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1. The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), Department of Cooperative Governance (CoGTA), MISA, National Treasury (NT), and the Infrastructure Fund (IF) are engaged in support work in many municipalities with deficits in budgets for new infrastructure investment. The Department is working closely with CoGTA to support municipalities to improve the water and sanitation services in municipalities throughout the country. Both DWS and COGTA allocate funding through the Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant, Water Services infrastructure Grant and Municipal Infrastructure Grant, to municipalities for water and sanitation infrastructure.

Several bulk water resource projects aimed at ensuring water security are being implemented by the DWS throughout the country. These include regional, inter-basin and transboundary transfer schemes/ systems entailing large dams, canals, pump stations, tunnels and pipelines.

Furthermore, the DWS has implemented a country wide programme to ensure effective integrated planning together with Municipalities through the development of Five-Year Water and Sanitation Reliability plans that will also ensure funding stream interaction during the implementation programme. The Department is also in the process of developing Provincial Bulk Master Plans that will identify Water Resource shortages in critical areas and the development of pipeline of projects to ensure the availability of resources to all affected areas.

2. The Department monitors the status of all projects under construction on its web-based Project Dashboard which reflects all projects funded by DWS. All projects are fully populated with authenticated information from municipalities. The information on the Project Dashboard will be extended to also include projects funded under the Municipal Infrastructure Grant and Human Settlement Grant on water and sanitation related projects (bulk and reticulation infrastructure).

3. DWS is also collaborating with industry, including the mining and agricultural sectors, to invest in new water infrastructure. For example, DWS is implementing two projects in Limpopo and the Northern Cape in partnership with mining houses and relevant municipalities, through which DWS and the mines are jointly funding both bulk water infrastructure and new household connections to communities.

The Olifants Management Model in Limpopo is a R25 billion multi-year partnership between DWS, municipalities and mining houses to construct bulk and potable reticulation water infrastructure to supply communities and mines in Sekhukhune and Mogalakwena in Limpopo. The programme will provide potable water to yard connection to an estimated 390 000 people. Similarly, the Vaal Gamagara Bulk Water Scheme in the Northern Cape is a partnership between DWS and mining houses to supply potable bulk water for mining, industrial, agricultural and domestic use.

4. The Constitution assigns the responsibility of ensuring access to water services to local government (municipalities). Municipalities are allocated funding from the equitable share to facilitate delivery of basic services in all areas within their jurisdiction, including ancestral lands.

During the project planning phase, traditional authorities are engaged through a social facilitation process and servitudes agreements are entered into with relevant authorities, for infrastructure development. The projects are planned with socio economic considerations in mind for job opportunities/creation for the benefit of the affected areas/communities. The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), Department of Cooperative Governance (CoGTA), MISA, National Treasury (NT), and the Infrastructure Fund (IF) are engaged in support work in many municipalities with deficits in budgets for new infrastructure investment.

As indicated above in (3), there are several initiatives where the DWS, municipalities and mining companies are collaborating to fund and implement infrastructure projects that will facilitate access to water services, thus addressing backlogs

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Ministers are delegated responsibilities by the President when they assume office.

Section 92 of the Constitution states:

92. (1) The Deputy President and Ministers are responsible for the powers and functions of the executive assigned to them by the President.

(2) Members of the Cabinet are accountable collectively and individually to Parliament for the exercise of their powers and the performance of their functions.

The exercise of accountability and the expectations of Ministerial performance are therefore entrenched in the Constitution and are not dependent on the conclusion of performance agreements.

To clearly outline the areas on which Ministers are expected to focus, I will once again be signing performance agreements with Ministers. The agreements will be signed after the Medium Term Development Plan is approved and will apply for a five year term.

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To note: All figures referenced in this submission as at the end of June 2024 which is the fourth quarter of the municipal financial year.

(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(aa)(bb) Organs of State owe municipalities collectively for rates and taxes and services an amount of R18.6bn.

The breakdown between National and Provincial Organs of State, per the age category and lastly, per department is attached as Annexure A

The breakdown per municipality, per Organ of State, per the source (e.g. Water, Electricity, Property Rates etc.) is attached as Annexure B

(b) Unfortunately, the Section 71 of the MFMA template does not cater for the payment arrangement plans between Organs of State and Municipalities. This information should be sought from individual municipalities.

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I will be signing performance agreements with Ministers to clearly outline the areas on which Ministers are expected to focus. Progress in the implementation of these agreements will be monitored on a regular basis and corrective action taken when necessary.

Ministers’ performance agreements are linked to the Medium Term Development Plan (MTDP) and to departmental Annual Performance Plans, over which Parliament exercises oversight.

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1(a). The South African Geographical Names Council (SAGNC) working together with the Provincial Geographical Names Committees (PGNCs) has been embarking on an ongoing public awareness campaign on the need to transform the geographical names landscape.

It will continue with this process and is currently planning to conduct national awareness using both national broadcasting and social media platforms.

(b). Following National Consultation across the nine provinces, the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture appointed a Ministerial Task Team to advise on the transformation of South Africa’s heritage landscape in the 2017/2018 financial year.

• The Ministerial Task Team produced a report with recommendations.
• The report was tabled to Cabinet for endorsement 2020/2021.

As part of implementation of the recommendations, the Department through the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) conducted a national audit of all statues in South Africa in the 2021/2022 financial year. The process for the relocation and repositioning of the symbols and statues was to be guided by National Heritage Resources Act. No. 25 of 1999.

However, the National Treasury declined the Department’s request for the budget allocation regarding the relocation, repositioning and curation into Regional Cultural Nation Building Parks of statues and monuments not in line with the values and spirit of the constitution.

Once the budget is made available, SAHRA together with Provincial Heritage Resources Authorities and local authorities and guided by National Heritage Resources Act, 1999 (Act 25 of 1999) will ensure stakeholder involvement and public consultation with all the relevant and interested parties in the relocation, repositioning and curation into Regional Cultural Nation Building Parks of statues.

2. The South African Geographical Names Council (SAGNC) Act No. 118 of 1998, the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act (PAJA) Act No. 3 of 2000, and the United Nations Resolutions on geographical names stress on public involvement/inclusion concerning the standardization of geographical names.

All members of the public, especially those who have been historically marginalised have the right to have their voices heard in the transformation of geographical names. Communities must identity/support the new names where old names are being replaced. Municipalities facilitate public consultations.

Thus, it is crucial for the Minister to rely on the involvement of both municipalities and the public.

