Questions and Replies

Reply:

1. According to information from PERSAL, as at 28 February 2017, there are 61 Deputy - Directors General (DDG) posts that are currently vacant across National Departments (Annexure 1).

(a) Information from PERSAL indicates that the median time these posts have been vacant for is 19 months.

(b) Details with regards to the reasons for each vacancy can be obtained from the respective departments.

2. Advertising, interviewing and filling of posts within departments remain the responsibility of each Executive Authority, therefore information in this regard can be obtained from the relevant departments.

3. (a) There are 168 DDGs currently employed across all National Departments (Annexure 2).

(b) Relevant details with regards to acting appointments can be obtained from relevant departments.

 (c) Relevant details with regards to any of the specified persons having applied for the position of deputy director-general in which they are acting can be obtained from the respective departments.

4. Which contracts of deputy director-general will expire in the following financial years (Annexure 3):

(a) 2017-18 = 11 contracts

(b) 2018-19 = 5 contracts

(c) 2019-20 = 3 contracts

NB: The majority of positions at Deputy Director –General level in the Public Service are filled on a permanent basis.

END

Reply:

1. Yes, there are properties that are let out to non-governmental tenants.

  (a) As at 31March 2017, there were 1175 surplus properties let to non-governmental tenants;

  (b) These properties are leased to non-governmental tenants such as churches, private individuals, companies, not for profit organisations, etc.

  (c) These properties are spread across the country in all provinces and various municipalities (refer to attached annexure A).

2. Lease agreements were signed with these tenants. However, there are instances where the lease agreements have since expired and are in the process of being renewed.

The department embarked on Operation Bring Back (OBB) specifically to ensure all properties of state are accounted for and utilised appropriately. The department has a team which is visiting all properties to ensure they are secured, and any illegal occupants engaged and that all leases are regularised. For vacant properties, and expired leases, the department advertised these properties to ensure that we achieve legal occupation speedily, not all the expired leases have been renewed, as this is an ongoing process.

The rental amounts vary for each property as per the attached annexure.

(a) Further details with respect to the leased properties are as per the attached annexure.

Reply:

(a) Mandatory Grant

The amounts indicated in the Table below were paid as the mandatory grant from the 20% of the 1% of the Skills Levies contributed by the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU) and the National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa (NAPTOSA).

Mandatory grant payments require that organisations, which contribute towards the skills levies without any exemption from the Minister of Finance and those organisations which submit both the Workplace Skills Plans (WSPs) and the Annual Training Report (ATR) that are compliant as per the Grant Regulations, receive 20% of the 1% of the skills levies contributed in each of the financial years indicated.

The Mandatory Grant is utilised by the employer to reskill its employees based on the WSP submitted and reported in the ATR.

The Professional Educators Union (PEU), Suid-Afrikaanse Onderwysersunie (SAOU) and National Teachers Union (NATU) are not levy paying and therefore are not entitled to the Mandatory Grant.

Teacher Union	2014/15	2015/16	2016/17
SADTU	R 75 920.15	R 47 330.36	R 86 031.34
NAPTOSA	R 7 912.56	R 10 122.37	R 9 544.13

Discretionary Grant

The Discretionary Grant is not transferred to any individual or organisation. The Education, Training and Development Practices Sector Education Authority (ETDP SETA) appoints service providers that will train workers/employees of organisations. Discretionary projects and their associated costs are part of the ETDP SETA Annual Performance Plan (APP) and are accounted for as per the National Treasury Regulations and the Public Finance Management Act.

ETDP SETA supports teachers via the teacher union institutes on content and pedagogical knowledge relevant to the needs of teachers as well as via the Departments of Education without transferring funds to the organisations.

(b) R4 500 000 Discretionary Grant as per the 2017/18 ETDP SETA APP for Teacher Development Teaching and Learning Programmes.

(c) The content of the training programme is outlined in the Service Level Agreement (SLA) which is linked to the ETDP SETA APP. Payments are made to the training providers as per the terms and conditions of the SLAs entered into and paid directly to the service provider.

