Questions and Replies

Reply:

Response A: Provision of certificates to TVET students on time – DHET

1. The Department of Higher education and Training (DHET) is mandated to issue certificates within three months (90 working days) after students after the release of results to “eligible students’, meaning those students who have satisfied the requirements for respective qualifications. The DHET draws its mandate from the CET Act of 2006 which empowers the Department with the authority to conduct, administer and manage the GETC, NATED Report 190/1 and NC (V) examinations and assessment processes. The Certification backlog was addressed by 31 March 2022 and a report presented to PCHEST by my office. It is therefore imperative to clarify to members of this house the issues that in the public space may still be construed as certification backlog whereas the real issue is the matter of historical records.

2. However, there are various reasons why some students are not receiving their certificates. It is therefore imperative to provide the definition of what is termed Certification as well as the criteria thereof.

3. Working Definition:

- “Certification” is defined as “all eligible students who met the minimum certification requirements for various qualifications who were issued with certificates within three months (business days) after results have been approved by the quality assurers”. The bulk of the students who fall within this category are those who satisfied the certification requirements in one examination sitting and were issued with certificates within three months.

- “Certification backlog” is defined as “all eligible students who met the minimum certification requirements for various qualifications who were not issued with certificates within three months after results have been approved by the quality assurers

4. Certification criteria are described as follows:

• NC(V) qualification: candidates have to pass all seven subjects as required in the policy.
• NATED qualification: candidates have to pass a minimum of 4 subjects in the correct subject combinations.
• GETC: ABET candidates have to pass a minimum of 5 subjects (with a total of 120 credits).

There are also key obstacles that are contributing to the non-issuance of certificates to TVET students. Among others are:

• Part submission of both Internal and External marks by colleges before resulting for Nated R190/1; NC(V) and GETC qualifications
• System functionality and alignment across the full system – non automatic combination of results after the student has accumulated the results over multiple examinations session
• Understanding of Business Rules for certification by students at all points of data processing

5. Observation

In the main students who struggle to receive their certification within the stipulated timeframe are those who sits for multiple examinations sessions in order for them to satisfy the qualification/s requirements and thereafter apply for combinations. There are students who also involved in examinations irregularities that need further investigation for results to be finalised before certifications can be processed and released.

The DHET has a clear system in place where after certificates for eligible students are printed, the TVET section through the Chief Directorate National Examinations and Assessment, package the documents according to colleges where students sat for their examinations, generates waybills for dispatch to the respective destinations through courier services.

Under normal circumstances, where students met the requirements to be certified and the security paper printed by Government Printing Works is available, the DHET is not found non-compliant in this regard. The dilemma is only when student do not even collect the certificates from their respective colleges and chooses to seek the certificates using social media and other platforms without checking with their colleges.

The DHET works collaboratively with Quality councils, namely QCTO and Umalusi in matters relating to certification of students as well as SAQA for the verification of qualifications for those qualifications offered by the Department.

B: What sustainable plans have been put in place to eliminate the problem due to its socio-economic impact?

The DHET has also embarked on expanding the already available eServices on government portal which deals with Examination results, namely the DHET EXAMS Equeries Solution for TVET college System. I have launched this system in 2015 but planning to re – launch the same but updated system again before the end of 2023. My team in attempting to avert the recurrence of this anomaly have enhanced the system by developing another service, namely eTranscript/s, an automated system where students can access their academic records as well as receiving the status of their eCertificate report whilst waiting for a printed hardcopy from their colleges.

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Reply:

1. The National Department of Human Settlements (NDHS) and the then Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) currently known as NMU, entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) on 6 November 2012. The signed MoA provided for the establishment of a Chair of Education in Human Settlements Development Management. The established Chair of Education in Human Settlements Management was responsible, amongst other things, for the design and delivery of a unique professional degree known as the Bachelor of Human Settlements Development Degree. This degree is an undergraduate 4-year integrated multidisciplinary qualification with a focus on human settlements issues. (See Annexure A- MoA)

The partnership was extended for a further two years and an addendum was added to the original Agreement. The addendum extended the scope of the NMMU Chair of Education in Human Settlements and focused on the Capacity Development programme for the Human Settlements Portfolio Committee. (See Annexure B – Addendum).

2. A copy of the MoA and related addendum to the Agreement are attached as Annexure A and B in this response.

3. The expired MoA did not include the provision of job opportunities for the enrolled students that were recipients of the Departmental bursary, because the NDHS already had a Scholarship Implementation Unit that was responsible to facilitate the placement of graduates with Provincial Departments of Human Settlements and Metropolitan Municipalities. The immediate placement of students became a challenge due to the reduction in compensation of employees’ budgets in the different spheres of government, and the impact of COVID 19 on the operational budgets of the Provincial Departments of Human Settlements and the Metropolitan Municipalities.

Reply:

The department does not keep a comprehensive database of persons living with disabilities as various government departments keep databases of persons with disabilities in line with the services they render.

Further, the department does not have a database of persons that require wheelchairs, nor does it provide and/or distribute wheelchairs as that falls within the mandate of the Department of Health. This part of the question may be directed to the Minister of Health for reply.

Reply:

The Minister for the Public Service and Administration issues directives on the Performance Management and Development System (PMDS) for Senior Management Service (SMS) members. It must be noted that performance management and assessments are conducted at the departmental level, with the ultimate decision resting with the relevant Executive Authority.

The current PMDS for SMS members incorporates several measures to ensure a fair and justifiable performance assessment process. These measures go beyond individual and supervisor assessments. They involve utilising management control tools, such as leveraging performance outcomes from the Departmental Annual Performance Report and incorporating the Auditor-General's opinions and findings.

In addition, the PMDS for SMS members prescribes performance assessment templates, calculators, and moderation procedures for different SMS levels. The moderation process can comprise two structures: the optional Intermediate Review Committee and the compulsory Moderation Committee. These committees are crucial in reviewing and validating performance assessments, ensuring consistency and fairness across various departmental business units. Therefore, the measures outlined in the Directives help reduce subjectivity in the assessment process.

In line with the Professionalisation Framework, the Department is currently in the process of introducing policy enablers to empower the Public Service Commission to create a panel of experts where departments may select subject matter experts to advise on performance assessments. This will provide an additional level of assurance and objectivity.

