Questions and Replies

Reply:

(1)(a) The first phase of the experimental fishery ran for 5 years from 2004 until 2009.  The permit holder held permits in this fishery, along with a further 14 permit holders in 8 areas with 2 vessels per area.  The second phase was ‘relaxed’ to an exploratory fishery for a further 5 years from 2012 until 2017 (last permit expires at the end of February 2018).  Although the exploratory fishery is set to run for 5 years, permits are issued only for 12 months at a time (this is the maximum length of time allowed for a permit to be issued under the Marine Living Resources Act).

(1)(b) Catch rates have been in the order of 600kg-1000kg per trip (typically between 8 and 20 days duration), but this varies greatly with soak times and weather conditions.

(1)(c) Market trials have been undertaken in Australia, the USA, Europe, and there has also been testing of the local market.

(2)(a-d) All of this information is captured in the mandatory catch returns which are sent to the Department after each trip.  In addition, Departmental scientists also independently verify information on size composition and sex ratio through sampling on board during fishing operations and at factory facilities.

(2)(e) Local community training is not a permit condition in this fishery, although training of skippers and crew has taken place on the initiative of the permit holder.

(3)(a) Monthly trips are undertaken either on fishing trips or to factory facilities to verify the data provided and collect additional biological data and samples.

(3)(b) There was very little fishing during the first phase of the experimental fishery, and as a result insufficient data were collected for meaningful analysis.  For the second phase, the fishery was therefore ‘relaxed’ to an exploratory fishery in an attempt to remove the obstacles that had made it difficult for permit holders to active their permits.  No assessment has been conducted as yet as the exploratory fishery still has just under a year until completion, and the assessment will be conducted once the exploratory fishery is completed and all the data are available. 

(4)(a) The exploratory fishery will terminate at the end of February 2018.  Once the assessment is completed an evaluation will be made as to whether a further exploratory phase is required or whether a decision can be made regarding the likely viability of a commercial fishery.  It is recognised that the assessment may take some time, and consideration is still to be given as to whether to continue with interim exploratory fishing until the results of the assessment are available

(4)(b) All areas will be assessed at the same time with the available information, although given the distribution of data, it is likely that sufficient information for decision-making will only be available for the False Bay area.  The length of time for the assessment to be undertaken is uncertain – this will be dependent on the availability of, and workloads on, Departmental scientists in 2018.

Reply:

(i) (ii) see the link for reply: https://pmg.org.za/files/RNW1068Annexure-170522.docx

(aa) (bb) (b) (i) Attached as Annexure A

(ii) Attached as Annexure B

Reply:

The Cropping around SPRINGBOKPAN AGRIPARK in the past two financial years are for 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 are as follows as a summary;

1. 2015/2016: Maize - 977ha and Sunflower -5 126.6ha
2. 2016/2017: October to December 2016 ( Maize- 2 299ha , Sunflower - 3 174ha, 30ha - Vegetables)
3. 2016/2017: January to March 2017 (Maize - 660ha, and Sunflower- 2 832ha).

See attached POE'S as verification.

Reply:

1. I was briefed by the Minister of Health on Life Esidimeni on 1 February 2017, which was immediately after the release of the report on the matter by the Health Ombud, Professor Malegapuru Makgoba. Immediately after this briefing, on behalf of the government, I extended our deepest condolences to the families of psychiatric patients who died so tragically in Gauteng.

2. The investigation that was conducted by the Health Ombud was comprehensive and sufficient with regard to assisting government with information to deal with the matters at hand. As such I am not intending to establish a Commission of Inquiry.

Reply:

The issue of Tax is a confidential matter between the South African Revenue Services and the Tax payer.

Reply:

One of the stumbling blocks to sport development and improving access to participation opportunities has been the absence of an accurate database of sport and recreation facilities. The Department of Sport and Recreation South Africa is thus commencing with a full-scale facilities audit in the 2017/18 financial year. In this period a comprehensive audit will be done in one Province, namely Gauteng. It is expected that the audit of all Provinces will straddle over a number of financial years. Once the audit is complete only then will specific and reliable data be available with regard to the condition of each facility and its location.

Reply:

No. The two Ministers represented the National Executive in these proceedings. As the Honourable Member clearly points out in his question, this was a Government decision, based on legal advice from highly competent lawyers.

Reply:

(1) Currently, there are no vacancies in the positions of (a) chief executive officer, (b) chief financial officer and/or (c) chief operating officer in the entities reporting to the Department of Sport and Recreation South Africa.

Therefore (i) and (ii); (2) (a) and (b); and (3) (a), (b) and (c) fall away.

Reply:

Minister of Public Works:

The Department does not intend to repair, upgrade or renovate any property on the President’s private property at Nkandla.

(a) Not applicable.

(b) Not applicable.

Reply:

I have on several occasions, including in a reply to a written Parliamentary Question (No. 347), publicly stated that South Africa indeed nominated Mr Nhlanhla Nene for the position of Head of the African Regional Centre of the New Development Bank, also known as the BRICS Bank. No further action is being taken in this regard as Mr Nene subsequently accepted a position in the private sector.

