Questions and Replies

Reply:

1. The Department of Basic Education did not use any textbook of the United Nations Children's Fund to develop the Scripted Lesson Plans

Reply:

(1)(a) Six hundred and forty eight thousand and thirty nine (648 039) applications were received from young applicants who wished to join the SA National Defence Force over the period 01 January 2014 to 31 December 2019.

(b) The breakdown per province is as follows:

2014

Ser No	Province	Number of Applicants
	a	b
1	Gauteng	33 936
2	Limpopo	12 501
3	Mpumalanga	7 343
4	KwaZulu Natal	9 869
5	Free State	5 869
6	North West	7 079
7	Northern Cape	3 873
8	Eastern Cape	6 350
9	Western Cape	5 054
Total Number of Applicants	91 874

2015

Ser No	Province	Number of Applicants
	a	b
1	Gauteng	29 179
2	Limpopo	7 869
3	Mpumalanga	7 016
4	KwaZulu Natal	11 458
5	Free State	6 592
6	North West	4 838
7	Northern Cape	4 125
8	Eastern Cape	5 550
9	Western Cape	5 049
Total Number of Applicants	81 676

2016

Ser No	Province	Number of Applicants
	a	b
1	Gauteng	29 694
2	Limpopo	8 828
3	Mpumalanga	8 865
4	KwaZulu Natal	12 298
5	Free State	6 500
6	North West	7 321
7	Northern Cape	6 004
8	Eastern Cape	6 727
9	Western Cape	6 047
Total Number of Applicants	92 284

2017

Ser No	Province	Number of Applicants
	a	b
1	Gauteng	46 515
2	Limpopo	12 368
3	Mpumalanga	9 230
4	Kwa Zulu Natal	9 879
5	Free State	9 354
6	North West	7 012
7	Northern Cape	7 379
8	Eastern Cape	8 524
9	Western Cape	5 837
Total Number of Applicants	113 098

2018

Ser No	Province	Number of Applicants
	a	b
1	Gauteng	52 905
2	Limpopo	15 281
3	Mpumalanga	13 746
4	Kwa Zulu Natal	15 206
5	Free State	10 108
6	North West	10 478
7	Northern Cape	7 165
8	Eastern Cape	10 970
9	Western Cape	10 984
Total Number of Applicants	146 843

2019

Ser No	Province	Number of Applicants
	a	b
1	Gauteng	42 915
2	Limpopo	13 801
3	Mpumalanga	10 741
4	Kwa Zulu Natal	13 331
5	Free State	8 925
6	North West	10 367
7	Northern Cape	4 919
8	Eastern Cape	6 934
9	Western Cape	10 331
Total Number of Applicants	122 264

(2)(a) The system classifies applicants with post matric qualifications as graduates. Eight thousand five hundred and ten (8 510) graduates applied over the period 01 January 2014 to 31 December 2019.

(b)(i) Nine thousand three hundred and six (9 306) applicants were enrolled over the period 01 January 2014 to 31 December 2019.

(b)(ii) Nine thousand one hundred and twenty three (9 123) applicants successfully completed the training programme.

Reply:

Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) has been part of the National Curriculum Statement since 2000. Recent interventions to improve the quality of CSE teaching in our schools were piloted in more tthan 1500 schools and a wide range of education statkeholders were consulted. In addition, the Depatment of Basic Education held public consultations with the Teacher Unions, SGB Associations, Youth,  as well as Religious and Traditional leaders. Comments and concerns expressed at these engagements were  considered and the relevant learning and teaching support materials were adjusted accordingly.

There is no reason for disciplinary action against any official who is supporting the implementation of government policy.

Reply:

(1) and (2)

There was no employment under section 201 of the Constitution. I view this matter in a very serious light and have instructed the Chief of the South African National Defence Force to institute a Board of Inquiry and to take action against those involved. I will report back to Parliament on the outcome and actions taken following the completion of the Board of Inquiry.

(3) No.

Reply:

a) (i) 

DataYear	No of schools
2015	2171
2016	733
2017	5714
2018	0
2019	0

 

(ii) Collection of National dataset for all 2020 registered learners is still in progress.

(b) & (c)   Refer Annexure A

Reply:

a) There was no costs incurred on the 25 principals' study tour to China in 2019. All costs (flights, accommodation, ground transport and refreshments) were covered by the Chinese government in line with the 2013 signed Cooperation Agreement on Basic Education between the Minister of Basic Education and the Minister of Education in China.

b) The list is attached.

Reply:

(1) and (2) No I did not authorise employment of any members under the Defence Act, 2002. I view this matter in a very serious light and have instructed the Chief of the South African National Defence Force to institute a Board of Inquiry and to take action against those involved. I will report back to Parliament on the outcome and actions taken following the completion of the Board of Inquiry.

 

Reply:

1. Yes, the specified person settled to resigned from PanSALB.

2. (a) The specified person was facing 18 charges of serious misconduct emanating from Gobodo Forensic Report. His legal representative proposed a settlement in the middle of his disciplinary hearing held on 21st of August 2019, and adjourned for the 26th – 30th August 2019. Although the Board had a strong case, the reason for the consideration of a settlement was solemnly informed by the financial risk appetite conducted on this complex disciplinary hearing of evidence that constituted 8 lever arch files and multiple witnesses amongst whom would be the forensic investigator which would have come at a phenomenal cost. Furthermore, additional costs and time to be consumed in possible escalation of the matter to CCMA and Labour Court were considered. More so, the PanSALB Board was thoughtful that more efforts were necessary in the rebuilding this institution, thus all decisions taken were first and foremost in the best interest of the institution.

(b) The above-mentioned settlement agreement is subject to a
confidentiality clause that states that it cannot be disclosed unless
the disclosure is to the Registrar, SARS or in terms of the law.

3. The total legal expenditure PanSALB incurred in the past 5 years, that is between 2015 and 2019, is R21 121 557.95. This, as stated above, informed the new Board’s decision to reduce legal costs in any possible way, including through ‘non-financial’ settlements.

4. Since the new Board was appointed five (5) disciplinary cases were opened. (i) Three (3) were won. Two (2) were settled with similar conditions. (ii) No losses to date.

Reply:

(a) Performance Bonuses (merit awards); pay progressions and grade progressions

(b)(i) R6 993 000.00

(ii)  R6 157 000.00

(iii)  R6 806 000.00

Reply:

                                                                                                  

There is no South African Geographical Indication that is currently protected under the Regulations for the Protection of Geographical Indications that were signed on 22 March 2019.

Reply:

1. No. The Minister has not been informed of the estimated R1 billion of the 2010 Soccer World Cup Legacy Fund which is unaccounted for. According to the 2010 FIFA World Cup Legacy Fund;

(a) The 2010 Soccer World Cup Legacy Fund received R450,762,816 only.

(b) Budgets are presented and approved by the Board of Trustees.

(c) Ernst and Young are an independent financial platform that supports the administration of the Trust’s finances.

(d) The funds are audited annually by PwC and presented to the Board of Trustees.

(e) The Administration of the Trust reports to the Board of Trustees.

(f) The Trust is a joint Trust between SAFA and FIFA which is represented by its CFO on the Board of Trustees.

2. No. The Minister does not intend to ask the President, Mr M C Ramaphosa, to establish a commission of inquiry to ascertain what happened to the specified funds.

(a) The Minister has not been presented with any information that warrants that a Commission of Enquiry be established by the President.