End

Reply:

The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (1996) provides that public administration in South Africa must be governed by the democratic values [s1(a-d)] and principles enshrined in the Constitution [Chapter 2], including the principles outlined in Chapter 10 [s195(1)(a-i)], which includes the principle requiring that the efficient, economic and effective use of public resources must be promoted [s195(1)(b)].

It is therefore a constitutional imperative that the total public administration system of the Republic must be geared towards higher productivity.

To ensure that the Public Service is productive through promoting the efficient and effective functioning of the Public Service, the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) has:

• Regulated the measuring and monitoring of Public Service productivity through Regulation 29 of the Public Service Regulations (2016) which requires that: “An executive authority must assess the efficiency and effectiveness [i.e., the productivity] of a department in supporting that department’s service delivery objectives...”;
• Developed a Public Service Productivity Management Framework (2018) in support of Regulation 29. This Productivity Management Framework aims to: (a) define productivity in the context of the Public Service; (b) introduce a Public Service productivity measurement and monitoring instrument; and (3) encourage context-specific interventions to address identified blockages in the public administration system that weakens productivity.

The application of the Public Service productivity assessment tool is basic and uncomplicated in that the tool uses three (3) dimensions, namely Labour, Operations and Performance to isolate key factors in government departments that impacts directly on their productivity:

• Under the LABOUR dimension, the DPSA conducts an assessment and monitors the vacancy rate, skills development investment, absenteeism rate, and the costs of labour in relation to the programme expenditure of a department. This labour dimension shows the labour productivity of a department.
• Under OPERATIONS, the DPSA measures and monitors a department’s ICT investment and system-downtime, the efficacy of the physical workplace environment, and the implementation of regulated operational processes that includes compliance with set service standards, the accessibility of a department’s service charter, mapped business processes, standard operating procedures, and the Batho Pele principles and standards. This Operations dimension shows the operational productivity of a department.

• And under the PERFORMANCE dimension, the DPSA assesses and monitors citizen satisfaction, employee satisfaction, the distribution of performance rewards in a department, discipline and stress management, as well as the achievement of performance targets and overall budgetary performance. The performance dimension shows the performance efficiency and effectiveness of a department.

When the DPSA combines the assessment scores of the three (3) dimensions, this not only generates a comprehensive picture of a department’s overall productivity, it also allows the DPSA to identify those factors that weaken the total productivity of a department. These factors could – for example – relate to vacant, funded posts not being filled in time; or poor discipline management; or poor budgetary performance; or poor investment in skills development. Whatever the contributing factor or factors to poor productivity may be, the Public Service Productivity measurement instrument will identify these factors and department-specific interventions will be proposed to address the identified blockages to higher productivity.

To date, the DPSA has assessed the productivity of over forty (40) national and provincial government departments. As a result, sound recommendations have been made to ensure that these departments achieve their maximum productivity as mandated by the Constitution of South Africa, and as expected by the citizenry of the country.

The DPSA performs the above monitoring, continually in line with the objectives of the approved Public Service Productivity Management Framework.

End

Reply:

No, the department has not issued an instruction to any municipalities to award municipal officials danger pay for their efforts during COVID19.

End.

Reply:

The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) has two interventions that directly support production at a subsistence or household level, i.e. Ilima/Letsema and the Presidential Economic Stimulus (PES).

• Ilima/Letsema programme is aimed at supporting rural communities and vulnerable households to produce their own food and rehabilitate irrigation schemes. Since its inception in 2008, the Ilima/Letsema programme has supported 1 572 952 (one million five hundred and seventy two thousand nine hundred and fifty two) beneficiaries to produce their own food. The support includes starter packs for household, schools and community gardens, mechanization support as well as production inputs.

a) KwaZulu-Natal: 2022/23 financial year: the programme has supported 4 560 beneficiaries with production inputs; 1 104 were vegetable producers, 815 maize producers, 1 300 dry beans producers, 256 goat producers and 650 red meat producers.

b) Limpopo: 2022/23 financial year: 7 960 subsistence farmers were supported through Ilima/Letsema for production of vegetables and subtropical fruits.

c) Eastern Cape: 2022/23 financial year: 22 645 households have been supported for maize and vegetable production.

• In terms of the Presidential Employment Stimulus (PES) support, the Department has exposed over 146 000 subsistence producers to technology as part of supporting these producers with agricultural inputs. All these applicants submitted support applications via a paperless platform and used the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD), for the first time in the country.
• The Department continues to supply agricultural inputs to subsistence producers through the Presidential Employment Stimulus (PES). Currently a total of 36 895 subsistence producers are receiving support with crops and livestock inputs.
• The lead commodities are fruits and vegetables at 42% support, 33.4 % livestock, 17% poultry and 6.9% grains. It is encouraging to observe that subsistence producers, even in the most remote and rural areas of the country, continue to utilise technology in all the PES processes.

Reply:

The Department of International Relations and Cooperations is currently not able to provide a definitive answer regarding the total costs for the hosting of the BRICS Summit as invoices are still outstanding from the appointed suppliers. Once all invoices have been received and paid, will the department be able to provide the requested information.

Reply:

1. There have not been any bilateral engagements between the President, Deputy President, the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation and officials in the department with their Ugandan counterparts regarding the anti-homosexuality bill signed into law by the President of Uganda, Mr Yoweri Museveni, in May 2023.

2. South Africa is guided by its Constitutional principles which seeks to amongst others, promote and respect human rights of all people including members of the LGBTQIA community. South Africa is monitoring developments in Uganda and will raise its concerns with the Ugandan authorities through diplomatic channels.

Reply:

Regulation 89(1) of the Public Service Regulations, 2016 provides that the Minister for the Public Service and Administration shall, in terms of section 3(5) of the Public Service Act, 1994, annually make determinations regarding the cost-to-employer packages applicable to members of the SMS. Such determinations shall be implemented with effect from 1 April of each year. The determination by the MPSA provides for four salary levels, i.e., salary level 13 (Directors) to 16 (Director-General). These salary levels (scales) are uniformly applied for all employees, irrespective of gender and/or race, etc. Therefore, the basis for the application of these requirements is meeting the minimum requirements for appointment into the Public Service in line with the Regulations and relevant determinations/directives.

Sub-Regulation 44(1) of the Public Service Regulations states that an “Executive Authority may set the salary of an employee above the minimum notch of the salary level indicated by the job weight…..”. In this regard, all appointments are remunerated at the minimum notch of the applicable level, unless the appointed employee meets all the requirements in terms of Regulation 44 of the Public Service Regulations.

