Questions and Replies

Reply:

I am advised by the Department that the company referred to in the question has been approved for a R8 million grant funding for machinery and equipment, commercial vehicles and business development services, under the Black Industrialist Scheme in the 2016/2017 financial year. To date an amount of R4,89 million has been disbursed towards machinery and equipment. The project is still active with the balance of R3,1 million available.

-END-

Reply:

1. There are no regulations that allow for capping of prices in the private sector. Discussions have been held with the private laboratories to bring down their prices. The private laboratories were charging different prices, with some charging up to R1,400 per test. Following these discussions all private laboratories reduced their prices to R850 per test.

2. Free testing in the private sector will be difficult as private laboratories have to recover their costs. In the public sector patients do not pay if they are not on medical aid.

END.

Reply:

1. (a)-(ii)(iii) The table below reflect the absentee record (ii) in each month in the past three financial years in South Rand Hospital:

Month	Number of planned leave	Number of unplanned leave
Jul-18	64	94
Aug-18	64	120
Sep-18	49	99
Oct-18	70	110
Nov-18	58	161
Dec-18	43	226
Jan-19	30	181
Feb-19	112	43
Mar-19	171	55
Apr-19	124	45
May-19	171	55
Jun-19	120	45
Jul-19	135	39
Aug-19	271	39
Sep-19	313	60
Oct-19	131	44
Nov-19	160	18
Dec-19	99	33
Jan-20	132	59
Feb-20	141	50
Mar-20	159	81
Apr-20	67	20
May-20	135	38
Jun-20	151	48

(b) After the implementation of unplanned leave control measure, all annual leave that are applied for in advance, irrespective of how many leave days is regarded as planned leave.

• The unplanned leave control measures were effective from the 18th June 2018 and this is what HR is currently doing:
• HR is categorising all leave forms submitted to the office per directorate
• This is to allow identification and areas of the high number of unplanned leave per directorate
• A specific member with high number of unplanned leave will be identified
• Relevant supervisor will be informed with the request to investigate reason and provide measures to be instituted.
• HR has already developed a recording book, to record all received unplanned leave per name and department in order to identify the trends

2. (a) Currently there are 20 permanent vacant posts in South Rand Hospital.

(b) All 20 vacant posts have been advertised in May and June 2020.

(c) Shortlisting and interviews were done during the month of May, June & July 2020. The timeframe to fill the posts after posts became vacant is 4 months.

(d) Current staff do overtime to cover the staff shortage until the post is filled.

END.

Reply:

The concept of herd immunity is the indirect protection from a contagious infectious disease such as SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) and related corona viruses and the threshold is crossed when enough people are immune and the number of new cases is are declining. The effectiveness of herd immunity is dependent on several epidemiological principles which include the following:

• The disease must carry a substantial health risk.
• The risk of contracting the disease must be high.
• The vaccine must be effective.
• The vaccine must be safe.

The COVID-19 virus fits all the above principles, but there is currently no clinically proven vaccine against the virus. The immune response to Covid-19 is currently not yet fully understood and definitive data on post-infection immunity is also lacking.

South Africa has not published results of any immunological studies in response to the SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) threat. Such a research is normally conducted by research institutes such as through the Department of Science and Innovation’s research institutions and Councils including entities such as the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC)and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

There are several studies initiated by the National Department of Health (NDoH), the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), universities and institutes, including the South African National Blood Service (SANBS), that are currently under consideration to assist the country in understanding the immunological response to the COVID-19 disease and the level of antibody response at an individual level and on a population level. This work is ongoing, and results will be released as they become available.

END.

Reply:

The Moody’s downgrade of the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) to Ba2 from Ba1 appear to be based principally on concerns about the preparedness of Government to support public entities, and the timeliness of any decision to offer such support. This follows challenges with timely provision of funding for the Land and Agricultural Development Bank to make payments of maturing credit facilities and payments relating to SAA.

Moody’s recognised that the IDC “is still one of the stronger credits in the country, primarily reflecting the company's high capital buffers.”Moody’s further highlighted that the “IDC has strong capitalisation, with an equity-to-total assets ratio of 66% as of March 2019, which provides significant buffers to absorbunexpected losses and grow the business further.”

Moody’s assessment of the assumption of government support has been reduced from high to strong, and as a result the rating for the IDC to be downgraded. A similar rerating of the Development Bank of SouthernAfrica has been effected, for similar reasons.

As the principal factors relate to Moody’s assumptions on the sovereign, the IDC Board and Management will reinforce the point about the IDC’s capital buffers in engagement with Moody’s.

The IDC’s commitment to the COVID-19 relief funding remains i.e. the COVID-19 relief funding has not been affected by the credit downgradebecause IDC is managing prudently within its Liquidity Framework. The IDC continues to receive funding applications in this regard and perform the necessary credit assessments.

-END-

Reply:

Priority areas (hot-spots) have already been identified where the creation of surge capacity and additional bed-capacity was of critical importance. The National Department through its Emergency Health Infrastructure Unit is assisting the Provincial Departments of Health and provides capacity in order to create and implement additional surge and bed-capacity, by means of emergency repairs, upgrades, new installations, conversion of existing spaces and additional capacity through temporary emergency structures.

A Rapid Implementation Management team assists with the identification and assessment of sites in priority hotspot areas and assists with the planning and lay-out and utilization of the sites. The assessment and planning includes assessment from a clinical perspective but also architectural, electrical and mechanical engineering, health technology and other engineering services as may be required. Assessment reports of 28 facilities in Gauteng have been completed and various priority projects identified.

END.

Reply:

1. (a) (i) The total number of vacant posts that were available across the Republic for nurses, doctors and other healthcare workers in February 2020 was 33 398.

(ii) A total number of 17150 health professionals (i.e. nurses, doctor and other related health care professions) have since been appointed from February to June 2020. This accounts for 34%of the 33 398 vacancies listed above.

(b) The National Department of Health used the Model of Demand based on the projected number of infections per district to determine the Surge Capacity demand during the Covid-19 Pandemic. The Model is applied to the population and Covid-19 caseloads using 85% of Public hospital general beds and 100% of ICU and High Care beds for Covid-19 care. The Model, estimates that the Public Health Sector will require an additional 1 200 Doctors and 18 000 Nurses of various categories.

(2) A total of 7 416 health professionals were already contractedacross the provinces to fill the gap in the HR requirements. A database for workforce candidates containing 942 doctors and 1 261 as well as 144 other categories of staff is accessible to provinces to recruit staff from and some provinces also have databases with potential candidates available. Recruitment is continuing.

Based on the directions issued by the Minister of Health in April, the recruitment process should be shortened by advertising a post and effecting appointments within a period of a week

Budget motivations are submitted to Provincial Treasuries and to NDoH for consideration.

Other sources for healthcare workers include the following:

• Health Professionals working in the private sector can be appointed on sessional basis
• 176 health professionals from Cuba is assisting South Africa in the response to COVID-19. The necessary registrations have been completed and they have been deployed across all provinces. They are authorised to work in any province. Since the projected peaks differ between provinces, this cadre could be deployed to areas with the highest need
• Volunteers: Provinces placed advertisements for volunteers to assist in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Foreign nationals: The Foreign Workforce Management Unit (FWM) of the National Department of Health is facilitating the recruitment and placement of all “Foreign Health Workers” who present themselves for employment and study opportunities in South Africa. Policy guidelines for registration and employment of foreign qualified health professionals in South Africa are in place.
• Final year students: NDoH engaged with Deans of Health Sciences Faculties and Principals of Nursing Colleges to facilitate deployment of final year students to assist with care of COVID-19 patients e.g. in field hospitals. Postgraduate nursing students returned to workplaces to support the COVID-19 response. Final year nursing students will write examinations by the end of August and will thereafter available for the surge capacity.
• Interns and Com Serve: There is an existing ICSP database. Health professionals in this category that are not currently employed or due to complete their terms, can be contracted to supplement the surge capacity
• Retired health professionals: Based on the directions issued by the Minister of Health in April, all retired personnel may be requested to fill in positions on a temporary basis to assist in responding to the pandemic. Retired employees can be deployed to low risk areas to relief staff to attend to COVID-19 patients.

The following additional areas are pursued to expand the resource base:

• Non-Governmental Organisations and Community based organisations: The directions issued by the Minister of Health in April also makes provision for community service personnel, extended public works programme workers, CBOs and NGOs to fill in positions on a temporary basis to assist in responding to the pandemic. Provinces can engage with these sectors to identify possible capacity. Possible down referral of patients to suitable sectors should be considered as well as increasing the capabilities of homebased caregivers and Community Health workers to strengthen home care.
• South African Military Health Services (SAMHS): SAMHS can support Provinces in the response to COVID-19 in terms of the role of the South African Defence Force (SANDF) in Disaster Management. Provinces should liaise with SAMHS in the province.

The following measures are implemented to reduce the demand on human resources during the pandemic:

• Provincial Health Departments are reprioritising health care services. This can include the identification of routine and elective services that can immediately be deferred or moved to other settings or non-affected areas or identification of alternative service providers e.g. from hospitals to PHC settings, private sector or NGOs.
• Co-ordination with the private sector is done to optimise all the resources available in the province. Discussions at National level resolved to contract the private sector on a global fee inclusive of beds, hospital staff, equipment and consumables where additional capacity is needed, especially for critical care beds. A Service Level Agreement (SLA) template is available.
• In provinces with metros, metros are engaged to identify services that can be redirected from provincial facilities to municipal clinics and health centres to free up provincial staff for the COVID-19 response. Alternatively, metro staff can be seconded to the field hospitals or other COVID-19 settings.
• Alternative service delivery mechanisms are to be considered, e.g. allowing pharmacists to extend ordinary prescriptions for people with chronic conditions provided they are controlled on treatment.

END.

Reply:

According to the information received from Eskom

1. The R5.5 billion is the total value of Eskom’s claim against Tegeta Resources and Exploration, which is in business rescue.

Relevant details are as follows:

Tegeta is a company owned by Oakbay which is a Gupta related company. Tegeta owns the Optimum coal mine.

The Business rescue proceedings of the Optimum coal mine commenced in February 2018 when the Optimum Board of Directors resolved to place the company under voluntary business rescue and proceeded to file a notice of commencement of business rescue proceedings with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission on 19 February 2018. The Optimum coal mine had been supplying coal to Hendrina Power Station.

Eskom has submitted a claim of approximately R5.5 billion against Optimum in these proceedings, composed of undelivered coal and poor quality of delivered coal:

A. pre - commencement (of business rescue) September 2016 to January, 2018 = R1,1 billion ( 1,1 million tons)

B. post – commencement (of business rescue process) February, 2018 to December, 2018

= R4.4 billion (3.8 million tons of Coal)

At a meeting of creditors convened on 10 December 2019, the quantum of Eskom’s claim was challenged and it was resolved to refer Eskom’s claim for determination by an independent expert. Creditors contended that Eskom’s claim is inflated and as such Eskom should not have been afforded voting rights on the contingent and disputed part of its claim in Optimum. Eskom’s disputed claim was determined by way of an expedited arbitration presided over by retired judge Fritz Brand, jointly appointed by the creditors.

At the arbitration hearing held in March 2020, the majority of creditors (excluding Oakbay – also a creditor in Optimum), Eskom and the BRPs reached an agreement regarding the quantum of Eskom’s claims. Eskom’s claim, both pre- and-post-business rescue, was determined to be the sum of R1 276 031 278.48 (one billion two hundred and seventy six million thirty one thousand two hundred and seventy eight rand and forty eight cents). Eskom’s voting share was determined at 24% to be exercised by Eskom in any manner it wishes to do.

