Questions and Replies

Reply:

We are still gathering data from entities and information is not readily available

Reply:

1. Response from CIPC

(a) and (b) In order for the CIPC to confirm the above, the name and registration number of the two entities to whom the casino licence was awarded (owners of the Gold Reef City Casino Gambling Licence), needs to be provided. Full content of the entity file The South African Apartheid Museum at Freedom Park was provided but for completeness is provided again (Annexure A).

(c) It should be noted that even if an entity has been deregistered or dissolved, the CIPC will still retain the entity history and information as at the date of deregistration or dissolution.

1. Response from NLC.

The National Lotteries Commission (NLC), formerly known as National Lotteries Board, confirms that it received an application on 24.11.2004 from The SA Apartheid Museum at Freedom Park, with the registration number 2001/019108/08. There is no reflection of Gold Reef City Casino Gambling Licence in the application form (FORM 03/1).

  (a) and (b) n/a

  (c) In terms of the proof of registration submitted, that reflects the company registration number reflected in application pack, the directors of The SA Apartheid Museum at Freedom are as follows:

• Kim Feinberg
• Christopher Kroese
• Solomon Krok
• Christopher Martin Till
• Richard Thabo Moloko
• Lesego Wa Lesego
• Sidney Abromowitch

2. whether, with reference to a summation of all the facts on his version through the CIPC, which reveals the existence of two companies sharing Unique Company Registration Number: 2001/019108/08 and sharing date of incorporation: 14 August 2001, one of these companies, the SA Apartheid Museum, enjoys the benefit of public funds in the amount of R1,585,000 received from the NLB after submission of a statutory declaration by Mr Christopher Till, when applying for funding in November 2004; if so, can he, (a) in consultation with officials of the NLC, who were named in previous replies, provide the National Assembly with non-confidential information of SA Apartheid Museum under Project Number: 18052 regarding the Constitution of SA Apartheid Museum and the Registration Certificate and Memorandums, (b) confirm that all applicants are advised to read the rules before applying for funds and that one of those rules stipulates that the three referee's given in any application must be independent of the applicant and (c) in consultation with officials of CIPC who were named in previous replies, provide the National Assembly with each of the two CM5 Name Reservation Forms, that with payment of a fee, are a prerequisite to registration of the memorandum of a company;

2. Response from CIPC

According to the CIPC register, there is only one entity with registration number 2001/019108/08, namely The South African Apartheid Museum at Freedom Park NPC. The question regarding whether the company can apply for funding, can only be answered by the National Lottery Board that issues such funding. See NLC response 2 on page 3.

It should be noted that according to the CIPC electronic workflow system, two name reservations were submitted. The first on 10/04/2001 which was only valid for two months from date of reservation and therefore lapsed before the entity registration could occur. The lapsing of the name reservation resulted in the second name reservation being submitted on 07/06/2001 and reserved on 11/06/2001. The South African Apartheid Museum at Freedom Park NPC was subsequently registered on 14/08/2001.

(a) and (b) Kindly raise this question, with the NLC since the CIPC cannot confirm what information regarding the entity was submitted to them.

(c) As stated above, there is only one entity on the CIPC register with the name The South African Apartheid Museum at Freedom Park NPC with registration number 2001/019108/08. All information regarding the registration of the The South African Apartheid Museum at Freedom Park NPC was provided previously, but for completeness is provided again (Annexure A).

2. Response from NLC.

A grant of R1, 585,000.00 was allocated to The SA Apartheid Museum at Freedom Park into Nedbank as follows:

• Name of account: SA Apartheid Museum
• Payments:
  • R600, 000.00 on 08.09.2006;
  • R585, 000.00 on 01.07.2011; and
  • R400, 000.00 on 18.08.2016.

(a) The scanned copy of the submitted proof of registration and founding documents are in the possession of the NLC and can be made available if the writer follows the processes as outlined in the NLC’s policy for access to information, or if specifically requested by the Minister of Trade and Industry.

(b) In terms of the application form, FORM 03/1, submitted on 24.11.2004, applicants are requested to “Please give the names, positions and telephone numbers of three credible referees from the community in support of your application e.g. police commissioner, religious leader, local councillor, etc.”

The referees were provided in application #18052, however, the names have not been included because information relating to the application for grants in considered confidential in terms of the 2001 Regulations (Gazette No 7013, 22 February 2001 – See attached, clause 08: Security of Information) (Annexure B)

(c) n/a

(3) whether, in consultation with officials of CIPC who were named in previous replies, he has found that the specified officials are unable to provide the two CM5 Name Reservation Forms; if so, can he have them categorically state that as a fact?NW1742

3. Response from CIPC

The CIPC does not have the requested CM5 form in its records.

Reply:

1. The investigation is concluded and the case dockets were referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions for decision.

2. No individuals or entity has been charged. A decision from the Director of Public Prosecutions is awaited on whether to prosecute or not.

Reply:

The duties of Ministers and Deputy Ministers are outlined in the Ministerial Handbook.

Reply:

(1) Yes, Sebenza Detective Service received one (1) vehicle during the 2015/2016 financial year.

(2) (a) Sebenza Detective Service currently have 8 vehicles.

(b) 7 vehicles are in working order.

(c) The vehicle was taken to the mechanical workshop on 5 May 2014 for a mechanical fault and was outsourced during 2014. The service provider went out of business and the vehicle was returned to Benoni mechanical workshop and outsourced to a new supplier about three (3) weeks ago.

(3) (a) There are 22 detectives currently at Sebenza Detective Service.

(b) (i) 15 detectives attended a detective course.

(ii) 15 passed the detective course.

(c) Each Investigating Officer has an average of 63 dockets.

(4) There are currently sufficient vehicles at Sebenza Detective Service according to the national ratio.

Reply:

(1) The detectives at Edenvale SAPS received three (3) sedan vehicles on 3 December 2015.

(2) (a) Edenvale Detective Service currently have 14 vehicles.

(b) 9 of the vehicles are in working order.

(c) The vehicles were sent to the mechanical workshop on the following dates:

   (1) 15 February 2016

   (2) 10 March 2016

   (3) 14 March 2016

   (4) 28 March 2016

   (5) 7 April 2016

(3) (a) There are 27 detectives at Edenvale Police Station.

(b) (i) 16 detectives have attended a detective course.

     (ii) 16 detectives passed the detective course.

(c) Each Investigating Officer investigates an average of 90 dockets.

(4) (a) The prescribed ratio of detectives to vehicles is 2:1

           Two (2) members per vehicle.

(b) There are sufficient vehicles currently at the Edenvale Detective Service according to the national ratio.

