramural activities, co-curricular activities, cultural events and excursion, based on the founding principles and values of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. Part of the values and principles pertain to non-discrimination, non-sexism, non-racism and non-prejudice. Through the Education Management, Development and Governance (EMDG), all School Governing Bodies are inducted and capacitated on how to develop, implement and monitor school codes of conduct and other mandated school policies, so that when unintended instances of racial discrimination are identified, and solutions sought. Already, within the current review of the Medium-Term Strategic Framework (MTSF) 2019 - 2024 on Social Cohesion and Nation Building that is in process, the DBE has included an indicator on surveying and monitoring the compliance of school codes of conduct and other mandatory policies for SGBs. 

2. The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) is dealing with the matter of Brackenfell High School.

Reply:

1. The consultant who undertook the Detailed Feasibility and Detailed Design of the project was appointed by uThukela District Municipality, not Umgeni Water, and had not considered whether there was sufficient resource (water) in Spioenkop Dam to support the project demands. As a result, the project could have been constructed but would not have had the raw water resource needed to supply the demand in the area. After much of the planning and detailed design had been completed, the Department of Water and Sanitation undertook a due diligence study to determine whether there would be sufficient water available in Spioenkop Dam to support the scheme. When it became apparent that there would not be sufficient resource available the project was discontinued in the planned format

(2) Umgeni Water has recently completed a Framework Tender process and now has a panel of consultants to draw from for planning and detailed design projects. A consultant will be appointed from this panel to undertake the Detailed Feasibility Study of the project and this appointment is likely to be made the end of 2020, after the completion of the Terms of Reference, which are currently being developed by the project team.

(3) The procurement process has not, as yet, been completed and hence it is not possible to present the expected costs of the detailed feasibility study for this project.

(4) The bulk water supply scheme to supply Ladysmith will be a large and complex project and will have to include the development of a new resource (dam) and appropriate bulk infrastructure to treat and supply the water. Large projects of this complexity take time to plan and implement and the risk of rushing or curtailing the process can have huge risk and capital consequences. The planning study would include, amongst others, an options analysis, water resource assessment for each option, water quality monitoring and assessment, process investigation, pipeline alignments, water treatment plant, pump station and reservoir positioning, land and geotech surveys, economic and financial analyses and environmental investigations. All of these studies take time to undertake and are important to fully investigate to ensure the success of the project.

Reply:

The Parliamentary Question was sent to Gauteng Education for response.

Reply:

(1)          

• The TeacherConnect app was first set up in the first half of July, initially to get the platform up-and-running and for Beta testing purposes. 
• HealthCheck was then integrated in late July and officially launched on the 8th of September. (Daily Covid-19 Symptom Tracker). The urgency and the timing of launching the App, related to the Covid-19 tracking health application designed to provide an early warning system so that lives could be protected and saved, and also that school closures could be prevented as much as possible, and that schools could stay open at this critical time of the year.  This need took precedence despite it being so close to Matric examinations,
• To date, we have supported just under 4 000 users on TeacherConnect. 
• To support Matric learners where helpful, the Woza Matric schedule is included under the Materials section of the App. 

(2)

• The first learning resources added to the TeacherConnect platform were exclusively to zero-rated websites. 
• Please note that further the TeacherConnect teacher-training platform has now as of 12'th November become zero rated by every network except for Cell C, which we believe is imminent.
• The large majority of other teacher resources we link through to on the platform are still made up of zero rated websites. 
• An estimated 90% of internet users (and in fact a full 38-million South Africans per day) in South Africa use WhatsApp, making it one of the most accessible digital channels for reaching even the poorest in our nation.  
• Many mobile network operators offer discounted Data Vouchers exclusively for use on WhatsApp. 

Reply:

a) As on Friday, 23 October 2020, the current national overcrowding level in correctional centres stood at 15.17% over the approved accommodation. (Table 1)

The current status of overcrowding over the past 12 months is reflected in Table 2.

Table: 1

INMATE POPULATION - 23 OCTOBER 2020
Region	Accommodation	Unsentenced	Sentenced	Grand Total	Population level %	Overcrowding Level %
		Females	Males	Sub total	Females	Males	Sub total
EC	12846	89	5766	5855	156	12698	12854	18709	145.64%	45.64
GP	25204	425	13713	14138	530	19199	19729	33867	134.37%	34.37
KZN	21278	106	5910	6016	102	15763	15865	21881	102.83%	2.83
LMN	18929	71	5426	5497	269	15434	15703	21200	112.00%	12.00
FSNC	21585	78	4723	4801	227	13776	14003	18804	87.12%	12.88
WC	20725	403	10586	10989	391	13018	13409	24398	117.72%	17.72
National	120567	1172	46124	47296	1675	89888	91563	138859	115.17%	15.17

Table: 2 overcrowding status over the past 12 months per region

Region	Oct 2019	Nov 2019	Dec 2019	Jan 2020	Feb 2020	Mar 2020	Apr 2020	May 2020	Jun 2020	Jul 2020	Aug 2020	Sep 2020
EC	59.66%	59.42%	60.03	55.39%	53.81%	54.65%	54.94%	28.96	45.73%	46.23%	43.83%	45.64%
GP	52.06%	52.56%	52.72	47.63%	47.53%	45.56%	52.20%	48.88	44.84%	37.21%	35.46%	35.33%
KZN	33.64%	33.52%	34.63	31.32%	25.04%	23.86%	26.14%	22.67	16.05%	4.17%	2.69%	3.44%
LMN	44.27%	45.96%	46.70	41.09%	39.36%	38.56%	39.29%	33.84	27.60%	14.85%	11.13%	12.01%
FSNC	2.21%	3.56%	6.32	0.54%	0.18%	12.32%	0.38%	98.31	8.24%	11.86%	14.04%	13.70%
WC	42.29%	41.24%	36.81	31.07%	30.16%	29.17%	29.16%	26.07	19.51%	14.55%	16.13%	16.93%
National	37.83%	38.03%	38.17	33.27%	31.45%	30.25%	32.66%	28.96	23.35%	16.15%	14.56%	15.20%

1. The breakdown of the overcrowding level in each month and in each region over the past 12 months in (End of month: October 2019 to September 2020) is provided from (Table 3 to Table14):

Table: 3

INMATE POPULATION - 31 OCTOBER 2019
Region	Accommodation	Unsentenced	Sentenced	Grand Total	Population level %	Overcrowding Level %
		Females	Males	Sub total	Females	Males	Sub total
EC	13294	83	5522	5605	290	15330	15620	21225	159.66%	59.66%
GP	24877	497	11958	12455	839	24535	25374	37829	152.06%	52.06%
KZN	20281	155	6185	6340	495	20269	20764	27104	133.64%	33.64%
LMN	17799	99	6169	6268	477	18934	19411	25679	144.27%	44.27%
FSNC	21542	76	4840	4916	393	16710	17103	22019	102.21%	2.21%
WC	20779	472	10547	11019	696	17851	18547	29566	142.29%	42.29%
National	118572	1382	45221	46603	3190	113629	116819	163422	137.83%	37.83%

