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

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

Reply:

The information requested by the Honourable Member is attached.

Reply:

The response below was provided by the Phokwane Local Municipality in the Northern Cape.

a) No, the Municipal Council of Phokwane Local Municipality has not laid any charge due to the Council resolution it took on the 31st January 2019 (Resolution No: 6/2019) to seek legal opinion on the matter.

b) (i) & (ii) No

aa) Not applicable

bb) Not applicable

cc) Not applicable

Ends…

Reply:

See attched link for reply: http://pmg-assets.s3-website-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/RNW22-2019-03-22.pdf

Reply:

1. The information requested by the Honourable Member was obtained by the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) from the City of Ekurhuleni (CoE). Table 1 below outlines the relevant details:

Optimal and actual number of firefighters at the Primrose Fire Station

Name of the Fire Station	(i) optimal	(ii) Actual number of full-time Fire Fighters	(i) & (ii) Number of fulltime Firefighters who passed final written examination of the Southern African Emergency Services Institute (SAESI)	Number of fulltime Firefighters who completed practical evaluations	Total Number of Reservists
Primrose	37	37	All completed Fire Fighter 1 & 2	All completed practical components for firefighting and Hazmat Awareness & Operational	5

The fire station has thirty-seven firefighters placed in four different shift systems. Each shift consists of a Shift Manager who reports to the Station Manager from the Operations Section. The station also has five reservists and two learnership students placed accordingly within different shifts. It is important to note that across all fire stations within the CoE, each operational and fully functional firefighter must be in possession of the basic qualifications required for one to be a Firefighter i.e. (a) Firefighter I and II, (b) Hazardous Material Awareness and Operations and the (c) Basic Ambulance Assistant (BAA) course. Firefighter I and II, Hazardous Material Awareness and Operations are International Fire Services Accreditation Congress (IFSAC) accreditation courses under the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Service Standard 1001 and 472 respectively. Locally, these courses are conducted at Boksburg Fire Station Training Academy under the CoE which is accredited by IFSAC. These courses include both theoretical and practical aspects of fire fighting. Individual firefighters are at liberty to study through a block course system with Tshwane University of Technology in Pretoria to obtain a National Diploma in Fire Technology, B-Tech in Fire Technology and upgrade through to a Masters qualification.

 

Firefighting is a profession which is one of the most stressful, physically demanding and hazardous occupation. Thus, Firefighters must master a complex mix of three core competencies namely: foundational knowledge, physical skill and work experience to be successful in their occupation. The nature of work carried out by firefighters requires not only adequate training when entering the profession but also continuous professional development to ensure that firefighters stay abreast with the constant technological changes in their working environment.

It is important to note that training of firefighters must be benchmarked against globally accepted standards. Within the South African context, the Southern African Emergency Services Institute (SAESI) is accredited to provide occupational training for firefighters by the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC), which is based in the United States of America (USA). IFSAC is a non-profit, peer-driven, self-governing system of both fire service certifying entities and higher education fire-related degree programs. IFSAC's mission is to plan and administer a high-quality, uniformly delivered accreditation system with an international scope.

Thus, IFSAC courses which are provided by SAESI such as Firefighter I and II, Hazmat Awareness and Operational are utilised by fire services in South Africa to recruit entry-level firefighters. These courses are based on the American National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standards and are utilised both in the USA and several other countries for the basic training of firefighters. The Local Government Sector Education and Training (LGSETA), has also developed a qualification known as the Fire and Rescue Operations, Level 4 in terms of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) based on the same NFPA Standards. Firefighters must obtain formal qualifications in order to progress in their careers within the fire services.

Qualifications in Fire Technology are currently provided by the Tshwane University of Technology (TuT) and includes a National Diploma, BTECH Degree and Masters Degree. These are the qualifications that are also utilised by fire services to recruit Senior Fire Officers in the country. The NDMC is finalising the review of the Fire Brigade Services Act, 1987 and as part of the revised legislation and policy framework, a national fire services education and training strategy will be developed to guide the provision of training in the fire service.

Ends…

Reply:

The universities start identifying their graduates for the 2018 academic year once all the supplementary and postgraduate examinations have been completed. Thereafter they will commence with the auditing of this data. The 2018 audited Higher Education Information Management System (HEMIS) data from all 26 public universities is due at the end of
July 2019. The audit reports will be checked and data verified by the end of October 2019. Verified graduate data for the 2018 academic year will only be available in November 2019.

Reply:

The information used to respond to this question was provided by the Gauteng Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.

The City of Ekurhuleni (COE) has noted the concern raised in relation to the alleged illegal occupation of portion 36 of the Weltervreden Farm 118, IR as well as the remaining extent of the farm, Weltervreden 118 IR, Brakpan.

We confirm that the area in question is described as follows:

Brakpan old location is located on the remainder of the farm Weltervreden 118 I.R. and portion 13 of the farm Weltevreden 118 I.R.

Locality: The property is situated in the south-eastern part of the Ekurhuleni Municipal area, within the Brakpan CCC administration area. South of and adjacent to Brakpan “Proper”. Specifically, it is located south/south-east of Brakpan “Proper”, north of the suburb of Brenthurst and separated by a spruit from Springs Airfield.

Property owner: Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality. The property is registered in Terms of Deeds of Transfer No. T80023/2000 the Remainder and T292/1947, Portion 13

The matter of the 872 unlawful occupation of land was acted upon and a legal process was followed to obtain a court order which was obtained on 20 October 2017.

Upon receipt of the court order, the COE engaged with its Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD), the South African Police Services (SAPS) and the Brakpan Sheriff on the execution and enforcement of the court order. The EMPD undertook the clearing of 190 unoccupied, incomplete structures and is regularly monitoring to prevent new land invasion incidents.

The Sheriff has given assurance to ensure the execution of the court order for occupied structures. At this stage, sufficient funding is being sought to procure a resource to assist the Sheriff to demolish the occupied structures. Details of the exact date for the enforcement thereof will be communicated.

Ends…

Reply:

My Department has not been informed about the matter of Ms Florence Xoliswa Nxamashe. This is the first time it is brought to the attention of my Department.

However, based on our preliminary investigations, the eThekhwini Metro was able to confirm that Ms Nxamashe has bills from the Municipality in excess of R61 800. 99. The bill is mainly for water and it accumulated from 2005. It was also confirmed that Ms Nxamashe is a pensioner who is reliant on a SA Social Security Agency pension. The investigations also revealed that irrespective of Ms Nxamashe being a pensioner, she is currently not registered on the indigent register of the eThekhwini Metro, due to the following reasons:

a) The eThekhwini Metro uses a targeted approach to identify indigent households. According to the Indigent Policy of the Metro, the targeted approach is for all customers that own properties valued at R230 000 and below, and do not pay for rates, qualify for prepaid electricity meter without any charges and also qualify for debt relief programme (DRP) for water. The current value of Ms Nxamashe’s property exceeds R230 000. 00 and therefore she does not qualify in terms of the eThekhwini’s Indigent Policy.

b) The Municipal Systems Act (MSA) No. 32 of 2000 under Regulation 10(b), states that the percentage of households earning less than R1 100 per month have access to free basic services”. This is contrary to the Indigent Policy prescripts, which has set a threshold of a combined household income calculated at a minimum of equivalent to 2 (two) state old age pension, and is compulsory for all municipalities.