(d) The implementation of the SLA is managed by ETDP SETA and aligned to its APP.

COMPILER/CONTACT PERSONS:

EXTENSION:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

QUESTION 1384 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

(1) No, the MDDA has not outsourced its stakeholder engagement function. However, when specialist skills or in-house capacity limitations require the services of an external service provider, specific activities may be outsourced with a defined scope of activities and time period. The only activity that falls within the stakeholder engagement function that has been outsourced is a pilot outreach/media literacy campaign that will be held in two provinces which has been awarded to Hummingbird Media.

   (a) The contract to Hummingbird Media was awarded in April 2017.

   (b) The cost of the pilot campaign is R485 000.00

   (c) The Chairperson of the Board signed the approval memorandum requesting the services of Hummingbird for the pilot campaign as, in the absence of a CEO, the Board was overseeing activities in the Agency in a caretaker role until the Ministry of Communications seconded an Acting CEO to the MDDA.

(2) Yes, Hummingbird Media has been previously awarded one contract from the MDDA.

(a) The previous contract awarded to Hummingbird Media covered facilitation of the MDDA strategic planning in September 2016 and input into the Strategic Plan and Annual Performance Plan for 2017/2018 – 2019/2020.

(b) The contract amount was R325 400.00.

(c) The contract was approved by the Acting CEO, Ms Thembelihle Sibeko.

(3) Yes, Hummingbird Media has used limited MDDA office facilities for the current pilot outreach/media literacy campaign.

(a) While a member of Hummingbird Media worked for a total of four days from the MDDA offices contacting stakeholders for the outreach planning process, she did not use MDDA facilities as phone calls to stakeholders were made using her cellphone.

(b) The same member of Hummingbird Media worked for a total of four days from the MDDA offices contacting stakeholders for the outreach planning process as the close liaison with the MDDA ensured that all stakeholders were covered.

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.

 

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.

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.

Reply:

1. The National Treasury did provide the former Minister of Communications or the Department of Communication with the report into investigation into the set-top box procurement process.

2. (a) There was no additional request made to PWC to conduct any further investigation as the Department of Communication has not requested the National Treasury to facilitate such an investigation.

(b) No further aspects of the process are being investigated, currently.

(c) The final report will be completed subject to completion of criminal proceedings by law enforcement agencies.

Reply:

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

Reply:

E-government services are the services that Government render to the public online through the internet. In this regard, the Department of Home Affairs has developed an eHome Affairs Portal which enables citizens to apply for smart ID Cards and Passports online. The Portal was launched on 07 April 2016.

(a) FY2016/17 Expenditure

1. Development of the eHome Affairs Portal – R6 960 447.19
2. Post Release Enhancements of eHome Affairs – R2 846 908.79
3. Support and Maintenance of the eHome Affairs system – R887 494.97

It is to be noted that the development of the Portal includes upgrade to Live Capture system and revenue systems to enable EFT payments and integration to various core systems.

​(b) FY2017/18 Budget allocation for eHome Affairs Portal

1. Planned enhancement of eHome Affairs Portal – R2 500 000.00
2. Maintenance and Support of the System – R1 000 000.00
3. Hosting and Internet Connectivity for eHome Affairs (including hardware procurement) – R10 000 000.00

Reply:

As a starting point, I need to state the following to the Honourable Member: SANRAL is in terms of the SANRAL Act, 1998 (Act 7 of 1998) (“the Act”) read together with the Regulations promulgated in terms thereof, empowered to recover outstanding debt from users who traverse the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP) network in Gauteng.

(a)(b) Yes, the recovery is based on a “user pay principle” irrespective of whether the user is registered or non-registered. Such a recovery process will be embarked upon once all the prescribed legal processes have been followed.