Reply:

1. (a) (i) 2013-14 None

(ii) 2014-15 None

(iii) 2015-16 None

(b) The Department of Public Enterprises has never been approached by
any political party for any form of funding.

2. (a) (i) 2013-14: None

(ii) 2014-15: None

(iii) 2015-16: None

(b) The position of Department of Public Enterprises with regards to political
party funding is aligned to the National Treasury prescripts which
prohibits the funding of political parties from the fiscus.

 

Reply:

Awaiting information from SAFA.the information is not readily available.

Reply:

(1) The Detective Service at Bedfordview Police Station did not receive new vehicles as the station already has sufficient vehicles according to the national ratio.

(2) (a) Bedfordview Detective Service currently have 16 vehicles.

(b) 14 vehicles are in working order.

(c) The vehicles were sent to the mechanical workshop on the following dates:

      (1) 28 January 2016

      (2) 31 March 2016

(3) (a) There are 34 detectives currently at Bedfordview Detective Service.

(b) (i) 33 detectives attended a detective course.

     (ii) 33 passed the detective course.

(c) Each Investigating Officer has an average of 65 dockets.

(4) The station already has sufficient vehicles according to the national ratio.

Reply:

(a)(b)(i)(ii) The South African Police Service is not running any development programmes for small businesses and co-operatives.

(aa) Not applicable

(bb) Not applicable

(cc) Not applicable

Reply:

The assessment to determine the costs is underway. A full report which addresses the Honourable Members questions will be submitted to the Constitutional Court within the timelines set by the Court.

Reply:

No I have not attended any meetings of the Gupta’s in Saxonwod.

I have attended events organised by the Hindu community to mark their Diwali, a Hindu festival, wherein members of the Gupta family attend as part of the members of the Hindu society.

These invitations have always been extended to Ministers, Deputy Ministers, and the Business community long before I even assumed the responsibility of being the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans.

Reply:

The information is tabulated hereunder:

	Department of Home Affairs (DHA) Response	DHA Response
	Budget spend on Advertising in 2015/16	Advertising Budget for 2016/17
(i)	R 10 882 439.95	R 5 654 000.00
	Government Printing Works (GPW) Response	GPW Response
(ii)	R 519 812.27	R 774 000. 00
	Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) response	IEC Response
(ii)	R 58 894 341.54	R 36 040 255.00

Reply:

(a) Details of spending for the department and its entities for the 2015/16 financial year will be available once audited, and included in the 2015/16 annual reports to be tabled in parliament during 2016.

(b) Below is the department’s and entities budgeted advertising spending for the 2016/17 financial year:

Department /Entity	2016/17 Advertising budget
Economic Development Department	R 5 124 000.00
IDC	R 23 000 000.00
Competition Commission	R 1 363 091.00
ITAC	R 283 541.00
Competition Tribunal	R 32 087.00

-END-

Reply:

1. The ECD policy was approved by cabinet on 09 December 2015 after an extensive consultation process with the ECD stakeholders (government and non-government). It highlights 15 policy positions. It seeks to ensure integrated services by all partner departments, universal equitable access of the comprehensive age and stage appropriate quality services by 2030, empower and enable parents, ensure the alignment and harmonisation of inter-sectoral policies, legislation and programmes across the different sectors and ensure adequate and effective leadership, coordinated planning, funding, implementation, monitoring of progress and on-going quality improvements.

The short term (2017), covers establishment of the necessary legal framework, organisational structures and institutional arrangements, planning, financing mechanisms necessary to support and realise its commitments. The medium term (2024) includes the availability of age and developmental stage appropriate essential components of the comprehensive package of quality ECD services, accessible to all infants and young children and their caregivers. The long term (2030) covers availability of a full comprehensive age and development stage appropriate package of quality early childhood development services and accessible to all infants and young children and their caregivers.

Implementation thereof, is preceded by capacity building on the ECD policy and the National Comprehensive Programme in provinces which has commenced now in May 2016 until November 2016.

(2) The National Comprehensive ECD Programme has been developed which includes the essential components addressing nutrition, health, social protection, inclusion of children with disabilities and special needs, stimulation and early learning to ensure the best possible start in life. The programme puts emphasis on early detection of any disease or developmental delays from conception throughout the 1st thousand days. It was sanctioned in the ECD Policy as Chapter 5 which is the core of the National Integrated ECD policy and it has been aligned to the approved National Integrated ECD policy.

 

Reply:

The information required relates to the strength of the SA Navy and SAAF, and impacts on matters of National Security and can only be divulged in a closed session of the Joint Standing Committee on Defence.

Reply:

1. The National Treasury was not approached by any political party for any form of funding (a) in the (i) 2013-14, (ii) 2014-15 and (iii) 2015-16 financial years and (b) since 1 April 2016.

2. The National Treasury has not provided any form of funding to any political party (a) in the (i) 2013-14, (ii) 2014-15 and (iii) 2015-16 financial years and (b) since 1 April 2016.

Reply:

(1) (a) The amount the Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA) spent on advertising vacant positions since 1 June 2014 equals R169,056.11.

(b) The specified vacant positions have been advertised via the print press and the MDDA website as follows:

• 11th May 2014 (City Press): (Project Officer: Community Media, Project Officer: Research, Training & Development, Communication & Branding Manager.)
• 5th September 2014 (Independent Newspapers) – (CEO, Supply Chain Manager, Finance Disbursement Officer, Legal & Contracts Manager)
• 10th June 2015 (Times Media, The Star Workplace) – (SCM Officer, Communications & Branding Manager, Project Officer: Research & Training and Development, IT Specialist, HR & Corporate Services Manager, Finance Administration Officer, Programme Manager: Research & Training Development.)
• 20th January 2016 (Independent Newspaper) for advertising of 5 x positions: (Internal Audit Manager, Receptionist, Company Secretary, Legal & Contracts Manager, Stakeholder & Special Projects Coordinator, Communications & Marketing Officer. Chairperson of the Internal Audit & Risk Committee, IT Advisory Committee Member.)
• 10th April 2016 (Media 24) for advertising of 17 x positions: (CEO, CFO, HR & Corporate & Services Manager, Project Director & Strategy, Policy Monitoring & Evaluation Director , Finance Manager, Finance Administration Officer, Executive Secretary, Risk Specialist, Knowledge Management Coordinator, Internal Officer, HR Officer, Research & Capacity Building Manager, Research & Capacity Building Coordinator, Legal & Compliance Officer, Projects Manager: Broadcasting and Digital Media Coordinator.)
• 10th May 2016 (Media 24) - (2 x Audit and Risk Committee Members)