Reply:

Mr PJ Gordhan is no longer the Minister of Finance.

The Minister of Finance, Mr Malusi Gigaba and the SARS Commissioner, Mr Tom Moyane, have a good working relationship. There is no longer a need for mediation.

Reply:

I would like to plead with the Honourable Member to grant the administration an extension of a period not exceeding a further 10 working days to source the correct information to enable me to respond to the question.

Reply:

I am empowered by Section 178(1) (j) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, (the Constitution) as Head of the National Executive to designate four persons to serve on the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), after consulting the leaders of all the parties in the National Assembly.

Members of the JSC that I have designated serve until I replace them in terms of Section 178(3) of the Constitution. The three members served in that capacity since 2009 and I decided to replace them to enable others a chance to also serve on the JSC. I would also like to once more express my gratitude to the three members for the immeasurable contribution they have made during their tenure.

Reply:

1. (a) No

    (b) No

2. (a) & (b): Over the years, before the removal of the former Minister of Finance Mr Pravin Gordhan from office, the Department of Energy has been undertaking the preparations for the rollout of the Nuclear New Build Programme (NNPB). As part of these preparations, the Government has entered into Intergovernmental Agreements (IGAs) with nuclear vendor countries. These IGAs cover a broad range of areas for potential cooperation. Amongst others, the IGAs cover the use of nuclear energy for electricity generation including the design, construction, operation and decommissioning of nuclear power plants in South Africa.

It should however be noted that the Western Cape High Court has recently reviewed and set aside the decision of the Minister of Energy of 10 June 2015 to table some of these Intergovernmental Agreements before Parliament in terms of Section 231(3) of the Constitution.

(i) South Korea, USA, China, France and Russia.

(ii) The IGAs have no financial implications attached to any of them because they are cooperation agreements.

Reply:

1. I established the IMC on Comprehensive Social Security in 2015 consisting of five Ministers (the first five Ministers listed under 2a below). Early this year, I took a decision to reconstitute this IMC to include other Ministers (as listed below).

 (a) Twice.

 (b) (i) & (ii) 9 September 2015 in Cape Town and 12 May 2017 in Pretoria.

 (c) The main agenda of the IMC is to address existing policy gaps by developing a responsive social protection system for South Africa as envisaged in Chapter 11 of the National Development Plan (Vision 2030). The IMC’s agenda also entails taking forward the Social Security Reform Discussion Paper.

2. (a) The following nine Ministers are Members of the IMC:

• Minister of Social Development
• Minister of Finance
• Minister of Labour
• Minister of Health
• Minister of Transport
• Minister of Home Affairs
• Minister of Telecommunications and Postal Services
• Minister of Communications
• Minister of State Security

 (b) The IMC was previously co-chaired by the Ministers of Finance and Social Development. However since its reconstitution, I am the Chairperson of the IMC.

Reply:

1. Mr PJ Gordhan is no longer the Minister of Finance.

The Minister of Finance, Mr Malusi Gigaba and the SARS Commissioner, Mr Tom Moyane, have a good working relationship. There is no longer a need for mediation.

2. In light of the response under (1), this question is no longer relevant.

Reply:

The following information was received from the Provincial Department of Co-operative Governance, Human Settlements, and Traditional Affairs (CoGHSTA) in Limpopo.

a) and b)

(i) Bela-Bela Local Municipality is owed by the following departments:

Departments	Amount	Payment received in March 2017
National Public Works	R202,130.42	R0.00
Provincial Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure	0.00	R0.00
Agriculture	R14,206.00	R0.00
Education	R1,463,428.37	R500 000.00
Rural Development and Land Reform	R0.00	R0.00
TOTAL:	R1 679 764.79	R500 000.00

c) The above amounts are owed since 2011.

d) The reason for non-payment is that there are government properties that are built on communal land and some properties are not registered.

e) In the last Debt Verification session held with Bela-Bela Local Municipality, the Departments owing indicated that they will pay some of the outstanding debt by 31 March 2017. Only the Department of Education honoured the commitment to pay and an amount of R500 000.00 was paid by 31 March 2017.

The National Department of Co-operative Governance (DCoG) was able to collect information from the following local municipalities:

• Lephalale Local Municipality
• Lim 368 (i.e. former Modimolle and Mookgophong Local Municipalities)
• Thabazimbi Local Municipality

a) and b)

(ii) Lephalale Local Municipality is owed the amounts reflected on the link below by the following departments:

https://pmg.org.za/files/RNW626Table-170522.pdf

c) The above amounts have been owed for more than 150 days.

d) The municipality has not provided the reasons for non-payment.

e) Information regarding when the amounts will be paid has not been submitted.

a) and b)

(iii) Lim 368 (i.e. Modimolle and Mookgophong LMs) is owed by the following departments (see link below):

https://pmg.org.za/files/RNW626Department-170522.pdf

c) The above amounts have been owed for more than a year (1yr).

d) The municipality has not provided any reasons for non-payment.

e) Information regarding when the amounts will be paid has not been submitted.

a) and b)

(iv) Thabazimbi LM is owed by the following departments:see link below

https://pmg.org.za/files/RNW626ThabazimbiLM-170522.pdf

c) Some of the amounts have been outstanding since March 2008.

d) The municipality has not provided the reasons for non-payment.

e) Information regarding when the amounts will be paid has not been submitted.

