Questions and Replies

Reply:

1. I am unaware of such a meeting taking place except for the public statement that was recently made by the Deputy Minister of Finance.

Reply:

 

SAPO has advised me as follows:

There has been no recent strike at SAPO, the last strike was in 2014.

(1)(a) 851 Post Offices (including 13 mail centres) were closed across the country at the start of the strike. In the third and fourth week 634 post offices (including 14 mail centres) and 714 post offices (including 9 mail centres) were respectively closed. The closures were mostly in the Gauteng Province followed by Western Cape and Kwa-Zulu Natal. These were mainly in; Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town and Durban. The closures in other provinces were sporadic in nature.

(b) A total of 4656 employees were reported to be on strike. However the level of intimidation and violence that was experienced during the strike led to more employees not being at their workstations during the strike due to fears of intimidation and violence.

(2) The details of the grievances included:

    (i) Back pay for the 2014 salary increases

     (ii) Casual employees requesting full time employment with full benefits

     (iii) Permanent Part time employees (flexible labour contracts) requesting full time employment

     (iv) Equal work for equal pay

    (v) The 588 employees that were previously dismissed due to illegal strike but then re-employed in 2013 after agreements between SAPO and labour Unions demanded re-instatement of full benefits

(3) The Minister established the National Leadership Forum at SAPO in October 2014. This was used as a platform to re-establish the engagements between representatives of the organised labour and SAPO management with the Department attending as an observer. SAPO workforce forums were subsequently established and settlement agreements reached with labour representatives taking into account SAPO’s financial situation. These agreements included:

    (i) Back pay for 2014/2015 salary increases

    (ii) Conversion of casual and permanent part-time workers to permanent full time employees

    (iii) Equal pay for work of equal value

    (iv) 2015/2016 salary increases

Of the above agreements, the conversion of the temporary employees (casuals and flexible labour contracts) to permanent employees started in 2014 in a phased-in approach but was stopped due to financial constraints. Other settlements agreements were not honoured altogether due the entity’s continued constrained cash-flow position as the entity battled to recover financially post the strike action.

Reply:

The requested information is yet to be received from the Metropolitan Municipalities. We are however, making efforts to follow-up on it and the Honourable Member will therefore be updated on progress.

 

Reply:

The requested information is yet to be received from the Metropolitan Municipalities. We are however, making efforts to follow-up on it and the Honourable Member will therefore be updated on progress.

 

Reply:

The Department is able to provide information for learners with disabilities in the schooling system for 2015. The Department is currently collating 2016 learner information. Below is the summary of information on learners with disabilities as reported by the Provincial Education Departments.

(a)(b)

Table 1: Number of learners with disabilities, in special schools, by age, in 2015 see link:

http://www.pmg.org.za/files/RNW854Province.docx

Source: Special Needs Education Centre’s SNAP 2015

(c)

Table 2: Number of learners with disabilities, in special schools, by grade, in 2015

Note1: Kindly note that not all Special Needs Education (SNE) centre’s learners are classified

into grade.

Grade	Total
Grade R	4 102
Grade 1	7 939
Grade 2	6 046
Grade 3	6 679
Grade 4	4 293
Grade 5	4 283
Grade 6	5 057
Grade 7	5 214
Grade 8	6 134
Grade 9	5 409
Grade 10	4 181
Grade 11	2 384
Grade 12	1 828
Special	55 097*
Total	118 645

Source: Special Needs Education Centre’s SNAP 2015

* Learners not classified according to the grade.

(d)

Table 3: Number of learners with disabilities, in special schools, by race, in 2015

RACE	TOTAL
AFRICABN/ BLACK	77 830
COLOURED	20 820
INDIAN/ASIANS	2 377
OTHER	263
WHITE	17 355
TOTAL	118 645

Source: Special Needs Education Centre’s SNAP 2015

Reply:

Due to the court challenge relating to the appointment of the Head: DPCI which is currently before the High( Gauteng North).The list of shortlisted candidates and their curriculam vitae will be delivered to Parliament once that process is finalized.

Reply:

There is no requirement for the verification of national teacher education qualifications of South African Citizens by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA).

However, all teachers are required to submit their qualifications to education departments for evaluation to be employed in education. The policy on the Criteria for the Evaluation and Recognition for Qualifications for Employment in Education, former Department of Education, 2000, published in Notice No. 935, Government Gazette No. 21565 of 22 September, 2000 is in the process of being revised. This policy describes the process and procedures for the evaluation, approval and recognition of initial qualifications, advanced and postgraduate qualifications for employment in education and the assigning of Requirement Education Qualification Value (REQVs) to these qualifications.

The principal end users of this policy are evaluators of teacher qualifications in national and provincial departments of education and admissions officials at universities and higher education institutions that offer teacher education to ensure that teacher applicants are admitted to the correct and most appropriate qualification type and programme.

 

Reply:

Department

a) How many persons have been suspended with full pay within (i) her department.

(aa) 2012/13 – None

(bb) 2013-14 – 1 X DDG for 10 months. The value for the duration is R983 851.49

(cc) 2014-15 financial years – Five (05) employees to the value of R1 015 228.91

• 2 Deputy Directors-General (3 Months and 15 days)
• 1 Director (3 months and 20 days)
• 1 Deputy Director (3 months and 20 days)
• 1 Assistant Director (4 months and 10 days)

(b) in each specified case, what (i) is the value of these payments for each month by her department

2013/2014 FINACIAL YEAR
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES	MONTH	VALUE OF PAYMENTS
One employee	May 2013	R0
	June	R77 356.42
	July	R94 116.98
	August	R94 116.98
	September	R153 559.29
	October	R94 116.98
	November	R94 116.98
	December	R94 116.98
	January 2014	R94 116.98
	February	R94 116.98
	March	R94 116.98
TOTAL	R 983 851.49
2014/2015 FINACIAL YEAR
Employee 1	April 2014	R138 386.61
TOTAL	R138 386.61
Employee 2	July 2014	R118 521.91
	August 2014	R124 311.78
	September 2014	R53 130.51
TOTAL		R295 964.20
Employee 3	October 2014	R27 974.57
	November 2014	R70 907.76
	December	R70 907.76
	January	R70 907.76
	February	R23 312.74
TOTAL		R264 010.00
Employee 4	October 2014	R16 478.74
	November 2014	R41 769.04
	December 2014	R41 769.04
	January 2015	R41 769.04
	February 2015	R13 732.29
Total		R155 518.14
Employee 5	October 2014	R36 545.71
	November 2014	R37 020.79
	December 2014	R37 020.79
	January 2015	R37 020.79
	February 2015	R13 741.90
Total		R161 349.96
Grand Total – 2014/15		R1 015 228.91

(c) what were the reasons for (i) these suspensions,

The officials committed serious allegations of misconduct that warranted precautionary suspension.

(ii) reasons for suspending the persons with full pay

Precautionary suspension is always with full pay in terms of Chapter 7, clause 2(b) of the Senior Management Service Handbook and clause 7.2 of the Disciplinary Code and Procedure (Resolution 1 of 2003).

(iii) the delay in resolving the suspension in each case respectively

The complexity of the investigations is the cause of the delay.

(d) what steps is she taking to resolve these suspensions?

All the above-mentioned cases were resolved.

Airports Company South Africa SOC Limited (ACSA)

(a)(ii) The Airports Company South Africa, placed employees under suspension with full pay pending investigation and possible disciplinary action during the financial years under review as follows:

(aa) 2012/13

During the period under review, nine (9) employees were placed under suspension with full pay for the average period of approximately three (3) months (92 days). The total value of the salaries paid to the nine (9) employees during the period under review for suspension with full pay amounted to R 286 889.90.

All cases were concluded, with outcomes reached within set timeframes of investigation, resolution and finalization of such matters.

(bb) 2013/14

During the financial year under review, nineteen (19) employees were placed on suspension with full pay for the average period of approximately three (3) months (95 days). The total amount of salaries paid to the nineteen (19) employees during the period of suspension under review amounted to R 880 462.11

All cases were concluded, with outcomes reached within set timeframes of investigation, resolution and finalization of such matters.

(cc) 2014/15

During the financial year under review, thirty four (34) employees were placed under suspension with full pay for the average period of below three (3) months (77 days). The total amount of salaries paid to the thirty four (34) employees during the period under review of suspension with full pay amounted to R 2 298 887.60

All cases were concluded, with outcomes reached within set timeframes for investigation, resolution and finalization of such matters.

(c)(i) and (ii) Reasons for suspension and disciplinary action during the requested review period

The reasons for suspensions to facilitate investigation and conclusion of matters during the period under review were many and varied as reflected in the list below:

Assault

Breach of policy

Collusion

Concealment of information

Damage to property

Desertion of post

Dishonesty

Embezzlement of funds

Forging of sick note

Fraud

Gross negligence and/or competence, violation of policy.

Illegal micro lending

Insubordination

Intimidation, abusive and insulting

Misrepresentation

Misuse of property

Non-disclosure of criminal record

Sleeping on duty

Tempering

Theft

Unacceptable conduct

Unauthorised conduct

Use of foul and insulting language

(iii) Conclusion of disciplinary action during the requested review period

All of the suspensions with full pay for the three (3) sets of financial years have been finalised and there were no delays in the investigation and finalisation of disciplinary processes. Outcomes of majority of the disciplinary processes mainly resulted in decisions of:

• Dismissal
• Acquittal and
• Final written warnings

(d) Solution for the reduction of suspensions with full pay

A benchmark has been set for resolution of suspensions with full pay within a period of three (3) months. Suspension of employees with full pay will be used as an action of last resort in deserving cases of serious financial and criminal misconduct. While some suspensions with full pay may be longer than others, the average period of three months (3) will be the guiding principle.

South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA)

1. (i) N/A (ii) the South African Civil Aviation Authority suspensions are listed below for (aa) there were none, for 2012/13, (bb) there were none for 2013/14, and (cc) for 2014/15 as per table below. (ii) (aa) (bb) (iii) and (iv) are stated in the table below.