Reply:

Implementation of budget cuts will potentially have an effect on the number of posts declared and may result in increased learner to educator ratios and consequently larger class sizes. The impact will vary across provinces depending on their historical budget pressure circumstances. However, Provincial Education Departments are expected to implement measures to lessen the impact. These measures include improving efficiencies in the management of the movement of educators declared in addition to staff establishments and the speedy processing of ill-health and incapacity cases. Furthermore, the sector has noted that the average unit cost of an educator is declining and will continue as older and more expensive educators retire and are replaced by less costly younger entrants.

Reply:

1. The syllabus that is taught in public schools is informed by the Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS). Schools may not use their own discretion in this regard. This equally applies to the Life Skills /Life Orientation subjects,  which includes Sexuality Education.

2. A total of 6356 Life Orientation and Life Skills teachers from the pilot schools have been trained. 

3. The implementation of the pilot was planned with relevant officials. 

4. Learners participated in the pilot and further provided input on the learner books.

Reply:

USAID awarded Education Development Center a five year contract worth 25 million USD to implement the School-Based HIV Prevention and Sexuality Education Activity.

Reply:

The honourable member should be appraised that the Department of Employment and Labour uses the official statistics as produced by Statistics South Africa. Thus, the response below is based on StatsSA data from the Quarterly Labour Force Survey. All reports are accessible through the StatsSA website.

(a) What percentage of vulnerable workers were granted permanent employment in the (i) 2013/14, (ii) 2014/15, (iii) 2015/16, (iv) 2016/17, (v) 2017/18 and (vii) 2018/19 financial years

According to Statistics South Africa results, the following proportions are disaggregated by gender. The statistics are published per quarter.

Table 1:

Conditions of employment (Nature of contract/ agreement by gender)	Oct-Dec 2013	Oct-Dec 2014	Oct-Dec 2015	Oct-Dec 2016	Oct-Dec 2017	Oct-Dec 2018	Oct-Dec 2019
	Thousand	Thousand	Thousand	Thousand	Thousand	Thousand	Thousand
Women (Total)	5 840	5 926	6 182	6 168	6 194	6 360	6 313
Limited duration	906	972	914	993	962	1 001	944
Permanent nature	3 491	3 590	3 716	3 645	3 641	3 753	3 781
% Permanent nature	59.7%	60.5%	60.1%	59.0%	59.7%	59.0%	59.8%
Men (Total)	7 196	7 310	7 556	7 477	7 584	7 631	7 555
Limited duration	1 069	1 037	1 045	897	936	959	902
Permanent nature	4 555	4 688	4 692	4 714	4 799	4 752	4 714
% Permanent nature	63%	64%	62%	63%	63%	62%	62,3%

Source: Statistics South Africa: Quarterly Labour Force Survey (Excluding unspecified duration)

(b) How many workers?

(i) lost their jobs

Table 2:

	Oct-Dec 2013	Oct-Dec 2014	Oct-Dec 2015	Oct-Dec 2016	Oct-Dec 2017	Oct-Dec 2018	Oct-Dec 2019
	Thousand	Thousand	Thousand	Thousand	Thousand	Thousand
Number jobs lost	1 545	1 642	1 664	1 839	1 886	1 805	1 989

Source: Statistics South Africa: Quarterly Labour Force Survey

(ii) Which sectors had the biggest losses?

The sectors where the biggest losses occurred are the Trade and Construction industries over time.

Table 3:

	Oct-Dec 2013	Oct-Dec 2014	Oct-Dec 2015	Oct-Dec 2016	Oct-Dec 2017	Oct-Dec 2018	Oct-Dec 2019
	Thousand	Thousand	Thousand	Thousand	Thousand	Thousand	Thousand
Industry (Total)	2 114	2 182	2 186	2 499	2 492	2 379	2 596
Agriculture	79	134	117	123	135	115	147
Mining	39	32	42	54	36	47	38
Manufacturing	274	271	259	286	252	245	302
Utilities	7	18	16	14	20	12	15
Construction	314	347	355	429	401	399	409
Trade	506	508	518	522	579	576	578
Transport	111	111	98	128	102	115	134
Finance	301	302	262	346	368	327	376
Community and social services	271	269	302	348	355	319	364
Private households	211	190	216	249	245	223	231
Other	2			0		-	1

Source: Statistics South Africa: Quarterly Labour Force Survey

c) What is the percentage of female employees who were employed for the said period compared to males

Table 4:

Sex	Oct-Dec 2013	Oct-Dec 2014	Oct-Dec 2015	Oct-Dec 2016	Oct-Dec 2017	Oct-Dec 2018	Oct-Dec 2019
	Thousand	Thousand	Thousand	Thousand	Thousand	Thousand
Women	6 670	6 676	6 995	7 031	7 071	7 250	7 220
Men	8 507	8 643	8 643	9 023	9 100	9 279	9 201
Total	15 177	15 319	15 638	16 054	16 171	16 529	16 421
% Female employees	43,9	43,6	44,7	43,8	43,7	43,9	44,0

Source: Statistics South Africa: Quarterly Labour Force Survey

d) which sector had the majority of female employees?

Table 5:

Sex	Oct-Dec 2013	Oct-Dec 2014	Oct-Dec 2015	Oct-Dec 2016	Oct-Dec 2017	Oct-Dec 2018	Oct-Dec 2019
	Thousand	Thousand	Thousand	Thousand	Thousand	Thousand	Thousand
Women
Formal sector (Non-agricultural)	4 485	4 582	4 665	4 754	4 730	4 820	4 883
Informal sector (Non-agricultural)	971	924	1 019	977	1 084	1 113	1 064
Agriculture	210	228	288	305	267	285	302
Private households	1 004	942	1 023	995	990	1 032	971

Source: Statistics South Africa: Quarterly Labour Force Survey

(e) Which provinces (Table 6):

(i) had the highest rate of unemployed persons: From 2013-2016, it was the Free State province then the Eastern Cape from 2017-2019.

(ii) had a decline in unemployment: and/or : Varies in each quarter

(iii) remained stable for the said period? None. Unemployment rate fluctuated across all provinces in every quarter.

Table 6: Unemployment rate (official definition) by province

Province	Oct-Dec 2013	Oct-Dec 2014	Oct-Dec 2015	Oct-Dec 2016	Oct-Dec 2017	Oct-Dec 2018	Oct-Dec 2019
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
Western Cape	21.0	22.9	19.4	20.5	19.5	19,3	20,9
Eastern Cape	27.8	29.1	27.4	28.4	35.1	36,1	39,5
Northern Cape	24.9	28.7	25.8	32.0	27.1	25,0	26,9
Free State	33.0	32.2	29.8	34.7	32.6	32,9	35,0
KwaZulu-Natal	19.9	20.8	20.5	23.9	24.1	25,6	25,.0
North West	27.3	25.2	23.9	26.5	23.9	26,6	28,8
Gauteng	25.2	24.6	27.6	28.6	29.1	29,0	30,8
Mpumalanga	27.2	26.6	25.7	31.0	28.9	32,0	33,6
Limpopo	16.9	15.9	19.8	19.3	19.6	16,5	23,1

Source: Statistics South Africa: Quarterly Labour Force Survey

Reply:

a) There are multiple reasons for the protests at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). The University has reported that it is implementing the Minister’s announcement that the National Student Financial Scheme (NSFAS) would remain open for first time entry students accepted at the University who had for some reason or other not applied to NSFAS, and for NSFAS qualifying returning students who qualify for debt relief in terms of the 2018 due diligence process. These students can register without payment as long as they sign the Acknowledgement of Debt form.