Table: 4

INMATE POPULATION - 30 NOVEMBER 2019
Region	Accommodation	Unsentenced	Sentenced	Grand Total	Population level %	Overcrowding Level %
		Females	Males	Sub total	Females	Males	Sub total
EC	13294	92	5553	5645	290	15258	15548	21193	159.42%	59.42%
GP	24877	507	12185	12692	842	24419	25261	37953	152.56%	52.56%
KZN	20281	164	6163	6327	19745	1007	20752	27079	133.52%	33.52%
LMN	17799	102	6453	6555	442	18982	19424	25979	145.96%	45.96%
FSNC	21542	82	4908	4990	402	16916	17318	22308	103.56%	3.56%
WC	20779	452	10391	10843	668	17645	18313	29156	141.24%	41.24%
National	118572	1399	45653	47052	22389	94227	116616	163668	138.03%	38.03%

Table: 5

INMATE POPULATION - 31 DECEMBER 2019
Region	Accommodation	Unsentenced	Sentenced	Grand Total	Population level %	Overcrowding Level %
		Females	Males	Sub total	Females	Males	Sub total
EC	13294	103	6273	6376	251	14648	14899	21275	160.03	60.03
GP	24877	497	12922	13419	744	23830	24574	37993	152.72	52.72
KZN	20281	172	6822	6994	423	19887	20310	27304	134.63	34.63
LMN	17799	124	7434	7558	390	18163	18553	26111	146.70	46.70
FSNC	21542	114	5764	5878	385	16640	17025	22903	106.32	6.32
WC	20779	460	11141	11601	556	16084	16640	28241	136.81	36.81
National	118572	1470	50356	51826	2749	109252	112001	163827	138.17	38.17

Table: 6

INMATE POPULATION - 31 JANUARY 2020
Region	Accommodation	Unsentenced	Sentenced	Grand Total	Population level %	Overcrowding Level %
		Females	Males	Sub total	Females	Males	Sub total
EC	13294	105	6224	6329	236	14092	14328	20657	155.39%	55.39%
GP	24877	522	13514	14036	677	22013	22690	36726	147.63%	47.63%
KZN	20281	170	7066	7236	418	18978	19396	26632	131.32%	31.32%
LMN	17799	125	7157	7282	417	17413	17830	25112	141.09%	41.09%
FSNC	21542	98	5453	5551	343	15764	16107	21658	100.54%	0.54%
WC	20779	515	11772	12287	467	14482	14949	27236	131.07%	31.07%
National	118572	1535	51186	52721	2558	102742	105300	158021	133.27%	33.27%

Table: 7

INMATE POPULATION - 29 FEBRUARY 2020
Region	Accommodation	Unsentenced	Sentenced	Grand Total	Population level %	Overcrowding Level %
		Females	Males	Sub total	Females	Males	Sub total
EC	13294	116	6106	6222	238	13987	14225	20447	153.81%	53.81%
GP	24877	521	13666	14187	677	21837	22514	36701	147.53%	47.53%
KZN	20281	163	6889	7052	402	17905	18307	25359	125.04%	25.04%
LMN	17799	116	6939	7055	386	17363	17749	24804	139.36%	39.36%
FSNC	21542	94	5420	5514	343	15647	15990	21504	99.82%	0.18%
WC	20779	519	11545	12064	496	14485	14981	27045	130.16%	30.16%
National	118572	1529	50565	52094	2542	101224	103766	155860	131.45%	31.45%

Table: 8

INMATE POPULATION - 31 MARCH 2020
Region	Accommodation	Unsentenced	Sentenced	Grand Total	Population level %	Overcrowding Level %
		Females	Males	Sub total	Females	Males	Sub total
EC	13294	119	6221	6340	238	13981	14219	20559	154.65%	54.65%
GP	24877	477	13662	14139	661	21412	22073	36212	145.56%	45.56%
KZN	20281	157	6784	6941	400	17779	18179	25120	123.86%	23.86%
LMN	17799	121	6879	7000	374	17289	17663	24663	138.56%	38.56%
FSNC	21542	91	5221	5312	349	15382	15731	21043	97.68%	12.32%
WC	20779	470	11394	11864	512	14464	14976	26840	129.17%	29.17%
National	118572	1435	50161	51596	2534	100307	102841	154437	130.25%	30.25%

Table: 9

INMATE POPULATION - 30 APRIL 2020
Region	Accommodation	Unsentenced	Sentenced	Grand Total	Population level %	Overcrowding Level %
		Females	Males	Sub total	Females	Males	Sub total
EC	13294	130	6596	6726	219	13653	13872	20598	154.94%	54.94%
GP	24877	580	15762	16342	645	20877	21522	37864	152.20%	52.20%
KZN	20281	187	7745	7932	378	17273	17651	25583	126.14%	26.14%
LMN	17799	138	7380	7518	354	16921	17275	24793	139.29%	39.29%
FSNC	21542	99	6006	6105	351	15167	15518	21623	100.38%	0.38%
WC	20779	479	11973	12452	445	13942	14387	26839	129.16%	29.16%
National	118572	1613	55462	57075	2392	97833	100225	157300	132.66%	32.66%

Table: 10

INMATE POPULATION - 31 MAY 2020
Region	Accommodation	Unsentenced	Sentenced	Grand Total	Population level %	Overcrowding Level %
		Females	Males	Sub total	Females	Males	Sub total
EC	13294	117	6296	6413	195	13362	13557	19970	128.96	28.96
GP	24877	541	15296	15837	627	20572	21199	37036	148.88	48.88
KZN	20281	176	7723	7899	303	16676	16979	24878	122.67	22.67
LMN	17799	107	6913	7020	323	16479	16802	23822	133.84	33.84
FSNC	21542	85	5524	5609	357	15213	15570	21179	98.31	98.31
WC	20779	411	11671	12082	386	13556	13942	26024	126.07	26.07
National	118572	1437	53423	54860	2191	95858	98049	152909	128.96	28.96

Table: 11

INMATE POPULATION - 30 JUNE 2020
Region	Accommodation	Unsentenced	Sentenced	Grand Total	Population level %	Overcrowding Level %
		Females	Males	Sub total	Females	Males	Sub total
EC	13294	108	6147	6255	183	12935	13118	19373	145.73%	45.73%
GP	24877	509	15017	15526	567	19939	20506	36032	144.84%	44.84%
KZN	20281	136	7017	7153	277	16107	16384	23537	116.05%	16.05%
LMN	17799	96	6274	6370	300	16042	16342	22712	127.60%	27.60%
FSNC	21542	74	4757	4831	267	14668	14935	19766	91.76%	8.24%
WC	20779	396	11494	11890	328	12615	12943	24833	119.51%	19.51%
National	118572	1319	50706	52025	1922	92306	94228	146253	123.35%	23.35%