(i0 In terms of section 27(1)(b) of the SANRAL Act, read together with the e-Road Regulations (published by the Minister of Transport on 9 October 2013 in Government Gazette Notice No. R. 793 in terms of sections 58(1)(dA) and (dC) of the SANRAL Act ("the e-Road Regulations")), the owner of a vehicle that passes under a gantry (defined as " a toll plaza where the liability to pay toll is recorded by an electrical or electronic device" in regulation 1 of the e-Road Regulations) on the GFIP toll roads is liable to pay toll to SANRAL

(ii) Both registered and non-registered be they individuals and companies registered in terms of our Company Laws of the Republic will be taken to court based on the merit of the case.

(iii) None

Reply:

(a) Number of cases identified by the Auditor-General:	(i) Fruitless	(ii) Wasteful	(iii) Irregular
(aa) 2014-15	1	-	1
(bb) 2015-16	-	1	1
(cc) 2016-17	-	-	-
(b)(i) Total amount in each case:	(i) Fruitless	(ii) Wasteful	(iii) Irregular
(aa) 2014-15	R 67,000.00	-	R 750,865.50
(bb) 2015-16	-	R 50,050.00	R 520,000.00
(cc) 2016-17	-	-	-
(b)(ii) How much was recovered in each case:	(i) Fruitless	(ii) Wasteful	(iii) Irregular
(aa) 2014-15	R 67,000.00	-	-
(bb) 2015-16	-	-	-
(cc) 2016-17	-	-	-

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

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.

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.

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

Reply:

1. The link below indicates the number of invoices issued and paid for each month since 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2017. The information for April 2017 is not yet available, but will be submitted once it is available.

https://pmg.org.za/files/RNW1328Table-170605.pdf  

2. SANRAL calculates the compliance rate in Rand value due to invoices varying in terms of tariff due to class of vehicle, time-of-day, frequent user discount, etc. Additionally, it should also be noted that once a vehicle reaches the monthly cap, invoices are still issued even though the value is zero.

a) The compliance rate for February 2017, based on Rand value was 29%.

b) Due to the year-end processes and audits still to be concluded, the value of outstanding debt can’t be disclosed. This will be available once the Auditor-General has concluded the audit on 31 July 2017. The audited results as at 31 March 2016, reflects the outstanding value (trade receivables), which would be for unregistered users, as R7 206 million.

Reply:

(1) The National Treasury reviewed coal contracts to established if Eskom complied with the SCM norms and standards when appointing the service provider.

(2) Yes.

(a) (1) Falcon Research and Consulting Services (Pty) Ltd and

(2) Israel Monnapula Dikgwatlhe.

(b) Both were appointed to assist the National Treasury to review and analyse the quality of coal delivered to Eskom by Tegeta Exploration and Resources.

(c) The total cost for Falcon Research and Consulting Services (Pty) Ltd

R 184 500.00,

The following is the breakdown of the cost for Falcon

Analysis of test coal results ...………………………………………………. R 13 500-00

Analysis of the Environmental Analysis report …………………………… R 4 500-00

Analysis of the technical aspects of the coal supply agreement ………. R 9 000-00

Analysis of the technical aspects in the draft report ……………………… R 18 000-00

Analysis of technical aspects in the minutes of the meetings …………… R 9 000-00

Extended reviews of documents………………………………………………. R103 500-00

Compilation of a technical report …………………………………………… R 27 000-00

TOTAL………………………………………………………………………….. R184 500.00

The following is the breakdown for Israel Monnapula Dikgwatlhe

Analysis of test coal results ...………………………………………………. R 24 800-00

Analysis of the Environmental Analysis report …………………………… R 18 600-00

Analysis of the technical aspects of the coal supply agreement ………. R 18600.00

Analysis of the technical aspects in the draft report ……………………… R 18 600-00

Analysis of technical aspects in the minutes of the meetings …………… R 9 920-00

Request additional data analysis………………………………. R12 400-00

Compilation of a technical report …………………………………………… R 49 600-00

Comparison of the quality of coal expected……………………………….. R5 425.00

Clear comparison of what was delivered………………………………….. R4 650.00

Clear comparison of results for Sibonisiwe and SABS in compliance of

Brakfontein mine with requirements for mining coal R4 030.00

NT findings with the response from Eskom………………………………. R5 425.00

TOTAL………………………………………………………………………… R178 250.00

(3) whether any draft and/or final report(s) on the review has/have been produced; if not, (a) why not and (b) by what date is a report expected; if so, (i) what is the title of each report and (ii) on what date was the report completed;

Response: A final draft report was sent to Eskom on 05 April 2017.

