Questions and Replies

Reply:

1. (a). Following the forensic investigation into Enyokeni Cultural Precinct and in order to determine if the Department received value for money, the Department obtained the services of Rubiquant Quantity Surveyors firm. The completion of the multipurpose amphitheatre facility together with other structures that are incomplete motivated the continuation of the Enyokeni project, which if not finalised, could lead to further wasteful and fruitless expenditure and could become white elephants. Furthermore, the project is in line with the Department of Arts and Culture’s (DAC) mandate to develop, preserve, protect and promote arts, culture and heritage for a creative and inclusive nation. The project also has the potential of helping the DAC fulfil its strategic outcome-oriented goals based on the National Development Plan and Government’s Programme of Action which include the creation of a transformed and productive Arts, Culture and Heritage (ACH) sector that actively develops, preserves, protects and promotes diverse ACH, an effective and efficient ACH sector, an effective/impactful nation building and social cohesion programme and a professional and capacitated ACH Sector.

The motivation to continue with the project is based on recognition of its cultural and heritage value that also has the potential for the creation of job opportunities, sustainable cultural tourism, rural infrastructure development and socio-economic development.

(b). The R28.1 million budgeted for the Enyokeni project in the 2017-18 financial year is the cost estimate for the completion of the multipurpose amphitheatre facility subject to confirmation by Bill of Quantities (BoQ).

2. The termination of projects in collaboration with the Independent Development Trust was prompted by the findings of the final report by Rubiquant Quantity Surveyors which indicated that the DAC did not receive value for money in the implementation of Enyokeni Cultural Precinct Project and other Departmental infrastructure projects. Among others, the report outlines the following findings:

(a). The Department has been overcharged for a range of professional services as well as for the materials used on the Enyokeni Cultural Precinct. This is evident from the contracting that went beyond acceptable industry norms of 9% to 15% of the total project value to 30% that was charged on the Department.

(b). The report further indicates that the quantity in the tender Bill of Quantities (BoQ) was changed after the tender was advertised and such rectification caused high upward movement of the unit rates. While this is attributable to human error the DAC should have been notified of the possible escalation so that provision is made for such in the allocated budget for the project.

(c). The Department was overcharged on the materials used such as G7, 8, 9 gravel and C4 filling that was above the market related prices. Concrete, fencing and gates tariffs were also found to be higher than market tariffs.

(d). The Department was further overcharged on contractors preliminaries. Contractors generally charge preliminaries between 7.5% and 12.5% in relation to the value of the works.

(e). The assessment of the award of the contract at a price above what the actual cost of the project could have been.

3. With reference to the findings of the forensic investigation into the specified project, the details of the officials who were found to have been involved and charged with impropriety; as well as the progress thereto is as follows:

(a) Three (3) former officials of the Department who were involved in the project were found to have been implicated in and the following was preferred against each of the officials:

i. disciplinary action – against the senior official who was appointed to manage the ECP project from the Office of the former DG;

ii. Criminal charges – against the erstwhile Director General for violation of section 38 (1) of the PFMA; and the former Acting Director General of the DAC for the contravention of sections 86 (1) of the PFMA read with sections 38, 39, and 40 of the PFMA.

3 (b) The progress of the charges in each case is as follows:

(i) Disciplinary charges against the senior manager were transferred to his current employer for the attention of the then Acting Head of Department, Gauteng Human Settlement. The current employer was requested to proceed with disciplinary processes in line with Section 16B (4)(b)(ii) of the Public Service Act, 1994, as amended.

ii. Criminal charges against the erstwhile Director General and former Acting Director General were registered with the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations (the HAWKS), under the Serious Economic Offences Unit in April 2016. The Department registered a number of criminal charges which include Enyokeni, and the investigations are in progress. The Department has been making follow-up on progress and continues to do so.

Reply:

The (a) Department of Energy and (b) entities reporting to the Minister have never procured any services and/or made any payments to (i) Bell Pottinger or (b) (ii) Only NTP (A Wholly-Owned Necsa Subsidiary) in August 2016, NTP Radioisotopes appointed Vuma Reputation Management (Pty) Ltd. (b) (ii) (aa) Services from Vuma Reputation Management (Pty) Ltd were procured to provide ad-hoc media, stakeholder engagement and related services to drive and enhance the reputation of NTP’s global operations and nuclear medicine product portfolio.

(b) (ii) (bb) The RFQ process (NTP-RFQ07122016), adjudication and final appointment was handled by NTP Procurement and NTP Finance in accordance with the Necsa / NTP procurement policies and procedures, and was in accordance with the criteria set out in the Preferential Policy Procurement Framework Act, Act No: 5 of 2000.

Since the value of the work to be done would be on an ad hoc basis, the overall RFQ value was capped at R500,000-00 (excl. VAT), for services rendered.

(b) (ii) (dd) When these ad hoc services were required, Vuma Reputation Management (Pty) Ltd, would be engaged using the approved resource / hourly rate as per the accepted quote.

To date, NTP has utilised the services of Vuma Reputation Management (Pty) Ltd to the value of R338,443-00, which amounts have been paid against invoices for work done.