Steps taken to address the problem:

My Department thoroughly engaged the eThekhwini Metro in this regard. On the basis of the engagements, the eThekhwini Metro committed to the following:

a) that the amount of R39 762.27 for water will be reversed out of her account and the balance of R22 038.72 will remain which is a portion of rates she is liable for.  This transaction will be done by the end of March 2019.  She gets a pensioner’s rebate for future rates charges.

b) that Ms Nxamashe will be advised to apply for a prepaid meter on 50/50 basis at the electricity customer services nearest to her property where 50% will go towards the debt of R22 038.72.

c) that a flow limiter will be installed to limit her water consumption to 6 kilolitres per month.  The flow limiter will also be installed by the end of March 2019.

d) The letter to this effect will be sent to Nxamashe on Friday 15 March 2019.

In addition:

e) My Department has already initiated a process to amend the MSA Regulation 10(b), to categorically prescribe the set threshold of a combined household income calculated as equivalent to 2 (two) state old age pension as minimum to qualify for free basic services. The amendment will ensure that indigent households are not excluded and are the only bona fide beneficiaries of free basic services.

f) To seek a permanent solution to this problem and similar cases in other municipalities, my Department will conduct in-depth and yet thoroughly informative analysis motivating the cancellation of the Municipal Services Indigent Debt of the citizens of South Africa and pointing out a practical solution and implications thereof. To achieve this, my Department will work closely with the Provincial CoGTA’s and municipalities throughout the country to establish the status quo in regard to indigent households with excess bills and gather information that will be required to determine the indigent debt so that appropriate support is applied to cancel the debt based on merit.

The Free Basic Services Programme is government’s commitment to address the needs of the masses of impoverished South African citizens and to provide basic services to them to ensure that they can begin to live a dignified life. The right of all citizens to have at least a basic level of services is a right that is entrenched within the South African Constitution (Act 108 of 1996). This right has been actualized in government’s commitment towards the provision of free basic water; free basic sanitation, free basic electricity and free basic refuse removal to economically disadvantaged communities (indigents).

The SA Constitution requires municipalities to provide services to local communities in a manner that is sustainable, developmental, and safe and encourages community involvement. Section 74 of the Municipal Systems Act (1998) requires municipalities to develop procedures for revenue management, credit control, as well as to make provision for indigent cases in ensuring that the amount individual users pay for services should generally be in proportion to their use of that service.

Numerous debates have ensued on how best to address the needs of the masses of impoverished citizens of our country, and give effect to the Country’s Constitution (Act 108 of 1996), wherein, even those who are unable to afford services are nevertheless entitled to the basic level of services. The quest for a better life by the poor has placed measures to eradicate poverty high on the priority list of government, nationally. Increasing anti-poverty measures has become associated with both increased access to services and the improvement in the quality of life of the poor.

It is also understood that alleviating poverty will require more than the provision of basic services to the poor, and while economic growth and access to economic opportunities is essential to moving people out of poverty, it cannot on its own be sufficient. This poses a number of political, financial and institutional considerations and challenges for municipalities and government as a whole. Among these is the reality that the burden of economic change in South Africa has fallen greatly upon those who bore the heaviest burden under apartheid. This is illustrated by an analysis of the South African labour market, which has shown, that African workers are a declining proportion of the labour force. For African employees the loss in occupations has been concentrated in the less skilled and lower paid occupations, and the rural poor and migrant labourers often lag in their access to the provision of infrastructure and the social wage.

Cogta, in response to this critical challenge, is working towards initiating a nation-wide study to wipe out the debt owed by the poor to municipalities. The debt write–off will also ensure that the poor municipalities are not further burdened with the debts, which affect their credit ratings and abilities to raise capital for the development of the communities. The very basis of ensuring the sustainability of new poverty initiatives rests on the extent to which communities are able to approach the delivery of these services and programmes from a fresh perspective - thereby, entering into a new contract with a new government, free of the baggage of the past.

The majority of our municipalities provide free basic services to all supposedly indigent households, regardless of their present financial standing or ability to pay for municipal services. This continues to be so despite the fact that government has made it clear in the National Development Plan that free basic services should be provided only to indigent/poor households.

Ends…

Reply:

In terms of provisions of section 6 (4) and (5) of Independent Police Investigative Directorate Act 1 of 2011, the Minister May designate another person to act as Executive Director when the Executive Director is unable to perform his/her functions or when the vacancy exist. In appointing the Acting Executive Director the Minister has taken into account his seniority in the IPID, his qualifications and experience.

Below is the profile of Mr Victor Senna.

 

1. EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
 

QUALIFICATIONS	MAJOR SUBJECTS
Senior Certificate	Accounting, Economics, Business Economics
B.com	Accounting, Auditing, Economics, Business Management

Find here: Educational Qualifications continues

Reply:

1. No, the Minister will not be introducing any amendment to legislation in respect of provisions that permits an executive committee and mayoral committee to close any or all of councils meeting and its committees. This is already provided for in Chapter 4, section 20 of the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act, 2000. Section 20 (1) provides that meetings of municipal councils and those of its committees are open to the public, including the media and the council or such a committee may not exclude the public including the media from a meeting, except when:

a) It is reasonable to do so having regard to the nature of the business being transacted; and

b) A by-law or a resolution of the council specifying the circumstances in which the council or such committee may close a meeting.

2. Furthermore, section 20 (2) of the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act, 2000. provides that a municipal council, or a committee of the council, may not exclude the public, including the media, when considering or voting on any of the following matters:

a) A draft by-law tabled in the council;

b) A budget tabled in the council;

c) The municipality’s draft integrated Development Plan on any amendments to the plan;

d) A municipality’s draft performance management systems; or any amendment to the system; and

e) The decision to enter into a service delivery agreement.

3. Section 20 (4)(b) of the Municipal Systems Act, 2000 further provides for a municipal council to take reasonable steps to regulate public access to and public conduct at meeting of councils and its committees often referred to as Standing Rules and Orders for the Meeting of Councils and its Committees (see attached).

Chapter 7, section 152 (e) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, Act 108 of 1996 provides for the objects of local government which includes the encouragement of the involvement of communities and community organisations in the matters of local government.

Further to that, Chapter 4 section 16 (1) of the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act, 2000 requires of municipalities to develop a culture of community participation that complements formal representative government with a system of participatory governance and must for this purpose-

a) Encourage, and create conditions for, the local community to participate in the affairs of the municipality, including in—

(i) the preparation implementation and review of its integrated development plan in terms of Chapter 5;

(ii) the establishment, implementation and review of its performance management system in terms of Chapter 6:

(iii) the monitoring and review of its performance, including the outcomes and impact of such performance,

(iv) the preparation of its budget; and

(v) strategic decisions relating to the provision of municipal services.

Section 20(1) of the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act, 2000 makes provision for the admission of the public in meeting of council and its committees. Section 20 (4)(b) further provides that a municipal council take reasonable steps to regulate public access to and public conduct at meeting of council and its committees often referred to as Standing Rules and Orders for the Meeting of Councils and its Committees (see attached).

Ends…

Reply:

The Department of Cooperative Governance does not have a centralised human resource information system. Therefore, the Honourable Member is advised to direct the question to individual municipalities as employers.

1. BACKGROUND

1.1 A Parliamentary question was received regarding the total number of plumbers, electricians, civil engineers and construction workers employed in each municipality.

1.2 Over the years the Department will request the MECs responsible for local government in the provinces to gather the information which will assist the Minister to respond to Parliament. It has proved to be a futile exercise and the questions would remain unanswered or partially replied.

1.3 In light of the above, it is recommended that the the Honourable Member be advised to direct the question to individual municipalities as employers.