End

Reply:

(a), (b), and (c)The National Department does not monitor nor collect information on the dates of payment of salaries of teachers as part of its regular monitoring and support mandate. This is a provincial competency. The Honourable Member is respectfully directed to request such information from the Provincial Education Departments.  

Reply:

a) The management of employee discipline regarding the abuse of sick leave within the public service is decentralized, as per section 7(3)(b) of the Public Service Act 1994. In the decentralized human resources model applicable in the public service, individual departments are responsible for maintaining discipline and managing such cases. Therefore, specific statistics related to employees disciplined for abusing sick leave can be obtained from respective departments.

b) The Minister for the Public Service and Administration (MPSA) plays a critical role in establishing norms and standards, as mandated by section 3(1)(c) of the Public Service Act. To implement these norms and standards, the MPSA issues regulations, determinations, and directives, which guide various aspects of public service operations. Concerning leave management, the MPSA has provided guidelines through Regulations (regulation 48), the Determination and Directive on Leave of Absence in the Public Service, as well as the Policy and Procedure on Incapacity Leave and Ill-health Retirement.

Within the decentralized HR model, the responsibility to prevent the abuse of sick leave rests with the heads of individual departments, as outlined in Regulation 48(c) of the Public Service Regulations, 2016. They are expected to ensure that employees adhere to the norms and standards established by the MPSA regarding sick leave usage.

Furthermore, the MPSA has instituted the Employee Health and Wellness Framework, which enables the development of strategies, mechanisms, and interventions by government departments, components, and provincial administrations. These initiatives aim, among others, to implement Health and Productivity Management and Wellness Management within the Public Service, addressing issues that could lead to sick leave abuse.

To ensure compliance with the established norms and standards, the MPSA has also created the Office of Standards and Compliance (OSC). One of the focus areas of the OSC is the management of leave in the public service. The OSC is tasked with setting standards and monitoring compliance to MPSA guidelines, including those related to leave management. This focus on leave management by the OSC ensures that departments will be held accountable for their compliance with MPSA norms and standards in this regard.

End

Reply:

a) It should be noted that the Public Service only recognises funded posts as all unfunded posts should be abolished in terms of the applicable prescripts. The latest information on PERSAL reflects a quarterly vacancy rate of 13.31% for the Public Service as of 30 June 2023 (1st Quarter 2023/2024). This is 3.31% above the set target of 10% for the Public Service, however, it represents a significant improvement over the immediate past medium term period, which illustrate the positive effect of the support provided by the DPSA to departments on employment management and human resource planning.

b) As the management of vacancies is a decentralised function to the relevant executive authorities of the Departments, individual departments may possess nuanced insights into the specific impact of vacancies on their mandates and service delivery. It should be noted that in general, a high vacancy rate has broad implications for the efficacy and efficiency of government services across the Republic. The DPSA, has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the AG-SA to improve the monitoring of these employment norms to ensure that services are not compromised. Working with the Public Service Commission and the National Treasury, the DPSA will also ensure that all critical posts are prioritised for filling, with a specific focus on frontline staff.

End

Reply:

The department has adopted an all-of-society and an all-of-government approach to livelihoods restoration and wealth creation for unemployed women, youth and persons with disabilities through a step change to implement various projects to empower the identified categories of people in some of the poorest districts in the country. The aim of these projects is to skill and empower these categories of persons to be employable and/or to start their own businesses.

These projects include:

1. A baking skills training project to train women, youth and persons with disabilities in skills from baking bread to wedding cakes, which skills they can use to get jobs and/or start their own businesses;

2. An integrated farming value chain project that will provide training to cooperatives on farming crops and livestock, so as to leverage economies of scale to sell the produce;

3. A South African National Defence Force (SANDF) led National Service to train young people in various skills to ensure they are employable and are also able to start businesses in priority sectors with high absorption capacity such as oceans economy, manufacturing, agriculture and agro-processing and information communication technology, among others; and

4. The formation of a cooperative bank for women, youth and persons with disabilities toward the socio-economic empowerment and financial inclusion of those who have been unable to access finance from the mainstream banks.

Reply:

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) and entities reporting to department have not made any contribution towards the establishment of the Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Leadership School in Tanzania and have not sent any visitors and/or participants to the school.

Reply:

a) No funds were spent by the Department. The gala dinner event was funded entirely by sponsor contributions.

b) (i),(ii) Falls away.

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

1. The constitution or appointment of the Committee was made in accordance with Section 4 of the Land Titles Adjustment Act No. 68 of 1979.

Section 4(1) (a) of the Acts read thus: “A committee shall consist of three members appointed by the Minister, of whom one shall be a judge of the Supreme Court of South Africa or a magistrate with at least ten years’ experience as a magistrate or a person who has held office as such a judge or such a magistrate’’

(b) The Minister shall designate such judge, magistrate or a person as chairman of the committee and the chairman shall regulate the conduct of the business of the committee’’.

The Department consulted the office of the State Attorney Cape Town to enquire about the reasons why the transfer of other portions of Farm 1331 was not completed. Subsequent consultation with the office of the State Attorney, the Department was advised that two members (one being the Chairman) of the committee has since passed on and there is only one surviving member.

The office of the State Attorney assisted in identifying three candidates to act as members of the Johannesdal Land Division Committee (JLDC) one candidate is the surviving member of the previous committee and the second candidate is the retired conveyancer who worked on the transfer of other portions of Farm 1331 then.

Following the identification of the candidates, the Department prepared letters of appointment in respect of the two candidates for them to serve as members of the Johannesdal Land Division Committee (JLDC) and letters were signed in 2021 by the then Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Ms P de Lille, however the candidate to serve as chairman was not yet identified at the time of signing the appointment letters of the two members.

In order to complete the quorum, the Committee needs to have a judge or a magistrate as Chairman as indicated in subsection (b). A judge was suggested to the Department by Department of Justice and Constitutional Development.

2. The committee has since ceased to function, it is defunct. A new committee need to be appointed. The question is who has the authority to appoint a new committee.

3. The Department has sourced legal advice concerning the appointment of the committee owing to the issues raised by the identified judge (to serve as chairperson) pertaining to the relevant ministry to confirm appointment, this is because the appointment of the committee was in terms of Land Titles Adjustment Act 68 of 1979, which has been wholly repealed by the Land Titles Adjustment Act No. 111 of 1993.