(b) (ii) (cc)(ee) (ff) Details of the work done and payments made to date can be found below:

ACTIVITY	PAYMENT
South African Society of Nuclear Medicine (SASNM) pre- and post-congress stakeholder, events and media management.	R59,280
South African Society of Nuclear Medicine (SASNM) – arranging of stakeholder engagement dinner with congress speakers and high profile delegates.	R45,600
Meetings and briefing sessions on various projects held with client from 11 August – 14 September 2016 relating to enhancing NTP brand through internal and external communications campaigns.	R42,294
Stakeholder key message deployment covering the following: o Stakeholder mapping o SWOT analysis and presentation o Consolidation of results o Messaging and development plan	R93,913
Meetings with client to discuss: o   Key messages and matrix o   Overview of presentation	R25,080
Annual membership to: o   African Chapter of International Brand and Reputation Community (INBREC)	R23,940
Social Media Strategy and Policy Development	R48,336

Reply:

• No, the staff complement of the administration programme did not increase.
• The increase is due to allocation to goods and services (Office Accommodation sub-programme)

1. In the Office Accommodation sub-programme of the administration programme.
2. The projected expenditure is for operating leases of the department and its entities (R85.7 million) as well as municipal services for the department (R20.0 million).

Reply:

(1). A copy of the Presidential Infrastructure Championing Initiative (PICI) Report that was tabled in the last meeting of the NEPAD Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee (HSGOC) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 2016 is attached.

(2) The next Presidential Infrastructure Championing Initiative (PICI) Report will be tabled in the meeting of the NEPAD Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee (HSGOC), which will be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in January 2018.

(3) (a) There has been a stated commitment by North-South Corridor Member States to move more freight from road to rail but no measurement metrics for tracking this have been agreed to by the Member States on the North-South Corridor.

(b) The revitalisation of the Gauteng to Angola rail route is not part of the PICI nor is it part of the North-South Road and Rail Corridor Project.

Reply:

No.

(a) Not applicable.

(b) The Border Management Authority (BMA) Bill, 2016 which establishes and operationalises the Border Management Authority (BMA) is presently being considered by Parliament. The Integrated Border Management Strategy provides for a role of the future Border Management Authority (BMA) and all aspects of the implementation are dependent on the legislation being enacted and the President gazetting the BMA Act to come into force.

Reply:

The Department and the entities responded as follows:

(a) Department of Home Affairs

(i) No, there was no need for such services

(ii) No, there was no need for such services.

(aa) Not applicable

(bb) Not applicable

(cc) Not applicable

(dd) Not applicable

(ee) Not applicable

(ff) Not applicable

(b) Government Printing Works

(i) No, there was no need for such services.

(ii) No, there was no need for such services.

(aa) Not applicable

(bb) Not applicable

(cc) Not applicable

(dd) Not applicable

(ee) Not applicable

(ff) Not applicable

(b) Electoral Commission

(i) No, there was no need for such services.

(ii) No, there was no need for such services.

(aa) Not applicable

(bb) Not applicable

(cc) Not applicable

(dd) Not applicable

(ee) Not applicable

(ff) Not applicable

 

Reply:

The Cross-Border Road Transport Agency undertakes regular maintenance on a quarterly basis on its information technology facilities.

(a) – (c) (ii) Not applicable.

Reply:

 

South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) Information Technology (IT) Department has formulated and put measures in place to ensure regular maintenance of Information Technology infrastructure and systems. The following are as follows

1. Infrastructure

• Systems are in place to monitor performance of the infrastructure to ensure its ability to operate the critical systems that are used by the organization to carry out its duties.
• The performance of the system is monitored frequently to ensure maximum availability at expected levels.

2. Applications Systems

• Business and operations are regularly monitored to also ensure availability to the clients at all times.
• There is a dedicated effort to ensure that these performed as expected and also at expected levels.

Systems generated reports are used to monitor performance and point to the nature or type of maintenance that will be required. As part of maintenance, there are also regular reviews with service providers to address issues prior to them escalating to problems.

The maintenance of the systems and the infrastructure has contributed significantly to avoiding down times and reducing systems and infrastructure performance inconveniences to very low levels which is critical to availability through high uptime.

 

Reply:

The Honourable members of the National Assembly are requested to take note:

(i) That the development of the Road Safety Strategy is part of the operational activities. It must be noted that unlike legislation and policy matters, the tabling of the operational activities at Parliament is not a standard practice. However, the Road Safety Strategy can be presented at the Portfolio Committee upon request.

(ii) That the process to develop the Road Safety Strategy before tabling it for Cabinet approval was widely consultative and very exhaustive, with multiple stakeholders taking interest. The National Road Safety Strategy was closing a crucial policy gap and addressing an urgent national malaise on the country's roads, thus cannot be delayed any further.

(iii) That the subsequent step after Cabinet approved the Strategy is to implement it in the fight against road carnage. Had this been a matter of a Policy shift or changing of Legislation, it would have been brought forward to serve before Parliament but in its current form, the strategy contains operational techniques to use in order to effectively make our roads safe.

Reply:

(a) No and

(b) No

End

Reply:

1. Information Technology (IT) facilities and systems are maintained on a regular basis. Annually, an IT budget is compiled for the maintenance of all IT facilities and systems.2. 

2. Maintenance plans are documented and aligned to documented procedures. The plans include Daily, Weekly and Monthly schedules. Maintenance activities are outlined below:

2.1 Patching the IT system for software upgrades, for example, Anti-Virus patches;

2.2 Proactive monitoring and maintenance of our Database environment as well as conducting daily backups;

2.3 Manage disaster recovery on critical data;

2.4 Continuous monitoring of overall (IT) facilities and systems health checks for resolution of urgent issues;

2.5 Proactive monitoring and maintenance of the Wide Area Network and Equipment by External Service Provider;

2.6 Manage software updates and migration data to the Production environment.

3. Service Level Agreements are signed with External Service Providers for maintenance of specialist services and equipment.