Table: 12

INMATE POPULATION - 31 JULY 2020
Region	Accommodation	Unsentenced	Sentenced	Grand Total	Population level %	Overcrowding Level %
		Females	Males	Sub total	Females	Males	Sub total
EC	12846	103	6073	6176	163	12446	12609	18785	146.23%	46.23%
GP	25204	460	14380	14840	540	19202	19742	34582	137.21%	37.21%
KZN	21278	134	6424	6558	275	15332	15607	22165	104.17%	4.17%
LMN	18929	70	5848	5918	284	15538	15822	21740	114.85%	14.85%
FSNC	21585	131	4599	4730	217	14078	14295	19025	88.14%	11.86%
WC	20725	354	10953	11307	296	12138	12434	23741	114.55%	14.55%
National	120567	1252	48277	49529	1775	88734	90509	140038	116.15%	16.15%

Table: 13

INMATE POPULATION - 30 AUGUST 2020
Region	Accommodation	Unsentenced	Sentenced	Grand Total	Population level %	Overcrowding Level %
		Females	Males	Sub total	Females	Males	Sub total
EC	12846	96	5823	5919	148	12409	12557	18476	143.83%	43.83%
GP	25204	421	14146	14567	535	19039	19574	34141	135.46%	35.46%
KZN	21278	129	6253	6382	281	15188	15469	21851	102.69%	2.69%
LMN	18929	67	5408	5475	259	15301	15560	21035	111.13%	11.13%
FSNC	21585	79	4592	4671	196	13688	13884	18555	85.96%	14.04%
WC	20725	372	11038	11410	273	12385	12658	24068	116.13%	16.13%
National	120567	1164	47260	48424	1692	88010	89702	138126	114.56%	14.56%

Table: 14

INMATE POPULATION - 30 SEPTEMBER 2020
Region	Accommodation	Unsentenced	Sentenced	Grand Total	Population level %	Overcrowding Level %
		Females	Males	Sub total	Females	Males	Sub total
EC	12846	92	5901	5993	158	12558	12716	18709	145.64%	45.64%
GP	25204	422	14058	14480	523	19105	19628	34108	135.33%	35.33%
KZN	21278	107	6293	6400	295	15314	15609	22009	103.44%	3.44%
LMN	18929	70	5622	5692	269	15242	15511	21203	112.01%	12.01%
FSNC	21585	72	4736	4808	213	13606	13819	18627	86.30%	13.70%
WC	20725	373	10819	11192	352	12690	13042	24234	116.93%	16.93%
National	120567	1136	47429	48565	1810	88515	90325	138890	115.20%	15.20%

END.

Reply:

1. The Department of Correctional of Correctional Services (DCS) did not receive any allocation from the R500 billion economic support package but viremented funds from its 2020/21 baseline allocation to fund the financial impact of COVID-19. The virement is part of the Adjustments Appropriation Act, 2020 assented to by the President on 14 August 2020. The total estimated COVID- 19 expenditure for 2020/21 financial year amounts to R606. 947 million broken down follows:

Componsation of Employees- R63. 8 million

Increase in capacity of Health Care Workers through the recruitment on a one- year contract of 366 enrolled/ retired nurses to enhance the provision of primary health care services and the screening of staff on health-related matters.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) and Medical Supplies- R212. 237 million 

Procurement  of PPEs and infrared thermometer scanners for DCS members and inmates (masks including N95 and surgical masks, surface and hand sanitizers, and gloves). Provision for increased medical supplies including flu vaccines and other medicines.

Quarantine/ Isolation Units and Generators- R21. 640 million

 Installation and rental of eleven (11) temporary quarantine/ isolation units required in several correctional facilities nationwide, and procurement of generators.

Laundry Machines for Isolation, / Quarantine Sites – R1. 375 million

Procurement of mattresses for inmates quarantine/ isolation sites.

Information Technology- R250 million

• Maintaining inmates contact with families by communicating through video visits, Inmates Telephone System and Message Link.
• Integrated Security System- Security management system and implementation of body security scanners as a threat detection solution which combines ultra- low radiation with maximum visibility.

Computer  Equipment and Medical Equipment- R1.117 million

Procurement of laptops and medical equipment such as pharmaceutical fridges.

Decontamination of Correctional Facilities- R33. 585 million

Decontamination of Correctional Facilities especially in instances of confirmed infected officials and inmates.

 

2.  The National Treasury Note 8 of 20219/20: Emergency Procurement in Response to National State of Disaster specified that institutions may place orders with suppliers listed on the transversal contract for the specific items required. The nature of the goods required were  not goods ordinarily procured and the high demand of these items by both the private and public sector led to a shortage of supplies in the market leading to the inability of service providers on the transversal contracts to meet demand and they failed to deliver the required Personal Protective  Equipment (PPE)

Department of Correctional Services communicated with the Office of the Chief Procurement Officer (OCPO) at National Treasury by email on 27 March 2020 to inform the OCPO that the Department would deviate from the National Treasury Instruction Note 8 2019/20 and procure items required for immediate delivery as an interim measure while awaiting deliveries from those suppliers listed on the transversal contract.

Department of Correctional Services Health Services was requested to verify and or approve samples before placement of purchase orders from the respective suppliers. This was to ensure that the quality of procured personal proactive equipment was in accordance with the required quality standards determined by the Department of Health, Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC), South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) and South African National Accreditation System (SANAS)

Reply:

Since 2011, the Department has had a dedicated focus on strengthening Foundation Phase teacher education in the public university system, particularly on developing capacity for the preparation of African mother tongue language teachers.

The Strengthening Foundation Phase Teacher Education Programme involved an investment of R141 million and was implemented between 2012 and 2016.

From 2017 onwards, the Department has been implementing the Primary Teacher Education Project. An investment of R32.984 million has been made focusing on strengthening the numeracy and literacy component of Foundation and Intermediate Phase teacher education programmes. This includes the use of African languages as the language of learning and teaching, and on the teaching of the African languages.

This has led to a significant expansion in the number universities that offer Foundation Phase Teacher Education programmes from 13in 2011 to 22 currently, as shown in the table below.