One of the aspects that underlie the protests relates to students who do not fall into the NSFAS qualifying categories.

b) On 15 January 2020, UKZN communicated the financial clearance concessions for the 2020 academic year to all students. The key student demands following the communique are as follows and summarised in Table 1 below:

• All students whose annual family income is below R350 000 be registered without making payments for registration fees and towards their student debt.
• Significantly reduced payments towards historic debt for students above R350 000 and R600 000.
• The University to provide an additional 2 500 beds by leasing buildings from various property owners in Durban and Pietermaritzburg.
• Review cases of academically excluded students.

Table 1

Category of students	Payments required to obtain financial clearance (UKZN APPROVED CONCESSIONS)	Payments required to obtain financial clearance (SRC PROPOSED CONCESSIONS) Revised 24 February 2020
Below R350 000	If self-funded, i.e. do not qualify for NSFAS funding/debt relief, registration fee and 15% of debt capped at R10 000 or R15 000	No payment
Above R350 000 and below R600 000	Registration fee (if self-funded) and 30% of debt capped at R20 000 or R25 000	Registration fee (if self-funded) and 15% of debt capped at R5 000 or R10 000
Above R600 000	Registration fee (if self-funded) and 50% of debt capped at R25 000 or R45 000	No additional concessions proposed

The University has reported that the financial clearance concessions for all students already in place has a cash flow implication in excess of R1 billion. The financial clearance concessions demanded by the SRC would have a total cost of R2.26 billion taking into consideration the provisioning of allowances and fees.

The University continues to implement the concessions to ensure that students of the University are not required to pay 100% of their debt before registration. Registration data provided by the University as at 24 February 2020 shows that 95% of undergraduates and 63% of postgraduates are registered as follows:

Registration data as 24 February 2020          Planned          Actual %

• Undergraduate – First time entry 10       938 9 911            91%
• Undergraduate – Returning students      23 359 22 588      97%

Undergraduate Total                                   34 297 32 499      95%

Postgraduate Total                                     12 741 8 019         63%

All students                                                47 038 40 518        86%

The University has identified 1 435 unregistered students owing R72 million who are funded by NSFAS in 2020, but owe the University for previous year’s fees that do not qualify for NSFAS debt relief. A further analysis of the debt in this cohort is currently being performed to raise the funds required to immediately assist these students with payments required for registration and also the funds required to settle their historic debt during the course of the academic year.

The University currently provides 23 028 beds (8 135 owned and 14 893 leased), amounting to the provisioning of 49% beds of the planned enrolment. This is in line with the Norms and Standards for Student Housing, which indicates that 50% of the student population in urban-based universities should be in university-managed student housing. The University has indicated that the registration period is open until 6 March 2020, which will determine the extent of additional accommodation required.

The University reported that the academic exclusion processes of the University, which resulted in the exclusion of 31 students, have been adequately followed through the relevant committees of Senate. Notwithstanding the above, it has been resolved that Senate will be requested to consider whether the cases of the 31 excluded students could be re-considered by Senate through the appropriate Senate committee.

Reply:

1. In terms of section 20(4) of the Higher Education Act No.101 of 1997, public universities are established as autonomous institutions governed by a Council appointed in terms of the Act.

1.1 In the case number 24537/2015, the court’s ruling was with regard to the conduct of certain Council members. This is a matter that must be regulated in terms of the Code of Conduct of a Council, which has been adopted by a Council. The Minister is not authorized by the Act to interfere in the matters within the jurisdiction of Council, as this would be ultra vires and invalid. The circumstances under which the Minister may issue a directive to a university Council or intervene in the affairs of a public higher education institution are articulated under section 42 of the Act.

1.2 In the context of case numbers 1153/02/2019 and 23182/17, the matters are currently pending. Council as the employer has the authority to take action upon the finalisation of the matters in court, if any. The South African Constitution contains an important democratic principle of the separation of powers, which means that the power of the state is divided between three different but interdependent components or arms, i.e. the executive, legislature and judiciary. The Minister cannot interfere with the court proceedings.

2. The University, under the authority of its Council, has a duty to ensure that appropriate action is taken where there is a legal transgression.

Reply:

Yes

(b) The Department is in the process of preparing the drafting of a Bill which will be submitted to Cabinet for approval before it will be tabled in Parliament during the 2021/2022 financial year.

Reply:

The question should be directed to the Presidency given the responsibility of that Office.

Reply:

The Honourable Mr JJ Londt will recall that the Minister of Finance developed a policy discussion paper and promised to table it for discussions at NEDLAC. As soon as the Minister of Finance tables the paper at NEDLAC, NEDLAC, social partners, which includes Government, will engage with the issues raised in that paper as it relates to the labour market. The honourable member is also reminded of the fact that the development of labour market policy is predicated on social dialogue engagements amongst the social partners which include organized business and labour as well as Community at NEDLAC. Any amendment to labour law and policy will therefore have to be engaged with at NEDLAC.

Reply:

The Department of Employment and Labour is not in a position to respond to the question as it falls under the Department of Justice and Correctional Services. The duty of the Department of Employment and Labour is to refer all non-compliant employers to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) after the amendments to the Basic Conditions of Employment and to the Labour Courts for all matters that were not yet filed with Labour Court when the amendment took effect.

Reply:

The honourable member should be appraised that the Department of Employment and Labour uses the official statistics as produced by Statistics South Africa. Thus, the response below is based on StatsSA data from the Quarterly Labour Force Survey. All reports are accessible through the StatsSA website

(a) What is the current percentage of the unemployed?

According to Statistics SA report (Quarterly Labour Force Survey Results) Quarter 4 of 2019, the current official unemployed rate was 29.1 percent.

(b) How many temporary employees were employed in all the sectors?

The Quarterly Labour Force Survey results show the number of employees who are employed on limited duration. The table below provides details on the number of employees who were employed on limited duration from 2013 to 2019 for all quarters.

Nature of Employment contract
Number of employees who are employed on limited duration (all sectors)
	Jan-Mar	Apr-Jun	Jul-Sep	Oct-Dec
Year	Thousand	Thousand	Thousand	Thousand
2013	1 655	1 700	1 848	1 975
2014	1944	2 001	2 019	2 010
2015	2 052	1 983	1 963	1 959
2016	1 859	1 775	1 928	1 890
2017	1 857	1 786	1 856	1 898
2018	1 936	1 858	1 827	1 961
2019	1 812	1 826	1 814	1 846

Source: Statistics South Africa; Quarterly labour Market Bulletin Quarter 4: 2013-19

Reply:

1. (a) The average expenditure per annum for South African foreign missions is R28.231 million.

    (b) (i) The top 10 most expensive foreign missions and (ii) their annual costs to the department are as follows:

No.	Top 10 most expensive foreign missions	Annual costs to the department
		R'000
1	GENEVA	102,815
2	LONDON	94,601
3	BRUSSELS	88,458
4	NEW YORK(CG)	79,902
5	NEW YORK(UN)	79,009
6	WASHINGTON DC	76,078
7	BEIJING	73,461
8	VIENNA	67,727
9	PARIS	66,098
10	LUANDA	65,337

2. Costing exercise for foreign missions by Government Technical Advisory Centre of National Treasury was last done in 2013.

