Questions and Replies
26 March 2020 - NW637
Hendricks, Mr MGE to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
Whether he and/or his department has been informed that since October 2020 prisoners of the Muslim faith have received no spiritual guidance during this challenging period under the COVID-19 regulations; if not, why not; if so, will his department look into the matter in order to reinforce spiritual guidance to Muslim prisoners?
Reply:
Yes, Muslim offenders have been receiving Spiritual Care services and programmes continuously since October 2020.
The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) has an existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Muslim Prison Board (NMPB) for provision of spiritual care services and programmes catering for the spiritual needs of Muslim inmates.
The MoU between DCS and NMPB was signed on 10 December 2014 and it was reviewed MoU and signed again 04 March 2020 in Pretoria wherein both parties cemented a well-established working relationship in the rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders. The MoU demonstrates commitment to continuous engagement and commitment to afford inmates belonging to the Muslim faith to practise their religion as outlined in the constitution of the country.
Annual meetings are convened to ensure co-ordination and planning in the provision of services and programmes to Muslim offenders.
Lastly, DCS Chaplains nationally, are co-ordinating the work of providing spiritual care services and programmes to all inmates including Muslim offenders daily.
END
26 March 2020 - NW273
Graham-Maré, Ms SJ to ask the Minister of Public Service and Administration
What mechanisms does his department have in place to (a) track and monitor public servants under investigation for corruption and fraud in each government department, (b) record the outcomes of the investigations into corruption and fraud, (c) notify all departments that an individual has been found guilty of corruption but not imprisoned, to ensure that the individual is not employed in any other department and (d) notify all departments of the allegations against an individual who resigns from a position before the finalisation of an investigation to ensure that the individual is not employed in any other department while not cleared of the allegations?
Reply:
The DPSA recognises the seriousness of public service employees involved in fraud and corruption and is putting the necessary processes in place. In doing so, it must be kept in mind that corruption and fraud investigations are the sole mandate of the South African Police Service (SAPS) and that of discipline management the mandate of the respective heads of department. As such, discipline management is inherently a decentralised process.
In terms of section 15 of the Public Administration Management Act, 2014 (PAMA), misconduct emanating from criminal investigations is a DPSA responsibility. It is therefore envisaged that the newly established Public Administration Ethics, Integrity and Disciplinary Technical Assistance Unit will establish a central disciplinary database to monitor, track and record public servants under investigation for misconduct which may include corruption and fraud.
As such, the Unit will play an important role (as contemplated in section 15(4)(f) of the PAMA) to coordinate the involvement of the two identified stakeholders in a decentralised process, so as to able to paint a holistic picture regarding the involvement of public service employees in fraud and corruption.
25 March 2020 - NW205
Tinto, Ms B to ask the Minister of Home Affairs
What has his department done to resolve the impasse of African immigrants who have been mistreated and stuffed in churches in the central business district of Cape Town because of their fear of xenophobic attacks?
Reply:
We are not aware of any African migrants who have been mistreated and stuffed in churches in the central business district of Cape Town because of their fear of xenophobic attacks.
However, if you are referring to the Protesters in and around the Central Methodist Church and the Green Market Square, I wish to report the matter was taken to court by the City of Cape Town and I hereby enclose the Judgement for your attention.
END
24 March 2020 - NW289
Thembekwayo, Dr S to ask the Minister of Basic Education
Whether her department is planning to build a school in Gert Sibande District Municipality region for children living with autism: if not; what is the position in this regard; if so what are the relevant details?
Reply:
The Department has no plans to build a school for learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Gert Sibande District Municipality. The establishment of a school is based on a wide range of criteria including the number of learners identified to attend the school. Currently; there are 42 learners with autism that are admitted in Special Schools. The Department has Units in the Special Schools for Severe Intellectual Disability (SID) to accommodate learners with autism. Through the implementation of inclusive practices learners with autism are able to access required professional specialists appointed at SID schools because they are learners who require moderate to high levels of support. However; some learners referred and recommended for placement are not yet placed as the parents have a right to choose a school; unfortunately, in some instances preferred schools are full to capacity. It has to be noted that there is a plan in place to open a Unit for learners with autism at the proposed school for hearing and visually impaired which is currently under planning and design in Barberton.
24 March 2020 - NW400
King, Ms C to ask the Minister of Basic Education
What number of children with physical and intellectual disabilities are still on school waiting lists in each province?
Reply:
The information is not readily available at the Department of Basic Education. Such information resides with, and must be requested from the Provincial Education Departments; and the Department of Basic Education only keeps aggregated data.
24 March 2020 - NW365
Sukers, Ms ME to ask the Minister of Basic Education
(1) Whether, with reference to her department’s meeting on 24 January 2020 with internal stakeholders (details furnished), she can confirm that the Scripted Lesson Plans (SLPs) in the Educator Guides and learner workbooks are not compulsory sources that teachers and/or schools could use to achieve the mandatory minimum outcomes set by the Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) curriculum for the Life Skills and Life Orientation subjects; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details; (2) whether, given that section 6A of the South African Schools Act, Act 84 of 1996, empowers only the Minister to determine the minimum outcomes as set forth in the national curriculum statement and not to dictate the sources teachers and/or schools are to use to achieve such minimum outcomes, her department intends to make the SLPs in the Educator Guides and learner workbooks mandatory and the only source for achieving minimum outcomes set by the CAPS curriculum for the Life Skills and Life Orientation subjects; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
1. The Scripted Lesson Plans (SLPs) are not the only source that teachers and/or schools can use to achieve the mandatory minimum outcomes set by the Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) curriculum for the Life Skills and Life Orientation subjects. Since sexuality education has been offered since 2000, teachers have been using different sources to develop lesson plans. The SLPs are being piloted in a select number of schools at the moment.
2.It is not my intention to make the SLPs mandatory in schools.
23 March 2020 - NW396
Nodada, Mr BB to ask the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology
With reference to his declaration that he will appoint a Ministerial Task Team to review the business processes and functionality of the National Student Financial Aid Schemeto ensure that the bursary scheme functions optimally, (a) on what date will the task team be appointed, (b) who will serve on the task team, (c) what are the terms of reference for the task team and (d) what is the timeline for the task team to complete the work?
Reply:
The Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology is currently appraising the draft Terms of Reference and composition of the Ministerial Committee of Inquiry to conduct a formal independent review of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme. Once approved, a notice will be published in the Government Gazette outlining the date of appointment, committee members, scope and timelines for the inquiry.
23 March 2020 - NW395
Steyn, Ms A to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
Whether any amount was paid over to the Community Property Association and Trust as part of the land claims on behalf of the Ebenhaezer, Vaalplaas and Beeswater Communities in the Western Cape; if so, (a) will any further amounts be paid over and (b) what (i) amount(s) and (ii) dates are envisaged for this transfer; (2) has her department found that (a) previous payments were utilised by the trustees in line with the goals set for land reform and (b) the necessary checks and balances are in place to ensure that future transfers will also adhere to the goals set; (3) what (a) are the details of the checks and balances that are in place to ensure that the land and/or money is used in accordance with the aims of land reform and (b) steps has her department taken to ensure that the checks and balances are indeed functional?
Reply:
1. An amount of R19,914,060.00 (Nineteen Million Nine Hundred Fourteen Thousand and Sixty Rand) was paid over to the Ebenhaeser Trust as the business arm of the CPA in terms of section 42C of the Restitution of Land Rights Act,22 of 194 as amended and in pursuance of the Settlement Agreement entered between the Minister, Ebenhaeser CPA and the Commission on Restitution. No amounts have been paid over to the Vaalplaas and Beeswater communities.
(a) yes a further amount or tranche will be paid over to the Ebenhaeser Trust and
(b) (i) an amount of R45,366,940.00 (Forty Five Million Three Hundred Sixty Six Thousand Nine Hundred Forty Rand will be paid (ii)and will be transferred.
2. (a) Yes, previous payments were utilised by trustees in line with the goals set for land reform and (b) yes the necessary check and balances are in place to ensure that future transfers will adhere to goals set;
3. (a) A Service Level Agreement (SLA) was signed between the Department and the Ebenhaeser Trust confirming the terms of engagement regarding the financial management, administration, and disbursement of funds allocated for post settlement and business support of the Ebenhaeser land claim;
A Budget for a specific financial year is submitted to the Provincial department of Agriculture for a due diligence analysis;
A Business Plan is drafted by an external service provider and this must meet the approval of the multi-stakeholder Joint Co-ordinating Committee;
The Trust has a procurement policy in place and there is a Trust Deed registered at the Master of the HIGH Court setting forth the principles for governance. The Trust Deed, allows for both the Department and Provincial Agriculture to nominate external trustees with the necessary experience and expertise in the operations of trusts and business to assure that Trust operate in an accountable manner;
There are multiple-signatories (four) on the Trust Account held at a financial institution, where authorization for expenditure is required. These include the respective chairpersons of the CPA and Trust, the accountant and;
A Memorandum of Agreement was entered into between the CPA (as land holding entity and representative of the claimant community) and the Ebenhaeser Trust, and MOA sets out the roles and responsibilities, the regulation of the relationship, and also conflict resolution mechanism between these entities.
