Questions and Replies
19 November 2020 - NW1852
Msane, Ms TP to ask the Minister of Transport
With reference to the US$100 million loan that was approved by the African Development Bank under identity number P-ZA-D00-004 for the SA Commuter Transit Project on 18 October 2018, (a) in which provinces has the specified project been implemented to date, (b) of the 6700 small and medium enterprises that were flagged to benefit from the project, what number has actually benefitted, (c) what type of skills have been transferred and (d) who are the beneficiaries?
Reply:
Department of Transport does not have SA commuter Transit Project within their portfolio.
Therefore (a)(b) (c) (d) falls away.
19 November 2020 - NW2252
Seitlholo, Mr IS to ask the Minister of Transport
Whether, since the North West Department of Community Safety and Transport has been placed under section 100(1)(b) intervention and one of the priorities for the intervention is to bring financial stability to the department, he approved the formation of a task team called the North West Public Transport Intervention Team that has since been reversed and will be re-established according to the North West MEC for Community Safety and Transport; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
The Minister was informed by the MEC about the proposed North West Public Transport Intervention Team, as supported by the Provincial Executive Council and consent given by the Section 100 Inter-Ministerial Task Team (IMTT), as provided for in the Section 100 MOU signed by the Province and the IMTT. No approval was sought from the Minister. As indicated in the question, the process has since been reversed.
19 November 2020 - NW2386
Thembekwayo, Dr S to ask the Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation
What assistance does her department offer the community of Lwamondo-Habelemu outside Thohoyandou in Limpopo to have a stable supply of water?
Reply:
Any assistance with water required by our communities is rendered by municipalities. Should a municipality have difficulties, it approaches the Water Board that services the area. In this case, Lepelle Northern Water would assist the said municipality.
Notwithstanding, the information available on the matter raised by the Honourable Member, is that three (3) Eskom poles were damaged due to heavy rainfalls in the area since 07 October 2020, which affected the transmission of electricity.
However, Eskom reconnected the supply of electricity on 16 October 2020. Water is currently being pumped from the package plant and the supply is back to normality. The community is now receiving water without difficulties.
19 November 2020 - NW2238
Seitlholo, Mr IS to ask the Minister of Transport
Whether, given that the Department of Community Safety and Transport Management in the North West Province is under section 100(1)(b) intervention, his department will be funding the establishment of the North West Public Transport Intervention Team; if not, what is the positon in this regard; if so, from which budget?
Reply:
No, the National Department of Transport will not be funding the proposed North West Public Transport Intervention Team. The National Department does not provide funding to the Provincial Department as a consequence of Section 100(1)(b) intervention.
19 November 2020 - NW1645
Tafeni, Ms N to ask the Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation
(a) What measures has her department put in place to ensure that there is sufficient sanitation at informal settlements across the Republic, where persons often share ablution facilities and (b) has she undertaken any study to determine what would be sufficient ablution facilities to enable the social distancing now required to combat Covid-19?
Reply:
(a) The Department of Human Settlements, working closely with provincial Departments of Human Settlements and municipalities has put in place a strategy and implementation plan to ensure that there is sufficient sanitation in informal settlements across the Republic, where persons often share ablution facilities. Informal settlements have been identified as high priority area for mass sanitisation disinfection. Areas to be disinfected include communal water collection points and communal toilet facilities. The response plan provides measures proposed through the current Informal Settlements Upgrading Programme (UISP) to immediately:
1. Minimise and mitigate the rate of COVID-19 infections and spread, through interventions in vulnerable households and communities, focused on informal settlements, hostels, inner-cities and backyards.
2. Enable households to observe physical and/or social distancing and self-isolation in terms of public health regulations.
3. Resettlement of identified dense and overcrowded settlements through the establishment of Transitional Residential Areas (TRAs).
4. Enhance implementation process of the projects currently underway with specific focus on projects benefiting informal settlements households.
(b) The Department together with Provinces have identified informal settlements without and those with limited services to determine what would be sufficient ablution facilities to enable the social distancing now required to combat Covid-19 by installing new or augmenting the existing basic services i.e. communal water points and communal toilet facilities. Additional action to mitigate COVID-19 has been established through a National Human Settlements Command Centre (NHSCC) that has been set up at the HDA. All Provinces and Metropolitan Municipalities are members of the NHSCC.
18 November 2020 - NW2541
De Freitas, Mr MS to ask the Minister of Tourism
With reference to the establishment of the Hout Bay Gate Ways Project, what (a) are the details of the progress of the specified project, (b) are the reasons for the delays to date apart from the lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19, (c) measures are put in place to stop the delays, (d) is the planned launch date for the project and (e) steps are taken to (i) include and incorporate the local community in the specified project, (ii) repair and maintain the sites and (iii) protect the site to prevent further vandalism in future?
Reply:
The Hout Bay Gate Ways Project is a private initiative. The Department of Tourism has not played any role in this project. TheDepartment is therefore not in a position to provide further information related to this project.
9a0 – (e) Not applicable
16 November 2020 - NW2261
van der Merwe, Ms LL to ask the Minister of Social Development
With regard to the special Covid-19 grant to the amount of R350, what (a) total number of persons have been paid to date, (b) is the cumulative amount paid out so far, (c) total number of persons have been rejected in total, (d) total number of appeals are being considered currently, (e)(i) total number of foreign nationals have benefited from the grant to date and (ii) countries are they from, (f) total number of officials who are in the employ of the State have been paid the grant and (g) qualified the specified officials to receive the grant?
Reply:
a) The total number of persons (cumulative) who have been paid across all the months to date is 19 753 894. This is made up as follows:
May 4 423 385
June 4 731 747
July 4 801 860
August 4 564 902
September 616 000
October 616 000
It should be noted that the numbers indicated above change on a daily basis, as payments are made daily. Payments for September and October are currently being done as a single amount of R700 to try and ensure that the backlog of payments is resolved before we move into the extension of the grant for the next 3 months.
b) The cumulative amount paid out so far is R6913862 900
c) The cumulative number of persons who have been rejected in total,across all months is16419 015, as follows:
May 2 180 725
June 2 454 765
July 2 770 269
August 2 927 238
September 3 043 009
October 3 043 009
d) 60 306appeals have been received to date and will be consideredfor the months that they have been declined. However, appeals continue to been received daily, so these numbers will change.
e) Foreign Nationals:
(i) The following applications have been received for foreign nationals but not paid yet as SASSA is still working with other organisations to validate the permit numbers and to verify the income:
750 Asylum Seekers and 1 117 Special Permit holders
(ii) countries from which they emanate:
Angolan Permit Holders 76
Lesotho Permit Holders 551
Zimbabwean Permit Holders 490
f) To date 241 officials who were found to be in the employ of the State were paid the COVID 19 SRD. The reason thereof is that SASSA could not find them on the databases at its disposal, when conducting verification. AGSA has however identified these individuals as Government employees and former government employees who are in receipt of other source of income such as the GEPF. The payment of these grants was immediately stopped when flagged by the AGSA as ineligible applicants for the May applications. SASSA will investigate and has determined a recovery process for grants that were paid to undeserving individuals.
g) The cases are still being investigated and further information will be provided once the investigations are completed.
National AssemblyWritten Reply: 2261 of 2020
________________________
Approved by the Minister of Social Development
Date……………………….
16 November 2020 - NW2464
Masango, Ms B to ask the Minister of Social Development
(1)Regarding the recruitment process within her department, (a) on what date was the position of General Manager: Fraud and Compliance advertised and (b) what (i) criteria were used to recruit the candidate and (ii) interview process was followed; (2) whether the candidate was asked to declare anything; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the details of what was declared; (3) whether a certain person (name furnished) was a candidate for a position in her department; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, (4) whether the candidate has been withdrawn; if so, on what grounds?
Reply:
1) (a) The position of General Manager: Fraud and Compliance was advertised on 08 September 2019, with the closing date of 23 September 2019. (b) (i) the following criteria was utilised to recruit the candidate:
- NQF Level 7 qualification;
- Five (5) years’ experience at Senior Managerial level in the relevant field;
- Employment Equity Target: African Female, Coloured Female and African Male;
- Valid drivers’ license;
- Computer Literacy; and
- SA Citizenship / Permanent Resident.
(b) (ii) the following interview process was followed:
- Interview session (question and answer session) (80%);
- Technical Test (20%) (Presentation)
(2)The candidate was not asked to declare anything since this is not part of the process, however, the process requires that candidates complete the HR checklist. Amongst the questions outlined in the mentioned checklist, these two (2) questions are included: (a) Have you ever been dismissed or is there any pending disciplinary actions, cases against you; and (b) are you aware of anything that can hamper your service delivery in the post. The answers to both questions were “no”.
(3) The mentioned name was the selected candidate for the position of General Manager: Fraud and Compliance Management.
