Questions and Replies

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05 June 2017 - NW1427

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Hunsinger, Mr CH to ask the Minister of Transport

(1)When was a certain person (name furnished) appointed onto the Road Traffic Infringement Agency Board; (2) whether the appointment was gazetted; if not, (a) why not and (b) what are the implications of not having the appointment gazetted; if so, what are the relevant details?

Reply:

(1) Adv Bilikwana is not appointed to the Board of the Road Traffic Infringement Agency;

(2) There was no appointment made and thus no need for his name to be gazetted;

(a) there was no gazetting because he is not a member of the board. His official employment duties are that of a Company Secretary. In the RTIA’s correspondence therefore, his name is listed along with that of board members, expressly indicating that he is the Company/Board Secretary, in line with best practise

05 June 2017 - NW1196

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Van Dyk, Ms V to ask the Minister of Communications

(1)Whether the Chief Operating Officer of the Films and Publication Board (FPB) is currently on suspension; if so, since what date; (2) whether any steps were taken by the FPB against the specified person for allegedly plagiarising parts of the FPB’s draft policy directly from an Australian publication entitled Guiding Principles for Reform; if not, why not; if so, what (a) are the full details and (b) were the outcomes of the steps taken?

Reply:

(1) Yes, since from 17 March 2017.

(2) (a)(b) the FPB conducts benchmarking studies in different jurisdictions and the work on the Online Regulation Policy was a culmination of such studies.

05 June 2017 - NW1297

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Bagraim, Mr M to ask the Minister of Labour

(1)      What factors did her department take into consideration when deciding to grant 6% increase to her department’s inspection and enforcement services for the 2017-18 financial year; (2) whether she has found that the 6% increase for the 2017-18 financial year is sufficient to ensure that the labour inspectors of her department are (a) properly resourced and (b) capacitated to ensure that all labour market policies are complied with on the front line; if not, in each case, why not; if so, what are the relevant details in each case? NW1439E

Reply:

1.  The 6% increase to Inspection and Enforcement Services was granted by National Treasury and not by the Department.

(2) No; the 6% increase for 2017/18 financial year is not sufficient to ensure that the labour inspectors are properly resourced and capacitated to ensure all labour market policies are complied with.

05 June 2017 - NW1273

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America, Mr D to ask the Minister of Labour

(a) What is the total number of employees of the Compensation Fund who are currently suspended, (b) what are the reasons for the suspension in each case and (c) what is the total number of the specified cases relating to fraud are currently under investigation?

Reply:

a) 30;

b) All 30 relate to allegations of fraud;

c) 89

05 June 2017 - NW1429

Profile picture: Hunsinger, Mr CH

Hunsinger, Mr CH to ask the Minister of Transport

(a) Who is the concessionaire of the Huguenot Tunnel in the Western Cape, (b) when were they appointed, (c) how were they appointed, (d) what criteria were used to appoint them, (e) when did this concessionaire start, (f) when will it be terminated (g) what are the terms and conditions of this concessionaire and (h) what financial costs and implications exist for Sanral or any other entity?

Reply:

(a) The Huguenot Tunnel is not a concession contract, but a state-owned toll road, as it is funded and maintained by SANRAL. The toll operations and tunnel management are outsourced to Tolcon Group, the Operator. SMEC Consulting Engineers are the appointed professional service providers; and are responsible for overseeing the operations and maintenance of the Huguenot Toll Plaza and Tunnel.

(b) Tolcon was appointed on 27 November 2014 and the Operations and Maintenance contract officially commenced on 01 February 2015.

(c) Tolcon and SMEC Consulting Engineers were appointed after an open tender process.

(d) The tender provided for a functionality requirement to be met as a minimum. This was calculated on the following basis:

THE QUALITY CRITERIA AND MAXIMUM SCORE IN RESPECT OF EACH OF THE CRITERIA ARE AS FOLLOWS:

FORM

DESCRIPTION OF QUALITY CRITERIA AND SUB-CRITERIA

MAXIMUM NUMBER OF TENDER EVALUATION POINTS

B1

Schedule of Work Experience in comparable projects

20

B3

Proposed Personnel for Key staff

15

B4

Continuing professional development of the Key staff

5

B5

(Items 1,4,5, & 6)

Organisational structure, Logistics, support structures and managerial ability appropriate to the size and nature of the work

10

B5

(Item 2)

Financial control structures

10

B5

(Item 3)

Financial information

5

B5

(Item 7)

Maintenance proficiency

15

B7

Toll Systems Replacement: Methodology, Approach & Technical Compliance

15

B8

Toll Manning Configuration

5

Total evaluation points for quality (MS)

100

The minimum number of evaluation points for quality (WQ) was 75.

All compliant tenders who met the threshold moved on to the second stage of the tender evaluation which was Price and Preference (90/10).

Scoring preference:

Up to 100 minus W1 tender evaluation points will be awarded to tenderers who submit responsive tenders and who are found to be eligible for the preference claimed. Points are based on a tenderer’s scorecard measured in terms of the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act (B-BBEE, Act 53 of 2003) and the Regulations (2009) to the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act (PPPFA, Act 5 of 2000).

Points awarded were allocated according to a tenderer’s B-BBEE status level of contributor and summarised in the table below:

The score for price was calculated out of the 90 points using the formula:

A = (1 – (P – Pm)/Pm)

Pm is the comparative offer of the most favourable comparative offer

P is the comparative offer of the tender offer under consideration

The points for Price was then added to the Preference Point for a total point out of 100. The tender is awarded to the highest point scorer.

(e) It should be noted that this is not a concession contract, but the current Operations and Maintenance contract started on 01 February 2015.

(f) The contract was awarded for a 3 year period, with an option to extend for a further 2 years.

(g) Not applicable

(h) The Huguenot Toll Plaza and Tunnel is part of the SANRAL Toll Portfolio. Details of bonds issued in the capital markets to fund the Portfolio with each bonds corresponding coupon rate is disclosed in the SANRAL financial statements.

05 June 2017 - NW1510

Profile picture: Motau, Mr SC

Motau, Mr SC to ask the Minister of Transport

1. Whether (a) his Department and (b) each entity reporting to him procured any services from and/or made any payments to (i) Bell Pottinger or (ii) any other public relations firm; if not, in each case, why not, if so, what (aa) services were procured, (bb) was the total cost, (cc) is the detailed breakdown of such costs, (dd) was the total amount paid, (ee) was the purpose of the payment and (ff) is the detailed breakdown of such payments in each case.

Reply:

Department

Department did not procure any services or made any payments to (i) the certain company (name furnished) or (ii) any other public relations firms. The reason is because the department did not have a need to obtain the services of a public relations firm.

(aa) Not applicable

(bb) Not applicable

(cc) Not applicable

(dd) Not applicable

(ee) Not applicable

(ff) Not applicable

Airports Company South Africa SOC Limited (ACSA)

Airports Company South Africa has not procured any services from the company whose name was furnished. Airports Company South Africa utilises the services of FTI Consulting for its public relations.

Air Traffic Navigation and Services (ATNS)

  1. According to ATNS records, no services where procured or payments made to Bell Pottinger
  2. No service or payments were made to any public relations firms. There has not been any reason to procure services or make payments to public relations firms

(aa) Not applicable

(bb) Not applicable

(cc) Not applicable

(dd) Not applicable

(ee) Not applicable

(ff) Not applicable

South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA)

(a) N/A (b)(i)(ii)(aa)(bb)(cc)(dd)(ee)(ff)The South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) procured services from and made payments to a public relations agency called PR Powerhouse. The agency was hired to provide the SACAA with a variety of marketing communications aimed at creating awareness about the organisation, its mandate, and services offered to the public. Examples of outputs include drafting of media statements, setting up media interviews, and related public relations activities. The contract agreement was for a period of six months, ending 31 March 2016. During the contract period, the agency was paid a monthly retainer fee of R54 150, 00 (fifty-four thousand one hundred and fifty rand); amounting to R324 900, 00 (three hundred and twenty-four thousand nine hundred rand). NW1652E

(b) Cross-Border Road Transport Agency (CBRT) has not procured services from nor has it made any payments to (i) Bell Pottinger nor (ii) has it engaged any other public relations firm. The Agency has not established the need to do so.