Reply:

1.The section of the M1 Freeway on which the above questions refer to, is under the jurisdiction of the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport.

(a) and (b) falls away

2. (a) and (b) falls away

Reply:

Response (a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)

The Minister and Deputy Minister make use only of the security services offered in terms of the Ministerial Handbook. Such security services are provided only to the Minister and Deputy Minister and not family or staff members.

(aa) VIP Drivers/Protectors are appointed to provide security and driving services to the Minister/Deputy Minister.

(bb) The South African Police Services (SAPS) is responsible for the payment of such services.

(cc) These services comply with the provisions of the Ministerial Handbook.

(c) c(i) c(ii) c(iii) (aa) (bb) (cc)

The Head of the dti’s listed entities do not make use of security services paid for by the state for themselves, nor their families nor any of their staff members.

Reply:

Yes, regular maintenance is being undertaken on information technology facilities and systems within the Road Traffic Infringement Agency,

a) N/A

b) N/A

c) N/A (i) N/A (ii) N/A;

Maintenance of Data Center/ Server Room Facility is done at least once per annum, the following equipment are maintained:

Air Conditioning System, Fire Detector and Suppression System, Water Detection System, Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), Humidity Monitoring System, Power conditioning and Distribution System (PDU).

Maintenance of Network Infrastructure such as Internet, Intranet, Internal Systems, E-Mail and Web infrastructure is done on a daily basis. Proactive security measures are taken by updating RTIA system into latest updates and patches to protect against cyber-attacks.

 

Reply:

Response for the Department and Entities

No approval is granted for employees to conduct business with the state. In addition the “Standard Bidding Document SBD 4” covers the declaration of interest and the requirement stipulated therein eliminate the risk of anyone doing business with the state.

Reply:

a) No and

b) No

END

Reply:

(a), (b), (c), (i), (ii):The South African Civil Aviation Authority ensures regular monitoring and maintenance of its hardware and software information technology facilities and systems.

NW1910E

Reply:

(a) The Annual Income generated from Day visitors entering through all gates of the Kruger National Park for 2016-17 totalled R120, 772,581.00.

(b) The number of vehicles that enter Kruger during the 2016-17 financial year through all of the gates collectively is 539 088

(c) Gates are the control point for entering and departing guests accessing the Park by road. Guests arriving by air is recorded at the Conservation Office located at the Skukuza Airport. All guests and vehicles as well as Conservation Fees collected are recorded in an online system (Roomseeker) from where vehicle permits (indicating the number of guests, and approved entry and exit dates) and receipts for monies received are issued. The number of visitors and tourism income forms part of the Predetermined Objectives of SANParks and are accordingly audited by SANParks Internal Audit and the Auditor-General.

(d) There is no “vehicle” fee for SANParks. Entrée fees are per person and free entrant persons are recorded.

(e) The monies are reflected under Conservation fees in the Annual Financial Statements.

(f) Entrance Fees were never specifically (temporarily or otherwise) increased for the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

---ooOoo---

Reply:

(a) During the 2016 calendar year, there were 9033 patent applications (provisional and complete) filed at CIPC and 4307 complete applications granted in 2016. Provisional patent applications contain only the specification of the invention and are valid for only 12 months in order to allow the inventor to work further on their invention. They do not proceed to grant. Complete patent applications contain both the specifications and claims of the invention. The said application will proceed to grant once it complies with all relevant formal requirements. The granted patent is valid for 20 years if renewed annually and the prescribed renewal fee is paid.

(b) In terms of the South African Patent Act 57 of 1978, as amended, the complete patent applications must be filed by a Patent Attorney or Patent Agent. Therefore, CIPC does not have data based on the racial demographics as applicants can either be a natural person or juristic person.

Reply:

a) The National Traffic Information System (NaTIS) is operational and no system is offline. The Department is aware that 2 of the 5 Live Capture Units (LCUs) deployed at the Driving License Testing Centre are not operational. The Driving License Card Account (DLCA) entity, which is currently responsible for the maintenance of the equipment is working towards a solution to this problem.

b) Services are being rendered and no member of the public is turned away. There are however delays due to only 3 LCUs being fully operational. The DLCA has deployed technicians to fix the faulty 2 LCUs but in the long term the units will have to be replaced.

c) The services are not offline as indicated in (b) above, the technical team is working on the replacement of the 2 LCUs that are not working.

d) The staff in question are administration staff, hence they are performing other administrative functions.

e) The challenges experienced by the DLCA is that the current LCUs are old and some of the parts are no longer available in the market. The Department is working with National Treasury on new acquisition of new LCUs.

Reply:

a) The SA National Roads Agency SOC Ltd (SANRAL) is aware that the concrete palisade fence along the N3 freeway near Alexandra, Johannesburg is continuously being vandalised by the community. The community (pedestrians) removes the fence uprights to gain access into the road reserve in order to walk a shorter distance to the Industrial area across the freeway, through the N3 freeway and Marlboro Drive.

b) There are no structures built or erected within the road reserve. The erected structures are within the yards, at the back of the houses.

• (i)  As part of the SANRAL’s maintenance strategy, the national road network is continuously under the supervision of the Routine Road Maintenance (RRM) engineering consultants and contractors, who patrol their respective routes daily. Regarding the above-mentioned route, the RRM engineering consultant and contractor has inspected the area. The fence has been broken in two localized areas.
• (ii)  The fence is being repaired continuously due to vandalism by pedestrians referred to in (a) above. The contractor has been instructed to repair the fence and will commence with the work as soon as the funds are available.