Reply:

(a) None.

(b)(i), (ii) Not applicable.

Reply:

1. The Conditions of Appointment are derived from or are linked to the salaries and conditions of service which apply to comparable (identified) Senior Management positions in the Public Service. Due to this link, I will be able to issue the 2017 Annual Determination once the cost of living adjustment for Members of the Senior Management Service for 2017 has been determined by the Minister for Public Service and Administration, after consultation with the Minister of Finance.

2. The Conditions of Appointment, inclusive of remuneration and conditions of service, applicable to members of the Public Service Commission are derived from or are linked to the salaries and conditions of service which apply to comparable (identified) Senior Management positions in the Public Service. The conditions of service of Senior Managers in the Public Service are determined by the Minister for the Public Service and Administration. Despite the linking of the salary dispensation of Members of the Public Service Commission with the Senior Management Service, the salary progression measures (notch increases) introduced for the SMS in 2002 for implementation with effect from 1 April 2003 were not extended to Commissioners.

(3) The Conditions of Appointment applicable to Members of the Public Service Commission provide for an Inclusive Flexible Remuneration Package for members of the Public Service Commission. This package consists of the basic salary (70% of the package), the State’s contribution to the Government Employees Pension Fund (13% of the pensionable salary) and a flexible portion. The flexible portion can be used for a motor car allowance, 13th cheque, medical assistance, housing allowance or non-pensionable cash allowance. It should however be noted that the total amount structured for these benefits must equal the amount available in the flexible portion of the Member’s package.

Reply:

1. As at 15 December 2016, information at our disposal indicates that 7 municipalities have established 49 Special Rating Areas (SRAs) between them in terms of section 22 of the Local Government: Municipal Property Rates Act, Act 6 of 2004 (“the Act”). The 7 municipalities are Breede Valley, City of Cape Town, eThekwini, KwaDukuza, Mossel Bay, Stellenbosch, and Nelson Mandela Metro.

2. Taking into account that the establishment of SRAs is a voluntary arrangement, we are not in a position to provide an independent authoritative view because we have not undertaken an assessment of whether the 49 SRAs that have been established by the 7 municipalities have achieved the objectives for which they were voluntarily established for.

Section 22(2) of the Act requires a municipality to consult and “obtain the consent of the majority of the members of the local community in the proposed special rating area who will be liable for paying the additional rate”. Accordingly, it is reasonable to conclude that if the majority of the affected members of the community are of the view that the SRA is not achieving its objectives, they can call for its dissolution. In this regard, the policies of all 7 municipalities provide for the municipality to dissolve the SRA upon written application by the majority of the owners of rateable properties within the SRA.

The establishment of SRAs is normally initiated by property owners (and not by municipalities) who make proposals to municipalities and these are established for a fixed period, which is ordinarily not more than five years, but their geographic boundaries and life spans can be amended by the municipality after consultations with the affected property owners if the majority are in favour of such amendment.

3. Following from (2) above, we are not in a position to answer this question at this point in time.

 

 

Reply:

The Honourable Member will recall that the DA approached the Cape Town High Court on this matter. I am therefore not in a position to comment further on it. The Court must be given an opportunity to deal with the matter.

Reply:

(aa) The following vehicles were used by Minister Fikile Mbalula and Deputy Minister Gert Oosthuizen in the (aaa) 2014-15 and the (bbb) 2015-16 financial years:

Vehicles utilised from Pretoria office base

	(i) Minister	(ii) Deputy Minister
(a) Make	Mercedes Benz	Mercedes Benz
(b) Model	ML 500	E500
(c) Price	R940 885.80	R928 161.77
(d) Date of acquisition	07 July 2011	20 March 2013

Vehicles utilised from Cape Town office base

	Minister	Deputy Minister
(a) Make	Mercedes Benz	BMW
(b) Model	ML500	530D
(c) Price	R 935 871.60	R 843 369.00
(d) Date of acquisition	05 October 2011	12 October 2011

(bb) Information for the motor vehicles used by the Minister Fikile Mbalula and Deputy Minister Gert Oosthuizen from 01 April 2016 is as follows:

Vehicles utilised from Pretoria office base

	Minister	Deputy Minister
(a) Make	BMW	Mercedes Benz
(b) Model	X5	E500
(c) Price	R902 529.99	R928 161.77
(d) Dates	07 July 2015	20 March 2013

Vehicles utilised from Cape Town office base

	Minister	Deputy Minister
(a) Make	Mercedes Benz	BMW
(b) Model	ML500	530D
(c) Price	R 935 871.60	R 843 369.00
(d) Date	05 October 2011	12 October 2011

Reply:

This information will be made available to Parliament when the Bill is introduced.