(c) The number of interviews for the specified vacant positions which have been held is as follows:

• Project Officer: Community Media x 1
• Project Officer: Research, Training & Development / Research & Capacity Building Coordinator x 1
• Communication & Branding Manager x 1
• CEO x 1
• Supply Chain Manager x 1
• Finance Disbursement Officer x 1
• Legal & Contracts Manager x1
• SCM Officer x1
• IT Specialist x 1
• HR & Corporate Services Manager (None)
• Finance Administration Officer x 1
• Programme Manager: Research & Training Development / Research & Capacity Building Manager (None)
• Internal Audit Manager (None)
• Receptionist (None)
• Company Secretary (None)
• Communications & Marketing Officer (None)
• Chairperson of the Internal Audit & Risk Committee x 1
• IT Advisory Committee Member x 1
• CFO (None)
• Project Director (None)
• Strategy, Policy Monitoring & Evaluation Director (None)
• Finance Manager (None)
• Executive Secretary (None)
• Risk Specialist (None)
• Knowledge Management Coordinator (None)
• Internal Audit Officer x 1
• HR Officer (None)
• Legal & Compliance Officer (None)
• Projects Manager: Broadcasting (None)
• Digital Media Coordinator (None)
• Audit and Risk Committee Members (None)

(d) The people conducting the specified interviews in each case is as follows:

• PO: Community Media – Talifhani Khubana, Lesego Mashishi, Mpho Leshabane
• Internal Audit Officer: Mshiyeni Gungqisa, Duduzile Phungwayo, SNG representative-Brian Changamire
• PO: Research, Training & Development: Manana Stone, Lesego Mashishi, Lindinkosi Ndibongo
• SCM Officer: Lindinkosi Ndibongo, Thandiwe Kgatshe, Clarinda Simpson
• IT Manager: Lindinkosi Ndibongo, Thandiwe Kgatshe
• Communication & Branding Manager: Thembelihle Sibeko, Lindinkosi Ndibongo, Thandiwe Kgatshe
• Finance Disbursement Officer: Talifhani Khubana, Lesego Mashishi, Lindinkosi Ndibongo

(2) (a) Ten (10) applications have been received for the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) vacancy at the MDDA since 1 June 2014.

(b) Four (4) of the specified applicants were interviewed.

(c) Seven candidates were shortlisted while the others did make it through the shortlisting phase due to lack of competencies. Four candidates were shortlisted for the interviews and did not perform well. The candidate who scored the highest did so consistently on the total assessment of the 11 tested competencies: Community media knowledge, Broadcast media environment, Advances in Technology, Compliance, Project Monitoring & Evaluation, Risk Management, People Management, Stakeholder Management, Policy Formulation, Regulation and Service Operation, Presentation of Case Study and Background Review. This candidate was subsequently made an offer which was later withdrawn on an out of court settlement basis between the MDDA and the candidate.

 

MR NN MUNZHELELE

DIRECTOR GENERAL [ACTING]

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

MS AF MUTHAMBI (MP)

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

Reply:

(a) Government has made available part of the funding for dual illumination through the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services (DTPS) allocation of R100m (R87.7m net of VAT) out of the R140m net of VAT required per annum. There are attempts to engage National Treasury through the DTPS and DoC to see if Sentech can reallocate some funds towards digital migration to cover dual illumination costs.

(b) The decision not to allocate the funding for DTT Dual Illumination expenditure was taken within the constraints of the National Budget and continuous discussions with all relevant stakeholders including Cabinet and the National Treasury will be pursued to find a sustainable solution to the shortfall. The Digital Migration project is critical for the country and Dual Illumination is an essential part of this process.

 

MR NN MUNZHELELE

DIRECTOR GENERAL [ACTING]

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

MS AF MUTHAMBI (MP)

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

Reply:

(1) (a) National Treasury has appropriated R2.5 billion for the procurement and supply 5 million set-top-boxes to poor television owning households in South Africa.

(b) National Treasury has already allocated R2.251.554.000 ( R2.2 billion)

(c) These funds have been allocated from the Universal Service and Access Funds.

(d) The allocation in (b) above is for the current financial year (2016/17) which includes the rollover from the previous years.

(2)      There are ongoing engagements with National Treasury regarding the extra funding that might be required.

(3)        No, extra funds have not yet been secured.

(4)       (a)    All payments for manufacturers and installers during the 2015/16 financial year were made during the 4th quarter:

            (aa) Set-Top-Boxes:

             CZ R49,600,474.00

            Leratadima R680,984.00

            Bua               R0

           (bb) Antennae

           Temic          R499,833.00

           QEC              R17,770.00

           (cc) Satellite Dishes

           Ellis              R8,834,200.00

 

MR NN MUNZHELELE

DIRECTOR GENERAL [ACTING]

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

MS AF MUTHAMBI (MP)

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

Reply:

The National Treasury has not yet received any report or request for further investigation of the matter at the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality from the Office of the Public Protector.

(a) The need for further investigation to be conducted by the National Treasury will be informed by the findings in the report of the Office of Public Protector.

(b) There are no further relevant details available to the National Treasury at this time.

Reply:

(1) (a) The Universal Service and Access Agency for South Africa (USAASA), which is the entity charged with the responsibility of managing the production and installation of set top boxes, informed me that, it has never sent any letters to Leratadima and Bua regarding the matters raised in this question.

(b) N/A

(b) The tendering process will not be re-opened because it was an open process.

 

MR NN MUNZHELELE

DIRECTOR GENERAL [ACTING]

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

MS AF MUTHAMBI (MP)

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

Reply:

1. Staff complement of the Directorate for Nonprofit Organisations (DNO)

 (a) (i) filled posts - 60

ii) vacant posts - 11

 (b) Below is a table providing detailed information:

Position	(b) Level	Number of posts
		Filled	Vacant
Deputy Director General	15	0	1
Chief Director	14	0	1
Directors	13	5
Deputy Directors	12	3
Deputy Directors	11	4
Assistant Directors	10	3
Assistant Directors	9	6	1
Admin Assistants	6	0	4
Senior Admin Officers	8	15	3
Senior Registry Clerks	5	8	1
Data Capturers	4	12
Contract Workers	4	1
Total		60	11

2. For each financial year the report of the DNO activities is presented by Department of Social Development in the Department’s annual report.

3. 15 440 compliance notices were sent to NPOs in the 2014-2015 financial year.