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The DBE has established a Human Resource Development Task Team responsible for developing a Strategic Human Resource Development Plan for the ECD workforce. This plan will outline the qualifications that are available for ECD practitioners; the expectations in terms of competencies, skills and qualifications at different levels; flexible opportunities for training and development including recognition of prior learning; clear career paths and conditions of service.

Whilst the Strategic Human Resource Development Plan for ECD is being developed, the DBE continues with training opportunities that are provided for ECD practitioners through the ETDP Seta to give them opportunities to upgrade their qualifications from NQF level 4 to 6  

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(1)(a) The total number of detectives currently employed in the South African Police Service (SAPS) are 22 413.

(1)(b)(2) The total number of detectives and vacancies in each Province are as follows:

PROVINCE	ACTUAL WORKFORCE	FIXED ESTABLISHMENT	VACANCIES
Eastern Cape	2721	4186	-1465
Free State	1469	2252	-783
Gauteng	6310	6800	-490
KwaZulu-Natal	3510	5139	-1629
Limpopo	1448	2361	-913
Mpumalanga	1623	2142	-519
North West	1366	1911	-545
Northern Cape	928	1632	-695
Western Cape	3038	4593	-1555
TOTAL	22 413	31 007	-8594

Actual workforce information provided is for Police Act personnel within the station detective and specialised detective units, excluding DPCI.

3(a) 527 detectives voluntarily left the SAPS since 1 October 2023 until 19 July 2024.

(b) Employees are not required to disclose particulars of future employers when they exit the service.

Reply:

1. What are the full relevant details of any measures that have been put in place by her department recently to prevent acts of violence in schools?

 

a) School Safety District Support Intervention in Gauteng: Sedibeng East & West

The DBE in collaboration with Gauteng Department of Education implemented the School Safety District Support Intervention in Gauteng, Sedibeng East and West Districts from the 03 - 05th of June 2024. The intervention included Local Stakeholder engagement meeting comprising of partner departments, local municipality and civil society organisations, which was convened on the 03rd of June 2024. A total of 52 people participated in the meeting and stakeholders agreed to plan and implement school safety related programmes jointly in Sedibeng schools.

On 04-05 June 2024, the DBE convened a workshop at Quest Conference Estate in Vanderbijlpark, which covered the National School Safety Framework (NSSF), the Protocol on the Reporting and Management of Sexual Abuse and Harassment in schools, the Policy on the prevention and management of Learner Pregnancy, The Prevention and Management of Bullying in schools, including cyberbullying, Psychosocial Support Programme, as well as the Procedures of Learner Discipline in schools and Disaster Risk Management. On day one, a total of 184 people (School principals, SGB members and School Safety Officers) attended the workshop, and on day two, a total of 188 people (School principals, SGB members and School Safety Officers) people from 52 schools and partner departments also attended the workshop.

b) Partnership Protocol between the Department of Basic Education and the South African Police Service

The Department also has an established Protocol with SAPS to address crime and violence in schools. The Protocol has enabled all schools to be linked to their local police stations, SAPS conduct searches and seizures in schools and conduct crime awareness campaigns in schools. Regularly, schools work with SAPS and local community police forums and social workers to address violent incidents such as gangsterism, bullying, drug abuse and the carrying of dangerous weapons in schools in schools.

Constantly, searches and seizures of illegal drugs and dangerous weapons are done in schools.  However, these searches and seizers are only done if there is reasonable suspicion of violence in the school.

c) Online Safety and Cyberbullying Programme: Cyber-Safety Toolkit

The DBE in partnership with the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, as well as the Provincial Education Departments in Limpopo and Gauteng conducted awareness sessions on cyber-safety and cyberbullying in schools. These awareness sessions took place at Wordsworth High School, Gauteng Province  on the 10th  of April 2024, and also at Bela-Bela Secondary School and Mapoe Secondary School Limpopo Province on the 18th  of April 2024. The awareness sessions were anchored around the Cyber-Safety Awareness Toolkit. A total of 300 learners were reached throughout the awareness sessions.

d) District Monitoring of School Safety Programmes

Recently, the DBE monitored the implementation of the NSSF and other school safety programmes in 10 districts across three provinces: Eastern Cape, Western Cape and Gauteng) within the first quarter of the financial year, April to June 2024.

 

The table below indicates the number districts monitored per provinces:

Province	District Name	Dates
Eastern Cape	Amathole West	20 May 2024
	Amathole East	21 May 2024
	OR Tambo Coastal	22 May 2024
	Joe Gqabi	24 May 2024
Gauteng	Tshwane South	30 May 2024
	Tshwane North	30 May 2024
	Tshwane West	31 May 2024
Western Cape	Eden & Central Karoo	10 June 2024
	Overberg	12 June 2024
	Cape Winelands	13 June 2024

 

e) Disaster Risk Management Assessment Tool 

In June 2024, the team comprising of DBE, National Disaster Risk Management Centre and SANTAM with the Northern Cape Education Department assessed eight public special schools in the Northern Cape province. Upon completion of the assessments, SANTAM Insurance donated Fire Systems and extinguishers in the schools including upgrade of the hydrants in some schools.

f) PROVINCIAL INITIATIVES

• Gauteng Education Department has deployed 5 387 school patrollers and security guards to 75 schools.
• The Western Cape Education Department has deployed 90 School Resource Officers to 45 schools
• Eastern Cape has deployed 262 Security Assistants in 131 schools in Nelson Mandela Bay, 156 Security Guards in Buffalo City, OR Tambo Inland- 262 Security Guards in 131 schools.
• The North-West Education Department had deployed security guards in 32 special schools, 11 Mega farm schools and four technical schools.
• KZN Circular 53 of 2024 was issued encouraging schools to re-establish School Safety Committees and to link all of them with Police Stations post the completion of SGB Elections.

 

2. Whether there is any cogent policy in place that deals with the issue of safety and security in schools; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? 

a) Regulations for Safety Measures at all Public Schools 2001

The Department has the Regulations for Safety Measures at all Public Schools 2001 in place as means to ensure that schools are safe learning environments. The regulations have declared that all schools are alcohol and drug free zones, thus no persons may enter school premises under the influence of alcohol and illicit drugs , or in possession of dangerous weapons. In addition, the Regulations also allow principals, police officers and delegated officers to conduct searches and seizures of illicit drugs and dangerous weapons, if there is reasonable suspicion.