(aa) – (ff) Not applicable

(b) Road Accident Fund (RAF) did not procure any services from and/or make any payments to (i) Bell Pottinger, but (ii) did procure services from The Brand Leadership Group (Pty) Ltd (“Brand Leadership”), a brand strategy, brand valuation and intellectual property management company, to (aa) provide the RAF with communications, media and public relations services, (bb) at a total contracted cost of R3 102 624, including VAT, over the three year period commencing on 13 January 2014, (cc) the detailed breakdown of such cost is:

Description

Total Cost

Management fee

R2 721 600

Percentage of markup fee for events

Billing principles and terms and conditions

Addition cost

Billing principles and terms and conditions

Total

R2 721 600

Total VAT

R381 024

Total VAT inclusive

R3 102 624

, (dd) of which R 2 879 044.31 has been paid to date, (ee) the purpose of the payment was to compensate Brand Leadership for the contracted services rendered to the RAF, (ff) the detailed breakdown of the payments are set out below:

Date of Payment

Amount

Particulars:

07 April 2014

R7,524.00

Advertisement

09 May 2014

R13 167.00

Brand Management

11 June 2014

R86 184.00

Retainer

19 June 2014

R86 184.00

Retainer

04 September 2014

R86 184.00

Retainer

05 November 2014

R86 184.00

Retainer

12 November 2014

R86 184.00

Retainer

26 February 2015

R86 184.00

Retainer

13 March 2015

R86 184.00

Retainer

17 April 2015

R86 184.00

Retainer

30 April 2015

R86 184.00

Retainer

11 June 2015

R86 184.00

Retainer

01 July 2015

R86 184.00

Retainer

08 September 2015

R86 184.00

Retainer

11 September 2015

R96 159.00

Retainer of R86 184.00 and R9 975.00 for design and artwork

18 November 2015

R99 581.81

Retainer of R86 184.00 and R13 397.81 for road show

20 January 2016

R105 606.75

Retainer of R86 184.00 and design and layout R11 172.75

20 April 2016

R114 114.00

Retainer of R86 184.00, R16 758.00 and R11 172.00 for branding.

22 April 2016

R135 560.25

Retainer of R86 184.00 and

design and placement of advert R49 376.25

25 April 2016

R172 368.00

2 X Retainer of R86 184.00

18 May 2016

R172 368.00

2 X Retainer of R86 184.00

20 June 2016

R172 368.00

2 X Retainer of R86 184.00

14 September 2016

R172 368.00

2 X Retainer of R86 184.00

19 September 2016

R182 286.00

Retainer of R86 184.00, advertorial for R87 210.00 and R8892.00 for design and layout for an advert.

19 January 2017

R401 365.50

4 X Retainer of R86 184.00, campaign of R53 437.50 and R3 192.00 for design.

Total

R2 879 044.31

 

(b) Road Traffic Management Corporations (RTMC) has not procured services from nor has it made any payments to (i) Bell Pottinger nor (ii) has it engaged any other public relations firm. The Agency has not established the need to do so.

(aa) – (ff) Not applicable

(b) Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTI) has not procured services from nor has it made any payments to (i) Bell Pottinger nor (ii) has it engaged any other public relations firm. The Agency has not established the need to do so.

(aa) – (ff) Not applicable

(b) South African Road Agency Limited (SANRAL) has not procured services from nor has it made any payments to (i) Bell Pottinger nor (ii) has it engaged any other public relations firm. The Agency has not established the need to do so.

(aa) – (ff) Not applicable

South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA)

The South African Maritime Authority (SAMSA) has never done any business nor procured any goods or services from Bell Pottinger or any other public relations firm.

The Authority has its own internal Corporate Affairs department which, among other things, is responsible for stakeholder management and communication.

Ports Regulator of South Africa (PRSA)

(b) The Ports Regulator did not procure any services from and/or made any payments to (i) Bell Pottinger or (ii) any other public relations firm. The reason for not using such services is because the activities of the Ports Regulator so far have not necessitated the use of a public relations firm.

National Railway Safety Regulator (NRSR)

(b)(i) The RSR has not procured any services from and/or made any payments to the company in question, Bell Pottinger.

(b)(ii) The RSR utilised the public relations services of Media Equity South Africa

(aa) The services procured related to the provision of reputation management services for the Regulator

(bb) The total cost of the services is contracted for an amount of R295 000.

(cc) Breakdown for cost relate to the assisting the Regulator to strengthen its relationship with the media and increase awareness of its newsworthy initiatives:

(dd) The Regulator has paid Media Equity SA R95 000 to date.

(ee) For services rendered as per the contract awarded to date

(ff) Detailed breakdown:

  • Facilitation of the State of Safety report Launch – R35 000
  • Interviews with senior management and staff
  • Desktop research and social media analysis
  • Securing participation from media houses and ongoing relationship building - R60 000

Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA)

          (b) (i) PRASA has never procured services from Bell Pottinger

               (ii) No other PR Agency has been used by PRASA

               (aa) there was no requirement for those services

               (bb) Not applicable

               (cc) Not applicable

               (dd) Not applicable

               (ee) Not applicable

               (ff) Not applicable           

 

05 June 2017 - NW1292

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Van Dyk, Ms V to ask the Minister of Transport

(a) What is the total number of examiners of vehicles in the Eastern Cape who have been convicted of issuing fraudulent certificates of road worthiness and continue to practice as examiners, (b) why have the specified examiners not been charged and arrested and (c) by what date will they be arrested and charged?

Reply:

It is difficult to report on the statistics relating to convictions of examiners due to the prolonged period it takes to finalise a case; and due to the fact that once a case has been opened with the South African Police Service (SAPS), they must conduct investigations and ultimately prepare the docket for the Department of Justice to prosecute. Therefore a case may take much longer than expected to be finalised. This involves arms of government other than the Department of Transport.

(a) The Eastern Cape Province reported that one examiner was convicted and is still practicing (Case no 217/ 1 /2016 Cradock Magistrate Court). The reason for continuation is that the Department is waiting for the response of the accused. A suspension letter was issued to him and signed by him on 08 May 2017. He was given 21 days to respond and this will end on the 02 June 2017.

(b) See above (a)

(c) See above (b)

05 June 2017 - NW1430

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Figlan, Mr AM to ask the Minister of Transport

With regard to the investigation commissioned by the Board of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa under the chairmanship of a certain person (name furnished), (i) who will lead the investigation (ii) what are the terms of reference (iii) what is the total amount budgeted (iv) what are the timeframes, timelines and milestones of the investigation going forward and (v) how will the findings and evidence from the specified investigation be incorporated into the current investigation?

Reply:

(i) There are three ongoing investigations at PRASA.

  1. The investigations into the irregular and fruitless and wasteful expenditure found by the Auditor-General in the 2014/2015 annual financial statements. This was commissioned by the Board of PRASA in terms of its fiduciary duties flowing from the Public Finance Management Act and led by Werksmans Attorneys.
  2. The investigations into contracts of more than R10 million concluded between 2012 and 2015 as per the remedial steps recommended by the Public Protector’s Report in August 2015 that are associated with the entities and transactions that were under investigation in (1) above. These investigations were, by agreement between PRASA, the Office of the Chief Procurement Officer of the National Treasury and the Department of Transport, led by Werksmans Attorneys.
  3. The investigations into contracts of more than R10 million concluded between 2012 and 2015 as per the remedial steps recommended by the Public Protector in August 2015. These relate to entities and transactions that were not viewed as related to the entities and transaction under investigation in (1) above. These investigations are led by National Treasury and National Treasury has appointed about 20 entities with forensic investigation capacity to conduct the investigation of these transactions and entities.

(ii) There is no new investigation commissioned by the Board of PRASA.

(iii) For the Financial Years 15/16 and 16/17, R148 million was paid for the investigations, and for the 17/18 Financial Year R14 million has been budgeted.

(iv) The timeframes for the conclusion of the investigations is end of July. The Milestones are that reports are submitted to the Board as they are completed. To date the Board has instituted seven court actions and has also forwarded 41 reports to the Directorate of Priority crimes investigations for further criminal investigations and 4 internal disciplinary actions have been instituted against affected employees.

(v) Please see response under (ii).

05 June 2017 - NW1276

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De Freitas, Mr MS to ask the Minister of Transport

(a) When was the Mpumalanga inspector of test stations appointed, (b) who was appointed, (c) what criteria were used in the appointment, (d) what reports have been submitted since the appointment, (e) what main issues have been identified, (f) what is being done to fix problem issues, (g) what solutions for problem issues have been identified and (h) what are the deadlines respectively?

Reply:

(a) In terms of the National Road Traffic Act (Act 93 of 1996), there is no provincial inspectorate of testing stations.

(b) No one has been appointed, however the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC is in the process of appointing a service provider /s to conduct assessment and inspections of driver licensing testing centres and vehicle testing stations.

(c) An open tender, Reference No RTMC BID 05/2007/18 was issued on Friday 19 May 2017 and the closing date is 12 June 2017 at 11:00.

(d), and (e), for reasons stated in (a),(b) and (c) above, the Department only receives copies of the reports on inspections done by the SABS and is not privy to any provincial reports, findings and actions taken by the MEC of the province.

(f), (g), and (h) The Department has started with the process of developing the Anti-fraud and Corruption Strategy that is intended to root out fraud and corruption at the vehicle and driving testing stations; and in terms of the current Departmental Strategic Plan, it is anticipated that the strategy will be approved in March 2019.

05 June 2017 - NW1180

Profile picture: Hunsinger, Mr CH

Hunsinger, Mr CH to ask the Minister of Communications

What amount has (a) her department and (b) each of the entities reporting to her spend on promotional events organised by a certain newspaper (name furnished) since 1 May 2014?