NO.	INSTITUTION	NAME OF QUALIFICATION	AFRICAN LANGUAGES OFFERED
1	Cape Peninsula University of Technology	B ED (FP) TEACHING	isiXhosa H/L
2	Central University of Technology	B ED (FP) TEACHING	Sesotho / Setswana / isiXhosa / IsiZulu
3	Nelson Mandela University	B ED (FP) TEACHING	isiXhosa H/L
4	North West University	B ED (FP) TEACHING	isiXhosa H/L
5	Rhodes University	B ED (FP) TEACHING	isiXhosa H/L
		PGCE (FP) TEACHING	isiXhosa H/L
6	Sol Plaatje University	B ED (FP) TEACHING	Setswana / isiXhosa H/L
7	Stellenbosch University	B ED (FP) TEACHING	isiXhosa H/L
8	Tshwane University of Technology	B ED (FP) TEACHING	isiZulu / Sepedi / Setswana / Xitsonga / Tshivenda
9	University of Cape Town	PGCE (FP) TEACHING	isiXhosa H/L
10	University of Fort Hare	B ED (FP) TEACHING	isiXhosa H/L
		PGCE (FP) TEACHING	isiXhosa H/L
11	University of the Free State	B ED (FP) TEACHING	isiZulu / Sesotho H/L
12	University of Johannesburg	B ED (FP) TEACHING	isiZulu / Sesotho H/L
13	University of KwaZulu-Natal	B ED (FP) TEACHING	isiZulu H/L
14	University of Limpopo	B ED (FP) TEACHING	Sepedi / Xitsonga H/L
15	University of Mpumalanga	B ED (FP) TEACHING	isNdebele / isiSwati
16	University of Pretoria	B ED (FP) TEACHING	isiNdebele / isiZulu / Sepedi / Setswana
		PGCE (FP) TEACHING	isiNdebele / isiZulu / Sepedi / Setswana
17	University of South Africa	B ED (FP) TEACHING	isiNdebele / isiZulu / Sepedi / isiXhosa / Sesotho / Setswana / siSwati / Tshivenda / Xitsonga
		PGCE (FP) TEACHING	isiNdebele / isiZulu / Sepedi / isiXhosa / Sesotho / Setswana / siSwati / Tshivenda / Xitsonga
18	University of Venda	B ED (FP) TEACHING	Tshivenda / Siswati / isiNdebele / xiTsonga / Sepedi
19	University of Zululand	B ED (FP) TEACHING	isiZulu
20	University of the Western Cape	B ED (FP) TEACHING	isiXhosa H/L
21	University of the Witwatersrand	B ED (FP) TEACHING	isiZulu / Sesotho H/L
22	Walter Sisulu University	B ED (FP) TEACHING	isiXhosa H/L

Many of these programmes are new, recently accredited by the Council on Higher Education and it is anticipated that the number of graduates produced through them will increase over time.

The Department does not collect HEMIS data at the level requested. However, in order to track graduate output, the Department requests universities to annually submit information about their initial teacher education graduates on a standard template. The following data has been extracted and consolidated from individual reports that universities submitted from 2014 to 2018. Information for 2019 is currently being collected.

The Table shows the number of graduates from Bachelor of Education and Postgraduate Certificate in Education programmes that have specialised in Foundation Phase teaching and that have an African language as home language / mother tongue[1].

Year	isiNdebele	isiXhosa	isiZulu	Sesotho	Sepedi	Setswana	Tshivenḓa	Xitsonga	siSwati	Total
2014	11	192	514	142	30	46	75	25	0	1 035
2015	20	75	660	41	98	26	82	49	0	1 051
2016	4	122	263	64	29	55	101	40	0	6781
2017	45	155	859	111	41	99	111	71	90	1 5822
2018	32	214	421	355	42	241	123	62	73	1 563
Total	112	758	2 717	713	240	467	492	247	163	5 909

1 In 2016, UNISA data was not received. The institution contributes a large portion of the total Foundation Phase graduates in African languages.

2 In 2017 TUT indicated that there were 44 African Foundation Phase graduates, but a language breakdown was not provided, hence not included in the 2017 total.

It is assumed that graduates that have an African Language, as their mother tongue would have developed this as a teaching specialisation, in order to meet the language requirements of the Policy on Minimum Requirements for Teacher Education Qualifications. The specialisation would be at home language level or at first additional language level. ↑

Reply:

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

Reply:

(a) The Department of Home Affairs and its team of inspectors check compliance with immigration laws in the RSA as this falls within its mandate;

(b) For the financial year 2020/21 to date, the following inspections pertaining to the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998 were conducted:

- Designated Employers Assessed : 75

- Designated Employers Reviewed : 299

- Designated Employers Re-Assessed : 217

(c) Labour Inspectors are conducting inspections on a continuous basis as part of their normal inspections at workplaces not only to determine compliance with labour legislation but also to determine the number of foreign nationals being employed.

Reply:

a) Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation and the Auditor – General did not identify any cases where officials behaved unethically in terms of Covid – 19 tenders.

b) None

Thank you.

Reply:

Section 143 of the Labour Relations Act states that an arbitration award issued by a commissioner is final and binding and it may be enforced.

 In the event that a party fails to implement anaward which orders one party to compensate the other a sum of money by a certain date, the party entitled to the compensation may approach the CCMA to certify the award in terms of section 143(3).

 In such instances the certified award is furnished to the local Sheriff, instructing the latter to attach and take into execution the movables of the non-compliant party. 

For each case where there is non-compliance with the award, CCMA Case Management Officers, in terms of Standard Operating Procedures,contact the non-compliant party telephonically regarding the impending enforcement. This is meant to give the defaulting party a final opportunity to comply with the arbitration award.

Once the enforcement application has been processed the role of the CCMA is to pay for the costs of the enforcement for employees earning below the statutory threshold.

Reply:

a) The Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) only procured PPE’s and related equipment for internal use by staff. By 31st of August 2020, 15 Contracts to a total value of R 202, 064.14 had been awarded. All procurement was monitored in terms of the DPME Supply Chain Management Procedures.

b) None.

Thank You.

Reply:

The COVID-19 pandemic and the national lockdown had a negative effect on the appointment process of the new Public Investment Corporation (PIC) Board which was to be effective from 1 August 2020. In accordance with the Memorandum of Incorporation of the PIC, the terms of office of the Interim Board was extended until the appointment process is finalised or 15 months after the expiry of their initial term of office, whichever is earlier.

The Ministry isnot aware of the information accessed by the certain newspaper (name furnished) and how the newspaper gained access to the information.

Reply:

1. A benefit is payable to a member, pensioner or beneficiary entitled to such benefit within a period of 60 days from the benefit becoming payable to the member, pensioner or beneficiary.

2. (a)The under mentioned table details the retirements paid within 60 days and those retirements paid outside of 60 days

Financial Year	Total Retirement Cases Paid	Claims paid within 60 days	% age paid within 60 days	Claims not paid within 60 days	%age Not paid within 60 days
2011	23,913	23171	97%	742	3%
2012	29,391	26830	91%	2,561	9%
2013	27,699	22849	82%	4,850	18%
2014	29,546	22043	75%	7,503	25%
2015	28,802	24797	86%	4,005	14%
2016	31,845	27693	87%	4,152	13%
2017	32,196	26848	83%	5,348	17%
2018	35,571	29966	84%	5,605	16%
2019	35,931	32236	90%	3,695	10%
2020	34,134	29944	88%	4,190	12%

(b) The reason for delayed benefit payments varies and arises due to many factors.  The delays amongst others include:

• Claim documentation has not yet reached the GPAA. Claimants should ensure that their HR departments send all required documentation to the GPAA once finalised
• Incomplete or incorrect documentation which requires the documents to be referred back to employee departments for rectification
• Incorrect payment information such as incorrect bank accounts which results in bank verification process failing thereby payment cannot be made
• GPAA awaiting tax directives from SARS before payment is made.
• Issues with members’ tax affairs requiring members to attend to these with SARS. Member’s tax affairs need to be in order to ensure that the required tax liability is paid over to SARS before benefits can be paid to members.
• Required divorce documentation outstanding to pay benefits
• Other reasons pertaining to specific claims.
• The impact of the lockdown regulations has impacted operational activity of the GPAA since March 2020.