Current Status of BR proceedings:

During the arbitration hearing in March it was also agreed that the revised business rescue plan would be published on or before the 2 April 2020. It was further agreed that the meeting of creditors, to vote on the preferred offer and adopt the business rescue plan, would be convened on or about 20 April 2020. The BRPs did not publish the plan in April due to the 2 remaining bidders, namely Lurco and IZM, failing to secure funding to acquire the mine.

In light of the above, in May 2020 the BRPs invited other prospective bidders to submit proposals to acquire the mine. Bids were submitted mid-June 2020 and the BRPs are currently reviewing the offers received from the 3 bidders. Eskom currently awaits the outcome of the review. Preferred bidders will be incorporated in the revised BR plan to be published in due course.

Towards the end of June 2020, the BRPs also received an alternative proposal to rescue the mine. The alternative offer was submitted by Centaur Ventures Ltd, one of the largest creditors of Optimum. According to the BRPs, the alternative plan, if supported by the BRPs and creditors, will also be incorporated in the revised business rescue plan and be triggered in the event that the preferred bidders fail to secure sufficient funding to acquire the assets. Eskom has not yet been furnished with the alternative proposal for consideration.

The BRPs have not committed to a specific date for publication of the revised business rescue plan. In the event that the revised plan is published end July, 2020 then the meeting of creditors for purposes of voting and adopting the plan would have to be convened early August i.e. within 10 days of the date of publication of the plan.

2. (a) Not applicable.

(b) As explained in (1) above, Eskom submitted a claim in the business rescue proceedings which are still underway.

Reply:

I have been furnished with a reply to the question submitted, by MsThabangMampane, Commissioner of the National Lotteries Commission, which is reproduced below.

“Response from the National Lotteries Commission:

The South AfricanSports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) applied for funding relating to Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on the 14th July 2014. The application was adjudicated on the 28th May 2015 and an amount of R 4 000 000.00 was granted. The approved funds were paid directly to SASCOC.”

-END-

Reply:

a) The number of deaths of children under five years of age in public sector hospitals for the period 1st April to 30th June 2020 is shown in the table below. For comparison the number of deaths for the same period during 2018 and 2019 are also shown in the table. The number of child deaths was lower during the period April to June 2020, than during the corresponding period in each of the preceding two years. It should be noted that the majority of deaths occurred in the neonatal period (from birth to 28 days) with fewer deaths occuring in children aged between one month and five years.

	Deaths
	0 – 28 days	1 month – 5 years	Total U5
1st April – 30th June 2020	3,087	855	3,942
1st April – 30th June 2019	2,948	1,321	4,269
1st April – 30th June 2018	2,901	1,407	4,308

The number of under-five deaths which occurred in each public sector hospital from 1st April – 30th June 2020 is shown in Annexure A.

b) The majority of deaths in the newborn period are due to prematurity, infection and birth asphyxia. The leading causes of death in children aged between one month and five years are diarrhoea, pneumonia and septicaemia with HIV infection and malnutrition as important underlying conditions. As deaths due to diarrhoea and pneumonia decline, the proportion of deaths due to congenital disorders and non-natural deaths (as a result of accidents/injuries) is rising. Detailed information on cause of death as recorded on the death certificate is collated by Statistics South Africa, but this information is not immediately available.

Annexure A:

Province	Level	Hospital	Deaths
			0 – 28 days	1 month – 5 years	Total U5
Eastern Cape	District	Aliwal North Hospital	1	0	1
		All Saints Hospital	0	2	2
		AndriesVosloo Hospital	1	0	1
		Bambisana Hospital	1	0	1
		Bedford Hospital	0	1	1
		Bhisho Hospital	1	0	1
		Burgersdorp Hospital	1	0	1
		Butterworth Hospital	5	1	6
		Canzibe Hospital	3	0	3
		Cathcart Hospital	1	0	1
		Cradock Hospital	1	0	1
		Dordrht Hospital	1	0	1
		Dr MalizoMpehle Memorial Hospital	3	0	3
		Empilisweni Hospital	3	3	6
		Glen Grey Hospital	2	1	3
		Grey Hospital	0	1	1
		Holy Cross Hospital	3	2	5
		Humansdorp Hospital	4	1	5
		Indwe Hospital	1	1	2
		Isilimela Hospital	1	1	2
		Lady Grey Hospital	1	0	1
		Maclear Hospital	1	2	3
		Madwaleni Hospital	1	0	1
		MadzikanekaZulu Memorial Hospital	5	0	5
		Midland Hospital	0	2	2
		Mjanyana Hospital	0	1	1
		Molteno Hospital	0	1	1
		Mount Ayliff Hospital	7	1	8
		Nessie Knight Hospital	2	0	2
		Nompumelelo (Peddie) Hospital	1	0	1
		Port Alfred Hospital	2	1	3
		Sipetu Hospital	1	3	4
		St Barnabas Hospital	3	1	4
		St Patrick's Hospital	12	4	16
		Stutterheim Hospital	1	1	2
		Tafalofefe Hospital	1	1	2
		Tayler Bequest Hospital (Elundini)	1	1	2
		Tayler Bequest Hospital (Matatiele)	4	2	6
		Uitenhage Hospital	7	1	8
		Victoria Hospital	4	0	4
		Wilhelm Stahl (Middelburg) Hospital	0	1	1
		Zitulele Hospital	2	3	5
	Regional	Cecilia Makiwane Hospital	15	2	17
		Dora Nginza Hospital	26	7	33
		Frontier Hospital	8	0	8
		Mthatha General Hospital	15	0	15
		St Elizabeth's Hospital	12	0	12
	Provincial Tertiary	Frere Hospital	9	6	15
	National Central	Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital	32	19	51
	TOTAL	206	74	280
Free State	District	Botshabelo Hospital	2	0	2
		Dr JS Moroka Hospital	1	0	1
		Elizabeth Ross Hospital	0	1	1
		FeziNgumbentombi Hospital	5	0	5
		Katleho Hospital	6	1	7
		Mohau Hospital	1	1	2
		Nala Hospital	1	1	2
		Thusanong Hospital	1	1	2
		Tokollo Hospital	0	1	1
		Winburg Hospital	0	0	0
	Regional	Boitumelo Hospital	9	1	10
		Bongani Hospital	40	3	43
		Dihlabeng Hospital	14	2	16
		MofumahadiManapoMopeli Hospital	14	5	19
	Provincial Tertiary	Pelonomi Hospital	1	3	4
	National Centrals	Universitas Hospital	16	4	20
	TOTAL	111	24	135
Gauteng	District	Bertha Gxowa Hospital	5	2	7
		BhekiMlangeni District Hospital	5	0	5
		Carletonville Hospital	3	1	4
		Dr Yusuf Dadoo Hospital	4	0	4
		Heidelberg Hospital	4	1	5
		Jubilee Hospital	15	3	18
		Kopanong Hospital	4	2	6
		Odi Hospital	7	2	9
		Pretoria West Hospital	3	0	3
		South Rand Hospital	2	0	2
	Regional	Edenvale Hospital	10	0	10
		Far East Rand Hospital	13	6	19
		Leratong Hospital	17	4	21
		Mamelodi Hospital	35	4	39
		Pholosong Hospital	11	2	13
		RahimaMoosa Hospital	33	7	40
		Sebokeng Hospital	17	1	18
		Tambo Memorial Hospital	8	6	14
		ThelleMogoerane Regional Hospital	35	2	37
	Provincial Tertiary	Kalafong Hospital	22	2	24
		Tembisa Hospital	52	8	60
	National Central	Charlotte Maxeke Hospital	41	14	55
		Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital	90	11	101
		Dr George Mukhari Hospital	76	5	81
		Steve Biko Academic Hospital	18	13	31
	TOTAL		530	96	626
KwaZulu-Natal	District	Appelsbosch Hospital	3	0	3
		Benedictine Hospital	31	3	34
		Bethesda Hospital	5	0	5
		Catherine Booth Hospital	3	0	3
		Ceza Hospital	1	0	1
		Charles Johnson Memorial Hospital	2	5	7
		Christ the King Hospital	3	4	7
		Church of Scotland Hospital	6	3	9
		Dundee Hospital	1	0	1
		East Griqualand and Usher Memorial Hospital	6	0	6
		Ekhombe Hospital	2	1	3
		Emmaus Hospital	10	2	12
		Eshowe Hospital	2	0	2
		Estcourt Hospital	4	0	4
		GJ Crooke's Hospital	6	1	7
		Greytown Hospital	4	1	5
		Hlabisa Hospital	9	0	9
		Itshelejuba Hospital	9	1	10
		KwaMagwaza Hospital	2	0	2
		Manguzi Hospital	2	0	2
		Montebello Hospital	0	1	1
		Mosvold Hospital	4	0	4
		Mseleni Hospital	4	0	4
		Murchison Hospital	1	4	5
		Nkandla Hospital	2	1	3
		Nkonjeni Hospital	8	2	10
		Northdale Hospital	8	2	10
		Osindisweni Hospital	3	1	4
		Rietvlei Hospital	7	4	11
		St Andrew's Hospital	10	2	12
		St Apollinaris Hospital	6	1	7
		St Mary's Hospital (Mariannhill)	9	0	9
		Umphumulo Hospital	3	4	7
		Vryheid Hospital	10	8	18
		Wentworth Hospital	3	0	3
	Regional	Addington Hospital	9	2	11
		Edendale Hospital	23	5	28
		General Justice GizengaMpanza Hospital	15	7	22
		King Dinuzulu Hospital	6	0	6
		Ladysmith Hospital	18	2	20
		Madadeni Hospital	0	1	1
		Mahatma Gandhi Hospital	30	3	33
		Newcastle Hospital	24	7	31
		Port Shepstone Hospital	20	5	25
		Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital	22	5	27
		Queen Nandi Regional Hospital	45	12	57
		RK Khan Hospital	18	5	23
	Provincial Tertiary	Grey's Hospital	8	3	11
		King Edward VIII Hospital	15	6	21
	National Central	Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital	6	9	15
	TOTAL		448	123	571
Limpopo	District Hospital	Botlokwa Hospital	2	1	3
		Dilokong Hospital	8	3	11
		Donald Fraser Hospital	6	4	10
		Dr CN Phatudi Hospital	2	0	2
		Elim Hospital	4	11	15
		Ellisras Hospital	2	1	3
		FH Odendaal (Nylstroom) Hospital	3	0	3
		George Masebe Hospital	2	1	3
		Groblersdal Hospital	9	0	9
		Helene Franz Hospital	7	3	10
		Jane Furse Hospital	6	4	10
		Kgapane Hospital	13	3	16
		Lebowakgomo Hospital	4	3	7
		Louis Trichardt Hospital	1	0	1
		Malamulele Hospital	11	4	15
		Maphutha L Malatjie Hospital	5	4	9
		Matlala Hospital	3	0	3
		Mklenburg Hospital	2	2	4
		Messina Hospital	2	0	2
		Nkhensani Hospital	4	2	6
		Sekororo Hospital	6	0	6
		Seshego Hospital	10	6	16
		Siloam Hospital	3	0	3
		Van Velden Memorial (Tzaneen) Hospital	9	0	9
		Voortrekker Memorial (Potgietersrus) Hospital	3	2	5
		Warmbaths Hospital	2	0	2
		WF Knobel Hospital	3	1	4
		Witpoort Hospital	1	0	1
		Zebediela Hospital	1	0	1
	Regional	Letaba Hospital	20	2	22
		Mokopane Hospital	18	1	19
		Philadelphia Hospital	0	4	4
		St Rita's Hospital	11	0	11
		Tshilidzini Hospital	18	7	25
	Provincial Tertiary	Mankweng Hospital	66	9	75
		Pietersburg Hospital	7	13	20
	TOTAL		274	91	365
Mpumalanga	District Hospital	Barberton Hospital	1	1	2
		Bernice Samuels Hospital	4	1	5
		Bethal Hospital	3	1	4
		Carolina Hospital	1	0	1
		Elsie Ballot Hospital	1	0	1
		Embhuleni Hospital	18	0	18
		Evander Hospital	14	1	15
		HA Grove Hospital	1	1	2
		KwaMhlanga Hospital	5	3	8
		Lydenburg Hospital	4	0	4
		Matibidi Hospital	5	0	5
		Matikwana Hospital	7	3	10
		Middelburg Hospital	2	0	2
		Mmametlhake Hospital	4	2	6
		Piet Retief Hospital	7	3	10
		Sabie Hospital	0	0	0
		Shongwe Hospital	5	4	9
		Standerton Hospital	3	0	3
		Tintswalo Hospital	11	5	16
		Tonga Hospital	5	3	8
	Regional	Ermelo Hospital	12	0	12
		Mapulaneng Hospital	13	3	16
		Themba Hospital	23	0	23
	Provincial Tertiary	Rob Ferreira Hospital	11	7	18
		Witbank Hospital	34	3	37
	TOTAL		194	41	235
North West	District Hospital	Brits Hospital	13	1	14
		Christiana Hospital	1	0	1
		Ganyesa Hospital	2	1	3
		Gelukspan Hospital	7	3	10
		General de la Rey Hospital	5	0	5
		Koster Hospital	1	0	1
		Lehurutshe Hospital	1	2	3
		Moses Kotane Hospital	2	3	5
		NicBodenstein Hospital	2	1	3
		Schweizer-Reneke Hospital	0	1	1
		Taung Hospital	8	1	9
		Thusong Hospital	0	2	2
	Regional	Joe Morolong Memorial Hospital	6	3	9
		Mahikeng Provincial Hospital	0	7	7
		Potchefstroom Hospital	0	0	0
	Provincial Tertiary	Job ShimankanaTabane Hospital	46	5	51
		Klerksdorp-Tshepong Tertiary Hospital	35	5	40
	TOTAL		129	35	164
Northern Cape	District Hospital	De Aar (Central Karoo) Hospital	1	1	2
		Hartswater (Connie Vorster) Hospital	1	0	1
		Kakamas Hospital	2	0	2
		Kuruman Hospital	6	2	8
		Postmasburg Hospital	1	1	2
		Springbok (Dr Van Niekerk) Hospital	1	1	2
		Tshwaragano Hospital	2	1	3
	Regional	Dr Harry Surtie Hospital	11	1	12
	Provincial Tertiary	Robert MangalisoSobukwe Hospital	14	10	24
	TOTAL		39	17	56
Western Cape	District Hospital	Beaufort West Hospital	2	0	2
		Caledon Hospital	1	1	2
		Ceres Hospital	1	0	1
		Citrusdal Hospital	1	0	1
		Eerste River Hospital	0	1	1
		Helderberg Hospital	2	0	2
		Hermanus Hospital	1	0	1
		Karl Bremer Hospital	5	0	5
		Mitchells Plain Hospital	4	0	4
		Oudtshoorn Hospital	2	0	2
		Prince Albert Hospital	0	1	1
		RadieKotze Hospital	1	0	1
		Riversdale Hospital	0	1	1
		Robertson Hospital	4	1	5
		Stellenbosch Hospital	1	0	1
		Vredenburg Hospital	1	0	1
		Vredendal Hospital	3	0	3
	Regional	George Hospital	4	1	5
		Mowbray Maternity Hospital	17	0	17
		New Somerset Hospital	6	0	6
		Paarl Hospital	6	2	8
		Worcester Hospital	16	5	21
	Provincial Tertiary	Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital	6	11	17
	National Central	Groote Schuur Hospital	23	1	24
		Tygerberg Hospital	29	20	49
	TOTAL		136	45	181