Ends…

Reply:

(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(c)

	Boksburg		(a) Reported		b) Cases to Court		) Convitcion
		2015/2016	2016/2017	2017/2018	2015/2016	2016/2017	2017/18	2015/2016	2016/2017	2017/2018
	Murder	42	37	42	02	05	08	00	01	00
	Rape	40	45	42	07	15	14	00	04	01
	Housebreaking	547	441	360	02	08	8	00	01	02
	Carjacking	37	32	55	04	05	00	00	00	00
	Thaft of motor vehicles	396	292	271	00	04	05	00
	House robber	80	72	75	01	06	05	00	00	00
	Drug-related crimes	157	145	194	143	192	201	05	06	07

 

 

Reply to question 457 recommended/

OM E (SOE

GENERAL

H AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE

Reply to question 457 approved/net-apprcrve

MINI

BH C

Date:

POLICE

Reply:

(a)(i)(b)

The Department of Cooperative Governance held 5 (five) briefings in 2018, and all briefings were compulsory.

SOUTH AFRICAN CITITES NETWORK (SACN)

(1)a(ii) No tender briefings were held in 2018.

(b) Not Applicable

SOUTH AFRICAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION (SALGA)

(1)a(ii) Nineteen (19) tender briefings were held in 2018.

(b) Two (02) were compulsory.

 

MUNICIPAL DEMARCATION BOARD (MDB)

(1)a(ii)Two (2) tender briefings were held in 2018.

(b) Yes, the briefings were compulsory.

ENDS…

Reply:

The Minister will release the report in due course, and,

(b) (i) findings will be released when the report is made public

(ii) Recommendations will also be tabled when the report is publicized.

 

 

Ministér of Police BH Cele ) Date:

Reply:

The universities start identifying their graduates for the 2018 academic year once all the supplementary and postgraduate examinations have been completed. Thereafter they will commence with the auditing of this data. The 2018 audited Higher Education Information Management System (HEMIS) data from all 26 public universities is due at the end of
July 2019. The audit reports will be checked and data verified by the end of October 2019. Verified graduate data for the 2018 academic year will only be available in November 2019.

Reply:

(1) (a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)

The Department of Cooperative Governance did not enter into any contracts with Bosasa known as African Global Operations, in each of the past 10 financial years.

(2) Not applicable.

SOUTH AFRICAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION (SALGA)

(1) (a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)

(1)(a) Not Applicable

(1)(b) SALGA has not contracted the services of Bosasa (known as African Global Operations) in each of the past 10 financial years

(1)(b)(i) Not applicable

(1)(b)(ii) Not applicable

(1)(b)(iii) Not applicable

(1)(b)(iv) Not applicable

(1)(b)(v) Not applicable

(2) Not applicable

MUNICIPAL DEMARCATION BOARD (MDB)

1. MDB has not entered into any contract with Bosasa (known as African Global Operations) in each of the past 10 financial years.
2. None.

SOUTH AFRICAN CITITES NETWORK (SACN)

1. The South African Cities Network has not contracted services of Bosasa (known as African Global Operations) in the last 10 financial years.

Ends…

Reply:

The information requested by the Honourable Member is not readily available in the Department. However, the Department has sent letters to all the Provincial Departments responsible for Local Government in the country, to engage all the municipalities to obtain the relevant information. The information will be submitted to the Honourable Member as soon as it is available.

Ends…

Reply:

 

(a) (i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(c)

 

Sebenza	(a) Reported		b) Cases to Court		(c) Convitcion
	2015/2016	2016/2017	2017/2018	2015/2016	2016/2017	2017/18	2015/2016	2016/2017	2017/2018
Murder	07	00	04	02	00	01	00	00	00
Rape	03	02	05	01	02	03	00	00	00
Housebreaking	143	86	95	08	03	05	09	02	03
Carjacking	17	32	45	02	04	00	01	00	00
Theft of motor vehicles	98	107	78	02	05	04	00	01	00
House robbery	36	20	21	06	04	03	06	00	00
Drug-related crimes	1251	280	178	251	280	178	178	215	00

 

 

Reply to question 459 recommended/

KJ LE (SOEG)

Date: t01t !!"

GENERAL

ER: H AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE

Reply to question 459 approved/cot-approve8-

MINISTE’ OF POLICE BH CELE, P

Date

Reply:

A three-fold intervention is being implemented in addressing the water issue in the Mpofana Local Municipality.

1. MISA Intervention

In the current financial year (2018/19), the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent (MISA) is developing a Water Conservation and Water Demand Management Plan for Umgungundlovu District, which is a fundamental step towards water use efficiency and addressing Non Revenue Water.

The Umgungundlovu Water Conservation and Water Demand Management Plan will be finalised on the 19th March 2019 and includes:

• Assessment of water infrastructure (Water Treatment Plants, Reservoirs, Pump Stations, Boreholes, Meters and Stand pipes) for current and future demands.
• Assessment of Supply Reservoirs, Bulk Meters, Water Sources and pipelines.
• Analysis of billing, metering issues and vandalism of water meters.

2. Joint Program between UMgungundlovu DM, Mpofana LM and Umgeni Water

Umgungundlovu District Municipality is aware of the issue of inconsistent supply of water to certain areas in Mpofana, including concerns about water quality. A joint strategy to overcome water challenges for Mpofana Local Municipality has been developed by a team consisting of Mpofana LM, UMgungundlovu DM and Umgeni Water representatives.

This joint programme seeks to minimise the risks of water supply interruptions to Mpofana Local Municipality, whilst the municipality is implementing the bulk water scheme and other projects that will bring will bring relief to the constrained water supply in Mpofana.

The strategy lists the long medium and short term interventions to ensure consistent water supply to the area of Mpofana and is attached as Annexure “A’’ for ease of reference.

3. Section 139 (b) Intervention to Mpofana Local Municipality

On the 08th December 2017 the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Executive Council resolved to intervene at Mpofana Municipality using section 139 (1)(b) of the constitution, due to service delivery and financial management challenges faced by the municipality. The Intervention Steering Committee which comprise of KZN CoGTA, COGTA National, MISA, SALGA, Provincial Treasury, the Municipality and other sector departments meet monthly to track the progress in addressing challenges faced by the municipality which are captured in the Sec 139 Intervention Recovery Plan. The Intervention Recovery Plan aims to address the challenges identified in the five Back to Basics Pillars i.e. Institutional Transformation and Development, Good Governance and Public Participation, Municipal Financial Viability and Management as well as Local Economic Development. The intervention is still in effect.

The uMgungundlovu District Municipality (UMDM) is one of the ten district municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal. It is the water service authority (WSA) and water service provider (WSP) to six of its seven local municipalities i.e. uMshwati, uMngeni, Mpofana, Mkhambathini, Impendle and Richmond Local Municipalities. The Msunduzi Municipality, has its own WSA status and does not form part of the strategy as it is not the responsibility of the uMgungundlovu District Municipality.

Ends…

Reply:

1	Travel privileges
Financial years	13/14	14/15	15/16	16/17	17/18	Total
(a) (i)Minister	None	None	None	None	None	None
(ii) Spouses	None	None	None	None	None	None
(b)(i) Deputy Minister	None	None	None	None	None	None
(ii)Spouses	None	None	None	None	None	None
(c)Minister widows/ widowers	None	None	None	None	None	None
(d) Deputy Minister widows/ widowers	None	None	None	None	None	None
(ii) Travel privileges since 1 April 2018 to Date
Minister		None
Spouses		None
Widows/ widowers		None
Deputy Minister		None
Spouses		None
Widowers		None

NB: The travel privileges of former Ministers/ Deputy Ministers and their spouses are paid for and administered by Parliament and I would therefore suggest that the Honourable Member approach Parliament in this regard.

Ends…

Reply:

(1)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b)(aa)(ii)(iii)(iv)

Type of instrument*	2015/2016	2016/2017	2017/2018	1 April to 30 September 2018
Firearms	5417	5857	6640	3622
Knives	4923	4811	4881	2193
Other sharp objects	2005	2048	2239	963

 ”The Crime Administration System (CAS) does not make provision for a distinction between a licensed or unlicensed firearm.

