Questions and Replies

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05 July 2023 - NW1364

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Masango, Ms B to ask the Minister of Social Development

(a) What is the total number of vacant posts for social workers in each province, (b) for how long have they been vacant, (c) what are the reasons that the posts have not been filled and (d) what is the total number of unemployed social workers in the Republic?

Reply:

(a) (b) (c)

Province

Number

Period of vacancy

Reasons for vacancies

  1. KZN

107

4 years

Budget constraints (significant reduction on Compensation of Employees over the MTEF period

  1. WC

103

6-12 months

Budget constraints (significant reduction on Compensation of Employees over the MTEF period

  1. FS

101

8 years

Budget constraints (significant reduction on Compensation of Employees over the MTEF period

  1. EC

151

5 years

Moratorium on filling of posts (2019-Sept 2022) due to significant reduction on CoE budget

  1. LP

44

12 Months

Budget constraints (significant reduction on Compensation of Employees over the MTEF period

  1. NC

158

1-2 years

Budget constraints (significant reduction on Compensation of Employees over the MTEF period

  1. MP

72

1-2 years

Budget constraints (significant reduction on Compensation of Employees over the MTEF period

  1. GP

365

1-2 years

Budget constraints (significant reduction on Compensation of Employees over the MTEF period

  1. NW

178

1-2 years

Budget constraints (significant reduction on Compensation of Employees over the MTEF period

(d) Around 9 000.

05 July 2023 - NW1566

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Hicklin, Ms MB to ask the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure

(1)Whether, with regard to the proliferation of moles in the parliamentary villages that has reached seriously problematic proportions and the current horticultural staff employed by TEFLA seem totally out of their depth in terms of eradicating the pests in any humane way, with the gardens being completely overrun by these pests (details furnished), TEFLA has a comprehensive horticultural staff complement able to deal with the pest control issues raised or do they have to outsource the issues to consultants; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what total number of horticultural staff are employed to maintain the gardens in (a) Acacia Park, (b) Laboria Park and (c) Pelican Park; (2) what total number of contracts exist with outside consultants for horticultural services such as pest eradication; (3) whether TEFLA is responsible for the costs and/or have additional costs been raised which have to be covered by his department; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what is the scope of the horticultural contract signed with TEFLA in terms of garden maintenance throughout the Parks? NW1809E

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure

(1) The horticultural staff complement of TEFLA is herein below mention, however TEFLA has outsourced the pest control to a company called Choice Pest Control. Herein below is total number of horticultural staff employed to maintain gardens throughout the Parks are as follows:

(a) Acacia Park – 66

(b) Laboria Park - 8

(c) Pelican Park - 9

(2) Only pest control has been outsourced to a subcontractor, Choice Pest Control. All other horticultural services are provided by TEFLA directly through their internal staff.

(3) All horticultural work was part of the project scope and no additional costs are incurred by the Department in carrying out this work. The horticultural scope is attached.

05 July 2023 - NW2469

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Graham, Ms SJ to ask the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure

(1)(a) On what date was the last assessment of the condition of the Brighton Beach Police Station buildings in Bluff in KwaZulu-Natal conducted, (b) what buildings were assessed and (c) what are the details of the findings; (2) what is the progress of the installation of the JoJo tanks that have been installed with pumps that have not been linked to the water system; (3) what (a) processes were used in terms of the allocation of living quarters for (i) single and (ii) married SA Police Service (SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICES) officials and (b) are the basic standards of accommodation provided by the SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICES at the specified precinct; (4) what safety assessment has been conducted on the basement of the single quarters where water and sewage are overflowing into the basement; (5) whether a budget has been allocated for repairs and refurbishment of the station in the current financial year; if not, by what date will a budgeting process be undertaken to address the issues at the police station; if so, what are the relevant details?

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

(1)

a) 30 May 2023.

b) Station block, cells, single and married quarters.

c) A Back to Office Report is still in progress but has thus far captured serious concerns surrounding the flat concrete roof leaks at the block of flats, the cells that do not comply with the Project Five Start Specifications, the down pipes, aging infrastructure (waste water underground pipes) and lack of security measures.

(2) The provision, installation and connection of the JoJo Tanks are considered a capital works project and hence would require South African Police Services to request such capital works from DPWI as governed by the Service Level Agreement and Government Immovable Asset Management Act as they hold the Capital infrastructure budget. Regrettably, South African Police Services had independently purchased 3 x 5000lts JoJo tanks on the 08 August 2022. The same appointed Contractor that delivered the JoJo Tanks had them installed and connected to the main water municipal line.

As REONET (shared water savings initiative) is already on site, a request will be made to them for the possible assistance in electrical connection of the water tanks, failure which will require South African Police Services to fund this connection and create a Works Control System Project. A time frame can thus not be provided immediately.

(3) As South African Police Services are custodians of allocating official quarters to their qualifying members, this question must be posed to South African Police Services for a response.

(4) It is acknowledged that despite a safety assessment not being conducted that the spill over within the basement is of serious concern which has further been captured as such in the Back to Office Report. The Client was requested to log a call with NDPWI Central Call Centre to afford NDPWI an opportunity of addressing such via day-to-day.

(5) No, a budget has not been allocated for repairs and refurbishment of the station in the current financial year. The budget process has already commenced by means of the Back to Office Report which must be submitted to Construction Projects Management Business Units for evaluation and cost estimate purposes, after which such will be submitted to Property Portfolio Management Unit.

The following dates are projected:-

Submit Back to Office Report to Construction Projects Management Business Units by 30 June 2023. Construction Projects Management Business Units to evaluate and provide cost estimate by end of July 2023. Submit the motivation to Property Portfolio Management Unit or further attention in respect of processes to allocate funds and create a Works Control System Project within the first week of August 2023. Allocate funding and create a Works Control System Project for implementation within the 2024/2025 financial year, subject to availability of funds.

05 July 2023 - NW1607

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van der Merwe, Ms LL to ask the Minister of Social Development

(1)What has she found are the reasons that the queuing system and/or queuing marshals are not available at the SA Social Security Agency (SASSA) office in Maponya Mall to help ease unnecessary waiting, especially for the elderly and mothers with small children;

Reply:

  1. The said office had experienced capacity challenges as a result of high volumes of clients visiting due to carry overs from previous days. SASSA has since strengthened capacity and prioritised the Maponya Mall office to effectively address these issues.
  1. (a) over 300 per day (b) 1500 weekly; and (c) 6 000 monthly
  1. Yes. The Maponya Mall office uses a generator provided by the Centre Management. Though the generator is fully functional, load shedding has a negative impact on network connectivity which in turn results in losses in production time. SASSA Gauteng Region is currently looking at alternative load shedding back up power supply.
  1. Yes. The office has (a) 3 security officers monitoring the safety of beneficiaries in the queues and CCTV cameras that have 24 hours recording capacity

(b) 30 minutes intervals

05 July 2023 - NW1995

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Arries, Ms LH to ask the Minister of Social Development

What measures has she put in place to bring an end to fraud in the child support grant and to ensure that the parents who receive grants are the lawful parents and/or guardians of the recipients?

Reply:

We are committed to preventing, detecting and eliminating fraud and corruption in the social assistance programme. In this regard, we have taken full advantage of new technologies to strengthen anti-corruption measures, starting with the digitisation of our service offering. These include interfaces with the databases of other government departments, including Home Affairs (Population Register) to validate information on identity, life status, employment status, as well as PERSAL and Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF).

In addition to measures alluded to above, SASSA implements the following internal anti-corruption controls:

  • Validation of applicants’ information through interfaces with systems from other entities.
  • Conditional approval of a grant-pending bank account verification. Payment is extracted only if the bank account details match those of the approved beneficiary.
  • Local offices perform daily verification of transactions as a process for ensuring that all transactions processed on SOCPEN are supported by the relevant documents.
  • Biometric validation of all transactions will be implemented as from 01 June 2023. This serves as a non-repudiation of all transactions performed on the system.
  • Confirm and validate all large amounts, and where there is suspicion of fraud, the payment of grants must be immediately stopped through Post Bank, or a bank recall is done through the South African Reserve Bank.
  • Monthly run of the Oracle list of personnel against SOCPEN, immediately before cut-off for payment extraction on a monthly basis. Any records found added, except for FCG, must be held over for confirmation of eligibility before payment is released, even if this only happens the following month.
  • Run an Oracle list of SASSA personnel against SOCPEN before grant payment extraction to identify staff on SOCPEN.
  • System prohibition of one staff member using the credentials of another staff member to log onto the system.

Another method of combating Child Support Grant (CSG) fraud has to do with the implementation of the whistleblowing mechanism wherein SASSA employees and members of the public are able to report allegations of Fraud.

These allegations are investigated internally, since SASSA has an internal investigation unit which is well capacitated and works in conjunction with the Law Enforcement Agencies.