(4) whether the final report on the review will be made public; if not, why not; if so, by what date is it expected?

Response: Yes, as soon as the report is finalised.

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.

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.

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

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.

Reply:

GCIS’s mandate is to ensure it disseminates information to the general public. Our priority is to send out information that can be consumed by the public and members of the media are also the GCIS client base. The information that we disseminate is to empower society with knowledge and the media advisory is to offer the members of the media with a facility that provides the with information that they may wish to cover.

We assist a number of ordinary citizens through our Information Centres also the members of the media though our media database in all our Provincial Offices and National office.

(a) (i) Media Engagement Directorate and our Provincial offices, receives requests to disseminate information’s either through our media database or through our Information Centers.

(a) (ii) It may be media statements ; media advisories; general publications or face to face advisory services.

(b) Media Engagement Directorate.

(c) Mandate of the GCIS is to provide the public with information .

(d) (i)(ii)(iii) GCIS assists the public with services that are within their available resources and does not keep list of the people been assisted.

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.

Reply:

1. (a) (i) and (ii)

The suspension of Hill High School principal was as a result of the alleged financial mismanagement of the school funds. The principal was found guilty and sanctioned to suspension without pay and subsequently returned to work after completing the suspension.

(b) The allegation levelled against him was financial mismanagement of the school funds.

2. (a) Yes, an investigation was undertaken by the Gauteng Department of Education. (b) and (c) An internal investigation was conducted and concluded within 60 days.

3. (a) The principal of the school and the Department were the only parties involved.

(b) and (c) The matter was investigated internally and therefore no costs were incurred by the Department.

Reply:

(1-2) The role of Prof. Chris Malikane is to advise Minister of Finance. The eight pages discussion documents, is not government position but was for his academic purposes.

(3) The government is doing all it can to improve the economic prospects of the country by ensuring that a conducive environment is created for public and private sector to invest in the economy and eventually create jobs.

(4) As government, we are clear and consistent in terms of Economic Policy and how to address current challenges. A lot of work is being done at the level of both local and abroad to avoid any further downgrade. We are working towards improving our current grading.

Reply:

MINISTRY

PUBLIC WORKS

REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA

Department of Public Works l Central Government Offices l 256 Madiba Street l Pretoria l Contact: +27 (0)12 406 2034 l +27 (0)12 406 1224

Private Bag X9155 l CAPE TOWN, 8001 l RSA 4th Floor Parliament Building l 120 Plain Street l CAPE TOWN l Tel: +27 21 468 6900 Fax: +27 21 462 4592

www.publicworks.gov.za

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

(ORAL)

1. We requested information from Mr Edward Nkuna in Head Office, we are awaiting his feedback.
2. See below:

Item No	Project Name	WCS numbers	Status	2015/16	2016/17	2017/18
1	Bryntirion No. 19	053319	Completed	R 158 301.19	R 2 107 035.90	R 0.00
2	331 Olivier, Brooklyn	053347	Completed		R 1 835 818.72
3	375 Lawley	053574	Completed		R 1 319 303.55
4	321 Rigel	054033 & 048576	Completed	R 2 398 350.77	R 89 124.35	R 0.00
5	313 Edward, Waterkloof	054031	Completed	R 0.00	R 2 597 583.51	R 0.00
6	273 Eridunus, Waterkloof	053575	Completed	R 0.00	R 2 828 604.88	R 0.00
7	286 Albertus, Waterkloof	053584	Completed	R 0.00	R 2 784 102.34	R 0.00
8	13, 1st Avenue Houghton*	050773 & 054581	Completed	R 3 133 499.05	R 333 263.99	R 0.00
9	21A Killarney Road, Sandhurst	052038	Completed	R 197 826.19	R 2 501 531.73	R 0.00
10	79 Bogey	052425	Completed	R 920 961.98	R 1 200 680.99	R 0.00
11	205 Sterlitzia Street	054730	Completed	R 0.00	R 2 658 529.98	R 0.00
			TOTAL	R 6 808 939.18	R 20 255 579.94