Name Department	No. of days suspended	Reasons for suspension	Payment value of suspension in rand per month	Delay and Reasons	Action taken to resolve the matters
Accident and Incident Investigation Division	90 days	Serious misconduct relating to misrepresentation of qualifications	R59,782.76 x3 months R179.348.28	No delay*	An internal disciplinary process was undertaken and the employee was dismissed.
Air Safety Operations Division	90 days	Serious Misconduct unethical conduct when doing inspection and audit.	R70,654.22 x 3 months R211,962.66	No delay*	An internal disciplinary process was undertaken and the employee was dismissed.
Air Safety Operations Division	90 days	Serious misconduct relating to conflict of interest and contravention of Civil Aviation Act, section 98.	R51,442.43 x 3 months R154,327.29	No delay*	The employee resigned before the disciplinary hearing was held.
Air Safety Operations Division	14 days	Serious misconduct relating to conviction on criminal case.	N/A	No delay*	An internal disciplinary hearing was conducted and the charges against the employee were dismissed by the Chairperson of the hearing.
Air Safety Operations Division	120 days	Serious misconduct relating misrepresentation of flying experience.	R97,707.48 x 4 months R390,829.92	Under the control of external investigations.	An internal disciplinary process was undertaken and the employee was dismissed.
Air Safety Operations Division	150 days	Serious misconduct relating to misrepresentation of qualifications.	R57,258.57 x 5 months R286,292.85	Some delay experienced during festive holidays.	An internal disciplinary process was undertaken and the employee was dismissed.
Total			R1,222,761.00

Footnote: * means that the suspension was within the SACAA Disciplinary Management Policy.

Air Traffic and Navigation Services SOC Limited (ATNS)

Department	Date Suspended	Date Suspension Uplifted Termination	Value of payment per month	Total of payment whilst on suspension	Reason for Suspension	Reason for Delay in resolving matter	What is being done to resolve	Reason for suspension with full pay
2012/2013
ATNS	25 September 2012	24 December 2012	R56 767.00	R163 307.00	KPMG Audit – Whistle blowing matter	Matter was dealt with as expedient as possible taking the audit into consideration.	Matter concluded	According to the Labour Relations Act, a suspension preceding a disciplinary hearing is a preventative suspension and must always be with full pay
ATNS	31 August 2012	14 September 2012	R20 833.33	R10 575.00	Gross Insubordination	Non availability of internal qualified Chairman.	Matter concluded.	According to the Labour Relations Act, a suspension preceding a disciplinary hearing is a preventative suspension and must always be with full pay
ATNS	25 September 2012	24 December 2012	R72 399.00	R211 618.00	KPMG Audit Whistle blowing matter	Matter was dealt with as expedient as possible taking the audit into consideration.	Matter concluded.	According to the Labour Relations Act, a suspension preceding a disciplinary hearing is a preventative suspension and must always be with full pay
ATNS	28 March 2013	1 August 2013	R153 333.00	R634 561.00	Gross Insubordination	External legal team appointed based on seniority.	Matter concluded. Employee dismissed.	According to the Labour Relations Act, a suspension preceding a disciplinary hearing is a preventative suspension and must always be with full pay
2013/2014
ATNS	4 July 2013	5 September 2013	R128 808.00	R271 466.00	Gross dishonesty	External legal team appointed due to seniority of employee.	Matter concluded.	According to the Labour Relations Act, a suspension preceding a disciplinary hearing is a preventative suspension and must always be with full pay
ATNS	13 March 2014	25 July 2014	R80 424.00	R357 004.00	Gross Insubordination	External legal team appointed due to the seniority of the employee.	Matter concluded	According to the Labour Relations Act, a suspension preceding a disciplinary hearing is a preventative suspension and must always be with full pay
2014/2015
ATNS	16 May 2014	31 October 2015	R111 435.00	R1 950 958.07	Whistle Blower on allegations of racism, discrimination, intimidation and victimisation of black employees.	Extensive internal disciplinary hearing finalised.	Matter Concluded. Employee resigned before finalization of disciplinary hearing.	According to the Labour Relations Act, a suspension preceding a disciplinary hearing is a preventative suspension and must always be with full pay
ATNS	16 May 2014	25 September 2015	R94 350.00	R1 557 411.00	Whistle Blower on allegations of racism, discrimination, intimidation and victimisation of black employees.	Extensive internal disciplinary hearing finalized.	Matter Concluded. Employee dismissed.	According to the Labour Relations Act, a suspension preceding a disciplinary hearing is a preventative suspension and must always be with full pay

Ports Regulator of South Africa

The Ports Regulator has never suspended any of its employees since starting operations in 2007.

South African Maritime Safety Authority ( SAMSA)

1. (ii)

Number of persons suspended	Number of months person suspended	Amount p/m	Reasons for suspension	Why Suspension with full pay?	Reasons for delays in resolving the matter	What are the Steps to resolve the matter?
2012-13
1	3 months	R69 141.49	Misconduct	Precautionary suspension	CCMA process took long	Resolved
2013-14
1	1 month	R28 818.12	Misconduct	Precautionary suspension	Hearing process	Resolved
2014-15
1	3 months	R70 616.58	Misconduct	Precautionary suspension	Investigation	Matter referred to the Labour Court
1	6 months	R18 853.99	Misconduct	Precautionary suspension	Sick leave by staff member & initiator	Matter resolved

Railway Safety Regulator (RSR)

ii. (aa) No persons were suspended during the 2012-13 reporting period.

ii. (cc) 2014/15 FINANCIAL YEAR

NO. OF PERSONS	REASONS FOR SUSPENSION	PERIOD OF SUSPENSION	MONEY PAID DURING SUSPENSION
1	Gross dishonesty, Financial misconduct, Insubordination and Breach of Duty of Trust.	Four months	R388, 700,96
1	Misconduct	One month	R42, 316
TOTAL
2			R431,016.96
(bb) 2013/14 FINANCIAL YEAR
NO. OF PERSONS	REASONS FOR SUSPENSION	PERIOD OF SUSPENSION	MONEY PAID DURING SUSPENSION
1	Misconduct	One month	R81, 433,50
1	Misconduct	Two months	R46, 474,64
TOTAL
2			R127, 908,14

(b)(iv) All the suspensions were conducted in compliance with the RSR’s Disciplinary Policy, which makes allowances for suspensions with full pay.

Cross-Border Road Transport Agency (CBRTA)

(a)(ii) The CBRTA in the (aa) 2012-13 (bb), 2013-14 (cc) 14-15 financial years (b) suspended a total of eight (8) persons as outlined in the schedule of suspensions table listed below. (b) The amount was paid to each of the specified persons in each month in each of the specified financial years, (c) the reasons for (i) the suspensions and (iii) the delays in resolving the suspensions in each case respectively are all provided in the table below.

Position	(aa)(bb)(cc)Financial years	Period	(c)(i) (ii) Reason for suspension	(c)(iii) Delay in resolving these matters	(b) Monthly amount paid
HR Generalist	FY12/13	FY12/13	November 2012 - January 2013 Suspended for 65 days	Alleged Misconduct. Recruitment process not followed for appointment of new hires. Verbal offers of employment extended before requisite approval.	The matter was not delayed. The suspension was uplifted and an informal disciplinary hearing was conducted.	R 36,744
Chief Road Transport Inspector	FY12/13	FY13/14	February 2013 – April 2013 Suspended for 65 days	Alleged misconduct. Making use of employer's resources for personal benefit. Leave without authorisation	The matter was not delayed. Disciplinary hearing was conducted.	R 38,133
Senior Manager Human Resources	FY13/14	FY13/14	March 2013 – April 2013 Suspended for 43 days	Alleged Misconduct. Unprofessional conduct, fraudulently changing performance score, failure to carry out responsibilities with recruitment of Road Transport Inspectors	The matter was not delayed, the employee resigned pending disciplinary enquiry	R 66,371

Position	(aa)(bb)(cc)Financial years	Period	(c)(i) (ii) Reason for suspension	(c)(iii) Delay in resolving these matters	(b) Monthly amount paid
Senior Manager Law Enforcement	FY 13/14	FY 14 / 15	November 2013 – November 2014 Suspended for 260 days	Alleged misconduct. Gross Insubordination, unruly behaviour, gross negligence	Delays with investigations due to unavailability of witnesses due to work pressures as well as year-end closure. Further delays with serving the employee with disciplinary hearing notice due to unavailability. Postponement of disciplinary hearing on account of employee's request for more time to prepare. First hearing adjourned on the basis of a technicality raised by the employee and his representative. Still more delays for a few scheduled hearing dates due to unavailability of the employee's representative. Eventually the case went to the CCMA for pre-dismissal arbitration. The pre-dismissal arbitration was delayed among others due to ill health of the employee, unavailability of his representative, ill health of the Commissioner; interdict an application to the High Court by the employee. The matter was settled on 3 November 2014.	R 75,467
Executive Manager: Human Resources & Administration	FY13/14	FY14/15	February 2014 - July 2014 Suspended for 108 days	Allegations of misconduct - Gross dereliction of duty, gross insubordination, and gross negligence	Matter delayed by changes to external investigators. Finally a settlement agreement was entered into	R 110,933
Executive Manager: Facilitation & Industry Development	FY14/15	FY14/15	May 2014 - November 2014 Suspended for 130 days	Allegations of misconduct - Gross insolence and undermining authority of superior	The matter was not delayed. After further investigations, the matter was partly heard. The employee requested a settlement agreement	R 131,098.50

Position	(aa)(bb)(cc)Financial years	Period	(c)(i) (ii) Reason for suspension	(c)(iii) Delay in resolving these matters	(b) Monthly amount paid
Senior Data Administrator	FY14/15	FY15/ 16	July 2014 – May 2015 Suspended for 216 days	Allegations of misconduct - Frequent late-coming, Repeated absence without permission, Abscondment/desertion, Gross insubordination	Suspension and hearing delayed on account of repeated failure by employee to respond to acknowledge receipt and/or to respond to disciplinary documentation, failure to attend the inquiry. Unsuccessful use of the services of the Sheriff of the Court to serve documentation to employee. 1st hearing conducted in employee's absence which led to her dismissal. Appeal chairperson granted that another hearing be conducted where she will be given an opportunity to state her case. 2nd hearing delayed due to unavailability of representative, ill-health of employee. Hearing finalised.	R 31,951

Position	(aa)(bb)(cc)Financial years	Period	Reason for suspension	Delay in resolving these matters	Monthly amount paid
Senior Manager Information Technology	FY14/15	FY15/ 16	October 2014 – July 2015 Suspended for 216 days	Allegations of misconduct - Intended fraud.	Investigations into the alleged misconduct were lengthy and required extended time. When suspension was uplifted with intention to pursue hearing, employee resigned.	R 79,679

(d)Mitigation against future costs related to employee suspensions:

The C-BRTA developed and adopted Management Guidelines for Employee Suspensions (as attached) that line management will now use when considering suspensions. The overall effect is that to date employee suspensions have become minimal and where there is a need to isolate an employee from operations while investigations are underway, the employee is placed in other non-related roles to best derive equitable value for the salary earned.