Reply:

Date Applied for permission	Nature of Gift	Value of a gift	Name of Organisation offered the gift	Name of the person offered the gift	Permission Granted
22/01/2010	Leather/Crome Magazine Stand	Not Specified	Not specified	Not specified	Permission granted
26/01/2011	1 X Jewellery Box and Clash Bag	R2 400.00	Dimension Data	Not specified	Permission granted
11/11/2011	1 X Painting Art Works 1 X Xhosa Traditional Attire	R15 000.00 R1 500.00	John Adams Artists in Port Elizabeth Community Development Association Steering Committee	Not specified Not specified	Permission granted Permission granted
25/04/2013	1 X iPhone5 Cell phone	R9 499.00	CellC	Mr Knott Craig	Permission granted
18/06/2015	6 X Bottles of Red Wine 1 X Isichumo	R120.00 each R2 500.00	His Majesty King Goodwill Zwelithini His Majesty King Goodwill Zwelithini		Permission granted Permission granted
14/12/2016	1 X 3 year old Bonsmara Bull	R60 000.00	G T Molefe Farming in Harrismith	Not specified	Permission granted

Reply:

The expenditure was mainly incurred by the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and the expenditure toward the bid for the 2022 Commonwealth Games is being verified. The information asked for by the Honourable Member shall be provided before long.

Reply:

Minister of Public Works:

(a) The Department has not conducted any comprehensive building condition assessments regarding infrastructure repairs, except for an assessment of the structural damage to one of the security features at the private residence of the President, Mr Jacob G Zuma, in Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal. The South African Police Service (SAPS) conducted a physical assessment of the security features at the said premises.

(b) The Department has not conducted any maintenance assessments of the security upgrades at the private residence of the President, Mr Jacob G Zuma, in Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal. The position is that the Department will assess and consider such if requested and permitted by the owners if necessary.

(a)(i) The assessment of the structural damage to one of the security features was conducted on 29 June 2016 and the physical assessment of the security features was done by the SAPS on 30 March 2015.

(a)(ii) The assessment of the structural damage to one of the security features was done by the Department and the physical assessment of the security features was done by the SAPS.

(a)(iii) Not Applicable

(a)(iv) Regarding the assessment of the structural damage to one of the security features, there was no indication that there is more infrastructure repair required. Regarding the physical assessment of the security features done by the SAPS, the question should be addressed to the SAPS.

(a)(v) A cost estimate has not been done regarding the repair of the structural damage to the said security feature. Regarding a cost estimate relating to the physical assessment of the security features done by the SAPS, the question should be addressed to the SAPS.

(a)(vi) The work on the infrastructure repairs to the said security feature has not commenced. Regarding work relating to the physical assessment of the security features done by the SAPS, the question should be addressed to the SAPS.

(b)(i) – (vi) Not Applicable.

Reply:

The department is still trying to collate all the relevant information from other Divisions and Provinces in order to give accurate response which will soon be provided.

Reply:

(a)(i) The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs

did not undertake directly.

(aa) any drilling and/ or installation of boreholes

(bb) any refurbishment of boreholes

(cc) any equipping of boreholes.

(ii) According to the information received from the municipalities,

(aa) drilled and/ or installed 33 boreholes

(bb) refurbished 3 boreholes

(cc) equipped no borehole.

Only Mpumalanga and Northern Cape reported information on boreholes completed as indicated in the table below. All other provinces had not completed any work on boreholes since November 2016.

Province	Municipality	a. How many boreholes
		ii (aa). Drilled	ii (bb). Refurbished	ii (cc). equipped
Mpumalanga	Govan Mbeki LM	24	0	0
	Lekwa LM	6	0	0
Northern Cape	Ga-Segonyana	3	2	0
	Gamagara	0	1	0
TOTAL		33	3	0

Reference: A detailed list is attached in Annexure A.

(b): (aa) drilling and/ or installation of 33 borehole amounts R 6593 564.21

(bb) refurbishment of 3 boreholes amounts R 299 850.00

(cc) as there was no equipping of boreholes, no cost incurred.

Reference: A detailed list is attached in Annexure A.

(c): Expenditure were funded from MIG of the Department of Cooperative Governance and MWIG of the Department of Water and Sanitation

The details of funding are as given hereunder

(aa) drilling and/ or installation costs of total R 6 593 564.21, MIG provided total R 6 057 499,21 (Mpumalanga got R 6 057 499.21 and Northern Cape got R 264 390.00). MWIG provided the rest R 536 065.00 which went to Northern Cape alone.

(bb) refurbishment costs of total R 299 850.00 was provided by MWIG and Northern Cape got all of it.

(cc) No cost was incurred.