4. Yes, the DNO has cancelled cerficates of registrations of NPOs as below;

Form of Deregistration	2013/14 FY
Voluntary Deregistration	6
Wound up /or Dissolved	0

(a)

(b)

Form of Deregistration	2014/15 FY
Voluntary Deregistration	7
Wound up /or Dissolved	0

 

5. Yes the DNO keeps record of as follows:

(aa)

	Form of Deregistration	2013/14 FY
(a)	Voluntary Deregistration	6
(b)	Wound up /or Dissolved	0

(bb)

	Form of Deregistration	2014/15 FY
(a)	Voluntary Deregistration	7
(b)	Wound up /or Dissolved	0

Reply:

The Department has received the final forensic report on the Supply Chain Management process of STBs and related accessories from the National Treasury, and is currently studying the findings and recommendations. It is too early to speculate whether there has been any wrongdoing on the part of the Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa’s officials and/or board members, as well as service providers contracted to manage the evaluation of all bidding companies.

 

MR NN MUNZHELELE

DIRECTOR GENERAL [ACTING]

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

MS AF MUTHAMBI (MP)

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

Reply:

The qualifying criteria issued by the Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa (USAASA) requires that for poor TV owning households to qualify for free set-top-boxes they must have a valid TV license. However, a TV license is not compulsory to purchase a STB. The license requirement is proving to be an obstacle in the registration of the qualifying TV households and ultimately on the distribution of set-top-boxes. Therefore, Department of Communications (DoC) sought to address this as a matter of urgency.

Resultantly, a decision was made, together with the SABC management, to delink TV license requirement from the Set-Top-Box registration process. It is my considered view that by delinking the TV license requirement, registration of the qualifying TV households and ultimately on the distribution of set-top-boxes will enable the indigent households in the SKA area to benefit from the government subsidy.

MR NN MUNZHELELE

DIRECTOR GENERAL [ACTING]

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

MS AF MUTHAMBI (MP)

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

Reply:

(1) The staff members who have left the MDDA since the previous Chief Executive Officer, Mr Lumko Mtimde, totals 11.

(2) (a) No MDDA staff members have been investigated on disciplinary grounds by the acting senior management of the MDDA since 1 June 2014.

(b) (i) Not applicable as no staff have been investigated on disciplinary grounds by the acting senior management of the MDDA since 1 June 2014.

(ii) Not applicable as no staff have been investigated on disciplinary grounds by the acting senior management of the MDDA since 1 June 2014.

(c) Not applicable as no staff have been investigated on disciplinary grounds by the acting senior management of the MDDA since 1 June 2014.

(d) Not applicable as no staff have been investigated on disciplinary grounds by the acting senior management of the MDDA since 1 June 2014.

(e) Not applicable as no staff have been investigated on disciplinary grounds by the acting senior management of the MDDA since 1 June 2014.

(3) Not applicable as no staff have been investigated on disciplinary grounds by the acting senior management of the MDDA since 1 June 2014.

(4) Not applicable as no staff have been investigated on disciplinary grounds by the acting senior management of the MDDA since 1 June 2014.

(5) Any information that might bring the Agency into disrepute, which is disseminated by a MDDA staff member will result in disciplinary investigations given that the MDDA is a public entity and must be open and transparent.

 

MR NN MUNZHELELE

DIRECTOR GENERAL [ACTING]

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

MS AF MUTHAMBI (MP)

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

Reply:

(1) Whether her department has closed down any crèches that were operating illegally in the (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14, (c) 2014-15 and (d) 2015-16 financial years; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, (i) how many crèches that were operating illegally have been closed down in each of the specified financial years and (ii) where were the specified crèches situated;

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

(2)

(a) In terms of the Children’s Act No. 38 of 2005, all partial care facilities (ECD centres) must be subjected to inspections and monitoring to determine compliance with the norms and standards. Inspections and monitoring are mechanisms in place to identify ECD centres that are not complying with the norms and standards.

(b) According to the said Act, section 84 and 85:

 

Cancellation of registration

84. (1) The provincial head of social development may cancel the registration or conditional registration of a partial care facility by written notice to the registration holder if-

(a) the facility is not maintained in accordance with the prescribed national norms and standards and such other requirements as may be prescribed;

(b) any condition subject to which the registration or renewal of registration was issued is breached or not complied with;

(c) the registration holder or the management of the facility contravenes or fails to comply with a provision of the Act;

(d) the registration holder becomes a person who is not a fit and proper person to operate a partial care facility; or

(e) a person who is not a fit and proper person to assist in operating a partial care facility is employed at or engaged in operating the facility.

Notice of enforcement

85. (1) A provincial head of social development may by way of a written notice of enforcement instruct-

(a) a person or organisation operating an unregistered partial care facility-

(i) to stop operating that facility; or

(ii) to apply for registration in terms of section 81 within a period specified in the notice; or

(b) a person or organisation operating a registered partial care facility otherwise than in accordance with the provisions of this Act or any conditions subject to which the registration was issued, to comply with those provisions or conditions.

(2) A person or organisation operating an unregistered partial care facility and who is instructed in terms of subsection (1) (a) (ii) to apply for registration within a specified period, may, despite the provisions of section 80, continue operating the facility during that period and, if that person or organisation applies for registration, until that application has been processed.

(3) The Director-General or the provincial head of social development may apply to the High Court for an order to instruct a partial care facility, whether registered or not, to stop operating that facility.

(4) The High Court may grant an order for costs against the owner or manager of the partial care facility referred to in subsection (3) if so requested by the Director-General or provincial head of social development.

Reply:

(1) Yes, the Detective Service at Tembisa Police Station received 13 vehicles during the 2015/2016 financial year.

(2) (a) Tembisa Detective Service currently have 21 vehicles.

(b) All 21 vehicles are in working order.

(c) Not applicable.

(3) (a) There are 80 detectives at the Tembisa Detective Service.

(b) (i) 55 detectives attended a detective course.

(ii) 55 detectives passed a detective course.

(c) Each Investigating Officer has an average of 91 dockets.

(4) The allocation of vehicles for the 2016/2017 financial year has not been finalised yet.

Reply:

(1) The Detective Service at Boksburg North Police Station did not receive new vehicles as the station already has sufficient vehicles according to the national ratio.

(2) (a) Boksburg North Detective Service currently have 22 vehicles.

(b) 20 vehicles are in working order.

(c) The vehicles were sent to the mechanical workshop on the following dates:

   (1) 26 May 2015

   (2) 20 April 2016

(3) (a) There are 42 detectives currently at Boksburg North Detective Service.

(b) (i) 36 detectives attended a detective course.

     (ii) 36 passed the detective course.

(c) Each Investigating Officer has an average of 52 dockets.

(4) The station already has sufficient vehicles according to the national ratio.

Reply:

I have been advised by the Department as follows:

1. The Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services not been approached by any political party for funding
2. The Department has not provided any funding to a political party.