(2) The Minister will decide whether he wants to make a statement, in this regard.

Reply to question 15 recommended/not recommended

LIEUTENANT GENERAL EPUTY NATIONAL COMMISSIONER: MANAGEMENT ADVISORY SERVICES

SC MFAZI

Reply to question 15 recommended

GENERAL

OM NER: TH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE KJ E(SOEG)

Date: YOU -yz- ] §

Reply to question 15 approved/not approved

Reply:

1. The information requested by the Honourable Member has been obtained by the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) from the City of Ekurhuleni (CoE). The response to the question and its sub-components by the CoE is as outlined below.

No female Firefighters employed by the City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) was suspended for requesting a meeting with the President of the Republic, Mr M.C Ramaphosa, to highlight their grievances relating to alleged discrepancies in the payment of allowances around 23 August 2018. However, Forty-seven (47) female Firefighters employed by the City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) was suspended, with full remuneration, in September 2018 for undermining the established internal processes of the CoE to deal with labour disputes and for bringing the name of the City into disrepute when they participated in a protest at the Union Building whilst in full uniform of the CoEs’ Emergency Services.

(a) Names of Firefighters implicated in the matter

Names of Firefighters implicated in the matter

Employee / Firefighter	Pay number
KR Rakgoale	22312
BC Mtungwa	22582
PM Seete	18792
L Nkawane	16993AA
P Shipalana	17313
B Mavuso	Z0000103
R Mafunda	17276
A Magagula	22375AAby
J Mbedzi	23461
C Mapadimeng	19263AA
K Belle	Z0015671
TE Machave	22551AA
L Molefe	19353AA
F Mojapelo	15749
A Ratsema( Mogomezulu)	M091/21
V Kgapula	20637
S Mashinini	Z0017958
P Shabangu	17137
T Madlala	17404
S Mkwanazi	Z0017947
N Sibanyoni	Z0017941
N Mashaba	22536AA
NN Ngobeni	24903
DM Molefe	22394AA
ML Mangena	17263
SA Mokale	17043
BG Makhubu	23463
SF Nxumalo	22523AA
P Mbatha	41282
O Madolo	C27294
A Radebe	M548/21
V Mashile	15666
M Gandamipfa	22574AA
E Mabena	F0200572
T Mateke	35351
M Sindane	17120
P Makeke	C28487
P Mainganye	19334AA
Z Radebe	F0200644
M Lephoto	22564AA
KV Maredi	23466
NR Ramoshunya	15699
LJ Kumako	15686
RP Malatji	17373
MG Hlongwane	T036131
N Motseke	19283AA
DG Lushaba	C27421

(b) Reason for suspension in each case

All the female Firefighters listed were suspended, with full remuneration, in September 2018 for undermining the established internal processes of the CoE to deal with labour disputes and for bringing the name of the City into disrepute when they participated in a protest action at the Union Building whilst in full uniform of the CoE Emergency Services.

2. Thirty-seven (37) of the female Firefighters had entered into a plea agreement with the CoE during the disciplinary process. They received a Final Written warning as sanction for their misconduct, their suspensions were lifted and they were reinstated to perform their normal duty. Ten (10) female Firefighters remain on suspension, with full remuneration, pending the outcome of the ongoing disciplinary process.

Emergency Services is an essential service which protects the lives and property. The Labour Relations Act provides guidance on participation in industrial action by essential services members. The City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) has signed a collective agreement with Labour setting out the requirements and conditions applicable to members of essential services. The behavior of Firefighters was inconsistent with this agreement hence the City had to effect the suspensions.

The NDMC is of the view that the City acted appropriately under the circumstances as participation in illegal industrial action by Firefighters has the potential to undermine the safety and well-being of communities who depend on them for response to fires, accidents and other life threatening situations.

Ends…

Reply:

1. (a) number of (i) applications for Traffic Officer Posts and 45 692 applications for Traffic Trainees were received.

(ii) Three (3) new appointments for Traffic Officers and 279 for Traffic Trainees were made.

(b) Traffic Officers and Traffic Trainees ;

2. (a) what criteria are used to accept applicants into the National Traffic Police as prescribed in a said Advert : -

• South African Citizenship
• A senior Certificate/ Grade 12 or equivalent
• A Traffic/ Metro and Traffic Policing diploma issued by an approved Traffic Training Centre
• Valid driver’s License
• At least 2 years practical experience as a Traffic Officer
• A valid proof of Traffic Officer Registration in terms of the National Road Traffic Act (NRTA)
• Extensive Experience as an Examiner of Vehicles or Examiner of Drivers License Programme

And for Traffic Trainee Advert

• South African Citizenship
• A Senior Certificate/ Grade 12 or equivalent
• A valid code B drivers license
• Below the age of thirty-five (35)
• No criminal record

(b) The RTMC isn’t aware of any applicant appointed without meeting minimum requirements.

3. (a) new National Traffic Police recruits will take place at Denel Technical Academy in Bonaero Park, Kempton Park, Atlas Road.

(b) The RTMC Training Provisioning Unit

(c) The recruits receive the Basic Traffic Diploma NQF Level 6

Reply:

In 2018 the Department wrote to Provincial Departments responsible for Local Government requesting assistance in collating the information requested by the Honourable Member, as it is not readily available in the Department.

To date, we have not received the information. However, the Department has again sent letters to all the Provincial Departments responsible for Local Government to engage municipalities to obtain the relevant information. The information will be submitted to the Honourable Member as soon as it is available.

End…

Reply:

(a )(i)(ii)(iii)( aa}

The South African Police Service (SAPS) does not own buildings. All state buildings·are owned by the National Department of Public Works (NDPW). The ownership of buildings occupied by the various units in the SAPS is vested with the NDPW, as the custodian of all government properties.

The table below, reflects a summary of all state owned buildings, occupied by the various units in the SAPS:

Reply:

	(aaa) 2016/17	(bbb) 2017/18	(bb) Since 1 April 2018
(i) Minister	(a) None (b) None (c) None (d) None	None	None
And or the Former Minister	(a) BMW (b) X5 (c) R917 619.99 (d)September 2016	(a) Audi (b) Q7 (c)R938547.18 (d) September 2016	None	None
(ii) Deputy Minister	(a)VOLVO (b) XC90 (c) R1194650 (d)December 2017	None	None

Ends…

Reply:

1. No municipality in South Africa will be in a position to provide the exact information on the housing backlog, due to the daily and uncontrollable migration of people within our borders.

2. Collecting the type of information that the Member is requesting would require a National Census, which we only do every 10 years in South Africa.

3. Municipalities make use of the Community Survey for their planning purposes and the latest Community Survey was conducted in 2016. The Information on Household’s Indicators per Municipality, from the 2016 Community Survey, is attached to this response for ease of reference.

Reply:

The murder case, Mayville, CAS 1/09/2018, is still under inVestigation. No arrests have been made. The post mortem and toxicology reports are outstanding.

Yes, there is an investigation underway into the manner in which the South African Police Service (SAPS) handled the matter. The complainant was interviewed and a member of the SAF'S has been appointed to deal with the complaint.

(a) Not applicable.

(b) On 31 August 2018, the Dog Unit was called to a scene of an armed robbery at Burman Bush and they responded within 10 minutes. Patrol dogs were used to search the area and the search continued until 04:00, on 1 September 2018, with negative results. At first light, on 1 September 2018, the search continued. A passer-by located the body of the deceased and informed the police.