Audited Annual Financial Reports are compiled by an external auditor.
(b)The Department established a multi-stakeholder Joint Co-ordinating Committee (JCC) constituted as an oversight body over of processes and procedures adopted in the implementation of the Community Development and Land Acquisition Plan andthe Settlement Agreement of 2015.
The terms of Reference was concluded between the parties / members which are the following:
The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, the Commission on Restitution of Land Rights; Matzikama local municipality; Provincial department of Agriculture; National Department of Water and Sanitation; The Ebenhaeser CPA; Ebenhaeser Trust.
The Department has entered ito an agreement with VINPRO (the commodity organization in the wine industry. VINPRO has a direct involvement with the Ebenhaeser Trust and CPA in the form of mentoring and guidance.
The JCC sits bi-monthly and members report on issues under their respective watch and their mandates.
END
23 March 2020 - NW287
Thembekwayo, Dr S to ask the Minister of Home Affairs
Whether his department has any plans in place to employ more staff at the Bethal Home Affairs office in Mpumalanga to curb the crisis of staff shortage; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, by what date is it envisaged that the required staff will be employed?
Reply:
At this stage, considering the Department's shortfall under its Compensation of Employees budgetary allocation, the employment of additional staff within the Bethal Office as a critical priority, is not envisaged. Staffing levels will be monitored, and supplemented through other interventions, such as the temporary deployment of serving officials, amongst others, as deemed necessary.
END
23 March 2020 - NW300
van der Merwe, Ms LL to ask the Minister of Home Affairs
What was the (a) the financial contribution of the Electoral Commission (IEC) to the IEC/United Nations Development Programme conference on Safeguarding Electoral Integrity in the Digital Age that was held at the International Convention Centre in Cape Town from 2 to 5 March 2020 and (b) breakdown of costs for the (i) travel, (ii) accommodation of delegates and (iii) conference itself?
Reply:
(a) No fiscal allocations were utilised to cover the Electoral Commission’s contribution towards the conference. The contribution of the Electoral Commission to the conference was raised through the following sources:
- Advertising exposure amounting to R5 million at the Result Operating Centre as well as live streaming of the conference.
- Standard Bank of South Africa made a direct contribution of R 150 000.
- Facebook contributed conference bags, note books and pens.
- The UNDP made an additional contribution of R1 035 000 towards the event.
(b)(i) Travel costs R 1 452 592.97
(b)(ii) Accommodation of delegates R 1 854 923.95
(b)(iii) Conference costs R 1 455 116.68
END
20 March 2020 - NW119
Thembekwayo, Dr S to ask the Minister of Basic Education
QUESTION 1:Whether the department has any plans in place to renovate Sapebuso Primary School in Soweto, Orlando West, Gauteng?
Reply:
ANSWER:
The school is not on the Department’s current Estimate of Capital Expenditure (ECE) and not listed as an immediate priority. However, the Department will be sending a Works Inspector to the school to assess if there is an immediate need for renovations at the school before the end of March 2020. The outcome of this assessment will inform the Department’s next course of action, subject to the availability of budget.
It must be noted that the Department has renovated the school recently as follows:
Electrical Work for R274,854.60 in August-September 2016.
Palisade Fence for R406,400.00 in October-November 2018.
It must also be noted that:
- The South African Schools Act, 84 of 1996 as amended, provides that the School Governing Body is responsible to maintain and improve the school's property, buildings and grounds occupied by the school, including school hostels, if applicable. Therefore, the School Principals and School Governing Bodies are responsible for the day to day maintenance and minor repairs of the school.
- The Schools are provided a subsidy allocation, linked to learner enrolment figures and 12% of the subsidy is ring fenced to deal with the basic day to day maintenance and minor repairs of facilities. These works include minor maintenance that includes but is not limited to replacing window panes, door handles, paintings and replacing plumbing fixtures.
- The Provincial Department is responsible for complex work and additional infrastructure, like major rehabilitation of buildings, major civil works for the storm water management system, cracks in a wall of more than 5 mm wide, etc.
Kind Regards,
MR ANDREK (PANYAZ) LESUFI, MPL
MEMBER OF EXECUTIVE COUNCIL: EDUCATION
DATE: 2020/03/16
20 March 2020 - NW442
Graham-Maré, Ms SJ to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
(a) What total number of (i) municipal/city managers and (ii) managers directly accountable to municipal manager are on suspension in each municipality, (iii) the specified managers have been on suspension for (aa) less than 3 months, (bb) less than 6 months and (ccc) more than 6 months, (iv) managers are on fully paid suspension and (b) in which municipalities are the acting managers in each province?
Reply:
According to the information received from the Provincial Departments of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, thirty-five (35) senior managers have been suspended for various accounts of misconducts. The details regarding the names of each municipality and position are provided in the table below:
EASTERN CAPE:
Name of municipality |
Total Number of municipal/city manager that have been on suspension |
Total Number of managers directly accountable to municipal manager that have been on suspension |
Period |
Municipal managers on suspensions are fully paid |
Managers directly accountable to municipal manager on suspension are on fully paid |
||
Less than 3 months |
Less than 6 months |
More than 6 months |
|||||
Nelson Mandela Bay MM |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
Yes |
0 |
Sakhisizwe LM |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
Yes |
0 |
Ingquza LM |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
Yes |
0 |
Enoch Mgijima LM |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
Yes |
0 |
OR Tambo DM |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
Yes |
0 |
TOTAL SUSPENSIONS: 5
FREE STATE:
Name of municipality |
Total Number of municipal/city manager that have been on suspension |
Total Number of managers directly accountable to municipal manager that have been on suspension |
Period |
Municipal managers on suspensions are fully paid |
Managers directly accountable to municipal manager on suspension are on fully paid |
||
Less than 3 months |
Less than 6 months |
More than 6 months |
|||||
Nala LM |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Dihlabeng LM |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
Metsimaholo LM |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Moqhaka LM |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
TOTAL SUSPENSIONS: 4
GAUTENG:
Name of municipality |
Total Number of municipal/city manager that have been on suspension |
Total Number of managers directly accountable to municipal manager that have been on suspension |
Period |
Municipal managers on suspensions are fully paid |
Managers directly accountable to municipal manager on suspension are on fully paid |
||
Less than 3 months |
Less than 6 months |
More than 6 months |
|||||
West Rand District Municipality |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
Yes |
0 |
Merafong City LM |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
Yes |
0 |
TOTAL SUSPENSIONS: 2
LIMPOPO:
Name of municipality |
Total Number of municipal/city manager that have been on suspension |
Total Number of managers directly accountable to municipal manager that have been on suspension |
Period |
Municipal managers on suspensions are fully paid |
Managers directly accountable to municipal manager on suspension are on fully paid |
||
Less than 3 months |
Less than 6 months |
More than 6 months |
|||||
Ephraim Mogale LM |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
Yes |
0 |
Elias Motsoaledi LM |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
Yes |
0 |
Sekhukhune DM |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
Yes |
0 |
Collins Chabane LM |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
Yes |
0 |
TOTAL SUSPENSIONS: 4
KWAZULU NATAL:
Name of municipality |
Total Number of municipal/city manager that have been on suspension |
Total Number of managers directly accountable to municipal manager that have been on suspension |
Period |
Municipal managers on suspensions are fully paid |
Managers directly accountable to municipal manager on suspension are on fully paid |
||
Less than 3 months |
Less than 6 months |
More than 6 months |
|||||
Emadlangeni LM |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Yes |
Yes |
0 |
Emadlangeni LM |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
Yes |
0 |
Yes |
Umzinyathi DM |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Umzinyathi DM |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
Yes |
0 |
Yes |
Richmond LM |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Yes |
Yes |
0 |
Abaqulusi LM |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Yes |
Yes |
0 |
TOTAL SUSPENSIONS: 6
MPUMALANGA:
Name of municipality |
Total Number of municipal/city manager that have been on suspension |
Total Number of managers directly accountable to municipal manager that have been on suspension |
Period |
Municipal managers on suspensions are fully paid |
Managers directly accountable to municipal manager on suspension are on fully paid |
||
Less than 3 months |
Less than 6 months |
More than 6 months |
|||||
Msukaligwa LM |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
Yes |
Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme LM |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
Yes |
Dr JS Moroka LM |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
Yes |
TOTAL SUSPENSIONS: 3
NORTHERN CAPE:
Name of municipality |
Total Number of municipal/city manager that have been on suspension |
Total Number of managers directly accountable to municipal manager that have been on suspension |
Period |
Municipal managers on suspensions are fully paid |
Managers directly accountable to municipal manager on suspension are on fully paid |
||
Less than 3 months |
Less than 6 months |
More than 6 months |
|||||
Dikgatlong LM |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
Yes |
Sol Plaatjie LM |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
Yes |
Yes |
TOTAL SUSPENSIONS: 4
NORTH WEST:
Name of municipality |
Total Number of municipal/city manager that have been on suspension |
Total Number of managers directly accountable to municipal manager that have been on suspension |
Period |
Municipal managers on suspensions are fully paid |
Managers directly accountable to municipal manager on suspension are on fully paid |
||
Less than 3 months |
Less than 6 months |
More than 6 months |
|||||
Lekwa Teemane LM |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
TOTAL SUSPENSIONS: 4
WESTERN CAPE:
Name of municipality |
Total Number of municipal/city manager that have been on suspension |
Total Number of managers directly accountable to municipal manager that have been on suspension |
Period |
Municipal managers on suspensions are fully paid |
Managers directly accountable to municipal manager on suspension are on fully paid |
||
Less than 3 months |
Less than 6 months |
More than 6 months |
|||||
Knysna LM |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
Yes |
0 |
George LM |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Yes |
Cederberg LM |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
Yes |
TOTAL SUSPENSIONS: 3
(b) Where there is a record of suspension of a municipal manager, the municipal council appoints acting municipal manager until completion of the disciplinary hearing.