 

b) Policy Framework for the Regulations of Drug Abuse by learners in Public Schools   and  Public Further Education and Training Institutions 2002

In supporting the regulations on safety measures , the Department further introduced the   Policy Framework for the Regulations of Drug Abuse by learners in Public Schools and  Public Further Education and Training Institutions 2002, which advocates for preventative methods on alcohol and drug abuse to be implemented through the introduction of Life Orientation Curricula, and also for support and care to be provided to addicted learners so that they can be rehabilitated. The policy framework further make provision for drug testing in schools to be conducted in schools, but only if there is reasonable suspicion.

 c) National School Safety Framework

The DBE has also developed the NSSF which is a guiding framework in addressing all forms of violent incidences in schools. The NSSF empowers schools to identify and manage all safety threats in schools, establish school safety committees comprising of stakeholders such as teachers, police officers, school governing body members and learner representative council members. Furthermore, The NSSF also empowers schools to develop incident reporting mechanisms, establish collaborations with external stakeholders such as the South African Police Service (SAPS), the Department of Social Development and civil society organisations, develop school safety plans and policies to respond to safety challenges of drug abuse in schools.

Through the implementation of the NSSF, access control measures in schools are strengthened and awareness programmes on social ills by partner departments and civil society organisations are implemented in schools.

The DBE together with its partner the Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute further developed an NSSF digital training course for school communities, to enable them to access the training anywhere in the country. The course has been accredited by the South African Council of Educators. As a result, educators receive 15 Professional Development Points (PDP) for successfully completing the course. From April 2023 to March 2024, 80 700 people completed the course (officials, school safety officers, School Governing Body Members).

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a) What are the current traits of a learner who has completed a primary level of education?

 A Grade 12 learner who has completed a Primary level education should be able to listen, speak, read with understanding and write in their Home Language and a First Additional Language.

They should be able to read with understanding and respond appropriately to the prompts provided in the question papers, discussions and such settings that they may be exposed to. Furthermore, they should be critical readers of texts and be able to express their views on texts. They should also be able to express their views and sustain an argument in support of their views. 

They should also have acquired the skills and knowledge of the subjects they are offering as outlined in the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements and be able to demonstrate the relatedness of the knowledge acquired in their daily life.

In accordance with the CAPS learners who have completed the primary level of education should be possess with the following traits: Ambition, Analytical, Creativity, Critical thinking, Curiosity, Collaborative, Compassion, Organised, Disciplined, Respectful and Resilient amongst others, as acquired through the curriculum and practical applications through various forms of assessment.

The National Curriculum Statement Grades R-12 aims to produce learners that are able to:

• identify and solve problems and make decisions using critical and creative thinking; 
• work effectively as individuals and with others as members of a team;
• organise and manage themselves and their activities responsibly and effectively;
• collect, analyse, organise and critically evaluate information;
• communicate effectively using visual, symbolic and/or language skills in various modes;
• use science and technology effectively and critically showing responsibility towards the environment and the health of others; and
• demonstrate an understanding of the world as a set of related systems by recognising that problem solving contexts do not exist in isolation.

b) What guarantees that the Grade offer the learner to be equipped with?

The skills highlighted above together with the high content knowledge taught through various subjects are all dependent upon the learners themselves as to how motivated they are intrinsically to ensure that they apply the skill to better their chances of success in life. These skills and knowledge received prepares learners to be able to function in the 21st century world and become global citizens.

c) What employable involvement does the learner who has completed Grade 12 have in the economy?

Learners who have completed Grade 12 have been equipped with Employability Skills and prepared to acquire Entrepreneurial Mind-sets so that they can not only seek but also create employment. These has been done through the curriculum and also aligning career content to the subject matter as outlined below:

The National Curriculum Statement Grades R-12 serves the purposes of:

•    equipping learners, irrespective of their socio-economic background, race, gender, physical ability or intellectual ability, with the knowledge, skills and values necessary for self-fulfilment, and meaningful participation in society as citizens of a free country;

•    providing access to higher education;

•    facilitating the transition of learners from education institutions to the workplace;

•    providing employers with a sufficient profile of a learner’s competences.

The Department through Career Development Services (CDS) initiative also provides free quality career information, advice and guidance to South Africans of all ages and from all walks of life throughout their lives. CDS aims to ensure equitable access to all thus equipping learners to become active and productive citizens who can contribute to the socio-economic status of the country. CDS under the brand name Khetha: Make the Right Choice offers the following services: National coordination, Multi-channel Career Advice Helpline and an Outreach Programme.

The DBE collaboration and partnership with the DHET and DEL in the Education for Employability (E4E) programme funded by the European Union (EU)  aims to advance and ensure a smooth transition from the basic schooling sector through to the Post School Education and Training System (PSET) and to the world of work. Services offered by the three Departments include provision of career education, information, advice, guidance and counselling by career advisors and counsellors; access to the National Career Advisory Portal (NCAP) and registration on the Employment Services of South Africa (ESSA) System.

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 (a) The Presidential and Provincial proclamations that were signed by the President and the respective Premiers in 2021 enacted the shift of the ECD function from the Minister and MECs of Social Development to the Minister and MECs of Basic Education on 1 April 2022. This has meant that all resources (human, financial and capital) that were connected to the function were transferred from the relinquishing department to the receiving department on 1 April 2022.

(b) There is currently a multitude of challenges in the early childhood development sector and they can be divided into three main categories: (1) systemic challenges; (2) challenges in having access to early learning opportunities for all children; (3) challenges in the quality of early learning opportunities provided. The main systemic challenges entail the overly burdensome regulatory framework, the lack of a management information system, historic underfunding of the sector, lack of infrastructure support to ECD centres, the lack of a quality assurance system and under-qualified practitioners. The challenge with access is that only 58% of 3-year-olds and 75% of 4-year-olds are currently accessing early learning opportunities. Ideally, we would like all 4-year-olds to be able to access early learning opportunities. Finally, the Thrive by Five Index highlighted the quality constraints in the ECD sector, with only 44.5% of 4-year-olds being developmentally on track in their early learning outcomes. To address these challenges, the DBE has developed the 2030 Strategy for ECD programmes as a roadmap to achieve the vision of universal access to quality ECD programmes by 2030. The 2024/25 financial year is the first year of the implementation of the Strategy where the DBE has prioritised the reduction of red tape through the implementation of a Mass Registration Drive and processing the 2023 Children’s Amendment Bill. To improve the quality of ECD programme delivery, the DBE is strengthening the implementation of the National Curriculum Framework (NCF), through the development of guidelines and Learner Teacher Support Material (LTSM) for NCF implementation. The DBE is also working on the development of a quality assurance and support system to progressively support ECD programmes to meet the DBE's quality standards. 