Reply:

a) The Department of Communications (DoC) spent R958 689.84 on a business briefing held on 26 May 2016 which was organised by the newspaper in question.

b) The entities in the DoC portfolio did not spend on promotional events organised by the newspaper in question since 1 May 2014.

05 June 2017 - NW1216

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Lotriet, Prof A to ask the Minister of Economic Development

Whether (a) his department and (b) each entity reporting to him has (i) procured any services from and/or (ii) made any payments to the Decolonisation Foundation; if not, in each case, what is the position in this regard; if so, what (aa) services were procured, (bb) were the total costs, (cc) is the detailed breakdown of the costs, (dd) was the total amount paid, (ee) was the purpose of the payments and (ff) is the detailed breakdown of the payments in each case?

Reply:

Public funds are intended to be spent for public purposes. Accordingly, no payments were made to the named entity.

-END-

05 June 2017 - NW1275

Profile picture: De Freitas, Mr MS

De Freitas, Mr MS to ask the Minister of Transport

(a) When was the Limpopo inspector of test stations appointed, (b) who was appointed, (c) what criteria were used in the appointment, (d) what reports have been submitted since the appointment, (e) what main issues have been identified, (f) what is being done to fix problem issues, (g) what solutions for problem issues have been identified and (h) what are the deadlines respectively?

Reply:

a) In terms of the National Road Traffic Act (Act 93 of 1996), there is no provincial inspectorate of testing stations.

b) No one has been appointed, however the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC is in the process of appointing a service provider /s to conduct assessment and inspections of driver licensing testing centres and vehicle testing stations.

c) An open tender, Reference No RTMC BID 05/2007/18 was issued on Friday 19 May 2017 and the closing date is 12 June 2017 at 11:00.

(d), and (e), for reasons stated in (a),(b) and (c) above, the Department only receives copies of the reports on inspections done by the SABS and is not privy to any provincial reports, findings and actions taken by the MEC of the province.

(f), (g), and (h) The Department has started with the process of developing the Anti-fraud and Corruption Strategy that is intended to root out fraud and corruption at the vehicle and driving testing stations; and in terms of the current Departmental Strategic Plan, it is anticipated that the strategy will be approved in March 2019.

 

 

05 June 2017 - NW1416

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Dreyer, Ms AM to ask the Minister of Transport

What amount has his department spent on (a) travel, (b) accommodation and (c) subsistence costs for (i) him, (ii) his deputy minister and (iii) the respective spokespersons and media liaison officer(s) in the (aa) 2014-15, (bb) 2015-16 and (cc) 2016-17 financial years?

Reply:

(aa) 2014-15

ITEM

NAME

DESIGNATION

AIR

CAR HIRE

(a) TRAVEL

(b) ACCOMMODATION

(i)

MS E PETERS

MINISTER

R1 298 747.00

R 667 166.38

R1 965 913.38

R181 172.70

(ii)

MS L CHIKUNGA

DEPUTY MINISTER

No information available

R392 782.61

R392 782.61

R21 345.00

(iii)

MR I MNISI

MEDIA LIAISON OFFICER - MINISTRY

R8 706.17

R17 527.30

R26 233.47

R69 754.38

(iii)

MS N MAPHANGA

PARLIAMENTARY AND MEDIA LIAISON OFFICER - DEPUTY MINISTER

R0.00

R142 222.72

R142 222.72

NO INFO

No information – no record, company insolvent

(bb) 2015-16

ITEM

NAME

DESIGNATION

AIR

CAR HIRE

(a) TRAVEL

(b) ACCOMMODATION

(i)

MS E PETERS

MINISTER

R1 401 868.22

R883 813.53

R 2 285 681.75

R50 760.73

(ii)

MS L CHIKUNGA

DEPUTY MINISTER

R1 008 247.22

R863 496.51

R1 871 743.73

R109 187.69

(iii)

MR I MNISI

MEDIA LIAISON OFFICER - MINISTRY

R104 071.11

R30 607.13

R134 678.24

R52 744.00

(iii)

MS N MAPHANGA

PARLIAMENTARY AND MEDIA LIAISON OFFICER - DEPUTY MINISTER

R219 534.16

R154 047.35

R373 581.51

R124 636.87

(cc) 2016-17

ITEM

NAME

DESIGNATION

AIR

CAR HIRE

(a) TRAVEL

(b) ACCOMMODATION

(i)

MS E PETERS

MINISTER

R750 529.60

R1 047 281.14

R1 797 810.74

R85 616.07

(ii)

MS L CHIKUNGA

DEPUTY MINISTER

R862 245.83

R539 112.08

R1 401 357.91

R152 472.49

(iii)

MR I MNISI

MEDIA LIAISON OFFICER - MINISTRY

R93 865.84

R47 183.02

R141 048.86

R49 622.53

(iii)

MS N MAPHANGA

PARLIAMENTARY AND MEDIA LIAISON OFFICER - DEPUTY MINISTER

R195 974.90

R282 622.46

R478 597.36

R191 802.97

05 June 2017 - NW1286

Profile picture: Walters, Mr TC

Walters, Mr TC to ask the Minister of Transport

(a) What is the total number of examiners of vehicles in North West who have been convicted of issuing fraudulent certificates of road worthiness and continue to practice as examiners, (b) why have the specified examiners not been charged and arrested and (c) by what date will they be arrested and charged?

Reply:

It is difficult to report on the statistics relating to convictions of examiners due to the prolonged period it takes to finalise a case; and due to the fact that once a case has been opened with the South African Police Service (SAPS), they must conduct investigations and ultimately prepare the docket for the Department of Justice to prosecute. Therefore a case may take much longer than expected to be finalised. This involves arms of government other than the Department of Transport.

a) The North West Department of Transport reported on the following:

Four (4) Examiners had been arrested and charged.

Of the four (4), one (1) examiner resigned during the process,

One (1) examiner was found guilty by the Wolmaranstad Magistrate Court and sentence will be passed on the 9th June 2017.

Two (2) Examiners' case ongoing at the Tlhabane Magistrate Court, but are currently on bail and the hearing postponed to the 8th June 2017 - Case No. 336/02/2017

One (1) Runner and a Clerk arrested with the Examiner above, case also ongoing - Case No. 336/02/2017

The examiner who was found guilty is not currently working as an examiner.

b) See above (a)

c) See above (b)

 

05 June 2017 - NW1287

Profile picture: Vos, Mr J

Vos, Mr J to ask the Minister of Transport

(a) What is the total number of examiners of vehicles in Gauteng who have been convicted of issuing fraudulent certificates of road worthiness and continue to practice as examiners, (b) why have the specified examiners not been charged and arrested and (c) by what date will they be arrested and charged?

Reply:

It is difficult to report on the statistics relating to convictions of examiners due to the prolonged period it takes to finalise a case; and due to the fact that once a case has been opened with the South African Police Service (SAPS), they must conduct investigations and ultimately prepare the docket for the Department of Justice to prosecute. Therefore a case may take much longer than expected to be finalised. This involves arms of government other than the Department of Transport.

a) Gauteng Province responded by noting that that five (5) Examiners of vehicles have been de-registered as Authorized Officers for Fraud during the 2016/2017 financial year and are no longer practicing as Examiners of Vehicles in the Gauteng Province due to their registration being cancelled.

b) See above (a)

c) See above (b)

05 June 2017 - NW1293

Profile picture: Topham , Mr B

Topham , Mr B to ask the Minister of Transport

(a) Why are the provisions of SA National Standards 10216 not being applied equally with regard to the vehicle testing stations in each of the provinces, (b) why have the recommendations by the SA Bureau of Standards Inspectorate of vehicle testing stations been ignored to date, (c) what is his department doing to ensure that these recommendations are complied with, (d) what are the (i) timelines, (ii) milestones and (iii) deadlines in each province, (e) what is being done to ensure that these dates are complied with and (f) who is responsible to ensure that these dates are met?

Reply:

(a) In terms of section 40 of the National Road Traffic act, 1996 (Act No. 93 of 1996) read with regulation 136 of the National Road traffic Regulations, 2000 it is the competency of the respective MEC’s responsible for transport to either suspend or cancel the registration of a testing station, if a testing station no longer complies with the requirements for registration. In terms of Regulation 137E the Inspectorate of Testing Stations shall evaluate and inspect as prescribed and make recommendations to the MEC in terms of the compliance or non-compliance of vehicle testing stations in the province. This includes but is not limited to the compliance to SANS 10216. It remains the prerogative of the respective MECs to implement the recommendations of the SABS and the reason for different applications of the recommendations is due to the fact that each MEC may choose to implement according to his or her discretion.

(b) The function of the Inspectorate of Testing Stations is currently performed by the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS). The Inspectorate can only make recommendations to the respective MEC and have no powers to enforce such recommendations. It remains the prerogative of the respective MECs to implement the recommendations of the SABS and the reason for different applications of the recommendations or not implementing at all is due to the fact that each MEC may choose to implement according to his or her discretion. All provinces have replied that the recommendations were adhered to.