END.

Reply:

1. The National Department of Health has not identified cases of illegal health care practitioners in the past year however, there have been complaints of illegal practice by unregistered persons to the statutory health professional councils which fall under the mandate of Health as follows:

Statutory Health Professional Council	Number of cases reported
Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA)	1,384
South African Nursing Council (SANC)	4 (over the past 5 years) However, the SANC is currently following-up on a number (3,327) of potential cases which were identified during the implementation of the Bargaining Council Resolution that provides for deduction of money from the nurses’ salaries through Persal for payment of annual registration fees with Council. Most of the cases referred to above were off the SANC register due to non-payment of annual registration fees and invalid identification numbers.
South African Pharmacy Council (SAPC)	1
South African Dental Technicians Council (SADTC)	82 (due to non-payment of annual fees)
Allied Health Professions Council of South Africa (AHPCSA)	0 (Stats not kept; complaints referred to the South African Police Service)

2. There are various plans and/or strategies employed by the statutory health professional councils to eradicate the specified trend as follows:

a) Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA): In 2015, as part of the strategies of protecting the public, the HPCSA established a law enforcement and compliance Unit, the Inspectorate Office. The functions of the Inspectorate Office are:

(i) to identify and assist in the investigation and prosecution of persons who practice without being registered with the HPCSA;

(ii) to ensure that healthcare practitioners comply with ethical rules, regulations, the Act and sanctions issued by the disciplinary committee (Professional Conduct Committee);

(iii) to create awareness and educate the public about the health risks presented by ‘bogus practitioners’ or unregistered persons; and

(iv) to collaborate with other law enforcement agencies, authorities and regulators in identifying, investigating, arresting and prosecuting ‘bogus practitioners’ or unregistered persons.

Due to financial resource constraints, there are currently 9 inspectors in the Inspectorate Office. However, the number of inspectors employed can be increased to have a larger national footprint. The inspectors are currently deployed as follows: KZN=1; EC=1; WC=1 and the 6 inspectors rotate between GP, Limpopo, FS, NC, and NW according to trends analysis and need.

In addition to the above, the HPCSA through its Inspectorate Office works with other law enforcement agencies and other regulatory bodies which resulted in significant success in dealing with unregistered persons.

b) South African Nursing Council (SANC):  If and when the SANC becomes aware of any person who may be practicing without being registered with the SANC as a nurse (practicing illegally), the SANC investigates and criminal charges are laid against such a person.

c) South African Pharmacy Council (SAPC): The SAPC regularly conducts monitoring inspections of all registered pharmacies and in doing so, eradicates the prevalence of illegal practice.

In addition, the SAPC’s inspector works in partnership with the HAWKS and the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority in the event of Council being aware of any pharmacy being operated with illegal health practitioners.

The legislation pertaining to the access to medicines further makes it very difficult for non-registered persons to gain access to medicines legally.  

d) South African Dental Technicians Council (SADTC): The SADTC manages registration of practitioners in accordance with the enabling legislation and regulations which provides for payment of penalties for practitioners to be restored to the register and to continue practicing.

In addition, Council opens criminal cases against persons found to be practicing illegally. In 2019 Council successfully managed to close two illegal laboratories, one in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape. Both were operated by unqualified and unregistered persons. The two cases were successfully prosecuted, and both got maximum penalties.

e) Allied Health Professions Council of South Africa (AHPCSA): The AHPCSA only has legal jurisdiction over persons registered under that Statutory Health Council. Any person who practices a healthcare legally regulated profession without registration, therefore unlawfully, commits a criminal offence and the matter is reported to the law enforcement authorities.

END.

Reply:

According to the information received from Eskom

a) The total debt owed by municipalities as at June 2020 is R43.9 billion, of which R30.9 billion is overdue debt. The details of the age analysis of the total debt owed by each municipality to Eskom, as at June 2020 are set out in Annexure A.

b) (i) and (ii) The total debt of R43.9 billion, is made up of the capital amounts of R32.4 billion, interest of R6.7 billion and VAT of R4.8 billion. The makeup of total debt in terms of capital and interest for each municipality, as at June 2020 is set out in Annexure A.

c) (iii) The total Notified Maximum Demand (NMD) exceedance charge for June 2020 is R46.9 million and R104 million for the financial year to date. This is a penalty for NMD exceedance raised in terms of the NMD Rules approved by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) to discourage future exceedances and is included in the capital amount. The NMD exceedance charge, for each municipality as at June 2020 is set out in Annexure B.

Reply:

(a) There are currently two (2) ongoing COVID-19 vaccine trials in South Africa;

(b) The vaccine trials are conducted by the Respiratory and Meningeal Pathogens Research Unit, Wits Health Consortium (ChAdOx1 SARS-CoV-2 Trial) and TASK Applied Science (TASK-008 BCG- CORONA Trial); and

(c) In general, Regulation 30 of the Medicines Act (Act 101 of 1965, as amended) mandates the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) to regulate the conduct of all clinical trials in the Republic of South Africa. In carrying out this legislative mandate, SAHPRA is guided by relevant sections of the current South African Good Clinical Practice (SAGCP) Guidelines.

Specifically, sub-regulations 30(10)(b) and (c) empower SAHPRA to inspect clinical trial sites and/or withdraw authorization to conduct clinical trials, respectively. Withdrawal can be for reasons of compromised safety of trial participants, or changes in the original science behind the trial, or where the integrity of the data being generated becomes compromised. In addition, SAHPRA, in line with current SAGCP Guidelines, ensures that all protocols have had adequate oversight by registered ethics committees as part of its clinical trial protocol approval process.

All these regulatory measures taken by SAHPRA during protocol approval, and subsequent trial monitoring by both site inspections and safety monitoring reports, serve to ensure that persons participating in all clinical trials conducted in South Africa are protected from harmful and unethical medical conduct.

END.

Reply:

(1) (a) (b) The Department of Basic Education (DBE)  has developed the National draft Guidelines for Resourcing and Inclusive Education system. The proposed guidelines deal with resourcing as it relates to the inclusive education system as a whole. This system comprises Special Schools, Special Schools/Resource Centres, Full-service Schools, Ordinary Public Schools, and District-based Support Teams. It addresses barriers in two focal areas: 1) teaching and learning and 2) psycho-social and health support.

The document motivates for the development of an integrated and holistic approach which does not separate support provisioning of special and ordinary schools from that of districts and aims at strengthening support to all learners who experience barriers to learning in the system on a continuum from low to high intensity support.

The Guidelines must be seen as a key procedure to ensure the transformation of the education system towards an inclusive education system in line with the prescripts of Education White Paper 6 on Special Needs Education: Building an Inclusive Education and Training System (2001). Furthermore it calls for the appointment of healthcare professionals within the education system, in all educational institutions and offices so that learners are provided with a holistic intervention approach. The guidelines are being costed by provincial Education Departments PEDs), and a phased in strategy will be used to ensure that critical healthcare professional posts needed by provinces are filled.

(2) Community service students are required by government to complete their community service year in a clinical institution. This allows them to put into practice their clinical knowledge, so as to gain clinical experience. If the clinical institution (hospital/clinic) provides an outreach community programme, where the student can provide services to a an educational institution, the Department of Basic Education would by all means accept the services to be rendered by the community service individual. The department also encourages Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to allow students still obtaining their degree/diploma to do their clinical practicals in different education institutions so that the student has an all rounded experience and gains insight of the education system. An example of such an initiative will be the expose of student social workers who perform their practicals at schools and also have been appointed to provide services to schools in the community in which they are based in.

Reply:

(a)-(b) (i)-(ii) The department did not transact any disbursements to each province in response to COVID-19 pandemic. However, National Treasury (NT) did transfer the total amount of R466,392,000 to Provinces through the Provincial Disaster Relief Grant for immediate response to COVID-19 from Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs: National Disaster management Centre. The details of the funds are indicated on the attached approval from NT as Annexure A.