3. The table below depicts the interests paid in respect of all benefits paid by the GEPF and not specifically in respect of retirements only. The interest paid would be in respect of retirement, resignation, death, ill-health retirement, and transfer benefits.

Financial Year	Benefits Paid for the year R’000	Interest Paid for the R’000
2010 – 2011	31 098 727	653 748
2011 – 2012	35 581 583	881 093
2012 – 2013	39 769 902	756 179
2013 – 2014	52 570 775	1 158 520
2014 – 2015	78 341 762	1 421 880
2015 – 2016	85 196 350	1 845 820
2016 – 2017	86 290 613	1 883 182
2017 – 2018	91 071 319	1 954 491
2018 – 2019	94 876 686	1 469 311
2019 – 2020 (Unaudited)	108 742 851	1 752 019

4. The Government Pensions Administration Agency (GPAA) which administers payments for the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) like many other organisations, was negatively impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. In support of the national agenda in combating COVID-19 the entity was also initially closed for a short period of time during the first lockdown until it was subsequently classified as an essential service. The GPAA has implemented various measures to increase production since the declaration of the National State of Disaster.

These measure include:

• The acquisition of additional technology and mobile devices to enable and increase remote working arrangements;

• A combination of remote working and staff coming into the office is being followed in order to ensure improved capacity;
• Implementation of automation of processes, where possible, to allow for faster capability in processing of pension claims;
• A dedicated focus on processing pension retirement claims to accelerate claims of retirees.
• Continuous improvement of processes are being attended to allow for remote and faster capability of processing of claims

It is important to emphasise that these initiatives notwithstanding, service to members, pensioners and beneficiaries is impacted by COVID-19 and delays may still be experienced as staff contract COVID -19.

5. It is not necessary for the Minister to make a statement on the matter as there has been acknowledgement by the GEPF and GPAA of late payments.

Reply:

The GEPF is not experiencing any cash-flow problems.

Reply:

1. The HonourableMember to note that information provided in the General Report 2018/19 by the Office of the Auditor-General and other reports, on the use of consultants generally, is equally of concern. Municipal appointment practices are also a direct contributing factor. The use of consultants and support provided must however be contextualised within the FM reforms for municipalities and the varies capacity levels in municipalities.In an attempt to address these concerns, the National Treasury issued MFMA Circulars and Guides assisting municipalities with best practices in financial management, covering a range of financial disciplines, the establishment of Budget and Treasury Offices, supporting the rollout of minimum competencies, supporting the appointment of appropriately qualified staff with the requisite skills to perform financial management responsibilities. These have been coupled with awareness and training initiatives. The efforts to improve financial management practices in municipalities and the resultant improved audit outcomes, may require a number of financial cycles to show desired changes, but is receiving attention by both the National and Provincial Treasuries. It must however be recognised that in some instances, the use of consultants with specialists’ skills and knowledge will be required. Therefore, it may not always be cost effective for municipalities to appoint these scarce skills on a permanent basis.

2. The design of national and provincial support programmes has at its core specific focus on the transfer of skills and capacity, on-the-job training, to municipal officials, covering institutional and technical areas.For example, a total of 1 434 capacity building sessions were completed, with 9 716 officials capacitated during the 2018/19 financial year, from the national support programme to selected municipalities. The principles of skills transfer are also embedded in the Cost Containment Regulations for Municipalities issued in 2019, where measures must be implemented by municipalities when appointing consultants to perform specific responsibilities. The absorption capacity of municipalities also must be factored. The details relating to the use of consultants and transfer of skills, for those contracts entered into by municipalities would be best obtainable from the municipality directly, given the different specialised areas and contractual arrangements.

Reply:

1. The HonourableMember to note that information provided in the General Report 2018/19 by the Office of the Auditor-General and other reports, on the use of consultants generally, is equally of concern. Municipal appointment practices are also a direct contributing factor. The use of consultants and support provided must however be contextualised within the FM reforms for municipalities and the varies capacity levels in municipalities.In an attempt to address these concerns, the National Treasury issued MFMA Circulars and Guides assisting municipalities with best practices in financial management, covering a range of financial disciplines, the establishment of Budget and Treasury Offices, supporting the rollout of minimum competencies, supporting the appointment of appropriately qualified staff with the requisite skills to perform financial management responsibilities. These have been coupled with awareness and training initiatives. The efforts to improve financial management practices in municipalities and the resultant improved audit outcomes, may require a number of financial cycles to show desired changes, but is receiving attention by both the National and Provincial Treasuries. It must however be recognised that in some instances, the use of consultants with specialists’ skills and knowledge will be required. Therefore, it may not always be cost effective for municipalities to appoint these scarce skills on a permanent basis.

2. The design of national and provincial support programmes has at its core specific focus on the transfer of skills and capacity, on-the-job training, to municipal officials, covering institutional and technical areas.For example, a total of 1 434 capacity building sessions were completed, with 9 716 officials capacitated during the 2018/19 financial year, from the national support programme to selected municipalities. The principles of skills transfer are also embedded in the Cost Containment Regulations for Municipalities issued in 2019, where measures must be implemented by municipalities when appointing consultants to perform specific responsibilities. The absorption capacity of municipalities also must be factored. The details relating to the use of consultants and transfer of skills, for those contracts entered into by municipalities would be best obtainable from the municipality directly, given the different specialised areas and contractual arrangements.

Reply:

I have been informed by the Public Protector South Africa that the Western Cape Provincial Office of the PPSA attended to complaints lodged by the Masiphumelele Informal Settlement Community (Complainant) pertaining to service delivery failures on the part of the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality, which resulted in a Settlement Agreement entered into between the Complainant and the City of Cape Town on 18 December 2017.

In terms of the Settlement Agreement, the City of Cape Town undertook to inter alia develop a Spatial Development Framework for the Masiphumelele Community to provide for the delivery of basic services within the City of Cape Town’s financial and administrative capacity.

The PPSA monitored the progress made in terms of the Settlement Agreement, and the City of Cape Town provided regular progress reports. In terms of the monthly reports, the City of Cape Town indicated that the canals in the area had been cleared by April 2019.