Reply:

	(a)	(i)	DPE	R 2 326 000.00
		(ii)	Alexkor	R 545 825.40
			Denel	R 1 660 410.65
			Eskom	R 54 016 282.81
			SAFCOL	R 172 873.00
			SAX	R 1 159 118.00
			Transnet	R 47 991 571.86
	(b)	(i)	DPE	R 2 379 000.00
		(ii)	Alexkor	R 115 000.00
			Denel	R 3 000 000.00
			Eskom	R 67 000 000.00
			SAFCOL	R 3 500 000.00
			SAX	R 4 800 00000
			Transnet	R 43 333 820.82

 

Reply:

1-2    NO

Reply:

(1) With reference to the 2015 Corruption Watch Annual Report, which found that the education sector was the most corrupt sector in South Africa and that, specifically, principals were the culprits in the majority of corruption cases, (a) how many principals have been investigated for corruption (i) in the (aa) 2011, (bb) 2012, (cc) 2013, (dd) 2014 and (ee) 2015 academic years and (ii) since 1 January 2016 and (b) what are the names of the schools at which principals are currently being investigated for corruption, in each case specifying (i) the date from which the specified principal has been under investigation, (ii) whether or not the specified principal has been suspended on full pay, (iii) the monthly salary of each principal suspended on full pay and (iv) whether a temporary replacement is currently carrying out the duties of the specified principals at each school;

Since the employer of educators is the Heads of the Provincial Education Departments, in terms of the Employment of Educators Act, 76 of 1998, the Question was forwarded to the relevant officials in all the Provincial Education Departments with a request that they provide the DBE with response and to date, no response have been received, except from the Western Cape, Limpopo and Free State Education Departments.

(1)(a)(i)

PROVINCE	No. OF PRINCIPALS SUSPENDED
	(aa) 2011	(bb) 2012	(cc) 2013	(dd) 2014	(ee) 2015	TOTAL
Western Cape	0	0	0	0	0	0
Gauteng	38	72	71	41	114	336
Limpopo	1	0	1	0	0	2
Northern Cape
Mpumalanga
KwaZulu-Natal
North West
Free State	0	0	0	0	0	0
Eastern Cape
TOTAL	39	72	72	41	114	338

PROVINCE	(b) Schools that are currently under investigation since 1 Jan 2016	(i)	(ii) Suspended on full pay or Not	(iii)	(vi) Temporary Replacement
	Names of Schools	The Date from which the Principal has been under investigation	On Full Pay	Not on Full Pay	Monthly Salary	Yes	No
Western Cape	None	None	None	None	None	None	None
Gauteng	none	none	none	none	none	none	none
Limpopo	Shingwedzi Secondary School	Not indicated	yes		Not indicated
Northern Cape
Mpumalanga
KwaZulu-Natal
North West
Free State	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Eastern Cape
TOTAL	1	0	0	0	0	0	0

(2) How many of the specified principals have been (a) criminally charged on corruption related activities, (b) criminally convicted for corruption related activities and (c) dismissed from their posts as a result of corruption related activities during the specified financial years and period;

(2) Number of principals who the following actions have been taken against them as a result of corruption activities:

PROVINCE	(a) Criminally Charged	(b) Criminally convicted	(c) Dismissed
Western Cape	0	0	0
Gauteng	0	0
Limpopo	0	0	0
Northern Cape
Mpumalanga
KwaZulu-Natal
North West
Free State	0	0	0
Eastern Cape
TOTAL	0	0	0

(3) What steps is her department taking to root out corruption in the education sector?

The recently released report about the selling of post has provided the Department with recommendations on how to strengthen our selection processes. The Department will soon begin to revise policies on the selection processes.

Reply:

1. (a) The number of district and provincial officials in each province who have been trained in the Screening, Identification, Assessment and Support (SIAS) Policy, (b) the number of schools that have been trained and the (c) cost of roll-out are as follows:

Province	1(a) Provincial Officials Trained	1(a) Districts Officials Trained	1(b) Number of Schools*	1(c) Cost of Roll-out
EC	15	116	382	R350 000
FS	15	127	323	R996 019
GP	69	219	695	R2 000 000
KZN	12	32	180	R300 000
LP	14	50	200	1 day training, incurring no costs
MP	17	140	140	R478 000
NC	14	137	131	R80 000
NW	15	100	110	R302 218
WC	15	100	115	R350 000
TOTAL	186	1021	2276	R4 856 237

Source: Information obtained from Provincial Education Departments in April 2016

The names of schools in which the SIAS Policy has been rolled out are not available at this stage for all provinces.

2 (a) Information on the full-service schools in each province that have benefitted from the R11,2 million worth of assistive devices procured nationally and (b) the nature of the assistive devices procured is attached as Annexure A. The names of schools that were supplied and of the districts in which they are situated are not available for all provinces at this stage.

(3)(a) The number of districts in each province where the 1 880 district officials and 16 127 teachers from full-service schools have been trained in Curriculum Differentiation in 2014/15 (b) the (i) duration and (ii) expenditure of the training in each case and (c) the number of officials and teachers who still need to be trained are as follows:

Province	a) Number of Districts	i) Duration	ii) Expenditure	c) District Officials still to be trained Trained	c) Teachers still to trained
EC	22	2 Days	R350 000	28	65
FS	5	2 Days	R966 000	50	3270
GP*	15	Information not made available	Information not made available	Information not made available	Information not made available
KZN	12	1-2 days	R450 000	917
LP	5	1 Day	Nil	179	64
MP	4	2 days	R450 000	All relevant officials	All educators of Foundation Phase to FET should be trained by 2019
NC	5	1 day	R24 000	6000
NW	4	2 Days	Not Provided	50	400
WC	8	2 Days	Not Provided	All relevant officials	All school based support teams

Source: Information obtained from Provincial Education Departments in April 2016

* Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) concluded training in curriculum differentiation of district officials, educators and SMT members in all Full service Schools in 2014. Training in curriculum differentiation for 2016 is aligned to the SIAS training for all schools.