(4) The candidate was not withdrawn, he declined the offer through an email dated 21 July 2020, wherein he indicated that certain personal issues had arisen which prevent him from accepting the offer and he further expressed his sincere gratitude for the HCM team’s professionalism.
National AssemblyWritten Reply: 2464 of 2020
________________________
Approved by the Minister of Social Development
Date……………………….
16 November 2020 - NW1634
van der Merwe, Ms LL to ask the Minister of Social Development
(1)With regard to the additional social workers, (a) how have the 1 089 social workers been deployed, (b) in which provinces are they delivering services, (c) under which national and/or provincial services and (d) who is paying their salaries; (2) whether she will provide Ms L L van der Merwe with a table showing the numbers distributed across the different geographical areas, agencies and services; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the further relevant details? NW2020E
Reply:
1 (a) Social Workers have been recruited from the social work graduate database. The deployment of Social Workers has been informed by the possible risk of the spread of the virus, the vastness and geographical spread of provinces, the population size and density in the province and the number of service offices.
(b) Provincial Departments of Social Development in Limpopo, Gauteng, North West, Mpumalanga, Free State, KwaZulu Natal, Eastern Cape and Northern Cape.
(c) Social Workers have been appointed under the Victim Empowerment and Prevention of Gender Based Violence Programme.
(d) The National Department of Social Development is paying their salaries.
(2) Province |
Allocation per province |
Total Social Workers employed |
Northern Cape |
33 |
32 |
Eastern Cape |
171 |
175 |
Western Cape |
0 |
The provincial department declined the allocation of social workers and didn’t participate in the process. |
Limpopo |
116 |
116 |
Free State |
92 |
92 |
Mpumalanga |
128 |
113 |
North West |
81 |
81 |
Gauteng |
676 |
160 |
KZN |
266 |
268 |
Total |
1809 |
1037 |
National AssemblyWritten Reply: 1634 of 2020
________________________
Approved by the Minister of Social Development
Date……………………….
16 November 2020 - NW2552
Winkler-Lidgett, Ms HS to ask the Ministerof Highe rEducation, Science and Technology
(1) What(a) total amount in funding does the Thekwini Further Education and T raining College,Kwa-Zulu Natal,receive from his department and (b) is Thekwini college’s annual total revenue from all other sources; (2) what(a )total amount in funding is allocated to its Thekwini College Springfield Campus and(b) is the budget allocation per line item for Thekwini College Springfield Campus; (3) what(a)are there as on s that the Springfield Campus only have one senior lecturer in engineering and (b)plans does the college have in place to hire more senior lecturers?
Reply:
(1)(a) R198 175 000
ProgrammeFunding Allocations forthe 2020/21 financialyear |
|||||
Compensation ofEmployees (PERSAL Allocation) |
Direct Transfers (Subsidy) |
COVID 19 Allocation |
TotalDirect Transfers |
Total Bursary Allocation (20%) |
Total Final Budget Allocation |
R’000 |
R’000 |
R’000 |
R’000 |
R’000 |
R’000 |
99 371 |
57 934 |
2 109 |
60 043 |
38 761 |
198 175 |
(1)(b) Interest received 1 514 860
(2)(a) Springfield campus 36 991 576
(2)(b) Thebudgetallocationis perlineitem
Details |
R |
Administration expenses |
293 300 |
Cleaning and college maintenance |
1 216 968 |
Technology expenses |
5 000 |
Repairs and maintenance |
790 258 |
Security expenses |
1 902 000 |
Student welfare expenses |
70 000 |
Teaching administration and teaching materials |
1 451 000 |
Travelling expenses |
9 000 |
Water and electricity |
880 000 |
PERSAL salaries |
24 111 734 |
Council paid salaries |
6 262 316 |
TOTAL BUDGETED EXPENDITURE |
36 991 576 |
(3)(a) ThekwiniTVETCollegehasbeenoverthe63%salarythresholdandwasnotabletomake appointments. TheCollegeisawarethattheCollegestructureofseniorlecturersandheadsof departmentsneed tobe addressedatall6campusesso thattherecan beimprovedmonitoring ofteachingandlearningactivities,not onlyat theSpringfield Campus.
(3)(b) We hadhopedthattheimplementationofthe Post Provisioning Norms (PPN)thatwasscheduledfor01April2020 wouldassisttheCollegeinaddressingtheproblem. However, the PPN has not been implemented yet.
16 November 2020 - NW2642
Bergman, Mr D to ask the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation
Whether any of the current officials from her department who were implicated in the Charles Luppin Report should have been further investigated and/or disciplined; if not what is the position in this regard; if so what are the relevant details; (2) Whether any of the specified officials have been given a posting in 2020 or 2021; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, (a) who are the officials and (b) where were and /or will they be posted?
Reply:
1. There were no officials implicated in the Charles Nupen report, who had to be subjected to further investigation or disciplinary procedure.
2. (a) There are no officials specified in Charles Nupen report who have been given any postings in 2020 or 2021. (b) There are no officials specified in the Charles Nupen report who will be posted.
16 November 2020 - NW2088
Masango, Ms B to ask the Minister of Social Development
Whether she has been informed of reports regarding (a) nonpayments, (b) budget cuts and/or (c) payment delays to (i) old age and (ii) children’s homes of over three months before and/or during the lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus; if not, what is the current status of the specified payments nationally; if so, what are the reasons?
Reply:
Yes, upon learning of the non-payments. I requested all MEC’s furnish me with the updated report from all provinces.
The non-payments were experienced in the Eastern Capeand North West Provinces.
Reasons given are as follows:
1. Eastern Cape Province non-payments were due to lockdown and other factors including six months strike of Social Work Managerswho are responsible for various programmes. This created a void resulting in non-payments and delays in the entire process as the finalization of the master-lists took longer and the verification of the information which was also rejected by the IT payment system causing errors.The Province is also experiencing challenges with office accommodation as the building is not safe for occupation and this wascoupled with the closure of offices due to covid-19 positive cases.
2. North Westdelays were due to the migration from BAS system to LOGIS which delayed the paymentsas NPOs were required to register on the Central Supplier Database.
a) There were no budget cuts to (i) old age and (ii) children’s homes of over three months during the lockdown as residential care facilities are prioritised for full subsidy payments. The budget cutswere applied to other programmes that were not fully operational during the lockdown period. These NPOs that were not funded fully, they were paidfor personnel and operational costs. Also, budget cuts for other programmes were as a result of a call from the Provincial Treasuries for the Departments to cut budgetsin response to the Covid-19 budget adjustment. These measures impacted on the allocations that were initially considered for the NPOs as the available budget had to be reviewed and re-prioritised.
b) payment delays to (i) old age and (ii) children’s homes of over three months during the lockdown were experienced in the Eastern Cape, due to reasons mentioned under (a) above and also due to newly funded organisations that had to go through the BAS registration process, and correct documents for this process could not be obtained from the NPOs due to lockdown. Document correction and verification took longer than anticipated due to lockdown restrictions which affected movement between the Department and NPOs. For North West and Limpopo delays are due to migration from BAS payment system to LOGIS which requires registration on the Central Supplier Database. Delays in Free State, Gauteng and Mpumalanga for the second quarter payments were due to covid-19 positive cases resulting to office closures, delayed signing of Service Level Agreements by the NPOs and non-compliant NPOs.
Measures to curb the spread of the virus were put in place by the various provinces in the residential care facilities, including adherence to the regulations issued by the National Department. The gazetted regulations on the management of Covid-19 pandemic were shared with NPO’s that manage residential care facilities.The facilities were encouraged to observe Covid-19 protocols such as social distancing, washing of hands and wearing of masks, creation of spaces for isolation rooms, no discharges allowed and staff members who attended funeral to report to the manager and be put on quarantine.
The current status of the specified payments nationally is as follows:
(i) Old Age Homes
#Of Homes |
#Paid 1stQtr |
% Paid 1stQtr |
#Paid 2ndQtr |
#Outstanding |
% Paid 2ndQtr |
|
EC |
43 |
0 |
0% |
43 |
0 |
100% |
LMP |
7 |
7 |
100% |
4 |
3 |
57% |
NW |
26 |
26 |
100% |
20 |
6 |
77% |
FS |
35 |
35 |
100% |
19 |
16 |
54% |
MPU |
23 |
22 |
96% |
19 |
4 |
86% |
GP |
73 |
73 |
100% |
70 |
3 |
95% |
KZN |
40 |
40 |
100% |
40 |
0 |
100% |
NC |
25 |
25 |
100% |
25 |
0 |
100% |
WC |
117 |
117 |
100% |
117 |
0 |
100% |
(ii) Child and Youth Care Centres
Province |
Number of CYCCs |
# Paid 1stQtr |
%Paid 1stQtr |
# Paid 2ndQtr |
No Outstanding |
% Paid 2ndQtr |
LMP |
12 |
12 |
100% |
6 |
6 |
50% |
NW |
9 |
9 |
100% |
0 |
9 |
0% |
MPU |
23 |
23 |
100% |
22 |
1 |
96% |
GP |
95 |
95 |
100% |
73 |
22 |
76% |
NC |
8 |
8 |
100% |
8 |
0 |
100% |
WC |
53 |
53 |
100% |
53 |
0 |
100% |
FS |
15 |
15 |
100% |
15 |
0 |
100% |
EC |
27 |
0 |
0% |
27 |
0 |
100% |
KZN |
19 |
19 |
100% |
19 |
0 |
100% |
The provinces that have outstanding payments are working towards clearing the backlog for the second quarter by the end of September 2020 and the status is improving on a weekly basis. For Eastern Cape the NPOs are being paid both the first and second tranches simultaneously during the second quarter.