I have been informed by the PPSA has indicated that the Honourable Member, lodged a complaint with the PPSA in connection with the living conditions of residents of the Masiphumelele area on 13 July 2020, and in particular, the resettlement of those still living on the sides of the canals. The Honourable Member’s complaint is currently being investigated, and the investigation team in the PPSA has arranged to meet with the Honourable Member. The City of Cape Town has already been approached for a response to the complaint.

Reply:

According to the information received from Transnet:

a) The Transnet Academy has identified the requisite technology requirements, developed the strategy and agreed business requirements with the Transnet Information, Communication and Technology Management (ICTM). Budget provisions have been made by ICTM as part of the Transnet Capex funding requirements.

b) Transnet has concluded a Memorandum of Understanding with the TVET Directorate. This approach has an advantage of building capacity across the country on an integrated basis.

University partnerships form the bedrock of the Academy strategy and this includes previously disadvantaged Universities to be included in the partnering review.

The Transnet Head of Academy serves as a Board member on the South African International Maritime Institute (SAIMI) and Transnet plays a pivotal role in the SETA’s. To date, three Transnet Employees serve in the Rail, Freight Handling, and Maritime Chamber. As members’ their role is to advise as industry experts in skills development.

Reply:

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

Reply:

According to the information received from Eskom

Eskom recognizes the negative impact that load shedding has on the lives of the people and the economy of South Africa. Eskom endeavours not to load shed and does so only as a last resort to ensure the security of the electricity network. However, Eskom’s generating fleet is ageing, at around 39 years on average, and it is both unreliable and unpredictable. As Eskom has often stated, until all the required reliability maintenance has been executed, all the new build units come on line and the DMRE emergency generation comes on line, the system remains constrained and the risk of load shedding remains high in the foreseeable future.

Reply:

According to the information received from Eskom

1. As at 9 October 2020, 7 038 prepaid electricity meters faults were reported in October 2020. Of these, 3 698 prepaid electricity meters have been maintained and faults were resolved/closed.

The 3 340 prepaid electricity meter work orders that are still open are reported by zero-buying customers, that is the meters indicated that the customers are not consuming electricity. In these cases, Eskom first scheduled the fault for investigation, after which the following actions will follow:

Where a customer is found to have tampered with the supply or meter, a tamper fine will be issued, the meter will be maintained and then the customer’s supply restored.

Where a meter is found to be bypassed, a tamper fine will be issued. The meter will be maintained however then the customer’s supply will be restored once the tamper fine is paid or a deferred payment form is signed.

Where the customer is zero buying but no tamper is found, the prepaid electricity meter will be maintained and the work order closed.

(2) Prepayment meters are full electronic devices with no moving parts on the measurement circuit that require calibration during the lifespan of the meter. They are electronically calibrated during the manufacturing process using high-tech calibration equipment embedded in the production line.

The accuracy is regularly certified by the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS). All the calibration results of individual meters are loaded into the Eskom Customer Care and Billing System for future reference. The calibration is not expected to drift in anyway during the lifespan of meter.

In instances where a customer complains that a meter is inaccurate, Eskom uses SABS certified equipment to verify the accuracy of the meter. In the unlikely event that the meter is found to be inaccurate, the meter is replaced with a new one. The faulty meter is then sent to the supplier for full analysis and the supplier is expected to submit a comprehensive report to Eskom.

Reply:

(1)(a)&(b) On 30 October 2014, the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA), submitted the Moloto Rail Corridor, Public Private Partnership (PPP), Treasury Approval 1 application to National Treasury for consideration. On 3 December 2015, the DirectorGeneral of National Treasury responded to the CEO of PRASA informing him that the Treasury Approval 1 application was not granted.

On 31 October 2017, the Department motivated funding through the National Treasury’s Budget Facility on Infrastructure (BFI) for the development of the Moloto Rail Corridor. On 5 April 2018, the Department received the outcome of the application indicating that the request for funding was not supported and that no funding will be made available to further develop a rapid rail solution because the exploration of non-transport solutions should be investigated in addition to transport solutions to comprehensively respond to corridor challenges.

(2) Please refer to response in (1)

(3) Seven (7) public engagements in the form of Imbizoshave been conducted with the Siyabuswa, KwaMhlanga, Moloto and surrounding communities. These were conducted as part of providing progress on the planned Moloto Rail Project, Road expansion project and the overall exposure of the service delivery by Government and the Department of Transport’s public entities. The last public engagement conducted with a purpose of providing information on the status of both the road and rail initiatives status was held on 5 June 2017.

With regard to the Moloto Road Project, SANRAL concluded 12 stakeholder engagements sessions prior to Covid-19 Lockdown, details listed in the table below. With the easing the COVID19 lockdown restrictions, SANRAL will be resuming the stakeholder engagements as planned or necessitated by events on the ground in project sites.

SANRAL Moloto Road Corridor Stakeholder Engagements

TYPE OF ENGAGEMENT	ROAD SECTION / TARGET AREA (COMMUNITY)	DATE
Stakeholder engagement: Taking SANRAL to Moloto	R573 Section 1 & 2 - Moloto	2 March 2018
Mpumalanga Youth Dialogue - Engagement	R573 Section 2 - KwaMhlanga	5 December 2018
Stakeholder Engagement - Taking SANRAL to Elias Motsoaledi Local Municipality	R573 Section 3- Elias Motsoaledi Local Municipality	30 May 2019
Access Agreement meeting	R573 Section 3 – Slovo/ Moteti B	29 August 2019
Access Agreement meeting	R573 Section 3 – Slovo/ Moteti B &Oorlog Villages	11 October 2019
Ministerial Event: Signing of MOU – Transfer of R573 Sec 1 to SANRAL	R573 Section 1 & 2 - Moloto	15 November 2019
Pre- Community Resolution meeting/ Information session	R573 Section 2 - Kwaggafontein A & B	4 February 2020
Pre- Community Resolution meeting/ Information session	R573 Section 2 - Mandlethu (Vlaklaagte No.1) &Mobhoko Village	5 February 2020
Pre- Community Resolution meeting/ Information session	R573 Section 2 - Mzimkhulu	6 February 2020
Pre- Community Resolution meeting/ Information session	R573 Section 2 - Tweefontein E &Buhlebesiswe (Vlaklaagte No.2)	18 February 2020
Pre- Community Resolution meeting/ Information session	R573 Section 3 – Slovo, Moteti B &Oorlog Villages	10 March 2020
Pre- Community Resolution meeting/ Information session	R573 Section 3 – Stompo/Waalkraal B, Waalkraal A and Waalkraal Ext Villages	11 March 2020

Reply:

According to the information received from Eskom

1. Eskom has not cut off electricity supply for the Phase 3 customers in Braamfisherville. The transformers have failed as a result of overloading networks caused by meter bypasses and ghost vending, as well as the illegal operations by third parties. In order to avoid this phenomenon from repeatedly reoccurring, Eskom has decided to audit the meters, fine those who have illegally bypassed their meters or are purchasing ghost vouchers, and replace the damaged meters before replacing the transformers. This process has been resisted by customers and hence delayed the process of transformer replacement across Braamfisherville.