(c) The Department is communicating concerns regarding noncompliance at the national forums and via provincial information sessions. This happens on a continuous basis. The Department has further included the development of the Anti-Fraud and Corruption Strategy in its Strategic Plan and Annual Performance Plan. The Department is further striving towards publishing the Minimum Requirements for Service Delivery Standard. Both these initiatives strive to address non-compliance at not only testing stations but also Driving Licence Testing Centres and Registering Authorities. All of the mentioned initiatives involves publication in the Gazette and impact studies. The replies to (d), (e) and (f) are dependent on the relevant MECs of each province and are depicted under the applicable provincial heading below.

Eastern Cape:

(d) (i) Upon recommendations by the SABS, Eastern Cape issues a TS4 notice to the contravening vehicle test station in terms of Regulation 136 (1) and (2) NRTA, Act 93 of 1996, and the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act 3 of 2000, requiring the said VTS to report to the MEC in writing within 14 days from the date of the notification, the reason for such failure to comply and details of the measures taken to rectify and prevent such failure. Standards are applied to in terms of the National Road Traffic Act 93/1996

(ii) (iii) The Province follows up with the VTS after the 14 days, and with the SABS to determine if the recommendations have been implemented and findings cleared. If the findings are not cleared, and of a nature that warrants suspension or cancellation, Eastern Cape then issues a TS5 notice to the contravening VTS notifying of the suspension or cancellation of the registration of such VTS, in terms of Regulation 136 NRTA, Act 93 of 1996, and the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act 3 of 2000.

No SABS findings were ignored. All recommendations by the Vehicle Testing Centre were rectified and sent back to SABS.

EC Inspectorate Section is doing a follow up to those recommendations by SABS and most were rectified.

The contravening VTS then has the right to appeal to the Minister of Transport within 21 days of receipt of the notice as per Section 51A NRTA, Act 93 of 1996. If an appeal is lodged with the Minister of Transport within the 21 days, and the Province is notified of such, then the Province waits for the decision of the Minister before implementing the suspension or cancellation.

(e) Inspectorate after the visit SABS should immediately forward copy or Email to the Provincial Inspectorate

(f) Eastern Cape Vehicle Fitness Section

Free State:

(d)The Province has started during the 2014-2015 Financial Year to upgrade and calibrate all the vehicle testing equipment at vehicle testing stations in the province.

(i) (ii)The Province reported that 17 stations were upgraded (i.e. Bloemfontein, Trompsburg, Bethlehem, Harrismith, Parys, Heilbron, Sasolburg, Kroonstad, Welkom, Virginia, Wesselsbron, Marquard, Ladybrand, Ficksburg, Odendaalrus, Thaba-Nchu, and Windburg Testing Stations) by the end of the 2016/17 financial year.

(iii) The province endeavors to continue upgrades in the 2017/18 financial year and will further calibrate the equipment of five more stations i.e. Botshabelo, Phuthaditjhaba, Bultfontein, Viljoenskroon and Petrusburg.

(e) The Inspectorate for Vehicle Testing Stations will follow up on the progress reported by the province.

(f) Provincial Monitoring Unit

Gauteng Province:

(d) (i) Upon recommendations by the SABS, Gauteng issues a TS4 notice to the contravening vehicle test station in terms of Regulation 136 (1) and (2) NRTA, Act 93 of 1996, and the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act 3 of 2000, requiring the said VTS to report to the MEC in writing within 14 days from the date of the notification, the reason for such failure to comply and details of the measures taken to rectify and prevent such failure.

(ii) The Province follows up with the VTS after the 14 days, and with the SABS to determine if the recommendations have been implemented and findings cleared. If the findings are not cleared, and of a nature that warrants suspension or cancellation, Gauteng then issues a TS5 notice to the contravening VTS notifying of the suspension or cancellation of the registration of such VTS, in terms of Regulation 136 NRTA, Act 93 of 1996, and the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act 3 of 2000. The contravening VTS then has the right to appeal to the Minister of Transport within 21 days of receipt of the notice as per Section 51A NRTA, Act 93 of 1996. If an appeal is lodged with the Minister of Transport within the 21 days, and the Province is notified of such, then the Province implements the decision to suspend or cancel the VTS in question on approval by the Minister

(iii) Addressed in (ii) above

(e)Addressed in (d) above

(f) Gauteng: Vehicle Fitness Section

KwaZulu-Natal:

The KwaZulu-Natal Province abides by the prescripts of SANS 10216. The Inspectorate of testing stations, SABS conducts yearly inspections at KwaZulu-Natal Vehicle Testing Stations and provides recommendations in respect of the findings in terms of SANS codes 10216 and deviations are addressed accordingly.

KZN does adhere to the recommendations made by the SABS. Upon receipt of TS4, TS5 recommendations from SABS, notices of intention to cancel or suspend or suspension/cancellation notices, signed by the HOD, are forwarded to the vehicle testing stations. Responses are followed up.

(c) Notices are sent to the vehicle testing stations, responses are dealt with, and SABS is consulted with regarding the responses.

(d) What are the:

(i) The recommendation is received from SABS. The notice is prepared for the HOD’s signature. On receipt of the signed notice, the notice is hand delivered and from the date of delivery, the testing station is given 14 days to respond.

(ii) The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport issued twelve (12) TS4 notices on recommendation from SABS, and 1 TS5 notice is in the process of being served. The representations in respect of the TS4 notices are in the process of being reviewed by SABS/Administration, and

(iii) The proprietor is given 14 days to respond.

(e) Monitor and pend for response, follow up on responses.

(f) The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport

Limpopo:

(d) The province is having number of compliance inspections conducted as one of the indicators in the Annual Performance Plan.

(i) Each and every institution is monitored every six months.

(ii) Compliance reports are received from National Inspectorate, follow-ups are made on implementation of the recommendations.

(iii) Monthly reports are received from the Departmental Inspectors and reports are being made to the respective institutions.

(e)(f) The National Inspectorate of Vehicle Testing Stations makes regular follow ups to ensure that these dates are met.

Mpumalanga:

(d) (i) (ii) (iii) Once the testing station report has been received, TS4 is issued to the affected testing station and a response is expected within 14 days. The testing station is given 30 days to put corrective measures.

(e) A follow up inspection is conducted to confirm the corrective measures.

(f) The Senior Manager responsible for Transport Administration and Licensing in the province.

North West:

d) The Provincial monitoring unit conducts follow up inspections to ensure the implementation and monitoring of the recommendations as communicated with the stations.

(i) Stations are given 30 days to respond to the recommendations made by the SA Bureau of Standards.

(ii) Non-compliant stations at the time of the inspection, have implemented all recommendations and now operating effectively. Furthermore, the Provincial Inspectorate conducts unannounced inspections to independently confirm that short comings are addressed accordingly.

(iii.) The provincial deadline for the implementation of the recommendations are linked to the SA Bureau of Standards Inspectorate deadline of 30 days.

e) Provincial monitoring unit conducts regular announced and unannounced visits to the Vehicle Testing Stations to ensure strict adherence to the deadlines, and where slow implementation is experienced, immediate intervention is sought with relevant authorities.

f) The Provincial monitoring unit is mandated with the responsibility of ensuring that all recommendations and deadlines thereto are strictly adhered to by relevant stations.

Northern Cape:

(d) Follow up letters are submitted to the respective Testing Stations in line with the findings and recommendations of the South African Bureau of Standards where TS4/ TS5 notices were issued.

Follow up visits are conducted to determine whether corrective interventions were taken or not. In the case where no corrective actions are taken the Testing Stations are suspended from operation i.e., De Aar, Victoria West, Kathu, Prieska etc.

Regular follow up visits and hosting of information sessions to ensure a common understanding in respect of the interpretation and application of relevant policies governing the Vehicle Testing Station environment.

(i) Quarterly

(ii) Follow up visits are done on Quarterly basis to ensure implementation plans are adhere to.

(iii) Testing Stations are given 14 (fourteen) days to comply in terms of Regulation 136 of the National Road Traffic Act, (Act. 93 of 1996).

(e) Regular follow ups in writing, telephonically and meetings with Municipal Managers/ Testing Station Proprietors.

(f) The Provincial Monitoring Unit.

Western Cape:

(d) Findings raised in reports that are provided to the Department are formally brought to the attention of the VTSs and followed up until rectified:

(i) as soon as the report is received with feedback due to the Department within 21 days (ii) milestones and corrected finding

(iii) reported immediately for a response within 21 days,

(e) The Section Vehicle Regulation and Standards Unit and the Compliance Monitoring Unit do follow up inspections.

(f) The Section Vehicle Regulation and Standards Unit and the Compliance Monitoring Unit

05 June 2017 - NW1098

Profile picture: Mhlongo, Mr TW

Mhlongo, Mr TW to ask the Minister of Sport and Recreation

(1) Whether, with regard to the alleged payment of approximately $10 million that Fifa made to the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Football Associations in 2008, using South African funds, the person who decided to make the payment had the necessary delegated authority to make such a decision; if not, (a) who authorised Fifa to make the $10 million payment, (b) who should have authorised this delegated authority and (c) who actually authorised this delegated authority; (2) whether the SA Football Association (Safa) conducted a full inquiry into the alleged unlawful payment; if not, why did an inquiry not take place; if so, will he provide Mr T W Mhlongo with a copy of the results of the inquiry; (3) whether Safa intends to recover the $10 million; if not, what are the reasons for not recovering the money?