Road Accident Fund (RAF)

1. (ii) The Road Accident Fund (RAF), who employs over 2500 people, suspended with full pay (aa) 9 employees in 2012-13, (bb) 20 employees in 2013-14, and (cc) 10 employees in the 2014-15 financial years,

1. the value of the matters for each month in each financial year are:

	(aa) 2012-13	(bb) 2013-14	(cc) 2014-15
April	R 76 000.00	R 160 000.00	R 420 000.00
May	R 45 000.00	R 215 000.00	R 465 000.00
June	R 85 000.00	R 255 000.00	R 420 000.00
July	R 85 000.00	R 245 000.00	R 450 000.00
August	R 75 000.00	R 225 000.00	R 420 000.00
September	R 90 000.00	R 125 000.00	R 550 000.00
October	R 55 000.00	R 100 000.00	R 550 000.00
November	R 30 000.00	R 205 000.00	R 430 000.00
December	R 58 000.00	R 175 000.00	R 320 000.00
January	R 92 000.00	R 200 000.00	R 130 000.00
February	R 70 000.00	R 300 000.00	R 130 000.00
March	R 70 000.00	R 420 000.00	R 130 000.00

1. (i) the reasons for the suspensions, which relate to anything from misconduct to fraud, are to manage the risk of the employee to interfering with witnesses and/or evidence; where the continued presence of the employee presents a threat to life or property; or where the employee’s presence will have a disruptive effect on other employees, (ii) the CCMA and Labour Court generally consider suspension without pay an unfair labour practice, therefore the RAF Disciplinary Policy provides for the suspension of an employee on full pay in the aforementioned instances, (iii) delays in resolving the matters may be experienced due to any one or more reasons, including ongoing investigations that must be completed; the employee getting sick; CCMA referrals for unfair labour practices; and, requests for legal representation and determination, which if granted, impacts on the time taken to conclude hearings, and

1. in order to resolve future matters the RAF is amending its Disciplinary Policy to curb the maximum period for which an employee may be suspended on full pay and requiring the employee be charged no later than one month after the suspension.

Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC)

(ii) Road Traffic Management Corporation

(aa) 2012 - 2013 = five (5) employees

(bb) 2013 – 2014 = Five (5) Employees

(cc) 2014 – 2015 = One (1) Employees

1. 2012-2013

Employee	Monthly salary
No. 1	R 18 421.39
No. 2	R 13 961.89
No. 3	R 10 815.07
No. 4	R 35 980.71
No.5	R 14 383.92

2013-2014

Employee	Monthly salary
No. 1	R 38 565.30
No. 2	R28 490.88
No. 3	R 35 256.08
No. 4	R 14 171.32
No.5	14 383.92

2014-2015

Employee	Monthly salary
No. 1	R 35 256.08

1. (i) The reasons for the suspension were that the acts of misconduct were very serious and another reason was to conduct the investigation free from possible interference by the employees, in terms of paragraph 9.2 (i) & (ii) of the Disciplinary Code and Procedures of the Corporation

(ii) The suspension of this kind is with full pay in terms of paragraph 9.2 (b) of the Disciplinary Code and Procedures of the Corporation.

(iii) The delays were caused due to the investigation which took longer than we expected. Charges are informed by the Investigation report and therefore if finalization of the investigation delays, then the process of charging the employee/s delays.

(d). As soon as the employee is suspended, processes will be put in place to ensure that the investigation unfolds immediately without any delay. This will ensure that there are no unnecessary delays in the finalization of cases and suspensions.

Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA)

(ii) Suspensions with Full Pay
2012/13	2013/14	2014/15
None	None	1

1. R 261 541.15 for the period September 2014 to February 2015

Gross salary per month:

September 2014- R39 401.44

October 2014- R39 401.44

November 2014- R39 401.44

December 2014- R39 401.44

January 2015- R64 533.97

February 2015- R39 401.44

1. Reason for suspension

1. Misconduct;
2. The suspension was with full pay; and
3. A lengthy disciplinary process was undertaken and the employee was given a final written warning

1. The disciplinary hearing concluded the process.

South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL)

None of the South African National Roads Agency (SOC) Ltd (SANRAL) staff members were suspended during the years under review

Reply:

(a) There are 53 key indicators for the ten Medium-Term Strategic Framework Outcomes, namely a) Universal Health coverage progressively achieved through implementation of National Health Insurance; b) Improved quality of health care; c) Implement the re-engineering of Primary Health Care; d) Reduced health care costs; e) Improved human resources for health; f) Improved health management and leadership; g) Improved health facility planning and infrastructure delivery; h) HIV & AIDS and Tuberculosis prevented and successfully managed; i) Maternal, infant and child mortality reduced; and j) Efficient Health Management Information System developed and implemented for improved decision-making

The result of the above work is aimed at improving of the health status of South Africans. The impact indicators and targets are: see the link: http://www.pmg.org.za/files/RNW83Table.docx

(b) Cabinet, chaired by the President, monitors performance on the Programme of Action which includes MTSF outcome Two, and its sub-outcomes for every quarter of the financial year (i.e. four times per financial year).

(c) The Minister accounts to Cabinet on a quarterly basis on these key indicators. Some of the high level indicator achievements for this MTSF period against set targets are as follows:

• The Life expectancy at birth (which has a target of 63 years in March 2019) has increased from 60 years in 2012 to 62.9 years in 2014.
• Maternal Mortality ratio (which has a target of < 100 per 100,000 live births by March 2019) reduced from 269 per 100,000 live births in 2012 to 155 per 100,000 live births in 2014.
• The Under-5 mortality rate (U5MR) significantly decreased from 56 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2009, to 39 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2014. The health system is working towards a further 25% reduction of child mortality with a target of 30 per 1000 live births by 2019.
• The infant mortality rate (IMR) decreased from 39 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2009, to 28 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2014.
• The Neonatal Mortality Rate (NMR) also declined from 14 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2009 to 11 per 1,000 live births in 2014. It has remained stable at 11 per 1,000 live births for the past 3 years.

(Source: The Rapid Mortality Surveillance Report, 2015)

More information on progress made on the Programme of Action is published on the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation website.

(d) The targets of the MTSF sub-outcomes are set as annual and five-year targets but monitored quarterly. Impact indicators do not change much within a year. On a quarterly basis, performance of some MTSF sub-outcome indicators has been below planned annual targets due to data inaccuracies, poor recording at health facility levels and incomplete reporting by health facilities. For example, low coverage of long-acting contraceptive methods and inappropriate recording of the oral method have been found in some areas. This is resulting to quarterly Couple Year Protection Rates lower than the planned annual MSTF target. Similarly, poor data recording is also causing sub-optimal in-year performance of planned MTSF targets for multi-resistant TB and male medical circumcisions. For example, currently only male medical circumcision performed among men between the ages of 15 and 49 years is reported. Data systems on male medical circumcisions performed is being developed for young boys between ages of 10 to 14 years and men who are 50 years and above.

(e) Annual Performance Plans of the National and Provincial Department of Health are largely aligned to MTSF outcome and sub-outcomes. Remedial actions to challenges of implementation are therefore captured and recorded through the quarterly reporting system of the Annual Performance Plans. These actions are then taken through the various national policy and strategic forums at national level which are filtered down at provincial levels. For example with the regard to Couple Year Protection Rate data, re-training of providers has been undertaken.

Implementing partners have also committed to assist with addressing data capturing issues on MDR-TB indicators. Partners are assisting with addressing the data quality issues with regards to male medical circumcisions. The Department is strengthening data collection systems for these developing programmes through the development of patient-based information system and implementation e-Health strategy.

END.

Reply:

(a)

This needs to be responded to by the Department of Water and Sanitation.

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

Yes.

All cities can be considered environmental hotspots simply due to the density of people – this shear density of humanity means that cities are huge sinks for food, water, energy and other natural resources as well as being significant sources of waste, effluent, heat and atmospheric emissions (often mostly vehicle emissions). Nevertheless, in the Western and Eastern coastal regions of the South African ocean space, abalone and rock lobster are currently over-exploited and showing signs of depletion.

With this, it is estimated that over 50% of the world’s population now lives in cities and urban areas. These large communities provide both challenges and opportunities for environmentally-conscious developers, and there are distinct advantages to further defining and working towards the goals of sustainable cities. Humans are social creatures and thrive in urban spaces that foster social connections. Because of this, a shift to denser, urban living provides an outlet for social interaction and conditions under which humans can prosper. Thus, contrary to popular belief cities can be more environmentally sustainable than rural or suburban living. With people and resource located so close to one another, it is possible to save energy for transportation and mass transit systems, and resources such as food.

Operation Phakisa led by the Department of Environmental Affairs has key focus areas on Marine Protection Services and Governance that include key initiatives addressing over-exploitation and depletion of natural resources or marine living species. These include a network of 22 of Marine Protected Areas and Coordinated enforcement programmes.

The monitoring and evaluation of local authorities’ performance is the mandate of the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA).

(c) (i), (ii) and (iii)

Yes

The South African coastline currently has areas that are prone to soil and beach erosion, and these include Glentana, Oyster Bay, St Francis Bay, Langebaan and Milnerton. The Department of Environmental Affairs however, is in the process of conducting a National Coastal Assessment which will identify such hotspots.

(d) (i), (ii) and (iii)

Yes

Coastal cities by their nature are potential environmental hotspots with respect to water quality. As an example, some of recreational beaches in Durban have lost their Blue Flag status due to poor water quality. The department has tools whose aim is to assist the municipalities to better manage water quality.

(e) (i), (ii) and (iii)

Yes

All cities contain highly prized ecosystems which are eroded on account of the pressing needs of ever expanding cities to provide for housing and other land uses. However, most of the more advanced metropolitan areas and bigger cities entertain these pressures through proper land use planning. Conservation plans and other tools are in place to indicate where the environmental hotspots are located. Planning of infrastructure is taking these hotspots into consideration. Designing these cities consider environmental impacts and is dedicated to the minimization of the required inputs of energy, water and food, waste output and water pollution.