It is advised that, the saving clause in the Section 15(2) of the Land Titles Adjustment Act No. 111 of 1993 (any proceedings commenced with prior to the commencement of this Act, in terms of any law amended or repealed by this Act shall be concluded as if this Act had not been passed) only talk to proceedings that had already commenced and in process.

It is further advised that the powers of the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure to appoint a committee cannot be sourced from a wholly repealed Act. A wholly repealed Act is regarded as Act that does not exist. We cannot use a repealed Act to appoint a committee.

In that sense, the authority now vest with the Minister of Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural development and as such the matter must be transferred in accordance with the now operational Legislation Act 111 of 1993.

Reply:

(a) The total number of cases of irregular expenditure by public servants which the departments reported to the Public Service Commission from 1 January 2023 is 247.

(b) From 01 January 2023 to 31 August 2023, the Public Service has appointed 524 females to positions within its Senior Management Service, as verified by data from PERSAL. This is against a total number of 1174 appointments, representing 44.6% of total appointments. Women now currently make up 44.6% of all SMS. The Department of Public Service and Administration is working directly with Heads of Corporate Services across the public service to provide the necessary technical support to ensure gender parity at the SMS level and across the whole public service.

End

Reply:

1. Department of Women Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD):

Description	2020/21	2021/22	2022/23
Total Amount	R103 117.50	R109 029.82	R189 698.50
Name of Supplier	Uvo Communication-Design-Print	Jetline	Mvuvhelo Events and Communications
Number of Copies	60	150	150

2. National Youth Development Agency (NYDA)

Description	2020/21	2021/22	2022/23
Total Amount	R122 000	R115 000	No costs recorded as the report is still under internal design for tabling prior to 30 September 2023
Name of Supplier	Moraba communications	Pixycorner
Number of Copies	200	200

Reply:

Since 2004, following the closure of the Agriculture Credit Board (ACB), the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development developed the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme (CASP) to ensure that the class of post-1994 farmers received the support that will enable their growth within the agricultural sector, since structures that existed pre-1994 had been privatised and the support that was available for small scale farmers were not within reach by these new class of farmers and beneficiaries of land reform. The CASP became a platform through which farmers, particularly previously disadvantaged farmers, could get access to the following:

• training and capacity building;
• production inputs;
• on-and-off- farm infrastructure support;
• mentorship and business development;
• market access support; and
• extension support and advisory services.

For the CASP pillar on training and mentorship, a total of 79005 small holder farmers were trained in various skills programmes across the nine provinces. An additional 3 275 farmers were provided with mentorship.

A number of further support programmes were later introduced to support rural farmers and communities to harness opportunities and grow within the agricultural sector, including the following:

• Ilima/Letsema programme aimed at supporting rural communities and vulnerable households to produce their own food and rehabilitate irrigation schemes.
• Land Care programme which is aimed at protecting the land, minimizing degradation and teaching communities to care for the land.
• Recapitalization and Development Programme – which aimed at accelerating productive land reform farms by stimulating production and maintaining the infrastructure on these farms.
• Land Development Support aimed at commercialising land reform farms.
• Presidential Employment Stimulus support: The Department has exposed over 146 000 subsistence producers to technology as part of supporting these producers with agricultural inputs. All these applicants submitted support applications via a paperless platform and used the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD), for the first time in the country.

The Department continues to supply agricultural inputs to Subsistence Producers through the Presidential Employment Stimulus (PES). Currently a total of 36 895 subsistence producers are receiving input support in respect of crops and livestock. The lead commodities are fruits and vegetables at 42% support; 33.4% livestock, 17% poultry and 6.9% grains. It is encouraging to observe that subsistence producers, even in the most remote and rural areas of the country, continue to utilise technology in these PES processes.

Reply:

Yes, the National Department of Health had an exhibition area at the 11th SA AIDS Conference. This was in collaboration with the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC).

(a) The total cost breakdown for the exhibition stand is as follows:

Element/s	Costs
1. Booking of exhibition space at the Durban ICC exhibition Hall	R 46 956.54
2. Conceptualization, design, production and dismantling of an exhibition stand frame, panels and related items Audio-visual materials showcasing during the exhibition Sound, information, technical and communication components of the exhibition stand Promotional items and collaterals to be used during the exhibition	R 725,050,00
3. Recording, production, editing of videography and photography of HIV/AIDS, STIs and TB interventions/programmes that were showcased during the exhibition. Lay-out, design and production of Information, Education and Communication (IEC) promotional items that captured HIV/AIDS, STIs policies, guidelines and key documents: lay-out, design and production of IEC materials, lay-out, design and produce memo sticks with key multi-sectoral policies and documents.	R 283,944,20
GRAND TOTAL	R1,055,951

b) The exhibition stand was manned by officials from the National Department of Health and the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) throughout the conference.

END.

Reply:

The reply in relation to the Department of Human Settlements and the Human Settlements Entities is as follows:

Organi-sation	Amount paid for copies of a)(i)	Name of suppliers b)	Number of copies printed in each case
	(aa) 2020/21 Annual Report	(bb) 2021/22 Annual Report	(cc) 2022/23 Annual Report		(i) 2020/21 Annual Report	(ii) 2021/22 Annual Report	(ii) 2022/23 Annual Report
National Department of Human Settlements	R25,360.00 Printing of the annual report R11,000.00 English language editing of the annual report	R420,000.00 Layout, design, and production of the annual report R189,750.00 Printing of the annual report	R43,264.00 Layout, design, and production of the annual report Printing cost: Procurement award must still be finalised	2020/21 Brand Inn Printing & Branding, Expert English Editors cc 2021/22 Ray Printers, Mict Projects 2022/23 Shereno Printers, Company still to be appointed – Request for Proposal Stage	400	150	150
Organi-sation	Amount paid for copies of a)(ii)	Name of suppliers b)	Number of copies printed in each case
	(aa) 2020/21 Annual Report	(bb) 2021/22 Annual Report	(cc) 2022/23 Annual Report		(i) 2020/21 Annual Report	(ii) 2021/22 Annual Report	(ii) 2022/23 Annual Report
Community Schemes Ombud Service (CSOS)	R186,459.28	R77,688.25	R65,665.00	2020/21 Korporate Apothecary (Pty) Ltd 2021-22 Zippy Calendars CC and Korporate Apothecary (Pty) Ltd 2022-23 Korporate Apothecary (Pty) Ltd	500	150	100
Housing Development Agency (HDA)	R45,500.00	R0 Digital copy produced for downloading	R0 Digital copy produced for downloading	2020/21 Digital Republic Consulting	100	0 Digital copy produced for downloading	0 Digital copy produced for downloading
National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC)	R141,113.62	R149,560.57	R164,516.62	Milk Brown Design and Communica-tions	100	100	100
National Housing Finance Corporation (NHFC)	R30,000.00	R0 Digital copy produced for downloading	Projection R48,000.00	2020/21-22 Interactive Web Works 2022-23 Kashan Advertising	60	0 Digital copy produced for downloading	60
Property Practitioners Regulatory Authority (PPRA)	R492,200.00	R182,732.80	Procurement award must still be finalised	2020/21 Asvato Projects 2021/22 Office Haven Trading 2022/2023 Procurement award must still be finalised	160	160	Procurement award must still be finalised
Organi-sation	Amount paid for copies of a)(ii)	Name of suppliers b)	Number of copies printed in each case
	(aa) 2020/21 Annual Report	(bb) 2021/22 Annual Report	(cc) 2022/23 Annual Report		(aa) 2020/21 Annual Report	(bb) 2021/22 Annual Report	(cc) 2022/23 Annual Report
Social Housing Regulatory Authority (SHRA)	R66,256.50	R90,500.00	R23,735.25	2020/21 Litha Communications (Pty) Ltd 2021/22 Motsangope Business Solutions 2022/23 Litha Communications (Pty) Ltd	300	250	100

Reply:

The department developed the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (NSP on GBVF) to provide a multi-sectoral, coherent policy and programming framework to strengthen a coordinated national response to the GBVF crisis by all of government and the whole of society.

A key activity under Pillar 4 of the NSP on GBVF is the establishment of local level rapid response teams in every municipality with clear protocols for weekday, weekend, after hours’ services and protocols for child protection to amplify the response to the needs of victims.

The Department led the establishment of multi-sectoral Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) at local municipality level. The RRTs are coordinated by the Department of Cooperative Governance whereas the department takes charge for capacity building of these coordinating structures. The main purpose of the RRTs is to coordinate, multi-stakeholder planning and responses to ensure that they meet the needs of the local community in the fight against GBVF.

Reply:

The monitoring of the pervasive problem of drug abuse among young persons in the Republic is a competency vested with the Department of Social Development (DSD). Accordingly, this question may be directed to the Minister of Social Development for a comprehensive response.

Nevertheless, the Department of Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD) cooperates with the DSD on programmes that raise awareness on the ill-effects of alcohol and drug abuse.

Reply:

a) The total number of government officials who voluntarily retired from the Public Service between 1 April 2019 and 30 April 2023 is 74 642.

A breakdown of those who retired before reaching the statutory retirement age of 65, i.e. from 60 to 64 is 47 722 from the Provincial Departments and 9 110 from National Departments.

Retirees between the period 1 April 2019 and 30 April 2023	60 - 64	65 and above	TOTAL
Provincial Departments	47 722	15 515	63 237
National Departments	9 110	2 295	11 405
TOTAL	56 832	17 810	74 642

b) The total number of retirees from the age of 65 and above is 17 810. Out of the total number in this category, 15 515 were from Provincial Departments and 2 295 were from National Departments.

End

Reply:

The Department regularly engages with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) on matters pertaining to functions and functioning of the HPCSA, including challenges experienced relating to finalisation of the service level agreement with the service provider to conduct the board examination.

According to the response received from the HPCSA, registration with the HPCSA for foreign qualified applicants is only approved after assessment of the training. The relevant board must satisfy itself that, the curriculum and/or training received is equivalent to that offered in South African institutions, or at least, satisfactory. For the relevant board to make the necessary determination, it relies on the submission of documentary evidence by the applicants for review.

Such documents must respond to requirements as set by the relevant board, including hours of training received, domains and evidence of satisfactory clinical exposure during training. The documents, usually written in foreign languages, may also need to be translated into English and notarised. A Task Team of the relevant board will review the submissions and may decide to either reject the application or subject the applicant to a board examination. Once the board has approved the application for a board exam, the applicant may need to wait until a board examination is available according to set schedules (exams are available frequently set, and sometimes, may happen only twice in a year). These processes are lengthy, and may sometimes take several months, especially as applicants sometimes do not provide all the documentary evidence as required timeously (a non-compliant application will not be processed).

Medical Board examinations are managed on behalf of the Medical and Dental Board (MDB) by an appointed service provider. Previously, this was the Sefako Makgatho University (SMU) whose contract expired, following extensions, in March 2023. The HPCSA had already started a supply chain management process to seek a replacement service provider, with initial bids advertised in March 2022. There was only one bidder that responded, which sadly did not meet the requirements. A closed bid was subsequently advertised in July 2022 to all universities with medical schools.

The same institution again was the sole respondent, still not meeting requirements. Management resultantly sought deviation from Council to enable negotiations with the same institution to provide guidance to ensure that requirements are met. The process took a long time, and it is only being concluded now, with a draft contract negotiated, and will soon be ready for signing.

The HPCSA is still planning to have a round of theory and practical examinations before the end of this year, followed by another round as early as possible next year to address the current backlog of applications received.

 

END.

Reply:

1. (a) The official was dismissed as a result of several transgressions including the lift incident in which she displayed gross dishonesty in dealing with it, unauthorised disclosure of confidential information, underperformance, and manipulation and inconsistent application of the Job Grading System.

(b) It is important to note that Minister’s locus standi to dismiss the concerned official was never questioned in this matter- Honourable Member, your allegations are therefore baseless.

(i) The above-mentioned transgressions which resulted in the department incurring unnecessary costs, including potential risk of litigation, clearly illustrate and justifies the need for consequence management, which were implemented and resulted in litigation.

Below are some of the reasons that necessitated consequence management:

• the disclosure of confidential information.

• She was issued with a final written warning on 10 November 2022 for achieving 33% of quarter 1 targets and 0% of quarter 2 targets of the 2022/23 Annual Performance Plan.

• She had been served with another final written warning regarding her underperformance on 22 March 2023.