Reference: A detailed list is attached in Annexure A.

(d): The companies to which the contracts were awarded to were:

1. M/s Sandmix Construction and Development and M/s Asdu Trading got the contracts for Mpumalanga municipalities and
2. M/s Kimopax/ Gobora Drilling AB Pumps Contractors gt the contrats of Northern Cape municipalities

Reference: A detailed list is attached in Annexure A.

(e): The boreholes location details are given in Annexure A.

Reply:

(a) (i),(ii) The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform received and processed 47 applications for the registration of Communal Property Associations from the 2016-17 financial year to date.

(aa),(bb) Breakdown per province appears below:

• Eastern Cape : 6 applications approved
• Free State : 1 application approved
• KwaZulu-Natal : 5 applications approved
• Limpopo : 1 application approved
• Mpumalanga : 15 applications approved
• Northern Cape : 6 applications approved
• North West : 9 applications approved
• Western Cape : 4 applications approved

(b) (i) (aa) All 47 applications received were approved.

(bb) None. The Department is not rejecting CPA applications, but returns them for corrections if they are non-compliant with registration requirements prescribed by the Communal Property Associations Act, 1996 (Act No 28 of 1996).

(ii) Breakdown per province of non-compliant applications returned to the Provincial Offices for corrections and later approved appears below:

• Eastern Cape : 4
• KwaZulu-Natal : 3
• Limpopo : 1
• Mpumalanga : 2
• North West : 4
• Western Cape : 2

Reply:

1. The people named by the honourable member are not registered as military veterans since they have not submitted the prescribed application forms and supporting documents in order to be registered. The said application forms as well as the details of the required supporting documents are available at the Department of Military Veterans and on the website; www.dmv.gov.za including the call centre, 080 2323 244.

Reply:

a) what is the name of each such facility

• Kgoši Mampuru II Management Area
• Johannesburg Management Area
• Durban Westville Management Area
• St Albans Management Area
• Pollsmoor Management Area
• Modderbee Management Area
• Waterval Management Area
• Krugersdorp Management Area
• Groenpunt Management Area

(b) what is the name of each such facility,

Kgoši Mampuru II Management Area:

• Female
• Central male
• Local male
• Maximum male
• ODI
• Atteridgeville

Johannesburg Management Area

• Female
• Medium A male
• Medium B male
• Medium C Male

Durban Westville Management Area

• Durban Juvenile
• Female
• Medium A male
• Medium B male
• Medium C male
• Umzinto

St Albans Management Area

• Maximum male
• Medium A male
• Medium B male
• Port Elizabeth
• Patensie

Pollsmoor Management Area

• Female
• Admission maximum male
• Medium A male
• Medium B male
• Medium C male

Modderbee Management Area

• Male
• Devon male
• Nigel male

Waterval Management Area

• Ekuseni
• Medium A
• Medium B
• Utrecht
• Newcastle

Krugersdorp Management Area

• Male
• Youth

Groenpunt Management Area

• Maximum
• Medium
• Youth

(c) on what basis was each contract awarded,

• All bids received were evaluated and adjudicated per Management Area in accordance with the requirements stipulated in the terms of reference document, the evaluation criteria stipulated in the special conditions of contract and in accordance with the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act (PPPFA) and its regulations.

• The contracts were awarded according to PPPFA Regulations of 2011 paragraph 6. (5) which stipulates the following “Subject to regulation 7, the contract must be awarded to the tenderer who scores the highest total number of points”.

• The successful bidders scored the highest total number of points on price and BBBEE per Management Area and were awarded as such.

(d) what is the

(i) duration and

• Thirty six (36) months except for Groenpunt Management Area which is twenty four (24) months.

(ii) total cost of each contract and

• Kgoši Mampuru II Management Area R79 570 023.17 annual cost (Bosasa Operations (Pty) Ltd

• Johannesburg Management Area R87 761 625.66 annual cost (Bosasa Operations (Pty) Ltd

• Durban Westville Management Area R98 116 612.24 annual cost (Bosasa Operations (Pty) Ltd

• St Albans Management Area R63 212 769.42 annual cost (Bosasa Operations (Pty) Ltd

• Pollsmoor Management Area R79 184 387.50 annual cost (Bosasa Operations (Pty) Ltd

• Modderbee Management Area R49 444 048.90 annual cost (Bosasa Operations (Pty) Ltd

• Waterval Management Area R44 740 885.22 annual cost (Xantium Trading 471 (Pty) Ltd T/A C3 Food Services)

• Krugersdorp Management Area R25 202 555.15 annual cost (Bosasa Operations (Pty) Ltd

• Groenpunt Management Area R38 932 371.20 annual cost (Ukweza Holdings (Pty) Ltd

(e) What are the

(i) names and

• Bosasa Operations (Pty) Ltd
• Ukweza Holdings (Pty) Ltd
• Xantium Trading 471 (Pty) Ltd T/A C3 Food Services

(ii) addresses of each catering service contractor?