05 July 2023 - NW2478

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Hicklin, Ms MB to ask the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure

(1) (a) What was the purpose of the dinner that was held immediately after the debate on Budget Vote 13 on 23 May 2023 and (b) where was it held; (2) (a) what amount did the dinner cost for each person and (b) from which budget line item was the budget for the dinner apportioned; (3) what (a) number of stakeholders were invited to the specified dinner and (b) was the intended outcome of the dinner; (4) what benefit to (a) her department, (b) the annual performance plans and (c) key performance indicators did the dinner fulfil?

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

(1)

(a) As part of departmental calendar, the budget vote events are earmarked to interact with sector stakeholders to share developments around the policy imperatives and priorities of the department.

(b) The Cresta Grande hotel in Cape Town.

(2)

(a) The venue hire and dinner cost R132 457.60 for a guest list of about 130 persons.

(b) The budget line item was from the venue hire under goods and services

(3)

(a) 130 persons.

(b) The intended outcome was for information sharing and building cohesion within the sector on implementation of cross cutting programmes.

(4) (a),(b) and (c) Building strategic partnerships with sector stakeholders in promoting departmental outcome on integrated planning and coordination.

05 July 2023 - NW2368

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Abrahams, Ms ALA to ask the Minister of Social Development

With reference to her department’s new channel on DSTV that she announced during the debate on Budget Vote 19 which took place on 30 May 2023, (a) on what date will the channel be accessible to the public, (b) how will the public access the channel, (c) what costs will the public incur in order to watch the channel, (d) what are all the total financial expenditure to set up and run the channel, (e) what is the duration of the contract agreement with DSTV, (f) what is the reason for the decision not to use the national broadcaster, the SA Broadcasting Corporation, as a suitable service provider in this regard, (g) who is the target audience, (h) who will determines the content aired on the channel, (i) under which programme within her department will the project be coordinated and (j) what are the job titles and functions of government employees tasked with the operationalisation of the DSD channel project?

Reply:

  1. The DSDTV is due to be launch in the second quarter of the current financial year. It is important to clarify that the platform that I referred to during the Budget Vote 19 is DSDTV, and not DSTV.
  1. Once officially launched, DSDTV will be accessible to the public on the online platform on www.dsdtv.org.za. This online platform is commonly known as Over the Top (OTT) platform, a media service in which streaming of content is offered directly to viewers via the internet with no support of cable, broadcast, and satellite television platforms.
  1. During the pilot phase, the Department will explore ways of monetising and zero rating the platform to cut down on data cost for the public.
  1. It cost the Department R81 250 a month to set up, load information, design and maintain the platform.
  1. There is no contractual agreement with DSTV. The platform will be piloted for a period of 12 months. Thereafter it will be evaluated before a final decision is taken on the way forward.
  1. Financial constraints preclude the Department from entering into any arrangement with the SABC. The OTT platform provides Government with an invaluable opportunity to talk directly to its beneficiaries at a reduced cost. It also creates internal capacity and skills to produce DSD Portfolio-related content.
  1. South African population.
  1. The content will be sourced directly from the DSD Portfolio interventions and programmes and overseen by the Chief Directorate; Communication.
  1. Refer to (h) above.
  1. The content on the platform will focus on all areas of the DSD Portfolio.
  1. Refer to (h) above.

05 July 2023 - NW1996

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Siwisa, Ms AM to ask the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure

With regard to the networking budget vote dinner of his department that was held on 23 May 2023, what (a) total amount has been spent to organise the Budget Vote 41 Dinner and (b) criteria were utilised to identify the guests to the specified event?

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure

a) The total amount spent on the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) sector budget vote networking dinner was R 132, 457.60.

b) The criteria used to invite the guest list was on selecting key sector stakeholders such as entities, professional councils, identified beneficiaries from EPWP projects, young professionals and bursary holders, and oversight bodies such as members of Audit Committee and Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure.

05 July 2023 - NW2196

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Abrahams, Ms ALA to ask the Minister of Social Development

What number of (a) persons and (b) households that receive a social grant have been linked to (i) permanent and/or (ii) temporary economic and employment opportunities through her department since 1 January 2019 to date in each province and for each type of grant?

Reply:

  1. (i) (ii) To date, 49 449 persons and 12 362 households receiving social grants have been linked to economic and employment opportunities. Not possible to provide detailed information at this stage as current data collection and analysis is not disaggregated accordingly to these categories.

The DSD Portfolio is working with the FinMark Trust on piloting the “Generating Better Livelihoods for Grant Recipients” initiative to link social grants beneficiaries to sustainable livelihoods opportunities through employment, skills development and social entrepreneurship. The project’s primary target is Child Support Grant and will be extended to other grant types.

05 July 2023 - NW1819

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Van Staden, Mr PA to ask the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure

Whether, with reference to Mr P A van Staden’s email enquiries to him on 3 and 20 April 2023 and subsequent Whatsapp messages on 26 April 2023 and 3 May 2023, he is now in a position to indicate when Mrs Jana Janse van Rensburg of the farm Altar, also known as farm Diepkloof 44/23 and 3 JS in the district of Groblersdal, Limpopo, may expect payment of outstanding compensation from his department for firebreaks done by the specified person to state-owned land bordering her land during the period 1 January 2021 until 31 October 2022, as a result of his department’s failure to maintain fire control measures in accordance with the National Veld and Forest Fire Act, Act 101 of 1998, and sections 17 and 18 of the Fire Brigade Services Act, Act 99 of 1987; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

1. The Department received a letter of demand from Geo Louw (representing Jana Van Rensburg).

2. The region had already obtained a legal opinion from State Attorney.

3. In terms of the legal opinion obtained from the State Attorney, the complainant should not be paid unless if there is a court order to that effect. The complainant as per the legal opinion provided, is not being disadvantaged, but in the event they believe in their case, they may proceed and test their case before a competent court of law as they did by way of issuing a letter of demand, hence litigation starts by issuing a letter of demand and the subsequent process shall follow thereafter.

4. It may also pose a challenge with the auditors in the sense that the Department may not have valid grounds as to why it deviated from the legal opinion provided, which legal opinion was accordingly requested by the same Department to guide the Department with the further handling of the matter in question.

05 July 2023 - NW1064

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Graham, Ms SJ to ask the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure

(1)Whether a site assessment has been conducted on the (a) station, (b) cells, (c) single quarters and (d) married quarters of the Brighton Beach Police Station; if not, on what date will his department undertake the specified assessment; if so, what (i) were the findings and (ii) action will be taken on the specified findings; (2) on what date will the brand-new JoJo tanks and pumps be connected to an electrical outlet in order for them to be used; (3) whether there are any plans in place to secure the precinct with a fence and/or any other boundary structure; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details; (4) what provisions have been made to address the water in the basement of the single quarters?

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure

1. (a) Yes, in 2013 a desk top analysis was done and ascertained that areas of the station were over-utilized and SAPS have placed such need for a capital works project on their U-AMP. In addition, DPWI has provided additional space by means of a rehabilitation project relating to the conversion of garages into offices which has slightly alleviated the over-utilization. Final Delivery of this project was taken on the 05 September 2019.

b) Yes, the 2013 desk top revealed that the cells are in need of a total upgrade. The Client must register a Capital Works, works control system project to address this shortcoming as they hold the Capital infrastructure budget, which will be prioritized in terms of the placement on the U-AMP.

c) The Station had identified the need, in 2013, to convert the official single quarters into offices, which is a capital works project and will require the Client to register a Capital Works, works control system project as they hold the Capital infrastructure budget. However SAPS 2023/2024 U-AMP does not indicate this need and a revised conditional survey will have to be conducted in this regard and has been scheduled for the 30 May 2023.

d) Yes, a site assessment was conducted on the married quarters of the Brighton Beach Police Station

(i) The 2013 desk analysis ascertained that the married quarters were in good condition and were renovated last in 2007.

.(ii) A revised conditional survey will have to be conducted in this regard and has been scheduled for the 30 May 2023.

2. The provision, installation and connection of the JoJo Tanks is considered a capital works project and hence would require SAPS to request such capital works from DPWI as governed by the service level agreement as they hold the Capital infrastructure budget. Regrettably, SAPS had independently purchased 3 x 5000lts JoJo tanks on the 08 August 2022. The same SAPS appointed Contractor that delivered the JoJo Tanks had them installed and connected to the main water municipal line. The electrical supply from the JoJo tanks are currently running from extension cords. DPWI Workshops have been requested to evaluate whether they are able to assist in the connection of such and as a result, a firm date of electrical connection cannot be provided.

3. SAPS is required to request such capital works from DPWI as governed by the service level agreement as this is a capital works project as they hold the Capital infrastructure budget.

This request to DPWI is further required by the GIAMA.

4. DPWI has a Water Savings Term Contract, REONET, on site who had addressed this subject. Should this be a new complaint, SAPS to register a call with DPWI Day-to-Day Call Centre?