Reply:

a) From November 2016 to June 2017, 199 729 account units were registered.

b) SANRAL, as the Agency responsible for National Roads and the GFIP is currently issuing civil summonses to thousands of debtors. Some of these matters are far advanced and several court cases are foreseen shortly that will clarify the legal obligation to pay toll for the GFIP toll-roads. This is an ongoing process.

Reply:

a) The Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS) Programme was originally approved by Cabinet in 2005. The Cabinet approval entailed, amongst others, that a hybrid solution architecture, which comprised a mix of commercial off the shelf (COTS) and bespoke (in-house developed) modules, would be implemented. For purposes of this document this approach is referred to as “IFMS 1”. As a result of challenges that were experienced in the execution of the IFMS, a number of independent reviews were commissioned during 2013 in order to obtain a holistic view of its strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for improved execution of the Programme. Based on the recommendations emanating from these reviews, it was recommended to Cabinet that a revised approach to the IFMS solution architecture should be implemented, which entails that a single COTS solution, with minimal customization, should be utilized in future. The revised approach (for purposes of this document referred to as “IFMS 2”) was approved by Cabinet on 20 November 2013 which is regarded as the inception date for the current approach to the execution of the IFMS.

b) The implementation of the IFMS has been delayed by a number of challenges that have been encountered. These include the complexity of managing a multi-stakeholder programme, extended procurement and contract negotiation processes and insufficient internal skills for the development and integration of the various modules during IFMS 1.

c) In the question reference is made to “Government entities”. It should be noted that the scope of the IFMS is at this stage limited to Public Service departments as listed in the schedules to the Public Service Act, 1994. As part of IFMS 1 some modules were implemented in a limited number of lead sites. These included a human resource management module which was implemented in the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA), a procurement management module in National Treasury and an asset management module in a number of departments in the Limpopo Provincial Administration. The human resource management module is currently being used by DPSA. Any modules still in use will eventually be replaced by the single COTS solution procured for IFMS 2.

d) The following can be regarded as successes in relation to IFMS 2:

1. The procurement of a single COTS enterprise resource planning system that will form the technology platform for the IFMS, from Oracle South Africa.
2. The establishment of a dedicated Programme Management Office to manage the IFMS going forward, in National Treasury.
3. The establishment of various governance bodies, with representation from key Programme stakeholders, to govern and oversee the execution of the Programme. These include a Programme Committee, a Risk Committee, a Communications Committee, a Business Owners Committee and an Architecture Board.
4. The mapping and documentation of Public Service business processes in the areas of human resource management, financial management, supply chain management and payroll management in consultation with the various policy owners. These business processes, which are based on best practices, will assist in the design and development of the IFMS.
5. A number of pilot and lead sites, which include both national and provincial departments, have been identified and engagements with these departments are on-going.
6. Detailed planning for the next phases of the Programme, which include the design and development of the solution and its implementation in pilot and lead sites, is being finalized.

e) National Treasury is funding the development and implementation of the IFMS. Questions relating to the cost of the Programme should therefore be directed at National Treasury.

f) It is believed that the IFMS will make a significant contribution in combating corruption in the Public Service. Some of the inherent features of the solution, such as keeping audit trails of transactions and the elimination of manual processes, will assist in this regard. The intention is also to integrate the IFMS with existing systems such as the e-Disclosure system on which certain categories of public servants must declare their financial interests, the Central Supplier Database in National Treasury and the population register in Home Affairs (which will assist to eliminate “ghost workers”).

End

Reply:

Regular monthly scheduled maintenance, within the prescripts of the Cost Containment Instructions issued by the National Treasury, is undertaken on information technology facilities and systems within the Road Accident Fund, and performed in accordance with an approved Maintenance Calendar developed in terms of a Board approved ICT Service Management Policy; consequently, questions (a), (b), (c)(i) and(ii) are not applicable.

Reply:

The total number of Government employees appointed on PERSAL in each (a) national and (b) provincial department, as at the end of May 2017, is provided in the table below.