Reply:

(1) FIFA was authorized by the South African Football Association (SAFA) to make the necessary payment to the Confederation of North, Central and Caribbean Football Associations (CONCACAF) and was authorized to do so as the funds were destined for the Host Association being SAFA itself.

(2) There was no inquiry into this matter as the payment was not unlawful and SAFA was well within its right to make the payment in furtherance of a standing government programme of making the World Cup an African World Cup, and a FIFA approved programme of ‘Win in Africa for Africa and One Goal’. No South African law was broken in the transactions that ensured to effect the payment of $10 million by FIFA to CONCACAF.

(3) SAFA does not intend to recover this money as it was paid for a legitimate purpose and there is no verdict of wrongdoing on the part of CONCACAF. SAFA has noted the allegations contained in the indictment by the US Attorney General and will follow the developments closely.

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05 June 2017 - NW1048

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James, Dr WG to ask the Minister of Health

What progress has been made in the evaluation of the capacity of the South African health security under the Global Health Security Agenda, using the Joint External Evaluation tool?

Reply:

South Africa is implementing the International Health Regulations (2005) [IHR 2005] since its enactment on 15 June 2007. In February 2017, the National Department of Health completed a self IHR assessment using the Joint External Evaluation tool, with the participation of all relevant Government departments and key stakeholders. The National Department of Health officials assessed all the action packages, namely: prevention, detection, response, and IHR-related hazards as well as Points of Entry. The Department of Health is using the findings to develop an action plan aimed at further strengthening of South Africa's IHR capacity.

END.

05 June 2017 - NW1290

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Van Dyk, Ms V to ask the Minister of Transport

(a) What is the total number of examiners of vehicles in the Western Cape who have been convicted of issuing fraudulent certificates of road worthiness and continue to practice as examiners, (b) why have the specified examiners not been charged and arrested and (c) by what date will they be arrested and charged?

Reply:

It is difficult to report on the statistics relating to convictions of examiners due to the prolonged period it takes to finalise a case; and due to the fact that once a case has been opened with the South African Police Service (SAPS), they must conduct investigations and ultimately prepare the docket for the Department of Justice to prosecute. Therefore a case may take much longer than expected to be finalised. This involves arms of government other than the Department of Transport.

a) It was reported to the Department that no examiners of vehicles in the Western Cape were convicted of issuing fraudulent certificates of road worthiness in the 2016 / 17 financial year.

b) See above (a)

c) See above (b)

05 June 2017 - NW1411

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Brauteseth, Mr TJ to ask the Minister of Transport

What (a) total amount has been spent by his department on legal fees (i) in the (aa) 2014-15, (bb) 2015-16 and (cc) 2016-17 financial years and (ii) since 1 April 2017 and (b) are the (i) details, (ii) outcomes and (iii) costs of each case?

Reply:

(a) Total amount spent on legal fees

(i)

(aa) 2014-2015 (R8,983.177.00)

(bb) 2015-2016 (R9,383.623.00)

(cc) 2016-2017 (R19,911,320.00)

(ii) Since 1 April 2017 (928,574.00)

(b)

(i) details

2014 2015

Tasima

City of Cape Town / Minister of Transport and SANRAL

DOT / Thwala

Prodiba

2015-2016

Tasima

Prodiba

Marine enquiry Kingfisher

City of Cape Town / Minister of Transport and SANRAL

DOT / Vilana

DOT / Thwala

MEC For Transport KZN / Transport Appeal Tribunal

JV Ndorum (Mthatha Airport)

2016-2017

Tasima

Prodiba

Marine enquiry Kingfisher

Marine enquiry Witbank

MEC for Transport KZN / Transport Appeal Tribunal

City of Cape Town / Minister of Transport and SANRAL

DOT / Thwala

DOT/ Vilana

JV Ndorum (Mthatha Airport)

African Harvest / Minister of Transport and ACSA

1 April 2017

Tasima

JV Ndorum ( Mthatha Airport)

(ii) outcomes

Tasima - success

Prodiba – success

Marine enquiry kingfisher – completed

Marine enquiry Witbank – completed

DOT / Vilana - settled)

DOT / Thwala – success

MEC for Transport KZN / Transport Appeal Tribunal - success

City of Cape Town – not succesful

JV Ndorum (Mthatha Airport) – not finalized

African Harvest (not finalized)

(ii) costs of each case

Tasima (R13, 322, 170. 54)

Prodiba (R1, 792, 495.19)

Marine enquiry Kingfisher (R2, 582, 935.33)

Marine enquiry Witbank (R1, 722, 232.54)

DOT / Vilana (R1, 552, 420.00)

DOT / Thwala (R2, 550, 370.93)

MEC for Transport KZN / Transport Appeal Tribunal (R1, 306, 460.93)

City of Cape Town / Minister of Transport and SANRAL (R1, 087, 503.00)

JV Ndorum (Mthatha Airport) (R247, 095.00)

African Harvest (R809 172.00)

05 June 2017 - NW1294

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Topham , Mr B to ask the Minister of Transport

With regard to the secondment in 2016 of a certain person (name furnished) from the department to Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa as its Acting Group Chief Executive Officer, at which Board meeting was his (a) salary, perks and conditions, (b) start and termination date and (c) as well as terms of reference and authority concluded and resolved?

Reply:

The Minister and the Board met on the 30th June 2016, after lengthy deliberations on the state of PRASA, the Minister announced her decision to second Mr. Letsoalo to PRASA as its Acting GCEO. The Board accepted the secondment.

Subsequent to the meeting of June 30 2016, the Board requested a meeting with the Minister to discuss the details of Mr. Letsoalo’s secondment and appointment as Acting GCEO. The said meeting was scheduled for 5th July 2016, however the Minister did not attend the scheduled meeting and submitted an apology.

At which Board meeting was his (a) salary, perks and conditions, (b) start and termination date and (c) as well as terms of reference and authority concluded and resolved?

The Board at the meeting of the 5th July 2016 then mandated the Chairman of the Board to write a letter of appointment to Mr. Letsoalo. The letter of appointment by the Chairman to Mr. Letsoalo was written and dated 7 July 2016, which contained the terms and conditions of Mr. Letsoalo’s appointment.

 

05 June 2017 - NW1213

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Lorimer, Mr JR to ask the Minister of Communications

Whether (a) her department and (b) each entity reporting to her has (i) procured any services from and/or (ii) made any payments to the Decolonisation Foundation; if not, in each case, what is the position in this regard; if so, what (aa) services were procured, (bb) were the total costs, (cc) is the detailed breakdown of the costs, (dd) was the total amount paid, (ee) was the purpose of the payments and (ff) is the detailed breakdown of the payments in each case?

Reply:

(a) GCIS had not procured any services or made any payment to the Decolonisation Foundation during the 2016/17 Financial Year.

05 June 2017 - NW1296

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Bagraim, Mr M to ask the Minister of Labour

(1) Whether her department (a) has undertaken or (b) intends to undertake studies to determine the viability of allocating more money directly to the Unemployment Insurance Fund instead of to her department’s employment standards programme; if not, in each case, why not; if so, what were the outcomes in each case; (2) whether her department has put any mechanisms in place to monitor the outcomes of her department’s employment standards programme; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details; (3) what factors did her department take into consideration when deciding to grant a 79% increase to the employment standards programme for the 2017-18 financial year?

Reply:

1. The Department has not undertaken and/or intends to undertake studies to determine the viability of allocating more money directly to the Unemployment Insurance Fund because the Fund has always been self-funding and as such it does not require any form of funding from the Department.

2. Yes, the monitoring mechanisms are based on the current performance management system.

3. The Department took into consideration amongst other things the human resources required for the monitoring; and successful implementation of the National Minimum Wage agreement.

05 June 2017 - NW1295

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Bagraim, Mr M to ask the Minister of Labour

With reference to the increase of 54% in the work seeker services budget of her department’s Public Employment Service programme for the 2017-18 financial year, how much did it cost on average for each job placement made through the specified programme in the (a) 2015-16 and (b) 2016-17 financial years?

Reply:

Firstly it is important to correct the statement/perception that the increase for 2017/18 financial year for Public Employment Services is by 54%. The actual increase for is a mere 2%.

 a) R4, 438.00

 b) R3, 875.00

05 June 2017 - NW1285

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Walters, Mr TC to ask the Minister of Transport

(a) What the total number of examiners of vehicles in Mpumalanga who have been convicted of issuing fraudulent certificates of road worthiness and continue to practice as examiners, (b) why have the specified examiners not been charged and arrested and (c) by what date will they be arrested and charged?