• Bosasa Operations (Pty) Ltd: Mogale Business Park, Windsor Road, Luipaardsvlei, Mogale City, 1739, Gauteng

• Ukweza Holdings (Pty) Ltd: 161 Lynnwood Road, Brooklyn, Pretoria, 0011

• Xantium Trading 471 (Pty) Ltd T/A C3 Food Services: 1st Floor, Amdec House Steenberg Office Park, Silverwood Close, Tokai, 7945

Reply:

The Department of Higher Education and Training incurred no additional costs other than the publishing cost of the Administrator appointment notices in the Government Gazette.

COMPILER/CONTACT PERSONS:

EXT:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

QUESTION 994 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

1. (a) The final construction cost will only be determined when the construction work is completed. Two tenders were awarded in February 2017:

• Skukuza Safari Lodge main building tender: R 227 484 000 (VAT Incl.)
• Skukuza Safari Lodge bulk services: R 22 726 856 (VAT Incl.)

    (b) Yes. Tenders were issued in line with the Supply Chain Management Procedures and processes outlined by the National Treasury.

   (c) No. Tenders were only issued after the Bid Adjudication processes.

(2)

(a) As and when costs are incurred, these costs will appear in the annual financial statements as “capital projects in progress.”

(b) The entire amount is funded through the Departments Infrastructure Development Programme.

(c) Year one.

---ooOoo---

Reply:

The status on the delivery of top-up textbooks and stationery to schools as at 11 January 2017 in all provinces was as follows:

Province	(a) Top-up Textbooks	(b) Stationery
	%delivered	% delivered
Eastern Cape	26.7%	97%
Free State	98%	100%
Gauteng	95%	100%
KwaZulu Natal	99.8%	100%
Limpopo	94%	68%
Mpumalanga	100%	100%
Northern Cape	99%	95%
North West	99.4%	100%
Western Cape	84%	100%

Notwithstanding the fact that the data regarding delivery was not static at the time as provinces were conducting mop-ups.

Reply:

I have not ordered an investigation into the credentials of the said individual. However, on the 7th February 2017, I addressed a letter to the Chairperson of the Accounting Authority appreciating that action being taken to ensure that the corrective actions against misrepresentation of qualifications by the Mining Qualifications Authority staff members and fraudulent activities in the projects be implemented by the SETA.

1. Not applicable.
2. Not applicable.
3. Not applicable.
4. Not applicable.

COMPILER/CONTACT PERSONS:

EXT:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

QUESTION 993 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

1. No, the Department of Basic Education has not requested assistance from the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DoJ&CD) to obtain the list of sexual offenders. It must be noted that section 52 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act, 2007 (Act No 23 of 2007) requires the confidentiality and non-disclosure of any information contained in the National Register for Sex Offenders (NRSO). The Registrar of the National Register for Sex Offender is only allowed to disclose information from the register upon receipt of an application that gives effect to the provisions of Chapter 6 of the Act or in response to a court order to that effect. No such application or court order has been received by the Registrar concerning the DBE’s request.

2) No, as the Department of Justice & Constitutional Development has not received any application from the Department of Basic Education for the disclosure of certain information contained in the National Register for Sex Offenders. As earlier indicated, the NRSO is kept in a confidential manner, which essentially means that it can only be accessed by way of an application to the Registrar of the National Register for Sex Offenders by the following category of persons:-

(i) a Relevant Authority in terms of section 48(1) of the Act ;

(ii) an employee in respect of her own particulars;

(iii) a person applying for a license or approval to manage or operate any entity -section 47(2) of the Act;

(iv) a person applying to become a foster parent –section 48 (2) of the Act; and

(v) any person applying in respect of his or her own particulars.

It is therefore important to note that should the Department of Basic Education wishes to ascertain whether or not the names of teachers appear in the National Register of Sex Offenders, it must apply to the Registrar of the NRSO for a prescribed certificate, as required by the Act.

 

Reply:

No grant allocations were made for the 2015/16 financial year. However, R553.041 million in mandatory and discretionary grant payments were made for multi-year projects, which had commenced in previous financial years.

COMPILER/CONTACT PERSONS:

EXT:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

QUESTION 992 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

1 and 2.  NO, neither the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, nor her departments and all entities reporting to her participated in both events.

Reply:

(1) The works of Shakespeare, unlike any other writer, are prescribed and compulsory for Grades 10, 11 and 12 and therefore constitute a significant emphasis on the English Literature.

(2) Yes, the works of Shakespeare are still relevant in terms of thematic material and character analysis, so that teachers have a standard against which to measure other classical dramas. For example, a classical play includes all literary features such as exposition, rising action, conflict, climax, falling action/anti-climax and resolution/denouement. It also includes timeless motif/themes and/or background and settings.

(3) No, the works listed above do not require a review and are currently included on the national catalogue of prescribed works.

However, the life span of a national catalogue is ideally five (5) years and therefore these catalogues will be continually reviewed to ensure that more African writers and South African writers in particular are included.