05 July 2023 - NW254

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Graham, Ms SJ to ask the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure

(1)What (a) progress has been made on the recommendations contained in the Binder Dijker Otte (BDO) Report on the Review of Parliament Prestige Construction Projects Performance and (b) consequence management has been implemented following the fire at the Parliamentary precinct; (2) whether she is in possession of the follow-up report by BDO on the implementation of infrastructure; if not, (a) why not and (b) on what date is it envisaged she will receive the report; if so, (3) whether she will make the report available to Ms S J Graham; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure

(1)

(a) Attached please see progress update report made on the implementation of the recommendation by BDO

(b) The DPWI provided the fire damage report to the HAWKS as an input into the investigation into the Parliament Fire – DPWI awaits for the outcome of the independent investigation and apply consequences upon the outcome of the investigation for all the areas of uncertainty.

(2) Yes a follow up report was provided by BDO in February 2022, please see the attached report

(3) Please see the attached report

05 July 2023 - NW1039

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Bodlani, Ms T to ask the Minister of Communication and Digital Technologies

What (a) total number of persons left the SA Broadcasting Corporation in the past three financial years and (b) were the reasons for doing so? NW1149E

Reply:

Find here: Reply

05 July 2023 - NW2439

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Van Staden, Mr PA to ask the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure

Whether, with reference to his reply to question 224 on 7 March 2023, he is now in a position to provide details of state-owned properties, both (a) improved and (b) unimproved, that are currently being rented out; if not, why not; if so, (i) to whom are the state-owned properties rented out and (ii) at what total amounts in each month?

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

The DPWI is currently renting out both improved and unimproved state owned properties to various tenants, see attached Annexure A (active leases including both improved and unimproved as well as the tenant name and rental amount).

05 July 2023 - NW2197

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Abrahams, Ms ALA to ask the Minister of Social Development

(1)Whether, with regard to children who were receiving foster care grants while in the care of relatives prior to the passing and assent of the Social Assistance Act, Act 59 of 1992, and regulations pertaining to the child support top-up grant, the specified children are still receiving a foster care grant and the full value of said grant; if not, why not; if so,

Reply:

  1. Yes, eligible children continue to receive the full value of the Foster Care Grant, as per Child Support Grant Top-Up Policy which was adopted by Cabinet in 2015. The Policy emphasised that all orphans already in the court ordered foster care will remain in the system and will not be affected by the introduction of the CSG Top-Up. This is because it is constitutionally regressive to take the provision away from children who are already receiving it.
  1. No. The provision of the grant is only applicable to new applicants with effect from date when the provision came into operation.
  1. (a) As of May 2023, there were 289 139 Foster Care Grant and 43 135 beneficiaries children on the Child Support Grant Top-Up beneficiaries nationally.

04 July 2023 - NW2441

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Hlengwa, Ms MD to ask the Minister of Health

Whether, considering that public hospitals and mortuaries have been burdened with unclaimed corpses and noting that corpses are now decomposing at a faster rate due to loadshedding, his department has put any measures in place to ensure that such facilities are not burdened and overpopulated with unclaimed corpses; if not, why not; if so, what (a) measures and (b) steps has his department taken to trace the families of the deceased?

Reply:

The public hospitals and forensic pathology mortuaries have continuous backup generator capacity. This helps mitigate the potential of mortal remains decomposing. There are continuous discussions with ESKOM to exempt public hospitals and Forensic pathology mortuaries from loadshedding. Most of the decomposed bodies are received by forensic pathology mortuaries mostly due to these bodies being discovered in public spaces after a longtime.

  1. Measures taken to trace families for both public hospitals and forensic pathology mortuaries.
  • In relation to Forensic Pathology Mortuaries, all unclaimed bodies are managed according to (i) the regulations for rendering Forensic Pathology Services (No R341 of 2005) – Section 43, 44, and 45 and (ii) the National Code of Guidelines for Forensic Pathology Practice in South Africa – Chapter 13 Section 460 to 464.
  • It is the mandate of the South African Police Service (SAPS) to manage all unidentified cases from both the public hospitals and Forensic Pathology Service facilities. The SAPS has the competency of identification and tracing of families.

(b) Steps taken by the Department of Health to trace the families of the deceased?

The Department of Health collaborates with the SAPS, Department of Home Affairs (for finger prints), Department of Social Development (for tracing of families) and local municipalities (for paupers’ burial where families are not successfully traced).

The steps are as follows:

  • In case of an unclaimed body where there are addresses provided, their next of kin are contacted.
  • Tracing is also done by the social worker using details provided by the hospital.
  • Community development/health workers are also used in tracing at last address that was given on the deceased patient’s file.
  • The unclaimed deceased details and photos also get published through public media outlets.
  • Should the tracing not be successful, the deceased’s DNA is extracted and sent to the SAPS Forensic Science Laboratory for storage in the database for future reference. It is only at this stage that the Department of Health makes an application to the Municipality for a Pauper burial.  

END.

04 July 2023 - NW2332

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Ngcobo, Mr S to ask the Minister of Basic Education to ask the Minister of Basic Education

What steps has her department taken to (a) ensure and (b) encourage the fast-tracking of the signing and submission of invoices which will guarantee the delivery of complete food items for June 2023?

Reply:

The Department tracks provincial expenditure through monthly reports that are required in terms of the Division of Revenue Act. Under-spending is often an indication of delayed payments.

The provinces are also required to provide reasons for under-spending. Where there are challenges, the DBE intervenes through forums such as Budget Standards, Inter-provincial meetings as well as direct engagements with provinces,  

04 July 2023 - NW2405

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Komane, Ms RN to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs

Whether the amalgamation of underfunded municipalities will resolve challenges experienced in the local government; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what interventions did her department put in place to improve the poor governance and maladministration in the municipalities?

Reply:

Amalgamation of underfunded municipalities will not resolve challenges experienced in the local government. The Department of Cooperative Governance, National Treasury and the South African Local Government Association are in a process of looking at the possibility of revising the current equitable share formula to address the issue of underfunded municipalities.

End.

04 July 2023 - NW2201

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Graham, Ms SJ to ask the Minister in The Presidency for Electricity

(1)Whether he has been given the mandate to be the central coordinator or champion who is accountable to oversee the Just Energy Transition Implementation Plan (JETIP); if not, what is the position in this regard; if so;

Reply:

  1. No.
  1. The mandate holder for the JETIP belongs to the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment, we advise that you accordingly direct the matter to their office.

04 July 2023 - NW2379

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Smalle, Mr JF to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs

(1)Which local municipalities are currently still under the management of sections 139 and 154 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996;

Reply:

(1) The following local municipalities are currently under intervention as provided for in section 139 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996:

 

Name of Municipality

Type of intervention

Enoch Mgijima LM

S139(7) National intervention in the stead of the provincial executive in terms of section 139(5)(a) and (c)

Amathole LM

S139(5) of the Constitution

Makana LM

S139(5) of the Constitution

Mafube LM

S139(5)(a)&(c) of the Constitution

Tokologo LM

S139(5)(a)&(c) of the Constitution

Emfuleni LM

S139(5) of the Constitution

Merafong LM

S139(5) of the Constitution

Mpofana LM

S139(1)(b) of the Constitution

Inkosi Langalibalele LM

S139(1)(b) of the Constitution

Mtubatuba LM

S139(1)(b) of the Constitution

Msunduzi LM

S139(1)(b) of the Constitution

Emalahleni LM

S139(5) of the Constitution

Govan Mbeki LM

S139(5) of the Constitution

Msukaligwa LM

S139(5) of the Constitution

Thaba Chweu LM

S139(5) of the Constitution

Lekwa LM

S139(7) National intervention in the stead of the provincial executive in terms of section 139(5)(a) and (c)

Phokwane LM

S139(5) of the Constitution

Renosterberg LM

S139(5) of the Constitution

Madibeng LM

S139(5) of the Constitution

Tswaing LM

S139(5) of the Constitution

Kgetleng Rivier LM

S139(5) of the Constitution

Mahikeng LM

S139(5) of the Constitution

Ramotshere LM

S139(5) of the Constitution

Naledi LM

S139(5) of the Constitution

Kagisano-Molopo LM

S139(1)(b) of the Constitution

Beaufort West LM

S139(5)(a) of the Constitution

(2) The National Treasury is the custodian of Municipal Finances and all information related to the finances and expenditure of municipalities resides with the National Treasury.

End.

04 July 2023 - NW2361

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Gela, Ms A to ask the Minister of Basic Education to ask the Minister of Basic Education

(1) With reference to the Fourth Quarter 2022-23 crime statistics that indicated that eight murders, 14 attempted murders, 84 rapes and 238 incidents of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm occurred on the premises of educational facilities, (a) what number of the specified incidents involved (i) learners, (ii) teachers, (iii) coaches and (iv) other staff members, (b) where did each specified incident occur and (c) in what way has her department assisted the SA Police Service in the investigation of the cases; (2) what measures has her department put in place to (a) assist and support the victims of the crimes and (b) ensure the safety and security of all individuals on school premises?

Reply:

1.The requested information resides with the Provincial Education Departments (PEDs); PEDs are best placed to respond as they are custodians of educational facilities (schools) in provinces. 