(4)(a) The districts in each province where the 740 district officials and 546 teachers from full-service schools nationally were orientated in Guidelines for Full-Service Schools, (b) the (i) duration and (ii) expenditure of the training in each case and (c) the number of officials and teachers still to be trained are as follows:

Province	a) Districts Trained	b (i) Duration	b) ii) Expenditure	c) Number of Officials to be trained	c) Number of Teachers to be trained
EC*	5	2 days	Information not made available	induction of new staff as needed
FS	6	8 Hours	Information not made available	None	3518
GP*	15	2 days	Information not made available	None	none
KZN	12	1 day	R300 000	917
LP	5	1 day	Information not made available	179	64
MP	4	2 days	Information not made available	140
NC	5	2 days	R56 000	200
NW	4	1 day	Information not made available	50	400
WC	8	1 day	Information not made available	induction of new staff as needed

Source: Information obtained from Provincial Education Departments in April 2016

* Gauteng and Eastern Cape Provinces concluded training of district officials, educators and SMT members in The Guidelines for Full service Schools in 2014. District-based Support Teams will conduct follow-up training and induction of new staff on an ongoing basis as part of their core function to support Full-Service Schools.

ANNEXURE A - QUESTION 1053

2 (a) The full-service schools in each district of each province that benefited from the R11,2 million worth of assistive devices and (b) the nature of the assistive devices provided (the names of all schools and districts are not available for all provinces at this stage):

Eastern Cape

(a) 30 Full Service Schools received assistive technology in 2015\16.

(b) 30 Laptops, Learner Profiler, Clicker 7 and Text Help Read and Write, Tobii S32 Scan and Touch.

Gauteng

(a) 123 Schools received specialised LTSM in 2016.

Free State

(a) Information not available at this stage.

(b) Information not available at this stage.

KwaZulu-Natal

(a) All 101 Full Service Schools have been allocated funding for procurement of assistive devices.

(b) Most schools procured hearing aids, AAC equipment and material, speech and physical disability equipment.

Limpopo

(a) No budget was provided for Full Service Schools.

(b) No assistive devices were procured.

Mpumalanga

(a) A total of 42 Full-Service Schools received ICT Equipment. The budget spent was R756 000.

(b) The devices procured for full-service schools per district are as follows:

NO	DISTRICT	CIRCUITS	EMIS	SCHOOL NAME	ITEM	QTY	ITEM	QTY	ITEM	QTY
1	Bohlabela	Casteel	8000 34890	M.O Mashego	Printer	1	Computer	1	Plasma	1
2	Bohlabela	Cottondale	8000 34914	Madile	Plasma	1
3	Bohlabela	Lehukwe	8000 35007	Mhlaba-Khosa	Computer	1
4	Bohlabela	Manyeleti	8000 35043	Samson Sibuyi	DVD Recorders	1
5	Bohlabela	Mariti	8000 35059	Lapishe	Printer	1	Computer	1
6	Bohlabela	Mashishing	8000 12658	Marambane	DVD Recorders	1	Printer	1	Computer	1
7	Bohlabela	Mkhuhlu	8000 35097	Londhindha	DVD Recorders	1
8	Bohlabela	Ximhungwe	8000 35199	Magudu	DVD Recorders	1
9	Bohlabela	Sabie	8000 04754	Glory Hill	Projector	1
10	Bohlabela	Thulamahashi	800035164	Mpikisano	Projector	1
11	Bohlabela	Maviljan	8000 35081	Diphaswa	Printer	1	Computer	1
12	Ehlanzeni	Lubombo	80004713	Gogo Mhlanga	Computer	1	Printer	1	Plasma	1
13	Ehlanzeni	Lubombo	800015784	Mshengu	DVD	1
14	Ehlanzeni	Mgwenya	800010116	Lekazi	DVD	1
15	Ehlanzeni	Nelspruit	800022764	Tekwane	Computer	1	Printer	1
16	Ehlanzeni	Nelspruit	800007112	John Mdluli	Projector	1
17	Ehlanzeni	Nkomazi East	800020743	Siboshwa	Computer	1	Printer	1
18	Ehlanzeni	Nkomazi West	800030429	Magcekeni	Computer	1
19	Ehlanzeni	Sikhulile	8000 15818	Msogwaba	Computer	1	Printer	1	Plasma	1
20	Ehlanzeni	White River	8000 24661	Victory Park	Projector	1
21	Gert Sibande	Ermelo 1	8000 26468	Wesselton	Projetor	1
22	Gert Sibande	Ermelo 2	8000 02375	Davel	Computer	1	Printer	1	Plasma	1
23	Gert Sibande	Stan East	8000 22756	Tegwan’s Nest	Computer	1	Printer	1	Plasma	1
24	Gert Sibande	Stan West	8000 10488	Lindilanga	DVD	1
25	Gert Sibande	Highveld Ridge East	8000 10389	Lifalethu	Projetor	1
26	Gert Sibande	Highveld Ridge West	8000 18002	Petrus Maziya	Computer	1	Printer	1
27	Gert Sibande	Bethal	8000 22939	Thandanani	Computer	1	Computer	1
28	Gert Sibande	Badplaas	8000 23846	Tsatsimfundvo	DVD	1
29	Gert Sibande	Mpuluzi	8000 21287	Siphumelele	Computer	1
30	Gert Sibande	Ermelo 1	800004218	Father Charles	DVD	1	Laptop	1
31	Nkangala	Kwagga West	8000 11460	Magaduzela	Computer	1
322	Nkangala	Kwagga East	8000 06864	Kwakwari	Printer	1	Computer	1	Plasma	1
33	Nkangala	Tweefontein South	8000 22020	Somarobogo	DVD	1	Laptop	1
34	Nkangala	KwaMhlanga South West	8000 19331	Retang	Computer	1
35	Nkangala	Libangeni	8000 03558	Emfundweni	DVD	1
36	Nkangala	Marapyane	8000 2066	Sibisi	DVD	1
37	Nkangala	Mmametlhake	8000 12112	Maloka	Printer	1	Computer	1	Plasma	1
38	Nkangala	Nokaneng	8000 07419	Katjibane	Printer	1	Computer	1
39	Nkangala	Weltevrede	8000 01792	Buthelani	Printer	1	Computer	1
40	Nkangala	Waterval Boven	8000 3166	Ebhudlweni	Projector	1
41	Nkangala	Witbank 2	8000 07021	Jeremia Mdaka	DVD	1
42	Nkangala	Witbank 1	8000 1-069	Phakama	Projector	1

One Full-Service School of Ehlanzeni District; Bukhosibetfu also received materials to support the introduction of SASL CAPS (minimum resource pack) amounting to R258 000. The Minimum Resource Pack includes the following:

• Laptop with webcam and DVD player/recorder

• Software for editing, e.g. Photo Shop

• Memory stick or external hard drive

• Whiteboard

• Video/DVD recorder/Data Projector

• Rewritable DVDs for recording

• Digital camera

• A range of SASL materials/texts ,e.g. DVDs/picture books

• Memory stick

Northern Cape

(a) No full-service schools received assistive devices.

(b) The only devices that were procured were the Minimum Resource packs ordered for the schools that are introducing SASL.