End.
20 March 2020 - NW224
Arries, Ms LH to ask the Minister of Basic Education
Whether her department has been informed that learners in Conville Primary School in George Local Municipality are learning in classrooms with cracked walls that can collapse at any time; if so, what steps has she taken in this regard?
Reply:
Yes, the WCED has been informed of the condition of infrastructure at Conville PS.
The condition of the existing facility has been assessed by structural engineers. No risk of imminent collapse was found. The risks that were identified that require immediate reaction shall be addressed as soon as possible. We are engaging DTPW towards timelines for execution.
20 March 2020 - NW441
Graham-Maré, Ms SJ to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
(a) What total number of (i) municipal/city managers and (ii) managers directly accountable to municipal manager are in acting positions in municipalities, (iii) the specified managers have been acting for (aa) less than 3 months, (bb) less than 6 months and (ccc) more than 6 months and (iv) managers are fit and proper to hold the acting positions and (b) in which municipalities are the acting managers in each province?
Reply:
The information requested by the Honourable Member is not readily available in the Department. The information will be submitted to the Honourable Member as soon as it is available
Thank you
20 March 2020 - NW378
Ceza, Mr K to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
(a) What (i) number of municipalities have vacant positions of chief financial officers and (ii) is the name of each specified municipality, (b) on what date did each specified position become vacant and (c) what was the reason for each such vacancy?
Reply:
According to information provided by the Provincial Departments of Local Government, there are fifty-three (53) municipalities that have vacant positions of Chief Financial Officers. The details regarding the names of each of the specified municipality, and the date on which each of the specified positions became vacant as well as the reasons thereof are provided in the table below as follows:
PROVINCE |
NAME OF MUNICIPALITY |
DATE ON WHICH THE POSITION BECAME VACANT |
REASONS FOR VACANCY |
KwaZulu-Natal (9) |
Ugu District Municipality |
31 August 2019 |
Resigned |
Ray NkonyenI Local Municipality |
14 February 2020 |
Resigned |
|
Umngungundlovu District Municipality |
30 September 2018 |
Resigned |
|
Mpofana Local Municipality |
April 2015 |
Deceased |
|
Umngeni Local Municipality |
31 December 2019 |
Contract of employment terminated |
|
MkhambathinI Local Municipality |
1 January 2020 |
Resigned |
|
Newcastle Local Municipality |
31 August 2018 |
Resigned |
|
Edumbe Local Municipality |
31 January 2019 |
Resigned |
|
Limpopo (8) |
Vhembe District Municipality |
1 April 2019 |
Resigned |
Mopani District Municipality |
1 March 2020 |
Resigned |
|
Maruleng Local Municipality |
1 July 2018 |
Fixed-term contract ended |
|
Lepelle-Nkumpi Local Municipality |
1 August 2019 |
Resigned |
|
Lephalale Local Municipality |
19 May 2019 |
Dismissal. |
|
Ephraim Mogale Local Municipality |
1 January 2020 |
Resigned |
|
Elias Motsoaledi Local Municipality |
1 December 2018 |
Resigned |
|
Fetakgomo Tubatse Local Municipality |
1 December2019 |
Resigned |
|
Free State (7) |
Kopanong Local Municipality |
1 October 2018 |
Resigned |
Masilonyana Local Municipality |
31 October 2018 |
Resigned |
|
Tokologo Local Municipality |
30 April 2017 |
Fixed-term contract ended |
|
Setsoto Local Municipality |
28 March 2019 |
Appointment found invalid, the municipal council rescinded the appointment |
|
Maluti-a-Phofung Local Municipality |
1 February 2019 |
Fixed-term contract ended |
|
Fezile Dabi District Municipality |
15 June 2018 |
Resigned |
|
Metsimaholo Local Municipality |
31 August 2019 |
Resigned |
|
Northern Cape (6) |
Frances Baard District Municipality |
1 March 2020 |
Resigned |
Phokwane Local Municipality |
30 March 2015 |
Contract Expired |
|
Richtersveld Local Municipality |
31 May 2019 |
Medically board |
|
Namakhoi Local Municipality |
16 November 2010 |
Employment contract expired |
|
Renosterberg Local Municipality |
31 September 2011 |
Political Intervention |
|
Gamagara Local Municipality |
20 February 2020 |
Resigned |
|
Western Cape (6) |
Matzikama Local Municipality |
February 2020 |
Resigned |
Cederberg Local Municipality |
February 2020 |
Resigned |
|
George Local Municipality |
1 July 2019 |
Dismissal |
|
Beaufort West Municipality |
1 March 2020 |
Resigned |
|
Mossel Bay Municipality |
16 March 2020 |
Employment contract expired |
|
Witzenberg Municipality |
30 June 2018 |
Employment contract expired |
|
North West (6) |
Madibeng Local Municipality |
1/01/2019 |
Resigned |
Rustenburg Local Municipality |
2018 |
Resigned |
|
Ratlou Local Municipality |
2017 December 31 |
Fixed-term contract ended |
|
Naledi Local Municipality |
27 September 2019 |
Resigned |
|
Greater Taung Local Municipality |
08 March 2019 |
Fixed-term contract ended |
|
Dr Ruth Mompati District Municipality |
30 April 2018 resigned |
Fixed-term contract ended |
|
Eastern Cape (5) |
Raymond Mhlaba Local Municipality |
- |
Employment contract expired |
Emalahleni Local Municipality |
- |
Employment contract expired |
|
Kouga Local Municipality |
- |
Resigned |
|
Port St. Johns Local Municipality |
- |
Resigned |
|
Ingquza Hill Local Municipality |
- |
Resigned |
|
Gauteng (4) |
Sedibeng District Municipality |
5 December 2019 |
Resigned |
Lesedi Local Municipality |
26 September 2018 |
Dismissed |
|
Midvaal Local Municipality |
30 June 2019 |
Resigned |
|
Merafong City Local Municipality |
1 January 2020 |
Resigned |
END.
19 March 2020 - NW341
Hicklin, Ms MB to ask the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure
(1)In view of the statement in the progress report for the Council for the Built Environment (CBE) dated 26 February 2020 that registration with the SA Council for the Architectural Profession (SACAP) is not mandatory, which resulted in many graduates seeing no value in registration, what measures is she and/or her department taking to elevate the image of SACAP and make registration compulsory; (2) what (a) measures is she and/or her department taking to encourage government departments and institutions responsible for infrastructure to assist graduates with vocational training to enable them to progress to professional registration and (b) is being done to increase access to vocational training opportunities within her department; (3) whether graduates are able to attain professional registration without having attained mentorship and vocational training; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details; (4) whether she has found that it is permissible that government departments responsible for infrastructure are employing architectural graduates who are not SACAP registered; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details; (5) what incentives exist for graduates to comply with the request to register with the CBE if her department flouts its own recommendations and hires unregistered graduates?
Reply:
The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:
(1) The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) informed me the South African Council for the Architectural Profession (SACAP) wrote to all government departments responsible for infrastructure in South Africa in order to promote the benefits of using registered professionals in all their projects. SACAP is undertaking public awareness campaigns to all local Municipalities to ensure that only registered persons submit building plan applications for approval. SACAP also has planned workshops to promote the architectural profession to the public.
SACAP intends to access funding, mainly from the Construction Sector Education and Training Authority (CETA) to run a mentorship programme. A meeting has been arranged with CETA and the Council for the Built Environment (CBE) to deal with funding for the mentorship programme. This will assist graduates that do not have mentors to access mentors and progress to professional registration.
(2) In ensuring that all Provincial Public Works departments are implementing the Skills Pipeline Strategy; DPWI has established the Public Works Sector Capacity Building Forum. This forum was established based on a research study that was undertaken by the National Department of Public Works to examine the causes underlying technical capacity constraints within the Public Works Family. The establishment of the forum was primarily to have a structured approach to accelerate the production of professionals by Public Works through the Built Environment Skills Pipeline Strategy. It is further aimed at fostering cooperation with other institutions in order to strengthen the efforts of building technical capacity for the state and impact on job creation. The forum meets on a quarterly basis.
Through this structure the department not only monitors and reports on the implementation of the Skills Pipeline Strategy; but also provides strategic support and guidance to the Provincial Public Works and other partners on implementing, evaluating and mobilising funding from Sector Education Training Authorities (SETAs), Department of Higher Education, National Skills Fund (NSF) and other funders to help execute the Skills Pipeline strategy.