Number of appointments by national and provincial department
as on 31 May 2017
National/Provincial department	Number
Eastern Cape	Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs	1 428
	Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism	545
	Education	67 948
	Health	39 519
	Human Settlements	606
	Office of the Premier	405
	Provincial Treasury	463
	Roads and Public works	4 891
	Rural Development and Agrarian Reform	2 822
	Safety and Liaison	142
	Social Development	4 496
	Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture	1 158
	Transport	1 505
	Total	125 928
Free State	Agriculture	1 027
	Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs	378
	Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs	697
	Education	28 490
	Health	17 600
	Human Settlements	314
	Office of the Premier	623
	Police, Roads and Transport	3 148
	Provincial Treasury	380
	Public Works	1 747
	Social Development	1 929
	Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation	914
	Total	57 247
Gauteng	Agriculture and Rural Development	901
	Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs	670
	Community Safety	1 172
	E-Government	756
	Economic Development	457
	Education	85 442
	Health	68 410
	Human Settlements	819
	Infrastructure Development	2 580
	Office of the Premier	516
	Provincial Treasury	856
	Roads and Transport	2 105
	Social Development	4 189
	Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation	649
	Total	169 522
KwaZulu-Natal	Agriculture and Rural Development	2 765
	Arts and Culture	531
	Community Safety and Liaison	169
	Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs	1 548
	Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs	719
	Education	107 611
	Finance	498
	Health	70 000
	Human Settlements	736
	Office of the Premier	619
	Public Works	1 765
	Social Development	3 693
	Sport and Recreation	244
	Transport	4 148
	Total	195 046
Limpopo	Agriculture, and Rural Development	2 926
	Co-operative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs	2 157
	Economic Development, Environment and Tourism	1 227
	Education	56 820
	Health	35 810
	Office of the Premier	474
	Provincial Treasury	511
	Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure	3 311
	Safety, Security and Liaison	122
	Social Development	3 303
	Sports, Arts and Culture	484
	Transport	2 221
	Total	109 366
Mpumalanga	Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs	1 376
	Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs	815
	Community Safety, Security and Liaison	1 425
	Culture, Sport and Recreation	420
	Economic Development and Tourism	227
	Education	40 695
	Health	20 338
	Human Settlements	375
	Office of the Premier	249
	Provincial Treasury	289
	Public Works, Roads and Transport	3 492
	Social Development	1 932
	Total	71 633
National National	Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries	5 930
	Arts and Culture	466
	Basic Education	860
	Civilian Secretariat for the Police Service	129
	Communications	106
	Cooperative Governance	513
	Correctional Services	40 656
	Economic Development	117
	Energy	586
	Environmental Affairs	1 892
	Government Communication and Information System	433
	Health	2 230
	Higher Education and Training	28 015
	Home Affairs	10 250
	Human Settlements	627
	Independent Police Investigative Directorate	427
	International Relations and Cooperation	2 297
	Justice and Constitutional Development	22 280
	Labour	8 073
	Military Veterans	240
	Mineral Resources	1 094
	National School of Government	239
	National Treasury	2 497
	Office of the Chief Justice	1 837
	Office of the Public Service Commission	263
	Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation	351
	Police	194 802
	Public Enterprises	193
	Public Service and Administration	500
	Public Works	5 844
	Rural Development and Land Reform	5 532
	Science and Technology	450
	Small Business Development	199
	Social Development	895
	Sport and Recreation South Africa	188
	Statistics South Africa	3 314
	Telecommunications and Postal Services	307
	The Presidency	602
	Tourism	519
	Trade and Industry	1 401
	Traditional Affairs	81
	Transport	667
	Water and Sanitation	6 078
	Women	107
	Total	354 087
North West	Community Safety and Transport Management	1 531
	Culture, Arts and Traditional Affairs	699
	Economy and Enterprise Development	210
	Education and Sport Development	30 978
	Finance	615
	Health	17 557
	Local Government and Human Settlements	520
	Office of the Premier	795
	Public Works and Roads	2 917
	Rural, Environment and Agriculture Development	1 495
	Social Development	2 436
	Tourism	154
	Total	59 907
Northern Cape	Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development	589
	Co-operative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs	620
	Economic Development and Tourism	208
	Education	12 730
	Environment and Nature Conservation	253
	Health	6 968
	Office of the Premier	259
	Provincial Treasury	339
	Roads and Public Works	895
	Social Development	958
	Sport, Arts and Culture	467
	Transport, Safety and Liaison	383
	Total	24 669
Western Cape	Agriculture	949
	Community Safety	341
	Cultural Affairs and Sport	620
	Economic Development and Tourism	232
	Education	41 456
	Environmental Affairs and Development Planning	391
	Health	32 254
	Human Settlements	473
	Local Government	374
	Premier	1 168
	Provincial Treasury	357
	Social Development	2 203
	Transport and Public Works	2 342
	Total	83 160
Total	1 250 565
Data source: PERSAL
Compiled by the DPSA
Excludes Defence and State Security Agency
Excludes periodical and abnormal type of appointments

END

Reply:

1. In order to ensure compliance with the legal prescripts and processes enshrined in the AARTO legislation, the RTIA has developed Standard Operating Procedures. The Standard Operating Procedures will be published as part of the Regulations in order to ensure compliance by all role players.

2. The RTIA regards every aspect raised in the representation made as a technical issue. To this extent, the number of representations that the RTIA dealt with since the pilot phase since 2008 up to 31 March 2017, is 506 984 representations.

3. The RTIA is in the process of giving effect to the court order in relation to the specified judgement. The Court made a ruling in respect of specified representations that were in dispute particularly due to the inconsistent adjudication outcomes. In this respect the specified representations will be reviewed and be made successful.

4. 

City of Joburg - AARTO Area
YEAR	Fatal Crashes	Pedestrian	Driver	Passenger	M/Cyclist	Cyclist	TOTAL Fatalities
"2012	556	363	206	73	1	607	649
"2013	693	431	188	148	11	7	785
"2014"	533	337	127	94	17	4	579
"2015	698	441	154	127	22	10	754
"2016	746	478	138	137	35	14	802
City of Tshwane - AARTO Area
YEAR	Fatal Crashes	Pedestrian	Driver	Passenger	M/Cyclist	Cyclist	TOTAL Fatalities
"2012	512	247	245	110	1	9	612
"2013	578	264	240	183	3	7	697
"2014"	482	243	135	148	14	18	558
"2015	537	254	168	141	31	16	610
"2016	618	313	186	166	24	7	696
Combined
YEAR	Fatal Crashes	Pedestrian	Driver	Passenger	M/Cyclist	Cyclist	TOTAL Fatalities
"2012	1068	610	451	183	2	616	1261
"2013	1271	695	428	331	14	14	1482
"2014"	1015	580	262	242	31	22	1137
"2015	1235	695	322	268	53	26	1364
"2016	1364	791	324	303	59	21	1498

5. The AARTO Bill is still in Parliament, once Parliament has gazetted for further public engagement the AARTO Bill will be enacted then become South African Legislation.