We have currently agreed with ward councilors and the Gauteng Province to defer the payment of fines where customers who cannot afford them will have to agree to a payment arrangement by signing the relevant forms.

It was only after the payment arrangement was agreed upon that customers agreed that we implement the process. This process has created a backlog of about 70 transformers that need to be replaced. We have drafted a schedule to replace these transformers and are progressing very well.

2. A number of transformers are offline in Phase 3 as a result of the reasons provided above. The replacement of transformers in Phase 3 is expected to be completed by 21 December 2020 subject to the customers signing the deferred payment agreements and material availability. Eskom will have to be provided with the meter or reference number in order to provide a more specific date.

Reply:

SAA did not use Treasury Regulation 16A6.6 to appoint Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) as a transaction advisor to oversee the Strategic Equity Partner transaction of Airchefs. SAA used normal open competitive procurement processes to appoint RMB as transaction advisor for Airchefs.

The Department however, used Treasury Regulation 16A6.6 to appoint RMB as a transaction advisor to oversee the Strategic Equity Partner (SEP) transaction for SAA. This was carried out in order to speed up the process of assessing the best SEP for SAA as part of the work of concluding the business rescue process given the fact that RMB was already underseeing this SEP transaction with Airchefs.

Reply:

According to the information received from SAA:

(a) The failure to transform the pilot corps at SAA is a symptom of the general failure of leadership at the airline to make pertinent decisions and ensure their implementation. The Regulating Agreement (RA) entered into in 1988’s primary objective was to preserve undeserved privileges accrued through unjust laws that preserved aviation careers to a small minority in this country.

These privileges came with unaffordable perks and salary framework which should have long been remedied. The airline (i.e. the Business Rescue Practitioners) on insistence of the Department is addressing the matter of RA as it cannot become part of the new SAA.

The following is the background to the RA:

1.1  The Regulating Agreement, (“The RA”) is an evergreen collective agreement entered into between South African Airways Pilots Association (SAAPA) and South African Airways (SOC) LTD (SAA) in 1988. The RA regulates the terms and conditions of employment of pilots and contains volumes of onerous provisions on SAA.

1.2. It is our view that the RA is unconstitutional and unlawful, and it is imperative that it be terminated.

1.3. The unconstitutionality and unlawfulness of the RA relates to the following:

1.3.1 First, the evergreen nature of the regulating agreement is in breach of section 23(4) of the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995 (“the LRA”). Section 23(4) of the LRA does not contemplate or permit collective agreements which have no fixed term, no specific notice period and which may not be terminated on reasonable notice – in other words it does not contemplate or permit evergreen collective agreements.

1.3.2 The regulating agreement precludes and impedes SAA achieving meaningful and expeditious transformation which is in breach of the Constitution and the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998. In particular, in terms of the RA, the principle of seniority rigidly and directly affects and controls all elements of the manner in which pilots are employed and dealt with by SAA, including promotions, demotions, salaries and so on. Given the make-up of SAA’s pilot list, which comprises overwhelmingly of white males, this operates to the detriment of and discriminates unfairly against white women, black men, and especially black women.

1.3.3 The regulating agreement effectively removes core elements of decision-making from the board and management of SAA and precludes SAA from giving effect to its procurement obligations. This is in breach of the Constitution, the Public Finance Management Act 1 of 1999 and the Companies Act 71 of 2008. The effect of the Regulating Agreement is that SAA is precluded from reaching any agreement to wet-lease SAA aircraft without the consent of SAAPA. The RA has a “succession of ownership” provision which means that notwithstanding any changes in ownership of SAA, the RA will remain in full operation. Considering the fact that Government has taken a decision to find a strategic equity partner (SEP) for SAA, the RA in its current form, combined with succession clauses, will no doubt make SAA less attractive to potential partners.

The RA also subjects key SAA procurement decisions such as which hotels to contract with to the control of SAAPA in that SAAPA is entitled to select the short-list of three hotels from which SAA can choose and even within this short-list, SAA is required to take SAAPA’s preferences into account. It requires SAA to act in breach of Treasury instructions – such as requiring SAA to accommodate pilots and crew in four- or five-star hotels when the Treasury instruction requires that three-star hotels be used.

1.3.4 The negotiations at the LCF with the DPE. After more than two and a half months of engagements, no agreement on the restructure of SAA was concluded and no agreement was reached on the VSP offered by DPE. In fact, SAAPA are on record at different forums and in writing to SAA that they never agreed to the VSP and reserve their rights in that regard.

(B) In engagement with potential Strategic Equity Partners (SEPs), the Department has placed the transformation of pilot corps as an imperative to the partnership. This is to ensure that National developmental objectives in Aviation should still receive priority in the new SAA. An appropriate balance must be attained to correct historical discrimination, retention of key skills, and achieving the correct demographic and gender objectives. This is a non-negotiable set of objectives. It is important that all pilots cooperate in achieving these objectives.

Reply:

1.a) Please see column 1 (a) in Table 1 below for planning and design status.

(b) The Environmental Impact Assessment process commenced in 2016 for Moloto Road Corridor and the Environmental Authorization was issued on 12/05/2017 (DEA Ref 14/12/16/3/1/162).

(c) Please see column 1 (c) in Table 1 below for status of contractor appointments.

(d) (i) Please see column 1 (d) (i) in Table 1 below for projected costs.

(d) (ii) Please see column 1 (d) (ii) in Table 1 below for projected timelines.

(2) (a) There has not been any progress on the proposed rail link project due to funding availability. The application for funding the Moloto Rail Project submitted to National Treasury in October 2014, in the form of a Treasury Approval (TA 1) was not approved. The subsequent request for funding submitted to National Treasury in 2017 under the Budget Facility for Infrastructure (BFI), was also not granted.

(b) Refer to (2) (a)

(c) Refer to (2) (a)

(3) (a) Please see Table 2 below for the SANRAL Moloto Road expenditure to date.

(b) No budget has been spent on the proposed Rail Project since the last feasibility study was completed in 2014.