North West

(a) 16 Full Service Schools were supplied for an amount of R8,429,400

(b) The devices included audio visual libraries, Cami software and Language kits.

Western Cape

(a) Six full-service/inclusive schools in two districts, namely West Coast and Overberg, were supplied.

(b) Eight assistive devices loan centres were established in each of the 8 districts. A range of assistive devices is available on request to other special and ordinary schools, mainly f

Reply:

(1) Yes, the detective service at Norkem Park Police Station received two (2) vehicles during the 2015/2016 financial year.

(2) (a) Norkem Park Detective Service currently have 15 vehicles.

(b) 13 vehicles are in working order.

(c) The vehicles were sent to the mechanical workshop on the following dates:

(1) 24 April 2016

(2) 22 March 2016

(3) (a) There are 34 detectives currently at Norkem Park Detective Service.

(b) (i) 19 detectives attended a detective course.

(ii) 19 passed the detective course.

(c) Each Investigating Officer has an average of 81 dockets.

(4) The station already has sufficient vehicles according to the national ratio.

Reply:

The South African Revenue Service has submitted the following information. Please note that the Minister is unable to verify the content.

(1)(a)(b) The cost incurred for the mandated work was:

• KPMG – R23, 131, 265.30.

The KPMG investigated the allegations made in respect of an investigative unit within the SARS.

2. An already existing panel was utilised for this purpose that was previously appointed through an open tender process in terms of paragraph 4.9 of the National Treasury Supply Chain Management – A guide for accounting officers/ authorities – February 2004.

The Terms of Reference of the mentioned company was to perform a forensic investigation based on the recommendations of the Sikhakhane report to institute a more detailed investigation and to provide evidential support to the findings made.

Reply:

(a) (i) The Department of Defence has spent in the 2015-16 FY R 266,794.

(b) (ii) The Department of Defence has budgeted R 533.317 for the 2016-17 FY.

Reply:

The National Treasury has not discussed the problem of snatching or switching credit cards with the banks as the banks and regulators are expected to be engaging on such issues. The National Treasury does meet regularly with representatives of the banking sector like the Banking Association South Africa, the South African Banking Risk Information Centre (SABRIC)[1], and the Payments Association of South Africa to discuss general trends identified in fraud as it affects the banking sector.

SABRIC frequently undertakes campaigns to educate consumers on how to protect themselves against banking fraud including card and ATM crimes (see www.sabric.co.za). The banking industry is currently embarking on a national campaign to encourage bank customers to take diligent care of their cyber-security. The challenge facing banks and SABRIC is working with the criminal justice authorities to bring specific cases to court.

We will give further consideration to these challenges and criminality impacting on citizens and banks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

SABRIC is a non-profit company formed by the four major banks to assist the banking and cash-in-transit companies to combat organised bank-related crimes ↑

Reply:

The social relief of distress is an on-going, legislated programme which is implemented every year in every province in response to identified needs. This programme has been implemented annually for the period from July 2009 to February 2016. Social relief of distress is a programme which provides material assistance to citizens who experience a crisis, which is beyond their ability to deal with within their own resources. The assistance is provided for a temporary period only. This period may vary from one to three months, which may be extended to six months, under certain circumstances.

SASSA manages the social relief of distress programme in line with the provisions as legislated in the Social Assistance Act, 2004 (as amended). The legislation empowers SASSA to provide social relief of distress to South African citizens, permanent residents and refugees, where they meet certain criteria. One of the criteria is that social relief of distress may be provided where communities are affected by a disaster, even where that area is not declared a disaster area. This enable SASSA to respond to localized incidents such as floods, fire and other disasters.

Social relief of distress may be issued in various forms, depending on the reason for the issuing of the social relief of distress, as well as the specific arrangements made in the affected province. The social relief of distress may be issued in the form of food vouchers, food parcels, school uniforms or cash. Where social relief of distress is provided as a response to disasters, the assistance may take the form of pre-cooked hot meals, meal packs, blankets, dignity packs and/or mattresses. The actual assistance provided will depend on the specific needs of the affected communities. In addition to the immediate humanitarian assistance provided, in instances where the affected community lost all their possessions, for instance in the case of fire, the families may be provided with a once off cash amount when they are ready to return to their homes. This is to assist in buying some of the household items which were lost in the disaster. However, SASSA does not provide household items as part of the social relief of distress programme.

For every citizen assisted with social relief of distress, there is an application process followed, to ensure eligibility for the assistance. For humanitarian assistance provided in response to disasters, SASSA provides the relief off lists provided by the local disaster response team in the municipality.

While information on the numbers assisted each year since 2009, the table below reflects the amounts spent on social relief of distress for the years under review:

Year	Budget amount	Amount spent
2009/10	184 412 001	152 916 474
2010/11	178 813 600	164 857 431
2011/12	187 925 000	179 304 562
2012/13	255 181 000	250 430 329
2013/14	556 606 000	549 847 373
2014/15	501 835 000	460 569 541
2015/16	450 212 000	433,443,842

Reply:

NO

Reply:

(a) The investigation commissioned from the National Treasury into the supply chain process of the Universal Service and Access Agency of SA has been completed.

(b) The report will be published once the department has studied the report.

(i) The Department is currently studying the investigation report in order to understand the recommendations.

(ii) The Department is currently studying the investigation report and recommendations in order to take necessary steps.

 

MR NN MUNZHELELE

DIRECTOR GENERAL [ACTING]

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

MS AF MUTHAMBI (MP)

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

Reply:

The information required relates to the movement of the VVIP, and for security reasons, the response to this question can only be presented to a closed session of the Joint Standing Committee on Defence.

Reply:

(1) Yes, Primrose Detective Service received four (4) vehicles during the 2015/2016 financial year.

(2) (a) Primrose Detective Service currently have 15 vehicles.

(b) 11 vehicles are in working order.

(c) The vehicles were sent to the mechanical workshop on the following dates:

     (1) 2 May 2016

      (2) 3 May 2016

       (3) 11 May 2016

       (4) 17 May 2016

(3) (a) There are 33 detectives currently at Primrose Detective Service.

(b) (i) 27 detectives attended a detective course.

(ii) 27 passed the detective course.

(c) Each Investigating Officer has an average of 50 dockets.

(4) There are currently sufficient vehicles at Primrose Detective Service according to the national ratio.

Reply:

Awaiting information from SAFA.the information is not readily available.

Reply:

(1) Yes, the detective service at Tembisa South Police Station received two (2) vehicles during the 2015/2016 financial year.

(2) (a) Tembisa South Detective Service currently have 11 vehicles.