2a. School Based Support Teams (SBSTs) provide first level support and in addition to that, the districts provide psycho-social support to learners and staff. Furthermore, the Department collaborates with the sister Government Departments including Social Development, as well as, other relevant Non-Profit Organisations and stakeholder to provide support to learners, educators and other staff members at schools.

2b. Schools effectively implement the School Access Control Policy.  All schools are linked to their local police station (SAPS), as part of the MOU between National SAPS and DBE, this includes visits to schools by SAPS officials who conduct random searches and seizures.

04 July 2023 - NW2386

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Horn, Mr W to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs

With reference to the intervention into the administration of the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality, what (a) was the total amount owed to the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality by each (i) national and (ii) provincial department and (iii) state-owned entity in the period 1 May 2022 to 1 May 2023 and (b) steps have been taken by the intervention team to ensure that the specified departments and entities duly pay their municipal accounts?

Reply:

  1. (i) National departments: R 92 564 557
  2. Provincial departments: R 346 382 610
  3. State-owned entities: R 76 313 507
  1. The Mangaung Intervention Team has taken the following steps to facilitate payment of municipal accounts from departments and state owed entities:
  • Meetings were held with different departments to discuss the payment of municipal debts;
  • Letters of demand have been issued to the different departments;
  • Services have already been disconnected from provincial government. They were reconnected only after payment of R 50 million as well as commitment to make a payment arrangement for the remaining outstanding amount. Government has been given until 30 June 2023 to provide a formal payment arrangement. Should there be a failure to submit, they will be disconnected again.
  • Re-allocations or reconciliation of accounts with credit balances and accounts with debt balances is in progress.

End.

04 July 2023 - NW2371

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Graham, Ms SJ to ask the Minister in The Presidency for Electricity

Whether there were any procurement contracts concluded (a) during the State of Disaster in 2023 and (b) as emergency procurement since the establishment of the National Energy Crisis Committee; if not, why not in each case; if so, in each case, (i) on what date was each contract concluded and (ii) what (aa) is the name and street address of each supplier, (bb) product(s) and service(s) were ordered, (cc) was the monetary value of each contract and (dd) was the (aaa) commencement date and (bbb) termination date of each contract?

Reply:

  1. There was no emergency procurement undertaken during the state of disaster gazetted on 09 February 2023.

 

  1. (i)-(ii), (bb), (cc) (dd) Notwithstanding work done by Eskom for risk mitigation, there was no emergency procurement done since the establishment of the National Energy Crisis Committee.

 

04 July 2023 - NW2444

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Singh, Mr N to ask the Minister of Health

Whether his department conducted any studies and/or live monitoring to assess the current extent of electromagnetic pollution in urban and rural areas caused by (a) Internet Wi-Fi [5G], (b) Low Earth Orbit satellites, (c) mobile phone towers and (d) Internet fibre cables; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details of any (i) potential negative impacts on human, animal and environmental health and (ii) legislative and/or regulatory measures (aa) currently being considered and (bb) already in place to manage and mitigate the pollution to acceptable levels?

Reply:

  1. (b) (c) (d) No, the Department of Health has not commissioned any studies and or live monitoring to assess the current extent of electromagnetic pollution in urban and rural areas.
  1. -(ii) The South African Products and Regulatory Authority (SAPHRA), which is an entity of the National Department of Health is responsible, from the viewpoint of human health, for regulating electronic products producing non-ionising electromagnetic fields (EMF), i.e. where the frequency of such EMF is less than 300 GHz. In carrying out this responsibility, SAPHRA has been utilising the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International EMF Project (www.who.int/peh-emf/en/) as its primary source of information and guidance with respect to the health effects of EMF. The International EMF Project was established by the WHO in 1996 to (i) assess the scientific evidence for possible adverse health effects of non-ionising electromagnetic fields on an on-going basis, (ii) initiate and coordinate new research in this regard, and (iii) compile health risk assessments for different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. The Department of Health has been a member of the International Advisory Committee of the International EMF Project since 1998.

In June 2005 the International EMF Project hosted a workshop that was specifically aimed at considering the possible health consequences of the emissions from cellular base stations and wireless networks. The findings of this workshop were summarised in a 2-page Fact Sheet (http://www.who.int/peh-emf/publications/facts/fs304/en/). The following extract from this Fact Sheet is still considered by the WHO as a summary of the findings to date, i.e. “Considering the very low exposure levels and research results collected to date, there is no convincing scientific evidence that the weak RF signals from base stations and wireless networks cause adverse health effects.”

Another WHO Fact Sheet was published in June 2011 and reviewed in October 2014, i.e. Electromagnetic fields and public health: mobile phones. This Fact Sheet can be found at http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs193/en/) and the conclusion is stated as follows: A large number of studies have been performed over the last two decades to assess whether mobile phones pose a potential health risk. To date, no adverse health effects have been established as being caused by mobile phone use.”

The WHO recommends utilising internationally recognised exposure guidelines such as those published in 1998 by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) and reconfirmed in 2009 for the frequency range 100 kHz – 300 GHz (i.e. including all the frequencies employed by the cellular industry). The Department of Health likewise recommends the use of these ICNIRP guidelines to protect people against the known adverse health effects of EMF.

The numerous measurement surveys, which have been conducted around the world and in South Africa, have shown that the actual levels of public exposure as a result of base station emissions invariably are only a fraction of the ICNIRP guidelines, even in instances where members of the public have been really concerned about their exposure to these emissions. At present there is no confirmed scientific evidence that points to any health hazard associated with the very low levels of exposure that the general public would typically experience in the vicinity of a cellular base station. The Department is therefore satisfied that the health of the general public is not being compromised by their exposure to the microwave emissions of cellular base stations. This also means that local and other authorities, in considering the environmental impact of any particular base station, do not need to and should not attempt, from a public health point of view, to set any restrictions with respect to parameters such as distance to the mast, duration of exposure, height of the mast, etc.

The Department of Health is not able to make any pronouncements about the specific levels of EMF that a member of the public would experience at any particular base station site when it is in operation. However, generally-speaking unless a person would climb to the top of a mast (or other structure supporting an antenna) and position him/herself not more than a few meters away right in front of the active antenna, such a person would have no real possibility of being exposed to even anywhere near the afore-mentioned ICNIRP guideline limits. Since these base stations are typically cordoned off by means of barbed wire fencing and locked gates/doors in order to protect the sensitive and expensive technology, getting to a mast and actually climbing it despite the afore-mentioned security measures would certainly not be considered responsible behaviour. Even then the only real threat to the health of the person would be falling at any height from the structure in question. Based on the results of numerous global and local surveys, the experience has been that the exposure to base station EMF at ground level is typically in the range of between 0.001 – 1.0 % of the afore-mentioned ICNIRP guideline limits. Against this background of available data, there would be no scientific grounds to support any allegation that adverse health effects might be suffered by a responsible member of the public due to the EMF emitted by a base station.

Although the Department of Health currently neither prescribes nor enforces any compulsory exposure limits for electromagnetic fields, the Department does advise all concerned (whether they be a government department, the industry or the public) that voluntary compliance with the afore-mentioned ICNIRP exposure guidelines is the recommended and science-based way to deal with any situation involving human exposure to the non-ionising electromagnetic fields emitted by cellular base stations and handsets.

In addition, the National Environmental Management Regulations, 2014, as amended, published under the National Environmental Management Act 1998 (Act 107 of 1998), is the national legislation prescribing requirements for Environmental Impact Assessment to be conducted for various activities, prior to their commencement, depending on their scale and their potential to result in environmental and health impacts. The installation and use electromagnetic of Internet Wi-Fi [5G], Low Earth Orbit satellites, mobile phone towers and Internet fibre cables have not been identified as activities with a potential to result in significant pollution to the environment and therefore do not require an EIA to be conducted.

END.

04 July 2023 - NW2402

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Ceza, Mr K to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs

What steps of intervention has she put in place to prevent municipalities from wasting money on costly and ineffective consultants as a result of the lack of skills and vacancies in local government?

Reply:

The use of consultants is regulated in the Municipal Cost Containment Regulations issued by the National Treasury.

End.

04 July 2023 - NW2378

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Smalle, Mr JF to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs

(1)With reference to his reply to question 1835 on 15 June 2022, wherein he stated that the construction progress at the Nandoni Water Treatment Works was at 40%, and considering that Limpopo continues to experience major water shortages and residents of the Makhado Local Municipality suffer due to either extremely low water pressure or no water at all for months at a time , what (a) are the details of the steps that have been taken to ensure that the Nandoni Water Treatment Works and the pipeline are completed expeditiously and (b) is the total volume of water that will be supplied to the specified municipality;

Reply:

Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs did not provide reply to question 1835 on 15 June 2022. The abovemention question was responded to By Minister of Water and Sanitation. It is recommended that honourable member transfer PQ 2378 to Ministry of Water and Sanitation to provided replies accordingly.

End.