Reply:

a) The Department of Home Affairs is not in a position to respond to the question as the Department does not know which company / companies the person referred to is associated with or working for. The person referred to is and was not employed by the Department.

b) No.

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.

Reply:

(a) The increase in the remuneration of the CEO of Umalusi from 2013-14 to 2014-15 financial years was not as a result of a long service award as previously reported. The spur of the moment response given in the meeting of the Portfolio Committee on 3 May 2017 was informed by the fact that such an award was given to the CEO in recognition of his 30 years’ service in the public service albeit a year earlier. The decision for the long service award was guided by the long service policies of the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) and Umalusi.

The table below outlines the remuneration components of the total package reported in the annual reports of the abovementioned financial years:

	Remuneration component	13/14	14/15	%
		R'000	R'000	increase
1	Basic remuneration	1 618	1 729	6.9%
2	Pension contribution	149	160	7.1%
3	Medical contributions	–	12	100.0%
4	Cost to company package	1,767	1,901	7.6%
5	Bonus & Performance payment	99	114	14.9%
6	Leave pay-out	–	220	100.0%
7	Long service award	–	–	–
8	Total package	1 867	2 235	19.7%

In the 2013-14 to 2014-15 financial years the leave pay-out was the remuneration component that led to the high increase. In 2014 the Remuneration and Human Resources Committee of Council (REMCO) noted that 12 employees had accumulated more than 50 leave days. In May 2014, REMCO recommended to Council to pay out a maximum of 30 days to employees. The recommendation was subsequently approved by Council in June 2014 and the pay-out was actioned in July 2014. Ultimately, only 7 employees were reimbursed, and one of them was the CEO.

(i) The long service award was given to the CEO in January 2013 i.e. the 2012/13 financial year, as stipulated in the policies of the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) and Umalusi.

(ii) The amount of the award was R15 000. The employee also encashed 30 days’ annual leave as per the Umalusi policy. The total amount of leave paid out was R188 270.

(iii) The CEO is employed at salary level 16 of the DPSA levels.

(iv) The table below summarises the employment history of Dr Rakometsi from 1 January 1983 to date.

Years	Position held	Institution	Date appointed	Date resigned / promoted
Total to date: 34 years 5 months
8 years 5 months	Chief Executive Officer	Umalusi, Pretoria	Jan 2009	To date
3 years 4 months	Superintendent General (Head of Department)	Free State Department of Education, Bloemfontein	Sep 2005	Dec 2008
4 years 5 months	Chief Director: Curriculum and Professional Development and Support	Free State Department of Education, Bloemfontein	Apr 2001	Aug 2005
2 years 3 months	Director: Education Institute	Free State Department of Education, Bloemfontein	Jan 1999	Mar 2001
3 years	Chief Education Specialist (Deputy Director Professional) - Examinations	Department of Education, Arts and Culture, Sport and Recreation, Mmabatho North-West Province	Jan 1996	Dec 1998
3 years	Deputy Chief Education Specialist (History)	Free State Department of Education and Culture, Welkom	Jan 1993	Dec 1995
3 years	Head of Department Professional Subjects and Student Affairs	Tshiya College of Education, Qwa Qwa	Jan 1990	Dec 1992
1 year	Senior Lecturer (Student Affairs)	Tshiya College of Education, Qwa Qwa	Jan 1989	Dec 1989
1 year 7 months	Lecturer	Tshiya College of Education, Qwa Qwa	Apr 1987	Dec 1988
3 year 3 months	Teacher	Thokoana-Makaota Senior Secondary School, Qwa Qwa	Jan 1984	Mar 1987
1 year	Teacher	Rearabetswe Senior Secondary School, Odendaalrsrus	Jan 1983	Dec 1983

(v) A submission regarding the long service award for the CEO is recommended internally, but ultimately submitted to the Chairperson of Council for approval.