(c) The ECD and Inclusive Education directorates are collaborating with the University of Johannesburg (UJ) on the development of a screening tool to assist ECD practitioners with early identification and intervention of developmental delays. Plans are in place to train health officials and ECD practitioners on the use of these tools to identify children with special needs are early as possible, and to provide them with the needed support. All materials and training on the implementation of the National Curriculum Framework also include information to guide ECD practitioners on implementing inclusive practices in their classrooms.

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The provision of sanitary towels to schools is a competency of the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD). The full grant is in the custody of DWYPD. The DWYPD have full oversight on logistical operations of sanitary towel distribution, including monitoring, evaluation and reporting. It is recommended that the Honourable Member kindly redirects the question to the relevant Department, as they may have the details on the requested information.

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In 2024, the DBE released its 2030 Strategy for ECD programmes. The development of the Strategy was based on a comprehensive analysis of the ECD sector and aimed to address the challenge identified of the majority of children not having access to quality ECD programmes, with the poorest children most likely to miss out. Based on this, the Strategy aims to ensure universal access to quality ECD prioritising to the most vulnerable children. In implementing the Strategy, the DBE has three priority activities for 2024:

1. The Mass Registration Drive which aims to pull all ECD programmes into the regulatory net through developmental approaches, so that vulnerable children can benefit from the ECD subsidy;
2. Development of a population-based planning tool, to ensure that resources are efficiently targeted to the most vulnerable and under-served communities; and
3. The development of daily activity plans for ECD practitioners, with guidance on the implementation of inclusive practices during their lessons.

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a) A total number of claims currently due and /or outstanding following Court proceedings in respect of alleged recklessness, negligence, and misconduct of the departmental officials.

ANSWER:

The Department of Basic Education does not have any claim that is due and/or outstanding following  Court proceedings in respect of alleged:

1. Recklessness;
2. Negligence; and
3. Misconduct of the department’s officials

 

b) Full list of total contingent liability

ANSWER:

The Department of Basic Education currently has twenty court cases on its (20) Contingent Liability Register  to  a total amount of R 173 744 000.00 (One hundred and seventy-three million seven hundred and forty-four thousand rand).  None of these court cases involved departmental officials and these cases originated mainly in the provinces.

Reply:

(a),(b),(c) The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic), through the Incentives Branch, supported 65 research projects to the value of R237 million in the past five years. These projects were funded under the Technology and Human Resource for Industry Programme (THRIP). Permission to publish names of grantees and beneficiaries must be in line with Protection of Personal Information Act.

-END-

Reply:

The Department of Tourism had no role or involvement in the Ratelrivier Estate Project. The Honourable Member is requested to refer this question to the relevant entity, South African National Parks.

END

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Ms Patricia de Lillle, MP

Minister of Tourism

Date: 7 August 2024

Reply:

The entities of the dtic have no board positions that have remained vacant for extended periods and the National Gambling Board (NGB) is under administration.

-END-

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a) What are the (i) role and (ii) purpose of the various buildings being constructed in the Cape Agulhas Lighthouse Precinct Project?

1. Investment in destination development to attract more tourists.
2. Outlined below is the scope of the construction work for the current project:
   • A restaurant;
   • An Interpretation Centre which includes vendor stalls, ablution facilities, curio shops, a booking office and a lecture theatre;
   • Reception area and offices;
   • External works and bulk infrastructure;
   • In addition to the construction work, the project budget makes provision for furniture

(b) What is the total cost of the development? The total project budget is R 54 million.

(c) What is the envisaged date of completion? It is estimated the work will be complete by 30 September 2024

END

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Ms Patricia de Lillle, MP

Minister of Tourism

Date: 7 August 2024

Reply:

1.  The Department of Water and Sanitation manages the Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant (RBIG) and Water Services Infrastructure Grant (WSIG), which are aimed at supporting municipalities to deliver on their mandate by developing new infrastructure, refurbish and upgrade water and sanitation infrastructure to ensure access to water services. The grants account for an average of R14 billion per annum to support municipalities. In addition there are a number of other measures to ensure equitable access to clean drinking water across all regions in the Republic including:

 

• Implementation of the Green, Blue and No Drop programmes which assess the state of drinking water, wastewater treatment systems and Water Conservation and Demand Management in all municipalities that are Water Service Authorities. Results of the assessments carried out in 2022 and 2023 were released in December 2023. Generally, the drops reports indicate the dire situation in provision of water and sanitation services by most of the WSAs. WSAs were instructed to develop action plans to alleviate the challenges. The Action plans are currently being submitted to the Department. The Department is monitoring the implementations of the plans.
• Implementation of a country wide programme to ensure effective integrated planning together with Municipalities through the development of Five-Year Water and Sanitation Reliability plans that will also ensure funding stream interaction during the implementation programme.
• Development of Provincial Bulk Master Plans that will identify Water Resource shortages in critical areas and the development of pipeline of projects to ensure the availability of resources and access to water services.
• The reconfiguration of Water Boards. The intention is to have a Water Board per Province, except for Rand Water which will be responsible for Gauteng and Mpumalanga. The Water Boards have been strengthened to provide Bulk infrastructure and technical support to WSAs to ensure provision of water and sanitation to communities.
• Amendments to the Water Services Act which will:
  • include the introduction of an Operating License for a Water Service Providers (WSP). The Department will specify minimum competency and minimum performance levels for WSPs linked to gazetted minimum norms and standards for water and sanitation services (including full financial transparency and reporting). A Municipality must fulfil the licence conditions if it provides the service itself, or must contract with a licensed WSP.
  • Strengthen enforcement by Amending Section 63 of Water Services Act to enable enforcement through directives (as is done in National Water Act). The amendments will, as the last resort, enable the Minister to enforce the separation of the water services provider function from the municipal administration where there is persistent failure to meet license conditions, and require the municipality (as Water Services Authority) to contract with a licensed WSP.

2. (a) It is important to note that water pollution may be from non-point and point sources. Non-point sources are where the polluter cannot be pinpointed and is normally due to land use management including informal settlements that are not yet serviced or large scale agricultural areas where pesticides may be used. Point sources include discharge points of industries, mines or municipal wastewater works. In recent years, DWS has been strengthening its regulatory function and making its regulatory actions more consistent, and this has resulted in an increased number of civil actions and criminal charges against polluters including municipalities for sewage pollution.