Reply:

The honourable member should be appraised that the Department of Employment and Labour has continually published an annual analysis of the strike incidents (January to December) in the country. This is in line with the national and international requirements. The strikes information is based on the information supplied by the employers in the Labour Relations Act (LRA) Forms 9.2 after the strike incident ended in a particular work place. All industrial action reports are accessible through the DEL website (Noting that the 2019 Industrial Action results are still under development phase).

a) How many working days were lost as a result of strike actions in the (i) 2013/14, (ii) 2014/15, (iii) 2015/16, (iv) 2016/17, (v) 2017/18 and (vi) 2018/19 financial years,

Calendar year (January to December)

Year (January to December)	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018
No. of Strikes and lockouts	114	88	110	122	132	165
Working days lost	1 847 006	10 264 775	903 921	960 489	946 323	1 158 945

b) which sectors experienced the highest rate of strike actions,

In all the years, the Community industry recorded the highest strike actions as per the DEL strike database.

Year (January to December)	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018
Sector	Community	Community	Community	Community	Community	Community
Number of strike	34	30	34	47	58	77

c) how much was lost in wages in respect of strike actions for the said period,

Year (January to December)	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018
Wages Lost (Rands)	6 732 108 487	6 176 768 282	116 546 293	161 049 109	251 409 542	266 898 061

 

(d) what was the employment-to-population ratio,

Year (January to December)	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018
Employment to population ratio	43.3	43.0	44.2	43.5	43.1	43.3

(e) (i) how many low-skilled workers were employed for the said period and

According to Statistics SA report (Labour Market Dynamics), proportions of low skilled workers were published. However, the details could not be obtained at the time this reply was concluded.

Year	Low- skilled occupation	Semi- Skilled Occupation	Skilled occupation
2013	42,8	45,2	12,0
2014	28,2	47.2	24.6
2015	30.2	47.6	22.3
2016	29,7	46,9	23,4
2017	29,5	47,0	23,5

(ii) Which sector was the largest component that employed such workers?

The largest component of low-skilled workers were employed in the construction industry but the domestic sector is another sector where low-skilled workers are also employed.

Reply:

1. The department has never appointed a white hat hacker, instead the department requested State Information Technology Agency (SITA) Information Asset/host Security (ISS) to perform a vulnerability assessment using an automated tools to identify weaknesses which can be exploited by hackers and unauthorised attackers on the network (servers, workstations, printers and switches operating asset/host and packaged applications).

2. The department has embarked on a process of appointing a service provider for Cyber Security Services instead of appointing a white hat hacker. The scope of the appointed service provider will include continuous assessment of the security status of our ICT environment with routine vulnerability scans.

The project is planned to commence from the 1st of April 2020 once the service provider has been appointed, meaning that the appointed service provider will provide the services of the white hat hacker and more.

Reply:

a) (i) The Department of Correctional Services applies the following performance incentive measures that are prescribed by the Public Service and Administration`s Incentive Policy Framework for Employees in the Public Service, namely: Pay progression am performance bonuses.

b) (i) Amounts budgeted are outlined in the table below:

	Financial year	Pay progression	Performance bonus
(aa)	2017/18	R 89 537 849.29	R 55 320 043.08
(bb)	2018/19	R46 736 992.73	R 49 185 555. 88
(ii)	2019/20	R 128 943 606. 69	R 59 437 035.00

Reply:

(a) The total number of work seekers with disabilities registered on the Employment Services System South Africa (ESSA) during 2017/18 was 6 197 and the total opportunities registered were 131 994.

(b) The total number of registered people with disabilities during 2018/19 were 6 307 and the total opportunities registered were 172 814.

(i) The total number of registered people with disabilities placed during 2017/18 were 594 and;
(ii) the total placed during 2018/19 was 604.

Reply:

I have been advised by the SA Broadcasting Corporation as follows:

a) The SABC has a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in place on Royalties which stipulates the processes, timelines and requirements for a claim to be successfully processed and paid. These requirements have been communicated to all claimants. The SABC has paid on time all repeat claims which met the prescribed requirements. The public broadcaster is processing claims that are due for payment at the end of February 2020.

There are several older claims which are in dispute, based on the fact that these do not fully comply with the requirements, i.e. licenses (SABC does not pay repeat fees on Licensed Content), not being lead actors (only lead actors can claim). Some of the older claims are disputed by the SABC due to fact that no contracts have been provided as proof and claimants are not willing to align the rate with the prescribed requirements and processes. However, the SABC is willing to pay these claims if the claimants align with prescribed requirements. The older claims have been raised in various forums and have been dealt with in several continuous communication and forums.

b) No actions have been taken against anyone as there is no dereliction of duty involved.(i) and (ii) as per Annx.A

MS. STELLA NDABENI-ABRAHAMS

MINISTER

Reply:

Enclosed herein is the reply to question no: 28/NW31E for your approval should you agree with the contents thereof. The information was supplied by the Branch: Food Security and Agrarian Reform as guided by the provincial Department of Agriculture in Limpopo.

QUESTION NO: 28/NW31E

• The Vhembe District’s goat industry has a total of 73 416 goats owned by 9291 farmers. There are 202 commercial farmers owning a total of 9775 herd of goats. The bulk population of 63641 goat herd is owned by 9089 communal farmers.

• The Department provides the following services to the farmers, namely: -

• Technical Advisory Support
• Veterinary Support
• Drought Relief Support and
• Technical and Business Skills Development (Capacity Building).

• There are two gene producers in the Vhembe District, whom from export goats, mainly to Zimbabwe. The department provides Health Certification for Export to the farmers in terms of export protocols.

                                                                                   

Reply:

The Department and its entities have advised me as follows:

1. The South African Post Office (SAPO) did not conduct any business with Yekani Manufacturing Company from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2019.

2. The Departments and the listed entities did not enter into any agreements with Yekani Manufacturing Company to manufacture and distribute set-top boxes.

 

 

MS STELLA NDABENI-ABRAHAMS

MINISTER

Reply:

1. (a) Neither the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) nor Statistics South Africa publishes statistics on goat farming.

(b) The South African Revenue Service (SARS) is the legislated entity for statistics on the importation and exportation of goods.

(b) (i) According to SARS data published on the dti’s Trade Statistics portal, downloaded on 13 February 2020, South Africa exported goat livestock to the destinations indicated in Table 1.