National AssemblyWritten Reply: 2088 of 2020
________________________
Approved by the Minister of Social Development
Date……………………….
16 November 2020 - NW2641
Bergman, Mr D to ask the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation
1. Whether the department uses the WIN system; if not, what (a) system does the department use currently in the Republic’s missions abroad and (b) was the last date the systems were upgraded. 2. What is the name of the person responsible for the maintenance of software and hardware in the Republic’s missions. 3. Whether the department servers in every mission are protected to some sort of criteria; is not, why not, if so, what are the minimum criteria?
Reply:
1. The Department is currently running on a mixed Windows server environment, and is in the process of virtualizing ICT Services, leveraging on Microsoft capabilities as per the Enterprise Agreement signed between DIRCO and Microsoft in March 2020. As part of the project, the Department is implementing Microsoft 365 which include modern workplace.
2. There is a team of ICT officials providing maintenance and support of hardware and software in different regions led by Ms R. Phafane (Director: Infrastructure Management).
3. The Department has initiated a process to modernise the ICT Infrastructure, including the server environment for both Head Office and Missions. The critical security and software licenses have been renewed and implemented as part of short-term interventions to stabilize the ICT environment whilst improving the Cybersecurity posture.
16 November 2020 - NW2273
Ngwenya, Ms DB to ask the Minister of Social Development
Whether her department is ready to meet the November deadlines set by the North Gauteng High Court for her department to resolve the foster care backlog which has been a challenge for the past eight years; if not, why will she fail to meet the deadline; if so, what measures has she put in place to ensure that the court directives are adhered to?
Reply:
The department met the November deadlines set by the North Gauteng High Court in relation to the comprehensive legal solution in terms of introducing the Children’s Amendment Bill to Parliament (clause 2.21 of the North Gauteng High Court Order). The Minister submitted the Children’s Amendment Bill in August 2020. The Social Assistance Bill was passed by National Assembly on 09 June 2020 and was referred to the NCOP.
Since the Children’s Amendment Bill is not yet passed due to Parliamentary programme; it is not yet able to effectively address foster care challenges, as a result the Minister will approach the North Gauteng High Court requesting an extension of the Court Order to enable parliament processes to unfold in its consideration of the Children’s Amendment Bill. The North Gauteng High Court Order deems the affected foster care orders to be valid, thus there is no backlog. The provinces are implementing their respective recovery plans to obtain foster care orders with extension dates that are beyond the lapse date of the North Gauteng High Court Order.
National AssemblyWritten Reply: 2273 of 2020
________________________
Approved by the Minister of Social Development
Date……………………….
16 November 2020 - NW2672
Boshoff, Dr WJ to ask the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology
(1)Whether he has been informed of the alleged financial mismanagement and/or irregularities connected to a certain company (name furnished) which was funded by the Department of Science and Technology; if not, why not; if so, (a) what action has he taken in this regard and (b) will he investigate the specified matter; (2) whether he will make a statement on the matter?
Reply:
1. The Department was alerted of alleged financial mismanagement related to the Aeroswift 3D printing project.
a) The Department allowed the CSIR Board, as prior recipient of the alleged financial mismanagement, to deal with the matter.
b) The Department will not investigate the matter.
The Department had allowed the CSIR board to investigate the allegations.
2. The Minister might make a statement on the matter, depending the feedback from the CSIR Board.
13 November 2020 - NW2506
Mkhonto, Ms C N to ask the Minister of Employment and Labour
Whether he has considered regulating third parties in administration of medical claims to the Compensation Fund; if not, why not, if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
No. The Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act provides for parties in the claims process which are:
- Employers who are required to register, pay annual assessment and submit claims when workers are injured or contract an occupational disease in the workplace.
- Medical Service providers who treat the injured workers or those who contracted occupational diseases and claim such costs from the Compensation Fund
- Workers who when they are injured in the workplace are entitled to benefits as outlined in the Act.
The law is adequate with regards to provisions related to the above mentioned parties hence there has been no need to issue a regulation(s) in terms of the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases for parties who are not in the Act.
13 November 2020 - NW2611
Steyn, Ms A to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
With reference to the judgment by the Eastern Cape High Court, Grahamstown (details furnished), on 25 August 2020, the conditions that were required to be filled prior to departure included that a reduced number of sheep may be exported live to the Middle East and her department to monitor and ensure compliance with the guidelines of the World Organisation for Animal Health, what are the relevant details of how her department, within the time period of less than a week between the specified judgment and departure, complied with all the responsibilities of the Competent Authority, including the monitoring and evaluation of all 50 000 sheep at the point of loading; (2) what are the relevant details of how her department ensured that (a) the animals were housed and loaded correctly, including protecting them from adverse weather and minimising stress, by parties competent in the humane handling and care of animals, (b) minimum standards were set for the welfare of the animals while on board, at the end of the journey and in case of emergencies, (c) there was sufficient equipment and medication on board, including enough facilities, as well as competent handlers and vets and (d) the animals were given sufficient time to adjust to a novel diet they would receive on the ship?
Reply:
(1) The judgement by the Eastern Cape High Court instructed the Department Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) to monitor the loading of the sheep and ensure that the exportation is in line with the animal welfare chapter of the Terrestrial Animal Code of the World Health Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).
Two Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) employed veterinarians, two Eastern Cape Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform (DRDAR) employed veterinarians and a DALRRD employed Animal Health Technician participated in the monitoring exercise. One DALRRD veterinarian and one DRDAR veterinarian monitored the loading at the East London harbour and the rest were monitoring the loading at the Castledale feedlot in Berlin.
The judgement also required that the officials submit affidavits to the Registrar of the Animal Improvement Act within a day of completion of the loading. This was done and the Registrar acknowledged receipt of the affidavits. The affidavits were also lodged with the Eastern Cape High Court as required.
(2) As indicated in the response to question one, five government officials participated in the monitoring of the loading exercise both at the feedlot and the harbour. This monitoring exercise was part of ensuring that the loading is done correctly and in line with the court judgement.
13 November 2020 - NW2610
Steyn, Ms A to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
Whether, with reference to the suffering of animals during live export and given that the Muslim Judicial Council has stated that live export violates the tayyib (clean and pure) requirements and standards needed for Halaal certification, thereby making the live animals unfit for religious purposes and in light of the fact that prior to 2019, chilled carcasses were exported in order to ensure food security in the importing country and provide revenue generation for emerging farmers, she will acknowledge that live export excludes all downstream processing industries and the jobs that this supports; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the reasons that her department is supporting live export?
Reply:
The department has not made any finding that the animals suffer during live export. The transportation of live animals by sea, if done in compliance to animal welfare and health requirements, does not pose any more challenges to the animals than it would be the case when the animals are kept on a farm or feedlot.
The Muslim Judicial Council has not submitted any statement on live animal exports to the department and therefore the department is not in a position to respond to the question until we have received the statement and studied it.
Access to mainstream markets is the heartbeat of agribusinesses. Ability of smallholder farmers to secure supply contracts for animals at export parity prices is an affirmation to the competitiveness of agribusinesses exporting the animals. In this instance, downstream value chain actors such as abattoirs will need to procure raw material at export parity prices. It is unfair and unjust expectation for smallholder farmers to sell animals at lower than export parity prices with the intention to accommodate downstream activities. Inclusive economic growth of the sector that significantly contributes to job creation and reduction of poverty is directly linked to the competitive performance of agribusinesses.
13 November 2020 - NW2655
Ngwenya, Ms DB to ask the Minister in The Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities
With reference to her reply to question 1801 on 7 August 2020, what are the details of the (a) urgent redress she demanded to be afforded to victims of forced sterilisation and (b) support that her Office has been giving to the specified victims who have been trying to access justice for more than 11 years?
Reply:
(a)
The Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities is engaging with the Department of Health on the Investigative Report of the Commission for Gender Equality on Forced Sterilisation of Women living with HIV and Aids. This collaboration is based on the findings and recommendations contained in the report to respond so that justice be served where there is proof of the violation of human rights and dignity, and reproductive injustices committed.
In this regard the redress must include the following that:
- the Department of Health must facilitate engagement with the complainants so that where such violations were committed, the appropriate redress can be provided for;
- there be an immediate review of the policy on sterilisation and if necessary, of the Sterilisation Act No 44 of 1998.