(c) The Dag Unit, who conducted the search, had adequate equipment to conduct the search. The members from the police station did not have torches with them, at the time. When the detectives were called, on 1 September 2018, at apprDximately 09:00, there was no need for torches.

 

 

Original signed MAJOR GENERAL I/DIVISIONAL COMMISSIONER: DETECTIVE SERVICE L MAGSON

Date: 1 March 2019

Reply to question 373 recommended

Original signed LIEUTENANT GENERAL ACTING DEPUTY NATIONAL COMgIfSSIONER: CRIME DETECTION TC MOSIKILI

Date: 1 March 2019

Reply to question 373 recommended/

COM

LE (SOEG)

Date: tz13 -z3- 15

GENERAL ER: HAFRCANPOLCESERWCE

Reply to question 373 approved/npt-agpr

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

AUESTlONSFORWRtTTENREPLY

Internal Ref Number: Submission Date: Question Asked 8y: Question Asked To:

0175 - 2019

]9.02.2019

Ms D Xohler

Minister of Poltce

Question:

1. Whether, with reference to the handling by the police of the murder case of a certain person (name furnished [Mr Simon Millikin]), who was killed in 8urman Bush on 31 August 2018, there is an investigation underway into the manner in which the police handled the matter; if not, (a) why not, (b) why was the dog unit unable to assist in the search and (c) wHy were the police not adequately equipped with torches; if so, what are the relevant details?

NW I 8-36O6E

Researcher: Ruan van der Walt (3161 or [email protected])

Reply:

The debt owed to municipalities by national and provincial government departments remains a challenge.

The debt owed by organs of state was R6.3 billion as at 31 December 2016 and R9.7 billion as at 31 December 2018, and the debt continue to grow due to accruing interest and insufficient funds allocation by organs of state to service arrears.

Some of the reasons include insufficient budget allocations by organs of state to service current year debt and historic debt.

COGTA, in collaboration with Treasury, has structures in place to assist municipalities to recover the amounts owed by organs of state and to facilitate the resolution of disputes between organs of state and municipalities.

These structures discuss the debt owed to the municipalities, evaluate progress on the reconciliation of intergovernmental debt undertaken by municipalities and organs of state, billing challenges, progress on payments and find amicable solution on challenges. The structures and measures put in place include:

• The National COGTA has undertaken an initiative to support municipalities through simplified revenue project which is aimed at enhancing the municipal revenue management and debt collection system;
• Provincial intergovernmental debt forums/sessions – this structure is championed by Provincial COGTAs and/ Provincial Treasuries;
• The department participates in the National Public Works Steering Committee, which focus on amount owed by Provincial and National Public Works;
• Chief Financial Officers’ forum;
• National Treasury monitors the movement of the debt of various organs of state through MFMA section 71 reports.

The Inter Ministerial Task Team dealing with debts owed by municipalities to Eskom and Water Boards (IMTT) recommended the installation of electricity and water prepaid metering infrastructure. This will be one of the effective tools to eliminate the municipal debt, as the municipal service will be on a prepayment system nationwide.

Organs of state are urged to prioritise municipal services in their budgets. There is a process underway to request the National Treasury team responsible for monitoring Provincial and National budgets to ensure that municipal services are prioritized in municipal budgets.

1. Section 96(a) of the Municipal Systems Act, states that municipalities must collect all money that is due and payable and section 96(b) state that municipality must adopt, maintain and implement a credit control and debt collection policy, which is consistent with its rates and tariff policies and complies with the provision of the Municipal Systems Act.
2. Section 75(A)(1) of Municipal Systems Act empowers a municipality to levy and recover fees, charges or tariffs in respect of any function or service of the municipality and recover collection charges and interest on any outstanding amount.
3. The credit control and debt collection policies adopted by municipalities are clear on debt collection; however, the municipalities still encounters challenges of collecting money that is due and payable mainly due to culture of non-payment and internal control deficiencies on the municipal systems.
4. The following are contributing factors to culture of non-payment and internal control deficiencies on the municipal systems

• Lack of debt reconciliation between municipalities and organ of state;
• Incorrect billing by some of the municipalities;
• Billing statements are not issued timeously and/not issued to the rightful owner within organ of state;
• Payments not allocated timeously to the relevant accounts by municipalities;
• Insufficient budget allocation by organ of state to service current year debt and historic debt;
• Inadequate budgeting for municipal services and property rates by organ of state

Ends…

Reply:

The information requested by the Honourable Member is not readily available in the Department. However, the Department has written a letter to the Provincial Department responsible for Local Government in Gauteng to obtain the relevant information from Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality. The information will be submitted to the Honourable Member as soon as it is available

Ends…

Reply:

The South African Police Service (SAPS) determines the population ratio, using the mid-year population estimates, released and produced by Statistics South Africa that only covers national and provincial estimates. Thus far, the population ratio, per police station in each province, in respect of murder, is not available, since the areas in the country are not aligned to station boundaries. Therefore, the crime ratios cannot be determined.

 

 

 

Reply to question 398 recommended/not recommended

Date: ]9t9 !! 1 '

GENERAL AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE

2

Reply to question 398 approved/nctapproved

R OF POLICE BH CELE, MP

Date /

Reply:

(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)( i)(b)(c)

	Edenvale	(a)Reported			(b) Cases to court			(c) Convictions
		2015/ 2016	2016/ 2017	2017/ 2018	2015/ 2016	2016/ 2017	2017/ 2018	2015/ 2016	2016/ 2017	2017/ 2018
(i)	Murder	1	3	7	03	00	02	01	00	01
(ii)	Rape	10	8	8	00	03	04	00	00	00
(iii)	House breaking	234	351	357	11	16	19	05	05	02
(iv)	Carjacking	1
(v)	Theft of motor vehicles	299	213	225	05	04	05	02	02	01
(vi)	House robbery	73	105	93	01	07	07	04	00	01
(vii)	Drug related crimes	330	319	284	329	318	283	19	78	85

 

 

GENERALReply to question 458 recommended/

AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE

Date: UTI -f3- 15

Reply to question 458 approved/not approved

MINIST OF POLICE BH CELE, MP

Date:

Reply:

The information requested by the Honourable Member is not readily available in the Department. However, the Department has engaged the Gauteng Provincial Department responsible for Local Government to obtain the relevant information from Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality. The information will be submitted to the Honourable Member as soon as it is available.

Ends…

Reply:

The information requested by the Honourable Member is not readily available in the Department. However, the Department has engaged the Gauteng Provincial Department responsible for Local Government to obtain the relevant information from Emfuleni Local Municipality. The information will be submitted to the Honourable Member as soon as it is available.

Ends…

Reply:

The information requested by the Honourable Member is not readily available in the Department. However, the Department has written a letter to the Provincial Department responsible for Local Government in Gauteng to obtain the relevant information from Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality. The information will be submitted to the Honourable Member as soon as it is available

Ends

Reply:

The information requested by the Honourable Member is not readily available in the Department. However, the Department has written a letter to the Provincial Department responsible for Local Government in Gauteng to obtain the relevant information from Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality. The information will be submitted to the Honourable Member as soon as it is available.

Ends…

 

Reply:

​1.1 Certainly, municipalities are required by law to put in place mechanisms and processes to encourage communities to participate in the affairs of municipality. This is provided for in chapter 4 of the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act, 2000.

1.2 Furthermore, Schedule 1 of the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act, 2000 makes provision for councillors as elected public representatives to be accountable to local communities and report back at least quarterly to their constituencies on council matters, including the performance of the municipality in terms of established indicators.