A number of conservation and legislative tools to ensure conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity have been developed and these include:

• Bioregional Plans developed in terms of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, 2004 (Act No. 10 of 2004). Bioregional Plans provide for integrated and coordinated biodiversity planning to ensure the monitoring of the conservation status of various components of South Africa’s biodiversity and promote biodiversity research. A number of Bioregional Plans exist such as in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan (Eastern Cape Province), the City of Cape Town (Western Cape Province), the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan and the West Rand District Municipality (Gauteng Province), the City of Tshwane (Gauteng Province), the Gert Sibanda (Mpumalanga Province) as well as the draft Bioregional Plan for the Waterberg District (Limpopo Province).

• Biodiversity Management Plans for ecosystems are also made provision for in terms of the Biodiversity Act. These plans can be developed by any person, organisation or organ of state and are intended to ensure the long term persistence of an ecosystem that is of special concern. Management interventions put in place for landowners, resource users and other key stakeholders can impact positively on the functioning of the particular ecosystem. The department is in the process of developing the first Biodiversity Management Plan for an ecosystem which will be addressing threats to the Colbyn Valley Wetland and its associated sub-catchment (Hartebeesspruit River).

In addition to these biodiversity legislative tools, the government has taken steps towards local government support relating to the mainstreaming of environmental considerations into local government and such interventions undertaken include:

• The Environment Sector Local Government Support Strategy. The strategy which is being implemented mainstreams relevant environmental priorities into local government. This came about from a need for a more coordinated and structured mechanism of dealing with sustainable environmental management in local government. The objectives of the strategy are to:
  • clarify the environmental sector mandate for local government support;
  • clarify the local government mandate for environmental management;
  • identify opportunities for streamlining and integrating the support initiatives of the environment sector with the local government development agenda;
  • identify gaps in cooperation with the local government sector;
  • rationalise municipal reporting requirements;
  • promote consistency and synergy in approach with provinces on local government support programmes (LGSPs); and
  • maximise the environmental sector’s relations with the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) the South African Cities Network (SACN) and COGTA as representative organs of local government.

The implementation of the strategy is done through the establishment and regular convening of the Local Government Task Team.

Government has also developed the National Framework for Biodiversity Mainstreaming in Local Authorities which sets out biodiversity specific considerations that should be mainstreamed into Local Authorities. The development of this framework was conducted through a series of Local Authority stakeholder workshops. Government recognises the need to implement this framework, an important intervention to strengthen support to Local Authorities towards mainstreaming biodiversity in Local Government.

In addition

The department has developed a proposed Strategic Integrated Project (SIP) known as
SIP 19: Ecological Infrastructure for Water Security. The proposed SIP 19 is the second water-related SIP and provides a framework for the integration of a number of impactful water-related ecological infrastructure investments and interventions into a coordinated, coherent and focused project specifically aimed at improving South Africa’s water resource quality and quantity. Thus, the purpose of SIP 19 is to make a significant contribution to the overall goal of ensuring a sustainable supply of fresh, healthy water to equitably meet South Africa’s social, economic and environmental water needs for current and future generations through the integrated implementation of projects within identified priority water catchments.

Although, the concept of ecological infrastructure is not very well known in traditional infrastructure sectors, the essential life-supporting and life-enhancing ecosystem goods and services that are generated by this infrastructure are universally experienced (for instance, nutrient dispersal and cycling; seed dispersal; food (such as seafood, fresh-water fish and game); crops; wild foods; spices; water; minerals; medicinal plants; pharmaceuticals; bio-chemicals; industrial products; energy (hydropower, biomass fuels); carbon sequestration and climate regulation; waste decomposition and detoxification; purification of water and air; crop pollination; pest and disease control; cultural, intellectual and spiritual inspiration; recreational experiences (including ecotourism) and scientific discovery).

Thus, as infrastructure is often broadly defined as the substructure or underlying foundation on which the continuance or growth of a community or state depends, similarly, ecological infrastructure is the networks of natural lands, working landscapes and other open spaces that are the substructure or underlying foundation on which the continuance or growth of ecosystem goods and services depends.

In terms of cities and the impact SIP 19 may have on cities like Durban, in recent years, a number of ecologists and economists have touted New York City's (NYC’s) efforts to preserve the Catskills watershed, one of three major basins from which the city obtains its water supply, as a key example of the benefits of effective watershed management.

New York City’s water supply system is still largely derived from surface water north of the metropolitan area with the Catskill and Delaware watersheds supplying 5.3 billion liters of safe, but unfiltered, drinking water to nearly half of the population. The reliable function and safety of this water supply was, and is, absolutely essential to the existence of NYC and is entirely based on the maintenance of ecological infrastructure. In terms of cost-effectiveness, although NYC invested $1.5 billion on watershed protection over 10 years they avoided at least $6 billion in capital costs and $300 million in annual operating costs if their ecological infrastructure was replaced by a traditional water treatment plant.

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Reply:

The HPCSA is an independent organisation, as such, it has a legal obligation to adhere to all Constitutional and relevant legislative prescripts in the exercise of its mandate. The implementation of the recommendation made in the Ministerial Task Team Report on the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) is therefore subject to adherence to these prescripts. I am being kept informed by the HPCSA on the progress in this regard.

 (a) At this point, I have not been informed by the HPCSA that any of the recommendations of the Ministerial Task Team have been rejected;

 (b) Not applicable;

 (i) Not applicable;

 (ii) A final implementation report is expected by the end of April 2016

END.

Reply:

DRAFT REPLY

There is a sitting Commissioner of SARS, so there is no need to look at potential candidates when there is no vacancy.

Reply:

1. The National Development Plan is supported by the vast majority of South Africans and many important stakeholders in our society. Government, working together with other societal sectors, is implementing the NDP through the Medium Term Strategic Framework. The meeting with the captains of industry in February 2016 reached a decision that the eight points you have alluded to in the question will be processed by a joint government-business task lead led by the Minister of Finance and the Chairperson of the board of Telkom, Mr Jabu Mabuza.
2. I have said on many occasions that South Africa is open for business. This is the same message the South African delegation took to the World Economic Forum in Davos in January this year. Recently the Minister of Finance led a South African delegation of government, business and labour leaders on an international tour meeting with investors to communicate the message that South Africa is open for business and investment. I have also established an Inter- Ministerial Committee which I chair to look at ways in which investment can be attracted to our country and to remove obstacles to investments.

Reply:

Whether she has entered into a performance agreement with the President, Mr Jacob G Zuma, with regard to the implementation of the Medium-Term Strategic Framework (MTSF) 2014-2019

The Minister of Basic Education Mrs A Motshekga, MP, has signed her Performance agreement with the President, Mr Jacob G Zuma in December 2014.

a) Which key indicators and targets from the MTSF are reflected in the agreement

The indicators in the Agreement are as captured in the Outcome 1 MTSF chapter. In summary, these indicators come from the following areas:

1. Impact Indicators – which come from the Action Plan to 2019
2. Sub-Outcome 1: Teacher supply, development and effective utilisation
3. Sub-Outcome 2: Provision of infrastructure
4. Provision of Learning and Teaching Support Materials
5. Sub-Outcome 3: Improving assessment (ANA)
6. Sub-Outcome 4: Improving Grade R and extension of Early Childhood Development (ECD).
7. Sub-Outcome 5: Strengthening accountability at schools and district level
8. Sub-Outcome 6: Partnerships for education reform and improved quality

b) How many performance assessments has she undertaken in consultation with the President since the agreement was signed?

The Minister’s performance has been assessed through the Cabinet Memorandum which is tabled before Cabinet every quarter. In this financial year, two reports have been tabled at Cabinet, and the third quarterly report is being prepared for submission to the Department of Planning Monitoring and Evaluation by March 2016.

c) What progress has been made in meeting the key indicators and targets from the MTSF?

Significant progress has been made for the 2015/16 financial year. As at the end of the second quarter, out of a total of 55 indicators, performance is as reflected below:

1. Eleven (11) indicators were fully achieved;
2. Forty (40) indicators were work in progress with the assurance that the targets for 2015/16 will be met by the end of the financial year;
3. No indicators were under-performing due to reasons stated in question (d); and
4. Four (4) indicators have not been reported because of lack of tools to collect the required data or information.

 

d) What are the key obstacles to implementation?

1. Lack of Agreement, tool and regularity in the administration of the ANA;

(ii) Concurrent functions challenges in providing information required from provincial departments of education in the correct format timeously; and

(iii) Interdepartmental dependency in providing information, such as the ECD programmes, ICT and Teacher Development.

e) What is the plan to address such obstacles?

1. The lack of Agreement, tool and regularity in the administration of the ANA:

• The Department is in the process of resuscitating the ELRC as a platform for engagement and,
• The Department has established a task team with representatives from teacher unions to deal with the instrument and the frequency of the administration of the ANA.

(ii) Concurrent functions challenges:

• The department has started developing the norms and standards, business processes and sector plans to be used to solicit the buy in of the provinces to comply with the key deliverables of the sector;

(iii) Interdepartmental dependency:

• These challenges are attended to at the Cabinet Cluster meetings, MINMECs and Minister’s Implementation Forum (MIF);
• The department’s Director General also holds bilateral meetings with the Director Generals of the affected departments.

 

NW75E

Reply:

(1) (a) The maximum loan amount that may be awarded by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) to a university student in the 2016 academic year is R71 800.

(b) (i) and (ii) The maximum loan awarded from the DHET general fund for university students is determined annually and approved by the NSFAS Board as part of the allocations process each year. For the 2016 academic year, the maximum loan amount was approved by the Board in the third quarter of 2015/16 and communicated to institutions in December 2015.

(iii) The university loan amount is determined based on the provisions within the NSFAS Act 56 of 1999 under Sections 4(a) and 4(b), which specifies that it is the function of NSFAS “to allocate funds for loans and bursaries to eligible students; to develop criteria and conditions for the granting of loans and bursaries to eligible students in consultation with the Minister”. It is further provided for under Section 19(1) that “Loans and bursaries granted by the board may be subject to such conditions as it may determine, either generally or in respect to a particular loan or bursary”.

(iv) The maximum loan is calculated by taking into consideration factors such as the increase received from the national budget process and weighted average full cost of study at universities.

(2) An extract of the NSFAS Board meeting minutes of 25 November 2015 is attached.