The total allocation in response to COVID-19 for the 2020/21 financial year amounts to R3,450,537,000 (Three billion four hundred and fifty million five hundred and thirty-seven rand) scheduled to be disbursed with effect from August 2020 until March 2021 to all Provincial Departments of Health as per attached Annexure B and Annexure C.

END.

Reply:

1. The table below provides details of the steps taken by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) for each proclamation made by the President in 2017:

Details of the Proclamation	Actions Taken	Civil Litigation	Disciplinary
1. Proclamation R19 of 2017	a) The SIU concluded all investigations and submitted a report to the Honourable President. b) Criminal matters were referred to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) c) Evidence obtained by the SIU resulted in the Hawks arresting eight (8) Municipal officials and one (1) private individual.	The SIU recommended that the Municipality cancel a contract of R2.5 million.	Evidence relating to misconduct against the Acting Municipal Manager, Head of Supply Chain Management and Chief Financial Officer was referred to the Honourable Mayor of Alfred Nzo District Municipality. The said officials resigned and no further action could be taken.
2. Proclamation R36 of 2017	a) The SIU concluded all investigations and submitted a report to the Honourable President. b) Criminal matters were referred to the NPA c) Seven (7) cases of Fraud d) One (1) case in terms of Section 173 of the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) e) These matters are currently being investigated by the Hawks in the Eastern Cape.	Evidence relating to an undue benefit by the service provider amounting to R60.7 million was referred for purposes of civil litigation. Combined summonses were issued by the Special Tribunal. Pleadings not yet closed and a court date yet to be determined.	Evidence relating to misconduct against the Acting Municipal Manager was referred to the Honourable Mayor of Alfred Nzo District Municipality. The Acting Municipal Manager resigned and no further action could be taken.

2. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has taken the following legal steps:

a) Upon receipt of the SIU’s referral of matters relating to the corruption of water supply tenders at the Alfred Nzo District Municipality to the NPA, case dockets were registered, and prosecutors as well as investigating officers were assigned by the NPA and the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) respectively.

b) Case planning was done by the investigating team and prosecutors, whereby two (2) legs of investigations on the matters were undertaken.

c) Police investigations in respect of one (1) of the dockets have been finalised and the charge sheet has been drafted. The case is ready for enrolment and will be placed on the court roll by end August 2020, upon which the accused, who is the service provider to the Municipality, will face charges of fraud.

d) It is anticipated that the investigations, in respect of the other leg, will be finalised in the next two (2) months or so, after which the prosecutor will start to draft the charge sheet so that the case can be placed on the court roll.

Reply:

a) The key statistic that we have been monitoring is the rate of spread of new infections i.e. the 7 day rate of change in COVID-19 cases. While the total number of infections are useful, the key statistic is the number of active cases particularly the rate of change of these active cases and the location of new cases.

b) The spread of the infection in South Africa has not been specific to rural areas or townships. The spread of the infection has been driven largely by movement and interaction by persons that are infected. The infection is droplet spread which would spread much easier in densely populated areas. The areas that have been most severely affected are the large Metros such as City of Cape Town, City of Johannesburg, Buffalo City, Nelson Mandela Bay and eThekwini. The more rural areas have been spared to a large extent from widespread infection due to our restriction on movement during level 5 and level 4. You would note to date that the more rural provinces have had much lower rates of infection – Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Northern Cape and Free State. The infection in the Eastern Cape and Kwa-Zulu is concentrated in the urban centres not rural areas.

c) The infection spread within urban areas has affected both the suburbs and the townships. There viral infection has not spared any community in terms of its transmission.

 

The increase in cases from the 5thto the 18th March was 1088% (5 to 58 cases). On the 25 March 2020 when the 21 day lockdown was announced the rate of change for COVID-19 cases decreased to 526% (58 to 362) then to 24% (362 to 1232) then to 33% (1232 to 1641 cases)-coinciding with the 14 day lockdown extension. The relatively slow rate of increase averaged about 47% until lock down level 4. It then gradually started to increase. This data proved that the lockdown achieved the objective of slowing down the rate of increase of cases, thereby giving health care authorities an opportunity to prepare the health system for the anticipated COVID-19 peaks.

END.

Reply:

a) (i) Total number of complaints for 2018/19 and 2019/20

The National Department of Health (NDoH) has developed a web-based application to assist public health facilities to comply with the National Guideline to Manage Complaints, Compliments and Suggestions in the Public Health Sector. The number of complaints as set out in the tables below are according to the web-based application which came into effect on 1 April 2018. It is important to note that not all health facilities are reporting on the system yet, therefore the number of complaints reflect those health facilities that are reporting complaints on the web-based application.

Month	# Complaints received 2018/19	# Complaints received 2019/20
April	1934	2409
May	2065	2664
June	1720	2129
July	1859	2373
August	1973	2396
September	1875	2116
October	2053	2345
November	1961	1889
December	1219	1330
January	2058	2033
February	2164	2098
March	2118	1740
TOTAL	22999	25522

(ii) Total number of complaints from 1 April to 31 July 2020

Month	# Complaints received 1 April 2020 to 31 July 2020
April	960
May	1021
June	936
July	736
TOTAL	3653

b) (i) Measures and/or processes are in place to ensure complaints are addressed

The National Health Act (Act 61 of 2003) stipulates in Section 18 that, (i) any person may lay a complaint about the manner in which he or she was treated at a health establishment and have the complaint investigated. To this effect the National Department of Health (NDoH) published the National Guideline to Manage Complaints, Compliments and Suggestions in the Public Health Sector which came into effect on 1 April 2018. Provincial workshops were held in November and December 2017 to train staff on the implementation of the Guideline. According to the Guideline a complaint is defined as the dissatisfaction, displeasure, disapproval or discontent expressed verbally or in writing by any person about the specific health services being rendered and or care being provided within the health sector.

The National Health Act, 2003 was amended in 2013 to make provision for the establishment of the Office of Health Standards Compliance (OHSC). The objects of the Office are to protect and promote the health and safety of users of health services by:

• monitoring and enforcing compliance with prescribed norms and standards
• ensuring effective management of complaints relating to non-compliance with norms and standards through a Health Ombud.

The first Health Ombud, Professor Malegapuru William Makgoba, was appointed on 1 June 2016.

(ii) Time frames and deadline that have been put in place.

According to the National Guideline to Manage Complaints, Compliments and Suggestions in the Public Health Sector, complaints must be resolved within 25 working days.

The National Guideline stipulates that complaints should be lodged at the point of care, i.e. the public health facility where the incident took place. Should the complainant feel that the facility has not addressed his/her concern to their satisfaction, he/she may escalate the complaint in writing to the relevant District Office or the Provincial Health Department. As a last resort when complainants are still aggrieved with the outcome of the District Office or Provincial Health Department’s investigation, they can lodge their complaint with the Health Ombud within the OHSC.

END.

Reply:

I have been furnished with a reply to the question submitted, by Ms Thabang Mampane, Commissioner of the National Lotteries Commission, which is reproduced below.

2019/20 Activities	Total Budget Spent
A summary of activities attached	a) Logistics	R 5 723 997.37
	b) Catering	R 1 509 085.20
	c) Venue hire	R 879 758.42
	d) Music hire	R 65 000.00
	e) Advertising	R 2 612 647.75

-END-

Reply:

The only company in business rescue is South African Airways SOC Limited (SAA).

SA Airways City Centre SOC (Limited) has been placed in voluntary liquidation before the business rescue proceedings.

None of the other companies in the group are in business rescue as the boards have not placed the companies under voluntary business rescue, nor has any other process in terms of the Companies Act been given effect to.

Reply:

a) The initial recommendation from the World Health Organisation (WHO) for persons that tested positive for COVID-19 was 14 days.

Recent evidence has shown that this isolation period can be safely shortened.

The WHO, the United States Centre for Disease Control (US-CDC), Public Health England (PHE) and the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) have recommended shorter isolation periods.

These bodies recommend the following:

Guideline	Severity
	Mild	Severe	Asymptomatic
WHO (27 May 2020)	10 (+3) days after onset of symptoms	10 days after +ve test
US CDC (05 May 2020)	10 days after onset of symptoms
ECDC (8 April 2020)	8 days after onset of symptoms	14 days after onset of symptoms	Unclear
UK PHE (14 June 2020)	7 days after onset of symptoms	7 days after +ve test (or 7 days after onset of symptoms if symptoms develop)

The National Department of Health has taken the cautious approach and adopted the WHO’s recommendation on isolation duration.

b) The decision was based on the best available scientific evidence. The evidence shows that the median time for viral shedding is approximately 8 days.[1],[2],[3],[4] These studies use in vitro cell cultures as a surrogate measure for viral shedding, however have relatively small sample sizes.

These studies were also used to inform the recommendation made by the WHO, US-CDC, ECDC, and PHE.

END.

1. Wolfel R, Corman VM, Guggemos W, Seilmaier M, Zange S, Muller MA, et al. Virological assessment of hospitalized patients with COVID-2019. Nature. 2020. ↑

2. Bullard J, Dust K, Funk D, Strong JE, Alexander D, Garnett L, et al. Predicting infectious SARS-CoV-2 from diagnostic samples. Clin Infect Dis. 2020. ↑

3. Arons MM, Hatfield KM, Reddy SC, Kimball A, James A, Jacobs JR, et al. Presymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infections and Transmission in a Skilled Nursing Facility. N Engl J Med. 2020;382(22):2081-90. ↑

4. Van Kampen JJA, van de Vijver DAMC, Fraaii PLA, et.al. Shedding infectious virus in hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19):duration and key determinants. medRxiv. 2020;2019:2020.06.08.20125310. doi: 10.1101/2020.06.08.20125310. (Pre-print) ↑

Reply:

The Honourable Member is kindly informed that the information being requested by this question is still being collated to enable the Minister to respond to the Question.

The full answer will be furnished to Parliament as soon as all the information has been received from all the relevant sources.

END.

Reply:

a) The Department of Health will provide ventilators to hospitals that have shortage of ventilators to assist with the COVID-19 spread and needs. The Department has collaborated with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), to manufacture 10,000 ventilators. These ventilators will be allocated to hospitals that do not have enough ventilators. The table here below shows the production timelines for the ventilators.

Activity	Quantity	Date
1st Batch	250	31 Jul 2020
2nd batch	600	7 Aug 2020
3rd batch	600	14 Aug 2020
4th batch	1,500	19 Aug 2020
5th batch	1,500	21 Aug 2020
6th batch	1,500	24 Aug 2020
7th batch	1,500	26 Aug 2020
8th batch	1,500	28 Aug 2020
9th batch	1,150	31 Aug 2020
Total	10,000

b) The list of hospitals that will receive the ventilators is attached as Annexure A.

END.

Reply:

South Africa continues to be at the frontline of championing the implementation of the African Union theme for the year, of “Silencing the Guns: Creating Conducive Conditions for Africa’s Development”. The flagship initiative of Silencing the Guns is at the core of activities led by the African Union, towards ensuring that Africa is a more peaceful and stable continent.

Amidst various challenges encountered such as the unprecedented global COVID-19 pandemic, we are forging ahead with this work, towards laying a foundation for achieving the objectives linked to Agenda 2063. At the centre of this agenda, is prioritising mechanisms that promote a dialogue-centred approach to conflict prevention, mediation and resolution of conflicts to ensure that peace and a culture of tolerance is entrenched.