1.3. In order to ensure that councillors fulfil their obligation to communities, a Code of Conduct has been developed and makes provision for the following:

(i) Attendance of meetings-A councillor must attend each meeting of the municipal council and a committee which that councillor is a member (i.e. Ward Committee meetings and Community feedback meetings); and

(ii) Sanctions for not attending meetings-A municipal council may impose a fine as determined by the standing rules and orders of the municipal council on a councillor for not attending to meetings which that councillor is required to attend.

1.4  Although the legislation requires of councillors to convene community feedback meetings quarterly, the norm across most of the municipalities is that feedback meetings are convened on a monthly basis and councillors are required to produce portfolio of evidence to that effect i.e. attendance registers, minutes/reports of such meetings. Reports indicate that, of the total 4392 wards across the country, feedback meetings have been convened in approximately 90% of wards. Other community engagement mechanisms being used by municipalities are i.e. Integrated Service Delivery Models (War Rooms), IDP forums and ICT platforms i.e. social media platform.

1.5  In an effort to provide support and monitor performance in municipalities, the department introduced the Back to Basics Programme (B2B) that is anchored on five pillars, which involve putting people and their concerns first, creating conditions for delivering quality municipal services, good governance, among other things.

1.6  The following is an analysis report conducted through B2B by municipalities on the frequency of Ward Committee meetings:

• The average number of Ward Committee meetings for the municipalities that reported in terms of the monthly B2B reporting was 15,09 per month in 2017/18, which was an increase from the 7,18 in 2016/17. This was to be expected given that Ward Committees first had to be established in the 2016/17 financial year after the August 2016 local government elections.
• Per province, the lowest average of meetings per month in 2017/18 was reported by Free State municipalities (5.15) and Northern Cape (5,67). The Northern Cape municipalities were also the lowest in 2016/17 (1,49) followed by Free State municipalities (4,40).

•  

1.7  The following is an analysis report on the frequency of Ward Councillor Report back meetings:

• The average number of Ward Councillor Report Back meetings for reporting municipalities in the country was an average of 6.17 meetings per month in 2016/17, which increased to an average of 10.75 in 2017/18.
• Per province, the lowest average of meetings per month in 2017/18 was reported by Free State municipalities (4.21), followed by Northern Cape municipalities (6.03) and they were also amongst the lowest in 2016/17, 5.20 for Free State and 2,03 for Northern Cape. Western Cape (3.23) municipalities also reported a low average of monthly meetings in 2016/17 with 3,23 but this increased to an average of 8,19 in 2017/18.

2. BACKGROUND

2.1 Chapter 4 of the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act, 2000 requires of municipalities to develop a culture of community participation that complements formal representative government with a system of participatory governance and must for this purpose-

• Encourage, and create conditions for, the local community to participate in the affairs of the municipality, including in—
• the preparation implementation and review of its integrated development plan in terms of Chapter 5;
• the establishment, implementation and review of its performance management system in terms of Chapter 6:
• the monitoring and review of its performance, including the outcomes and impact of such performance, the preparation of its budget; and strategic decisions relating to the provision of municipal services in

2.2 Councillors and staff to foster community participation; and use its resources, and annually allocate funds in its budget for this purpose.

Ends…

Reply:

(a) -(b)(i) The total state budget for university subsidies for the 2017 university academic year was R34.067 billion, as stated in table one of the annual Ministerial Statement on University Funding. This allocation was for 1 036 984 individual students. On average, government subsidised each university student with an amount of R32 852 in the 2017 academic year.

It is important to note that this amount does not include the funding provided by government through the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) to individual poor and working-class students to support them to pay university fees and their daily expenses while studying.

(ii) On average, government subsidised each student at a Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college with an amount of R45 929 in the 2019 academic year based on a Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) basis. This amount is based on the 2019/20 available budget of R12.976 billion (80% State subsidy plus 20% NSFAS Tuition Bursaries, excluding any allowances) and the funded 282 526 FTE students for the 2019 academic year as contained in the TVET colleges’ enrolment plans.

Reply:

Yes, the relevant information was obtained from the (a) Cederberg, (b) Drakenstein, (c) George, (d) Hessequa and (e) Knysna Local Municipalities.

A Parliamentary question was received regarding the details of the number of persons who were appointed at Senior Management level in municipalities since July 2016.

1. DISCUSSIONS

2.1 Section 54A and 56 of the Systems Act prescribe that:

a) if the post of a Municipal Manager or a Manager directly accountable to the Municipal Manager becomes vacant, the municipal council must advertise the post in a print-media circulating nationally and select from the pool of candidates a suitable person who complies with the prescribed requirements for appointment to the post;

b) a person appointed as a Municipal Manager or Manager directly accountable to the Municipal Manager must at least have the skills, expertise, competencies and qualifications as prescribed;

c) a municipal council must appoint a Municipal Manager;

d) a municipal council after consultation with the Municipal Manager, must appoint a Manager directly accountable to the Municipal Manager;

e) a decision to appoint a Municipal Manager or Manager directly accountable to the Municipal Manager is null and void if the person appointed does not meet the prescribed skills, expertise, competencies and qualifications;

f) the municipal council must within 14 days of appointment inform the MEC responsible for local government of the appointment process and outcome;

g) the MEC for local government must within 14 days of receipt of the information referred to above and after satisfying himself/ herself that the appointment complies with the prescribed requirements and that the appointment was made in accordance with the Systems Act. Submit a copy thereof to the Minister within 14 days of receipt;

h) the municipal council must re-advertise the post if there is no suitable candidate who complies with the prescribed requirements and

i) the municipal council may, in special circumstances and on good cause shown, apply in writing to the Minister to waive the skills, expertise, competencies and qualifications as prescribed if it is unable to attract the suitable candidates.

Ends…

Reply:

At the beginning of 2018/19 financial year CoGTA identified 87 dysfunctional municipalities that required urgent support. In August 2018 MISA deployed district support teams comprising more than 80 engineers and town planners in 55 out of the 87 identified dysfunctional municipalities. These 55 municipalities were targeted for technical support due to severe challenges in relation to the delivery of municipal infrastructure for basic services. Specifically, they were selected on the basis of the following:

• 17 Municipalities had their MIG transfers stopped at least three times in the past 5 years, including 2017/18;
• 18 Municipalities had their MIG transfers stopped at least twice in the past 5 years, including 2017/18; and
• 20 Municipalities were experiencing different forms of service delivery challenges.

Each district support team deployed in these municipalities is constituted by engineers, construction and project managers, financial accountants, and town and regional planners. The focus of these teams is to build capacity of these municipalities to plan, deliver, operate and maintain infrastructure. A range of support initiatives are being implemented through these teams to enable these municipalities to improve. The support by these teams broadly covers the following areas, among others:

• Technical support on the upgrading of infrastructure;
• Project / contract management support;
• Town Planning / Spatial & Development Planning Support;
• Assistance in the compilation of ‘sector plans’ (master plans, water conservation and demand management, etc.);
• Operations and maintenance support;
• Revenue enhancement strategies; and
• Policy and by-law reviews, Review and assessment of IDP’s and relevance to service delivery.

1. Progress Made in the 55 Municipalities To Date

Our active interventions and support has led to some progress. There are some distressed municipalities that have improved and which in our view deserve to be removed from the list of 55 dysfunctional municipalities. A total of 24 municipalities have significantly improved in terms of performance since deployment of district support teams. The table below provides a list of municipalities that have achieved significant improvements in performance.