Table 1: Goat Livestock Exports by Destination (2014-2019), Rands

2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019
Destination	Value	Destination	Value	Destination	Value	Destination	Value	Destination	Value	Destination	Value
UAE	3,652,215	UAE	6,981,829	Lesotho	3,381,028	Mauritius	5,243,500	Mauritius	8,275,592	Thailand	4,039,794
Nigeria	2,162,332	Mauritius	3,045,546	Mauritius	2,741,599	Botswana	4,336,366	Singapore	4,490,277	Mauritius	3,199,713
Botswana	1,377,653	Botswana	1,649,694	UAE	2,140,450	UAE	3,250,979	Botswana	8, 931,000	Bangladesh	1,208,881
Mauritius	1,007,450	Lesotho	1,361,258	Botswana	2,015,479	Comoros	2,520,679	Zimbabwe	2,109,291	Zimbabwe	975,177
Kenya	941,285	Namibia	1,120,173	Zambia	1,638,166	Saudi Arabia	1,596,825	Zambia	1,032,570	Lesotho	360 516
Mozambique	851,617	Zambia	902,312	Zimbabwe	1,463,363	Lesotho	1,239,448	Namibia	1,021,529	Eswatini	322,812
Namibia	765,879	Mozambique	887,540	Nepal	1,351,575	Kenya	1,126,666	Thailand	841,705	Tanzania	284,400
Zambia	445,500	Zimbabwe	542,200	Namibia	1,294,689	Bangladesh	941,556	Bangladesh	833,663	Mozambique	192,000
Lesotho	430,896	Angola	415,,000	Kenya	714,037	Zimbabwe	753,059	Sudan	587,470	Zambia	177,845
Angola	350,221	Kenya	320,112	Mozambique	548.428	Namibia	638,238	Saudi Arabia	578,500	Senegal	161, 712
Thailand	170, 955	Cameroon	157,232	Uganda	458,078	Senegal	594,270	Senegal	512,085	Switzerland	137,485
Zimbabwe	156,915	Malawi	100, 000	Eswatini	332,590	Uganda	523,890	Kenya	438,000	Italy	70,947
Malawi	121,200	Eswatini	94, 178	Senegal	310,525	Mozambique	515,526	Uganda	418,698	France	67,340
Eswatini	115, 727	Bangladesh	84, 096	Malawi	77,193	Malawi	424,150	Lesotho	411,445	Kenya	52,477
Dem rep of Congo	56, 214	Tunisia	60,822	unallocated	50,500	unallocated	423,950	Mozambique	284,534	Ghana	49,000
Sri Lanka	34 ,256	unallocated	21,950	Australia	20,372	Nigeria	400,000	Eswatini	262,479	Namibia	24,296
USA	15, 050	UK	6,534	Ghana	882	reunion	47,782	unallocated	204,700	Australia	18,179
India	13 ,206	Netherlands	3, 004			Australia	38,315	Tanzania	8,056	Botswana	9.547
						Netherlands	2,660	Italy	233,954
						Eswatini	2,896	Australia	62,484
						UK	150	USA	74,290
								china	40
Total	12,668,571		17,753,480		18,538,954		24,620,905		25,076,293		11,352,121

(b) (ii) According to SARS data which is published on the dti’s Trade Statistics portal, downloaded on 13 February 2020, South Africa exported goat meat to the destinations indicated in Table 2.

Table 2: Goat Meat Exports by Destination (2014-2019), Rands

2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019
Destination	Value	Destination	Value	Destination	Value	Destination	Value	Destination	Value	Destination	Value
Namibia	743,764	Lesotho	1,394,909	Lesotho	2,021,099	Namibia	425,875	Mozambique	26,699	Hong Kong	169,827
Bahrain	400,617	Mozambique	47,946	Seychelles	392,160	Lesotho	133,296	Lesotho	230	Botswana	20,092
Lesotho	281,882	Maldives	6,828	Zambia	235,625	Hong Kong	105,147			Lesotho	9,447
Seychelles	256,402	Germany	2,660	Tanzania	34,216	Mozambique	5,854			Mozambique	8,978
DRC	153,718	DRC	1,752	Hong Kong	20,014					Ghana	3,784
UAE	126,435			Mozambique	9,936
Gabon	101,442			Namibia	6,713
Nigeria	95,103
Oman	54,179
Kuwait	49,514
Maldives	49,432
Tanzania	26,236
Eswatini	8,178
Mozambique	5,928
Zimbabwe	4,441
Ethiopia	1,852
Total	2,359,123		1,454,095		2,719,763		670,172		26,929		212,128

-END-

 

Reply:

Rhino numbers are informed by a variety of sources. Specific complementary reports are the following:

• Red List of Mammals of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland for both white and black rhino;

• the Non Detriment findings for both white and black rhino;

• a report from the IUCN Species Survival Commission (IUCN SSC) African and Asian Rhino Specialist Groups; and

• TRAFFIC to the CITES Secretariat pursuant to Resolution Conf. 9.14 (Rev. CoP17)

 

MS B D CREECY, MP
MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES
Date: 27/02/2020

Reply:

In 2019/20 financial year, the Department has not installed any Solar Water Heaters.
However,it can be reported that the installation companies were appointed in December 2019. The Department is currently finalising the internal audit on the bidding process to enable the finalisation of the contractual arrangements with the appointed Service Providers from which installation will commence; and

(ii) are still in storage;

Reply: The Department procured 87 206 SWH Baseline Systems from Bid Number DOE 008/2015/16 from which 150 systems were installed in Sol Plaatje Municipality on a repair and replace programme in 2018/19 FY whilst 200 systems where installed in 2018/19 FY at a pilot project in Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. The remaining systems are stored, some at SoEs, municipalities and Suppliers/ Manufacturers storage facilities.

The systems are currently being moved to the identified municipalities' storage facilities. As such, to date delivery of the systems is in progress to various municipalities since February 2020.

(b) what is the monthly cost of storage;

Reply: The monthly storage varies depending on the number days in a month. For a 30 days month, the storage costs amount to R 7, 923, 828.00 whilst in a 31 days month, the storage costs amount to R 8, 187, 956.53. The variance is due to the fact that the additional storage costs charged by each supplier is per unit per day instead of a fixed or standardised rate on a floor area coverage measured in square meters. These amounts reported on are after the Department had removed some systems to the SoEs' storage facilities.

In terms of the Supply Agreement for the Supply of Solar Water Heaters under Bid Number DOE 008/2015/16 entered in to between the Department and Suppliers, the Department had both financial and contractual obligations to settle additional storage costs in line with the extension of time on taking delivery of the manufactured goods. The prolonged period was attributable to the participating municipalities' delay in concluding the Framework Agreements with the Department in accordance with the Intergovernmental Framework Act (IGRA) owing to the project being implemented across the different spheres of government and the need to clearly outline the roles and responsibilities as well as obligations of each sphere during the implementation of the programme. Ensuring that governance structures are in place prior to the commencement of the programme will ultimately enable the level of accountability required from each sphere and or party.

As result, the delay in concluding the institutional arrangements impacted negatively on the planning and implementation of the programme which among others required municipalities to prepare the storage facilities (i.e. Central Storage) to take delivery of the goods and also enable the other critical path activities such Social Facilitation, Technical Feasibility Assessment and installation phase to be fast tracked.

(2) what steps has his department taken to rectify the major problem of the shortage of qualified installers?

Reply: The Department of Minerals Resources and Energy (the then DoE) partnered with the Department of Labour and Employment and the Central Energy Fund to facilitate the training of installer assistants. In all participating municipalities, it is estimated that 2644 installer assistants will be trained. However this number will reduce slightly due to Ndlambe Municipality's council resolution putting the programme on hold due to water challenges. As a result, the programme will not be rolled out in this municipality including training thereof. The Department of Labour and Employment has committed R36 million for this training of installation assistants. Energy and Water Sector Education Training Authorities has been contracted to oversee adherence to all the training requirements in line with its accreditation.

In addition, through the Supply Agreement entered between the Department and the Suppliers/Manufacturers, installers will be provided with product specific training by the manufacturers to make sure that all installations are done in line with their respective installation procedures.
NW86E

Reply:

(a) What are the relevant details of the Memoranda of Understanding(MOUs) that her department is currently party to

Honorable member is kindly referred to my reply on same question raised in 2019 (Questions 866 of 2019) which was tabled on 24 October 2019. The Question refers to “International MOU’s and agreements”. In terms of International Memoranda of understanding, all MOUs and Agreements signed in the field of tourism are technical and administrative in nature. They fall within Section 231 (3) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. All Agreements outline areas of collaboration and cooperation between signatory organisations. Agreements are accompanied by an implementation plan or project plan against which monitoring and evaluation is measured.