To ensure that there is massive vocational training, the DPWI is partnering with Technical Vocational Training Colleges to implement the Centre of Specialisation (Dual Apprenticeship program), and Work Integrated Learning (WIL). The aim is to ensure that trainees are able to complete their full qualification and obtain “trade test” (in the artisanal and or apprenticeship program) in different trades. The piloting of the Centre of Specialisation (Dual Apprenticeship program), will be extended to the Provincial Public Works in the incoming 2020/2021 financial year. Further to this, the department will be embarking on an exercise to adopt the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) Standard for Developing Skills through Infrastructure Contracts as a policy. This standard puts a percentage (between 0.25 to 0.5%) of the contract value being set aside for developmental goals.
(3) Without Mentorship and Vocational Training trainees are unable to register as professionals. Mentorship is a critical component in the professionalisation process. The department executes different types of mentorship strategies i.e.
i) Internal mentorship:-mentors appointed solely for mentoring and existing employees who are qualified as professionals are experienced and passionate about the development of young people in this country;
ii) By forging collaborations with the Industry, through among others, entering into a memoranda of understanding with the private sector. The parties commit to training, development and mentorship by accommodating trainees for practical work exposure in their respective fields of study. These companies further expose departmental trainees in their private sector work, which also includes International assignments where applicable.
(4) Yes, it is permissible for Infrastructure Departments to appoint graduates for developmental purposes, namely, as former bursary holders who are appointed to serve back the bursary scheme obligation. Secondly, graduates are appointed as part of the Graduate Recruitment programme and offered Internship or Candidacy opportunities in the departments. Once in the Internship Programme, graduates are assisted to register as Candidates with SACAP to prepare them for the structured Candidacy Programme. In DPWI’s Architectural Services Unit all employees and trainees are registered with SACAP as Candidates or Professionals.
(5) The department employs unregistered graduates as per point 4 above for training purposes and seeing out the obligations as per the bursary contract. Posts that require professional registration have stringent requirements as per Occupational Specific Dispensation. The incentive to register for graduates is that Infrastructure implementing departments have high vacancy rates on professional posts. Professionalised graduates improve their chances of employability as professional skills remain scarce in the country.
19 March 2020 - NW356
Graham-Maré, Ms SJ to ask the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure
What (a) is the total number of (i) residential properties, (ii) business erven, (iii) government buildings and (iv) agricultural properties that are owned by her department in the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality that are (aa) vacant, (bb) occupied and (cc) earmarked for disposal and (b) amount does her department owe the municipality in outstanding rates and services?
Reply:
The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:
a) The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) has informed me that the total number of properties owned by the Department in the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality per category are as follows:
(i) Residential properties (1160)
(ii) Business erven (0)
(iii) Government buildings (1247)
(iv) Agricultural properties (5)
aa) Vacant (58)
bb) Occupied (2354)
cc) There are fifteen (15) properties earmarked for disposal for human settlements and one (1) property for restitution purposes within eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality.
b) DPWI owes the Municipality a total amount of R25 335 927,20, of which R23 387 788,12 relates to 293 properties. R338 139,07 is the current (less than 30 days) that is owed to the Municipality. The Department has disputed debt of R1 610 000,00 on one of the accounts with Municipality, and the Municipality is still investigating the dispute. DPWI informed me the confirmed amount will be settled as soon as the investigation has been concluded and both the Department and Municipality have agreed on the rate to be levied.
19 March 2020 - CW45
Mokause, Ms MO to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
One of the major problems with the adjudication of land rights disputes is the fact that the Land Claims Court has no permanent judges. Have you considered reconfiguring the Land Claims Court into being a full time court, with at least twelve permanent judges?
Reply:
The Honourable Member is correct that one of the problems with the adjudication of land rights disputes is the fact that the Land Claims Court has no permanent judges.
The Restitution of Land Rights Act, 22 of 1994, established the Land Claims Court to adjudicate land claims. The Court also has jurisdiction to hear and adjudicate other land reform matters pertaining to the Extension of Security of Tenure Act, 62 of 1997, and the Land Reform (Labour Tenants) Act, 3 of 1996. In terms of the existing legislative framework, Judges, of the Land Claims Court, including its Judge President, are seconded from the Divisions of the High Court randomly. The lack of a permanent bench for this important court is one of the contributing factors in South Africa falling behind in the development of land jurisprudence.
The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development has been mandated by the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Land Reform, which I chair, to develop a new Land Court Bill to address this challenge and a draft Bill has already served before the IMC. It is expected that the Bill will be presented to Cabinet within the next few months once it completed the internal consultation processes.
It is anticipated that the Land Court will have exclusive jurisdiction in respect of matters which demand expertise and speciality in resolving land disputes. An incremental approach might have to be followed towards defining the Court’s jurisdiction, the first step of which is to include those Acts of Parliament that facilitate the promotion of the vision enshrined in section 25 of the Constitution in respect of land reform, under the jurisdiction of the Court. The jurisdiction of the Court can then gradually be expanded to also deal with disputes arising from the administration and implementation of other legislation that regulate land reform and other land rights matters.
The President has, pending the finalisation of the Land Court Bill, approved creation of three additional positions of Judges, two in the Gauteng Division and one in the KwaZulu Natal Division, to hear exclusively land matters. The Judicial Service Commission will conduct interviews for these positions during its sitting of April 2020.
19 March 2020 - NW177
Waters, Mr M to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
Whether, with reference to her replies to questions (a) 604 on 22 March 2019, (b) 605 on 22 March 2019, (c) 607 on 22 March 2019, (d) 32 on 5 July 2019 and (e) 129 on 5 July 2019, she will furnish Mr M Waters with copies of all (i) correspondence in which her department requested the said information and (ii) the responses from the City of Ekurhuleni; if not, why not?
Reply:
The information requested by the Honourable Member is not readily available in the Department. The information will be submitted to the Honourable Member as soon as it is available
Thank you
19 March 2020 - CW46
Apleni, Mr T to ask the Minister of Trade and Industry
What progress has been made (a) thus far with the establishment of Industrial Special Zones (details furnished) and (b) in Dimbaza in the Eastern Cape in this regard?
Reply:
(a) Special Industrial Zones
A working committee to support, enhance and streamline delivery of interventions in Industrial Parks by DTIC through its Industrial Parks Revitalisation Programme (IPRP) and related programmes has been set up. This working committee will also consider an appropriate recommended name for the special initiative.
(b) Dimbaza IP
I am advised as follows:
A sum of R49 million will be spent on Phase One revitalisation of The Dimbaza Industrial Park. The scope of work entails -
- 10.50 km Boundary Fence,
- 2.03 km Diamond Mesh Fence,
- 5 High Mast Lights,
- Prefabricated Security Pods,
- Electrical Works (mini-substation)
- Vehicular Gates.
A Project Steering Committee (PSC) is responsible for project oversight. The Eastern Cape Development Corporation, Buffalo City Municipality, Department of Economic Development Environment and Tourism, DTIC, Development Bank of Southern Africa and Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, are represented on the PSC
I am advised that construction jobs created to-date total 161. There is a focus on youth inclusion, with a reported 40% of the total being drawn from young people from local communities. Upgrading work totalling R4 million is being delivered by 11 SMMEs appointed as Sub-Contractors.
-END-
19 March 2020 - NW178
Waters, Mr M to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
Whether, with reference to her replies to questions (a) 130 on 5 July 2019, (b) 131 on 5 July 2019, (c) 187 on 5 July 2019 and (d) 239 on 1 August 2019, she will furnish Mr M Waters with copies of all (i) correspondence in which her department requested the said information and (ii) the responses from the City of Ekurhuleni; if not, why not?
Reply:
The information requested by the Honourable Member is not readily available in the Department. The information will be submitted to the Honourable Member as soon as it is available
Thank you
19 March 2020 - NW308
Van Minnen, Ms BM to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
Has she been informed of the actions that have been taken in the Northern Cape and in particular with regard to Ga-Segonyana Local Municipality, in terms of the extended mandate of the Auditor-General which came into effect on 1 April 2019, to ensure that the Auditor-General can take certain specific actions that would result in increased accountability for financial officers and institutions, as part of phase one of the roll-out of action; if so, what plans has the Auditor-General put in place to institute action in terms of this mandate going forward?
Reply:
The information requested by the Honourable Member is not readily available in the Department. The information will be submitted to the Honourable Member as soon as it is available
Thank you
19 March 2020 - NW355
Graham-Maré, Ms SJ to ask the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure
(1)Whether her department has a valid lease agreement with the SA Police Service (SAPS) for Excelsior Court, 97 Peter Mokaba Drive, Berea; if not, by what date will her department start with (a) evictions and (b) the renovations of the property; if so, (i) what steps is her department going to take to ensure that the SAPS meets its obligations in terms of evicting all tenants, rehousing the SAPS personnel and allowing her department to start renovating according to the decision taken in 2010-11 and (ii) on what date is it envisaged that the SAPS will meet the specified obligations; (2) does the SAPS pay rent to her department; if so, what is the (a) rental amount and (b) total amount that the SAPS owes in arrears?