Reply:

a) Regular maintenance is undertaken by the Department and its agencies.

b) No steps can be taken against officials if regular maintenance is done accordingly.

c) Officials cannot be suspended or charged when they are doing their duty and the systems are available

Reply:

Maintenance is being undertaken on information technology facilities and systems within the Road Traffic Management Corporation;

(a) N/A

(b) N/A

(c) (i) N/A

(ii) N/A;

In the period 2016/17 the Corporation upgraded the Network Security and is in full control of the perimeter firewall for all internal systems. Various core infrastructure components have been refreshed to facilitate the Virtualisation of the corporation’s servers. The Corporation has also implemented an Oracle EBS solution to integrate core financial, human capital, fleet management, asset management and payroll functions.

 

Reply:

Yes, regular maintenance is being undertaken on information technology facilities and systems within the Airports Company SA.

The necessary critical maintenance is taking place for the IT Facilities. Contracts are in place to enable the maintenance of critical systems and in some areas where contracts have expired, tenders to continue the services are currently being prepared for publishing on open market processes. We also have a three-year hardware maintenance and replacement plan as part of IT Digital Strategy approved by Exco, IT Steercom and the ACSA Board to refresh/ replace obsolete equipment that are expensive to maintain. That plan is being implemented as and when there is a need in different business units across the company.

Reply:

(a) No. Verification for the Zingcuka could not be completed due to the dispute between the Upper Zingcuka and Amakhuze communities, as there are overlapping boundaries of the claimed land. The Commission on Restitution of Land Rights (CRLR), Department of Agriculture Forestry & Fisheries and Amathole Forestry Company have jointly scheduled meetings during 2017/18 financial year in order to resolve the disputes. Upon resolving of the dispute, the CRLR will proceed with the finalization of the verification process, and the restitution processes will unfold in order for this claim to be settled.

 

Reply:

1. The Department of Science and Technology (DST) has a total budget of just over 7.5 billion for the 2017/18 financial year.

The Hydrogen and energy subprogramme, which is responsible for the implementation of the Energy Grand Challenge, will spend just over R156 million to fund applied energy research to support the development and uptake of clean energy technologies in South Africa and other parts of the world. The bulk of these funds support universities and science councils for research and development in the areas of hydrogen fuel cell, solar, wind and energy storage technologies. Hence, the percentage of the DST ‘s budget that is allocated towards renewable energy alternatives is just under 2%.

Reply:

(a) What is the total number of persons who were employed at early childhood development centers in the (i) 2014, (ii) 2015, (iii) 2016 and (iv) 2017 academic years,

The above Parliamentary Question has provincial implications and at the time of reply no response was received from Provinces.

(b) the Child Protection Register classifies organisations only as employers and not in terms of their functions, namely early childhood development centers. However, the number of employees screened in (i) 2014 were 30010, (ii) 2015 were 32780, (iii) 2016 were 39203 and 2017 were 3921 (April and May), and (c) No specified persons in respect of early childhood development centers were found not suitable to work with children in each case.

Reply:

Steps taken to assist the Compensation Fund to improve its service delivery include, but not limited;

1. The Introduction of CF-Filing;

The objective of the project improve the turn-a-round time for an employer to register with the Compensation Fund, submit Return of Earnings online, process an immediate online payment and receive the Letter of Good Standing. The project is at an advanced stage and will be launched before the end of 2017.

2. The Introduction of Online Claims System;

The Fund implemented a new claims management system in 2014. This has resulted in visible improvements in the Fund’s service delivery. The system provides an online platform for employers and medical service providers to submit claims on line which facilitates speedy adjudication of claims. Plans are in place to continue to enhance the system with the objective of improving the claims turnaround time.

3. Improving the Call Centre system;

A new and improved call centre system is in the process of being implemented. The objective is to implement a system that will ensure that the service from the call centre to the back office is well managed in order to ensure that inquiries are responded to in the shortest time possible.

4. Realigning the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act (COIDA) to enhance benefits and service delivery;

The process of aligning COIDA so that it is in-line with the 21st century environment in order to ensure that is capable of responding to the service delivery needs, is at an advanced stage. We will soon be asking Cabinet to give us approval to publish the draft COIDA Amendment Bill for public comment.

Reply:

No heads nor any staff member or their family members of the entities reporting to me have made use of any security services paid by the state.

Reply:

a. (i) The performance of all the Department’s entities is reviewed (evaluated) on a regular basis.

(ii). similarly, the department conducts implementation reviews (evaluation) on its programmes and projects on regular basis through project in-year reviews and oversight visits with intention to improve operational effectiveness and efficiency. The flags in every school programme and the library conditional grants are some of the programmes that were recently reviewed. Furthermore, the Department has established the South African Cultural Observatory (SACO) to conduct mapping studies and other studies on cross cutting issues on the arts, culture and heritage sector. Twenty (20) research reports were produced in the 2016-17 financial year. Another 27 research reports are envisaged in the 2017-18 financial year. Moreover, the Department conducts 5-year reviews that focus on a range of issues relating to the operations of the Department including performance. The last review was conducted in the 2014-15 financial year. The next 5-year review will be conducted during 2018-19 financial year and will focus on the period 2015-2019.

b. (i). The Department conducts regular oversight visits, with the focus more on entities that are not performing well. The purpose of these visits is to assist the entities with the implementation of turnaround plans. Moreover, a number of forums have been established to facilitate monitoring and evaluation of public entities and to share best practices. These include the chairperson’s forum, where the Minister and the Chairpersons of Councils/Boards engage on issues affecting the public entities.