(3) According to data received from universities, the average full cost of study across the 26 universities was R70 679.11 and weighted average full cost of study was R71 878.40. Based on the weighted average full cost of study, the maximum-capped award was determined as R71 800.

 

COMPILER/CONTACT PERSONS:

EXT:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

QUESTION 834 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

1. I appointed the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs in terms of section 91(2) of the Constitution of South Africa, 1996.

Reply:

I appointed the Minister of Finance because I have confidence in his ability to execute his responsibilities. The fiscal consolidation programme he announced in the Budget Speech was developed collectively by the Cabinet and is fully supported by the Cabinet.

Reply:

The requested information is yet to be received from the Tlokwe Local Municipalitie. We are however, making efforts to follow-up on it and the Honourable Member will therefore be updated on progress.

 

Reply:

a) The project allocation process is initiated by the Project Management Unit of the Construction Education and Training Authority (CETA), which conducts a needs analysis, derived from the:

• National Skills Development Strategy;
• CETA Sector Skills Plan;
• CETA five-year Strategic Plan;
• CETA Annual Performance Plan; and
• Service Level Agreements.

   (i) The grant allocation approval process is entirely transparent and meets the relevant supply chain management principles. The process involves the following:

• Applications are made through the CETA online application tool;
• Evaluations are done independently and recommendations are made to the CETA Board;
• After approval by the CETA Board, the CETA issues an offer to contract with the successful applicant, which is subject to various conditions, including a due diligence exercise to determine the ability of the approved applicants to implement their proposed projects; and
• CETA finally approves the relevant grants, only after applicants have satisfied CETA of its ability to implement their proposed projects.

The process that is followed in respect thereof ensures the integrity of the CETA’s project allocation.

  (ii) Since the 2011/12 financial year, all payments to successful applicants were made in accordance with the CETA’s performance based payment system, in terms of which:

• Payments are made after submission and approval of compliant invoices and supporting documentation;
• All payments can accordingly be traced back to costs incurred in respect of specific learners, in accordance with the supporting documentation which entities are required to submit prior to receiving payment;
• The supporting information required before payments are made include, where applicable, learner attendance registers, proof of payment of stipends to learners and proof of receipt of learning materials received by the learners;
• No advance payments are made to any entities;
• As a consequence, entities who do not perform in accordance with their project planning will not receive their full grant allocation;
• Payments are only made in respect of services rendered or expenses incurred; and
• the CETA has strict invoicing processing compliance requirements in which payments are only made into approved bank accounts, or, in the instance of public entities, separate cost centres, allocated exclusively to the approved CETA project.

(b) Below are the three areas in which the CETA ensures quality:

• Accountability and conformance to standards;
• Maintaining and enhancing the quality of facilitation and learning by accredited Skills Development Providers; and
• Quality enhancement and continually improving practitioners, assessors, moderators and staff.

(c) The following measures are implemented to ensure that CETA accounts for all funds utilised:

• A commitment schedule, which is reviewed on a regular basis, is maintained;
• Monthly management reports are reviewed by the Finance Committee;
• Financial statements are prepared on a quarterly basis;
• Annual financial statements are reviewed by the Audit Committee; and
• Annual Financial Statements are audited by the Auditor-General who tests the accuracy, validity and completeness of financial information.

 

Compiler/contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 341 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

(a)(b) PRASA has not undertaken any specific research or cost analysis into the use of locomotive manufacturers that Transnet uses in the acquisition of new locomotives. PRASA will only embark on such exercise when it is ready to procure additional locomotives for the long-distance rail service and this will be done through a market engagement process with the locomotive manufactures.

(i)(aa)(bb) See above.

(ii) See above.

(iii) See above.

Reply:

1. I have not met with representatives of any specific race groups to discuss the resurgence of racism in our society. The matter has been discussed at various forums where I have met with various stakeholders, but I have not called a meeting of specific race groups to discuss the matter.

As you may be aware, I declared the Human Rights Month, March 2016, as the month to focus on fighting the scourge of racism. The campaigns and programmes that were undertaken during the month culminated in the Human Rights Day event at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, which had a strong focus on uniting society against racism.

2. Promoting national unity and social cohesion is a constitutional imperative. We have used every avenue to promote the unity of our people and to advance social cohesion. We have done this through the statements we have made during important National Days, and through implementing the government’s programme of transforming our country into a truly non-sexist and non-racial society.

We urge leaders of all sectors to play their part in building a non-racial society.

Reply:

1. It is a matter of public record that Mr Nhlanhla Nene was relieved from his duties as a Minister of Finance on 9 December 2015. It is the prerogative of a sitting President to appoint and change members of his/her Cabinet as he deems necessary. It is the same prerogative enshrined in the Constitution that I exercised on 9 December 2015.

2. Decisions to make changes to the Cabinet are made with the best intentions and for the public interest, including the economy.

Reply:

(1) One of the key performance indicators (KPI) and targets in SANBI’s approved Corporate Strategic Plan is the development of black biodiversity professionals. By the year 2019/2020, SANBI’s target is to develop 140 black biodiversity professionals which is on track and consistently monitored and reported on.

• Recently SANBI, together with partners in the biodiversity sector, has just included implementation of the Groen Sebenza Programme which is a pioneering and innovative initiative that has developed 854 young black biodiversity professionals.
• Career ladders for scientists and horticulturists were introduced in order to attract, develop and retain black biodiversity professionals.
• In addition, the following interventions are being implemented to ensure that our black scientists’ careers development paths are supported:

o Staff bursaries towards higher degrees;

o Scientific writing training courses;

o Studentships and Internships programmes;

o Mentorship/coaching; and

o Participation in workshops and conferences (local and international).

(2) The Board of Directors appointed by the Minister provides oversight to SANBI on all organisational matters including human related matters (NEMBA Section 13). The department through its governance protocol with its entities (including SANBI), provides support for the operationalisation of the business processes. In terms of the established governance practices, the current institutional arrangements suffice to enable SANBI to discharge its operational duties including the analysis of the outcomes of exit interviews. The specific matter of Mr Qwede is being addressed by SANBI Management and the department will address the same when it is raised through proper channels.

---ooOoo---

Reply:

(a) With reference to my reply to question 335 on 14 March 2016, an update is provided on the costs of damage caused to property at North West University, University of Cape Town and University of the Free State resulting from student protests since 1 February 2016:

• University of Stellenbosch – R352 000.00
• North West University – R151 000 000.00 (updated)
• University of Limpopo – R1 786 294.52
• University of Johannesburg – R345 000.00
• University of the Western Cape – R46 544 446.00
• Walter Sisulu University – R351 287.19
• Tshwane University of Technology – R5 073 747.73
• University of KwaZulu-Natal – R82 000 000.00
• Cape Peninsula University of Technology – R689 850.14
• University of Cape Town – R3 200 000.00 (updated)
• University of Zululand – R 4 500 000.00
• Rhodes University – R250 000.00
• University of the Witwatersrand – R1 410 223.00
• University of the Free State – R2 800 000.00 (updated)

Total cost: R300 302 848.58 (updated)

The following universities submitted damage reports, however they did not provide estimates of the cost of damage, which will be requested from them:

• University of South Africa;
• Central University of Technology;
• Durban University of Technology; and
• University of Fort Hare.

The following universities reported no/minor incidents of damage on their campuses:

• Vaal University of Technology;
• Mangosuthu University of Technology;
• University of Venda;
• Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University; and
• University of Pretoria –graffiti on walls, which have been repainted.

(b) The universities have not confirmed from which university budgets these damages will be recovered. However, certain damages will be paid or recovered from insurance claims.

 

COMPILER/CONTACT PERSONS:

EXT:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

QUESTION 833 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

Department

(a) (i) In July 2014, Cabinet adopted the 2014-2019 Medium Term Strategic Framework (MTSF) to be used as a comprehensive five-year implementation plan for the NDP 2030 vision and the commitments of the governing party’s Election Manifesto. This is the process through which all plans of Government institutions across the three spheres of Government are aligned to the NDP.

(ii) The MTSF is translated into the Ministers’ Delivery Agreement with the President of the Republic of South Africa. The DoT Strategic Plan 2015 – 2020 and Annual Performance Plans are aligned with the Minister’s Delivery Agreement in order to ensure that all MTSF deliverables are budgeted for and fully implemented and monitored.

(iii) The DoT developed internal Planning, Monitoring and Reporting Guidelines, as an instrument that aims to provide minimum requirements for the achievement of deliverables as outlined in the APP of the Department. The Department initiates its planning process in May of each financial year through programme planning sessions, with the involvement of Entities and Provinces. These engagements inform deliberations of the DoT Executive Committee Lekgotla that is followed by the Department-wide Strategic Planning session. The Strategic Plan and APP are then consolidated, costed and tabled in Parliament in line with the National Treasury Framework.

(b) (i) On a quarterly basis, reporting templates are circulated to every programme to provide progress reports on all APP targets. Reports are consolidated, analysed against a prescribed criteria and interrogated against relevant supporting documents to ensure usefullness, consistency and reliability of information.

Each programme has a branch coordinator who is responsible for coordination of reporting for the entire programme. Branch coordinators provide dedicated support to their respective programmes and ensure that reporting complies with the prescripts. Once compiled, reports are quality assured by Programme Managers and submitted to the Chief Directorate: Strategic Planning & Cluster Coordination for consolidation and analysis. The report then gets interrogated at the DoT Executive Committee (EXCO), chaired by the Accounting Officer and the Strategic Management Committee (SMC) chaired by the Deputy Minister.

(ii) Reports are compiled against the DoT Annual Performance Plan and submitted on a quarterly basis and are guided by the sequence of quarterly targets as per the approved Annual Performance Plan and the approved Technical Indicator Descriptions. At all times, the reported information is supported by admissible evidence as predetermined in the Technical Indicator Description table.

(iii) Internal coordination commences with the engagements at programme level through interactions between the Chief Directorate: Strategic Planning & Cluster Coordination and respective branches. Upon consolidation of inputs, the final report is interrogated and validated by the DoT Executive Committee for reporting at the Strategic Management Committee. The Audit Committee and the Portfolio Committee on Transport receive the reports in line with their respective oversight obligations. The Report is also submitted to the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME). The Department also participates in the Outcomes Technical Implementation Delivery and Data Forums for effective Outcomes implementation. At the end of the financial year, the department compiles an Annual Report. All reports mentioned above are posted in the DoT website for public consumption.