Reply:
The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:
1. The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) informed me that DPWI has no lease agreement with South African Police Services (SAPS) for Excelsior Court, 97 Peter Mokaba Drive, Berea. However, the relationship is managed through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the entire state-owned asset portfolio which is allocated to SAPS. The MOU was duly signed by the Accounting Officers of both departments on 31 January 2006.
(a) SAPS, as an end-user, is responsible for the eviction and has reported to have initiated the eviction process.
(b) The renovations of the property is still pending the finalisation of the eviction process by SAPS and property being handed back to DPWI to commence with renovations. (i) There has been continuous high-level engagements between DPWI and SAPS which resulted in SAPS commencing with the evictions process. (ii) The finalisation of the eviction process is depended on the conclusion of the litigation process.
2. SAPS pays accommodation charges for the entire portfolio as per the 2006 devolution with an annual amount of R1 397 874 000.00 in the 2019/20 financial year. SAPS does not owe the DPWI on accommodation charges.
19 March 2020 - NW130
Groenewald, Dr PJ to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
(1)Whether, with reference to her replies to question 449 on 16 September 2019 and subsequently to question 1502 on 2 December 2019, she has received the information and is now in a position to indicate the number of (a) firearms and (b) ammunition that were separately (i) stolen and/or (ii) lost in each of the past five financial years in every metro police; (2) what type of and/or calibre of such (a) firearms and (b) ammunition were (i) stolen and/or (ii) lost in each case; (3) whether she is still not in a position to provide the information; if not, (a) why not and (b) on what date is it envisaged that the reply will be made available; (4) whether she will make a statement on the matter?
Reply:
The information requested by the Honourable Member is not readily available in the Department. The information will be submitted to the Honourable Member as soon as it is available
Thank you
19 March 2020 - NW309
Van Minnen, Ms BM to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
With reference to the fact that municipalities will be constantly monitored and evaluated on their ability to carry out various functions including the oversight of their oversight structures, Section 79 Committees, audit committees and district intergovernmental relations forums, what steps has her department taken to deal with the various oversight structures and committees in the (a) Joe Morolong and (b) Phokwane Local Municipalities in the Northern Cape that have failed to prevent adverse audit findings?
Reply:
The information requested by the Honourable Member is not readily available in the Department. The information will be submitted to the Honourable Member as soon as it is available
Thank you
19 March 2020 - NW176
Waters, Mr M to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
Whether, with reference to her replies to questions (a) 185 on 22 March 2019, (b) 186 on 22 March 2019, (c) 187 on 25 March 2019 and (d) 598 on 22 March 2019, she will furnish Mr M Waters with copies of all (i) correspondence in which her department requested the said information and (ii) the responses from the City of Ekurhuleni; if not, why not?
Reply:
The information requested by the Honourable Member is not readily available in the Department. The information will be submitted to the Honourable Member as soon as it is available
Thank you
19 March 2020 - NW212
Ceza, Mr K to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
Whether her department intends to assist and strengthen the Steve Tshwete Municipality in Mpumalanga in accordance with section 154 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, to ensure that water is available to the L D Moetanalo Secondary School in Ward 28; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
The information requested by the Honourable Member is not readily available in the Department. The information will be submitted to the Honourable Member as soon as it is available
Thank you
19 March 2020 - NW114
Shaik Emam, Mr AM to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
What steps has she taken in accordance with section 154(1) of the Constitution, 1996, to support and strengthen the municipality of Louwater in the Eastern Cape to provide their community with safe drinking water and assist with the roads and electricity infrastructure that is still lacking after 25 years of democracy?
Reply:
The town of Louterwater is in the Koukamma Local Municipality (KLM), which is a municipality under Sarah Baartman District. The Koukamma LM is a Water Services Authority (WSA) and a Water Services Provider (WSP), which is responsible for providing water and sanitation & other services to the communities in its precinct.
There have been several challenges pertaining to service delivery in Louterwater on Water, Sanitation, Roads and Electricity, however the municipality has several projects in place that seek to address these challenges.
There is currently a water Project funded by Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) under the Water Services Infrastructure Grant (WSIG) to the amount of R2,2m which is to Drill and Equip 4 boreholes to supplement the current water supply. Also under the WSIG project, a leak detection and pipe replacement project was carried out during the lockdown period.
Under the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) there is a R17m allowed over three years for the upgrading of Roads Projects in Louterwater, for this financial year there is R3m allocated and there is currently a contractor on site.
A tender was advertised in November 2019 for the electrification of Ravinia, Krakeel and Louterwater over a three-year period ending on 30 June 2022 (± 250 Electrical connections for Louterwater town). Funding will be provided through the Integrated National Electrification Programme (INEP) Grant provided by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy.
The Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent (MISA) is currently providing technical support to the KLM, by deploying an Electrical and Civil Engineers to provide engineering expertise. MISA is involved in the engineering projects.
19 March 2020 - NW304
Lees, Mr RA to ask the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure
(1)With reference to the submission she made to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts that her department has an overdraft account with the SA Reserve Bank, (a) what are the relevant details of the account, (b) what is the name of the account holder, (c) on what date was the account opened and (d) who are the mandated signatories to the account; (2) what were the balances on the account at the end of each (a) financial year since the account was opened and (b) month in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 financial years up to the end of February 2020; (3) on what legal basis (a) was the account opened and (b) does it continue to operate; (4) what are the relevant details on what the funds from the account have been used for thus far; (5) whether any disciplinary action has been taken against the accounting officer for illegally operating the account; if not, (a) why not and (b) why has the account not been closed?
Reply:
The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:
(1)(a)South African Reserve Bank (SARB), Paymaster General (PMG) Account, Type of account: Current Account, Account number: 8033-298-6, Branch code: 910145, Pretoria
(b) Property Management Trading Entity (PMTE)
(c) The request to open the bank account was made to National Treasury on the 26 February 2006 and approval was granted to operate the PMG account with the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) on 7 March 2006. The account was operationalised from April 2006.
(d) Chief Financial Officer, Mr Mandla Sithole; the Chief Director: Financial Planning and Budgets, Ms Juanita Prinsloo; and Director: Financial Accounting, Mr Kolobe Thomas Emmanuel Seletela.
(2)(a)
Date |
Bank Balance |
3/31/2007 |
( 851,374,703.46 ) |
3/31/2008 |
( 1,046,964,266.82 ) |
3/31/2009 |
( 1,499,519,234.86 ) |
3/31/2010 |
( 1,656,528,184.27 ) |
3/31/2011 |
( 1,291,797,347.89 ) |
3/31/2012 |
( 1,223,206,905.21 ) |
3/31/2013 |
( 1,401,077,845.82 ) |
3/31/2014 |
( 337,171,429.04 ) |
3/31/2015 |
( 660,557,325.79 ) |
3/31/2016 |
( 1,431,308,703.19 ) |
3/31/2017 |
( 1,124,206,307.37 ) |
(b)
Date 2018-19 |
Bank Balance |
3/31/2018 |
(2,332,531,844.37) |
4/30/2018 |
(1,454,496,012.66) |
5/31/2018 |
(2,016,165,869.79) |
6/30/2018 |
(2,328,239,436.22) |
7/31/2018 |
(1,449,676,065.93) |
8/31/2018 |
(1,994,489,779.03) |
9/30/2018 |
(2,743,898,683.41) |
10/31/2018 |
(2,195,767,094.81) |
11/30/2018 |
(2,926,761,374.58) |
12/31/2018 |
(3,524,851,312.39) |
1/31/2019 |
(2,579,849,913.31) |
2/28/2019 |
(2,831,643,872.82) |
3/31/2019 |
(2,670,098,629.47) |
Date 2019-20 |
Bank Balance |
4/30/2019 |
( 1,290,128,154.71 ) |
5/31/2019 |
( 2,216,845,663.05 ) |
6/30/2019 |
( 2,108,231,745.36 ) |
7/31/2019 |
( 1,364,333,693.65 ) |
8/31/2019 |
( 1,706,096,148.11 ) |
9/30/2019 |
( 2,153,836,651.75 ) |
10/31/2019 |
( 1,337,075,183.16 ) |
11/30/2019 |
( 2,200,897,712.27 ) |
12/31/2019 |
( 3,820,937,183.91 ) |
1/31/2020 |
( 2,380,489,441.26 ) |
2/29/2020 |
( 2,816,940,398.38 ) |
(3)(a) The Paymaster General’s bank account was opened in terms of the approval granted by National Treasury on 14 March 2006 as one of the conditions for the establishment of the PMTE. The approval to establish the PMTE was granted by National Treasury in terms of Section 1 of the PFMA read with Treasury Regulations 19.
(b) It continues to operate as approved by National Treasury. The Paymaster General’s bank account is held with the South African Reserve Bank and is only used by PMTE to transact with client departments to make payments for claims that PMTE issue every month.
(4) The operating business model as approved by National Treasury was that PMTE incurs expenditure on daily basis rendering services on behalf of client departments after which it claims the said expenditure from those client departments. Claims to client departments are consolidated and issued every month. The expenditure that PMTE incurs on behalf of client departments includes infrastructure, maintenance and leasing, as part of the mandate of PMTE.