- where necessary, the guidelines and protocols related to the issue of sterilisation be reviewed and amended in order to protect against any loopholes that could lead to such violations;
- the Department of Health investigate the issue so that those doctors and nurses guilty of the alleged heinous acts be appropriately sanctioned.
The meeting between the two departments was to establish what interventions the Department of Health has made to date and to determine how the matter can be expeditiously addressed and redressed. The Department of Health informed the Department of the actions taken to date:
- In February 2020, the Department of Health received the Report from the Commission on Gender Equality, following which the Minister of Health engaged the Chair, Deputy Chair and the CEO of the Commission for Gender Equality, seeking clarity on issues contained in the Report .
- In order to better understand the nature and extend of the complaints and to take corrective action, the Department of Health is establishing a panel of independent experts from various fields to further investigate the matter.
- The Department of Health will request through the media that women who feel that they have been sterilised against their will make representation to the Health Ombudsman confidentially, so that they are not prejudiced
- The Department of Health is probing the consent forms for sterilisation to ascertain whether the provisions contained therein provide for and protect the principle of informed consent in all respects. The Department of Health indicated that the previous consent form has a few limitations which need to be strengthened and tightened to avoid any unintended negative consequences and that they are currently addressing these, including the recommendations from the Commission for Gender Equality report on language of counselling, and the provision of a “cooling off” period for the person seeking the procedure before it is actually performed, among others.
(b) The Department is unable to directly engage the alleged victims as they remain anonymous. It is envisaged that in working with the Department of Health the issue will be addressed though the interventions that the Department of Health is putting into place.
13 November 2020 - NW2596
Ngwezi, Mr X to ask the Minister of Employment and Labour
Whether, with reference to students who have not been paid a salary of R3 500 per month since August 2019, but have been advised that as they are registered with a certain company (name furnished) and technically employed by his department under its skills development programme, they do not qualify for the COVID-19 relief fund, he will expedite the backpayment of COVID-19 relief grants in the sum of R350 per person, per month to the 490 Specialised Resource Management students currently undergoing skills development training with the specified company in KwaZulu-Natal; if not, why not; if so, (a) what are the full, relevant details and (b) will he further investigate the specified matter and hold those implicated in the alleged corruptionliable?
Reply:
What we are picking up from our records thus far is that, the learners referred to, do not belong to the Labour Activation Programmes of the Unemployment Insurance Fund. We will continue to investigate this matter with a view to establish as to whether there any links that might be there with our LAP.
However, for information purposes, LAP learners who were active before the nationwide lockdown, supported by attendance registers, are paid Covid-19 lockdown stipends for the months of April, May and June 2020. They are not expected to claim any other grant by virtue of this payment. In cases where they have not yet received their payments, it means there might be other circumstances delaying the payments.
13 November 2020 - NW2503
Boshoff, Dr WJ to ask the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy
(1)Whether, with reference to the report of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research which indicates that the Republic faces load shedding for at least the next 18 months unless the Government and Eskom make the decision this year to bring the cheapest and most reliable energy on to the grid within the next three years, and Government’s approval that consumers may generate their own renewable energy, he will consider the possibility of allowing access by default to the national power grid so as to allow private instances who generate renewable energy, to be in a position to load surplus energy onto the national power grid, subject to the required safety conditions; if not, why not; if so, what are the further relevant details; (2) whether he will make a statement on the matter?
Reply:
1. In line with similar prognosis on supply and demand, the IRP2019 recognises that there is risk of load shedding in the next 18 to 24 months.
It is for this reason that as one of the 9 (nine) decisions in the IRP2019 we committed to the following:
Decision 1:Undertake a power purchase programme to assist with the acquisition of capacity needed to supplement Eskom’s declining plant performance and to reduce the extensive utilisation of diesel peaking generators in the immediate to medium term. Lead-time is therefore key.
Decision 2: Koeberg power plant design life must be extended by another 20 years by undertaking the necessary technical and regulatory work.
Decision 3: Support Eskom to comply with MES over time, taking into account the energy security imperative and the risk of adverse economic impact.
We in addition to these decisions made provision for distributed generation by allowing electrify consumers to generate their own electricity. We have in this regard taken following steps:
-
- The department has enabled generation for own use by removing the licensing requirements for certain category of generation facilities under one megawatt (1 MW). 139 requests for registration have been processed by NERSA to date with capacity of 59. This capacity excludes installations under 1MW that register direct with local municipalities.
- The department has also eased the licensing of generation for own use above 1 MW which is mainly to supplement power supply to commercial and industrial customers including the mines. The IRP 2019 now makes provision for distributed generation for own use above 1MW, which takes away the need for a Ministerial approval for deviation from the IRP before NERSA can process a generation license application. 5 Licences have been issued to date. The Department has invited applicants experiencing challenges to engage DDG responsible for Programmes and Projects.
2. These initiatives have already beenpublicly pronounced.
13 November 2020 - NW2405
Ngwezi, Mr X to ask the Minister of Employment and Labour
(1)In view of the findings of a recent survey (details furnished) conducted by a certain company (name furnished) that underemployment had risen among domestic workers during lockdown and a study (details furnished) conducted by a certain institution (name and details furnished) which found that instances of abuse, ill-treatment, sexual assault and rape increased during lockdown as workers were forced to live in close proximity with their employers for extended periods, (a) what total number of complaints did his department receive from domestic workers and/or other interested parties on their behalf about (i) employers not adhering to mandated wages, (ii) sexual assault and (iii) rape, (b) how long did it take his department to dispatch inspectors in response to the specified complaints and (c) what total number of cases of wage disputes were resolved and resulted in a settlement being reached; (2)whether any of the complaints were made through the Impimpa Hotline; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what total number of complaints; (3)whether, in view of the Chief Director of Collective Bargaining, Thembinkosi Mkalipi’s indication upon the launch of the specified hotline that a dashboard would be made available on a weekly basis, his department published the findings from the complaints on its website; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details; (4)whether he has found that the R20 million which was earmarked to raise awareness on the hotline has indeed been utilised for that purpose; if so, (5)whether he will furnish Mr X Ngwezi with the full, relevant details of (a) how and (b) where the specified amount was spent?
Reply:
1. a). Domestic Worker Cases
Sector |
Received |
Inspected |
Compliant |
Not Compliant |
Scheduled |
Cancelled |
Domestic |
25 699 |
3289 |
2958 |
331 |
3954 |
473 |
(i) The statistics for the Lockdown period (Quarters 1 & 2 of the 2020/21 Financial Year is still being verified and interrogated.
(ii) The Department does not maintain statistics in respect of sexual assault cases as these are criminal matters.
(iii) The Department does not maintain statistics in respect of rape cases as these are criminal matters.
(b) In reference to national Minimum Wage (NMW) Cases, 7 days is the turnaround time to resolve the issue. Unfortunately, due to Covid - 19 Pandemic, Inspectors had to undertake Administrative Inspections (working from home) which made adherence to this time-limit difficult.
(c) The statistics for the Lockdown period (Quarters 1 & 2 of the 2020/21 Financial Year is still being verified and interrogated.
(2) Yes, complaints were made through the Impimpa Hotline. Since the inception of the Impimpa Hotline in March 2020, 178 000 cases have been reported
(3) To ensure the effective monitoring and enforcement of the national minimum wage, my department developed a reporting line to allow workers to report cases of non-compliance with the national minimum wage without any cost to them which I subsequently launched on the 5th March 2020.
To recognise the Batho Pele principle of openness and transparency and to hold us accountable on whether the cases reported on the reporting line were resolved within the stipulated time-frames, a dashboard was built to extract data from the system. The data would then be published on the department’s website on a weekly basis.The data was subsequently published on the website but that was unfortunately halted as a result of the Covid-19 lockdown.
4. The success of this hotline was very much dependent on properly marketingit to ensure that it is communicated to all employees. My department therefore engaged GCIS to arrange for the marketing and advertising of this NMW Impimpa reporting line.
It was therefore crucial to use different media platforms in order to ensure that the information on the system reached all the intended beneficiaries. The department therefore made use of about six media platforms (print, radio, taxi rank advertising, train station advertising, television and social media) amounting to R21 620 000 00 to cover the cost of marketing and advertising of the NMW Impimpa hotline.
(5) The department made use of six media platforms (print, radio, taxi rank advertising, train station advertising, television and social media) amounting to R21 620 000 00 to ensure that the message is delivered to all stakeholders.
Since the launch of the NMW Impimpa hotline in March, employees have been making use of this service as to date about 178 000 cases were recorded on the NMW Impimpa dashboardbut it has unfortunately been temporarily put on hold as the department has received more numbers than anticipated which has put the department on pressure with regards to funding.
13 November 2020 - NW2496
Chirwa-Mpungose, Ms NN to ask the Minister of Employment and Labour
Why has the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) ignored the case of a certain person (name furnished), who was unfairly dismissed by the Tsitsikamma Forest Village Trust and lodged a case with the CCMA, case number WEGE4091-19?