All remuneration aspects of the CEO as the Accounting Officer are recommended to Council as the Accounting Authority and only paid out with Council’s approval. The cost to company is paid in line with the rates as determined by DPSA. To this end, Council is requested annually to approve all annual cost of living adjustments.

Bonus and performance payments are made on an annual basis in line with the performance management and development policy. The award ranges from 2% to 8% of cost to company, limited by the 1.5% of the total remuneration budget. The scores are moderated by members of the Executive Committee of Council (EXCO) and signed off by the Chairperson of Council.

(vi) Legislation informing the long service award is the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) and Umalusi policies.

Reply:

The information required is being collected from various Divisions and stake holders which in turn must still be collated and verified so as to provide an accurate information. Therefore a consolidate response will be provided soon.

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.

Reply:

The question was forwarded to the Department and the entities who responded as follows:

(a) Department of Home Affairs

The Department has not procured any services from or made any payments to an entity called the Decolonisation Foundation as there has been no need to do so.

(b) Government Printing Works

Government Printing Works has not procured any services from or made any payments to an entity called the Decolonisation Foundation.

(b) Electoral Commission

The Electoral Commission has not procured any services from or made any payments to an entity called the Decolonisation Foundation, and none are expected to be procured.

Reply:

1. The Minister has written to the identified person to provide the Department of Basic Education (DBE) with evidence in this regard. However, the DBE has been made aware of isolated cases (not a norm) involving some teachers. From the advent of democracy in South Africa, the DBE has built the curriculum on the same values and principles on which the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa are based. The National Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement articulates the democratic values, aims and principles, social justice and fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. The implementation of the National Curriculum and Policy Statement makes it difficult for teachers to stray from the content, pedagogy, dogma and values anchoring the curriculum itself. Where teachers were found to have strayed from the implementation of the curriculum in its true content and spirit, the Department has acted and meted out applicable sanctions.

2. There would be no need to defend the integrity of school system on this matter as the Department is not inundated with reports of such cases. The DBE will, however, bring it to the attention of Provincial Education Departments to make teachers aware of consequences of not adhering to the stipulations of the National Curriculum and Assessment Statement and the democratic values enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa.

Reply:

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

1. 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.

1. 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.

Reply:

(a) The matter on the appointment of non-executive board members at the SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is currently before Parliament. This matter is contemplated in the Broadcasting Amendment Bill 2015 was introduced into Parliament by the former Minister of Communications on 4 December 2015,

The Bill seeks to amongst other things, reduce the number of non-executive members of the Board of the South African Broadcasting Corporation Limited; to amend the procedure for the appointment and removal of non-executive members of the Board; to provide for the appointment of a nomination committee to make recommendations to the Minister for the appointment of non-executive members of the Board; to reconstitute the executive committee; to amend the procedure for the removal and resignation of nonexecutive members of the Board; to amend the procedure for the dissolution of the Board and for the appointment of an interim Board; and to provide for matters connected therewith.

Our position will be expressed or outlines when the Ministry of Communication is invited by the Portfolio Committee for a briefing in this regard.

(b) See (a) above

(c) See (a) above

Reply:

a) None of the classrooms have currently been repaired. 10 Schools have been identified for repairs in the 2017/18 financial year.

b) R177 million was made available during November-December 2016. This has been utilised to fund 10 Vuwani/ Malamulela protest damaged schools, and contractors have been appointed. However, due to the intermittent unrest that have been going on in the area, no progress has been registered. The service provider will proceed with the work as soon as the situation is back to normal.

c) Currently security officials have been deployed to the schools affected and fencing has been included into the scope of work that is to be done at the schools.