 

Alongside leading these African Union efforts, South Africa continues to play a role of assisting in the implementation of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan. Our role is to ensure that the Revitalised Government of National Unity achieves all elements they have set out, to attain national reconciliation, national healing and that permanent and sustainable peace is restored to enable South Sudan to prosper and where its people realise their full human potential.

 

Evidence across all conflict spots, demonstrates that at the receiving end of conflict is always the ordinary people, mostly women and children who bear the brunt of immeasurable pain and disruption to their lives. In conflict, women and children often face the daunting task of keeping families together after displacement by providing food, clothing and shelter. With our humanitarian intervention in South Sudan, women are the majority of beneficiaries. The same is true for the Central African Republic, where the conflict of over the past two decades has had a dramatic impact on women and children.

 

To date, South Africa has been championing interventions in the region, which are focused on facilitating high level national dialogues, reconciliation support, offering high level advisory services and the necessary technical support required for building and strengthening the political and economic infrastructure required for sustainable democracy. We do this, for we believe that conflict is not good for our continent as it stunts growth and development. It breeds discontent and it is a recipe for disaster.

 

In our engagements with leaders on the continent, we have always advocated for international, regional and national strategies which are gender responsive, and focused on the advancement of the rights of women and girls.

This year the world also marks 25 years since the Beijing Declaration: Platform for Action that was adopted by the United Nations, which advocated strongly for the rights of women and gender equality to be prioritised. As we mark the historic Beijing Declaration, we also need to guard against regressing on the gains made in the global fight against all forms of violence against women and other forms of gender-based violence and femicide.

 

According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS for instance, nearly one in three women worldwide have experienced physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner, non-partner sexual violence or both in their lifetime.

 

The United Nations Security Council Resolution 1820 further highlights that, sexual violence is “a tactic of war to humiliate, dominate, instil fear in, disperse and/or forcibly relocate civilian members of a community or an ethnic group.” In such instances, rape is used to demoralise and destabilise entire communities. Women and children are often the most vulnerable to this war tactic during times of conflict.

 

As we have said, these challenges have been exacerbated by the global COVID-19 pandemic, which is heavily affecting the livelihoods, socio-economic stability and security of many families and communities in Africa. This pandemic has shown that women and girls are disproportionally affected, often finding themselves at the forefront of fighting the disease.

 

We can all agree that more needs to be done at individual country level as well as globally to eradicate such violations. We have always advocated for strategies that would commit Member States of the African Union to ensure access to justice for victims and survivors of gender-based violence, protecting women and girls in humanitarian situations across Africa, and establishing of humanitarian corridors for accessing aid.

We are encouraged that the African Union recognises gender equality as a fundamental human right, and an integral part of regional integration, economic growth and social development. To this end, the African Union has developed a strategy for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, to ensure the inclusion of women in Africa’s development agenda. This Gender Empowerment strategy is a timely intervention to address imbalances and gender inequities.

 

We are confident that all parties and stakeholders in South Sudan, will ensure that peace holds and that women are not hindered in playing a leading role in the rebuilding of the country and all its institutions.

 

South Africa shall continue to support such efforts, as we do with the capacity training programme that supports peace-building efforts. The training focuses on increasing existing mediation capacity of women.

 

The Capacity Training Programme in Conflict Resolution, Negotiation and Mediation attracts international women, the majority of which are from African Member States to the African Union. This programme has trained 26 women leaders, including those from the Republic of South Sudan in the current year.

 

In conclusion, we have always sought to ensure that our commitment to the promotion, protection and fulfilment of human rights is among the guiding principles that inform South Africa’s engagement with South Sudan, and the rest of Africa.

 

-En

Reply:

(a)

Military Veterans’Housesillegally occupied

1. Gauteng

Region	Name of project	No: of units
West Rand	Westonaria Borwa	21
Johannesburg	Lufhereng EXT 1	12
Sedibeng	Savannah city	27
	Tshepong	20
	Golden Gardens	5
Tshwane	Nellmapiusext 22	33
	Rama City	15
TOTAL	133

2. Eastern Cape

Municipality	Name of project	N0: of units
Chris Hani	Lukhanji	26
TOTAL	26

3. Kwa-Zulu Natal

In Kwa-Zulu Natal there is no housing project for Military Veterans to date. The Military Veterans in the province illegally occupied the 40 sqm Breaking New Ground houses, normal RDP houses. Refer to the table hereunder;

Municipality	Name of project	N0: of units
Ethekwini	Cornubia	34
Ethekwini	Philani Valley	23
Ethekwini	Harmmonds Farm	7
Ethekwini	Kingsburgh West	33
Msunduzi	Aloe Ridge Social Housing	261
TOTAL	358

4. No houses have been invaded in the following Provinces;

a. Limpopo

b. North West

c. Free State

d. Mpumalanga

e. Western Cape

f. Northern Cape

(b)The Department of Military Veterans has agreed with role-players such as the Department of Human Settlements, the Housing Development Agency and Contractors to submit the approved allocation lists of Military Veteransso that the names should be linked to stand numbers before construction on housing projects commences.

Reply:

1. Defence Intelligence regularly compiles regional assessments that outlines the security situation in the Southern African Development Community, including the developments in Cabo Delgado Province, Mozambique.

2. The assessments are shared with the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence (JSCI) if and when required.

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

(a) The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) embarked on the Immovable Asset Register (IAR) Enhancement Programme to address management assertions in order to ensure that the IAR is complete and credible.

The historical context of the IAR and various sources of data is considered in addressing the completeness and accuracy of the register. This include the compliance with the Public Finance Management Act, Government Immovable Asset Management Act, and National Treasury guidelines including the National Treasury Immovable Asset Guide section 3.2 (b).

Reconciliation of the IAR is done considering the following:

• Deeds records
• Property Management Information System
• DRDLR Vesting Data (LAW)
• Devolved Properties - deemed provincial properties linked to the devolved budget for rates
• Original title deeds - aktex records or copies of the title deed
• Chief Surveyor General - CSG information on surveyed land parcels
• User Asset Management Plans (U-AMPs)
• Points of Interest and security clusters - police, prisons, courts & defence.
• Other National or Provincial IARs

Given the above activities, it must be borne in mind that the IAR changes from time to time to take account of the numerous entries which occur as a result of the completed infrastructure projects, section 42 transfers in line with PFMA, disposal of properties, and the rectification of erroneously registered and vested properties.

AdetailedreconciliationofDPWIpropertiesagainsttheDeedsrecordsand IARsofotherNationalandProvincialcustodianswasconducted between 2011 and 2013.Thisexercisewas followed by physical verification and high level condition assessment of DPWI properties between 2014 and 2016.

In addition DPWI applied the deemed cost model on immovable assets in order to eliminate the historically recorded R1 values contained in the Immovable Asset Register. For example, the total value of immovable assets as at 31 March 2013 was only R3.5billion because most assets were recorded at R1 due to the lack of historical cost information/values. The total value of immovable assets is now more than R120billion since the 2016/17 financial year.

A detailed reconciliation of DPWI properties against the Deeds records and IARs of other National and Provincial custodians is conducted twice annually.

DPWI has also recruited young graduates, experienced project managers and other specialists on contract to maintain the IAR, but most importantly to reduce reliance on service providers in line with Auditor-General’s recommendation. Physical verification is being conducted by these contract specialists since June 2015 in order to comply with the relevant GRAP standards and Section 13 (d) of GIAMA.

Furthermore, the maintenance of data is managed by the DPWI specialists, GIS professionals, and accountants with articles, chartered accountants, data analysts, administrators, and property managers.

Significant progress has been made in addressing historical and legacy issues affectingnationalandprovincialcustodiansofimmovableassets.Landparcelsto bevested(confirmationofownershipintermsoftheConstitution)underDPWIhave been recorded in the IAR on the basis of substance overform.

(b)(i), (ii) DPWI is currently reviewing all its systems to finally move towards a more reliable and complete IAR.

Reply:

(1) The average age of the permanent infantry force of the SA National Defence Force is 38 years.

(a) South African Infantry Corp (SAIC) members are deemed to be members from the rank of Rifleman (Rfn) up to Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col). Members above the rank of Lt Col are part of the SA Staff Corps (SA St C), and no longer part of the SAIC, although their original mustering may have been in the SAIC.

(b) Average ages of members of the SAIC by rank group are as follows:

1. Rifleman - 34 years.
2. Lance Corporal - 44 years.
3. Corporal - 46 years.
4. Sergeant - 48 years.
5. Staff Sergeant - 51 years.
6. Warrant Officer (Class 2) - 53 years
7. Warrant Officer (Class 1) - 55 years
8. Second Lieutenant - 33 years
9. Lieutenant - 36 years
10. Captain - 41 years
11. Major - 46 years
12. Lieutenant Colonel - 50 years

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) has approved a total of 14 land parcels measuring 1004.0186 hectares to be released for human settlements purposes.

a) The land transfer is at various stages. Currently,no land transfers have taken place due to requirement of legislation that National Treasury endorsement must be obtained on properties that are transferred below market value. In this instance, two land parcels out of the fourteen land parcels arewiththeNationalTreasuryforconsiderationwhilstthe market valuation offive land parcels have been approved by the Land Affairs Board and will be submitted to National Treasury.

The DPWI has informed me that valuation of the seven parcels of land will be considered by the Land Affairs Board and submitted to National Treasury before the end of August.

b) The Department has prioritised the release of 47 land parcels measuring 1416.8195 hectares within this financial year. The remaining land parcels will be prioritised for release in 2021-22 financial year pending receiving formal requests with supporting documentation,includingdevelopmentplans,whichwillprovideanindicationofexact extent of land to be released. DPWI will process these requests subject toavailability of the identified properties and completion of feasibilityinvestigations.

The delay in transfers is caused by the requirement of National Treasury for market value. To speed up the process, DPWI has requested that National Treasury consider municipal value instead of market value. DPWI cannot skip these processes of the Land Affairs Board and the National Treasury as it is required by legislation.

Reply:

Emergency Support Team (EST) from the Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North-West Region were deployed to work at the KwaZulu-Natal Reginal office.

(a) The deployment commenced on 24 April 2020 and ended on 22 May 2020.

(b)(i - iv)

EXPENDITURE	AMOUNT
Subsistence & Travel (S&T)	R78 721.04
Fuel	R30 556.45
Overtime	R92 317.06
Toll gates	R2 912.89
Standby allowances	R40 698.00
Public holidays	R33 229.52
Total Sunday allowance	R20 762.37
Accommodation	R855 653.00
TOTAL DEPLOYMENT COST	R1 154 850.33

END

Reply:

Yes, The Department is still issuing the food parcels that were distributed at the beginning of the lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus to indigent persons and those whose income was affected;

From the beginning of Covid-19 response till the end of Quarter 1 (April - June), the programme has distributed a total of 800 968 food parcels to about 4 004 840persons.