Reply:
The matter was conciliated on 12 December 2019.
The request for Arbitration was received late and the applicant applied for condonation, which was granted on 26 May 2020. The arbitration was scheduled and heard on 1 July 2020 where the applicant was in attendance.
The Commissioner found that the respondent, Tsitsikamma Forest Village Trust, had not dismissed the applicant, Mr. Mzinosi Ntentile, as alleged by the applicant in his referral of his dispute to the CCMA. The Commissioner found further that the applicant’s employment had in fact, come to an end, when his fixed term contract had ended in August 2019. The Arbitration Award was issued and served on 13 July 2020.
END
12 November 2020 - NW2550
Van Dyk, Ms V to ask the minister of sport, arts and culture”
(1) (a) What is the current number of positions at the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB) that are occupied in an acting capacity, (b) from what dates have the specified positions been filled in an acting capacity and (c) what are the reasons that the individuals who previously occupied the positions resigned from the specified positions; (2) What (a) total number of executive positions are available, (b) are the details of the specified positions and (c) total number of executive positions are now filled with persons in an acting capacity; (3) Whether the Board has changed the banking details of PanSALB; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what (a) are the reasons and (b) is the name of the person who (i) was in charge of the bank accounts and (ii) is currently in charge of the bank account?NW3221E
Reply:
1(a). The current number of positions occupied in an acting capacity is Two (2).
(b). Acting Deputy Director: Demand appointed from August 2019 to date; the Acting Executive Head: Languages from 01 August 2020 to date
(c). The previous incumbent (Deputy Director: Demand was dismissed 29 November 2019 due to misconduct.
2(a). The total number of executive positions available is three (3)
(b). The details of specified positions are Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Executive Head: Languages.
(c). The Total number of Executive positions filled in an acting capacity is one, (1) namely, Executive Head: Languages.
3. As per the instruction of the former Chairperson of the board, through the office of the Acting Chief Executive Officer, the office of the Chief Financial Officer was instructed to initiate the process of changing bank accounts. A tender was advertised on 3 September 2020. Bids were received from various banks and to date no action has taken place.
(a) The former Chairperson of the board instructed that the bank account be changed, as the board was not happy with the current bank used.
(b)(i). Person/(s) in charge of the bank accounts as at 2 November 2020 Dr Bongumenzi Mpungose: Chief Executive Officer, Ms Veliswa Dwamena Deputy: Finance Manager (Former Acting Chief Financial Officer)
(ii). Ms Portia Prudence Chilwane: Board member
12 November 2020 - NW2399
van der Merwe, Ms LL to ask the Minister of Home Affairs
In light of the fact that the Public Servants Association of South Africa has accused his department of victimising and harassing its Director of Law Enforcement, (name and details furnished), what are the details of the job description of a Law Enforcement Officer within his department; (2) whether he has found that the specified person’s investigation of the specified individuals fell outside of her duties; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the further relevant details; (3) whether he has found that the person was engaged in any unlawful conduct; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, why was the person not arrested and charged with a criminal offence?
Reply:
- Law Enforcement officials within Department of Home Affairs (DHA) come within 2 categories. there are immigration officers in the inspectorate unit which deal with transgressions under the immigration act and other departmental legislation where a foreign national is attempting to gain a benefit such as using fraudulent information to obtain an ID, birth certification or citizenship. The other law enforcement official is those working within the Counter Corruption and Security Services Branch to combat corruption and unethical conduct by officials within the department. Immigration Inspectorate officials derive their powers under section 33 of the Immigration Act,2002. They can investigate any matter falling under the Immigration Act, subject to the directions of the Minister. Under section 34(1) of the Immigration Act an immigration officer without the need for a warrant may arrest an illegal foreigner, cause him or her to be deported and pending deportation may detain him or her. The job description of an inspectorate official is derived from the Immigration Act, 2002. They are also declared as peace officers under the Criminal Procedure Act, 1977.
- The matters relating to this official are part of an ongoing investigation into gross misconduct. The Honourable member is referred to our media statement released on 2 October 2020 (www.dha.gov.za) which addresses this question regarding support provided to the official on investigations they have undertaken.
- This matter remains a pending investigation. Further action will be determined following further investigation.
END
12 November 2020 - NW2549
Van Dyk, Ms V to ask the minister of sport, arts and culture”
1. Whether the Chief Executive Officer of the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB) resigned; if not; what is the position in this regard; if so, (a) on what date, (b) what were the reasons for the specified person’s resignation, (c) who is acting in the position and (d) from what date has the person been acting in the position; (2) whether the Chief Financial Officer of PanSALB resigned; if so, (a) on what date, (b) what were the reasons for the specified person’s resignation, (c) who is acting in the position and (d) from what date has the person been acting in the position; (3) whether the Executive Head: Languages of PanSALB resigned; if so, (a) on what date, (b) what were the reasons for the specified person’s resignation, (c) who is acting in the position and (d) from what date has the person been acting in the position? NW3220E
Reply:
1(a). The Chief Executive Officer of PanSALB, has not resigned as is still in the employ of PanSALB, (b-d) falls off.
2(a). Yes, the Chief Financial Officer of PanSALB, resigned in March 2020, (b) Career Development, Better offer (Competitive Salary package), (c) former Acting CFO Ms. VeliswaDwamena, and (d) acted as CFO from March 2020 to 30 September 2020.
3(a). No, the Executive Head of Languages was dismissed effective 15 June 2017, (b) dismissed due to Ill Health / Incapacity, (c) Joint Acting - Mr. LufunoNdlovu(Acting period: April 2019 – 30 June 2019) and 01 August 2019 until 31 July 2020. Dr. Sally Maepa (Acting period: 01 July 2017 and 01 April 2019 to 30 June 2019), former acting Executive Head: Languages. Ms. NikiweMatebula is currently acting, and (d) Ms. Matebula acted as Executive Head: Languages from 01 August 2020 to date.
12 November 2020 - NW2337
Roos, Mr AC to ask the Minister of Home Affairs
With reference to each of his department’s three email addresses, (a) [email protected], (b) [email protected] and (c) [email protected], that were used to receive applications during the lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19, what (i) number of (aa) applications were received between 1 June 2020 and 8 October 2020 and (bb) officials are/were dealing with the specified applications and (ii) was the average time between an application being received and (aa) it being allocated to an official and (bb) resolution being communicated back to the applicant?
Reply:
(a)(b) & (c):
(i)(aa) number of applications were received between 1 June 2020 and 8 October 2020
- [email protected] : Applications received : 27, 387
- [email protected] : Applications received: 3,651
- [email protected] Applications received: 1-15 October 2020: 4,701
(i)(bb) number of officials are/were dealing with the specified applications
- [email protected] : 5 officials on rotational basis
- [email protected] : 6 officials
- [email protected] : 6 officials
(ii)(aa) - Requests for travel were allocated within one day to prioritise urgent cases at least 2 days prior to the date of travel.
- All applications are managed on the basis of striving to achieve a 24hr turnaround, and in order to achieve this a rotational staff roster (as specified above in (i)(bb) has been assigned.
(ii)(bb) Resolutions are communicated within 1-10 days. Immediate communication was send to all applicants in the form of an autoresponse with details on the supporting documentation required for travel, the process and the final Immigration Controls at the Ports of Entry.
END
12 November 2020 - NW2400
Hicklin, Ms MB to ask the Minister of Home Affairs
With regard to the Level 1 lockdown regulations to curb the spread of Covid-19, why (a) Southern African Development Community countries are making it difficult for South Africans to repatriate back home while Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia and Eswatini are low-risk countries and (b) are students travelling between Eswatini and South Africa being plagued by Visa requirements as there is no exemption for university students stuck in Eswatini?
Reply:
a) Level 1 Regulations do not pose any restrictions on SADC for South African Citizens to repatriate back home.
b) The Immigration Act requires that any student wishing to register at a recognised learning institution should apply for a study visa authorising them to study in South Africa. Such study visas are issued for the duration of study. South African Missions prioritize study visa applications from all SADC countries. This is done in conjunction with learning institutions to ensure that prospective students from SADC countries are given the necessary support.
END
12 November 2020 - NW1492
Steyn, Ms A to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
Whether any persons employed in the National Geomatics and Management Services of her department have been suspended (a) in each of the past three financial years and/or (b) since 1 April 2020; if so, what are the relevant details in each case, including (i) the reason for suspension, (ii) the date on which suspension (aa) was instituted and (bb) ended, (iii) whether the specified employee received full remuneration during the suspension and (iv) the duration of each disciplinary hearing conducted; (2) whether her department has a policy on the turnaround time for conducting disciplinary hearings; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
1. (a) 2017-2018: Yes.
2018-2019: No
2019-2020: No
(b) Since 1 April 2020: No.