Reply:

a) 30;

b) All 30 relate to allegations of fraud;

c) 89

Reply:

Since the inception of e-tolls on 3 December 2013, the payments to date amounted to R2.22 billion for full toll operations. It must be noted that this amount cannot be regarded as compensation directly to the toll operator since it includes amounts that are paid via the e-toll operator to other service providers that provide direct services in terms of the project. Most notably are the following services:

Safety and Security Services	R 19.02m
Insurance of buildings	R 11.72m
Utilities (water, power, property taxes, telecoms), kiosk rental	R 138.49m
e-tags procurement from 3rd parties	R 130.56m
Invoice printing and posting	R 225.30m
SMS's	R 3.72m
	R 528.81m

Excluding the above payments to other service providers (e.g. municipalities, telco’s, e-tags, Post Office, security and insurance companies), the payments made to the toll operator amount to R1.69 billion over a period of 42 months (Dec 2013 to May 2017). From these payments the operator:

• pays salaries (approximately 1000 people);
• performs system maintenance (toll gantries and all other hardware and software), electrical and building maintenance;
• pays software licenses;
• processes toll transactions;
• generates invoices; and
• operates customer service centres, the call centre, violator processing centre etc.

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.

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           

 

Reply:

1. I have received a detailed briefing from the Department on proposed options and/ or interventions that could be considered for current Zimbabwe Special Permit (ZSP) holders beyond the expiry date of 31 December 2017. I am currently considering such proposals, and also consulting with my Cabinet peers. I will be ready to make an announcement during August 2017.

2. Relevant details will be contained in the announcement envisaged above.

Reply:

(1)(a) 1 130 designated marriage officers

(1)(b) 421 marriage officers are exempted to perform Civil Union Marriages whereby they objected on the grounds of conscience, religion or belief.

(2) This is not a Ministerial prerogative but a provision of the law in terms of section 6 of the Civil Union Act, 2006 (Act No. 17 of 2006) – A marriage officer, other than a marriage officer referred to in section 5, may in writing inform the Minister that he or she objects on the ground of conscience, religion and belief to solemnising a civil union between persons of the same sex, whereupon that marriage officer shall not be compelled to solemnise such civil union. The Act is clear in that marriage officers will not be compelled to solemnise such civil unions.

Reply:

The Eastern Cape Department of Roads and Public Works has read the judgement and instructed the State Attorney to appeal components of the judgement. In terms of the process, the Department filed an Application for leave to appeal the judgement. The matter was heard on the 19th May 2017 in the Grahamstown High Court, which reserved its judgement. The Department is therefore still awaiting the judgement of the Court.

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.

Reply:

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

-END-

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.

 

 

Reply:

(1) Listed below are municipalities with payment arrangements, however these municipalities have defaulted at some point. These key defaulting municipalities’ combined contribution to overdue municipal debt is 87%.

Table 1: Municipalities with valid payment arrangements, as at 31 January 2017

See the link: http://pmg-assets.s3-website-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/RNW87Table-170605.pdf

(2)(a) Section 139(5) states that if a municipality, in financial crisis, breaches its obligation to provide basic services or admits that it is unable to meet its financial commitments, the relevant provincial executive authority must impose a financial recovery plan. The Minister can only intervene in terms of Section 139(7) if the provincial executive authority cannot adequately exercise its power to perform the functions referred to in sub-sections 4 or 5. The national executive authority must then intervene.