 

03 July 2023 - NW2329

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Sithole, Mr KP to ask the Minister of Transport

Noting that her department only invests heavily in road safety campaigns during festive holidays while reckless driving and accidents occur throughout the year and furthermore noting that even then the specified campaigns are often aimed at motorists and freight drivers rather than their employers, who often subject them to unsafe and near impossible driving conditions that do not allow for rest periods during drives, what policies have been designed by her department to ensure that employers create a safer environment for long-distance drivers?

Reply:

Section 49 of the National Road Traffic Act, 1996 deals with the duties of the operator and provides as follows:

49 Duties of operator

The operator of a motor vehicle shall­

  1. notify the registering authority concerned within seven days of any change in the circumstances in relation to his or her registration as the operator of such vehicle and return the operator card in respect of that motor vehicle to that registering authority;
  2. keep safe and protect from theft an operator card issued to him or her and, if any such card is lost, stolen or destroyed, he or she shall notify the nearest police station within 24 hours and the registering authority within whose area the holder is ordinarily resident within seven days after having become aware of such loss, theft or destruction or after it could reasonably be expected that he or she should have been aware of such loss, theft or destruction, whichever event occurred first;
  3. exercise proper control over the driver of such motor vehicle to ensure the compliance by such driver with all the relevant provisions of this Act, in particular the provisions regarding­
    1. the requirements in respect of the professional driving permit referred to in section 32; and
    2. the loading of such vehicle as prescribed by or under this Act;
  4. ensure that such motor vehicle complies with the fitness requirements contemplated in Chapter V;
  5. conduct his or her operations with due care to the safety of the public;
  6. if dangerous goods or substances are conveyed, ensure that all requirements for the conveyance of such goods or substances, as prescribed in­
    1. any other law in relation to such goods or substances; and
    2. this Act, are complied with; and
  7. take all reasonable measures to ensure that such motor vehicle is operated on a public road in compliance with the provisions for the loading and transportation of goods as prescribed by or under this Act. (my emphasis)

When traffic officials issue citations for transgressions of the above they are also expected to issue one for the operator.

As part of their Road Safety programme, the RAF has embarked on a Road Safety Wellness programme where attention is directed towards the safety of long-distance drivers, i.e. busses, taxis and trucks. They have a bus in which a nurse and an optometrist on board assist in checking for vitals like blood pressure and if there is a medical problem with the driver the nurse will prepare a letter referring them to the nearest clinic whereas, in the case of eyesight, the optometrist will prescribe glasses at no charge.

03 July 2023 - NW2465

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Roos, Mr AC to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

With regard to the total number of tourism visa applications received by his department in the 2022-23 financial year, (a) what total number of visa applications were (i) received and (ii) rejected, (b) for what reasons that they were rejected and (c) what were the nationalities of the persons (i) who had successfully applied and (ii) whose applications were rejected?

Reply:

  1. Total number of visa applications
  2. Received: 15 935
  3. Rejected: 2 084
  1. The most common reason for rejection were for invalid return flight tickets or no proof of reservation thereof.
  1. The nationalities of the persons:
  2. Successfully applied: Attached as Annexure A
  3. Rejected: Attached as Annexure B

END

03 July 2023 - NW2177

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Ismail, Ms H to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs

What (a) projects did each municipality in each province (i) initiate and (ii) implement using the Municipal Infrastructure Grant in the past two financial years and (b) is the status of each specified project?

Reply:

Enclosed find a list (Annexure A) of project with the projects with expenditure reported in 2021/22 and 2022/23. Note the 2022/23 municpal financial year ends at the end of June 2023 and the list provides information as at April 2023.

Futher information and follow-up may be directed to National Treasury as they oversee overall MIG performance and spending.

End.

03 July 2023 - NW2164

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Herron, Mr BN to ask the Minister of Water and Sanitation

(1) In light of the recent statement by the President, Mr M C Ramaphosa, that the water of the Republic is of high quality and noting the recent cholera outbreak in Gauteng, as well as multiple other water sources being tested and failing their purity tests in areas such as the Vaal Dam, what is his department’s current plan for testing and grading the Republic’s water sources to ensure this high quality status; (2) whether, with most of the water testing being exclusive to Gauteng, the specified tests will be focused locally or extended nationally; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details; (3) what steps are being taken by his department to ensure that persons are educated on the dangers of drinking unsafe water, as cholera can be deadly; (4) what safety measures and/or upgrades are currently being developed in conjunction with the Gauteng governance to ensure that water sources do not have the potential to be contaminated?

Reply:

 

  1. The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) conducts Blue Drop assessments for all Water Services Authorities (WSAs) in the Republic by measuring all aspects contributing to a sustainable Water Services Business, and provision of safe water to citizens.

Water Services Authorities (WSAs) are obliged to ensure that their residents have access to safe drinking water that is compliant with the required standards of SANS 241. The Department is strengthening its role as the regulator of water services, by developing more comprehensive and more stringent norms and standards for water service and standardising its regulatory processes so that it is more consistent with its regulatory actions. It is also intensifying its support and intervention in municipalities. In addition, DWS is drafting amendments to the Water Services Act to separate the roles of Water Services Authorities more clearly (ensure that water services are provided to required standards) and Water Services Providers (provide the services) and to enable the Minister to intervene more effectively as the Regulator.

(2) The Department is intensifying monitoring of drinking water as well as water resources across the country in order to detect any failures and alert WSAs to implement recommendations or instructions.

(3) The Department is in collaboration with the World Health Organisation, and the Departments of Government Communication and Information Systems (GCIS), Basic Education (DBE), and local councillors executing health promotion programmes in the Hammanskraal area and across the Republic. During the release of the Green Drop and Watch Reports, and the media briefing on Hammanskraal, the emphasis was also placed on preventive measures of good hygiene practices and sourcing safe water.

(4) The Department is strengthening its support and regulatory intervention at municipal level based on actual data which ensures that interventions are proactive, consistent, and systematic in their approach.

The DWS funds certain refurbishment and upgrading projects that meet the criteria of the Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant (RBIG) and Water Services Infrastructure Grant (WSIG), depending on availability of funds. WSAs, through their Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) allocation for water and sanitation, also have funding allocated for refurbishment of water systems.

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03 July 2023 - NW1628

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Herron, Mr BN to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services

Whether, considering that the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) reported that it has recently appointed 4 000 Crime Prevention Wardens (CPWs) who are Peace Officers in terms of section 334 of the Criminal Procedure Act (CPA), Act 51 of 1997, and noting that according to media reports the crime prevention team was also established in terms of the specified section of the specified Act, furthermore noting that with reference to his reply to question 1802 on 3 June 2022, that in terms of Part 5(a) of the Schedule to Government Notice No. R209 of 19 February 2002, law enforcement officers appointed by municipalities were in terms of section 334 of the CPA declared Peace Officers within the area of a local authority to exercise certain law enforcement functions, he has issued a notice in the Government Gazette to declare that any person who is appointed a CPW by the GPG shall be a Peace Officer; if not, (a)(i) in terms of which category of defined in column 1 of Government Notice No. R209 may the CPWs rely in order to qualify to be Peace Officers in accordance with the specified Act and (ii) which powers do they exercise in respect of which offences and (b) considering that CPWs are not persons who hold any office in terms of any existing notice issued in terms of section 334 of the CPA, then how do the CPWs qualify as Peace Officers; (2) Whether the GPG’s establishment of CPWs relies on any provisions of the CPA; if so, what are the relevant details in this regard; if not, (3) Whether he will take any steps in this regard; if not, why not; if so, what steps; (4) With reference to paragraph 4.2 of his reply to question 1802 on 3 June 2022, wherein he indicates that sections 199(1) and 199(3) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, provide that the security services of the Republic consist of a single police service and that security services, other than those established in terms of the Constitution, may be established only in terms of national legislation, on what legislation has the GPG relied to establish a security service?

Reply:

​​(1) – (4)

 

It is important to note that law enforcement in South Africa is primarily the responsibility of the South African Police Service (“the SAPS”). SAPS is responsible for investigating crime and security throughout the country. The police service is crucial for the safety of South Africa's citizens and was established in accordance with the provisions of Section 205 of the Constitution. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, also states that the police’s responsibilities are to prevent, combat and investigate crime; maintain and protect the public, their property and the overall security and safety of the Republic; uphold and enforce the law. Sometimes this function, which is a preserve of the police, is entrusted to other entities in terms of section 334 of the CPA. This is to assist the police in the primary function of keeping law and order.

Such appointment only confers police powers to appointees to enforce police functions where police are assisted in their mandate by additional resources. Appointment does not make appointees police officials as stipulated in the South African Police Service Act, 1995, (Act No. 68 of 1995) (“the Police Act”). An enabling provision in law should guide appointment of law enforcement officers as peace officers. This would be followed by a formal process of appointment requiring a formal request and approval of the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, in consultation with the Minister of Police before permission can be granted and subsequently published in the Gazette. Only then will the appointees be regarded as peace officers. The Department of Justice is not aware of any formal request or application to declare CPWs as peace officers.