The programme reach in each month is as follows:

March food parcel distribution to households per province
Province	Food parcels distributed	Estimated number of people reached (5/household)
Eastern Cape	0	0
Free State	0	0
Gauteng	807	4 035
Kwa Zulu Natal	0	0
Limpopo	0	0
Mpumalanga	0	0
Northern Cape	0	0
North West	0	0
Western Cape	16 788	83 940
Total	17 595	87 975

April food parcel distribution to households per province
PROVINCE	Food Parcels Distributed	Estimated number of people reached (5/Household)
Eastern Cape	8 054	40 270
Free State	14 732	73 660
Gauteng	58 944	294 720
Kwa Zulu Natal	20 156	100 780
Limpopo	36 772	183 860
Mpumalanga	27 817	139 085
Northern Cape	25 554	127 770
North West	18 396	91 980
Western Cape	44 518	222 590
Total	254 943	1 274 715

May food parcel distribution to households per province
Province	Food Parcels Distributed	Estimated number of people reached (5/Household)
Eastern Cape	23 415	117 075
Free State	33 020	165100
Gauteng	106 598	532 990
Kwa Zulu Natal	12 120	60 600
Limpopo	52 692	263 460
Mpumalanga	56 212	281 060
Northern Cape	24 672	123 360
North West	7 638	38 190
Western Cape	22 780	113 900
Total	339 147	1 695 735

June food parcel distribution to households per province
Province	Food Parcels Distributed	Estimated number of people reached (5/Household)
Eastern Cape	860	4 300
Free State	860	4 300
Gauteng	129 190	645 950
Kwa Zulu Natal	18 184	90 920
Limpopo	18 245	91 225
Mpumalanga	860	4 300
Northern Cape	860	4 300
North West	860	4 300
Western Cape	860	4 300
Total	170 779	853 895

Reply:

a) The Defence Force has deployed personnel in support of other Government Departments to mitigate against COVID-19 pandemic. The deployed forces include health care services, engineering capabilities and lockdown enforcement elements.

b) The focus is on support to the SAPS, Health and Humanitarian Assistance, health care and water purification.

Reply:

Ser No	Area Office	CAS No	Offence	Status
01	Wynberg MP	09/04/2020	Common Assault, a journalist alleged that he was driving behind a Military Convoy in Masiphumelele Township in Cape Town where he observed an SANDF member assaulting a civilian with a wooden stick	A case docket was referred to LEGSATO Cape Town and was withdrawn on 03 June 2020

Other cases were reported to the South African Police Services and progress can only be obtained from SAPS.

Reply:

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE

i) The department of Defence has not been allocated an additional amount by National Treasury. Following the budget estimate of Rb4.5 estimate the department of defence was allocated Rb3.0 on the 24th of June 2020 for COVID-19 expenses.

ii) The breakdown of R3.0 billion is as follows;

(a) R763.4 million for Cost of Employment (CoE/personnel costs), and;

(b) R2.2 billion for goods and Services and Capital equipment.

(ii) As of the 31st of July 2020, personnel costs totalling R476 million have been paid to SANDF personnel, and orders of goods and services amounting of R1.5 billion have been placed of which R1.1 billion been delivered and paid. (R753 million for PPE and minor medical equipment)

(iv) Procurement of additional equipment for a field hospital (SAMHS) is in the process of being finalised.

DEPARTMENT OF MILITARY VETERANS

Covid 19 Spending Plan:

The Department of Military Veterans (DMV), in response to the Covid 19 pandemic, developed a Covid 19 Response Plan. In order to execute the plan, the DMV prioritised funds, following the guidelines provided by National Treasury, 2020 Special Adjustment of Budget. An amount of R4.3 million has been set aside to spend on Covid 19 related items.

Details of the Plan:

In an attempt to remain compliant with matters related to Covid 19 pandemic, the plan includes amongst other things, the procurement of Masks, Gloves,

Goggles, Face Shields, Temperature Scanners, Sanitizers, various detergents and cleaning materials, amongst other things.

Reply:

South Africa is a country endowed with abundant energy resources. Coal, nuclear, solar power, and wind power all play a central role in the socio-economic development of our country, while simultaneously providing the necessary infrastructure and economic base for the country to become an attractive host for foreign investments in the energy sector. Successful and sustainable utilisation of all possible energy carriers in our country is vital for energy security, sustainable economic growth and development.

Cabinet approved the Integrated Resource Plan 2019 which is our blueprint, spelling out our energy mix objectives to meet electricity demand between now and the year 2030. Eskom generation capacity forms a significant part of our energy supply into the future and hence our attention to resolve its plant performance and financial challenges. As in all sectors of the economy, the state does not have sufficient resources to go it alone. The energy sector is therefore not an exception.

During the 2020 State of the Nation Address, President Cyril Ramaphosa committed to the following, amongst others:

• A Section 34 Ministerial Determination will be issued to give effect to the Integrated Resource Plan 2019, enabling the development of additional grid capacity from renewable energy, natural gas, hydro power, battery storage and coal.
• The procurement of emergency power from projects that can deliver electricity into the grid within 3 to 12 months from approval, will be initiated.
• Measures to be introduced to enable municipalities in good financial standing to procure their own power from Independent Power Producers will be put in place.
  
  The Eskom Political Task Team was appointed and has been seized with ensuring that we accelerate processes to provide additional energy capacity through the implementation of the Emergency Energy Procurement Programme. Concurrence has been received from the National Energy Regulator of South Africa to the Section 34 determination by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy to procure an additional 2 000 MW as pronounced by President Ramaphosa. This will in total enable the development of additional 11 813MW of power from 2022 which is in addition to the 2000MW under emergency procurement. It will further be in addition to the Bid Window 4 contribution to the grid.
  
  We are concerned about the disruptive nature and negative impact power interruptions have on the economy. To mitigate against current load shedding and load reduction, Government has also initiated a number of initiatives that include:
• Eskom procurement of power from private companies through short term power contracts under the Short Term Power Purchase Programme. It is expected that the final contract will be awarded by no later than the end of September 2020. Further, measures to expedite this process are being explored.
• The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy procurement programme of 2000 MW with Eskom as the buyer.
• The Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy enabling generation for own use through inclusion of distributed capacity in the IRP 2019, as well as amendments to Schedule 2 of the Electricity Act.
• Financially sustainable municipalities being enabled to procure own power generation as off-takers from Independent Power Producers or through public, private partnerships.

Therefore, private power generation by consumers or Independent Power Producers will play a significant role in helping close the demand and supply role as a result of the lower than expected Eskom generation plant Energy Availability Factor.

In summary, a combination of generation for own use, municipal generation and Independent Power Producers can play a significant role in helping close the supply and demand gap due to Eskom plant challenges.

Partnership with Independent Power Producers is in alignment with the National Development Plan goals of job creation, skills development and improving the livelihoods of people. We are optimistic that this will provide the necessary capital investment in the sector and will further contribute to the diversification of both the supply and nature of energy production.

We remain optimistic that the Independent Power Producers, in partnership with Eskom will provide a sustainable and complementary solution to our electricity generation challenges.

As we continue to sharpen our resolve towards the realisation of the National Development Plan, we need to find innovative and affordable funding mechanisms for the participation of black entrepreneurs in the energy space, which will allow the development of black industrialists, as well as ensuring participation of black entrepreneurs in the main stream economy.

It is government’s position that South Africa cannot address inequality, poverty and unemployment without economic empowerment of historically disadvantaged groups such as black people, women, youth and people with disabilities without the support of the private sector. As we move forward, we need to accelerate the participation of youth and women in the energy sector in particular.

 

-End-

Reply:

The total number of parolees in the South African system as on 29 February 2020 is as follows:

Probationers	Parolees	Awaiting Trial Person (ATPs)	Total
7 371	45 914	1252	54537

END

Reply:

The Department of Military Veterans through its MoU with the South African Military Healthcare Services (SAMHS), provides for Military Veterans to be authorized for referral to the nearest Public or Private healthcare facility/hospital, where SAMHS does not have such facilities. This provision continues to be applicable during the Covid 19 pandemic.

Reply:

Whereas it is not evident from where the statistics cited in the question is derived from, whenever we have responded to questions in Parliament on the revitalisation of rural and township economies, we have emphasised the objective of ensuring that we transform townships and villages from labour and consumption reserves into thriving productive investment hubs that contribute to broader economic transformation of previously marginalised communities.

To achieve this, government policy seeks to bring Historically Disadvantaged Individuals and their businesses into the main stream economy. According to the National Treasury, it is not correct that 70 percent of government spend is allocated to established white owned businesses. The opposite is in fact true, where government spend has been used to transform the economy by sourcing from black-owned enterprises.

Further details on procurement by the state from these enterprises can be sourced from the Office of the Chief Procurement Officer in the National Treasury.

Failure to adequately empower women and capacitate youth compromises efforts and campaigns dedicated towards social cohesion and nation-building. In our effort to empower women and the youth, government’s approach is centred on promoting and supporting local businesses, whilst we emphasise the involvement of local communities.

The National Treasury will release statistics on these categories of business in terms of Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act (PPPFA) Objectives at the end of September 2020 for the 2019/2020 financial year, and up to August 2020 for the current financial year. The National Treasury has commenced a process to modernise and automate public procurement system as part of strengthening the system.

This is to enhance oversight and reporting including addressing of fragmented procurement systems in the different spheres of government and entities running separate systems and insufficient standardised transactional data being centrally collected. It is intended that procurement will be better reported on including all spend across all of government by designated groups according to the PPPFA objectives frequently and regularly.

This will assist us in examining the spread of the procurement spend and categories of goods and services rendered and where possible, identify gaps and areas of the economy that requires further intervention. These interventions are critical if we are to promote inclusive economic growth and equitable employment opportunities.

This government remains steadfast in its commitment to implement legislation, policies, regulations and programmes which seek to redress the legacy of apartheid with a particular focus on black women and youth. Inequalities are indeed deeply entrenched and will require continued, purposeful action by all.

 

-End-

Reply:

1. The criteria for Top Secret security clearance are multiple and include the successful completion of the vetting process that includes

1.1 Verification of the subject’s/applicant’s records as reflected in databases:

• criminal records;
• financial records;
• personal information; or
• any other information that is relevant to determine the security clearance of a person.

•  

1.2 The positive outcome following a vetting fieldwork investigation. For a Top-Secret Security Clearance, the process entails the following:

• Full record checks on databases (as mentioned above);
• A subject/applicant interview;
• Two (2) interviews with references;
• One (1) work enquiry; and
• A polygraph examination and evaluation.

(1.2.2) Regarding the later point, all resultant reports (subject/applicant and combined References’ Interview Report; Investigation Memorandum, and Investigation Diary and Polygraph report.) are then sent to the Evaluation division.

(1.2.2) In assessing the reports, the Evaluator will consider the following in his/her risk summary as per the Legislation:

• Integrity;
• Loyalty to the State and the relevant institution; and
• Non-susceptibility to extortion and blackmail;
• Non-amenability to bribes and non-susceptibility to being compromised due to his or her behaviour or vulnerabilities.

These qualities are critical criteria for employment in a position requiring Top Secret security clearance.

(1. 3) Based on the Evaluator’s recommendations – emergent from records, interviews and investigations – on whether to issue, degrade, withdraw or refuse to grant a security clearance, the State Security Agency’s (SSA’s) Director-General signs off on the vetting result.

2. Regarding Mr Mc Bride’s security clearance:

2.1 On 5 October 2018, the request for the vetting of Mr Mc Bride to the level of a Top Secret level was received from the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID).

2.2  His employment at the IPID was later terminated.

2.2 On 23 April 2020, the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) requested the SSA to transfer his Top Secret clearance to them.

2.3 On 29 June 2020, the SSA Acting Director-General enquired about the progress on the vetting of the said subject.

2.4 On 30 June 2020, the SSA Human Resource Consultant enquired about the vetting of the said subject.

2.5 On 1 July 2020, the subject was contacted to avail himself for a personal interview and it followed all the steps outlined above.

2.6 As per the approved Standard Operating Procedure (VA01/2010) on Vetting Fieldwork Investigation, a Polygraph test for a Top-Secret Clearance is required. However, due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, a Polygraph examination could not be conducted, the specific reason being that the procedure would require the Polygraph Examiner to be in close proximity of the subject in a closed area for an extended period; thus exposing them (polygraph examiner/subject) to a possible transmission of the virus.