National and provincial government is obligated, in terms of Section 154 of the Constitution, to support and strengthen the capacity of municipalities in managing their own affairs and exercising their own power to carry out functions. In holding municipalities accountable, CoGTA as part of the Inter-Ministerial Task Team on Eskom debt, has been in discussion with Premiers, MECs and Mayors. The Department has had engagements with various stakeholders to resolve the issue of Eskom debt. The following agreements were reached:

• Eskom proposed to reduce the current interest rate charged to municipalities that are in arrears from 5% to prime plus 2,5%.
• Eskom will review charging interest after 15 days as opposed to 30 days, in terms of the PFMA.
• Eskom has agreed to allocate the payments by municipalities first toward the principal debt before the interest.
• The majority of municipalities have been assisted to enter into payment agreements. In August 2016, only 24 municipalities had agreements in place. However, as at January 2017, it has increased to 54.
• The Inter-Ministerial Task Team is in the process of resolving the legislative matters on electricity reticulation between Eskom and municipalities.

(3) Based on Eskom’s interaction with municipalities and the Inter-Ministerial Task team (DPE/CoGTA/NT) during 2016, the following common challenges were identified as contributing to the municipalities not honouring their financial obligations with Eskom:

i) Financial

• Cross-subsidisation of electricity revenue for other municipal services.
• Electricity tariff setting is not cost-reflective.
• Some municipalities are grant-dependent.
• Notified Maximum Demand (NMD) penalties and interest on arrears makes it difficult to decrease the principal debt.

ii) Technical

• Eskom charges a high penalty when municipalities exceed the NMD.
• Theft and losses of electricity equates to as much as 50% of purchases in some municipalities.
• A maintenance backlog in infrastructure results in high technical losses.

iii) Legislative Framework

• Municipalities are unable to effect credit control measures in Eskom-supplied areas of electricity supply.

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.

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

Reply:

1. Yes.

(a) The following positions are still vacant;

Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

Strategy, Monitoring and Evaluation Director

Research and Capacity Building Manager

Project Director

Executive Secretary to CEO

Knowledge Management Co-ordinator

Assistant Company Secretary

Legal and Contracts Officer

Internal Audit Manager

Travel and Events Officer

HR Officer

Digital Media Co-ordinator

(b) Chief Executive Officer (CEO): A CEO was appointed for the Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA), commencing on 1 January 2017. He subsequently resigned from the Agency, with immediate effect, on 28 February 2017. Recruitment for a replacement CEO commenced immediately with a recruitment advertisement placed nationally with a closing date of 2 April 2017. The candidates have since been shortlisted.

Chief Financial Officer: This position was put on hold to enable the newly appointed acting CEO to be involved in the selection of the Executive Team.

Executive Secretary to the CEO: This position was put on hold to enable the newly appointed CEO to be involved in the selection of the Executive Secretary.

Strategy, Monitoring and Evaluation Director, Project Director: This position was put on hold to enable the newly appointed CEO to be involved in the selection of the Executive Team. On the resignation of the CEO on 28 February 2017, the Board of the MDDA decided not to delay recruitment of the executive positions any further.

Research and Capacity Building Manager; Knowledge Management Co-ordinator; Assistant Company Secretary; Legal and Contracts Officer, Internal Audit Manager, Travel and Events Officer, HR Officer, Digital Media Co-ordinator: These positions are new in the MDDA organogram which was approved by the Board in quarter four of the 2015/2016 financial year. The positions were to be funded through funding from two major funders who only committed this funding in quarter 3 of the 2016/17 financial year.

2. (a) Yes, all positions have been advertised.

(b) (i) and (ii) The positions for CEO, CFO, Legal and Contracts Officer, Assistant Company Secretary and Travel and Events Co-ordinator were advertised in the Sunday Times on 12 March 2017 and on the MDDA website.

The other positions were advertised on 10 April 2016 in the City Press and on the MDDA website.

3. (a) Two of the specified positions are occupied in an acting capacity namely; CEO and CFO.

(b) (i) None (ii) Only the executive positions listed above in (3) (a) are occupied in an acting position. These are recent vacancies.

Reply:

The Minister of Finance has not been informed of any adjustment to the powers and functions of any (a) Local or (b) District municipality in terms of section 85(9A)(b) of the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act, Act 117 of 1998, as amended, before December 2015. (i) not applicable (ii) not applicable (iii) not applicable