(5) (a) No disciplinary action was taken has been taken against the accounting officer since there is a legal basis to do so. It is incorrect that the accounting officer is “illegally operating the account” since the operating of the account, the business model to incur expenditure on behalf of client departments and claim after was approved by National Treasury. Furthermore, PMTE is required to submit monthly bank reconciliations to National Treasury and has been complying with this request.
(b) The account has not been closed since the account was opened and operated in line with the approvals of National Treasury. It must be noted that only client departments are allowed and permitted to make deposit for claims submitted by PMTE. PMTE also has a commercial bank account that was approved by National Treasury, and this account always has a positive bank balance. This account is used by other parties such as debtors to make a direct deposit to PMTE.
19 March 2020 - NW180
Lotriet, Prof A to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
Whether, with reference to her replies to questions (a) 507 on 16 September 2019 and (b) 508 on 16 September 2019, she will furnish Dr A Lotriet with copies of all (i) correspondence in which her department requested the said information and (ii) the responses from the City of Ekurhuleni; if not, why not?
Reply:
The information used to respond to this question was provided by the Gauteng Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.
(i) Below please find the full responses to the Parliamentary Questions 2019/507 and 2019/508 provided by the Gauteng Department of Cooperative Governance
(ii) The response to question PQ 507 is as follows:
- The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department firearm audit is still being finalized in conjunction with the SAPS – Central Firearms Registrar and the Department, therefore this information cannot be provided until such time this audit has been concluded.
- Firearms are inspected by Shift Commanders/Supervisors daily and records thereof are kept at the various Units/Sections and Divisions.
The response to question PQ 508 is as follows:
- (a) All members issued with a firearm have an obligation to report all firearm-related incidents, as well as their respective supervisors if they are informed, (b) 01 June 2019, however, was only reported to the Department on 01 July 2019 – Theft of Firearm – Vosloorus CAS no. 30/07/2019, (c) (i) The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department Firearm Audit is still being finalized in conjunction with the SAPS – Central Firearms Registrar and the Department. Such information will only be communicated once the audit is concluded.
- The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department firearm audit is still being finalized.
- No firearms have been issued to other Departments. The only Division issued with firearms was the Licensing Division, which has since been absorbed into the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department, which ensures compliance in this regard.
19 March 2020 - NW312
Brink, Mr C to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
What (a) were the circumstances leading to the termination of the contract of a certain person (name and details furnished), (b) was the total amount of any severance package and/or settlement agreement paid, (c) amount was paid in lieu of the specified person serving the balance of the employment agreement and (d) was the total amount of any performance rewards paid to the specified person since the person’s employment with her department?
Reply:
The information requested by the Honourable Member is not readily available in the Department. The information will be submitted to the Honourable Member as soon as it is available
Thank you
18 March 2020 - NW75
Opperman, Ms G to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
Whether she will provide Mrs G Opperman with (a) a list of municipalities in the Northern Cape that underspent their capital budgets in the (i) 2017-18 and (ii) 2018-19 financial years and (b)(i) the total budget and (ii)(aa) relevant Municipal Infrastructure Grant and (bb) Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant projects underspent on; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, on what date is it envisaged that she will make the list available?
Reply:
The information requested by the Honourable Member is not readily available in the Department. The information will be submitted to the Honourable Member as soon as it is available
Thank you
18 March 2020 - NW20
Mpumza, Mr GG to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
Whether, in search of providing useful skills that empower participants to access job and business opportunities after exiting the Community Works Programme (CWP) and Empowered Public Works Programme (EPWP), she has found that the current CWP and EPWP needs to be redesigned; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
The information requested by the Honourable Member is not readily available in the Department. The information will be submitted to the Honourable Member as soon as it is available
Thank you
18 March 2020 - NW21
Tlou, Ms M to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
In light of the several provinces that have experienced floods that caused damage to property and loss of lives, what are the reasons that storm water is not channelled from urban areas to designated water retaining destinations?
Reply:
The information requested by the Honourable Member is not readily available in the Department. The information will be submitted to the Honourable Member as soon as it is available
Thank you
18 March 2020 - NW24
Direko, Ms DR to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
With reference to her reply to question 299 for oral reply on 27 November 2019 and in view of the endorsement by the President’s Co-ordinating Council of a new district-based model for development that will synchronise planning by all spheres of government and involve citizens and civil society, what progress has been made on the implementation of the District Development Model which will focus on 44 municipal districts and eight metros?
Reply:
The information requested by the Honourable Member is not readily available in the Department. The information will be submitted to the Honourable Member as soon as it is available
Thank you
18 March 2020 - NW77
Hoosen, Mr MH to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
What (a) total number of municipalities have implemented the municipal cost containment regulations as gazetted in 2019 and (b) steps are being taken to ensure that all municipalities comply with the regulations?
Reply:
The information requested by the Honourable Member is not readily available in the Department. The information will be submitted to the Honourable Member as soon as it is available
Thank you
18 March 2020 - NW23
Muthambi, Ms AF to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
In light of the service delivery protests that hit local municipalities like Maluti-a-Phofung Local Municipality and the court order dissolving the Makana Municipal Council in the Eastern Cape, what support is her department providing to (a) struggling and (b) dysfunctional municipalities?
Reply:
The information requested by the Honourable Member is not readily available in the Department. The information will be submitted to the Honourable Member as soon as it is available
Thank you
18 March 2020 - NW22
Xaba-Ntshaba, Ms PP to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
Whether she intends to involve traditional leaders in the affairs of the municipalities in pursuit of deeper partnerships with the communities in the planning, building and maintenance of infrastructure; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
The information requested by the Honourable Member is not readily available in the Department. The information will be submitted to the Honourable Member as soon as it is available
Thank you
18 March 2020 - NW188
Graham-Maré, Ms SJ to ask the Minister of Home Affairs
(1)With reference to his reply to question 381 on 5 August 2019, (a) what number of the (i) 61 existing mobile units have been refurbished, (ii) 38 new trucks have been procured and (iii) refurbished and new trucks have been allocated to the Eastern Cape and (b) which areas in the Eastern Cape have benefited from the new modernisation process; (2) has the uninterrupted network solution been finalised?
Reply:
(1)(a)(i) Fifty-nine (59) units were refurbished.
(1)(a)(ii) Forty (41) units were newly procured to ramp up the numbers.
(1)(a)(iii) Nine (9) were refurbished and five (5) new trucks have been allocated to the Eastern Cape.
(1)(b) The areas are as follows:
DISTRICT MUNICIPALITIES THAT BENEFITED WITH MODERNISATION PROCESS |
O. R. Tambo, and Alfred Nzo District |
Chris Hani, and Joe Gqabi District |
Amathole District, and Buffalo City Metro |
Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, and Sarah Baartman District |
2. To find a solution SITA and DHA have agreed upon:
(i) A three year roadmap for the creation of alternative network routes within the Government Core Network; and
(ii) The proposed Software Defined Networking (SDN) model to be implemented on a case-by-case basis without negatively impacting the recent investments in networking equipment.
To date alternative network routes and alternative modes of connectivity have been deployed in partnership with SITA across not just ports of entry, mobile trucks and hospitals, but to front offices as well especially those offices highly impacted by cable theft.
END
18 March 2020 - NW229
Roos, Mr AC to ask the Minister of Home Affairs
What (a)(i) has been done in the Umgeni Road Home Affairs Office in KwaZulu-Natal to address the breaches of the regulations of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, Act 85 of 1993, at the specified office and (ii) who is being held accountable and (b) has been done to investigate allegations (i) of corruption at the office and (ii) that the queues are being closed early?
Reply:
(a)(i) The breaches were mostly as a direct result of the air-conditioning system that broke down during December 2019 and other day to day maintenance issues that occurred during this period. The reason for delay in dealing with these issues was due to the fact that service providers closed down during the festive period and that contractors were not available. In the interim the air-conditioning system was fully restored, and the toilets and water leaks have been attended to. In addition to this the following steps have been taken in order to ensure full compliance of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1993 (OHS Act).
- A meeting was held with National Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI), the landlord and other stakeholders on 8 January 2020 regarding the condition and maintenance of the building. As a direct result of this further commitments were made for upgrades and maintenance on the building by both the landlord and the department.
- A full OHS inspection was done by the OHS representatives of the Department of Home Affairs, DPW and the landlord and all identified issues were recorded and included in a repair program to be finalised before end of March 2020. Additional issues identified include signage in addition to the current signage, replacement of blinds, replacement of windows that members of public leaned against and cracked, replacement of some door locks, and looking at more and additional wheelchair accesses points. All of these issues were reported to the various responsible parties and is in the process of being dealt with.
- A full maintenance plan was received from the landlord that cover aspects such as the regular servicing of the air-conditioning systems, regular servicing of fire equipment (which is currently compliant with the legislation), regular quarterly fumigation of the building and the regular replacement of globes (lighting) in the building.
(a)(ii) The building is leased and the landlord is responsible for ensuring the office meets and maintains the required OHS standards in respect of the building itself.
(b)(i) All possible cases of corruption that is reported or detected at this office are immediately reported to the counter corruption and security services of the department and are subsequently investigated and actions taken were necessary. Two officials were dismissed in the 2019/20 financial year for cases of corruption relating to the fraudulent registration of births at this office.