(a) Details of other Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs)	(b) signatories	(c) Effective Date	(d) objectives of each MOU	(e) How is each MOU monitored?
CATHSSETA Culture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport Sector Education and Training authority.	DDG: Tourism Sector Support Services and CEO: CATHSETA	April 2019	To have mutual commitment and co-operation between the parties in order to work toward realisation of Goal 4.6 of the National Skills Development Strategy (NSDS II). Under this agreement, CATHSSETA shall create a representative forum to discuss tourism sector skills plan. Advise the department of any initiatives, research and special projects relevant to tourism sector.	The agreement will be monitored through Progress reports Annual reports Minutes and undertakings of Working committee Resolutions of the forum
LGSETA Local Government Sector Education and Training	DDG: Tourism Sector Support Services and CEO: LG SETA	November 2019	The objective is for LGSETA to: oversee the implementation of the prioritized initiatives as agreed upon by the partnership. Ensure that these initiatives are covered in the Sector Skills Plan. Facilitate the development and registration of appropriate qualifications and skills programmes relevant to the identified needs. Participate, advise and share local government skills development information relating to tourism and local economic development within the municipal context.	The MoU is monitored through: Progress reports Annual reports
FEDHASA Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa	DDG: Tourism Sector Support Services and FEDHASA CEO	Sept 2019	FEDHASA manages the project to coordinate and negotiate exposure opportunities for educators with its affiliated/registered members and other industry establishment in collaboration with Department of Basic Education at the provincial level, Provincial Tourism Departments or Authorities and FEDHASA National and Provincial Chapters.	The MoU is monitored through: Meetings between the parties Quarterly and Annual reports
(TGCSA) (Tourism Grading Council of South Africa - South African Tourism	DDG Tourism Sector Support Services and the CEO of SAT	July 2016	To align Tourism Grading Support Programme with Tourism Grading South Africa and increase uptake of the grading service by the industry.	The MoU is monitored through: Meetings between the parties Quarterly and Annual reports
SAPS South African Police Services	DG of Tourism and National Police Commissioner	Signed on the 04 December 2019	Agreed areas of collaboration includes: Identification of tourism hotspots by the Department supported by SAPS and analysis thereof; Establishment of a database of crimes committed against tourists by SAPS through segregating reported cases which involves tourists; Enhancement of the tourism environment through the Department’s participation and contribution in SAPS crime prevention initiatives; Ensure the joint implementation of an optimised policing and safety strategy in the tourism environment. Creating a platform for information sharing between SAPS and the National Tourism Safety Forum. Facilitating joint awareness opportunities to create and enhance the tourism environment and improve the service level standards.	The MoU has a plan that is being implemented through a task team, which comprises of officials from the two departments and is co-chaired by the Chief Director for Tourism Visitor Services and the Major General in charge of Visible Policing and Partnerships.
Ezemvelo Wild Life	DG of the Department of Tourism and CEO of Ezemvelo	29/03/2017	The partnership agreement is premised on providing support on: Tourism Infrastructure Development, Product Enhancement Refurbishment and Maintenance of existing tourism assets and products	Project Steering Committees and Joint Technical Committees are setup to oversee implementation process according to Implementation Plans. Meetings between the parties Quarterly and Annual reports
SANParks	DG of the Department of Tourism and CEO of SANPARKS	28/03/2017	The aim of the partnership agreement includes: Tourism Infrastructure Development Product Enhancement Refurbishment and maintenance of existing tourism assets and products in National Parks	Project Steering Committees and Joint Technical Committees are setup to oversee implementation process according to Implementation Plans. Meetings between the parties Quarterly and Annual reports
COEGA	DG of the Department of Tourism and the CEO of COEGA	05/03/2018	The areas of collaboration include: Tourism Planning (including Master Planning work) Infrastructure Development (including tourism signage amongst others)	Project Steering Committees and Joint Technical Committees are setup to oversee implementation process according to Implementation Plans. Meetings between the parties Quarterly and Annual reports
Constitution Hill	DG of the Department of Tourism and the CEO of Constitutional Hill	26/02/2018	The objective of the agreement is to collaborate and provide support to: Tourism Infrastructure Development (including events facilities, exhibition sites amongst others) Product Enhancement of the Peoples Park at Constitution Hill.	Project Steering Committees and Joint Technical Committees are setup to oversee implementation process according to Implementation Plans. Meetings between the parties Quarterly and Annual reports
SANBI South African National Biodiversity Institute	DG of the Department of Tourism and the CEO of SANBI	26/02/2018	The areas of partnership and collaboration include: Tourism Infrastructure Development (including access road, VIC, cafeteria, ablution facilities, signage amongst others) Product Enhancement	Project Steering Committees and Joint Technical Committees are setup to oversee implementation process according to Implementation Plans. Meetings between the parties Quarterly and Annual reports
Maropeng Africa Leisure (Pty) Ltd	DDG: Destination Development of the Department of Tourism and the MD of Maropeng	06/09/2018	The areas of collaboration and support include: Tourism Infrastructure Development Product Enhancement (including exhibition design, production and installation at Maropeng)	Project Steering Committees and Joint Technical Committees are setup to oversee implementation process according to Implementation Plans. Meetings between the parties Quarterly and Annual reports
MTPA Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency	DDG: Destination Development of the Department of Tourism and the CEO of MTPA	27/02/2018	The objective of the agreement is to collaborate and provide support to: Tourism Infrastructure Development (including Universal Accessibility, Tourism Signage) Product Enhancement	Project Steering Committees and Joint Technical Committees are setup to oversee implementation process according to Implementation Plans. Meetings between the parties Quarterly and Annual reports
Five (5) MOUs with institutions of higher learning: - University of Pretoria - University of Johannesburg - University of Venda - Cape Peninsula University of Technology - University of KwaZulu-Natal	DDG: Tourism Policy Research and International Relations and : University of Pretoria: Vice-rector: Research University of Johannesburg: Deputy Vice-Chair: Academic University of Venda: Vice-Chair and Principal Cape Peninsula University of Technology: Dean of Faculty Business University of KwaZulu-Natal: University Dean of Research	March 2012 - 31 March 2016 and extended annually until 31 March 2020	To collaborate on tourism research and capacity building and to provide financial support to post-graduate students pursuing tourism and tourism-related studies; and . to establish a formal basis of cooperation in support of tourism research and skills development activities.	The MoUs are monitored through project plans; quarterly meetings and a panel to peer review and quality assure research outputs.
MoU with Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) and South African Tourism	Director-General Department of Tourism and the Statistician-General and the CEO of South African Tourism	The MoU has been in place since 19 January 2016 and will remain in force until the parties agree to terminate.	The objectives of the MoU: 1. Establish a formal basis for institutional cooperation between the parties; 2. for the collection of domestic tourism statistics within the Republic of South Africa. 3. Create a partnership that seeks to improve the quality, consistency, comparability and optimum use of official statistics; and 4. Avoid unnecessary duplication in the collection of domestic tourism statistics within the Republic of South Africa.	The MoU is being monitored through the establishment of two statistics committees, namely; the Statistics Technical Committee that is chaired by the Deputy Director-General and the Statistics Steering Committee chaired by the Director-General of the Department of Tourism. There are scheduled quarterly meetings and ad hoc meetings are held as and when needed to deal with statistics issues, and decisions are taken at a Steering Committee level.
Statistics South Africa (Stats SA)	DG for the Department of Tourism and the Statistician-General. Of StatsSA	27 August 2018 to 26 August 2020.	To form a collaboration between Stats SA and the Department of Tourism; to provide technical support and train unemployed youth as Data Collectors for the collection of data required for the development of the National Tourism Information and Monitoring System (NTIMS)	The MoUs are being monitored through engagements between the two parties.
PTAs MOUs with three provincial tourism authorities (PTAs) namely, Free State, Western Cape and Limpopo.	CEO SAT and CEO of the respective PTA	1 April 2018 – 31 March 2021	The relationship between SA Tourism and provincial tourism authorities is governed through the MOU. The purpose of the MOU is for both parties to collaborate, commit and align their strategic and tactical plans and resources of whatever nature in relation to their tourism mandate and to achieve the 5 in 5 targets. The objective of the MOU is to collaborate in activating the following but not limiting key deliverables to achieve the 5 in 5 targets. The activities, outlined and detailed, will be reviewed annually by both parties: Collaborations on partnerships with travel trade. Joint leisure marketing for domestic i.e. Sho’t Left campaign Events Support Business Events Communication Tools Market Access Platforms Transformation (new entrants) Research and Information Sharing Access to Information Innovation/Technology Capacity Building and Support It should be noted that the MOUs are in the process of review to reflect the new target of 21 million visitors by 2030. SA Tourism and PTAs met on 10 October 2019 to discuss the alignment of business plans in relation to the 5-year strategic plans in line with the 6th parliament and as part of the trajectory for the new target. The finalisation of Annual Plans and the review of the MOU in line with the new 5-year Strategic Plan are underway for implementation in the 2020/21 financial plan	Performance at a provincial level is monitored on a quarterly-basis and is shared with the provinces through the CEO forum.
ACSA Airports Company of South Africa	CEO SAT and CEO of ACSA	20 March 2019 – 31 March 2022	The nature of the MOU is to collaborate and partner on destination marketing initiatives to promote South Africa as a destination of choice for both domestic and international markets. Key areas of collaboration include but not limiting to the following: Exchange of information which includes statistics on traffic, financial, airline and passenger data. Collaboration on joint marketing promotional activities. Leveraging provincial structures at ACSA owned airports on destination marketing initiatives, with focus on route development and increasing passenger traffic. Collaborate on identified strategic platforms i.e. Meetings Africa, Africa’s Travel Indaba etc.	Performance based at ACSA and SA Tourism and is monitored through the performance contract and reviews at the Air Services structures i.e. KZN Route Development Committee, Cape Town Air Services Committee and Gauteng Air Services.
TBCSA Tourism Business Council of South Africa	CEO SAT and CEO of TBCSA	1 April 2019 – 31 March 2021	The MOU is of collaboration nature whereby: TBCSA will: Collect the Tourism Levies from the TOMSA levy contributors; Pay over to South African Tourism on a quarterly basis 93% of the total levy collected. A 15% (fifteen per centum) of the total levy will be allocated to the collaborative fund. The funds will be paid no later than 14 calendar days after the end of the quarter. The collaborative fund will be administered by TOMSA SA Tourism will: Apply the Tourism Levies to fund its international and national (domestic) marketing activities in accordance with the APP approved by the South African Tourism Board, attention must be given to address seasonality and geographical spread, Tourist spent and increased bed nights/long stays with input from TBCSA and TOMSA before the APP is approved.	Performance is monitored on a quarterly basis through submission of performance reports and also being part of the board committee structures of TBCSA.
SANPARKS South African National Parks	CEO of SAT and CEO of SANPARKS	1 April 2019 – 31 March 2022	The relationship between SA Tourism and SANPARKS is governed through the MOU. The purpose of the MOU is for both parties to collaborate, commit and align their strategic and tactical plans and resources of whatever nature in relation to their tourism. The activities, outlined and detailed, will be reviewed annually by both parties: Assist and negotiate with relevant embassies with the promotion of SANPARKS. Joint leisure marketing for domestic i.e. Sho’t Left campaign Collaborate on international participation at international trade platforms. Participate at CEO Forum with provincial tourism authorities. Collaborate on signature events where SANPARKS properties can participate. Collaborate on access to digital assets library for the use in marketing campaigns. Assist SA Tourism in the applications of film permits at relevant SANPARKS properties. Create online platforms i.e. website for SANPARKS to showcase their offerings. SANPARKS to provide packages deals relevant to domestic and international markets. Collaborate on hosting programmes. Provide platforms for SANPARKS to participate i.e. domestic and international trade shows. Assist with the grading of SANPARKS properties	Performance is monitored through the implementation of identified collaborations in line with the agreed activity plan.