(ii). In cases of unsatisfactory programme and/or project performance, a diagnosis exercise is conducted to ascertain the reasons for poor performance. Findings emanating from the diagnosis exercise are used to improve the design and implementation of the programme and/or project. The Technical Intergovernmental Committee (TIC) and MinMEC are some of the platforms the Department has established to review and correct poor performing projects that are done in collaboration with provinces.

c. (i). Guided by the audit outcomes of the Auditor-General (AG), 11 DAC public entities received qualified audit outcomes and this highlighted shortcomings in their control systems. In most cases the shortcomings related to the accounting of heritage assets as specified in the GRAP 103 standard. The Ditsong Museums of South Africa and the South African State Theatre got adverse and disclaimer audit outcomes, respectively, thus highlighting a collapse in their control systems.

(ii). In the 2016-17 financial year there has been delays in the implementation of the following projects: Liberation Heritage Route online map application; refurbishment of the community arts centres and a series of infrastructure projects ( legacy project); the Khoi San Heritage Route; and the Liberation Heritage Route.

Reply:

With reference to Question 1545, I have been advised by the Department as follows:

(a) (i) No budget was allocated to implement the 112 emergency centre in 2017/18 financial year.

(ii) No budget was allocated to manage the 112 emergency centre in 2017/18 financial year.

(b) The 112 emergency call centre programme is not part of the Department’s current financial year deliverables.

The Budget Programme structure of the Department, which informs its programmes and sub-programmes was determined by National Treasury in 2009, following the last time the Department was restructured. Since then, there has been major changes including the change to the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services (DTPS) however there has never been a change to the Programme Budget Structure hence all our Estimates of National Expenditure (ENE) documents and allocation still reflect this outdated Programme Structure. Similar examples are the Digital Terrestrial Television which is still reflected as a sub-programme under Programme 5 and Programme 4 still has SMME Enterprise development.

Following the current restructuring process in line with the new DTPS mandate, the Department will approach National Treasury to revise its Programme Structure accordingly so that going forward the ENE and allocations are done in line with a Budget Programme structure that is reflective of the organisational structure.

Reply:

The Department of Social Development (DSD) in collaboration with the Department of Women (DOW) and other relevant government Departments is involved in the Sanitary ware Programme. The Department has produced the Concept Document on which the Base Document now with DOW is founded.

Coordinated by DOW, Six (6) Work streams were developed where DSD sits in Work stream 1, meant to develop a Policy Framework on the Sanitary ware Programme. In order for the Policy Framework to be meaningful, DSD as the lead on this Work stream has proposed a Policy Framework Structure for members to contribute. DSD has also concretely suggested a 2 – 3 Day uninterrupted Retreat to focus on the development of such a Policy Framework to present as a Draft to the proposed National Consultation Indaba.

A logical Framework has also been developed to guide the process.

The Gender Chief Directorate within DSD continues to sit in the Sanitary Programme under DOW giving constructive input where necessary. Other Programmes within the Department such as Community Development, Families, Victims Empowerment Programme (VEP), Children, and Social Security are expected to support this Programme.

Reply:

	Total number of cases that were identified by the Auditor- General	(b)(i) what was the total amount involved in each case	b (ii) how much has been recovered in each case?
(aa)2014/2015)
(a)(i)Fruitless Expenditure	0	R0.00	R0.00
(a)(ii) Wasteful Expenditure	0	R0.00	R0.00
(a)(iii) Irregular Expenditure	9	R1 604 877.32	R0.00
(bb)2015/16
(a)(i)Fruitless Expenditure	1	R485 000.00	R0.00
(a)(ii) Wasteful Expenditure	0	R0.00	R0.00
(a)(iii) Irregular Expenditure	6	R3 063 101.94	R3 063 101.94
(cc)2016/17
(a)(i)Fruitless Expenditure	0	R0.00	R0.00
(a)(ii) Wasteful Expenditure	0	R0.00	R0.00
(a)(iii) Irregular Expenditure	1	R414 105.00	R414 105.00

(cc) 2016/2017 The Auditor-General is still busy with the 2016/2017 audit in the Department and it is not known what the final outcome will be until the final management report is issued on 14 July 2017.

Reply:

We do fund legitimate and credible cultural organisations, these are Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO’s). Because they are independent from government we are not involved in their employment process.

Reply:

The names of the external moderators of the 2016 National Senior Certificate examination are:

(a) IsiNdebele Home Language – Mr P.J. Masilela

(b) IsiZulu Home Language – Ms C Maphumulo and Dr I.K. Mndawe

(c) Setswana Home Language - Prof P.M. Sebate and Mr Godfrey S Molaotse

(d) Siswati Home Language – Dr P.M. Lubisi and Mr S.Z. Simelane

(e) IsiXhosa Home Language - Mr S.M. Matsolo and Mr H.M. Matshingana

(f) Xitsonga Home Language – Ms L Ndobela and Ms T.B. Maswanganyi

(g) Tshivenda Home Language - Ms J Nedzharata and Mr L Sundani

(h) Sepedi Home Language -Ms D.M. Mampuru and Prof M.J. Mojalefa

(i) Sesotho Home Language - Ms P Mohapi

(j) Afrikaans First Additional Language – Mrs. M Venter and Dr D Lawrence

Reply:

(1) During the 2016/17 cycle for community service placements, there was a challenge in placing all Professional Nurses eligible for community service as some provinces had incorrectly stated their available posts. This impacted both provincial bursary holders as well as privately funded graduates.

(2) In accordance with Public Service Regulations, all provincial departments are compelled to contractually obligate bursars to serve their respective departments for a stipulated period of time. Failure to redeem the bursary obligation results in the money having to be paid back by the bursar. Approximately 76% of all Professional Nurses who required a community service placement in 2016/17 had a contractual obligation to serve in a particular public health facility, district or province.