(b)(ii) There is a misperception that queues are being closed early. The procedure followed at this office is as follows:
- The office knows how many persons they can approximately assist during the day and with this in mind and considering the time left and the number of persons in the office already awaiting services, the officials keep an eye on the outside queue to see if they will definitely be able to assist all in the queue.
- At a stage where they realise that the number of persons outside is more that the capacity of the office they will start warning persons after the cut-off point that there is a possibility that they might not be assisted. At no stage at this time is the queue cut, as there is always the possibility that a few extra people might be assisted. The public is however informed as early as possible to enable them to make an informed decision and to not allow persons to waste their time waiting in line if there is a possibility of them not being assisted at the time of closure. It is up to the clients whether or not they leave at this stage.
- Only around 30 minutes prior to closing will the line be cut and the last persons brought into the office. This is done due to the fact that officials do not have permission to work overtime as a rule and the department due to austerity measures cannot afford to pay officials overtime on a daily basis to work till after 16:00. It should be mentioned that on more than one occasion officials in this office will continue to work well after 17:00 in order to finish persons already inside the office.
- The only time that queues are cut other than at this time is when the office has gone offline and there is clear indication that the system will not be back online for the rest of the day.
END
18 March 2020 - NW7
Wessels, Mr W to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
(1)Whether, with reference to her reply to questions (a) 652 on 16 September 2019 and (b) 1454 on 2 December 2019, she is now in a position to indicate whether her department is aware of outstanding payments to third parties such as pension funds, medical aids and the SA Revenue Service by various municipalities; if so, will she provide Mr W W Wessels with (i) a list of the relevant municipalities and (ii) each amount owed to each third party; (2) whether her department has a plan in place to intervene in the specified municipalities that are allegedly guilty of utilising third party deductions for operational expenditure; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details; (3) whether her department has been informed of syndicates of municipal officials who paid third party deductions to their own bank accounts; if not, will her department investigate the allegations; if so, what are the relevant details; (4) how is her department assisting municipal officials who are at retirement age but whose pensions are affected by the non-payment of contributions by the municipalities to the respective pension funds?
Reply:
The information requested by the Honourable Member is not readily available in the Department. The information will be submitted to the Honourable Member as soon as it is available
Thank you
18 March 2020 - NW129
Singh, Mr N to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
Whether, given the high level of corruption in the Public Service and low levels of prosecution for corruption, he has considered the establishment of an independent corruption specific investigative and prosecutorial body to combat, investigate and prosecute graft in the Republic; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the further relevant details?
Reply:
Already, there is an existing independent corruption specific investigative and prosecutorial body, namely, the Investigating Directorate in the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
In this regard, the President, in terms of section 7(1) of the National Prosecuting Authority Act, 1998 (Act No.32 of 1998) (“the NPA Act”), on recommendation of the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Minister of Police and National Director of Public Prosecutions, proclaimed on 25 March 2019, the establishment of an Investigating Directorate in respect of the following criminal cases:
1. Common law offences of:
(a) Fraud;
(b) Forgery;
(c) Uttering;
(d) Theft; and
(e) Any offence involving dishonesty.
2. Statutory offences including but not limited to contraventions of:
(a) The Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act, 2004 (Act No. 12 of 2004);
(b) The Prevention of Organised Crime Act, 1998 (Act No. 121 of 1998);
(c) The Protection of Constitutional Democracy against Terrorist and Related Activities, 2004 (Act No. 33 of 2004);
(d) The Public Finance Management Act, 1999 (Act No. 1 of 1999);
(e) The Local Government: Municipal Finance Management, 2003 (Act No. 56 of 2003);
(f) The Financial Intelligence Centre Act, 2001 (Act No. 38 of 2001); and
(g) Any other statutory offence involving dishonesty.
3. In addition, any unlawful activities relating to serious, high profile or complex corruption cases including but not limited to offences or criminal or unlawful activities arising from the following commissions and inquiry:
(a) The Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture, Corruption and Fraud in the Public Sector including Organs of State promulgated under Presidential Proclamation No. 3 of 2018 published in Government Gazette No. 41403, 25 January 2018;
(b) The Commission of Inquiry into Tax Administration and Governance by the South African Revenue Service (SARS) established by Presidential Proclamation No. 17 of 2018 published in Government Gazette No. 41562 of 24 May 2018;
(c) The Commission of Inquiry into Allegations for Impropriety regarding the Public Investment Corporation established under Presidential Proclamation No. 30 of 2018. Published in the Government Gazette No. 41979 of 17 October 2018; and
(d) Any other serious, high profile or complex cases of corruption referred to the Directorate by the National Director in accordance with Section 28(1)(b) of the NPA Act.
The Head for the Investigating Directorate, Advocate Hermione Cronje, has been appointed, and the Investigating Directorate is functional.
It needs to be noted that, though the Investigating Directorate only deals with the high end corruption matters, the lower value corruption cases do, however, receive full attention as well through the normal processes. In this regard we have, for example, specialised courts to deal with serious commercial crime cases and corruption. They are called Specialised Commercial Crimes Courts (SCCCs), and are underpinned by dedicated prosecutorial Specialised Commercial Crimes Units (SCCUs) in the NPA and dedicated investigators from police (SAPS/ DPCI) side. The SCCUs and the SCCCs play an important role in dealing with corruption cases and in dealing with the investigation and prosecution of “graft”.
These measures are paying off dividends as NPA statistics indicate that 152 government officials were convicted for corruption or offences related to corruption in the first three quarters of the 2019/20 financial year, and a further 198 persons of private sector corruption. In 2018/19, 210 officials were convicted, and in the previous year 213 officials.
It needs to be pointed out that serious corruption matters are mostly complex and require significant investigations that take time. Fortunately, we also see lately, on a daily basis, media articles that mention cases of prosecution for corruption and convictions in that regard.
In an effort to fast track the recovery of funds lost to the state from corruption or irregular spending, His Excellency, President Cyril Ramaphosa has furthermore established a Special Investigating Unit (SIU) Special Tribunal in February 2019. This was done because of a need to fast-track the finalisation of matters that had been referred for civil litigation after the conclusion of an investigation. These are matters where the SIU would ordinarily have gone the normal High Court civil litigation route to have government contracts declared invalid or set aside.
Fast-tracking these matters through the Special Tribunal is currently enabling the SIU to recover monies and or assets lost by state institutions through irregular and corrupt means; thus ensuring that those who are responsible for the loss of monies and or assets by state institutions are held accountable. The litigation process includes both public and private sectors, persons and entities. Such civil proceedings will be based on the outcomes from the investigations by SIU.
Judge Gidfonia Mlindelwa Makhanya has been appointed as President of the Tribunal.
The Special Tribunal is fully functional and is able to adjudicate any civil proceedings brought to it by the SIU, either in its own name or on behalf of a state institution or interested party, which stems from an SIU investigation.
18 March 2020 - NW230
Roos, Mr AC to ask the Minister of Home Affairs
what (a) total number of calls to the Home Affairs Hotline number (0800 60 11 90) were (i) received by the hotline and (ii) dropped before they were attended to, (b) are the service level targets of the call centre, (c) was the achievement against the service level target, (d) is the first contact resolution percentage, (e) customer satisfaction mechanism is in place, (f) customer satisfaction measure was achieved and (g) total number of call centre agents were in the call centre on any one shift in the 2018-19 financial year?
Reply:
(a)(i) The total number of calls received by the contact center in the financial year 2018/2019 was 1 904 002 calls.
(a)(ii) 399840 were dropped before being pushed to the agents.
(b) 80% of calls received by agents after being pushed by the Integrated voice response system, answered within 20 seconds (80/20 rule). This is at the agent desk.
All escalations to Tier 2 done within 24hrs.
Less than 5% call abandonment rate (set based on a full staff complement of 120 agents and an average call handling time of 6 minutes)
(c) 96% of calls pushed to agent’s lines were answered within 20 seconds
98% of escalations to Tier 2 were done within 24 hours.
21% call abandonment rate (calls dropped before being pushed to the agents by the Integrated Voice Response). This is due to number of staff taking calls, complexity of calls fielded and call handling times per agent.
(d) The first contact/ call resolution rate for the 2018/2019 year was 92%. The unresolved calls/ cases were escalated to business units for further investigation and resolution.
(e) The center did not have any customer satisfaction measurement tools for the year in question. As this is a fairly new In-house center, the team had to ensure stability of the systems and users before advanced functionalities could be added and monitored. The customer satisfaction tool is envisaged to be rolled out as part of the optimization plan for the Contact Center.
(f) The customer satisfaction levels could not be measured as the center does not yet have a measuring system in place. Once rolled-out, customer satisfaction levels would be set and measured accordingly.
The call center had 97 agents for the financial year 2018/2019. Of the 97, 82 were assigned to handle voice channel (calls) and 15 assigned to e-mail channel.
(g) Total number of agents handling calls on any one given shift was 74 (planned leave, sick, family responsibility, study leave and any other emergency taken into consideration)
END
18 March 2020 - NW19
Kibi, Ms MT to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
In light of the fact that the quest of inclusive communities has in the recent past met with challenges due to changing weather patterns, what is her department doing in transforming the cities into smart and green zones in order to mitigate and adapt to climate change?