• She manipulation and inconsistent application of the Job Grading System in the Grants Management Unit in 2015 and 2016 which resulted in back payments of R1 243 783.65 in 2023. The matter further caused instability, disputes, and unhappiness in this Unit.

• She signed permanent appointment letters of eight (08) Public Liaison Officers without delegations and/or authority and without following the recruitment processes. The department had to keep these officials in employment to allow for the conclusion of legal proceedings. This has costed the Department R11 412 944, 10 to date.

• Upon Minister’s arrival at this portfolio in the year 2021, she was already on suspension for a period of almost 2 years and Minister directed that she be brought back to work since it would be a waste of tax-payers money to have employees suspended for that long period with a salary sitting at home, and further directed that she be properly re-integrated to work- place.

(ii) The legal costs stand at R502 818.75- These include costs of the main application, application for leave to appeal, the application for the execution of the order of Court in terms of Section 18 (3) of Superior Courts Act, and initiation of a petition to the Judge President for leave to appeal.

2. The Department complied with section 18(3) of Superior Court Act and allowed her to return to work, whilst awaiting the decision on petition to the Judge President. She was moved to work in the Office of Director-General until the disciplinary process that was issued in 2019 and investigations into matters mentioned in paragraph 1 above are completed and/ or the petition is granted.

Reply:

According to Mpumalanga Department of Health patients were never turned away. H A Grove Hospital is one of the two district hospitals servicing patients from Emakhazeni sub-district in Nkangala district, as direct patients or referrals from the local clinics both as emergencies and outpatients. The outpatient department has a booking system to avoid long queues and long waiting times. Patients are booked according to the different outpatient clinics.

END.

Reply:

The annual priorities and targets for the 2023/24 financial year are a work in progress. To date, the department has achieved 81% of quarter 1 targets. Work continues toward achieving the annual priorities and targets by 31 March 2024.

Reply:

According to the South African Nursing Council (SANC), the case was reported to them in February 2022, however the Council experienced difficulty accessing the records from the Hospital. The matter was discussed at the Preliminary Investigating Committee in terms of section 47(3) of the Nursing Act, 2005 (Act No. 33 of 2005), which found that there was a case to be answered and in terms of section 47(3)(b) of the Act. The matter was therefore referred to the Professional Conduct Committee for hearing (PCC). The matter has been set down to be heard at the next PCC.

 

END.

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

(i) With respect to the Department:

a) In terms of the annual reports for (aa) 2020-21, (bb) 2021-22 and (cc) 2022-23 financial years, no service providers were used and no costs incurred in the printing of the Annual reports. The compilation of the Annual reports were done in-house (from collection, analysis and provisioning to stakeholders via emails as electronic documents as well as making it available on the Departmental website.

b) No suppliers were used as these document in the financial years in question, have been compiled in-house.

c) Over the 3 financial years in question, given that these were compiled in-house, electronic copies were provided via emails as electronic documents as well as making it available on the Departmental website.

(ii) With respect to Entities reporting to the Department:

Agrément South Africa (ASA)

In terms of the annual reports for ASA (aa) 2020-21: R13 864.91, (c) 100 copies were printed by the supplier: (b) (Lebone Litho Printers).

(bb) 2021-22: R 88 844,40, (c) 112 copies were printed by the supplier: (b) (Seriti Printing Digital).

(cc) 2022-23: R 64 585, (c) 30 copies printed by the supplier (b) (YesDirect Trading (Pty) Ltd).

Council for the Built Environment (CBE)

In terms of the annual reports for CBE (aa) 2020-21, (b) printed by supplier Lebone Litho, (c) Zero (0) distribution (lockdown, only electronic distributions, R 102 645.55).

(bb) 2021-22, (b) printed by supplier Lebone Litho, (c) 25 limited distribution, R 111 151. 26.

(cc) 2022-23, (b) printed by supplier Atlarela Consulting, (c) in progress, CBE will be limiting the distribution to 50 copies, Design/Layout: R 38 000 + Printing Cost estimated at R 35 000.

Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB)

a) In terms of the annual reports for (aa) 2020-21, (bb) 2021-22 and (cc) 2022-23 financial years, cidb appointed Meropa to assist with design and layout on the cidb’s annual reports. There is no cost for printing cidb's annual report. All annual reports were electronic. The compilation of annual reports were compiled internally (from collection, analysis and delivery to stakeholders via email in the form of electronic documents as well as posting on CIDB website).

b) No suppliers were used for printing as these documents were, in the relevant years, produced in-house by a contractually appointed service provider during the stated years.

c) During the 3 financial years, as these were developed in-house, electronic copies were made available via e-mail in electronic document form as well as on the CIDB website.

https://www.cidb.org.za/resource-centre/downloads-1/#45-49-wpfd-annual-reports

Independent Development Trust (IDT)

(aa) 2020-21; the supplier was (b) Letheric Solutions; (c) 250 Copies of the Annual Report were printed, and the total cost was R268 488.00.

(bb) 2021-22 financial year; the supplier was (b) Shinning Nova; (c) 300 copies of the Annual Report were printed, and the total cost was R367 780.00.

(cc) 2022-23 financial year; no service provider has been appointed.

Reply:

The following table reflects the details in this regard.

Province	(a) total number of hospitals in each province is experiencing food shortages	(b) are the specified shortages	(c) are the reasons that the specified hospitals are experiencing such shortages?
Free State	11	Fruits Vegetables Meat and dairy products Bread Meat	Budget constrains Unreliable Suppliers and accruals, however, fund shifts have been done to provide more funds on the items. Delays in terms of delivery by suppliers due to late/non-payment - payment will be authorised on time but disbursed late or supplier refusing to deliver meat because of outstanding payment of bread Prolonged Supply Chain processes but is in the process of generating a new order. Suppliers don’t always have the capacity to deliver food items, delivering only partially and then cancelling the remainder of order. Late payment of suppliers.
Kwa Zulu Natal	The Kwa Zulu Natal health facilities have not experienced any food shortage	N/A	N/A
Mpumalanga	There is currently no hospital in Mpumalanga that experience any shortage of food.	N/A	N/A
Western Cape	The Western Cape health facilities have not experienced any food shortages.	N/A	N/A

Inputs are still awaited from Eastern Cape, Gauteng, Limpopo, North West and Northern Cape Provinces. This information will be submitted to Parliament as soon as it is received from these provinces.

 

END.