(c) (i) The champion is the Accounting Officer, supported by Programme Managers.

Airports Company South Africa SOC Limited (ACSA)

    (a) Airports Company South Africa SOC Ltd (ACSA) strategy process is guided by the Minister of Transport’s vision, predetermined objectives and      goals which are underpinned by the National Development Plan.

   (bb) In response, ACSA has aligned its strategic objectives, outcomes, outputs, focus areas and strategic initiatives to the NDP. In turn, ACSA’s Corporate Plan outlines the predetermined objectives, key performance indicators and associated targets. ACSA applies the balanced scorecard philosophy, which directs and ensures that key performance indicators cover the breadth and spectrum of its business, people, society and environment.

   (b) (i) The performance monitoring process, within ACSA sits within the CEO’s Office – Strategic Planning Unit. The Group Manager: Strategic Planning is responsible for coordinating, measuring and monitoring the process.

      (ii) The key performance indicators and performance narrative are tracked and monitored monthly by the Executive Committee, and quarterly reviewed by the Board Audit and Risk Sub-Committee and subsequently, at Board level.

     (iii) Once approved, the quarterly report, as outlined in the PFMA, is submitted to the Department of Transport and Department of Treasury. Every quarter, after submitting the quarterly reports, the Department of Transport and ACSA meet to engage and discuss the company’s year to date (YTD) performance in relation to YTD Targets.

From an internal assurance perspective, the key performance indicators process, as it relates to performance against targets and the remedial action, are subject to a scheduled quarterly internal audit review and assurance process. The external auditor, currently the Auditor General, provides the external review and assurance of the SOC’s key performance indicators and annual performances.

(c) (ii) The Board of ACSA through the Chairman is the champion.

Air Traffic and Navigation Services SOC Limited (ATNS)

(a) ATNS is a schedule 2 state owned company incorporated in 1993 in terms of ATNS Company Act, Act 45 of 1993. Its mandate is to provide Air Traffic Management Solutions and associated services on behalf of the State in accordance with ICAO Standards, recommended practice as well as the South African Civil Aviation Regulations and Technical Standards.

(a) (i) and (iii) (bb) Processes and procedures

The development process of the three (3) year Corporate Plan is driven by the Departmental outcomes to demonstrate the entity’s contribution and support towards the national priorities as stipulated in the Medium Term Strategic Framework (MTSF) and the National Development Plan (NDP).

  (a) (ii) (bb) Mechanism

The quarterly performance report is intended to provide feedback on the targets set in the Performance Agreement. The quarterly report is in a form of financial and non-financial performance indicators. Reporting on both financial and non-financial performance is important in measuring the performance of entities. While financial information (expenditure and revenue) is critical for determining the costs and efficiencies of programmes/objectives/activities, non-financial information is equally important for assessing progress towards predetermined performance targets.

The DoT has identified the following seven (7) key performance areas to assess progress towards ATNS achieving its targets.

1. Transport Safety and Security
2. Infrastructure Development and High-Level Investment Plan for Transport
3. The Fight Against Fraud and Corruption
4. Environmental Protection
5. Training to Contribute to Job Creation
6. Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment
7. Employment Equity

(b) (i) The performance report is monitored on a quarterly basis.

(b) (ii) The Key Performance Indicators are measured and evaluated in accordance with the National Treasury performance management framework. This report is compiled and submitted to the DoT in accordance to the National Treasury Guidelines on the preparation of Quarterly Reports for Public Entities and Constitutional Institutions. Treasury Regulations 29.1.3(b) and 29.1.6(a)-(j) require public entities to report on a quarterly basis to their Executive Authority.

(b) (iii) The report is coordinated through the DoT Civil Aviation Oversight directorate.

1. (i) The DoT Civil Aviation Branch is the champion for the department

(ii) The office of the CEO and Strategic Optimisation departments are champions at ATNS.

South African Civil Authority (SACAA)

(a) (i) (ii) (iii)

(aa) N/A

(bb) The South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) as a Schedule 3A entity submits a five year Strategy and an Annual Performance Plan to the Department of Transport in compliance with the PFMA. The development process of the Strategy and APP ensures the alignment of the SACAA Strategic Objectives to both the National Development Plan and the Department of Transport Objectives and this alignment is clearly demonstrated in the same documents.

(b) (i) (ii) (iii) On an annual basis the various draft versions of the Strategy and APP are submitted three times to the Board and DoT during August, November and January of each year for approval. The APP includes a five year delivery plan and an annual quarterly delivery plan which incorporates SMART targets and this is monitored by submitting quarterly progress reports to the Board and ultimately to the Minister of Transport indicating what was achieved and how the SACAA plans on recovering on areas where there is non-delivery. On a quarterly basis the performance against targets is audited by the Internal Audit department and at the end of the financial year by the Auditor General. A portfolio of evidence is kept to prove achievement. An account of the annual performance is also included in the Annual Report of the SACAA which is submitted to Parliament during August/September each year.

(c) (i) N/A (ii) the champions of the process is the Director of Civil Aviation and the Board of the SACAA.

Railway Safety Regulator (RSR)

Given the RSR’s legislative mandate – to oversee, promote, enforce and monitor railway safety – its strategic objectives and respective outcomes contribute to the NDP’s broader social and economic development objectives and principles; assurance is provided for the safe conveyance of commuters and freight via rail. Alignment with the NDP’s broader objectives is ensured as follows:

(a) (i) (iii) Processes and procedures:

The RSR has regular engagement sessions with the DoT’s Rail Branch throughout each financial year when formulating its medium-term strategic framework (MTSF) and Annual Performance Plans (APP). As the Shareholder Department constructive input into the formulation of its outcomes-based MTSF and ensures that the entity contributes to the country’s NDP principles and objectives. Processes and procedures for input into the MTSF are contained in the RSR’s Guide for Strategy Development, which is PFMA compliant.

(a) (ii) Mechanisms:

DoT representation in the development of the RSR’s MTSF and Board approval of the MTSF.

(b) (i) Monitoring:

The DoT and the RSR’s Board monitors alignment. Quarterly organisational performance reports are quality controlled by the Board’s Audit and Risk Committee and presented to the Board for adoption. These reports are then submitted to the DoT for performance tracking. Annual and MTSF performance scores are compiled and submitted to the DoT where the former is used to track progress and the latter is used to assess the achievement of the entity’s strategic outcomes.

(b) (ii) Measurements:

Quarterly and annual organisational performance scores are used as measuring instruments. In addition, the annual State of Safety report is used as a tool to gauge the safety of the country’s railways and rail operations.

(b) (iii) The process is coordinated by the RSR’s Office of the CEO in collaboration with the DoT’s Rail Branch and the RSR’s Board Secretariat (with respect to Board input and guidance).

(c) (ii) The RSR’s Office of the CEO (wrt strategic targets and objectives) and Research Unit (wrt the State of Safety Report) within the Office of the COO.

Ports Regulator of SA (PRSA)

(a) (bb) The PRSA uses (i) the process of incorporating the NDP into the organisation’s Annual Performance Plan (APP) and its Strategic Plan via the (ii) mechanism of the MTSF which distils the first 5 year deliverables of the NDP into action items, as well as the Minister’s Performance agreement which she has shared with entities.

The DoT uses the (iii) procedure of Quarterly reporting on performance against APP targets, fulfilling:

(b) (i) monitoring by the department, in particular the Maritime Branch

(ii) measurement as overall percentage progress on the NDP aligned APP

(iii) detailed feedback by the Department to the entity on delivery progress on APP, thus effecting coordination.

(c) (ii) CEO and CFO

South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA)

1. The Strategy and APP of the entity is aligned through an alignment matrix with the National Development Plan outcomes; the SONA 9 Point Plan and DoT Strategic objectives
2. This is being monitored through quarterly management quality review actions; quarterly DoT oversight reporting documents to ensure APP alignment; annually through the Auditor General’s office to ensure the APP is delivering performance indicators and measures.
3. The champion for SAMSA is the CEO Commander Tsietsi Mokhele.

Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA)

(a) The process followed is as required by the PFMA in terms of the submission of the annual Corporate Plan of PRASA, a schedule 3B entity, with specific annual performance indicators and targets. The corporate plan with performance levels is presented to the Department and the Minister of Transport in February of each year. The performance levels agreed are incorporated into the Annual Shareholder Compact between the Board of PRASA and the Minister of Transport.

(b) As required by the PFMA and Treasury Regulations, PRASA reports to the Shareholder on a quarterly basis on the state of performance with reasons for variation and actions to improve performance.

(c) (ii) Chief Strategy Officer of PRASA: Mr Sipho Sithole

REPLY

(bb) Cross-Border Road Transport Agency (CBRTA)

(a)(i)(ii)(iii) The Framework for Strategic and Annual Performance Plans guides the development of the medium term strategy and is set by the National Treasury. Therefore, (bb) the Cross-Border Road Transport Agency (CBRTA) and), within the jurisdiction of its mandate when developing its five year Strategy (such as the 2015-2020 Strategy) has five (5) strategic outcome goals that are aligned to the National Development Plan.

(b) Monitoring is done through the use of quarterly performance reporting, which is submitted to the National Department of Transport. The submitted quarterly performance is (ii) measured against the set targets as per the approved Annual Performance Plan.

(c) Executive Managers, the CEO and the Board are the champions for the CBRTA

(bb) Road Accident Fund (RAF)

(a)(bb) To ensure that outcomes achieved by the Road Accident Fund (RAF) are aligned to the National Development Plan, the RAF’s

(i) processes, (ii) mechanisms and (iii) procedures are aligned to the Framework for Strategic Plans and Annual Performance Plans (the Framework) established by National Treasury to provide for: timeframes for the submission, tabling and reporting on Strategic Plans and Annual Performance Plans; clarification of the relationship between institutional plans, policy and budgets; details and definitions of key concepts and information to be reported on in specific sections of the Strategic Plans and Annual Performance Plans, placing the emphasis on performance information; and, templates that are used in drafting the Strategic Plans and Annual Performance Plans. Consequently, the strategic objectives and performance targets set out in the RAF’s Strategic Plans and Annual Performance Plans, are presented to the Department of Transport, and ties back to the National Development Plan,

(b) the outcomes achievement by the RAF in terms of its Annual Performance Plans are (i) monitored by the RAF’s Strategy, Risk and Compliance Department, Internal Audit Department and external auditors, and reported to the Board, the Department of Transport, the National Treasury and the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (ii) the outcomes are measured against the respective performance indicators set out in the approved RAF’s Annual Performance Plans, and (iii) the measurement of such outcomes are internally coordinated by the RAF’s Strategy, Risk and Compliance Department, and

(c)(ii) Executive Managers, the CEO and the Board are the champions for the RAF

 

(bb) Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC

1. (i) The RTMC aligns its strategic planning cycle to the set National Treasury Guidelines and ensures that all applicable legislation and policies are taken into consideration during planning. Workshops are and review sessions are held to ensure alignment of RTMC strategic plans with the National Development Plan.