Since 2017, DWS has opened 88 criminal cases for sewage pollution involving 52 municipalities, across all 9 provinces. This follows non-responsiveness of the municipalities to notices and directives. The number of criminal charges is expected to increase further. In 78 of these cases, an investigation is currently underway. For 5 cases, investigations are complete, and the National Prosecuting Authority has decided to prosecute (preparing to go to trial or in court).

Five cases have been ruled upon and the department is monitoring the implementation of the court decisions. All 5 were plea and sentence agreements. The cases that have been ruled upon by the courts have resulted in fines being imposed on the municipality, e.g. Govan Mbeki LM was fined R200m and Thaba Chweu and Rand West LM were each fined R10m. The courts ordered the municipalities to allocate the fines to address the sewage pollution.

Further proposed amendments of the National Water Act include additional offences and stronger penalties as well as personal liability of Directors of Companies and Municipal Managers of municipalities.

It is important to note that on average, it takes 2-3 years for a criminal case to be finalised (from the date of laying the charge at the police station to the date of a court ruling) whilst the pollution most likely continues.

(b) The Constitution assigns the responsibility of ensuring access to water and sanitation services to local government (municipalities). The DWS provides support to municipalities through providing them with funding through Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant (RBIG) and Water Services Infrastructure Grant (WSIG) and is currently funding 137 sanitation projects across all provinces. This consists of 117 projects through WSIG and 20 through RBIG.

3) The Department is implementing several initiatives to conserve water and promote efficient water use at WSA level. Below is a list of the initiatives:

• The Department has just finalized the updating of the National Water Conservation and Water Demand Management (WC/WDM) Strategy, supported by three subsidiary strategies that focus on water services, agriculture, and industry, mining and power generation to drive the implementation of WC/WDM. The WC/WDM strategies are further supported by implementation plans to operationalize and drive implementation of WC/WDM measures by the water sectors.
• The Department is in process of finalising National Minimum Norms And Standards for Water Services. The norms strongly require water conservation and demand management, and set standards for NRW, water losses and average consumption of water per capital per day.
• The Department implements the No Drop Incentive based regulatory monitoring programme. The No Drop programme is used as a tool to regulate municipal performance on water loss management and water use efficiency practices. The programme provides a guideline to water services institutions on what is required to manage water losses and improve efficiency. This includes the No Drop Guideline, which focuses on the key requirements (water resource balance diagram, water balance, Water Conservation and Water Demand Management (WCWDM) Strategy) as building blocks for planning for implementation of WC/WDM projects. The Guideline has been workshopped on a national level and made available to municipalities.
• The Department monitors the state of water losses, NRW and water use efficiency. The last comprehensive analysis on water losses in South Africa was based on data for the 2022/23 municipal financial year was published in December 2023.
• The Department has further established the Water Partnership Office (WPO) within the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA). The WPO has developed five standardized National Programmes for private sector participation in municipal water and sanitation services, to make it easier, quicker and cheaper for municipalities to enter into partnerships, without having to ‘reinvent the wheel’ for each partnership. One of the five National Programmes within the WPO is Non- Revenue Water (NRW) programme aimed at implementing WC/WDM and cost recovery programme focusing on reducing losses, reducing over consumption and improving cost recovery.
• There are also continuous capacity building programmes conducted on WC/WDM for municipalities. Training included benchmarking of leakages, planning and implementation of WC/WDM projects, the development and requirements of an International Water Association (IWA) water balance and the development of a WC/WDM strategy and business plans. In addition, the DWS has, through cooperation with Japan International Cooperation Agency, constructed a Non-Revenue Water training yard and developed training material. About 89 municipality officials from 16 WSAs have attended this training programme.

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1.  The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has plans to refurbish the Thabong WWTW. The project is divided into two phases and the details thereof are as follows:

• Phase 1a was funded by COGTA though the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) and implemented by the municipality. Phase 1(a) was completed but there were other components that had not been catered for under the scope of MIG. The project costed R63 million. The outstanding scope is being attended under phase 1b through Ministerial intervention.
• Phase 1b is a Ministerial intervention which is funded by the DWS through Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant (RBIG). The project is intended to complete the outstanding scope to ensure that the Thabong WWTW is functional. The project is under construction and planned for completion in March 2025. The 2024/2025 financial year allocation for this project is R35 million.

2. As indicated above, phase 1(a) of the project was completed and phase 1(b) is still under construction. Completion of phase 1(b) will restore functionality of the plant. The project is being monitored closely through regular site inspections by DWS officials. The following is also being done to facilitate close monitoring of the project:

• Intervention meetings and site inspections have been held with both the contractor and consultant to address any challenges or blockages that hinder progress.
• Weekly stakeholder meetings are convened to keep Matjhabeng abreast about the project.
• Performance of the contractor is managed as per the General Condition of Contract 2015 and unsatisfactory progress will be addressed as per the relevant clauses in the contract.

3. The total amount paid to the contractor by the DWS for phase 1(b) as at the end of June 2024 is R10 million.

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Reply:

 

The total number of tourists who visited the Republic from the following countries	2021-2022 Financial Year	2022-2023 Financial Year	2023-2024 Financial Year
(a) Brazil	6 871	17 458	33 087
(b) Argentina	913	3 178	4 320
(c) Russia	11 808	21 481	29 173
(d) India	22 302	64 100	79 628
(e) China	7 024	16 373	42 082
(f) Taiwan	895	2 142	3 808
(g) Iran	797	2 160	2 985
(h) United States of America	111 159	306 351	357 490
(i) United Kingdom	107 299	336 191	362 462
(j) Germany	81 978	220 699	254 132

(Source: Stats SA)

END

____________________

Ms Patricia de Lillle, MP

Minister of Tourism

Date: 7 August 2024

Reply:

(1) (a) Eight (8) members were appointed since April 2022.

(b) Two (2) appointed on 01 June 2022, one (1) appointed on 01 September 2022,

three (3) appointed on 01 December 2022, one (1) appointed on 01 June 2024, and one (1) appointed on 01 July 2024.

(2) Executive obligations regarding the appointment of Distributing Agency members are discharged in accordance with the Lotteries Act of 1997. I am informed by the department that the delays in the appointment of the Distributing Agency members were as a result of having to make sure that the candidates appointed are not tainted in any way and will stand the test of public scrutiny.