Reply:

1. (a) India was included to widen the scope of international research in Asia,

(b) Rwanda was included to widen the scope of international research in Africa,

(c) Zimbabwe was included to widen the scope of international research in Africa,

(d) Nigeria was included to widen the scope of international research in Africa,

(e) China was included to widen the scope of international research in Asia and as part of BRICS as suggested by stakeholders during the Round Table discussion of December 2015,

(f) Tanzania was included to widen the scope of international research in Africa,

(g) Russia was included to widen the scope of international research in Asia and as part of BRICS as suggested by stakeholders during the Round Table discussion of December 2015, and

(h) Brazil was included to widen the scope of international research in Latin America and as part of BRICS as suggested by stakeholders during the Round Table discussion of December 2015.

2. International research shared at the History Round Table indicated that the majority of African countries teach history as a compulsory subject only in primary and lower secondary schools. In European countries History is mostly compulsory up to Grade 9 and a popular elective offered as part of various streams. It was also indicated that the subject is packaged differently in both African and European countries. In some countries, it forms part of a subject or learning area called Social Sciences or Social Studies, or People and Society or Social, Political and Environmental education; while in other countries it is offered as a stand-alone subject. The curriculum content thereof, in most of these countries focuses on the historical, social, geographic, economic and political changes that have shaped these societies within the broader global environment.

3. It is envisaged that various stakeholders would be invited to form part of these consultative meetings such as representatives of Teacher Unions, School Governing Bodies, principal associations, Higher Education Institutions, heritage institutions, members of civil society, History associations, curriculum advisors, etc.

Reply:

a) After following internal processes in the Department of Basic Education (DBE), the report was submitted to the Minister in March 2017. Having engaged with the report, the Minister approved that it be made public by posting it on the website of the DBE. To this end, the report is being formatted and will be posted on the DBE website as soon as this is completed.

b) In addition to posting the report on the DBE website, NEEDU findings and their implications for the education sector will be shared in different forums between May and June 2017. These forums include different branches and structures within the DBE, HEDCOM and its sub-committees and the Council of Education Ministers. Presentations will also be made in the forums where the DBE interacts with stakeholders e.g., Principals’ Association of South Africa (PASA) and the consultative forum of National School Governing Body Associations.

Reply:

1. (a) The Department of Basic Education did not participate in the mentioned event.

(b) Umalusi Response: Umalusi did not participate in the Dialogue with the President: Unpacking of the SONA 2017 on Radical Economic Transformation Implementation event hosted at the Oyster Box Hotel in Umhlanga, Durban, on 25 February 2017.

SACE response: N/A

2. (a) The Department of Basic Education did not participate in the mentioned event.

   (b) Umalusi response: Umalusi did not participate in the auction of the souvenirs or personal belongings of the President of the Republic, Mr Jacob G Zuma.

SACE response: N/A

Reply:

Whether her department has engaged with the office of Women in The Presidency to discuss the roll-out of its Sanitary Dignity Campaign to provide sanitary towels to vulnerable and poor girls;

Yes, the Department of Basic Education serves on the Sanitary Dignity Campaign Task Team as coordinated by Department of Women in the Presidency.

(a) in what ways will her department be involved

The Department has been participating in the task team meetings with the view to contribute to the campaign. There are no adequate resources in the DBE voted funds to address the provision of sanitary towels to poor girls. However, provinces such as Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal are providing sanitary towels to various degrees.

(b) what are the further relevant details in this regard

The Department is engaging its partners to consider supporting the initiative but this will be informed by empirical evidence of the need for sanitary towels among affected learners of school-going age and by identifying locations of greatest need for a more focused intervention.

Reply:

(a) The question has been referred to the provinces and the response will be forwarded as soon as information is received Provincial Education Departments (PEDs).

(b)(i)(ii)and (iii)

The question has been referred to the PEDs and the response will be forwarded as soon as information is received.

(c) The question has been referred to the PEDs and the response will be forwarded as soon as information is received.

Reply:

1. There is no data certainty about learner pregnancy cases resulting from sexual relations with educators. All suspected cases of sexual violation in schools should to be reported to the relevant authorities for further investigation. This data is self-reported and relies heavily on learners and their families coming forward with this information.

2. Provinces carry out investigations through their provincial Labour Relations including those of sexual offences against children by teachers.

3. If provinces find cases, SACE is contacted. Further investigations take place through SACE and any teacher found guilty of committing sexual offences or having a sexual relationship with a learner is struck off the teachers’ roll.

Reply:

The DBE has forwarded questions 1, 2 and 3 to the Eastern Cape Provincial Education for a response. Once received the response will be forwarded to the National Assembly.

(1) Waiting for a response from the EC.

(2)(a) Waiting for a response from the EC.

    (b) Waiting for a response from the EC.

3.Waiting for a response from the EC.

(4)(a) UNESCO has published much literature on the importance of mother tongue education. Provisions for education in mother tongue are contained in several international conventions, namely, the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention (1989), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) and the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families (1990).