Reply:

It is difficult to report on the statistics relating to convictions of examiners due to the prolonged period it takes to finalise a case; and due to the fact that once a case has been opened with the South African Police Service (SAPS), they must conduct investigations and ultimately prepare the docket for the Department of Justice to prosecute. Therefore a case may take much longer than expected to be finalised. This involves arms of government other than the Department of Transport.

a) The province of Mpumalanga has reported that there were no examiners that were convicted of issuing fraudulent certificates of road worthiness in the 2016 / 17 financial year.

b) See above (a)

c) See above (b)

05 June 2017 - NW1278

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Hunsinger, Mr CH to ask the Minister of Transport

(a) When was the North West inspector of test stations appointed, (b) who was appointed, (c) what criteria were used in the appointment, (d) what reports have been submitted since the appointment, (e) what main issues have been identified, (f) what is being done to fix problem issues, (g) what solutions for problem issues have been identified and (h) what are the deadlines respectively?

Reply:

a) In terms of the National Road Traffic Act (Act 93 of 1996), there is no provincial inspectorate of testing stations.

b) No one has been appointed, however the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC is in the process of appointing a service provider /s to conduct assessment and inspections of driver licensing testing centres and vehicle testing stations.

c) An open tender, Reference No RTMC BID 05/2007/18 was issued on Friday 19 May 2017 and the closing date is 12 June 2017 at 11:00.

(d), and (e), for reasons stated in (a),(b) and (c) above, the Department only receives copies of the reports on inspections done by the SABS and is not privy to any provincial reports, findings and actions taken by the MEC of the province.

(f), (g), and (h) The Department has started with the process of developing the Anti-fraud and Corruption Strategy that is intended to root out fraud and corruption at the vehicle and driving testing stations; and in terms of the current Departmental Strategic Plan, it is anticipated that the strategy will be approved in March 2019.

05 June 2017 - NW1331

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Mhlongo, Mr TW to ask the Minister of Sport and Recreation

Is the impasse between Government and the Commonwealth Games Federation over monetary obligations required by the federation resolved; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

Reply:

The impasse has been resolved. The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) awarded the bid to host the Commonwealth Games 2022 on 02 September 2015 at its general assembly in Auckland, New Zealand. At the time of awarding the bid, the finance guarantee by the South African Government was not signed, as certain conditions of the host city agreement were not favourable to South Africa and hence could not be signed. This further meant that the outstanding issues raised by the evaluation commission after their visit in April/May 2015 could not be attended to as it was dependent on the negotiations with the Commonwealth Games Federation around matters contained in the financial guarantee and the host city agreement.

Further to the negotiations, South Africa provided a response to the issues by 30 November 2016. The Commonwealth Games Federation completed its detailed review of the final information submitted by South Africa on 30 November 2016 to determine whether the requisite conditions precedent set by South Africa would be acceptable to the Commonwealth Games Federation. The latter however felt that this did not meet with their methodology of games delivery and considered South Africa's position as a departure from the conditions they had set in the proposed Host City Agreement. The Evaluation Commission of the Commonwealth Games Federation did not accept South Africa's conditions, budget proposals and delivery methodology. It was therefore resolved that the Commonwealth Games Federation should withdraw the rights awarded to Durban to host the 2022 edition of the games.

**************************************

05 June 2017 - NW1433

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Gqada, Ms T to ask the Minister of Transport

What (a) total amount in legal fees and (b) other costs did (i) his department and/or (ii) any of the entities reporting to him have to pay with regard to the High Court case number 17748/17 of 10 April 2017?

Reply:

(a) The Department has not as yet received the legal fees from its legal team.

(b) Not applicable

(i) The Department has not yet received any taxed costs from the Applicants.

(ii) PRASA did not join legal proceedings, thus there were no legal fees to be paid

05 June 2017 - NW1252

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Mulder, Dr CP to ask the Minister of Transport

(a)(i) Why the Telkom lines of the eNatis system have been cut by Telkom and (ii) what is the effect of this on owners of motor vehicles who want to obtain motor vehicle licences, (b) on what date will the matter be resolved and (c) what is the status of any criminal or other statutory accountability towards owners of motor vehicles who cannot obtain an/or renew motor vehicle licences?

Reply:

a) (i) Telkom cut voice services to NaTIS sites on 21 March 2017 because Tasima had not paid.

(ii) There were no adverse effects because the system remained operational as data services were not affected.

b) Voice services were restored on 19 April 2017 after the RTMC had taken over the NaTIS.

c) No owner of a motor vehicle was unable to licence a vehicle due to a planned interruption by Telkom. In the event of an unplanned interruption such as copper theft or other similar incidents, the licensing office logs a call with the provincial helpdesk to obtain a reference number. Through this process, the licensing office is authorised by the provincial helpdesk to backdate the effective date of licensing to prevent any penalties and arrears being payable.

05 June 2017 - NW1236

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Robinson, Ms D to ask the Minister of Sport and Recreation

Whether (a) his department and (b) each entity reporting to him has (i) procured any services from and/or (ii) made any payments to the Decolonisation Foundation; if not, in each case, what is the position in this regard; if so, what (aa) services were procured, (bb) were the total costs, (cc) is the detailed breakdown of the costs, (dd) was the total amount paid, (ee) was the purpose of the payments and (ff) is the detailed breakdown of the payments in each case?

Reply:

(a) and (b) (i) and (ii) The Department of Sport and Recreation South Africa and the entities reporting to its Executive Authority did not procure any services from and/or make any payments to the Decolonisation Foundation.

Thus (aa), (bb), (cc), (dd), (ee) and (ff) fall away.

************************************

05 June 2017 - NW1277

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De Freitas, Mr MS to ask the Minister of Transport

(a) When was the Gauteng inspector of test stations appointed, (b) who was appointed, (c) what criteria were used in the appointment, (d) what reports have been submitted since the appointment, (e) what main issues have been identified, (f) what is being done to fix problem issues, (g) what solutions for problem issues have been identified and (h) what are the deadlines respectively?

Reply:

(a) In terms of the National Road Traffic Act (Act 93 of 1996), there is no provincial inspectorate of testing stations.

(b) No one has been appointed, however the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC is in the process of appointing a service provider /s to conduct assessment and inspections of driver licensing testing centres and vehicle testing stations.

(c) An open tender, Reference No RTMC BID 05/2007/18 was issued on Friday 19 May 2017 and the closing date is 12 June 2017 at 11:00.

(d), and (e), for reasons stated in (a),(b) and (c) above, the Department only receives copies of the reports on inspections done by the SABS and is not privy to any provincial reports, findings and actions taken by the MEC of the province.

(f), (g), and (h) The Department has started with the process of developing the Anti-fraud and Corruption Strategy that is intended to root out fraud and corruption at the vehicle and driving testing stations; and in terms of the current Departmental Strategic Plan, it is anticipated that the strategy will be approved in March 2019.

05 June 2017 - NW1197

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Kalyan, Ms SV to ask the Minister of Communications

(1)Whether any person may serve on the board of more than one of the entities that report to her simultaneously; if so, (a) on what statutory grounds and (b) what are the (i) names, (ii) names of boards, (iii) terms served on each board and (iv) salaries of each specified person; (2) whether each of the specified persons declared serving in positions on each of the specified boards; if not, in each case, why not; if so, what are the relevant details in each case?

Reply:

(1) Yes

(a) The law does not prohibit any person from serving on more than one Board of the entities reporting to the Minister of Communications.

(b) (i) Ms Khanyisile Kweyama

    (ii) Brand South Africa Board and the interim SABC Board.

    (iii) Serving a three-year term at Brand South Africa and six months at the SABC interim Board.      

    (iv) payment for services rendered were in line with the required prescript

(2) Yes.

05 June 2017 - NW1432

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Figlan, Mr AM to ask the Minister of Transport

(a) Why has the Metrorail Chatsworth and Durban service been suspended, (b) how are passengers being accommodated whilst the service is suspended, (c) what is being done to reinstate the service and (d) by what date will the service be reinstated?

Reply:

a) The Metrorail commuter service between Crossmoor (Chatsworth) and Durban was suspended from 22 February 2017 due to the general shortage of serviceable rolling stock experienced by the PRASA KZN Region. As at February 2017, only 32 train sets out of the required 57 train sets were in-service, due to major overhaul/upgrade and maintenance program requirements of the ageing fleet. PRASA was also losing 5 coaches on average per month due to vandalism. As a consequence the in-service fleet is under pressure and run more kilometres than usual, with less time to effect day to day maintenance, having an adverse effect on the performance of the fleet. The over extension and poor performance of the available fleet create serious risks in terms of commuter dissatisfaction and overcrowding.

In balancing the available in-service fleet with overall demand across the KZN region, the Chatsworth and Bluff services were suspended in order to make rolling stock available on higher demand corridors in areas where alternative bus services are not viable due to objections from the taxi industry.

b) A replacement bus service was provided by PRASA between Crossmoor and Merebank, making it possible for commuters to connect with trains travelling to and from the South Coast and Umlazi.

c) Although a partial recovery of the KZN Metrorail fleet availability towards the end of March allowed the train service between Durban and Crossmoor to be reinstated, limited spare trains sets still affects service capacity and performance, resulting in frequent cancellations. Buses are arranged on an ad-hoc basis to augment the train service as far as possible.

d) The train service between Durban and Crossmoor was officially reinstated on 30 March 2017. The train service between Durban/Umlazi and Wests (Bluff) remains suspended due to the ongoing shortage of rolling stock. PRASA is in a process of accelerating the return of additional rolling stock (train sets) to improve the fleet availability across all services in the KZN region.