-END-

Reply:

a)  The progress relating to the construction of uMzimvubu Dam is indicated below:

• The access road to the dam site is 88 % complete
• The detailed designs for the dam were submitted to the Department’s Dam Safety Office (DSO) to obtain a Licence to construct in accordance with the National Water Act. The excavation of the dam foundation will commence once the License to construct has been issued by the DSO, which is envisaged to happen within the next two to three months.
• The Department’s Construction Unit has commenced with pre-construction activities and mobilised resources to implement site establishment (i.e. houses, water infrastructure for construction staff etc).

b) The budget estimate for the uMzimvubu Water Project is R 8 billion, which is inclusive of the dam development and associated works as well as critical water supply infrastructure to serve the communities. National Treasury has confirmed that DWS will be funded from the fiscus in this regard.

The Department is currently finalizing the appointment of a Professional Service Provider (PSP) to undertake a bridging study, where an assessment will be undertaken of the existing bulk and reticulation infrastructure versus the infrastructure requirements to uptake the additional raw water to be developed by the dam project, treat it and distribute the potable water to the various communities. This exercise will develop a pipeline of bulk and reticulation projects, to be implemented by the Water Services Authorities or an Implementing Agent to provide reliable potable water to the communities in the OR Tambo District Municipality.

The appointed PSP will then also align funding (MIG, RBIG, WSIG, BFI and internal revenue) to this pipeline of projects, culminating in a funded pipeline of projects, and develop a project implementation plan. The Department will then be in a position to establish the funding requirements for bulk and reticulation projects in the OR Tambo District Municipality.

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Reply:

a)  The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has resuscitated the Blue Drop Certification Programme to intensify regulation and monitoring of the municipalities regarding their provision of drinking water that is safe for human consumption. The Blue Drop Certification programme assesses municipalities on all regulatory requirements to check whether they comply with microbiological and chemical quality requirements as prescribed by SANS 241.

Municipalities are required to load their drinking water quality results for monitoring by the DWS through a web Integrated regulatory Information System (IRIS). This system serves as an early warning system. Whenever microbiological water quality results failures are detected, the IRIS sends automated emails to the municipalities for rectification and DWS regional offices for monitoring.

The Blue Drop assessment is an early warning system wherein, a municipality that is Blue Drop Certified has systems in place to identify risks and mitigate them before outbreaks can occur. However, systems that are categorised as critical systems are required to develop corrective action plans to turn around the situation. The corrective plans are also monitored to ensure compliance.

b) DWS requires municipalities to implement Water Safety Planning, which is a systematic process that aims to consistently ensure safe and acceptable drinking water by implementing integrated water quality management plans.

c) Notwithstanding the water safety planning processes, municipalities are also required to have Incident Management Protocol to deal with drinking water quality failures in an efficient and effective manner, using a consultative and transparent approach, for the protection of public health. In terms of SANS241 and the norms and standards issued by DWS under the Water Services Act, when the tests carried out by a municipality indicate that the water supplied poses a health risk, the municipality must inform its consumers that the quality of the water that it supplies poses a health risk.

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Reply:

a) The total cost for the Umzimvubu Dam project to date is R 493 million. The expenditure to date includes the following:

• Cost for Professional Services (design of the dam and associated infrastructure, environmental services, Occupational Health and Safety, and Construction Supervision)
• Project Management
• Construction
• Land Acquisition

b) The Department is currently finalizing the appointment of a Professional Service Provider (PSP) to undertake a bridging study, where an assessment will be undertaken of the existing bulk and reticulation infrastructure versus the infrastructure requirements to uptake the additional raw water to be developed by the dam project, treat it and distribute the potable water to the various communities. This exercise will develop a pipeline of bulk and reticulation projects, to be implemented by the Water Services Authorities or Implementing Agents to District Municipalities.

The appointed PSPs will then also align funding (MIG, RBIG, WSIG, BFI and internal revenue) to this pipeline of projects, culminating in a funded pipeline of projects, and develop a project implementation plan. The bulk and reticulation projects will then be incorporated into Water Services Development Plans (WSDP) and the Department will only recommend and approve grant funding based on the projects in the WSDPs, ensuring alignment between the plan and grant funding dispensed.

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Reply:

1.  (a-c) The Constitution assigns the responsibility of ensuring access to services for water and sanitation to municipalities. The role of the national and provincial government is to support, monitor and regulate local government.

(i) As the regulator of the water sector DWS is required to set regulatory rules, norms and standards for municipal water and sanitation services in terms of the National Water Act and the Water Services Act. This responsibility includes monitoring compliance to the norms and standards and taking appropriate measures to correct and address non-compliance by municipalities which have the responsibility to provide clean water to communities. The Department is actively intervening in poorly performing municipalities and action plans have been agreed upon to address water supply shortages and sanitation challenges. In terms of its mandate the DWS:

• Conducts regular inspections on the operation and maintenance of Water Supply Systems (WSS) including Water Treatment Works (WTW), pumps stations, and the entire supply network in all the Water Service Institutions.
• Collects samples of drinking water from WTW for analysis on a quarterly basis to monitor whether drinking water supplied to consumers is compliant with the South African National Standard (SANS 241); a drinking water specification that specifies minimum requirements for potable water to be considered safe for human consumption.
• In terms of SANS 241, municipalities are required to monitor the microbiological and chemical quality of the water provided to residents at specified intervals, including hourly, daily, weekly, fortnightly and monthly tests of various types. When the tests carried out by a municipality indicate that the water supplied poses a health risk, the municipality must inform its consumers that the quality of the water that it supplies poses a health risk.

(ii) There is a projected 17% deficit in water demand and supply by 2030 and so South Africa cannot afford to continue to install sewered water borne system in all households across the country to address sanitation backlogs. There is therefore an urgent need to adopt and implement alternative sanitation systems that minimize the use of water resources and that do not require expensive and difficult to maintain WWTW. In efforts to support provision of safe sanitation by municipalities, the DWS developed the National Sanitation Framework (NSF) which was adopted by Cabinet in 2023. The NSF provides for a Minimum Level of Service that makes provision for equivalent alternative sanitation solutions (such as innovative off-grid/non-sewered, on-site treatment or waterless/low water use sanitation technologies), while conforming to standards set by recognized institutions.