Province	Number of Municipalities in the List of 55	No of Improved Municipalities	List of Improved Municipalities
Eastern Cape	11	6	Mnquma, Sakhisizwe, Matatiele, Mbizana, OR Tambo
Free State	4	2	Masilonyana, Maluti-a-Phofung
Gauteng	3	2	Lesedi, Rand West City
Kwazulu-Natal	10	7	Mpofana, uMgungundlovu DM, uMvoti, Ndwedwe, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Jozini, Inkosi Langalibalele
Limpopo	7	1	Molemole,
Mpumalanga	3	3	Lekwa, Govan Mbeki, Nkangala
Northern Cape	7	1	Kareeberg
North West	6	2	Ditsobotla, Ngaka Modiri Molema
Western Cape	4	1	Laingsburg
Totals	55	24

Summary of progress made with regard to performance in the 55 municilalities is demonstrated in the following:

• Improvement with the monitoring and in spending of the Municipal Infrastructure Grant allocations;
• Filling of critical technical positions;
• Support with applications for grant funding;
• Improvements in revenue collection through introduction of revenue enhancement strategies, e.g. development and implementation of water conservation and demand management plans for Matatiele, Kou Kama, Mose Kotane, Mafube, Letsemeng, uMzinyathi, Ugu, and Abaqulusi;
• Improved planning and delivery of infrastructure as a result of support provided by the district support teams, e.g. Matjhabeng municipality is being supported with condition assessment of wastewater infrastructure. Ten other municipalities are supported with the development of sector plans, e.g electricity master planning in Madibeng and Spatial Development Framework for Makana;
• Basic service delivery backlogs assessments are being conducted in five district municipalities, namely West Rand, uThukela, King Cetshwayo, uMgungundlovu, and Capricorn.
• Framework contracts are being introduced to improve efficiencies in the procurement of goods and services in municipalities;
• Reduction of adverse audit findings.

A table containing a list of all 55 municipalities highlighting support provided to each one and progress on performance to date is attached as an annexure to the reply.

Ends...

Reply:

Municipality	Designation	Qualification	Experience
Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality	Municipal Manager	Bachelor Degree of Administration	10 years
	Chief Financial Officer	Bachelor of Commerce Degree	5 years
	Technical Manager	Bachelor of Science Degree	5 years
	Planning Manager	Bachelor Honours Degree in Spatial Planning	5 years
	Electrical Engineer	Baccalaureus in Ingenieurswese	44 years
Letaba Local Municipality	Municipal Manager	Master of Public Administration	5 years
	Chief Financial Officer	Bachelor of Commerce	10 years
	Technical Manager	Bachelor of Technology in Civil Engineering	15 years
	Planning Manager	Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning	10 years
	Electrical Engineer	National N6 Diploma in Electrical Engineering	7 years
Maruleng Local Municipality	Municipal Manager	Vacant	Not applicable
	Chief Financial Officer	Vacant	Not applicable
	Technical Manager	Bachelor of Technology in Engineering: Civil: Urban Engineering	5 years
	Planning Manager	Vacant	Not applicable
	Electrical Engineer	N6 National Certificate in Engineering Studies	4 years
Greater Tzaneen Local Municipality	Municipal Manager	Bachelor of Technology in Public Management	7 years
	Chief Financial Officer	Bachelor Accounting Sciences Honours	9 years
	Technical Manager	Bachelor of Technology Engineering: Civil (Urban Engineering)	11 years
	Planning Manager	Master of Development	7 years
	Electrical Engineer	Bachelor of Technology in Engineering	18 years

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO. 2019/83 WRITTEN REPLY: NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

1. BACKGROUND

1.1  A Parliamentary question was received regarding the details of the qualification(s) and relevant experience of each municipal manager, chief financial officer, technical manager, planning manager and electrical engineer at the Ba-Phalaborwa, Letaba, Maruleng and Tzaneen Local Municipalities in Limpopo.

1.2  The Municipal Systems Act, 2000 (Act No. 32 of 2000) provides a legal framework for local public administration, makes a provision for the Minister to regulate the setting of uniform standards for municipal staff systems and procedures, and empowers municipalities to adopt policies and procedures that are consistent with uniform standards set by the Minister.

1.3  The Local Government: Regulations on Appointment and Conditions of Employment of Senior Managers (“the Regulations”) promulgated in terms of sections 72 read with 120 of the Systems Act issued under GN No. 21 and published in Government Gazette No. 37245 of 17 January 2014, set out the criteria for appointment/ minimum competency requirements for senior managers in fulfilment of the Minister’s regulatory powers cited above.

1.4  In the main, the Regulations prescribe a Bachelor’s degree in the relevant field, experience and successful completion of a competent competency rating as the entry requirements for appointment to a vacant senior manager position.

Ends…

Reply:

The information requested by the Honourable Member was obtained by the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) from the City of Ekurhuleni (CoE). The response to the question and its sub-components by the CoE is as outlined below.

1)

a) Ekurhuleni Disaster and Emergency Management Services (DEMS) confirms that the well alight house in Sycamore Street Kempton Park was serviced on the 26th of August 2018 by firefighting crews from Kempton Park Fire station, which is the primary firefighting station in the area. It is important to note that the emergency call centre receives a high volume of calls on its emergency lines from community members reporting emergencies, hence the result in overloading of the emergency lines and delays in answering all the calls. The primary role and objective of Emergency Services is to render quality service delivery to the entire community and take preventative measures to save lives and properties from fires. Thus, at all times, Fire Engines and Ambulances are always ready to respond to all emergencies that the City of Ekurhuleni is legally expected to respond to. The city also has capabilities to respond and support other cities beyond its borders.

b) DEMS would like to highlight that the first call received was at 01:27 in the morning and the firefighting crew from the Kempton Park fire station as primary responders, rapidly responded accordingly to the address given, 11 Sycamore road Kempton Park. It took firefighting crews only eight minutes to arrive on the scene after pulling out of the station to the address.

c) Firefighters arrived on the scene of fire eight minutes after leaving the Kempton Park Fire Station.

2) On arrival of fire engines from Kempton Park fire station i.e. (i) Major Industrial Pumper, (ii) Hydraulic Platform (HP) and (iii) Grass Unit, part of the house`s roof had already collapsed. Immediate intervention was initiated to extinguish the blaze. Water from the first arriving Major Pumper was used prior to connection from the water tanker which responded from Tembisa. The first Major pumper that arrived on scene had 3 400 litres of water in the tank, which can be emptied within minutes depending on the number of discharge hoses in use and the diameter thereof. On arrival of the water tanker which had 12 000 litres capacity tank, relay pumping was initiated to complement water from the first pump. HP is a fire engine without a water tank as per specifications. It consists of a hydraulically operated extension ladder which has water way leading to the tip of the same ladder. Its main purpose is to rescue people from high rise buildings and it gets its water supply from other pumpers, water tankers and water sources such as hydrants. In this case, it was not utilised because the structure was a single-storey building. The CoE, for illustrative purposes has attached pictures of the hydraulic platform and the water tanker that was utilised on this incident as outlined below:

Picture 1: Hydraulic Platform based in Kempton Park

Picture 2: Type of water tanker used

1. With regard to water hydrant connections, there are two main types of connections that are used within the Fire Brigade services and these are bayonet type or screw type standpipes. Both types of connection stand-pipes are part of the basic equipment readily available in the fire engines. Bayonet standpipe fits on a bayonet water hydrant outlet and the screw type standpipe is compatible with a screw type system water hydrant. It is important to note that these connections are not marked hence a Firefighter must open the lid and inspect before connecting the correct stand pipe. The correct standpipe was used on the day to sustain relay water supply to the fire through the pumps. Laying out of attack lines was done swiftly because firehoses are pre-packed. Thus, firefighting was initiated immediately on arrival. The CoE, for illustrative purposes has attached pictures of the different types of standpipes as outlined below:

Picture 3: Types of Standpipes

b) With regard to the time Firefighters started dousing the flames, it is important to note that upon arrival Firefighters started extinguishing the fire. Firefighters found members of the public busy trying to salvage what they could from the fire. Members of the public were respectfully requested to evacuate the scene for safety reasons during firefighting operations.