02 June 2017 - NW786

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Kalyan, Ms SV to ask the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation

Whether the locally recruited personnel charter of her department has been implemented yet; if not, (a) why not and (b) by what date will it be implemented; if so, what are the relevant details in this regard?

Reply:

An LRP Charter does not apply to our regulatory context , since all LRP administrative matters are regulated through domestic legislation applicable to the respective countries of accreditation. Therefore, DIRCO does not have such a charter.

a) Not applicable

b) Not applicable

02 June 2017 - NW307

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Mokgalapa, Mr S to ask the MINISTER OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND COOPERATION

(1) With reference to the statement of the President of the Republic, Mr Jacob G Zuma, made during the State of the Nation Address on 9 February 2017, that South Africa will continue mediation efforts, peacekeeping operations and peace-making initiatives in the Democratic Republic of Congo, what is the current status of South Africa’s formal involvement in the specified country?

Reply:

  1. South Africa continues to support MONUSCO (United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo) through a deployment of uniformed and other personnel in a multi-dimensional peacekeeping which involves the military, police and the civilian components. MONUSCO’s strategic priorities are to protect civilians, stemming out of violence against women and children perpetuated by armed groups. The current mandate of MONUSCO will expire on 31 March 2017. The UN will provide guidance in terms of the extension of the mandate based on a situational analysis on the ground, particularly in the Eastern DRC and the political developments as the country prepares for the elections by end of 2017.

 

UNQUOTE

02 June 2017 - NW132

Profile picture: Mokgalapa, Mr S

Mokgalapa, Mr S to ask the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation

(1)What are the details of her department’s policy concerning the employment of foreign nationals in South Africa’s foreign missions; (2) (a) how many foreign nationals are currently employed by each foreign mission and (b) in each case, (i) in which position are each of these foreign nationals employed and (ii) what (aa) qualifications and (bb) special skills does each person possess; (3) did the mission conduct (a) background checks and (b) security clearance procedures on each specified foreign national; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

Reply:

(1) The South African Government, through the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), employs country nationals, third country nationals and/or South African nationals at the various Diplomatic and Consular Missions abroad, as support staff to the South African diplomats stationed in these missions abroad. Such employees are referred to as Locally Recruited Personnel (LRP).

(2) (a) 2049 LRP

(b)(i) The LRP are employed in the following positions:

  • Cleaner
  • Domestic Worker
  • Gardener
  • Watchman/Security
  • Chauffeur
  • Messager/Driver
  • Receptionist
  • Registry Clerk
  • Accountant/Assistant Accounts Clerk
  • Consular Clerk
  • Maintenance Officer
  • Secretary
  • Administrative Clerk/Officer
  • Information Clerk
  • Translator
  • Trade and Information Assistant
  • Marketing Officer

(ii) (aa) Each post has minimum requirements in terms of qualifications.

(bb) Post requirements and skills are determined by the level of the post

(3) (a) Yes

(b) As part of recruitment and selection, all applicants are required to submit a police clearance certificate from the local authorities of the host country.

02 June 2017 - NW1074

Profile picture: Van Der Walt, Ms D

Van Der Walt, Ms D to ask the MINISTER OF PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION

Whether he intends to amend provisions of paragraph 1.2.4 of the Ministerial Handbook; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, (a) by what date and (b) what will the amendments entail?

Reply:

Paragraph 1.2.4 of Chapter 5 of the Ministerial Handbook relates to the purchase of motor vehicles for Members. There are proposals to amend this provision as part of the review of the Ministerial Handbook.

(a) It is expected that the review of the Ministerial Handbook will be completed once the Joint Cabinet Committee has considered the content and approved a revised Ministerial Handbook.

(b)The details of the revised Ministerial Handbook will be made available as soon as it is approved by the Cabinet.

End

02 June 2017 - NW1230

Profile picture: Redelinghuys, Mr MH

Redelinghuys, Mr MH to ask the MINISTER OF PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION

Whether (a) her department and (b) each entity reporting to her has (i) procured any services from and/or (ii) made any payments to the Decolonisation Foundation; if not, in each case, what is the position in this regard; if so, what (aa) services were procured, (bb) were the total costs, (cc) is the detailed breakdown of the costs, (dd) was the total amount paid, (ee) was the purpose of the payments and (ff) is the detailed breakdown of the payments in each case?

Reply:

The Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) did not procure any services from and/or made any payments to the Decolonisation Foundation.

The National School of Government (NSG) has neither procured any services nor made any payments to the Decolonisation Foundation.

(b) (i) No – The Centre for Public Service Innovation (CPSI) has not procured nor had any need to procure any services from the Decolonisation Foundation.

(ii) No – The CPSI has not made any payments nor had any need to make payments to the Decolonisation Foundation.

(aa) Not applicable

(bb) Not applicable

(cc) Not applicable

(dd) Not applicable

(ff) Not applicable

End

02 June 2017 - NW172

Profile picture: Lees, Mr RA

Lees, Mr RA to ask the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation

a) Whether, with reference to her reply to question 318 on 31 March 2016, the Government has taken any further action to secure the release of Mr Stephen McGowan; if not, why not; if so, (a) what are the relevant details of the further action the Government took in order to secure his release since her reply and (b) what are the relevant details of the action that the Government intends to take in order to secure his release; b) Whether she has any knowledge of (a) where the specified person has been held and (b) by whom; if not, in each case, why not; if so, what are the relevant details in each case; c)Whether the Government is working with and/or assisting any non-governmental organisations to secure the release of the specified person ; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details of the (a)non-governmental organisation and (b)assistance being provided to the specified organisations?

Reply:

(a) Yes -Government is involved in a continuum of actions securing the release of Mr Stephen McGowan, involving support from any of the Government Departments when needed. Actions were taken since March 2016, including, but not limited to, considering every viable option to ensure his release. Government continued to liaise with other Governments and agencies who may contribute to effect the release of Mr McGowan. Disclosing any details of actions taken at this stage will not serve a proper purpose but the House should know that Government did not leave any stone unturned to secure the release of Mr McGowan and will continue to assign resources and sincere efforts to ensure his return to South Africa..

(b)The exact location of Mr Stephen McGowan is not known, because it is a known trend of the captors to move their captives with regular intervals, ensuring their safety and security. Different groups are publicly known to capture tourists in Mali and, although more information about the group may be sourced, providing more information on the group is not in the interest of the matter being dealt with.

(c)Government is working with many other Governments and agencies in an effort to effect the release of Mr Stephen McGowan. Providing details on each of these organisations at this stage may compromise his safety.

UNQUOTE

02 June 2017 - NW785

Profile picture: Kalyan, Ms SV

Kalyan, Ms SV to ask the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation

(a) What are the full details of the (i) grievances and (ii) disciplinary cases that (aa) her department and (bb) each foreign mission of South Africa dealt with in the 2015–16 financial year, (b) how many were concluded, (c) what is the nature of sanctions that were meted out in each case, (d) how many are still pending and (e) what are the reasons?

Reply:

(a) (i) Total number of grievances handled during the period 01 April 2015 to 31 March 2016 is thirty two (32), and all thirty two (32) were concluded.

 

Nature of grievance

Number

Status

Unfair PMDS process

2 (two)

Finalised

Unfair recruitment and selection process

3 (three)

Finalised

Verbal abuse and intimidation

2 (two)

Finalised

Failure by the department to assist officials serving abroad with medical aids

1 (one)

Finalised

Disapproval of resignation

1 (one)

Finalised

Unilateral decision by the CFO to discontinue education allowance

6 (six)

Finalised

Failure by the department to upgrade the officials’ qualifications from FAA to MAC

4 (four)

Finalised

Harrasment and victimization

1 (one)

Finalised

Disapproval to undergo surgery abroad

1 (one)

Finalised

Exclusion from management meetings

1 (one)

Finalised

Disapproval of an application to attend MAC bridging course

1 (one)

Finalised

Disapproval of transfer back to South Africa

1 (one)

Finalised

Failure to upgrade post to high level

4 (four)

Finalised

Disapproval to attend a course

1 (one)

Finalised

False accusations

2 (two)

Finalised

Non payment of COLA

1 (one)

Finalised

     

(ii) Twelve (12) misconduct cases were handled and finalised during the period 01 April 2015 to 31 March 2016. See the table in paragraph (C)

(b) Twelve (12) grievances were from officials stationed abroad while twenty (20) were from officials at DIRCO Head Office

(bb) One (1) misconduct case was for the official stationed abroad and the remaining eleven (11) were for officials at DIRCO Head Office

(c) The nature of sanctions that were meted out in each misconduct case are as follows:

Nature of Misconduct

Sanction

Plagiarism

Not Guilty

Fraud

Dismissal

Insubordination

Not Guilty

Breach of Security

Final Written Warning plus recovery of COLA Allowance

Failure to disclose conflict of interest

One month Suspension without pay plus final written warning

Direlection of duty

Written Warning

Contravention of the procurement policy

Written warning

Gross negligence and dishonesty

Final written warning

Fraud

Final written warning plus one month suspension without pay

Misrepresentation and fraud

Dismissal

Irregular processes of the DBAC

Final written warning plus counselling

Absenteeism

Written warning

(d) All the cases have been finalised

(e) See the answer in (d)

Unquote.