Reply:
The information requested by the Honourable Member is not readily available in the Department. The information will be submitted to the Honourable Member as soon as it is available
Thank you
18 March 2020 - NW202
van der Merwe, Ms LL to ask the Minister of Home Affairs
What number of section 22 permits and/or asylum seeker permits are currently active within the borders of the Republic?
Reply:
The total number of active section 22 visas on the Departmental system as at 1 January 2020 was 188 296
END
18 March 2020 - NW76
Opperman, Ms G to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
Which municipalities in the Northern Cape have acting municipal managers who do not meet the minimum competency requirements?
Reply:
The information requested by the Honourable Member is not readily available in the Department. The information will be submitted to the Honourable Member as soon as it is available
Thank you
18 March 2020 - NW54
Brink, Mr C to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
(1)(a) In which municipalities and (b) on what dates did she exercise her powers to intervene in terms of section 139(7) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, in the stead of the provincial executive since her appointment to the current portfolio; (2) what (a) was the purpose of each intervention, (b) form did each intervention take and (c) was the outcome of each intervention? NW58E
Reply:
The information requested by the Honourable Member is not readily available in the Department. The information will be submitted to the Honourable Member as soon as it is available
Thank you
18 March 2020 - NW128
Singh, Mr N to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
Whether he has considered facilitating the establishment of a specialist branch of anti-corruption courts with judges and prosecutors that are similar to the Agency Against Corruption in Taiwan, which has shown tremendous success particularly in the prosecution and successful conviction of senior politicians in Taiwan who have been found to have been involved in graft; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the further relevant details of such a consideration?
Reply:
No, I have not considered facilitating the establishment of a specialist branch of anti-corruption courts with judges and prosecutors that are similar to the Agency Against Corruption (AAC) in Taiwan. This is because the Agency Against Corruption was historically formed to deal with integrity and ethics management in the Taiwanese government and aims to ensure a strong national integrity infrastructure through a specialised authority to enforce ethical governance. It plans and executes Taiwan’s overall anti-corruption strategies and not only acts as a police authority, but also as a prosecutorial power.
The way in which they operate is more of an institution that coordinates all aspects of integrity and anti-corruption related activities - much the same as the Anti-Corruption Task Team (ACTT) we currently have.
What should be noted is that the Taiwan High Courts, based on their various needs, have established several professional courts when required, such as the Professional Court of Anti-corruption, Professional Court of Fair Trade Cases, Professional Court of Sexual Harassment, etc.
This is similar to the South African situation where we have created specialist and dedicated courts when required. In this regard we have, for example, labour courts and land claims courts, etc.
In relation to the question, it needs to be borne in mind that we already have specialized courts to deal with serious commercial crime cases. They are called Specialized Commercial Crimes Courts (SCCCs), and are underpinned by dedicated prosecutorial Specialised Commercial Crimes Units (SCCUs) in the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and dedicated investigators from police (SAPS/DPCI) side. In future, cases flowing from the Investigating Directorate (ID) of the NPA may also be taken to the Specialized Commercial Crimes Courts, where required. Noteworthy is that the Investigating Directorate has both investigative and prosecutorial capabilities.
Because they deal with serious corruption and other related economic crimes, these courts function mostly on a regional court level that can impose strong sentences on conviction. The Specialized Commercial Crimes Unit and Investigating Directorate of the NPA may also take very serious commercial crimes cases to the High Courts.
An important innovation of our Specialised Commercial Crime Court-model, is not that it only hears one type of case, namely, serious commercial crimes. Rather, it is the improved integration of the work of the prosecutors and investigators whose cases came to these courts that make a difference. Moreover, the fact that court time is specifically dedicated to such crimes means that, once in court, they can be processed more speedily than may have been the case on a normal general open court roll.
The dedication of specific staff (investigators, prosecutors, and designated regional magistrates) has assisted with the functioning of these courts.
For the 2018/19 financial year, these courts contributed to the NPA’s impact on serious economic crime as is evident in the 800 verdict cases finalised in complex commercial crime, with 760 convictions (95% conviction rate).
Unlike the practice in the rest of the criminal justice system, the prosecutor assigned to a particular case is involved in its investigation at a much earlier point in time. In this regard the prosecutor and investigator(s) are a team, but the prosecution helps guide the investigations and the integrated work methodology leads to improved convictions.
What have been assisting these courts are the following factors:
(a) In general, the involvement of the Specialized Commercial Crimes Unit prosecutors in coordinating the commercial crime cases and being involved from the start in the investigation phase, meant that the investigation tended, on average, to be both more effectively and more efficiently completed, making it that much easier to complete the charge sheet and present an effective case.
(b) Prosecutors, having been involved in the investigation, were much more attuned to, and familiar with, the specific facts of the case, making their presentation in court more effective. Moreover, this high level of preparedness made it that much more likely that defense counsel would advise their clients to plead guilty.
(c) The fact that particular magistrates were dedicated to commercial crimes also meant that both defense and prosecution had a better sense of the needs of the court, making cases more efficient. In addition, the familiarity of the court with the nature of these cases meant that the cases could proceed more rapidly.
We currently have fully established Specialized Commercial Crimes Courts in the following five (5) provinces:
- Free State: Bloemfontein Regional Court;
- Western Cape: Cape Town Regional Court;
- Gauteng: Palm Ridge Regional Court; and Pretoria Regional Court;
- Eastern Cape: Port Elizabeth Regional Court; and
- KZN: Durban Regional Court.
We anticipate that investigations and prosecutions of serious economic crime including corruption, will increase significantly, including cases arising from investigations conducted by the NPA’s Investigating Directorate, emanating from the various Commissions of Inquiry focusing on State Capture and Corruption. Therefore, we should have at least one Specialized Commercial Crimes Court per province. We need to create/strengthen capacity through the establishment and capacitation of Specialized Commercial Crimes Courts and the Specialized Commercial Crimes Unit of the NPA.
Funding has consequently been provided in terms of the MTSF and MTEF for the capacitation of both Specialized Commercial Crimes Courts and Specialized Commercial Crimes Units in the following 5 additional places, across the MTSF 2019-2024 period, in a phased manner as capacity and other required measures are put in place by all relevant role players:
a) Eastern Cape (Mthata);
b) North West (Mmabatho/Mafikeng);
c) Limpopo (Polokwane);
d) Mpumalanga (Mbombela); and
e) Northern Cape (Kimberley/Botshabelo).
18 March 2020 - NW9
Hendricks, Mr MGE to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
With reference to my letter of 7 October 2019, on what date is it envisaged that parole will be granted to the three persons (names and details furnished) who have qualified for parole?
Reply:
I would like to apprise the Honourable Member that the profiles of the mentioned offenders have been submitted to the National Council for Correctional Services (NCCS) for reconsideration thereafter which it will be submitted to my office for a decision.
The fact that these offenders are eligible for consideration for placement on parole does not mean that conditional placement will be granted automatically, as a number of factors are considered before placement can be approved. Accordingly, dates of their placement on parole cannot be provided at this stage as they are still to be considered by the National Council for Correctional Services and where placement on parole or further profiling can be decided upon.
The following factors are among other factors taken into consideration when an offender is considered for possible placement on parole:
- The offenders response to development and treatment programmes associated with rehabilitation.
- The existence and quality of support systems in the community.
- The probability of re- offending.
- The risk that the offender may pose to the community at large and
- The outcome of restorative justice processes and possible referral for mediation if it had not been done prior to the Correctional Supervision and Parole Board meeting; and the risk to the victim.
END
16 March 2020 - NW274
Graham-Maré, Ms SJ to ask the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure
Whether she has ordered or instructed for lifestyle audits to be undertaken within her department; if not, (a) by what date will the lifestyle audits be undertaken, (b) who will be audited and (c) what will be the consequences of any adverse findings or outcomes; if so, (i) who has been audited to date, (ii) who must still be audited, (iii) were there any adverse findings or outcomes and (iv) what are the consequences of such findings or outcomes?
Reply:
The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:
Yes, I have instructed the department to initiate processes to conduct lifestyle audits, commencing with myself as political head, followed by the departmental executives and senior management members and middle management. The audit will be undertaken in four (4) phases from May 2020 with the assistance of the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) following my request in this regard to the head of the SIU during December last year.
a) Phase 1 of the lifestyle audit is estimated to commence in April 2020.
b) The lifestyle audits strategy will be implemented in four (4) phases, and as follows:
- ➢ Phase 1: Minister and Deputy Minister,
- ➢ Phase 2: Director-General and Deputy Director-Generals,
- ➢ Phase 3: Chief Directors, Supply Chain Management officials and other high-risk areas
- ➢ Phase 4: Directors and below as required.
c) (i),(ii), (iii) and (iv) The lifestyle audits have not yet commenced, and as a result, there are no findings or outcomes. Where there is prima facie evidence of possible criminal conduct, the matter will be referred to SAPS for further investigation. Where there is a reason to pursue any civil action, the matter will be referred to the State Attorney for civil litigation or the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) for civil recovery through the courts. Where there is a reason to pursue disciplinary action, the matter will be referred to the department for further disciplinary action