2.7 Nonetheless, given that all the other tests resulted in a positive outcome, the security clearance was issued on condition that as soon as the COVID-19 infection rate flattens, the Polygraph examination will be conducted.

2.8 Accordingly, a Top-Secret security clearance procedure was conducted on Mr Mc Bride and a Top-Secret security clearance was issued on the basis of the information currently available to the SSA.

2.9 A Top-Secret Clearance was issued on 14 July 2020.

3. Not at this stage.

Reply:

(1) The Minister has never been asked by the President to intervene on the matter in question.

Any legal matter between South Africa and any other country would be dealt with through the appropriate channels and instruments, such as mutual legal assistance. The Ministry responsible for the Civilian Intelligence structures is not one of such instruments.

(2) There has never been a discussion between the President of Botswana and the Minister on this matter.

(3) None.

(4) The visit was cancelled because of other commitments.

(5) Purpose for which the visit was intended remains valid, therefore, a visit in the near future cannot be rulled out.

Reply:

We note the very important question raised which relates to a doctor who is based in Texas, in the United States of America.

 

We are all focused on flattening the curve of coronavirus infections in our country, hence government has led a robust country response under the auspices of the National Coronavirus Command Council. Much progress has been made in this regard. We have substantively reduced the number of new infections and increased the number of recoveries now at 88.6 percent.

We also are looking forward to the development of potential treatments, and a vaccine for the COVID-19 pandemic, hence the Minister of Health has followed up on these claims in earnest. The President is working with other global leaders to ensure that once the vaccine is found, it is equitably accessible to all countries including South Africa.

 

The Department of Health has advised us that the drug in question has not been approved to treat people infected with the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa. To this end, the Department of Health will continue to issue guidelines for the use of government approved drugs in all our health facilities for COVID-19 patients.

 

As a nation, we see value in participating in clinical trials that comply with the highest ethical standards. Our participation will ensure that we contribute to the body of knowledge, and secure our access to therapeutics when they are ready for clinical application.

 

We welcome all well-founded, and lawful scientific trials for the development of government approved drugs including vaccine trials that will assist our country to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. However, we must caution against rushing to embrace unproven, and unscrupulous claims of COVID-19 drugs, treatments and vaccines that may derail our government’s efforts to deal with this pandemic.

 

-End-

Reply:

The Moral Regeneration Movement came into existence as a result of former President Nelson Mandela’s resolve, that while the new dispensation needed to meet tangible material needs of previously dehumanised black majority, it was also necessary that there be a commensurate programme that would focus on rekindling the very basic moral fibre of the South African society that had almost been destroyed by years of colonialism and apartheid oppression.

Colonialism, racialism and apartheid were at their very core immoral and extremely violent, and the negative impact they have made on communities is abysmal. Therefore, from the very beginning, it was envisaged that there would be a national programme on moral regeneration led by civil society and supported by government and other key sectors of society, including business and the religious fraternity.

 

In appreciating this historical context and the lived social reality of being an integral part of the continent, the moral regeneration vision draws sustenance from the African moral ethic of Ubuntu, which appeals to humanity’s interdependence and interconnectedness.

 

As this question relates to the statement issued by the Moral Regeneration Movement in April this year following the introduction of the Nationwide Lockdown, it is important to reiterate that the Moral Regeneration Movement is an independent civil society formation that takes its own position on a variety of issues, some of which we may agree with, while others we may not necessarily agree with.

 

It is to be noted that the very same statement makes reference to minimising corruption. Our position is contrary. As government of the African National Congress, we seek to eliminate corruption in all its forms and manifestations. That is why we have said on numerous occasions that where any acts of corruption are proven, we are determined to act without any fear or favour against those involved.

 

To this end, as Government, we have developed an overarching National Anti- Corruption Strategy which is aimed at:

 

• Rejuvenating a national dialogue and direct energy towards practical mechanisms to reduce corruption and improve ethical practice across sectors and amongst citizens in South Africa.

 

• Providing a robust conceptual framework and strategic pillars to guide anti- corruption approaches across relevant sectors in the country, and
• Support coordination between government, business and civil society efforts to reduce corruption and improve accountability and ethical practice, while providing tools for monitoring progress towards a less corrupt society.

 

For us as a nation, in order to achieve these goals, we should all work together and appreciate that moral regeneration is a fundamental pillar of building a cohesive and caring society that is grounded on ethical values.

 

As a Patron of the Moral Regeneration Movement, we therefore support those programmes of the Moral Regeneration Movement that seek to build the nation and enhance social cohesion in line with the vision of a new society, as articulated in our National Development Plan – a society that is non-racial, non-sexist and democratic.

 

We wish to emphasise that the various programmes of the Moral Regeneration Movement must go deeper into interrogating the root causes of social ills that continue to plague our society. These programmes must also seek to address the deep inequalities that exist in our society. Such inequalities further manifest in acts of sexism, patriarchal tendencies and economic exclusion of women. Until these inequalities are addressed, we will not achieve our dream of a cohesive and united society.

 

The Moral Regeneration Movement seeks to address some of these challenges that are inherent to issues of inequality in our society. In its work and articulation of the vision for a better South Africa, the Moral Regeneration Movement advocates for the Charter of Positive Values as an expression and interpretation of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights from a perspective of ordinary people. This is the key tool it has adopted and advocates for, in order to rebuild South Africa’s moral fibre. At the heart of this programme are values of responsibility and accountability, honesty and integrity, equity and equality among others.

There have been some disturbing reports during the nationwide lockdown period that related to increased levels of gender based violence, human rights abuses, and the destruction of schools in certain areas. Government and many civil society formations strongly condemned these incidents which clearly sought to undermine the rule of law. Such incidents are manifestations of deep societal problems that need condemnation by all of us, and for stronger partnerships across society as a response as well as immediate action.

 

That is why the Movement is currently implementing an action plan that contains tangible strategic interventions in rekindling basic morality and ethics. It has for its part, continued sponsoring community dialogues on gender based violence and femicide as a way to engender positive behavioural change. These public engagements are currently being rolled out mainly through virtual platforms.

 

The Movement is also collaborating with the South African Local Government Association on the programme to promote ethical leadership. Through this initiative, Councillors are taken through orientation on the fundamentals of ethical leadership thus ensuring that we reduce the propensity or inclination for corrupt activities. This programme needs to be supported so that it reaches all other levels of leadership in society.

 

The violent service delivery protests and anarchy that we observe in some communities from time to time, and which undermine the rule of law, are in many instances as a result of lack of ethical leadership and corruption associated with service delivery.

 

Nation building is not an event, but a social engineering process that needs to fester across society over time. We are all called upon to act in ways that counter social attitudes and practices that are at odds with the society we seek to build, as envisioned in our Constitution.

 

-End-

Reply:

1. All clients seeking to apply for disability related grants are booked at SASSA Local Offices using the Electronic Medical Assessment Statistical Template. Such clients are booked for an assessment at a particular assessment site on a particular date and there is no differentiation between new and existing beneficiaries. Thebooking is to assist the Agency to monitor service demands and monitor the time it takes for clients before they are assessed. As at 29 June 2020, status is as below:

Region	Assessments
Eastern Cape	835
Free State	309
Gauteng	2 553
KwaZulu-Natal	1 632
Limpopo	1 664
Mpumalanga	1 165
Northern Cape	359
North West	4 574
Western Cape	4 945
Total	19 053

2. SASSA strives to ensure that all clients booked are assessed within a month and clients waiting for more than a month are referred to as backlogs.Programme managers are required to come up with innovative measures to address backlogs and avoid the emergence of backlogs. The current numbers have been exacerbated as a result of the lockdown and closure of SASSA Local Offices under level 5; as well as the limited resources at local offices during levels 4 and 3.

3. SASSA implements a hybrid model for disability management, which relies on both contracted medical officers as well as medical officers from Department of Health. The numbers of doctors provided by Department of Health is not a fixed number – it depends on resources available within the various assessment sites.

The total number of doctors contracted directly by SASSA is 475 nationally. The number per province is indicated below:

Region	Contracted doctors
Eastern Cape	28
Free State	44
Gauteng	52
KwaZulu-Natal	134
Limpopo	72
Mpumalanga	27
Northern Cape	80
North West	28
Western Cape	10
Total	475

4. All requests for assessments are captured on the Electronic Medical Assessment Template (EMAST) which flags all clients waiting more than 30 days for an assessment from the date of booking. In such situations programme managers are expected to either add a resource in the form of a doctor, another assessment day within that week or recruit either doctor from other further areas and in certain instance ask for services of doctors from neighbouring provinces.

The backlog has been exacerbated as a result of the lockdown. Limited disability related services at Local Offices have resumed under Level 3 lockdown. A strategy has been developed to progressively resume with the assessment related activities as from 1 July 2020. The ability to provide these services does depend on the ability for assessments to be undertaken, as there is still limited access to health facilities.

The strategy prioritises the following categories of applicants in order of priority:

• Those who were assessed prior to lockdown but who were unable to complete the application process;
• Those who were booked for assessments but could not be seen as a result of the lockdown – these clients will be rebooked for assessments;
• Urgent new applications, where the assessment is already done by the health facility and only the application needs to be done;
• New applications in accordance with available capacity of assessing doctors.

The number of assessments booked per assessment schedule has been reduced to 20 from 40 to ensure compliance with the COVID-19 protocols related to sanitation, social distancing and hygiene.

A particular challenge exists in Western Cape, where the majority of the assessments are undertaken in health facilities. The ability of SASSA to accept new applicants for disability grants is there for seriously, negatively impacted by this. In order to address this, SASSA Western Cape has been granted authority to deviate from normal tender processes by National Treasury to appoint doctors in the George and Boland areas through a closed bidding process by approaching all doctors listed on the HPCSA database as a fairness measure.

Reply:

The HIV pandemic has over the years taught us that biomedical approaches alone are not able to prevent and stem out the spread of new infections, hence a multi-sectoral approach is required to respond to the epidemic.

a) In 2008, UNAIDS noted that new HIV infections were not declining in most countries including South Africa, but continued to increase rapidly. This therefore prompted UNAIDS to call uponall countries to engage in a ‘know your epidemic, know your response’ exercise to allow governments to understand the drivers of the epidemic in order to base HIV prevention efforts on evidence and not on perceptions.The Human Science Research Council (HSRC) therefore conducted a study called Know Your Epidemic, Know Your Response in 2011 for South Africa. This study found that HIV is more than a health issue but a developmental issue because factors that fuel HIV&AIDS are due to human behaviour as well as social and structural in nature andtherefore a social approach was required in addressing these factors. This assisted South Africa to develop the National Strategic Plan on HIV, STIs and TB (NSP) 2012-2016 which mandated the Department of Social Development (DSD) to lead the goal on addressing social and structural drivers of HIV because DSD’s mandate and commitment is on social transformation and we focus mainly on facilitating human development and improving the quality of lives of people by addressing the social and structural barriers to this quality of life.