02 June 2017 - NW1084

Profile picture: Dlamini, Mr MM

Dlamini, Mr MM to ask the Minister of Energy

How were all the public submissions for the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) and Integrated Energy Plan (IEP) processes made available to the public before the closing date of 31 March 2017, b) i) what is the next step and timeframes in the development of final IRP and IEP and (ii) will the public be involved in the processes, c) when will the revised assumptions and base case be made available to the public, d) will she table a proposed IRP policy before Parliament; and e) (i) what document will record how public comments were used to guide improvements on the draft plans and (ii) by what date will the specified document be made available to the public? NW1221E

Reply:

a) The Department is in the process of analysing the comments received from the public, once done the Department will also consult sister departments for comments and submit to Cabinet for processing. The updated Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) and the Integrated Energy Plan (IEP) will then be submitted to Parliament for processing.

b) i) The next step is to analyse the public inputs, make adjustment to assumptions used where necessary, rerun the base case, run scenarios and come up with a balanced scenario (draft IRP) before policy adjustment. We anticipate having the plans to Cabinet by the fourth quarter of 2017/18 financial year.

c) Once Cabinet has processed the updated IRP &IEP,..

d) i) Once Cabinet approves the IRP it will be submitted to Parliament for processing

    ii) See response to question (c)

(e) (i) See response to question (a)

    (ii) See response to question (c)

 

01 June 2017 - NW1237

Profile picture: Robinson, Ms D

Robinson, Ms D to ask the Minister of State Security

Whether (a) his department and (b) each entity reporting to him has (i) procured any services from and/or (ii) made any payments to the Decolonisation Foundation; if not, in each case, what is the position in this regard; if so, what (aa) services were procured, (bb) were the total costs, (cc) is the detailed breakdown of the costs, (dd) was the total amount paid, (ee) was the purpose of the payments and (ff) is the detailed breakdown of the payments in each case?

Reply:

The State Security Agency (SSA) has no company called Decolonisation Foundation in its data base.

01 June 2017 - NW1514

THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY QUESTION FOR WRITTEN REPLY Question 1514 Mrs E N Ntlangwini to ask the Minister of Trade and Industry

What number of (a) companies have divested from the country since 2012 in respect of all their industries and (b) jobs were lost when the specified companies divested from the country?

Reply:

the dti has facilitated numerous investments since 2012 and we are not aware of any of these companies divesting since then.

The General Motors decision is due to a commercial decision by its Head-Quarters in terms of its future global operations. Such divestment may also based on restructuring of the companies, mergers & acquisitions and general restrictive global market conditions.

Invest SA, offers as part of its services investor facilitation and aftercare and we are paying particular attention on the retention and maintenance of investment in the country. We have engaged with the steel sector, companies such as AMSA, Highveld, SC Smelters and well as companies in the renewables sector.

01 June 2017 - NW1217

Profile picture: Lotriet, Prof  A

Lotriet, Prof A to ask the Minister of Energy

Whether (a) her department and (b) each entity reporting to her has (i) procured any services from and/or (ii) made any payments to the Decolonisation Foundation; if not, in each case, what is the position in this regard; if so, what (aa) services were procured, (bb) were the total costs, (cc) is the detailed breakdown of the costs, (dd) was the total amount paid, (ee) was the purpose of the payments and (ff) is the detailed breakdown of the payments in each case?

Reply:

(a) The Department of Energy and (b) its entities reporting to it has never; (i) procured; (ii) nor made any payments to the Decolonisation foundation.

(bb) Not applicable

(cc) Not applicable

(dd) Not applicable

(ee) Not applicable

(ff) Not applicable

01 June 2017 - NW1136

Profile picture: Ollis, Mr IM

Ollis, Mr IM to ask the Minister of Labour

(1)(a) What was the total expenditure of Supported Employment Enterprises in the 2016-2017 financial year, (b) what is the total staff compliment of Supported Employment Enterprises and (c) what was the total spend on marketing, advertising, and sales incentives by Supported Employment Enterprises; (2) What is the total (a) budget of Supported Employment Enterprises and (b) marketing-advertising budgets for the Supported Employment Enterprises in the 2017-18 financial year?

Reply:

1. (a) The information that the Honourable Member is seeking is currently going through an audit process in order to ensure its accuracy. However, we will gladly provide such information in the 2016/17 Annual report which will be tabled in Parliament in August 2017 as prescribed in the PFMA.

(2) (a) The total budget for Supported Enterprises is R141 million and

(b) Marketing-advertising budgets is R4.4 million

01 June 2017 - NW1512

Profile picture: Rabotapi, Mr MW

Rabotapi, Mr MW to ask the Minister of Women in the Presidency

Whether (a) her Office and (b) each entity reporting to her procured any services from and/or made any payments to (i) a certain company (name furnished) or (ii) any other public relations firms; if not, in each case, why not; if so, in each case, what (aa) services were procured, (bb) was the total cost, (cc) is the detailed breakdown of such costs, (dd) was the total amount paid, (ee) was the purpose of the payments and (ff) is the detailed breakdown of such payments?

Reply:

(a)(b) Not applicable.

________________________

Approved by the Minister on

Date………………………..

01 June 2017 - NW1046

Profile picture: Matsepe, Mr CD

Matsepe, Mr CD to ask the Minister of State Security

Whether his department has employed a certain person (name furnished) in any capacity; if so, (a) what is the specified person’s (i) employment start date and (ii) job description and (b) what are the relevant details of the payments the person received since the employment start date, including (i) salary, (ii) benefits, (iii) bonuses and (iv) any other payments?

Reply:

1.The person referred to, is said by the member that he is a suspended person from Crime Intelligence.

2. Crime Intelligence does not have its mandate on the Minister of State Security.

3. Labour Relations Act and Basic Conditions Employment Act defines every Employment Relations of everyone in the Employment of the State.

01 June 2017 - NW1138

Profile picture: Ollis, Mr IM

Ollis, Mr IM to ask the Minister of Labour

What was the total amount spent by the (a) National Economic Development and Labour Council, (b) Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration, (c) Productivity SA, (d) Unemployment Insurance Fund, (e) Compensation Fund and (f) her department on total legal costs in the 2016-17 financial year?

Reply:

(a), (b), (c), (d), (e) and (f); The information that the Honourable Member is seeking is currently going through an audit process in order to ensure its accuracy. However, the Entities and the Department will gladly provide such information in their respective 2016/17 Annual reports which will be tabled in Parliament in August 2017 as prescribed in the PFMA.

01 June 2017 - NW1506

Profile picture: Mokgalapa, Mr S

Mokgalapa, Mr S to ask the Minister of State Security

Whether (a) his department and (b) each entity reporting to him procured any services from and/or made any payments to (i) a certain company (name furnished) or (ii) any other public relations firms; if not, in each case, what (aa) services were procured, (bb) was the total cost, (cc) is the detailed breakdown of such costs, (dd) was the total amount paid, (ee) was the purpose of the payments and (ff) is the detailed breakdown of such payments?

Reply:

The State Security Agency (SSA) has no Bell Pottinger in its data base of companies.

01 June 2017 - NW1137

Profile picture: Ollis, Mr IM

Ollis, Mr IM to ask the Minister of Labour

(1)What was the (a) total expenditure and (b) detailed breakdown of the expenditure of Productivity SA in the (i) 2014-15, (ii) 2015-16 and (iii) 2016-17 financial years; (2) what is the projected budget for Productivity SA for the 2017-18 financial year; (3) what was the staff complement of Productivity SA for the 2016-17 financial year

Reply:

(1) (a) The detailed breakdown of the 2014/15 and 2015/16 information can be gleaned in the Productivity South Africa’s Audited Financial statements and/or the Annual Reports that were tabled in Parliament in the periods in question.

(b) (i), (ii) & (iii) Detailed breakdown for 2016/17 is currently being audited and as such it will be premature and improper to provide such information at this stage. However the information will be provided in the Productivity South Africa/s Audited Financial Statements and/or in the 2016/17 Annual Report as prescribed.

(2) The projected budget for Productivity SA for 2017/18 Financial Year is in the region of R177 million.

(3) The staff complement of Productivity South Africa for the 2016/17 financial year is currently being audited and as such it will be premature to provide such information at this stage. However, the detailed information in this regard will be tabled in Parliament in August 2017 as prescribed.