Municipal Police

Metropolitan municipalities can apply to the Member of Executive Council responsible for safety and security to and establish their own municipal police units, which are tasked mainly with traffic policing and the enforcement of municipal bylaws. Municipal police have fewer powers than the South African Police Service, and do not investigate major crimes. They work in co-operation with the South African Police Service to prevent crime and maintain public order.

Section 206 of the Constitution provides that national legislation must provide a framework for the establishment, powers, functions, and control of municipal police services. The procedure for establishing a municipal police service is laid down in the South African Police Service Amendment Act of 1998. This law allows municipalities to apply to the government of the relevant province for permission to establish a municipal police service. The Minister of Police may approve the application, after consultation with the National Commissioner of the South African Police Service.

Do crime prevention wardens qualify as peace officers?

The question whether crime prevention wardens recently appointed by Gauteng Provincial Government qualify as peace officers as stipulated by section 334 of the CPA or not is as follows:

As stated in the foregoing paragraphs, the Department has not received any formal request in this regard and thus it is our submission that for an appointment to be made there must have been compliance with the requirements laid down in section 334 of the CPA. Until that process is adhered to, such personnel would not qualify as peace officers.

It is also worth noting that it falls outside my mandate to state that the appointees form part of the municipality police or are traffic wardens or are appointed as law enforcement officers. I am unaware whether there was consultation of the Member of Executive Council with the Commissioner of Police in terms of section 64A(2)(a) of the Police Act or not, for permission for such appointment. This falls within the mandate of the Minister of Police.

03 July 2023 - NW2406

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Komane, Ms RN to ask the Minister of Transport

Whether (a) the Integrated Public Transport Network systems are fully effective across the metropolitan municipalities based on the monitoring measurements of the results and (b) members of the public rely on the Bus Rapid Transit system; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

Reply:

  1. Integrated Public Transport Networks are operational in 8 municipalities, four metropolitan and four local municipalities. The effectiveness of the IPTN systems is measured based on the following operational indicators: operational hours, peak and off-peak frequencies, number of average weekday passengers’ trips, and number and percentage of municipal households within 500 meters walk to an IPTN station or stop.

The above indicators will differ per city. Generally, cities are operating services ranging from 15 to 19 hours per day, with peak frequencies of 5- 20 minutes and off-peak frequencies of 20-30 minutes. In 2022/23 a cumulative total of 555 990 average weekday passenger trips, compared to 399 260 in the previous year across all municipalities. All systems are designed to achieve 500-meter walk to an IPTN station or stop. In addition, these services are universally accessible to all passengers.

  1. Members of the public rely on Integrated Public Transport Network systems that include Bus Rapid Transit as well as Quality Bus services, as well as additional public transport services such as rail, bus and taxis, and walking and cycling in their areas.

03 July 2023 - NW2134

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Nolutshungu, Ms N to ask the Minister of Transport

What steps of interventions has she taken to ensure that public transport services are in a position to provide services to persons living with disabilities across the Republic?

Reply:

 

The Department published the White Paper on National Public Transport Policy, 2021 which commits that all forms of transport services will become “accessible to all”, (i.e universally accessible); including people with disabilities, all over the country. (Page 4).

The White Paper applies to all forms of transport services; road-based public transport, cycling and walking, rail, aviation and maritime. The implementation of this part of the White Paper requires coordination across the provinces and the State-owned Entities of the Department. The Transport Sector Transformation Forum meets quarterly, and progress on universally accessible transport is reported in this forum.

In road-based public transport services specifically, since 2010, ten municipalities have developed a universal design access plan (UDAP) to implement universally accessible transport systems in Integrated Public Transport Networks (IPTNS), using the Public Transport Network Grant (PTNG). In these ten municipalities new public transport vehicles have to be universally designed, to accommodate wheelchairs, people with other disabilities, passengers accompanying children, elderly people and women.

All ten municipalities report annually on the implementation of their UDAP, which includes all aspects of the travel chain, not vehicles alone. The implementation of the UDAP is part of the operational plan of the new public transport system within an IPTN. Where any form of transport in an IPTN is not accessible, passengers are able to register a complaint. Under the National Land Transport Act section 18(5) this complaint must be remedied.

03 July 2023 - NW2402

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Ceza, Mr K to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs

What steps of intervention has she put in place to prevent municipalities from wasting money on costly and ineffective consultants as a result of the lack of skills and vacancies in local government?

Reply:

The use of consultants is regulated in the Municipal Cost Containment Regulations issued by the National Treasury.

End.

03 July 2023 - NW2354

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Myburgh, Mr NG to ask the Minister of Water and Sanitation

What (a) number of new dams have been built by his department since 1 January 1995 and (b) are the details pertaining to the (i) location, (ii) capacity and (iii) cost of each specified dam?y

Reply:

 

MINISTER OF WATER AND SANITATION

  1. The Department has built 10 new dams since 1995.
  1. Details pertaining to the new dams are summarized in Table 1 below:

No

Name of the dam

Completion

  1. Location

Nearest Town

(ii) Capacity (m3)

(iii) Cost (ZAR)*

1.

De Hoop Dam

2006

Lat: 24º 54’ 33,7”

Steelpoort

347 400 000

3,4 Billion

     

Long: 19º 3’22,2”

     

2.

Berg River Dam

2007

Lat: 24º 57’ 26,9”

Franshoek

130 000 000

1,5 Billion

     

Long: 29º 57’ 24,5”

     

3.

Spring Groove Dam

2013

Lat: 29º 19’ 8,4”

Rosetta

139 500 000

582 million

     

Long: 29º 57’ 56,6”

     

4.

Qedusizi Dam

1998

Lat: 28º 32’ 31”

Ladysmith

0

273,5 million

     

Long: 29º 44’ 41”

     

5.

Injaka Dam

2001

Lat: 24º 53’ 5,9”

Hazyview

125 027 000

635 million

     

Long: 31º 5’ 2,5”

     

6.

Nandoni Dam

2005

Lat: 22º 58’ 50”

Thohoyandou

164 000 000

813 million

     

Long: 30º 35’ 52”

     

7.

Ludeke Dam

2014

Lat: 30º 44’ 37,6”

Bizana

14 500 000

191,6 million

     

Long: 29º 44’ 46,6”

     

8.

Bizana Dam

1997

Lat: 24º 54’ 33,7”

Bizana

95 000

7,5 million

     

Long: 19º 3’ 22,2”

     

9.

Modjadi Dam

1997

Lat: 23º 35’ 8”

Musina

1 860 000

67,5 million

     

Long: 30º 20’ 59”

     

10.

Botterkloof Dam

2002

Lat: 29º 19’ 8,4”

Clarens

600 000

15,9 million

     

Long: 29º 57’ 56,6”

     

* Figures are rounded off

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03 July 2023 - NW2431

Profile picture: Mohlala, Mr M

Mohlala, Mr M to ask the Minister of Water and Sanitation

What specific measures and actions has he, together with the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, undertaken to address the ongoing water crisis in Cradock effectively and to mitigate further economic decline?

Reply:

 

The water crisis in Cradock does not emanate from a source problem. The Fish River has an average flow of 26m³/s which consists of water being transferred via the Orange Fish transfer scheme.

The challenges experienced in Cradock are attributable mainly to a lack of functionality of water and sanitation services infrastructure, which is further exacerbated by load shedding. During long loadshedding, not enough raw water can be pumped to the Water Treatment Works (WTWs). Chris Hani District Municipality as Water Services Authority has put mitigations in place to respond to the challenges. The table below summarises challenges within Cradock and interventions/ mitigations in place to address them:

Table1: Water and Sanitation challenges

Challenges

Mitigations

  • Frequent sewer spillages
  • Pipe burst and water leaks
  • Water interruptions
  • Meter leaks
  • Use of backup generator
  • Water carting to supply water
  • Water rationing
  • Construction of inline screen in Lingelihle
  • Deployed jetting machine to unblock sewer mains
  • Funding approved to address sewer spillages
  • Funding is approved for consultant to develop Cradock Bulk Water Infrastructure Upgrade Plan.

Extended water interruption or shortages in Cradock due to non-functional or damaged water processing units are mainly affecting Hillside and Bersig areas. Measures to address this include the upgrade of Cradock bulk water infrastructure, funded through Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG). Consultants have been appointed to plan for this upgrade. A service provider has also been appointed to repair the raw water pump at Geelbooi and install a required protection control panel at Cradock WTW.

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03 July 2023 - NW2318

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van der Merwe, Ms LL to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

(1)Whether, with reference to his department’s announcement last year of the recruitment of 10 000 unemployed young graduates for the digitisation of its civic paper records, which was set to happen in three phases (details furnished), all 10 000 unemployed graduates have been recruited into his department; if not, why not; if so, what total number of the more than 350 million civic paper records have been digitised to date;

Reply:

  1. The employment of the 10 000 unemployed young graduates is in Three Phases. In the first phase we earmark to recruit 2000 unemployed youth, however 1045 were recruited and we are planning to fill the outstanding during the second phase.