Reply:

(i) The total costs incurred by the Department in relation to the Parliamentary study tour to Europe was Euro 4290.90 with the following breakdown:

• Air Transport: 1287.00
• Hotel Accommodation: 1563.45
• Daily Allowance: 604.75
• Ground Transport: 835.70

(ii) The Department did not make any financial contribution to the African Peace Mission to Ukraine.

Reply:

(i) National Department of Health

(aa) The National Department of Health annual report was not printed in the 2020/2021 financial year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Electronic copies were circulated to the stakeholders and uploaded on the departmental website.

(bb) For the 2021-2022 Annual Report –

(a) R279,900 was paid for printing

(b) Ribola Holdings

(c) 500 copies

(cc) The procurement process of printing of the 2022-2023 annual report is underway and the appointment of the successful service provider is expected to be finalised before the end of September 2023.

(ii) Public Entities

Council for Medical Schemes

Financial Years	(a)(ii) Total amount spent on printing	(b) who were the suppliers	(c)(ii)(i) Total number of copies printed in each specified year
(aa) 2020-21	R109 940.00	Kashan Advertising	300
(bb) 2021-22	R336 974.70	Shereno Printers	500
(cc) 2022-23	R 42 535.57	Lebone Litho Printers	150

Office of Health Standards Compliances

Financial Years	(a)(ii) Total amount spent on printing	(b) who were the suppliers	(c)(ii)(i) Total number of copies printed in each specified year
(aa) 2020-21	R138 600	The Link Institute	200
(bb) 2021-22	R29 900	Creative Boost	200
(cc) 2022-23	R166 310	Rebuild Group	200

National Health Laboratory Service

Financial Years	(a)(ii) Total amount spent on printing	(b) who were the suppliers	(c)(ii)(i) Total number of copies printed in each specified year
(aa) 2020-21	R88 456	Milk Brown Design and Communications	150
(bb) 2021-22	R82 245.70	45TH Media (Pty) Ltd	200
(cc) 2022-23	R37 600.40	Litha Communications (Pty) Ltd	200

South African Health Products Regulatory Authority

Financial Years	(a)(ii) Total amount spent on printing	(b) who were the suppliers	(c)(ii)(i) Total number of copies printed in each specified year
(aa) 2020-21	R159 988	45th Media	500
(bb) 2021-22	R192 860	Shereno Printers CC	500
(cc) 2022-23	R156 319.50	Shereno Printers	300

South African Medical Research Council

Financial Years	(a)(ii) Total amount spent on printing	(b) who were the suppliers	(c)(ii)(i) Total number of copies printed in each specified year
(aa) 2020-21	R83 288.75	Blackburn Solutions	100
(bb) 2021-22	R55 549.60	Lebonelitho Printers	100
(cc) 2022-23	R87 429.90	Blackmoon Advertising	100

END.

Reply:

Find reply here

Reply:

Find reply here

Reply:

1.(a) The Human Settlements Development Grant and other related grants under the National Department of Human Settlements are linked to a 3-year Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) planning cycle, therefore no information is available over a 5-year period.

(b) Provinces are required to annually prepare Human Settlements Development Grant (HSDG) Business Plans. Based on the approved 2023/24 Business Plan for the Northern Cape, the planned target for RDP houses is illustrated per Municipality in Table 1 for the Medium-Term Revenue and Expenditure Framework (MTREF) period (2023/24 to 2025/26). A total of 1 271 housing units will be constructed.

Table 1: Planned RDP houses per Municipality

 

2. Although the Province did not allocate any stands (erf/plots) to beneficiaries in the Namaqua District Municipality in the 2023/24 HSDG business plan, it has allocated R11 million for the provision of bulk infrastructure, which will pave the way for the delivery of erven in the 2026/27 financial year. Furthermore, the province plans to build 178 units over the MTEF period (2023/24 to 2025/26) in the Municipalities cited above.

3. Owing to budget constraints, the province did not make provision for the delivery of RDP houses in Hantam Local Municipality, but plans to build 50 houses in Williston, a community under the jurisdiction of the Karoo Hoogland Local Municipality in the current Medium -Term Revenue and Expenditure Framework. The 50 houses in Williston will replace mud houses in the area.

Reply:

a) The integrity assessment will be implemented from April 2024, starting with Senior Managers.

b) The piloting of integrity assessments is planned between October and December 2023.

c) The outcome of the specified integrity assessments will be made known once the pilot is completed.

End

Reply:

(1) The delegates would agree with mandates that are in-line with the country’s goals, existing and planned regulatory frameworks to control the use of Tobacco and related products.

(2) The current Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill has not been passed yet, if during the consultative process there individual or stakeholders that would propose amendments that can advance public health without compromising the health of vulnerable groups they may be considered.

(3) The mandate of the delegation is to engage on matters that will advance public health, as indicated in earlier responses, the country position on various agenda items has not been finalised.

(4) South Africa follows its own legislative process as mandated by Parliament.

 

END.

Reply:

The department developed the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (NSP on GBVF) to provide a multi-sectoral, coherent policy and programming framework to strengthen a coordinated national response to the GBVF crisis by government and the whole of society.

A key activity under Pillar 4 of the NSP on GBVF is the establishment of local level rapid response teams in every municipality with clear protocols for weekday, weekend, after hours’ services and protocols for child protection to amplify the response to the needs of victims.

The Department led the establishment of multi-sectoral Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) at local municipality level. The RRTs are coordinated by the Department of Cooperative Governance whereas the department takes charge for capacity building of these coordinating structures. The main purpose of the RRTs is to coordinate, multi-stakeholder planning and responses to ensure that they meet the needs of the local community in the fight against GBVF.

Reply:

Find reply here

 

Reply:

The spending by the Department is set out below. Information on entities will be provided in a supplementary reply.

Entity		(aa) 2020-21	(bb) 2021-22	(cc) 2022-23
Department of Trade Industry and Competition (DTIC)	Total amount paid	R279 950.00	R255 850.00	R269 400.00
	Supplier	Bakhoni Ba Kopane Trading (Pty) Ltd	Indulgence Palace (Pty) Ltd	MKYJAN Trading (PTY) Ltd
	Total number of copies printed	420	420	420

-END-

Reply:

Addressing youth unemployment requires an all-of-society and all-of-government approach to mainstreaming of youth employment across the different sectors of the economy. In this regard, a sector-wide youth skills development programme has been conceptualised to train young people in various skills to ensure they are employable and are also able to start businesses in priority sectors with high absorption capacity such as oceans economy, manufacturing, agriculture and agro-processing and information communication technology, among others.