(a),(b),(i),(ii)(aa),(bb)(iii),(iv) Please refer to the table below.
(i) |
(ii)(aa) |
(ii)(bb) |
(iii) |
(iv) |
||
No |
Name |
Reasons for suspension (type of misconduct) |
Date of suspension |
Date uplifted |
Full pay (Y/N) |
Duration |
1. |
Chief Surveyor-General |
Possible interference (irregularities in the handling of project) |
11 May 2017 |
Still on suspension |
Yes |
36 months (Commenced 31 July 2017) |
2. |
Chief Director Cadastral Spatial Information |
Possible interference (irregularities in the handling of project) |
10 May 2017 |
4 Nov 2019 |
Yes |
36 months (Commenced 17 July 2017) |
(2) Yes, the Departmental Disciplinary Policy. Disciplinary hearingsmust be held within 30 to 60 days from the date of suspension, depending on the complexity of the matter and length of the investigation.
12 November 2020 - NW1797
Mbabama, Ms TM to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
Whether, (a) with reference to the 2019-20 Annual Report of the Ingonyama Trust Board (ITB) which showed that there is no evidence which confirms that traditional communities on trust land have actually benefited from the increase in revenue as a result of converting Permissions To Occupy to leases and (b) in response to the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development the Chairperson of the ITB, (name furnished) said the funds were held in trust, her department has taken any steps to ensure that the rightful beneficiaries of the trust receive clinics, schools, electricity, water, good roads and other basic service needs from the proceeds of the rentals on their land; if not, what is her department’s position in this regard; if so, what (i) steps has her department taken and (ii) benefits have accrued to the beneficiaries in the past five years?
Reply:
a) No.The Auditor-General has not yet concluded the audit of the ITB for 2019/20 Financial Year.
b) No.The provision of schools, clinics, water, electricity, roads and other basic services remains the primary obligation of government and are not catered for in the Ingonyama Trust Act.
(i),(ii) Falls away.
12 November 2020 - NW2481
Van Dyk, Ms V to ask the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture
With regard to the removal of statues, symbols and monuments that do not reflect the constitutional values of a post-colonial and post-apartheid democratic order to theme parks, (a) which provinces gave input into the removal of statues, (b)(i) where and (ii) on what dates were the meetings held, (c) where were the meetings advertised, (d) what total number of persons responded to the issue and (e) what was the outcome of the feedback received by the provinces?
Reply:
(a). No province has yet given input into identifying statues, symbols and monuments that are not in line with the spirit and values of the South African Constitution for relocating, repositioning and curating into Regional Cultural Nation Building Parks. The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) has mandated the South African Heritage Resources Agency to conduct an audit of all monuments and statues in South Africa.
Once the national audit have been conducted and completed, my department will commence with the process of identifying statues, symbols and monuments that are not in line with the spirit and values of the South African Constitution for relocating, repositioning and curating into Regional Cultural Nation Building Parks.
Provinces will form part of the Steering Committee that will drive this process including the necessary consultation processes.(b-e). Falls off as outlined in (a) above, i.e. “Provinces will form part of the Steering Committee that will drive this process including the necessary consultation processes.”
12 November 2020 - NW2422
Mulder, Mr FJ to ask the Minister of Home Affairs
(1)Whether he will indicate what the position, role and functions of a certain person (name and details furnished) are within his department and/or the Ministry; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details; (2) what process was followed to appoint the specified person in such a position; (3) whether he will make a statement on the matter?
Reply:
- The person holds no position within the Department or Ministry of Home Affairs as he is not in the employ of the Department. However, the Advocate has represented the Department in various matters in court, like many other counsel, on behalf of the State Attorney.
- Not applicable.
- Not applicable.
END
11 November 2020 - NW2524
Mokgotho, Ms SM to ask the Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation
What (a) steps will she take to ensure that the residents of the Greater Letaba Local Municipality will have access to clean quality water and (b) are the reasons for the disruption in water supply at the specified municipality?
Reply:
a) The Greater Letaba Municipality Local Municipality falls within the Mopani District Municipality which is a Water Services Authority (WSA) and has a constitutional mandate to ensure adequate supply of clean water within its areas of jurisdiction including Greater Letaba Local Municipality.
The Greater Letaba Local Municipality has a total population of 247 739 residing in 132 villages and 3 towns namely Sekgosese, Modjadjiskloof and Kgapane which are serviced by two Water Treatment Works (WTW) both of which are currently performing at 72%. The details are as follows:
- Politsi WTW which is operated by Lepelle Northern Water (LNW) with a design capacity of 5.5 Ml/d; currently producing 6 Ml/d. The plant abstracts raw water at Vergelegen Dam which is at 100.33%
- The Modjadji WTW is operated by Mopani District Municipality which has a design capacity of 12 Ml/d and currently producing 7 Ml/d due to insufficient raw water from Modjadji Dam the level of which are currently at 11%.
The surface bulk water supply is augmented by 334 boreholes, 231 of which are operational and 103 are not operational. The details of the boreholes that are not operational are as follows:
- 39 boreholes are awaiting ESKOM connections and application are in progress,
- 4 boreholes were vandalized,
- 7 boreholes collapsed,
- 39 boreholes are dry and require funds for re-drilling.
The Mopani District Municipality is currently attending to 18 boreholes which require electrical and mechanical maintenance and 4 boreholes out of the 18 boreholes will augment the Modjadji WTW. The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) through the Water Services Infrastructure Grant (WSIG) and over the 2020/21 MTEF has allocated R45 000 000 to assist Mopani District Municipality which will also the Greater Letaba Local Municipality.
Furthermore, Mopani District Municipality is currently implementing 7 MIG water projects within Greater Letaba Local Municipality and the overall progress is at 52%. This is meant to address bulk pipeline development and reticulation within villages.
b) The following are the reasons for the disruption in water supply at the within Greater Letaba Local Municipality:
- Modjadji Dam is currently at 11% and there are restrictions that are imposed by the Department which require users to reduce abstraction by 50%. This has reduced the performance of Modjadji WWTW by almost 50%.
- The Greater Letaba Local Municipality currently has 103 non-functional boreholes as per details provided above.
11 November 2020 - NW2582
Steyn, Ms A to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
With reference to the reported facilitation of the lifting of the livestock ban between South Africa and Kuwait by the Eastern Cape Development Corporation, (a) what was the reason for the ban and/or moratorium that had been in place and applied to livestock in the Eastern Cape for more than a decade (details furnished) and (b) on what grounds was the ban or moratorium lifted?
Reply:
(a) There has never been a livestock ban and/or moratorium between South Africa and Kuwait, which has been in place and applied to livestock in the Eastern Cape for more than a decade or any similar period. The only ban related to livestock and Kuwait was the court order that was granted to the NSPCA on the 09th June 2020 to ban the exportation of live animals from South Africa to the Middle East. The judgement was subsequently reversed in August 2020 through an appeal lodged by the exporter.
(b) There was no livestock ban or moratorium between South Africa and Kuwait.
11 November 2020 - NW2660
Arries, Ms LH to ask the Minister of Basic Education to ask the Minister of Basic Education
On what date is it envisaged that the school that was built and completed in 2019 in Patensie, Eastern Cape, will be available for use by local learners who have to go to dilapidated farm schools for their education?
Reply:
The question has been referred to the Eastern Cape Department of Education and a response will be provided as soon as it is received.
10 November 2020 - NW2344
Marais, Mr S to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans
(1)What are the details of the unmanned arial vehicles (UAVs), such as drones and radar, that have been utilised in border protection as part of Operation Corona as referred to in a meeting of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts; (2) whether the specified UAVs are (a) the Denel Seekers supplied by Denel and/or (b) UAVs supplied by private companies; if not, what is the position in each case; if so, what are the relevant details; (3) what number of UAVs are in use and/or in service at any one time?
Reply:
- Yes we do use UAVs but cannot disclose their type, as that would be compromising the security of this country.
10 November 2020 - NW2420
Groenewald, Dr PJ to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans
(1)Whether, with reference to her reply to question 1667 on 24 August 2020, the EX MAFADI training course is also offered at the Infantry School in Oudtshoorn; if so, what (a) is the reason that it is offered in Oudtshoorn and (b) does the curriculum of the specified course entail; (2) what is the connection between the EX MAFADI and other training courses (names and details furnished); (3) whether, given that she had declared EX MAFADI as a combat readiness training course, she will furnish the (a) directive, (b) instruction, (c) training plan, (d) support plan and (e) financing flan thereof; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details; (4) whether she will make a statement on the matter?
Reply:
1. No, EX MAFADI is conducted at the Drakensberg mountain range,
(b) Practical exercise on how to provide legal support during internal and external operations, operations with other state departments, peace keeping operations, operations other than war and during war
2. EX MAFADI is the Field Exercise for the Joint Battle Handling Course (JBHC) for Military Law Practitioners and a Combat Readiness Exercise for the Defence Legal Service Division (DLSD).