The advert for the 2nd 4000 cohort closed on the 03 March 2023 and there were 45028 applications received. The third phase will conclude the recruitment of the last cohort which will be an additional 4000.

Preparations of records for digitisation in provinces has begun with detailed indexing and condition assessing of records. The records digitisation only commenced in Gauteng at back office (BVR) during June 2023 where the initial system set up and testing is in progress and over 35 000 records were digitised by 23 June 2023. To date, the Department has received 12 of the 20 high volume scanners that were procured. Each scanner is capable of scanning 300 pages per minute and can be operated by 6 persons. It is estimated that each scanner will be able to scan at least 108 thousand pages a day.

  1. Based on the current planning information it is expected that the digitisation of records will be completed by Jan 2026, in line with project deadlines. The last equipment was delivered on 18 June 2023 and the process to complete the digitisation hubs is on track with the physical building being prepared in line with the end to end process of the project.

END

03 July 2023 - NW2343

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De Freitas, Mr MS to ask the Minister of Transport

With regard to the properties owned by the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) in each province in the past three financial years to date, (a) what number of properties does PRASA own, (b) which properties have been (i) purchased and (ii) sold in each month, (c) what was the value of each property that was sold, (d) what was the sale price of each property, (e) which properties were upgraded, maintained and/or renovated in each month, (f) who resides in the specified properties, (g) what are the lease arrangements and terms and conditions with regard to each property?

Reply:

 

  1. What number of properties does PRASA own:

N/A

  1. Which properties have been
  1. Purchased

In the period in question PRASA has not acquired any Properties however in pursued of the Secondary Mandate for Revenue Generation, we acquired mainly Commercial Properties out of our Development Leases.

  1. Sold in each month

It is not PRASA’s strategy to sell property and only one property (vacant land) has been sold in the period in question, February 2023 for an amount of R18m, known as Remainder of Erf 79204 And Erf 79208 Diep River, Cape Town

This was a portion of land next to Diepriver station that will be developed into upmarket residential units by a 3rd party, Itakane Developers and as the scheme is based on sectional title sales of the unit, the sale of the property was approve in terms of PRASA Asset Disposal Policy and approval in terms of Section 54 of the PFMA.

  1. What was the value of each property purchased

In the context of the Properties, there is no value attached as nothing has been purchased over the past years.

  1. What was the sale price of each property

In the context of the Properties, there is only one property sold at R18m

  1. Which properties were upgraded, maintained and/or renovated in each month

There were no Residential Units that were Maintained, upgraded or Renovated over the last three years safe for the property situated at No 18 Mill Street, Newlands, Cape Town (Guest House).

The property was upgraded for a specialised purpose of Generating Revenue

  1. Who resides in the specified properties

The commercial components of both portfolios are occupied by private tenants on commercial basis mainly as retail activities being conducted and for office usage.

The Residential Component of the portfolio (378 leases) are mainly occupied by private residents and about 43 residential properties by PRASA staff with relationships strictly on commercial terms.

We have herewith attached a separate Listing of the occupiers of the Residential Properties that are active in our Property Management System. See the Excel Sheet attached.

  1. What are the lease arrangements and terms and conditions with regard to each property

The Residential Leases are all completed individually in terms of our leasing procedures with each respective tenant using the Residential, Lease Contract Template.

 

The lease arrangements on all the occupiers of the PRASA’s portfolios are on commercial terms.

This comprises of the description of the Property and its Extent including the Area as well as any pertinent components of the property like the tenure of the contract.

The agreement also describes the Tenants being charged Market Related Rentals and Escalations.

Rentals valuations are conducted by appointed qualified Real Estate Valuers to determine the applicable market rates.

Monthly Rentals are charged on all approved tenants in occupation of the PRASA properties.

Recoveries are also charged as additional billings in respect to the Electricity and water usages where meters are installed.

Conditions of the Properties are listed in the contract after every pre-occupation and pre-vacation assessment processes.

The Tenants Obligations as well as PRASA Obligations in terms of the Maintenance of the Property will also be clearly indicated in the lease agreements.

03 July 2023 - NW2437

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Hendricks, Mr MGE to ask the Minister of Police

(1) Whether the SA Police Service (SAPS) intends investigating students of the University of Cape Town who hosted solidarity programmes on Palestine on the campus during the Israeli Apartheid Week in March 2023; if so why; (2) whether any charges were brought against individuals in March 2023at the Claremont Police Station for using public and/or private educational institutions to promote Zionism in furtherance of an apartheid ideology which the United Nation has declared a crime against humanity; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

Reply:

Find reply here

03 July 2023 - NW1929

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Madlingozi, Mr BS to ask the Minister of Water and Sanitation

What are the relevant details of the progress regarding the provision of potable water to the 24 villages across Mopani, that the officials of his department confirmed to the households that the delivery of potable water would happen after the oversight visit by the Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation to Mopani?

Reply:

 

To date, 26 out of 37 appointments of contractors have been concluded by the Implementing Agent of the project, the Mopani District Municipality. Progress is indicated in the table below:

ITEM

VILLAGE NAME - PROJECT

PROGRESS

1

Bambeni Reticulation – Pipeline D

75%

2

Homu 14A Reticulation – Pipeline B

47%

3

Ngove Reticulation Contract B – Pipeline D

43%

4

Skhunyani Reticulation Contract B – Pipeline D2

05%

5

Bode Reticulation Contract B – Pipeline D2

06%

6

Makoxa Reticulation Contract A – Pipeline F1

35%

7

Maswanganyi Reticulation Contract A – Pipeline D2

02%

8

Kamninginisi Block 2 Reticulation – Pipeline F2

05%

9

Muyexe Reticulation – Pipeline F2

24%

10

Dzingidzingi Reticulation – Pipeline D2

05%

11

Xikukwane Reticulation Contract C – Pipeline F1

Site establishment

12

Mhlaba Willem Reticulation – Pipeline F2

25%

13

Risinga View Reticulation Contract A – Pipeline F1

05%

14

Nwakhuwani Reticulation – Pipeline B

05%

15

Makoxa Reticulation Contract B – Pipeline F1

05%

16

Gawula Reticulation – Pipeline A

05%

17

Vuhehli Reticulation – Pipeline B

04%

18

Homu 14 B – Pipeline B

03%

19

Muyexe Reticulation Contract B – Pipeline F2

05%

20

Mageva Reticulation Contract A -Pipeline D

05%

21

Mahlathi Reticulation – Pipeline A

04%

22

Mapayeni Contract A – Pipeline B

03%

23

Maswanganyi Contract B – Pipeline D2

Site establishment

24

Xikukwani Contract A – Pipeline F1

04%

25

Risinga View Contract B – Pipeline 1

Site establishment

26

Xikukwani Contract B – Pipeline F1

Site establishment

*

03 July 2023 - NW2466

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Roos, Mr AC to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

(a) Who is the chairperson of the Immigration Advisory Board that was established in terms of section 4 and 5 of the Immigration Act, Act 13 of 2002, (b) who are the other members of the board appointed in terms of section 4(2)(a-l) of the specified Act, (c) what number of meetings were held by the board in the 2022-23 financial year, (d) what was the advice and/or outputs of the board to him in the specified financial year and (e) what was the total remuneration paid to the board in the 2022-23 financial year?

Reply:

(a) The current Minister of Home Affairs has not appointed the Immigration Board in terms of Section 4 and 5 of the Immigration Act.

(b) The reason for not doing so is because the Department of Home Affairs is developing new Immigration, Refugee Protection and Citizenship Policy framework which is enroute to Cabinet.

(c) Please refer to answer above.

(d) Please refer to answer above.

(e) Please refer to answer above.

END

03 July 2023 - NW2220

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Roos, Mr AC to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

Regarding the project to employ 10 000 youth to digitise Home Affairs records, (a) where have the first cohort been posted, (b) what number has been posted at each location and (c) what number of records have been digitised at each of the specified locations since the posting of each cohort?

Reply:

  1. The first cohort of the youth has been posted in the following provinces:

Name of Province

Eastern Cape

Free State

Kwazulu-Natal

Limpopo Province

Mpumalanga

Northern Cape

North West

Western Cape

Gauteng

 
  1. The breakdown of youth deployment is as follows:

Eastern Cape

102

Free State

32

Kwazulu-Natal

136

Limpopo Province

171

Mpumalanga

55

Northern Cape

4

North West

53

Western Cape

11

Gauteng

503

Head Office

60

Total

1167

  1. The first phase of the digitisation process is the preparation of records. This work has started in earnest in the provinces through detailed indexing and condition assessment of records. The second phase will include the full scanning which will only commence in Gauteng at a DHA storage facility during June 2023 where the initial system set-up and testing is in progress. To date, the Department has received 12 of the 20 high volume scanners that were procured. Each scanner is capable of scanning 300 pages per minute and can be operated by 6 persons. The first scanner that was installed at BVR for a test run on the 31st March 2023 was able to scan over 10 000 records in 3 hours.