(iii) Interventions include amendment of legislation and strengthening of regulatory measures which are intended to improve the capacity of Water Service Authorities to operate, maintain and manage assets for existing infrastructure. Other measures to facilitate access to safe water, infrastructure upgrades and investment in rural and peri-urban areas include:

• Provision of financial support to municipalities by the DWS and COGTA in terms of the grant framework. Implementation of grant funded projects will improve the reliability of water supply and sanitation services to all households in South Africa through the development of municipal water and sanitation infrastructure to address backlogs. This also includes refurbishment of existing infrastructure that is no longer functioning optimally.
• Implementation of bulk water resource projects aimed at ensuring water security measures are being implemented by the DWS throughout the country. These include regional, inter-basin and transboundary transfer schemes/ systems entailing large dams, canals, pump stations, tunnels and pipelines. The department is also advocating for diversified water resources through as an example, groundwater development, wastewater treatment to domestic standard, desalination from sea water, and water conservation through efficient operation and maintenance of infrastructure to reduce water leaks.

2. The National Water Act is being amended to ensure that Historically Disadvantaged Individuals (HDIs) are given priority in allocation of water and to provide for the Regulations to prescribe the criteria that must be considered when redressing the results of past racial and gender discrimination in relation to water use. All authorisations issued by the department have conditions under which their use can be exercised. Compliance with these conditions and that all water use is authorised is monitored by the Catchment Management Agencies (CMAs). Where non-compliance or unlawful use are detected or reported the department has administrative enforcement powers to bring users into compliance. Where these are not successful or where there is gross negligence, the department and the CMAs have peace officer powers to conduct criminal investigations and engage with the National Prosecuting Authority. Further proposed amendments of the National Water Act include additional offenses and stronger penalties as well as personal liability of Directors of Companies and Municipal Managers.

3. The Constitution assigns the responsibility of ensuring access to water and sanitation services to local government (municipalities). The DWS is responsible for implementation of Sanitation projects through Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant (RBIG) and Water Services Infrastructure Grant (WSIG) and is currently implementing 137 sanitation projects across all provinces. This constitutes of 117 projects through WSIG and 20 through RBIG.

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Reply:

1. The audit outcomes of the dtic and its entities are available on their respective annual reports. The management reports are for management to enhance their internal control environment. Audit outcomes for the past three financial years have been provided in Annexure A.

(2)

a) The awarding and issuing of the National Lotteries Licence (“Licence”) is regulated under the Lotteries Act (Act no. 57 of 1997) (“Lotteries Act”). On 7 August 2023, Notice No. 1951 of 2023 was published in Government Gazette No.49091, calling on interest parties who wish to operate the National Lottery and Sports Pools to apply for access to a copy of the RFP for the Fourth National Lottery and National Sports Pools Licence. The RFP document was issued to the market on 31 August 2023.The closing date for receipt of applications was 3 February 2024.

b) There are currently no shortlisted candidates as the evaluation process is still underway. A total of eight (8) applications have been received.

c) The names of the Evaluation Committee appointed by the NLC are not published in order to protect the evaluation process from risks associated with their identities becoming public.

d) Members of the NLC Board and all external advisors on the RFP process have been required to complete a Conflict-of-Interest Declaration to ensure that they do not have any indirect or direct interest, financial or otherwise, which could reasonably be expected to compromise them and the NLC in the performance of their functions and impede their ability to conduct their duties independently.

e) The NLC Board is enjoined in terms of the Lotteries Act to amongst others approve, determine, oversee, or revise the broad policy framework within which the NLC must perform its functions, and to ensure that the NLC performs its functions in accordance with principles of transparency and accountability, which are free from personal bias, obligation, allegiance or favouritism. The Board is therefore committed to ensuring that the highest levels of probity are maintained within the NLC. The NLC’s Ethics and Conflict of Interest Policy is strictly enforced by the Board and the terms of the Lotteries Act and the RFP Document have been closely followed throughout to ensure that the integrity of the licensing process and integrity is not and will not be compromised.

f) The RFP Document does not contemplate a process of interviews to be conducted.

ANNEXURE A

Audit Outcomes for the departments and its entities.

	Institution	2022/23	2021/22	2020/21
1	The department of Trade Industry and Competition (the dtic)
2	Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC)
3	Companies Tribunal
4	Competition Commission
5	Competition Tribunal
6	Export Credit Insurance Corporation (ECIC)
7	National Metrology Institute of South Africa (NMISA)
8	National Consumer Commission (NCC)
9	National Consumer Tribunal (NCT
10	National Credit Regulator (NCR)
11	National Regulator for Compulsory Specification (NRCS)
12	National Gambling Board (NGB)
13	South African National Accreditation System (SANAS)
14	The Takeover Regulation Panel (TRP)		Listed on 28 March 2023	N/A
15	International Trade Administration Commission (ITAC)
16	National Empowerment Fund (NEF)
17	South African Bureau of Standards (SABS)
18	National Lotteries Commission (NLC)
19	Industrial Development Corporation (IDC)
20	Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) Commission - operates under the dtic and its finances are under the dtic.	N/A	N/A	N/A

 

Unqualified/ No material findings (Clean Audit)

Unqualified with material findings

Qualified

Reply:

No, the Minister has not studied the submissions made at the Mpondoland Cannabis Belt founding summit held in Port St Johns in October 2023 as this information has not been made available to the Department.

In the absence of a legislative framework on the commercialisation of cannabis, the Department cannot express a view on the submissions or plans. The Department is consulting the province to determine their plans and measures that have been put in place to assist small scale cannabis farmers in regions like Alfred Nzo District Municipality, but cannabis remains illegal and thus the activities of the Department are limited to hemp.

Reply:

a) The Restitution Land Claim is against the State, therefore funding for the settlement of the claim emanates from the National Fiscus.

b) The Accounting Officer of the Department of Land Reform and Rural Development will undertake necessary engagement processes with the National Treasury regarding increase contribution to the settlement of land claims.

Reply:

(a) The export value of agricultural products surged to R55.8 billion in Quarter 1:2024, marking a 14.4% increase relative to Quarter 1: 2023. The strong export earnings were attained despite obstacles in our ports and in key export markets. The import value of agricultural products rose to R29.8 billion, marking a 2.4% increase relative to Quarter 1: 2023. On a quarter-on-quarter basis, South Africa experienced a notable 9.2% growth in net exports of agricultural commodities, while comparing Quarter 1:2023 and Quarter 1: 2024, South Africa recorded a notable 31.9% growth in net exports of agricultural commodities. The 31.9% growth in net exports of agricultural commodities is driven by a 14.4% increase in exports of grapes, apples and maize emerging as the top export products dominating the export list.

(b) The National Agricultural Marketing Council established that about 8.1% of commercial agricultural production was produced by black farmers between 2015 and 2019, and the rest were white farmers. This has gradually increased to 10.3% between 2019 and 2023.

Total Net Exports of Agricultural products in Quarter 1:2024 is R26 048 372 000.