(3) The National Health Council has reviewed the matter in-depth and has requested provinces to urgently avail the posts required for the remaining group. The National Health Council resolved on 12 May 2017 that this process should be completed by 31 May 2017. I, in consultation with the provincial Members of the Executive, has written to each province to request a specific number of posts per province, to accommodate all the waitlisted individuals.

The National Department of Health has also been tasked to investigate how to improve post co-ordination and funding to avoid such challenges going forward.

 

END.

Reply:

(a) (i) The research on MAX condoms was conducted by the Society for Family Health (SFH), on behalf of the Department of Health, through funding from the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) amounting to R420,000.

(ii) The production and distribution of the Max Condom is done on a tender basis. The current tender is for 3 years. It was awarded in July 2015 and is expiring in June 2018.

(b) The three-year contract was awarded to the following suppliers: Almika Trading, Barrs Medical, Bliss Pharmaceutical, Fulloutput, Medproc, RRT Medcon, SA Health Protecting services, Unitrade, and Medicore Technologies.

(c) (i) The budget allocated is R836,000,000.

(ii) The expenditure to date is R654,229,431.

(d) (i)-(ii) From the period: August 2015 to March 2017, the total number of MAX condoms produced and distributed to date is 1,333,121,613.

END.

Reply:

We never procured any services from any of these organisations.

Reply:

The Department of Sport and Recreation South Africa and the entities reporting to the Executive Authority did not procure any services from and/or made any payments to (i) Bell Pottinger or (ii) any other public relations firms.

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

Reply:

The Child Protection Register does not categorise organisations in terms of their activities such as cultural, but as employers. However, (a) the number of employees screened in (i) 2014 were 63664, (ii) 2015 were 94552, (iii) 2016 were 103350 and 2017 were 3921 (April and May), and (b) persons were found not suitable to work with children in (i) 2014 were 87, (ii) 2015 were 300, (iii) 2016 were 281, and there no records for first quarter of 2017.

Reply:

SASSA has not conducted a formal study into the cost of applying the means test. However, research conducted by the Economic Research Policy Institute (EPRI) in 2011, when working with UNICEF on a paper regarding the Universalisation of the Child Support Grant, noted “The means test does impose administrative and time costs on SASSA employees and beneficiaries, but more significant costs occur during the monitoring of the grant.” The same will hold true for the older persons grant.

In an internal exercise conducted by SASSA in 2013, the direct average cost of completing an application for a social grant (excluding the disability related costs, where the direct costs are much higher, as the cost of the medical assessment must be factored in) was R89,73. This is largely driven by the amount of time it takes to complete an application, and does not factor in costs incurred by the beneficiary. This amount will require review, given the increase in staff costs since this time.

Based on trends over the past financial years, an average of approximately 200 000 new applications for grants for older persons are processed. If a unit cost of R89,73 per application is taken into account, then the cost for administering these applications is R17 946 000. While this total cost cannot be attributed to the cost of administering the means test, it does contribute a large portion of the costs.

Reply:

The Chief Commissioner of the International Trade Administration Commission (ITAC) has advised that as part of its standard procedure before making a final determination on trade remedies, it normally issues essential facts letters. The purpose of an essential facts letter is to inform the applicant and interested parties of the relevant factors that the Commission was considering in making a final determination for all the participants to comment. It is always emphasised in these letters that the Commission has not yet made its final determination and nothing in these letters should be construed as such.

In the case of hot-rolled steel, the Commission relayed in the essential facts letter that it was considering making a final determination that: there were unforeseen developments; there was a surge in imports; there was serious injury to the domestic industry caused by a surge in imports; and that it was also considering not recommending imposition of safeguard measures on public interest grounds. It then called on parties to comment on these. ITAC considered comments received from the applicant and interested parties and the Commission made a final determination.

The contents of its final determination and reasons will be made public once the Report of the Commission on the safeguard investigation on hot-rolled steel is published for implementation by the Ministry of Finance.”

 

-END-

Reply:

The DAC did not allocate funds directly to orchestras, rather funds were ring fenced within the budget of the National Arts Council and transferred to 3 orchestras based on submitted proposals and contracts in 2016/17 in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. No orchestras were directly funded in Limpopo or North West in the year under review. The Limpopo Youth Orchestra will however be provided with an opportunity to participate in a cultural programme in Kuwait in October 2017 as part of a cultural exchange programme. In this regard, the DAC will cover the international flights, per diems and performance fees, while the government of Kuwait will cover domestic hosting costs.

Reply:

(a) 5 farms. This number, however, refers only to farms that were controlled by the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform. It is therefore possible that farms controlled by provincial governments and other national departments were transferred during the same period.

(b) 1 in the Eastern Cape and 4 in the Free State.

(c) See the table below.

Name	Surname
Kheki Jerry	Makhalemele
Robert Lekhooa	Thekiso
Tsepiso Izak	Mokoena
Molehi Richard	Kodisang
Nelson Rolihlahla	Mandela

(d)(i) 5 individuals

(d)(ii)(aa) 1

(d)(ii)(bb) 1

Reply:

There are no disputes that involve boxers not being paid by promoters, which have been brought to our attention, as the Department of Sport and Recreation South Africa. The last dispute that involved boxers not being paid their purse money by promoters was resolved by the end of December 2016. The promoters responsible were subjected to a disciplinary process. In that respect the last incident took place in April 2016 and there hasn’t been any such incident since then.

(a) N/A

(b) (i) and (ii) N/A

(c) N/A