END

03 July 2023 - NW1998

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Yako, Ms Y to ask the Minister of Police

What (a) measures has the SA Police Service put in place for dealing with cold murder cases and (b) relief is offered to families who are left wanting and/or have had no closure, especially in instances where murder cases with overwhelming evidence, are not resolved?

Reply:

Find here: Reply

03 July 2023 - NW2461

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Weber, Ms AMM to ask the Minister of Water and Sanitation

(1)Whether his department received the application for a Water Use Licence General Authorisation (WULGA) for the Kusile Wetland Offset Plan from Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what is the date of the specified application;

Reply:

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

QUESTION NO 2461

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 15 JUNE 2023

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO. 24)

2461. Ms A M M Weber (DA) to ask the Minister of Water and Sanitation:

(1) Whether his department received the application for a Water Use Licence General Authorisation (WULGA) for the Kusile Wetland Offset Plan from Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what is the date of the specified application;

(2) Whether he will furnish Ms A M M Weber with the details of whether Eskom Holdings Pty (Ltd) has received the WULGA license for the Kusile Wetland Offset plan; if not, why not; if so what are the relevant details?

NW2802E

---00O00---

MINISTER OF WATER AND SANITATION

  1. Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd lodged a water use licence application for the rehabilitation of wetlands identified in Kusile Wetland offset plan (Ref No. WU8831) on 24 July 2018 which was closed and re-opened 3 times on eWULAAS between December 2018 and November 2020, due to non-submission of technical information by the Applicant. Phase 3 of the application process was re-opened again on 01 December 2020 on eWULAAS and the Applicant submitted the technical information on 08 March 2021.

The Applicant was subsequently requested to submit outstanding technical information on 22 March 2022 (see letter attached hereto) then opted to withdraw the water use licence application on 02 April 2022 (Withdrawal notification attached hereto).

  1. Eskom Holdings Pty (Ltd) withdrew the water use licence application on 02 April 2022 as indicated above.

---00O00---

03 July 2023 - NW2433

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Myburgh, Mr NG to ask the Minister of Water and Sanitation

(1) What (a) total number of new dams are currently under construction and (b) are the details pertaining to (i) location, (ii) capacity and (iii) costs of each dam; (2) what (a) total number of new dams are being planned for construction in the foreseeable future and (b) are the details pertaining to (i) location and (ii) capacity of the dam that is planned? NW2763E

Reply:

 

 

(1)(a) There are currently no new dams under construction. Current projects such as the raising of Tzaneen and Clanwilliam dams, are upgrades of existing dams.

(2)(a) The following 8 new dams that are being planned for construction in the foreseeable future:

  1. Nwamitwa Dam
  2. Lusikisiki Regional Water Supply Scheme - Zalu Dam
  3. Coerney Dam
  4. Foxwood Dam
  5. Mzimvubu Water Project (Stage 2) - Ntabelanga Dam
  6. uMkhomazi Water Project Phase 1 - Dam at Smithfield
  7. Cwabeni Off-Channel Storage Dam
  8. Stephen Dlamini Dam

(2)(b) The details pertaining to the planned dams are as follows:

Name of Dam

  1. Location
  1. Capacity

Nwamitwa Dam

Limpopo Province

87 million m3

Lusikisiki Regional Water Supply Scheme - Zalu Dam

Eastern Cape Province

17.3 million m3

Coerney Dam

Eastern Cape Province

4.69 million m3

Foxwood Dam

Eastern Cape Province

55 million m3

Mzimvubu Water Project (Stage 2) - Ntabelanga Dam

Eastern Cape Province

490 million m3

uMkhomazi Water Project Phase 1 - Dam at Smithfield

KwaZulu-Natal Province

251.4 million m3

Cwabeni Off-Channel Storage Dam

KwaZulu-Natal Province

15.5 million m3

Stephen Dlamini Dam

KwaZulu-Natal Province

9.78 million m3

---00O00---

30 June 2023 - NW2512

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Matiase, Mr NS to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development

(1) Whether, since the ruling of the Pietermaritzburg High Court delivered on 11 June 2021, she has ensured administrative and corrective measures such as implementing an alternative system of recording customary and other informal rights to land of persons and communities residing in land held by trusts; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details; (2) whether she has ensured that the necessary administrative capacity to implement Chapter XI of the KwaZulu-Natal Land Affairs Act, Act 11 of 1994, and that of the KwaZulu-Natal Land Affairs (Permission to Occupy) Regulations are reinstated; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW2856E

Reply:

THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, LAND REFORM AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT:

  1. Yes, the Communal Land Bill and the Communal Land Tenure Policy are being developed for public comment and they seek to provide for the transfer of communal land held in trust by the State, to communities and community members occupying such communal land; as well as to provide for the award of comparable redress; registration of communal land; land rights inquiries; the democratic administration of communal land; the establishment of communal land boards; dispute resolution mechanisms; and to amend and repeal certain laws.
  1. Yes, the process to design a fit-for-purpose structure for the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) is in progress and the capacity constraints analysis was completed. The Land Tenure Unit has completed a proposed new structure to accommodate these functions and recommend a separate Directorate at national and provincial levels for communal tenure and the creation of District sub-directorates for communal tenure to accommodate this order. Currently, the existing capacity within DALRRD handles all matters related to communal land, working with Ingonyama Trust Board (ITB) secretariat. The new Board has also been appointed and DALRRD has seconded a well-qualified official to act as the Chief Financial Officer for the ITB.

30 June 2023 - NW2522

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Matumba, Mr A to ask the Minister of Tourism

What is the policy position on the development of tourism economic accounts at a provincial and local level to elevate the economic value of tourism on local economic development?

Reply:

I have been informed that the Department has established a Provincial Tourism Statistics Committee to work closely with provinces, to improve the quality and availability of tourism statistics at provincial level, noting that tourism is a concurrent function in South Africa.

Furthermore, the Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) for South Africa is compiled annually by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) according to the internationally-agreed standard Tourism Satellite Account: Recommended Methodological Framework [TSA: RMF], developed by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

The TSA is a standard statistical framework and the main tool for the economic measurement of tourism.

The TSA provides macro-economic aggregates that describe the size and the direct economic contribution of tourism, such as tourism direct gross value added (TDGVA), tourism direct gross domestic product (TDGDP) and tourism direct employment, consistent with similar aggregates for the total economy, and for other productive economic activities and functional areas of interest.

30 June 2023 - NW2520

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Matumba, Mr A to ask the Minister of Tourism

On what date will she take action against a certain member of the SA Tourism Board (name furnished) against whom the Portfolio Committee on Tourism recommended consequence management for allegedly misleading them? NW2864

Reply:

I have started the process by requesting the transcript/recordings of the said meeting.

Once received, I will engage the services of legal advice to start the process.

 

30 June 2023 - NW2521

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Matumba, Mr A to ask the Minister of Tourism

What is the policy position on collaboration on the collection and collation of tourist data between her department, Statistics South Africa and the Department of Home Affairs?

Reply:

I have been informed that the Department of Tourism has established an Inter-Departmental Tourism Statistics Technical and a Steering Committee to ensure continuous collaboration in improving key national tourism statistics.

The committees consist of members from the Department of Tourism, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), Department of Home Affairs (DHA), South African Tourism (SAT) and the tourism private sector is represented by the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA).

Other stakeholders are invited when there is a need.

Senior officials are members of the Inter-Departmental Tourism Statistics Technical Committee and Directors-General and CEOs are members of the Steering Committee, chaired by the Director-General of the Department of Tourism.

The Department works closely with Stats SA and DHA to ensure the availability and reporting of tourist arrivals data.

Stats SA uses migration data collected by DHA to produce amongst others, tourist arrivals data which is released monthly through the Tourism and Migration Report.

The Department also receives tourist arrivals data from Stats SA on a monthly basis.

The Department further works with Stats SA on tourist-related statistics, including the Domestic Tourism Household Survey, the Tourism Satellite Account and the Accommodation Survey.

 

30 June 2023 - NW2511

Profile picture: Matiase, Mr NS

Matiase, Mr NS to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development

Whether, since the ruling of the Pietermaritzburg High Court delivered on 11 June 2021, she has corrected the breach of her duty of ensuring that administrative measures to respect, protect, promote and fulfil the constitutional right to property and security of tenure of the holders of informal land rights for persons living under Ingonyama Trust land in KwaZulu-Natal are protected; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the further, relevant details?

Reply:

Yes, due to the issuing of Permission to Occupy (PTOs) in KwaZulu-Natal being retained by the former Minister of Land Affairs, in accordance with the KwaZulu-Natal Land Affairs Act, 1992 (Act No. 11 of 1992), the former Minister delegated the function to the Provincial Government of KwaZulu-Natal in 1998 and the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development has since withdrawn the delegations.

The Ingonyama Trust Board (ITB) technically took over the function from the KwaZulu-Natal Government and stopped issuing PTOs in 2007; however, the litigation on this matter is not completed, and the application (appeal) by Ingonyama Trust is yet to be heard by the Supreme Court of Appeal.