3. The supporting documents will be made available to the members of the Joint Standing Committee on Defence as these are classified documents.
4. NO
10 November 2020 - NW2218
Clarke, Ms M to ask the Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation
(a) What is the status of the 30-day payment within the Department of Water and Sanitation, (b) who are the suppliers that have not been paid within 30 days and (c) what is the value of the non-payments?
Reply:
The Department of Water and Sanitation has informed me that it has settled all commitments and liabilities relating to procured goods and services, including services provided in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.
10 November 2020 - NW2290
Hendricks, Mr MGE to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
Whether, given that nearly a year ago the Western Cape Director of Public Prosecutions accepted and handed over the memorandum on the killing of Imam Abdullah Haron to the SA Police Service (SAPS) to verify the statements given and to ascertain the whereabouts of SAPS members who testified in the 1970 inquest and that there has been little progress, he will release the information (details furnished) on the security policemen who worked at the Maitland Police Station at the time when Imam Haron was killed; if not, what is the position in this regard, if so, what are the further relevant details; (2) whether the investigations into the infamous security policeman Spyker van Wyk and his brother have conclusively found, in consultation with the records of the Department of Home Affairs, that they are in fact deceased; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details; (3) whether the family of the deceased policemen has shared with the SAPS any documents that may assist in the new inquest to allow for the families to meet in a genuine case of reconciliation; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details; (4) whether he has found that the reasons that no perpetrator of Apartheid-era killings of leaders such as Imam Haron, Mr Steve Biko, Mr Suliman Babla Saloogee and hundreds of others have not been prosecuted because the National Prosecuting Authority has (a) funding issues, (b) a lack of human resources, (c) a failed approach of decentralising prosecution, (d) a lack of capacity and (e) ongoing lack of interest and/or a lack of will; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details; (5) whether there was any other agreement, secret or otherwise, that granted amnesty to those security policemen identified during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that should have been prosecuted; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, was the agreement legal or political?
Reply:
1. The National Director of Pubic Prosecutions informed me that as a result of representations made by a law firm acting on behalf of the relatives of the victim, the matter was referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP): Western Cape in July 2019. The matter is under investigation and is being guided by a senior member of the DPP’s office. Once the investigation has been concluded, a decision will be made whether to re-open the inquest or prosecute if prosecution is still viable at that stage. Further information cannot be divulged pending the conclusion of the investigation.
2. The information cannot be disclosed at this stage as it forms part of an ongoing investigation.
3. The information cannot be disclosed at this stage as it forms part of an ongoing investigation.
4. The circumstances relating to the deaths in detention of Mr Steve Biko and Mr Saloogee are currently under investigation by the Directorate of Priority Crimes Investigations (DPCI), guided by the NPA. Once the investigations have been concluded, which are receiving priority attention, decisions regarding the re-opening of the inquests or instituting prosecutions will be taken, if the latter is viable. In fact, several other deaths in detention are currently under investigation, and two (2) inquests have already been re-opened (i.e. Ahmed Timol and Dr Neil Aggett). In the Timol matter, prosecution has been instituted pursuant to the inquest. Prosecutions in cases relating to atrocities committed during the apartheid era remains a top priority for the NPA, and are included in the Strategic Plan of the National Prosecuting Service.
The NPA has embarked on a process which will result in all the deaths in detention dealt with by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) being investigated. In addition, prosecution has been instituted relating to the murder of Nokuthula Simelane. The TRC acknowledged that the majority of amnesty applications came from convicted persons. This was as a result of investigations conducted by the South African Police Service and prosecutions instituted by the NPA. With that said, it must be acknowledged that there are serious issues with funding and a lack of human resources both in the NPA and DPCI which is primarily responsible for the investigations. The decentralised model for prosecutions is intended to address the lack of capacity in the NPA and its effectiveness will be evaluated in due course. For now, it is provided with much needed additional resources in the regions where cases are because the lapse of time means that witnesses and suspects are dying whereas loved ones are seeking justice. This needs to be urgently addressed hence the NPA is engaging with the DPCI.
5. The NPA is unaware of such an agreement.
10 November 2020 - NW2578
Hill-Lewis, Mr GG to ask the Minister of Finance
On what basis did he decide to relent on the question of wasting more taxpayer money on SA Airways instead of refusing to provide yet another bailout to the airline?
Reply:
SAA’s Board of Directors placed the airline into voluntary business rescue on 6 December 2019 as a result of ongoing liquidity constraints and the airline’s inability to meet its financial obligations as and when they became due.
Upon being placed into business rescue, the Business Rescue Practitioners subsequently assumed responsibility for the management of the airline and finalised a business rescue plan to restructure SAA. Additional funding is required for the successful implementation of the plan as without funding the airline will be placed under liquidation.
Subsequently, Cabinet resolved to support the restructuring of SAA in order to avert the liquidation of the airline and the additional R10.5 billion allocated to SAA will therefore be utilised for the implementation of the business rescue plan.
09 November 2020 - NW2565
Kruger, Mr HC to ask the Minister of Small Business Development
What are the reasons of her non-attendance of each meeting of the Portfolio Committee on Small Business Development (a) in the past financial year and (b) since 1 April 2020?”
Reply:
Whenever the Minister for Small Business Development is not able to attend a Portfolio Committee meeting, there is always an apology that is tabled which provides a reason for the Minister’s absence from that particular meeting. The Secretariat of the Portfolio Committee can provide the Honourable member with copies of the Minister’s apologies for each meeting the Minister was not able to attend.
09 November 2020 - NW2532
Ngcobo, Mr S to ask the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology
(1)What total number of graduates have been retained by their respective host institutions since the National Research Fund internship programme of the Department of Science and Innovation commenced; (2) whether he has the statistical data on the number of graduates who have been able to find employment once the internship ended; if not, what is the position in this regard, if so, what is the data of (a) how long it took for graduates to gain employment and (b) the terms of their (i) permanent and/or (ii) contract employment; (3) whether there are any obligations placed on the host institutions and mentors to facilitate formal skills training during the programme to enhance the chances of the graduates to gain employment once their internship is completed; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details; (4) with the 2020-21 cohort of graduates, what support mechanisms are in place to ensure that students obtain their qualifications within the two-year period?
Reply:
1. Interns that participated in the Programme have been absorbed for employment by various sectors, as depicted in Figure 1 below. Data on the retention of interns for employment by their respective hosts has not been collected. The Department has commissioned an impact study that will provide more information on the retention of interns by their hosts and their career progression. The study will be completed in March 2022.
Figure 1: Sectors employing Interns on completion of the internship
2. Two months after the end of each internship, high-level data on the employment is collected, through exit surveys. Table 1 below provides statistics on interns’ employment and further studies. According to the annual exit surveys, of the 5 505 interns enrolled in the Programme since inception more than 2 100 were employed (a) The number reported is a cumulative number of interns employed while in the Programme and two months after exiting, as per annual exit survey’s findings. It should be noted that this number may have changed significantly with interns who exited the programme more than two years ago (b) Longer-term tracking of interns is currently not in place, and the impact study that has been commissioned is expected to gather data on the nature of their first employment after the internship.
Table 1: Interns’ status at the end of each internship
Internship Year |
No. Placed |
Employed |
Further Study |
Total |
2005/06 |
49 |
38 |
4 |
42 |
2006/07 |
169 |
135 |
21 |
156 |
2008/09 |
92 |
46 |
34 |
80 |
2009/10 |
160 |
70 |
34 |
104 |
2010/11 |
280 |
124 |
54 |
178 |
2011/12 |
276 |
96 |
83 |
179 |
2012/13 |
517 |
220 |
149 |
369 |
2013/14 |
568 |
232 |
128 |
360 |
2014/15 |
710 |
249 |
246 |
495 |
2015/16 |
728 |
253 |
260 |
513 |
2016/17 |
733 |
284 |
277 |
561 |
2017/18 |
622 |
172 |
308 |
480 |
*2018/19 |
601 |
200 |
146 |
346 |
Total |
5505 |
2119 |
1744 |
3863 |
3. As part of the intern performance management, mentors are expected to develop a detailed work plan for their respective interns for the internship period. This includes an agreement between the mentor and the mentee to identify training needs and courses for the intern to enhance their skills and competencies such as basic project management, report writing and Curriculum Vitae drafting. Training undertaken is reported on in the intern quarterly reports.
4. Interns are encouraged to enrol for postgraduate studies whilst participating in the Programme. It is required that mentors support interns on their further study activities so as to ensure that interns obtain the qualifications. The Programme makes provisions for interns to take study leaves when preparing for examinations and undertaking research activities. Progress on studies is also reported as part of the intern quarterly reports.