Reply:

The Department and SA Tourism’s programmes and strategies to boost tourism are contained in the tabled Strategic Plans and Annual Performance Plan.

Furthermore, future plans will be tabled in Parliament on 11 March 2020.

Reply:

Whether there are any plans put in place to undertake studies on brand positivity by tourist and / or potential tourist to the Republic.

SA Tourism does conduct brand positivity studies through an in-depth assessment of travellers' perceptions of South Africa as a leisure travel destination across key priority markets. The aim of the study is to inform the key marketing and strategic initiatives of SA Tourism; thereby, improving the return on marketing investment in each market.

(a)–(c) The study is currently carried out 3 times a year during the major booking and buying cycle of our target markets. SA Tourism currently runs the study in 17 of the core markets.

Reply:

The 18th Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) was held in Baku, Azerbaijan, on 25-26 October 2019 under the theme: “NAM Baku Summit: Upholding the Bandung Principles to ensure concerted and adequate response to the challenges of the contemporary world.”

The South African Government did not put forward suggestions at the 18th Summit of the NAM on the reform of the International Criminal Court (ICC). However, the NAM Heads of State and Government adopted the Baku Final Outcome Document of the 18th Summit of the NAM (NAM 2019/CoB/Doc.1) which included the Movement’s principled positions concerning international law, and in particular the mandate of the ICC as contained in the Rome Statute, as follows:

“28.13. The Non-Aligned States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) shall continue to preserve the integrity of the Statute and ensure that the ICC remains impartial and fully independent of political organs of the UN, which should not instruct nor impede the functions of the ICC, bearing in mind the relevant provisions of the Rome Statute;

28.14. The Heads of State and Government expressed strong concern on the abuse of certain provisions of the Rome Statute by the Security Council, including its practice to purport to selectively limit the jurisdiction of the ICC when referring matters to the ICC and noted that the practice amounts to an abuse of the powers of the Security Council to refer matters to the ICC.

28.15. The Non-Aligned States Parties to the Rome Statute of the ICC recalled the Review Conference of the Rome Statute, which was held in Kampala, Uganda, from 31 May to 11 June 2010, at which States parties reaffirmed their commitment to the Rome Statute and adopted amendments to the Statute to define the crime of aggression and to establish conditions under which the Court could exercise jurisdiction with respect to that crime;

28.16. The Non-Aligned States Parties to the Rome Statute of the ICC continued to underscore the necessity of the independence of the ICC, in accordance with its judicial nature. They stated that the Security Council's responsibilities under the Charter of the UN should not limit the role of the Court as a judicial body. The Court should be empowered to pronounce on acts of aggression independently.

28.17. The Non-Aligned State Parties to the Rome Statute of the ICC oppose all actions, in particular through the Security Council, aimed at establishing a process to grant immunity to the staff members of UN peacekeeping operations, which violate the relevant provisions of the Rome Statute of the ICC and damage the credibility and independence of the ICC.”

The Baku Final Outcome Document was adopted by all NAM member states including South Africa.

The South African Government’s participation at the 18th Summit of the NAM was guided by the theme, as well as its four strategic foreign policy pillars, namely:

1. advancing national interest to attain domestic objectives;
2. enhancing the African Agenda and promoting Africa’s sustainable development;
3. influencing a reformed global multilateral architecture; and
4. advancing the agenda of the South through strengthening South-South Cooperation and North-South Dialogue.