(ii) Standardised scorecards and performance reviews are used to as mechanisms and procedures to ensure that outcomes are aligned to the National Development Plan.

1. (i) Monthly internal performance reviews and quarterly performance reports are used to monitor performance against set objectives.

(ii) Road Traffic Information is used to measure performance against set targets.

(iii) Quarterly reviews by the Management Committee and reports to the Board are used as coordinating mechanisms to ensure sustained alignment with the National Development Plan.

1. (i) Executive Managers, the CEO and the Board are the champions for the RTMC

Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA);

(a)(ii) the Minister has instructed the Department to engage with the entities and identify the overlapping areas of their functional responsibilities with a view to strengthening the operations of all entities and the policy mandate of the department.

(b)(i) the department is required to provide a report on the status of the overlaps, as well as recommendations for the required interventions by the end of the second quarter of the 2016/17 financial year.

(b)(ii) the envisaged timelines for implementing the short-term interventions are the end of the 2016/17 financial year. For the long-term interventions and permanent solutions which would require the legislative amendments to the various Acts, the timelines are the 2017/18 financial year. The process is being coordinated through the office of the Deputy Director General: Roads, Transport

(c) (ii)the champion in the Road Traffic Infringement Agency is the Registrar/Chief Executive Officer.

South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL

(a) SANRAL’s Board and Management are conscious of the need to ensure the achievement of the vision of the NDP through its operations. The Board directs SANRAL strategy to enable this. SANRAL’s 6 Strategic Outcome Oriented Goals are directly aligned to 8 of the 14 MTSF outcomes, the main one being Outcome 6: An efficient, competitive and responsive economic infrastructure network. SANRAL’s mandate of the management of the national road network is encapsulated in this outcome.

(b) Monitoring, Measurement and Coordination of Performance Information

SANRAL has identified 9 Strategic Objectives to achieve the Strategic Goals. Performance to achieve the strategic objectives is monitored, measured and reported in terms of SANRAL’s Performance Management Policy. The attainment of the strategic objectives is monitored through key performance indicators within every objective. The key performance indicators have targets which must be attained annually. This is documented in SANRAL’s Annual Performance Plan (APP), which is developed every year, approved by the Board and finally approved by the Minister of Transport.

Performance is reported quarterly in the case of the majority of key performance indicators. The remainder are reported semi-annually or annually, determined by the type of indicator. The performance report is submitted quarterly to the Minister, following approval by SANRAL’s Board. This is checked by the Public Entity Oversight division of the Roads Branch in the DoT and a report is provided to the Minister of Transport.

The final performance information at the end of each financial year is audited by the Auditor General (AG) and then published in the Annual Report. Interim reports may also be audited by internal audit or the AG.

(c) SANRAL: Company Secretary

Reply:

The question by the Honourable member should be directed to the National Treasury. The National Treasury manages the expenditure and the budgets of municipalities in line with the provisions in the Municipal Finance Management Act. Municipalities report budgetary matters in terms of s71 of the MFMA and are best placed to respond to matters relating to budget and expenditures of all municipalities.

Reply:

1. The R24 (P16/1) from km 12, 5 (Olifantshoek) to km 0.0 (Buiten ST, Rustenburg) was split into two sections. Section One km 0.0 to km 4.9 (Project One) and km 4.9 to km 12 ,5 (Project Two). These projects were procured approximately 24 months apart.

2(a) Project One was awarded to DIP Civils in April 2013. In February 2014 the pace of construction slowed down considerably and it was evident that the Contractor was experiencing some financial problems that led into the contractor seeking for a and entered into Business Rescue in April 2014. Unfortunately the Business Rescue was not successful and a new contractor was appointed together with the Liquidator in October 2014. This project is scheduled to be completed by end April 2016.

(b) The Second Project commenced in March 2015 and is scheduled to be completed in September 2017. Currently progress is on schedule.

(3) As part of government’s key delivery programme being implemented by SANRAL, the Minister has no plans to single out this programme through any form of statement on this road.

Reply:

On 03 June 2015 the National Assembly recommended that I appoint Mr Ntenteni as a member of the MDDA board. Acting on the recommendation I the appointed Mr Ntenteni on 19 June 2015.

The security screening that we undertook later revealed that he was convicted of culpable homicide in 1998. Following the results of the security screening I requested the National Assembly on 07 December 2015 to initiate a process of checking if Mr Ntenteni is suitable to be a member of the board of the MDDA.

I will be guided be by the outcome of the parliamentary process in this matter.

Reply:

The question by the Honourable Member is more on operational matters which the Ministry at the national level, does not monitor. The question can therefore best be responded to by the Municipal Managers and the Honourable Member may consider using his representation in those councils.

Reply:

1. What I said when I addressed the National House of Traditional Leaders is that a vast number of black people in South Africa had already been dispossessed of their land when the Natives Land Act was passed in 1913. I then asked a question whether in view of this fact it made sense to have 1913 as the starting date for land restitution.

By posing the question mentioned above I was not saying the existing policy on land restitution in no longer operational. Should there be a need for a change of policy in this area, proper procedures of policy development will be followed, which will include consulting important stakeholders in the sector.

2. The pace of land reform has been very slow. One of the major contributors has been the matter of property valuations, which resulted to some landowners pricing the land under consideration for land redistribution very high. It is for this reason that we submitted to Parliament the Property Valuation Bill, which Parliament subsequently passed into law. One of the provisions of the Property Valuation Act is the establishment of the Office of the Valuer-General, which is tasked with the responsibility of valuating property that has been identified for expropriation and land reform purposes.

It is our belief that the establishment of this office will assist in accelerating the pace of land reform.

Reply:

The requested information from Metropolitan Municipalities is yet to be received and the efforts are being made to follow up on them. The Honourable Member will therefore be updated on progress.

Reply:

No.

END.

Reply:

(1)(a)(i) There were thirty three (33) reported cases of natural deaths

(1)(a)(ii) There were five (5) reported cases of unnatural deaths (known and unknown causes)

Information for (1)(b),(c)and (2) is reflected in the tables below:

(1)(b) Date of death	(1)(c) Reason of death	(2) Date reported to JICS –if not give reason
NATURAL DEATHS
2015.03.13	Respiratory Failure	2015.08.24
2015.04.09	Heart Problem	2016.02.23
2015.04.26	Respiratory Failure	2015.05.25
2015.05.11	Respiratory Failure	2015.05.17
2015.08.24	Nephrotic Syndrome	2015.08.27
2015.08.27	Broncho Pneumonia	2015.09.06.
2015.08.29	Acute Liver Failure	2015.08.30
2015.10.15	Respiratory Failure	2015.10.29
2015.11.20	Cardio Pulmonary Arrest	2015.12.13
2015.05.17.	Retro Viral Disease	2015.05.20
2015.05.26.	Plasma Blastic Lymphoma	2015.05.28
2015.06.08	Retro Viral Disease	2015.06.24
2015.06.11	Idiopathic Thrombo Cytopenia	2015.06.17
2015.06.11	Kaposi Sarcoma	2015.06.17
2015.06.10	Retro Viral Disease	2015.06.17
2016.01.29	Respiratory Failure	2016.01.29
2016.02.20	Opportunistic Infection /Diabetes	2016.03.07
2016.02.28	Electrolyte Imbalance	2016.02.28
2015.05.27	Epilepsy Hypertension Previous Cerebro vascular accident	2015.05.28
2015.11.10	Retro Viral Disease	2015.11.12
2015.11.13	Retro Viral Disease	2015.11.13
2015.12.08	Diabetes Hypertension Asthma	2015.02.09
2016.02.24	Hepatitis	2016.02.24
2015.09.09	Acute asthmatic attack	2015.09.09
2015.06.15	Retro Viral Disease	2015.06.22
2015.06.16	Retro Viral Disease	2015.06.18
2015.06.18	Retro Viral Disease	2015.06.26
2015.07.06	Meningitis	2015.07.10
2015.07.26	Hypertension	2015.07.31
2015.09.01	Retro Viral Disease	2015.09.03
2015.09.13	Retro Viral Disease	2015.09.16
2015.11.30	Sepsis renal failure	2015.12.01
2016.01.19	Jaundice	2016.01.26
UNNATURAL DEATHS
2015.08.26	Suicide: Medication overdose	2015.08.27
2015.11.08	Unnatural: Post mortem outstanding. Death register number 1619/15: Steve Biko Forensic Pathology Laboratory	2015.11.08
2015.11.12	Assault: Inmate on Inmate: Stabbed in the heart	2015.11.12
2015.11.19	Suicide: Hanging	2015.11.19
2015.12.12	Stab wound of the chest. Injury to the pulmonary artery. Blood in the pericardial sack around the heart. Massive haemothorax of the left chest cavity. Superficial incised wounds of the right flank and back	2015.12.12

(3) The JICS does not investigate all deaths reported to it, due to lack of capacity; it does however follow a process to confirm that deaths did occur and this is done via the Independent Correctional Centre Visitor.

Natural Deaths – when a natural death is reported the Independent Correctional Centre Visitor will fill in a record of confirmation to confirm that the death has taken place.

Unnatural Deaths - when an unnatural death is reported the Independent Correctional Centre Visitor will be required to conduct an enquiry on the death and depending on the severity of the case it will then be referred to the JICS investigating unit to investigate

The last enquiry conducted was at Kgoši Mampuru Local in November 2015 where it was alleged that the inmate committed suicide by hanging himself. The Independent Correctional Centre Visitor did the enquiry and found that indeed the inmate had committed suicide by using his shoes laces and a piece of bed sheet as a rope.

Reply:

1. I have publicly stated on several occasions that South Africa nominated Mr Nhlanhla Nene for the position of head of the African Regional Centre of the New Development Bank, also known as the BRICS Bank. Processes to make an appointment to that position are underway under the aegis of the New Development Bank in Shanghai, China.
2. See the reply to question 1 above.
3. See the reply to question 1 above.