09 November 2020 - NW2458
Winkler-Lidgett, Ms HS to ask the Minister of Higher Education, Science andTechnology
(1) What(a)amount in funding has his department allocated to Esayidi Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college in KwaZulu-Natal, (b) is the specified TVET’s annual total budget for the 2020-21 financial year and (c) is EsayidiTVET’s budget allocation to each of its campuses for the specified year and (d) is the budget breakdown for each line item and present expenditure per item for each campus for the specified year; (2) whetherthepromisedfundsforlaptopsforstudentstofacilitateonlinelearning during the Covid-19 lockdown at EsayidiTVET Umzimkulu Campus were allocated and received by the Umzimkulu Campus;if not,(a)on what date and what amount will be received for laptops and (b) on what dates will the students receive their promised laptops; if so, (i) what amount in funding was received,(ii) on what date and what amount of funds received and (iii) to whom were the funds released; (3) whether he has been informed that EsayidiTVET’s Umzimkulu Campus has no library, problems with running water in the residences, only four toilets on the campus for approximately 1000 students and that the Wi-Fi on the campus is not working; if not, what plans does his department have in place to address the specified issues;if so,what are the relevant details of his department’s plans to address the specified issues?
Reply:
1. (a) ProgrammeFunding
Compensation of Employees (PERSAL allocation) R151 729 000
Direct Transfer (Subsidy) R 88 550 000
COVID 19 allocation R 3 233 000
Total Bursary allocation (20%) R 59 068 000
Capital Infrastructure Efficiency Grant R 11 872 784
(b) ProgrammeFunding
Compensation of Employees (PERSAL allocation) R151 729 000
Direct Transfer (Subsidy) R 88 550 000
COVID 19 allocation R 3 233 000
Total Bursary allocation (20%) R 59 068 000
Capital Infrastructure Efficiency Grant R 11 872 784
(c) Duetothecurrentaccountingsystem andstaffcomplimentinplace,EsayidiTVETCollege operatesonacentralizedbudget.Alloperationalcostsarebudgetedandpaidforcentrally.Each campus requests specific items based on their student enrolment figures, maintenance and individual campus needs.
(d) The budget breakdown and expenditure for each line item per campus based on the COVID-19 amended 2020 budget is attached.
2. EsaydiTVET College has not received anyfunds for laptops for any of its campuses.
3. Umzimkulu as a town has severe water issues and water is only pumped for a few hours a day.Thecampus has implemented a waterbackup storagesystemtoensurethatthereisbackupwateravailablespecificallyfortheresidences.Thecollegeisinthe processofaddressingthelack of toilets.Quotationshavebeenobtained,but sincethequotesexceeded theprocurementlimits,itwillgooutonpublictenderwithinthenext 2 weeks. Thecollegeisintheprocessofupgrading its infrastructureonallcampusesandplanstohave Wi-Fi available in 2021.
06 November 2020 - NW2511
Sonti, Ms NP to ask the Minister of Basic Education to ask the Minister of Basic Education
Whether her department intends to build a primary school in Ward 5, Phokwane Local Municipality, in the Northern Cape; if not, how are the learners who reside in the specified ward expected to learn when there is no school available; if so, what are the further relevant details?
Reply:
Response from the Northern Cape Department of Education:
Ward 5, Phokwane Local Municipality is located in Hartswater Area, within this area there is a Primary School named CW KiesIntermediêreSkool. This school is classified as a Level 3 Primary School and accommodates learners from Grade R to Grade 8. Over the last 3 years the learner enrolment at this school that caters for Primary School learners were 752 (2018), 730 (2019) and 744 (2020) which on average indicates a decline in learners. This is also the case over a 5 year period. There is a total of 22 ordinary classrooms at the school and 1 single ECD Classroom, however according to the Norms and Standards there is only 18 ordinary classrooms required and 3 ECD Classrooms. The Department on the Infrastructure Plan have prioritized an additional Double ECD Classroom for this school, this is however still in outer years due to budget availability. The school within this academic year as well as the prior year’s however does not experience overcrowding.
The estimate population of Ward 5, Phokwane Local Municipality is 8 245, of the total population, about 14% is of primary school-going age; the existing primary school can serve up to 910 learners with the current infrastructure, however there are for this academic year only 744 learners.
Within the Infrastructure Plans there is a new English Medium Primary and Secondary School planned for Hartswater, however sites for these schools have not yet been acquired. According to the future planning as stated in the Spatial Development Framework of the Phokwane Local Municipality the open areas within Ward 5 are earmarked for upgrading of public space as well as settlement upgrades therefore there is no new settlements planned in this ward that will have an immediate effect on the population size. Within the Integrated Development Plan Review 2019/20 and Planning for 2020/21 the community members if ward 5 mentioned various priorities, the construction of a new primary school however was not one of the mentioned priorities.
The current school infrastructure caters for learners within the vicinity and therefore there are no plans for a new school for this specific area.
06 November 2020 - NW2487
Lorimer, Mr JR to ask the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment
(1) Whether, with reference to the Fishing Rights Allocation Process 2015-16 (FRAP), the provisional allocation included a process to inspect the Deputy Director-General’s (DDG) allocations and submit comments to Whistle Blowers (Pty) Ltd, she will furnish Mr J R B Lorimer with the details of the comments submitted; if not, why not; if so, what (a) verification process was followed on the basis of the comments and (b) are the details of how the provisional allocations changed as a result of the comments; (2) whether there was an effective verification process; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details; (3) (a) how will the FRAP 2020-21 process differ from the process used previously, (b) what steps will be taken during the FRAP 2020-21 to ensure that there are no paper quotas to persons from non-coastal communities; and (c) what will be the role of the Fisheries DDG in the FRAP 2020-21 process?
Reply:
-
The Department received over one thousand (1000) comments, with the majority (876) being submitted in the West Coast Rock Lobster Fishery. These comments are available for inspection at the premises of the Fisheries Branch.
-
The comments were assessed and analysed by members of the Assessment Panel in each fishery.
-
The details of how the provisional allocations changed as a result of the comments received can be determined by studying the difference between the Provisonal GPR and the Final GPR.
-
(2) and (3) a,b,c
It is common knowledge that the FRAP process 2015/16 has been the subject of lengthy litigation some of which continues to this day.
In our view one of the reasons for this was the decision to centralise decision-making in the hands of the Deputy Director-General of the Fisheries Branch, who was subsequently dismissed, by the then Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
In an effort to ensure a fair, transparent and accountable process of FRAP 2020/21 the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries is doing the following:
appointing a number of Delegated Authorities, rather than just one;
augmenting the capacity of the Department via the appointment of external service providers to assist with the various phases of the FRAP process; appointing a Process Observer/Auditing Firm to oversee and audit the process;
the appointment of an independent Legal Team to advise and ensure a legally defensible process;
developing an online application process in order to reduce data-capturing errors.
MS B D CREECY, MP
MINISTER OF FORESTRY, FISHERIES AND THE ENVIRONMENT DATE: 05 NOVEMBER 2020
06 November 2020 - NW2561
Tarabella - Marchesi, Ms NI to ask the Minister of Basic Education to ask the Minister of Basic Education
(1) What is the total number of learners who have dropped out of primary school in the period 1 April 2020 to 1 October 2020; (2) whether her department has a plan in place to monitor and address the challenge of learners who drop out of school; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details of the plan?
Reply:
Response
(1) and (2) Please see attached slides.
06 November 2020 - NW2518
Thembekwayo, Dr S to ask the Minister of Basic Education to ask the Minister of Basic Education
By what date does her department intend to refurbish the Inkqubela Public Primary school in Port Elizabeth which has damaged classrooms and dilapidated toilets?
Reply:
The question has been referred to the Eastern Cape Department of Education; and the response will be provided as soon as it is received.
06 November 2020 - NW2505
Mkhonto, Ms C N to ask the Minister of Employment and Labour
What total number of invoices have not been paid as a result of migration to CompEasy System?
Reply:
None. There are no invoices that have not been paid as a result of migration into CompEasy.
Invoices were migrated into CompEasy from uMehluko so that they can continue to be paid in CompEasy when payable.
06 November 2020 - NW2504
Mkhonto, Ms C N to ask the Minister of Employment and Labour
Whether, with reference to his reply to question 2281 on 16 October 2020, the invoices that were received were based on the new ComEasy System; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what is the total number of unpaid invoices that could not be migrated to the new system?
Reply:
Yes, they were based on information in CompEasy.
A total of 38 946 invoices could not be migrated into CompEasy mainly due to the invoices not meeting the criteria for migration.
These invoices had already been rejected on uMehluko and the rejection reasons of those medical invoices were already communicated to medical service providers. Reasons for rejection included tariff code that did not match the published gazetted Compensation fund tariff codes.
These invoices were subsequently paid through the finance system of the Fund after medical service providers had provided the Fund with corrected information
06 November 2020 - NW2513
Langa, Mr TM to ask the Minister of Basic Education to ask the Minister of Basic Education
Whether her department intends to refurbish the Mayville Primary School in Ward 101 in the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality in Durban which has decaying infrastructure; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
The question has been referred to the KZNDOE; and the response will be provided as soon as it is received.