(b) Section 29(2) of the SA Constitution makes provision for everyone “to receive education in the official language or languages of their choice in public educational institutions where that education is reasonably practicable.”

The Language in Education Policy, which is premised on the imperatives of the Constitution, provides for learners to learn through any of the eleven official languages. Learners and schools have an option from Grade 4 onwards to select a language of their choice for learning and teaching, and that includes English or Afrikaans.

5.The Eastern Cape Province, upon concluding the evaluation of their Mother Tongue Based Bilingual Education pilot initiative, will present their findings to the Department of Basic Education. Thereafter a determination for a demand of mother tongue in the other official languages will be made.

Reply:

983. The inclusive basket of performance indicators is a more integrated approach to reporting that reflects the key indicators of learner performance. The key indicators together with their weighting are as follows:

1. Overall pass percentage (35%)
2. Mathematics pass percentage (10%)
3. Physical Sciences pass percentage (10%)
4. Bachelor attainment percentage (15%)
5. Distinction percentage (10%)
6. Mathematics Participation Rate (10%)
7. Throughput rate (10%)

The above indicators are captured in a consolidated format which includes a weighting based on the importance attached to each of these indicators. A computation of the percentage obtained for each of these indicators at school, district, provincial and national level, will be provided.

The Table below shows the performance of each of the Provincial Education Departments (PED’s) in terms of the Inclusive Basket Criteria:

Province	Weighted Basket Scores
	Overall Basket Score	Overall Pass % (W: 35%)	% Maths Passed (W: 10%)	% Physics Passed (W: 10%)	% Bachelor Passes (W: 15%)	% Distinctions (W: 10%)	% Maths Participation (W:10)	% Throughput Rate (W: 10%)
Western Cape	60.7	30.1	7.7	7.3	6.1	0.7	3.1	5.6
Free State	59.4	30.9	7.1	7.5	5.4	0.4	3.9	4.2
Gauteng	57.9	29.8	6.9	6.9	5.4	0.5	3.7	4.8
North West	53.8	28.9	6.3	7.0	4.1	0.3	3.3	4.0
Mpumalanga	51.0	27.0	5.4	6.4	3.4	0.2	4.3	4.4
Northern Cape	50.7	27.5	6.1	5.7	3.9	0.2	2.8	4.5
KwaZulu-Natal	46.1	23.2	3.8	5.8	3.7	0.4	5.5	3.8
Limpopo	44.1	21.9	5.4	6.2	2.8	0.2	4.3	3.3
Eastern Cape	40.5	20.8	3.8	5.0	2.8	0.2	4.8	3.2
NATIONAL	49.4	25.4	5.1	6.2	4.0	0.3	4.3	4.0

The above computation has also been determined for the provincial, district and school levels.

Reply:

(a) Academic – Learners who have fallen pregnant are encouraged to remain in school as long as they are able to, until they deliver their babies. They are supported, like all learners, to perform optimally.

(b) Financial – No specific financial assistance is given to pregnant learners. They benefit through other Departmental programmes like the provision of nutritious meals through the National School Nutrition Programme, no-fee paying schools or exemption from fees in fee-paying schools, and scholar transport if they qualify as per the set criteria for these programmes.

c) Medical assistance – The Department of Basic Education collaborates with the Department of Health to make available school health services through itinerant school health teams. In addition, schools are encouraged to establish a relationship with their nearest health facility, to which learners are referred for medical assistance as is needed.

Reply:

Below is the extract from a speech made by the Minister of Transport on the occasion of the handing over ceremony torch of peace, at Soshanguve East Secondary School in Shoshanguve –Gauteng, on 17 January, to provide context to the response:

“RTMC is currently implementing numerous road safety school projects. To mention just two, for the purposes of brevity, the RTMC’s drivers licence project gives unemployed youth opportunities to obtain drivers licenses through training on simulators and on the roads and they also facilitate the Scholar Patrol project which offers scholar patrol training to schools.”

“Part of the long term initiative to establish and enhance road safety relates to the skilling of our drivers, particularly those who will be acquiring licenses for the first time. Our intended purpose is to work with the Department of Basic Education to include the Driving lessons at high school as part of the curriculum.”

 (a) The Department of Basic Education intends to pilot the driver simulator lessons in partnership with the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC).

 (b) Driver Simulator lessons are a practical method of training drivers before they drive a vehicle on the roads. The intention is to have competent drivers at the point when learners are eligible to test for a driver’s licence. This will not be in the curriculum but will be an enrichment programme.

 (c) No, there would not be any cost to be incurred by the Department of Basic Education.

Reply:

(a) The total number of new and replacement schools delivered by Provincial Departments of Education as at the end of the third quarter of the 2016/17 financial year is 708. The number, however, did not include schools built through the Accelerated School Infrastructure Delivery Initiative, which is implemented by the Department of Basic Education (DBE), which were included in the number referred to in the State of the Nation Address.