The total net amount from black-owned production is R26 829 823 16.

Reply:

a) The Department initiated a process to address and reduce Late Registration of Birth(LRB) through the following steps:

1. By reviewing the legislation that deals with Late Registration of Birth.
2. This was followed by stringent measures for those who visited the department to apply for this category of birth registration.
3. Hereafter a campaign was launched to further emphasise the importance of birth registration within 30 days. This was ramped up with the deployment of mobile units to far-flung rural areas for birth registrations services.

b) For the Department to completely eradicate LRB’s, an Optimisation rollout strategy was developed to automate the birth registration process in ensuring connectivity and automation at health facilities. The Department has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Department of Health (DoH) to ensure that each child is allocated with a birth certificate on the spot, by registering birth at health facilities. The objective is to have all health facilities connected to Home Affairs systems in ensuring that all births which occurred at a health facility are registered before discharge and within 30 days as prescribed in the Births and Deaths Registration Act 51, of 1992 (amendment Act, Act 18 of 2010). The DHA will continue to expand access to services at health facilities with maternity wards over the medium term. Concerted efforts will be made to encourage the public to register births and deaths at hospitals in order to release pressure on conventional DHA offices. The plan was developed based on birth occurrences per health facility. The plan in this regard is staggered over a 5-year period and is envisaged to be completed by 2024/25. The early registration of birth will also reduce the need for late registration of birth applications. It is thus expected that this plan will ultimately assist in addressing challenges with birth registrations.

END.

Reply:

The relationship of the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) and the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) is defined in terms of a collaboration agreement entered in 2022. This agreement identifies the following main collaborative areas:

• implementation of the agricultural pillar of the bio-economy strategy of DSI through the Agriculture Bio-economy Innovation Partnership Programme (ABIPP);
• plant and animal improvement, including breeding and genome sequencing;
• implementing human capital development;
• biosecurity;
• bio-innovation in support of nutrition security;
• sustainable natural resources management; and
• digital knowledge platforms.

More than 30 initiatives have been implemented under the ABIPP including multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary research in support of the agricultural sector. These initiatives include:

• enterprise development of orange flesh sweet potato;
• honeybush research and development project;
• crop improvement programme for grains and oil seeds;
• soybean food and nutrition programme;
• cape aloe project; and
• other farmer development projects.

DALRRD and DSI, in collaboration with the private sector, are also sponsoring the national biosecurity hub which works jointly work toward ensuring biosecurity threats are identified and dealt with timely and appropriately through:

• pest risk analyses;
• coordinating pest surveillance and pest alert systems;
• biosecurity training; and
• human capital development.

The development of a digital information hub for the collation of pest information in South Africa is another key output of the collaboration between DALRRD and DSI.

Reply:

(1)(a) In 2019, the National Agricultural Marketing Council (NAMC) measured black farmers' contribution (i.e. Africans, Coloured, and Asians) to total commercial production. The NAMC established that about 8.1% of commercial agricultural production was produced by black farmers between 2015 and 2019, and the rest were white farmers. This has gradually increased to 10.3% between 2019 and 2023. Industries such as sugar, red meat, wool, and mohair have a relatively high volume of production from black farmers while fruit and grain commodities are lagging. This partly illustrates the high barrier costs emanating from land and capital requirements to enter grain and fruit production as compared to the animal industry. The breakdown per major commodity is provided in Table 1 below, which averaged at around 8,2% of black farmer share.

Table:1 Black farmer’s contribution to agriculture output

Source: NAMC

(1)(b) 20% of food is accounted for by smallholder farmers, while 80% is from commercial farmers.

(2)(a)(i),(ii),(iii),(iv) The Labour Force Employment statistics by Statistics South Africa (Stats) SA do not show a breakdown by race and foreign nationals at industry levels. Total employment in agriculture is 941 390. (Source: Stats SA).

(2)(b) Please refer to the table below.

Province	Employment in agriculture
Western Cape	215 106
Eastern Cape	99 181
Northern Cape	54 098
Free State	78 571
KwaZulu-Natal	142 695
North West	77 438
Gauteng	46 807
Mpumalanga	104 604
Limpopo	122 889

Source: Stats SA.

Reply:

I have been advised that:

1. The performance and sustainability of MSMEs and Co-operatives have been impacted by factors such as: the low economic growth environment, structural impediments (load-shedding, poor infrastructure especially at local government, crime, etc), high-interest environment and its impact on the cash-flow performance of the MSMEs and administered pricing. This has significantly affected the majority of the MSMEs especially those that are in the start-up phases.
2. As part of the Small Enterprise Finance Agency (sefa) business processes, sefa monitors the performance of the clients after approval of funds into businesses, this is performed through the sefa Post Investment Monitoring division. The processes include monitoring whether businesses achieve their projected sales and ensuring that the funded businesses are viable, sustainable and achieve the targeted jobs. During the monitoring processes, the accounts are graded into three categories, good, performing and portfolio at risk (PaR). The good accounts category are those accounts that are up to date with their payments, the performing category refers to those with arrears of between 31-60 days and the PaR category refer to those with arrears of more than 61 days.
3. Depending on the category, these accounts are afforded different interventions such as close monitoring, restructuring and providing value-added service and mentorship. Restructuring interventions include extending the client’s loan terms, extending more money to these businesses where necessary and providing them with payment breaks.
4. Based on the monitoring results, the Post Investment Monitoring Division and Lending Business have monthly regional meetings to share the performance on funded transactions, challenges, lessons learnt and collections statics, to improve on quality of the deals and transactions.
5. sefa has put more focus on entrepreneurial assessment to determine the suitability of entrepreneurs applying for funding. As part of our due diligence process and as part of the credit assessment, the character behind the business which sefa is considering for funding is one of the most important elements in ensuring the success of the businesses being considered for funding. The entrepreneurial assessment checklist is being used.
6. In addition to that, the following interventions are implemented to improve the quality of applications received:
   1. Targeted business development initiatives are done, often in collaboration with key partners in the MSME ecosystem (such as business chambers).
   2. Value chain financing by targeting MSMEs that benefit from opportunities created by corporates (e.g. commodity groups in agriculture).
   3. Building relationships with credible franchisors.
   4. Partnerships with entities that provide opportunities to MSMEs through their procurement spent.
7. sefa management together with the Regional Managers and Heads of Departments / Divisions at sefa are involved in the Project Bhatala, which aims to increase collections. sefa continues to list defaulting clients on the credit bureaus to assist with the recoveries.