In collaboration with South African National Defence Force (SANDF), the department has developed a concept paper for a SANDF-led National Service to provide skills targeting women, youth and persons with disabilities. The programme will build character and develop leadership skills. Together with the South African National Defence Force and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the department is developing an implementation plan and costing the various streams and phases of implementation for the national service.

Led by the SANDF, the Department is also in discussion with various Sector Training and Education Authorities (SETAs) to collaborate on this project, which include the:

1. Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services Sector Education and Training Authourity (MERSETA)
2. Agricultural Sector Education and Training Authourity (AGRISETA)
3. Transport Education Training Authourity (TETA); and
4. The Energy and Water Sector Education and Training Authourity (EWSETA).

Reply:

(a) The Minister for the Public Service and Administration (MPSA) issued a Directive on Compulsory Capacity Development, Mandatory Training Days, and Minimum Entry Requirements specifically for Senior Management Service (SMS). The Directive prescribes the minimum qualification requirements and experience for entry into SMS level post with effect from 01 April 2016.

The Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA), can only provide qualification data solely for SMS members in compliance with this Directive.

The total number of public servants with qualifications not specified on PERSAL as of 14 September 2023 is 1801. Departments were guided to complete the qualification information on PERSAL, and this process is ongoing.

SMS Members with Qualifications unspecified on PERSAL
Occupational Classification	Appointed in SMS per Regulation Date	Total
	Before 1 August 2016	From 1 August 2016
Total	1,265	536	1,801
Administrative Related	91	54	145
Advocates		2	2
Agriculture Related	2		2
Communication and Information Related	4	2	6
Computer Programmers		1	1
Computer System Designers and Analysts		1	1
Crime Investigators		1	1
Custodian Personnel		1	1
Economists	2		2
Finance and Economics Related	20	5	25
Financial and Related Professionals	18	11	29
Financial Clerks and Credit Controllers	2		2
General Legal Administration and Rel. Professionals	2	1	3
Head Of Department/Chief Executive Officer	21	6	27
Health Sciences-Related	3	2	5
Human Resources, Org. Dev., and Related Prof	11	4	15
Human Resources Related	11	4	15
Identification Experts	3		3
Information Technology Related	4	1	5
Legal Related	4	1	5
Natural sciences-related	2	2	4
Operational Planning		1	1
Other Admin, Related Clerks and Organisers	2	3	5
Other Administrative Policy and Related Officers	2		2
Other Information Technology Personnel	8		8
Other Occupations	9		9
Police		1	1
Professional Nurse	1	1	2
Risk Management and Security Services	4		4
SAPS	1	1	2
Secretaries and Other Keyboard Operating Clerks		3	3
Security Officers	1		1
Senior Managers	1,031	427	1,458
Social Sciences Related	1		1
Social Work and Related Professionals	2		2
Trade/ Industry Advisers and Other Related Professionals	2		2
Veterinarians	1		1
Table 1: Data Source: PERSAL (Excluding Defence and State Security Agency)

(b) The purview for determining qualification requirements, for instance, current positions occupied, rests with the individual Executive Authorities for roles outside the SMS classification, such as those under Occupation Specific Dispensation (OSD) and different coordinated positions. As guided by the DPSA, these standards align with Regulation 64(1) of the Public Service Regulations, 2016, which stipulates that Executive Authorities must identify and document comprehensive employment criteria based on essential objectives, core functions, and inherent job prerequisites.

End

Reply:

The department employed one (1) young researcher for monitoring, evaluation and database management in the past financial year.

Reply:

To date from January 2023, a total of 3 974 posts of medical doctors were advertised and filled as compared to 2 053 medical doctors posts of the previous year (2022) for the same periods of employment. This means that an additional 1 921 posts for medical doctors were funded to accommodate unemployed medical doctors.

It is also acknowledged that not all unemployed medical doctors after completing community service, applied for these positions due to their different personal interests (e.g. Preference of urban areas rather than rural).

It remains the obligation for the Department of Health to ensure that sufficient employment is available for all eligible South African Citizens and Permanent Residents for medical internship and community service. This is to enable them to fulfil the legal requirements to qualify for independent practice, after which they can to seek employment either in public or private sector.

The National Department of Health remains accessible/open to refer unemployed medical doctors, either individually or through their Associations, to Provinces for recruitment to available funded posts.

 

END.

Reply:

1. Yes, a) BRICS member countries have a common understanding on what the process for a potential candidate should be as well as the standards and criteria for the inclusion of a new member. b) BRICS member countries have reached consensus on the guiding principles, standards, criteria, and procedures of the BRICS expansion process which are outlined in the agreed upon BRICS Expansion document.

2. The decision to invite the six new members was a consensus driven decision and that prospective members were considered on the basis of regional strategic influence, the support for multilateralism including its reform and the commitment to sustainable development.

South Africa and Iran enjoy an historical and fraternal relationship, with both countries interacting regularly, notably through the Joint Commission of Cooperation (JCC), with the 15th session of the JCC being held on 10 August 2023. This is the longest running and one of the most active structured bilateral mechanism South Africa has with any country in the Middle East Region. Through our bilateral relations and our cooperation in other multilateral fora, South Africa have continuously engaged Iran on a number of political and economic areas of cooperation, including human rights issues. For instance, South Africa as a member of the Human Rights Council, looks forward to making use of the Human Rights Dialogue Forum, to increase its bilateral cooperation on human rights issues, including constructive and meaningful dialogue, for mutual benefit with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The inclusion of Iran as a new member of BRICS will provide a new platform to further enhance these engagements in the BRICS Spirit of mutual respect and understanding

Reply:

Following the allegations made by US Ambassador Reuben Brigety, he was dèmarched by the department. During the meeting between the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation and Ambassador Brigety, South Africa expressed deep disappointment and displeasure at the manner in which the allegations were made, especially since there are prescribed diplomatic protocols which should have been used to convey any grievance/concerns of the US Government in relation to the Lady R vessel.

In the wake of the release of the outcomes of the Investigation Panel into the Lady R, the Department will, after thorough consultation, decide on a course of action in respect of the US Ambassador, should this be deemed necessary, taking into account the overall impact on our bilateral relations with the US and the foreign policy interests of the country.