3. The primary obligation of firefighters is to save lives and property. The DEMS cannot account for the missing equipment (Laptop). The City encourages the complainant to report the matter to the South African Police Services for further investigation.

4. There is no need for the Minister to institute an enquiry regarding the response of CoE to this fire incident. From an operational perspective, Standard Operating Procedures were followed for the management of the incident and adequate resources (measured against South African National Standard 10090: Community Protection Against Fire) were deployed to the incident.

1. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The delivery of fire services is supported by various international and national standards. These standards are being used widely in the fire service sector in the country. The primary standard relevant for the provision of fire services is the South African National Standard (SANS) 10090: Community Protection Against Fire. This standard is the primary barometer utilised by most municipalities to measure the performance of fire services. The purpose of this standard is to provide advice on the measures that should be taken to ensure that fire services are efficient. It includes a schedule against which the performance potential of each aspect, as well as of the whole, of a fire service can be judged. A fire-risk rating based on this schedule will indicate the extent to which loss of life and property can be avoided in any particular given area. The SANS 10090 is based on the premise that successful control and extinguishing of fires depend on sufficient appliances responding with adequate manpower and arriving within a reasonable time. It is important to highlight that although most fire services comply with the requirements of this standard, it only becomes applicable once a municipality adopts it as its service delivery standard. The City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) has adopted this standard as its service delivery standard. From the report/ response received from CoE, it is clear that the City complied with the standard in its deployment of firefighters and resources to this incident. In terms of this standard, the weight of response to fires is as outlined below:

Weight of response in terms of SANS 10090: Community protection against fire

1	2	3	4
Risk Category	Minimum number of pumping units	Minimum manning level per appliance	Minimum pumping capacity of each unit (L/min)
A (Central business districts and extensive commercial and industrial areas normally found in cities and large towns (areas where the risk to life and property due to fire occurrence and spread is likely to be high).	2	5	3850
B (Limited central business districts, smaller commercial or industrial areas normally associated with small towns and decentralized areas of cities and large towns (areas where the risk to life and property due to fire occurrence and spread is likely to be moderate).	2	4	3850
C (Residential areas of conventional construction).	1	4	2 250
D (Rural areas of limited buildings and remote from urban areas). D1 (Houses > 30 m apart) D2 (Houses 10,1 m – 30 m apart) D3 (Houses 3 m – 10 m apart) D4 (Houses < 3 m apart)	1	4	2 250
E (Special risk areas. Individual areas requiring a pre-determined attendance over and above the predominant risk category in an area. Includes large shopping/entertainment centres, informal settlements, harbours, hospitals, prisons, large airport buildings and petrochemical plants).	As determined by individual risk assessment
Note: Arrangements for vehicle fires, grass/bush and special services and the need for specialist vehicles such as aerial appliances and water carriers will be determined by local conditions.

Ends…

Reply:

(a)(i)	(ii)	(iii)	(aa)	(bb)
Five (5)	0	0	0	Five (5)
(b) (i)	(ii)	(c) (i)	(ii)	(iii)
R 0	Wheatboard (87 Hamilton Str),	21 years	Redefine Properties	R 1, 282 764.00
	Nosa,	10 years	Delta Properties	R 488 876.71
	Pencardia 1 & 2,	10 years	Columbia Falls	R 1 297 035.47
	Riverside Office Park (NDMC) ,	06 years	Redefine Properties	R 442 543.37
	Riverside Office Park (MISA) ,	07 years	Redefine Properties	R 735 448.86

Ends…

Reply:

The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs in the Province, was requested to provide a response to the question posed by the Honourable Member.

The Province subsequently reported that the Council of the Okhahlamba Local Municipality comprises of 29 councillors, and that the EXCO, which was established in terms of section 43 of the Structures Act, consists of five (5) members. Further, based on a political party representation in the Council, the EXCO is composed as follows:

3 members from the ANC;

1 member from COPE and

1 member from the IFP.

With regards to the above, the establishment of the EXCO in the Okhahlamba Local Municipality was done in compliance with the provisions of the Constitution and the Structures Act.

(a)Section 160 (8) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, provides that councillors are entitled to participate in proceedings of its Council and those of its committees in a manner that allows parties and interests reflected within the Council to be fairly represented, is consistent with democracy, and may be regulated by national legislation.

Section 43 of the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act No. 117 of 1998 (“the Structures Act”), further provides that if a Council establishes an Executive Committee (“EXCO”), it must elect a number of councillors necessary for effective and efficient government, provided that no more than 20 per cent of the councillors, or 10 councillors, whichever is the least, are elected. This section further requires that an EXCO must be composed in such a way that parties and interests represented in the municipal council are represented in the EXCO in substantially the same proportion as they are represented in the council.

(b)Falls away.

(c)Falls away.

BACKGROUND

The attached response was received from the Province

This Parliamentary question relates to the political party representation on the Executive Committee of the Okhahlamba Local Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal.

This response relies on the provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, and the Structures Act.

However, it must also be noted that there is no uniformity when it comes to the composition of EXCOs across the country.

The Structures Amendment Bill addresses this shortcoming by amending Section 43 and prescribing a uniform formula to be applied by all the municipalities. The Bill was adopted by the Portfolio Committee on 12 February 2019.

Ends…

Reply:

Please refer Parliamentary Question 724 to the Department of Public Enterprises as it is related to freight rail which is being dealt with by Transnet.

Reply:

(a) (b) (c) (d) (i) (ii) (aa) (aaa) (bbb) (bb)

Minister Davies

Make	Model	Price	Date Purchased	Financial Year
Toyota	Fortuner	R 623 788.94	19 May 2016	2016/17
Toyota	Fortuner	R 625 718.94	19 May 2016	2016/17

No vehicles were procured for the Deputy Minister during the above mentioned financial years.

Reply:

Period	(a) Make	(b) Model	(c) Price	(d) Purchase Date
(aaa) 2016 - 2017
Minister / former Minister	No new vehicles purchased in the 2016 - 2017 financial year for Minister.
Deputy Minister / former Deputy Minister	No new vehicles purchased in the 2016 - 2017 financial year for Deputy Minister.
(bbb) 2017 - 2018
Minister / former Minister	Toyota	Fortuner 2.8	R557 927.65	Apr-17
	Mercedes Benz	E350D AMG	R924 146.24	Jul-17
Deputy Minister / former Deputy Minister	Jaguar	XJ 3.0	R800 000.00	Apr-17
	BMW	X5	R984 896.25	Apr-17
(bb) since 1 April 2018
Minister / former Minister	No new vehicles purchased since 1 April 2018 financial year for Minister.
Deputy Minister / former Deputy Minister	No new vehicles purchased since April 2018 financial year for Deputy Minister.

Reply:

Yes.

The Department conducted an exploration study in 2012 on the feasibility of implementing a family grant instead of the existing social assistance system. The study reviewed existing family grants in both developed and developing nations and further evaluated the resulting costs, benefits, and operational implications. The study zoomed into the lessons of international experience that inform good practice that included the Brazilian Bolsa Familia Programme.

The study demonstrated that the design of a family grant as a replacement programme will pose significant constitutional, legislative and implementation complexities. The Constitution (section 27 in particular) is individual-based rather than household-based. Given the complex issues raised in the report and the cost of implementing an additional grant, a decision was taken not to consider the option.

________________________

Approved by the Minister on

Date……………………….

Reply:

Please refer Parliamentary Question 725 to the Department of Public Enterprises as it is related to freight rail which is being dealt with by Transnet.