(4)

Table 1: SANRAL R573 Road Projects

SANRAL Project (Project Numbers)	SECTION & PROVINCE	1 (a) Planning and Design update	1 (c) Appointment of contractors	1(d)(i) projected cost (Incl. VAT)	1(d)(ii) Timelines	Comments
R.573-010-2021/1	Stormvoel (km 0,0) to Baviaanspoort road (km 2,4)(Moepel road)	Design 95 % Completed	No	R423 million	December 2021 to May 2023	Gauteng Section of R573 only gazetted as National Road on 5th June 2020, enabling SANRAL to now proceed with finalisation of designs and issuing of construction tenders.
R.573-010-2023/1	Km 2,4 to km 4,0 (Interchange)	Design 90 % Completed	No	R488 million	April 2022 to September 2024	Gauteng Section of R573 only gazetted as National Road on 5th June 2020, enabling SANRAL to now proceed with finalisation of designs and issuing of construction tenders.
R.573-010-2022/1	Km 4,0 to km 8,4 and PWV 2	Design 90 % Completed	No	R1 300 million	April 2022 to March 2025	Gauteng Section of R573 only gazetted as National Road on 5th June 2020, enabling SANRAL to now proceed with finalisation of designs and issuing of construction tenders.
R.573-010-2024/1	Km 8,4 to km 18,4	Design 70 % Completed	No	R700 million	Start April 2024	Gauteng Section of R573 only gazetted as National Road on 5th June 2020, enabling SANRAL to now proceed with finalisation of designs and issuing of construction tenders.
R.573-010-2023/2	Km 18,4 to km 28,4	Design 70 % Completed	No	R700 million	Start April 2023	Gauteng Section of R573 only gazetted as National Road on 5th June 2020, enabling SANRAL to now proceed with finalisation of designs and issuing of construction tenders.
R.573-010-2024/2	Km 28,4 to km 37,4	Design 70 % Completed	No	R700 million	Start April 2024	Gauteng Section of R573 only gazetted as National Road on 5th June 2020, enabling SANRAL to now proceed with finalisation of designs and issuing of construction tenders.
R.573-010-2022/1	Km 37,4 to km 48,568	Design 80 % Completed	No	R600 million	December 2022 to November 2024	Gauteng Section of R573 only gazetted as National Road on 5th June 2020, enabling SANRAL to now proceed with finalisation of designs and issuing of construction tenders.
R.573-020-2016/1	Section 2 - Mpumalanga	Completed	Yes	R105 million	Completed	4 intersections upgraded
R.573-020-2019/4	Section 2 - Mpumalanga	Completed	No	R560 million	April 2021 to Sept 2023	Tender adjudication process for the appointment of a contractor underway.
R573-020-2019/1	Section 2 - Mpumalanga	Design 90 % Completed	No	R346 million	April 2022 to October 2023	Finalising bridge designs.
R573-020-2019/2	Section 2 - Mpumalanga	Design 65 % Completed	No	R197 million	June 2022 to June 2023	Covid19 delayed Resolution of the Kwamhlanga business node due to encroachment within the road reserve.
R573-020-2019/3	Section 2 - Mpumalanga	Completed	No	R413 million	November 2021 to February 2023	Planning Pre-community resolution meeting and Community resolution meeting as part of land acquisition process.
R573-020-2019/5	Section 2 - Mpumalanga	Design 65 % Completed	No	R406 million	March 2022 to June 2024	Resolution of the Kwaggafontein business node due to encroachment within the road reserve.
R.573-030-2016/1	Section 3 - Limpopo	Completed	Yes	R244 million	January 2017 to October 2021	The Contractor has since re-established the site after experiencing cashflow problems.
R.573-030-2019/1	Section 3 - Limpopo	Completed	No	R362 million	April 2021 to Sept 2023	Tender adjudication process for the appointment of a contractor underway.
R.573-023-2019/1	Section 3 - Limpopo	Completed	No	R405 million	January 2022 to June 2024	Covid19 delayed the Community Resolution meetings required to finalise the land acquisition process.
R.573-030-2019/2	Section 3 – Mpumalanga	Design 90 % Completed	No	R450 million	April 2022 to September 2024	Finalising the bridge designs.

Table 2: SANRAL R73 Moloto Expenditure to Date

Table 2: SANRAL R73 Moloto Expenditure to Date

Reply:

According to the information received from Eskom

The Port St Johns Local Municipality (Turnkey) Electrification Project is a schedule 5B project that is managed by the municipality. The question should therefore be directed to the municipality.

Reply:

According to the information received from Eskom

1. Mr André de Ruyter obtained his Master of Business Administration qualification on 17 September 1998.

2. The qualification was verified on behalf of Eskom, prior to Mr de Ruyter’s appointment, by Lexis Refcheck. Eskom did not request SAQA to evaluate or verify the qualification.

As part of all executive appointments in Eskom, a full verification by a reputable company has to be done to verify ID number, driver’s license and criminalrecords and ensure the candidate has obtained all the qualifications listed on their résumés.

SAQA evaluation/verification of overseas qualifications is not a specific requirement for the appointments of executives at Eskom. A SAQA verification by the qualification holder will be requested only when the foreign qualification is a minimum requirement.

It is also important to note that as of 16 September 2019, only qualification holders (QHs) may apply for the evaluation of their foreign qualifications.

The above requirement according to SAQA, is to ensure that QHs are the prima facie owners of their applications and the outcomes thereof, including the protection of their private details. For this reason, SAQA will only interact directly with QHs, and involve third parties only when they are the parents or legal guardians of the affected QHs.

Please note that the change in the SAQA approach took place before Mr de Ruyter’s appointment and verification of his qualification. 

Government has total confidence in Mr de Ruyter who has already made a substantial difference in Eskom. We call on all stakeholders to support the efforts of the Board and management team in their efforts to restore good governance, operational effectiveness, financial stability and efficiently implement the Eskom Roadmap.

Reply:

1. The loan from the Development Bank of Southern Africa to South African Airways (SAA) was paidON THE DIRECTION OF THE NATIONAL TREASURY,on 27 August 2020.

2. The loan was repaid from the 2020 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) allocation for the period 2020/21 to 2022/23 financial year, for the purchase of equity in SAA.

Reply:

An emphatic point has to be made that the nature of unemployment in our country is such that, it is high, it is structural, systemic and deep-seated. This already outlined nature of unemployment in South Africa is compounded bylack of requisite skills as well as misalignment of them. Given this sad reality, a focussed, in touch, alert and forward-thinking government would bring among its interventions mass employment and Public Employment Programmes (PEPs) offer such. So, Public Employment Programmes are tremendously important in the context of countries like ours, they are key!

Do we rely only on them for job creation? Of course not! One of the key aspects of Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan is the Infrastructure Programme. Infrastructure development has a huge potential, almost guaranteed job creation, whether you talk of transforming of cities, towns, rural areas landscape or creation of bulk water infrastructure, national roads improvements projects, school construction, network infrastructure such as ports, rail, roads, etc – those go concurrently with creation of employment.

In the South African Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan, there is reindustrialisation. Reindustrialisation will create employment and will also grow business. Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan among many, seeks to create an economy that will create jobs. The creation of jobs is one of the key objectives of the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan. There is also an aim to reverse the decline of the local manufacturing sector, the resuscitation of tourism, you should know the capacity of tourism in terms of labour absorption. There will also be unchartered terrain especially when we go deeper to digital advancement, the space is alive with possibilities particularly when it comes to youth employment. This Plan will invest in our human capital even for the future. So, Dr Cardo, yes, NEDLAC social partners considered job creation interventions beyond the Public Employment Programmes.