Reply:

1.(a) To allow for a process to finalise the appointment of a new Secretary for Defence.

(b) From 15 December 2019 to 31 March 2020.

(c) R 612,925.50.

(2) Section 7 of the Defence Act, 2002, provides that the President must, subject to the laws governing the public service, appoint a person to the post of Secretary for Defence as head of the Defence Secretariat.

(3) A process to finalise this matter is currently underway.

Reply:

I have been advised that there is no agreement between the President and the Chinese government for investment in the SEZ Musina-Makhado. The honourable member may be referring to another agreement and is requested to clarify.

In respect of the environmental impact assessment, the Department reports that the assessment for the metallurgical cluster is currently underway and is targeted for completion in 2020.

The initial investor interest was from Chinese enterprises and it is expected that more enterprises, including locally-owned companies, will be encouraged to locate in the zone. I note that subsequent to the approval of this and other SEZs in past years, Cabinet reviewed the policy around SEZs during the latter part of 2019 and adopted a new approach, which formed the basis for the launch of the Tshwane Auto SEZ-hub and will be utilized in future. This includes a stronger role for national government in ensuring effective and higher-impact Special Economic Zones.

The Department notes that SEZs are aimed at attracting industrial investors and hotels would not be covered by the SEZ-designation in the area.

 

-END-

Reply:

I have been advised by officials in the Department as follows:

(a) Funds for the Industrial Parks Revitalisation Programme projects derives from the Departments’ Critical Infrastructure Programme budget. The Department did not receive additional funding for the Industrial Parks Revitalisation Programme from the national fiscus, necessitating reallocation within existing budget. The outcome of an application for further expenditure related to the Ekandustria Revitalisation Programme will be relayed to relevant stakeholders once the application process has been completed.

(b)&(c) I refer to the response to the question of 18 November 2019. The second phase has been scoped and application for funding submitted. The work for subsequent phases will commence following implementation of each prior phase and subsequent strategic reviews completed. The outcome of the review will determine the extent of further phases and funding.

-END-

Reply:

This response is according to information received from Transnet:

In response to the above questions, there is no agreement between Transnet and Dr Beyers Naudé Local Municipality pertaining to the borehole that supplies water to the community of Wolwefontein in the Eastern Cape.

(a)&(b) The borehole is the property of Transnet and is operated and maintained by service providers appointed by Transnet. Part of the maintenance includes the supply of fuel for the pump. The borehole has been out of service from August 2019 and a service provider was appointed to effect repairs, however, the service provider has been experiencing challenges to restore the water supply for the community of Wolwefontein.

(c) Currently, water is being supplied to the community with a tanker service to provide immediate relief.

(d) A new borehole will be drilled, preferably in front of the police station. The exact location will depend on the water table survey. Water can be restored within six (6) weeks after completion of the drilling of the borehole, considering that quality of water needs to be treated, together with other works that may be required. Until such time that the new borehole is functional, the tanker service will continue to supply water to the community of Wolwefontein.

Lastly, Transnet has no objection to the borehole being transferred to the Dr Beyers Naudé Local Municipality. It must be noted that high level meetings were held in 2013 and 2014, between Transnet and the Dr Beyers Naudé Local Municipality to transfer the ownership of the borehole to the municipality, but no agreement was reached.

 

Reply:

I have been advised by the Director General, following consultation with the SEZ concerned, of the following:

1. “The SA Energy and Metallurgical Special Economic Zone has no knowledge nor association with building of Mulilo Power Station.

2. There is no standing or direct relationship between the Musina-Makhado SEZ and MC Mining, who is not an investor in the Zone.

(3) The titles of the 6 (six) working groups are:

1. Governance
2. Infrastructure
3. Environmental Management
4. Investments
5. Town Planning
6. Skills & Enterprise Development”

In addition to the above information, the honourable Member may wish to follow up further queries with the Province or SEZ concerned.

-END-

Reply:

The parliamentary question has been forwarded to the entities and the Ministry of Public Enterprises awaits their urgent response. Further information will be conveyed to Parliament as soon as the response is received.

Reply:

This question, I presume is referring to the National Airlift Strategy. The question will be better responded to by the Minister of Transport.

The Department of Transport (DoT) is the custodian of the National Airlift Strategy which is supporting the National Tourism Sector Strategy.

 

Reply:

According to the information received from SAA:

Yes, the striking unions complied with the law in holding a strike ballot.

(a) Union of Metal Workers of South Africa (NUMSA) and the South African Cabin, Crew Association (SACCA). SAA also deployed its own observers for the supervision.

(b) Yes.

Reply:

Accordingly to the information received from Energy Team

The Eskom Generation entity will remain 100% state owned under Eskom Holdings consisting mainly of the current power plant base, which will be separated into a number of feasible smaller generation units.

Consideration for the creation of multiple generation companies (GENCOs) within Eskom Generation is currently under examination with the aim of introducing inter-company competition and drive efficiencies in generation. Each power station will have its own Power Purchase Agreement with predefined, fixed and guaranteed tariffs for energy with the Transmission Entity.

Reply:

I have been advised by officials that the department did not contribute funding to the event.

-END-

Reply:

Department of Social Development (DSD) plays a leadership role to facilitate the establishment, coordination, and the implementation of the shelters/safe spaces for all victims of crime and violence.

Furthermore, the Department forms part of the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) Cluster that has been given an important mandate to implement strategies and programmes that contribute towards priority 5 (social cohesion and safe communities) of the sixth government administration.

Is it therefore critical to note that due to the nature and sensitivity of the services rendered to victims of crime and violence, the Department is not in a position to provide the location of the shelters/safe houses/crisis centres since their safety is paramount.

Attached is Annexure A: Database for shelters/safe houses/ crisis centres.

Reply:

The Director-General of the Department of Trade and Industry has advised that the disciplinary matter is currently due to be heard through arbitration at a sitting scheduled for 16-17 January 2020, and some of the issues raised in the question may be the subject of dispute. Accordingly, to avoid prejudice in the matter, a fuller reply may be provided on conclusion of the current processes. Subject to the above, I am advised as follows:

The suspension relates to matters involving EOH Mthombo.

The original bid of EOH Mthombo amounted to R20 271 065.83 and was increased to R22 081 065.83 during September 2016. the dti only processed and made five (5) payments to the total amount of R11 154 846.47 as per deliverables. The remaining sum was the subject of a dispute and the Department has not paid this to EOH Mthombo.

Disciplinary action against employees are done in accordance with applicable laws and internal Departmental policies.

-END-

Reply:

According to the information received from the South African Airways:

1. SAA initiated the airlines Re- Accommodation Policy which provide customers with alternatives (Date Changes, Rebooking on other airlines).
2. SAA customers are able to book on partner airlines, including SA Express, Mango, SA Airlink and Codeshare Partner Airlines, as well as Star Alliance partner Airlines.
3. SAA provides hotel accommodation for those passengers who cannot be booked on a flight.
4. SAA book passengers on South African Airways flights for a later date at no extra charge.
5. SAA extends the validity of the affected tickets to a date determined by the airline.
6. SAA offers refunds to customers who decide to cancel their flights.
7. SAA opens multiple channels of communication and extend the Call Centres operating hours.
8. SAA deploys additional resources to assist with passenger interaction at all airports, the airline operates from, with the bulk of resources at SAA’s hub at OR Tambo International Airport, in Johannesburg.