DSD therefore developed a Compendium of Social and Behaviour Change programmes using the social ecology approachwhich aims at addressing all levels of society, including the individual, interpersonal relationships, family, communities, and systems. The social ecology model has enabled DSD to develop (1) social and behaviour change programmes that seek to address risky behaviours with a view to motivate behaviour change within individuals and social units by use of a range of educational, counseling, motivational, peer-group, skills-building approaches, and community normative approaches which are delivered in small interactive groups; as well as (2) incorporate structural strategies that already exist in the Department (such as social grants, poverty alleviation programmes) which seek to change the context that contributes to individuals’ vulnerability and risk to HIV. The following are the compendium of social and behaviour change programmes which DSD has developed: YOLO, ChommY, Families Matter programme, Men Championing Change programme, Boys Championing Change programme, Community Capacity Enhancement programme and Traditional Leaders programme. These programmes are implemented alongside DSD’s existing programmes that target the structural drivers of the pandemic e.g. social grants and food security programmes. These programmes target different target groups within the social ecology model.

b) The Department partnered with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) since 2011. This partnership assisted the Department to establish a Government Capacity Building and Support Program (GCBS) which aims at strengthening the capacity of the Department of Social Development to respond to HIV&AIDS. The GCBS programme assisted in training Social Services Professionals (SSPs) on the compendium of social and behaviour change programmes in the country. A Train-the-Trainer approach was adopted for each programme and this has ensured that each province has a pool of SSPs that are able to cascade and roll-out the trainings in each district.To-date, a total number of 1 694 SSPs were trained on the social and behaviour change programmes since 2017. The Department also partnered with the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) to roll-out the training of Non Profit Organisations (NPOs) on the compendium of social and behaviour change programmes.SANAC has to-date trained 557 SSPs in all 9 provinces since 2016. The Department had planned to train a further 300 SSPs for this financial year 2020/21, however this has been reviewed to 100 SSPs due to the lockdown restrictions since the trainings are face-to-face with interactive exercises and role-modelling. These trainings will commence in November 2020. Each SSP will be trained on each of the seven (7) social and behaviour change programmes mentioned under (a) above. Each training comprises a minimum of 4 days. This means that each SSP requires a total number of 28 days to complete the entire Compendium of Social and Behaviour Change programmes.

c) These seven (7)social and behaviour change programmes, mentioned above under (a), are implemented together as a package within the same given community, in an integrated manner. Each programme has a Facilitator’s Manual and a Participant’s Manual. The implementation of these programmes is complemented by other DSD existing programmes such as the KeMoja programme. TheDepartment is currently funding 17 NPOs in the country, since 2016, to implement the compendium of social and behaviour change programmes in 30 Districts which have the highest rate of new HIV infections. The NPOs have appointed SSPs that implement the programmes using different approaches which include interactive group facilitated workshops for the different target groups, as well as facilitated community dialogues which include YOLO Jam Sessions, Community Capacity Enhancement sessions, Boys Assemblies, Men’s Lounges, National and District Men’s Parliaments.

d) Implementation of these social and behaviour change programmes commenced in 2016 and is still continuing in all 9 provinces in the 30 districts in the country. Due to budgetary constraints, the Department is not able to expand the implementation of the programmes to all 52 districts.

e) The entire budget for the training and implementation of the social and behaviour change programmes for the 2020/21 financial year is R93m. This budget is for all nine (9) provinces and it is not enough to cater for all 52 Districts.

Reply:

(1) The Department of Social Development is not in the financial position to provide any additional financial support to registered ECD centres that remain closed under the state of national disaster as there is no budget specifically allocated for this purpose. However,on 9 May 2020, the Minister of Social Development issued Directions that “The Department must continue to subsidize the early childhood development centres during the state of national disaster” (See Government Notice 517 published in Government Gazette No 43300 of 9 May 2020). This Direction immediately waived the requirement that early childhood development programmes that already receive subsidy need to submit a new application for funding for the 2020/2021 financial while the national state of disaster is in place. The collective amount being paid annually towards this funding is R3.1 billion, targeting early childhood development programmes in poor communities in particular. This funding continues to be paid out to early childhood development centres through the nine provincial departments of social development, which is a provincial competency as contemplated in section 93(1) of the Children’s Act 38 of 2005. This is a significant step that is intended to buffer the impact of the measures implemented during the national state of disaster risk-adjusted lockdown.

(2) The Department is currently in discussion with the National Treasury to repurpose the current ECD infrastructure conditional grant towards supporting early childhood development programmes with personal protective equipment for personnel and staff. If successful, priority will be given to those unfunded registered ECD programmes serving poor communities as required in terms of section 93(4)(a) of the Children’s Act 38 of 2005; and unregistered ECD programmes serving poor communities will also be considered. It should be noted that provision of ECD programmes is private and NPOdriven, government only regulates and subsidise these programmes.

Reply:

(a) Through the water balance information submitted by Water Service Authorities (WSAs), the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) makes determinations of water losses. The last comprehensive analysis on water losses and non-revenue water (NRW) was undertaken in 2016/17. The total volume of water lost as a result of leakages from pipes and reservoirs was estimated at 1150.079 million m3/annum at the time.

(b) The table below indicates the ten (10) WSAs that had the highest water losses:

No.	Name of the Water Service Authority
1.	City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality
2.	eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality
3.	City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality
4.	Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality
5.	Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality
6.	City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality
7.	Emfuleni Local Municipality
8.	uThukela District Municipality
9.	Mopani District Municipality
10.	Mbombela Local Municipality

(c) The WSAs are mandated by the Water Services Act, Act 108 of 1997 to prevent and act on water losses within their distribution networks. The Department of Water and Sanitation provides support to municipalities through different programmes to manage the demand and reduce water losses. The various measures being implemented to support municipalities to prevent, reduce and manage water losses include: 

• The No Drop programme which is a tool to regulate municipal performance against set Regulations and best management principles for water loss and demand management. 
• The No Drop Guideline, which focuses on the key requirements (water resource balance diagram, water balance, Water Conservation and Water Demand Management (WCWDM) Strategy) that are building blocks to planning for implementation of WCWDM projects. Municipalities have been trained on the use of the No Drop.
• There is also continuous capacity building programmes on WCWDM for municipalities. Training includes how to benchmark leakages, planning and implementation of WCWDM projects, International Water Association (IWA) water balance methods, etc.
• The Reconciliation and All Towns strategies (intended to ensure the water resource balance) have WCWDM as one of the priority intervention programmes for all municipalities. The Departmental forums and engagements are used to stress the importance of WCWDM aligned to these strategies. In these forums, Municipalities are expected to report on their implementation of WCWDM efforts.
• The Department is also evaluating and commenting on the Water Services Development Plans (WSDPs) and master plans of municipalities. These plans should indicate the actions and interventions designed to conserve water and enhance water demand management.
• The DWS also has various projects that are funded either under Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant (RBIG) or Water Services Infrastructure Grant (WSIG), that also address water losses in municipalities
• The DWS through the cooperation with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has built the training centre/ facility for Non-Revenue Water and water losses management. A number of municipality officials have already attended this training.

The Department further monitors water losses within the 8 (eight) largest water supply systems on an annual basis. The 8 large Water Supply Systems (WSS) supply water to the 8 metropolitan municipalities and other major cities. These areas serve 33.9 million people, which is equivalent to 57 % of the country’s total population. The total input volume in these areas is about 2 662 661 000 m³/a compared with national 4 046 463 000 m³/a (65 % total urban water consumption). These are areas of economic significance with the total gross value added of between 20-40%. 

Reply:

The Department is not aware of this allegation. The Department did not issue any food parcels to the Premier for distribution to any community.

Reply:

The content of the food parcels issued by SASSA in each province was standardised. The content of the food parcels is as follows:

Food item	Brand Name	Weight	Quantity
Maize Meal	Ace, white Star, Iwisa, Impala, Pitsana or equivalent in nutritional value.	12,5kg	1
Nutritional Supplement	Movite Porridge or approved substitute with equivalent in nutritional value.	1 kg	2
Cooking Oil	Sunflower cooking oil or equivalent in nutritional value.	750 ml	2
Pilchards	Glendryck, Saldhana, Lucky Star or equivalent in nutritional value.	400 g tins	6
Soya Mince	Imana, Knorrox, Top Class, Vitamince, Mealtime, Trojan or equivalent in nutritional value.	1 kg	3
Sugar	Huletts, Illovo, Selati or equivalent in nutritional value.	2,5 kg	1
Sugar Beans	Econo, Imbo, Plaza, Olympic or equivalent in nutritional value.	2 kg	1
Bread Flour	Golden Cloud, Sasko, Snowflake or equivalent in nutritional value.	2,5 kg	1
Tea Bags	Five Roses, Glen, Teaspoon Tips, Joko, Trinco, Rooibos or equivalent in nutritional value.	100 tea bags	2
Yeast	NCP, Anchor, Super bake or equivalent in nutritional value.	10 g	2
Peanut Butter	Skippy, Black Cat, Yum Yum or equivalent nutritional value.	800g	1
Milk	Full cream powder milk (must be “Real Diary” OR Full cream long life milk (1 box of 6 L).	1 kg 1 Box	1 6 L
Toothpaste	All brands acceptable (consider price).	100 g	2
Washing Soap(VI)	Sunlight Bar Soap or equivalent.	500g	2
Sanitary towels	All brands (consider price) 8 towels per pack.	Pack of 8	3

The services rendered by the contracted suppliers was to deliver food parcels on receipt of an order from SASSA.

The attached Annexure confirms the amount paid to each service provider for the provision of food parcels in the period of April and May. Payments made in June are not yet available, as the BAS system is not yet closed for the month of June.

Reply:

1. Yes, the funding is adequate for the 3,2 million beneficiaries referred to. However, it should be noted that the number of approved applications now stand at 4 424 720. The budget is adequate to cover these and the projected number of asylum seekers and special permit holders who are expected to apply. Should these numbers increase in line with projections done by SASSA, the funds allocated will not be sufficient.

2. It’s not possible to predict exactly how many foreign nationals will receive the grant. We do however know that in the country there are:

(a) 173 036 refugees, of which 2 288 have been approved as at 15 July 2020; and

(b) 188 296 asylum seekers,

(c) 178 615 Special Permit Holders from Zimbabwe,

(d) 25 382 Special Permit Holders from Lesotho,

(e) 1 686 Special Permit Holders from Angola;

who may qualify for the Special Covid SRD if they meet the other qualifying criteria.

In addition, the special relief grant has been approved for 115 670 permanent residents in South Africa (non- South African citizens who hold permanent residence status).

Reply:

Ward 11 of uMfolozi Municipality receives water from Nseleni Bulk Water Supply Pipeline through the Nseleni Pump Station, which receives its supply from the City of uMhlathuze. The existing Nseleni bulk water pipeline supplies water to Upper Nseleni, Khoza, Nseleni Town and KwaMbonambi areas. This pipeline is connected to the Mandlazini bulk reservoirs in Richards Bay with the Mzingazi Water Treatment Works (WTW) connected to the Mzingazi Lake as the source. The water supply from Nseleni is currently pumped for 18 - 24hrs/day into two reservoirs, the Shandu/Baqoge and Mawombe Reservoirs.

In addition, there are four operational boreholes within the aforementioned Ward. The Cinci borehole near Mawombe Stadium has one standpipe.

There are a number of illegal connections in the area that have a negative effect on the water supply to the Shandu/Baqoge and Mawombe Reservoirs. There is an area known as Mgababa located in-between the abovementioned reservoirs that does not have a reticulation system. The community in Mgababa has connected illegally on the rising main to Mawombe Reservoir resulting in the Mawombe reservoir receiving limited water.

The Councillor together with the strike committee members have been engaged to assist in dealing with the illegal connections. However, more illegal connections have been made to the pumping main, cutting water supply to the Mawombe reservoir. The situation is exacerbated by the limited water supply from the City of uMhlathuze because the area was affected by the drought.

The King Cetshwayo District Municipality is planning to augment bulk water supply to the Cinci area through the installation of an additional reservoir between the two existing reservoirs to service the Mgababa area thereby releasing water to the Mawombe Reservoir. This project will be implemented in 2021.

While the uMfolozi Municipality is attending to all water supply challenges within its area of jurisdiction, the priority is to address backlogs in areas where there is no water supply infrastructure services. These areas are currently being serviced through water tankers.