(b) All vehicles are in working order.

(c) Not applicable.

(3) (a) There are 36 detectives currently at Tembisa South Detective Service.

(b) (i) 21 detectives attended a detective course.

(ii) 21 passed the detective course.

(c) Each Investigating Officer has an average of 98 dockets.

(4) The allocation of vehicles for the 2016/2017 financial year has not been finalised yet.

Reply:

1. 13 fighter aircraft are in the Rotational Preventative Maintenance program due to lack of funding.

1a. 13 Gripen fighter jets are in a Rotational Preventative Maintenance program from a fleet of 26 aircraft which are maintained throughout the aircraft life cycle as prescribed by the Designing Authority.

1b i. The Gripen fleet are under continuous maintenance while in Rotational Preventative Maintenance program.

1b ii. 13 Gripen fighter aircraft are operationally active at their home bases.

1bb. The Gripen aircraft are operationally utilised and used for force preparation of Gripen specific pilots and also for force employment.

2. Technically, we do not have any pilots training in Russia or Cuba. What we have in these countries are members identified to become student pilots.

Reply:

(a-b)(aa-cc) In the course of our official duties and since taking office neither I nor the Deputy Minister have knowingly held any official meetings with persons who are, or who are associates of or employees of any persons whose surname or family name is Gupta, (although we do not claim to know all employees nor all associates of persons whose surname or family name is Gupta). However, this response should not be construed to mean that we have not been introduced to persons in question, for instance, in relation to our promotional and communications work for the Department of Home Affairs, whilst appearing at ANN7/SABC 2 Breakfast briefings, and attending various events and functions where such persons may have been in attendance together with various other persons in relation to which it is not expected that minutes or attendance is recorded.

(ccc) Not applicable in view of the answers given above.

Reply:

(a) Forty three Schools (43).
(b) (i)

Please find here: Province & Schools

Reply:

SAPO has advised me as follows:

1. (a) The reason why the Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA) owes the South African (SAPO) R39, 374, 828.78 for more than 120 days is due to the dispute over service level as a result of the prolonged and illegal strike that paralyzed operations.

(b) On 08 April 2016, the SAPO GCEO and RTIA CEO/Administrator held a meeting in which a technical committee consisting of the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD), Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) and the Road Traffic infringement Agency (RTIA), was established to resolve payments and other strike related issues. The committee meets on a weekly basis to discuss progress and outstanding matters.

2. (a) Interest charged on outstanding amount in September 2014 was R2, 242.22, and in March 2015 was 2,969.66. Since then, interest has been suppressed due to the dispute declared by RTIA and JMPD.

(b) Therefore, there are no further details at this stage.

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works

No. I did not issue an instruction to the said individual, or to any other employee of the Department of Public Works (DPW), to lobby Government departments not to renew current lease agreements.

From an operational perspective, we in the Public Works sector recognise that every cost-effective and informed transaction can mitigate in reducing Government spending. In this respect, revised spending plans are being implemented within the DPW and the Property Management Trading Entity (PMTE) aimed at greater efficiency, eliminating waste and improving the composition of spending.

Thus, in relation to leases, the DPW has been implementing changes, including aligning annual rental escalation rates to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and reducing rentals to market-related amounts and opting for permanent solutions where possible. This is done in line with the objectives as set out in the 7-year Turnaround Strategy and to fulfil the objectives of Government in reducing costs within the scope of fiscal consolidation measures announced by the Minister of Finance in his budget speech.

Furthermore, with specific reference to Pretoria, the DPW along with the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) and the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, are implementing a precinct Development Programme in line with the resolution adopted by Cabinet on 25 May 2005, calling for the regeneration of the inner city of Pretoria, as the capital city of the Republic of South Africa. The Precinct Development Programme aims to provide a long term solution for all Government departments and agencies in terms of providing permanent office accommodation within the city and making these offices accessible to the general public.

In line with the above the DPW has responded to the accommodation needs of several User departments, which include:

• The completion of the State-owned Agrivaal building to accommodate the DPSA following their move from Batho Pele House, which was under a lease.
• Statistics South Africa is set to move into its permanent head offices in Salvokop, Pretoria, along with its 4 satellite offices, which had four different leases.
• The South African Police Service (SAPS) is set for a move into the recently acquired Telkom Towers, thereby consolidating its offices into one precinct and moving away from leased accommodation in different buildings. The occupation of Telkom Towers is to be done in a phased approach.

Evidently, as per the cases noted above, the DPW will have to opt for the non-renewal of expiring leases for the affected User departments in preparation for the move towards permanent State-owned office accommodation.

(2) There is no agreement with the Public Investment Corporation for this entity to construct offices on behalf of Government. I am unaware of such allegations as put by the Honourable Member and therefore I am not in a position to investigate this matter.

(3) No. in line with the above-mentioned Cabinet Resolution of 2005, Government office accommodation will be based within the inner city boundaries of the Tshwane Metropole. Currently, there are no plans to construct Government Offices on the outskirts.

However, with respect to the specific questions posed by the Honourable Member, in terms of the Tshwane Precinct Development Programme:

     (a) All leases will continue as per the agreements that are in place with the respective landlords until they approach a period of expiry, when the DPW will exercise its prerogative to negotiate for renewal or non-renewal, with adequate notice to the landlords.

     (b) Since Government is not planning to construct office accommodation on the outskirts of Pretoria, therefore there are no costs involved.

     (c) All costs for office accommodation, whether newly constructed, leased or refurbished, are funded through User-charges recovered from client departments.

     (d) The DPW is revisiting the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) strategy and its rather “narrow” application with respect to leasing office accommodation. The Department now wants to put focus on Real Estate Management, Construction, Facilities Management and Planned Maintenance as areas where the principles of BBBEE can best be applied. The DPW plans to enhance opportunities for emerging black and female entrepreneurs in the construction and property sectors to market, operate, develop, maintain and manage the portfolio on behalf of the DPW.

     (e) The aim of the Tshwane Precinct Development Programme is to develop Pretoria as capital city of excellence with an integrated service delivery approach that will be achieved by congregating Government services in the inner city, thereby making them more accessible to the general public. The Government office accommodation solutions are also assisted by the Accessibility Programme, which seeks to make all Government buildings accessible to people with disabilities.

     (f) With the current constraints of low economic growth and high unemployment in the country, all cost-effective and informed transactions contribute to greater efficiency, reducing waste and improving the composition of Government spending. In this regard, the Department of Public Works has a role to play in reducing Government spending on office accommodation and increasing efficiencies through the reduction of leased-in buildings and maximising the use of State-owned accommodation.

    (g) There are no further details.