Reply:

The requested information is yet to be received from the Metropolitan Municipalities. We are however, making efforts to follow-up on it and the Honourable Member will therefore be updated on progress.

 

Reply:

1. Drought conditions may lead to numerous short and long term human health impacts, ranging from the risks of the spread of waterborne diseases due to compromised quantity and quality of drinking water and poor sanitation and hygiene, to hunger and malnutrition due to food unavailability and security issues.

With drought conditions, it is required that integrated solutions be employed to control the threat of drought on environmental and human health. Therefore a collaborated, intergovernmental response is required to protect the public from health risks associated with the drought. The Department of Health, however, continues to employ a holistic approach to health interventions by providing preventative, promotive and curative health care services to the public for protection on human health, including the mitigation of drought conditions on human health. These services include:

• Strengthening and maintaining disease surveillance, and maintain capacity to respond to communicable diseases;
• Monitoring and activating disease outbreaks and preparedness team where outbreaks are reported;
• Health-related water quality monitoring to detect changes in water quality in collaboration with municipality and water services authorities;
• Strengthening health promotion and public education on water conservation, hygiene and emergency treatment of water and the impacts of drought on human health;
• Monitoring of infectious diseases in young children, including diarrhoea and malnutrition through the District Health Information System;
• Provision of emergency medical services;
• Increased surveillance of imported goods, especially agricultural consignments in points of entry;
• Monitor nutrition of vulnerable populations; and
• Strengthening monitoring and surveillance of environmental conditions that may constitute health hazards or risks, as a result of the drought, dust conditions, sanitation, food control, etc.

2. (a) Yes, the health sector does receive financial resources from Government to provide health services to South Africans. This includes resources for disaster preparedness.

(b) The health sector continues to ensure that adequate and skilled human resources are available in the health sector in line with the National Development Plan (NDP) priorities.

3. To ensure health sector readiness to deal with climate change impacts, the Department has developed a climate change and health adaptation plan. The plan provides a broad framework for health sector action towards climate change impacts, such as drought, and effectively guide the management of climate change impacts on health through interventions and emergency response capacity.

The health sector, in implementing the plan, continues to engage and negotiate across sectors in the interest of public health. The aim is to ensure that human health is central to planning across all sectors to improve public health and reduce vulnerability to climate change.

END.

Reply:

Find here: Reply

Reply:

SAPO has advised me as follows:

There are numerous outstanding invoices. SAPO is arranging long term funding with the support of DTPS and National Treasury, to enable implementation of the corporate plan for 2016/17 through 2018/19. Once funding has been secured, SAPO’s arrangements with creditors will be finalised and implemented.

Below is the creditors’ age analysis:

 

Reply:

1. The clinic at Senekal, OR Tambo Section, in the Eastern Free State province, was not completed because the contractor failed to comply with the terms and conditions of the contract, and as such was never handed over to the provincial department of health, and as such it could not be opened.
2. The damage, due to the vandalism of the facility, is a responsibility the contractor because it was never handed over to the provincial department of health.

END.

Reply:

The HPCSA is an independent organisation, as such, it has a legal obligation to adhere to all Constitutional and relevant legislative prescripts in the exercise of its mandate. The implementation of the recommendation made in the Ministerial Task Team Report on the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) is therefore subject to adherence to these prescripts. I am being kept informed by the HPCSA on the progress in this regard.

  (a) At this point, I have not been informed by the HPCSA that any of the recommendations of the Ministerial Task Team have been rejected;

   (b) Not applicable;

     (i) Not applicable;

     (ii) A final implementation report is expected by the end of April 2016

END.

Reply:

(1)(a)(i)

• Calorific value (moisture free): 24,3 Mj/kg (base value) and between 23,3 and 25,4 Mj/kg
• Total moisture: 7,0 – 9,0% (range) and between 7,0 and 9,0%
• Ash content (moisture free): 23,0% (base value) and between 17,0 and 31,0%
• Volatile content (moisture free): 24,0% (base value) and between 21,0 and 29,0%
• Abrasiveness index: 375 mg Fe (base value) and between 325 and 425 mg Fe

(ii) The coal received by Eskom was within the contractual specifications range as per (i) above.

(b) The price of coal paid by Eskom at the expiry of the Agreement was R944.61/ton.

(c) The contract was not cancelled but expired on 31 December 2015.

(2)(a)(i) The coal contracted for Arnot Power Station is a better quality specification compared to the Arnot expired contract and is as follows:

Quality parameter	Unit	Quality Expected	Quality Specifications	Quality Rejection Limit	Measurement basis
Calorific Value	MJ/kg	24.0	≥22.5	<22.5	Air Dried
Total Moisture	%	8	≤9.0	>9.0	As Received
Inherent Moisture	%	4.1			As Received
Ash	%	20.2	≤24.3	>24.3	Air Dried
Abrasive Index (Eskom Mining House Method)	mgFe/4kg	<450	<450	>450	Air Dried
Sulphur	%	1.19	≤1.19	>1.19	Air Dried
Volatiles	%	21.7	≥19.5	<19.5	Air Dried
AFT (Initial deformation)	ºC	1380	>1380	<1380	N / A
Sizing: (cumulatve) %					N / A
	+60mm	0	0	>0
	+50mm -6.35mm	5 50	5 50	>5 >50
	-3.35mm	30	30	>30
	-1mm	15	15	>15

(ii) The coal received by Eskom is within the contractual specifications as per (i) above.

(b) The contractual price is R470/ton to Arnot Power Station.

(c) The coal is suitable for Arnot Power Station as it meets the quality specification for the station.

Reply:

(1) There are no incentives provided to encourage the legal use of electricity. Eskom makes use of the Operation Khanyisa Campaign to inform and educate customers about how to better manage electricity usage.

(2)(a) We assume all non-technical energy loss to be attributed to theft. Non-technical losses in Eskom amounted to R4.7bn for 2014/15 FY.

(b) The amount stated in (2)(a) above represents the collective loss across all provinces. Eskom estimates non-technical losses at a national level, a breakdown per province therefore not available.

Reply:

The processes relating to the supply chain management policies of municipalities including metropolitan municipalities is regulated by chapter 11 of the Local Government Municipal Finance Management Act 56 of 2003. Section 111 this Act requires each municipality to have and implement a supply chain management policy which is in line with a framework that is prescribed in section 112 of the same Act. This section provides the minimum requirements to be covered by the supply chain management policy. Of relevance to this parliamentary question is section 112(h) which prescribed that the policy must provide for procedures and mechanisms for: “(i) Opening, registering and recording of bids in the presence of interested persons” and (ii) “The evaluation of bids to ensure best value for money”

There is no requirement for the evaluation and adjudication of bids in public in the Act nor in any other municipal relevant legal prescript.

(i) There is no legal prescript that requires the meetings of a municipality’s bid adjudication committee to be open to the public. Only two metropolitan municipalities; Ekurhuleni and City of Cape Town have adopted this practice as an additional measure to emphasise transparency in procurement.

The following table outlines is the approach elected by each of the eight metropolitan municipalities in this regard; this is according to the information provided by the municipalities:

Metropolitan municipality	Are the bid adjudication committee meetings open to the public?	When was this practice implemented?	Where are the meetings advertised?
City of Johannesburg Metro	No	N/A (Not a legal requirement)	N/A (Not a legal requirement)
Tshwane Metro	No	N/A (Not a legal requirement)	N/A (Not a legal requirement)
Ekurhuleni Metro	Yes	1 December 2015	Local media and municipal notice boards.
City of Cape Town Metro	Yes	1 June 2006	Local media and municipal notice boards.
Nelson Mandela Bay Metro	No	N/A (Not a legal requirement)	N/A (Not a legal requirement)
Buffalo City Metro	No	N/A (Not a legal requirement)	N/A (Not a legal requirement)
Ethekwini Metro	No	N/A (Not a legal requirement)	N/A (Not a legal requirement)
Mangaung Metro	No	N/A (Not a legal requirement)	N/A (Not a legal requirement)

(ii) The public opening of municipal bids is a legal requirement as prescribed in section 112(h) (i) of the Local Government Municipal Finance Management Act 56 of 2003. This section prescribes that the supply chain management policy must provide for procedures and mechanisms for: “(i) Opening, registering and recording of bids in the presence of interested persons”.

In this regard; all metropolitan supply chain management policies require the public opening of bids and they have all confirmed that the bid boxes are indeed opened in view of the public.

Reply:

(a) The Department of Public Service and Administration has undertaken a systemic review and revision of the performance management and development systems (PMDS) applicable to all levels of staff. The focus of the exercise was to align organisational performance with employee performance whilst also bringing administrative efficiency to the processes. These revisions have been consulted extensively with national departments and provincial administrations as well as at various Public Service Consultative forums

(b) (i) Heads of Department (HODs) Evaluation system is at an advance stages of finalization for approval, with increased focus on departmental programme performance, performance against the Annual Performance Plan and the audit findings and opinions of the Auditor-General. The policy is in the final stages of consultation for concurrence with the Presidency and the Public Service Commission before being tabled at Cabinet for approval.

(ii) On a similar vein, the department has structured revised performance management and development systems for each of the other levels of the Senior Management Service (SMS), which will be communicated and implemented subject to the approval of the HOD PMDS.

In addition, as per Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) Resolution 1 of 2012, the department has crafted revisions to the Employee Performance and Development System (EPMDS) for non-SMS staff. These revisions have been published in the Government Gazette: 3 August 2015, Notice 800 of 2015 as part of the Draft Public Service Regulations, 2015: Invitation for public comment. The department has received comments which are being processed for finalisation and submission for approval.

(c) (i) Since the powers to perform organisational review and redesign process are decentralized to departments. The competency of Executive Authorities regarding the internal organisation of departments is exercised within the Norms and Standards issued by the Minister for Public Service and Administration (MPSA). The MPSA gives effect to the organisational design Norms and Standards through the Public Service Act (PSA), 1994, the Public Service Regulations (PSR) (2001), Guidelines, Directives and Frameworks.

Furthermore, the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) for example, has recently conducted a study on the Minimum Norms and Standards for the provisioning of SMS posts for provincial administrations, which is calculated on citizen segmentation factors, geographic accessibility and spatial norms, reasonable minimum span of control and the complexity of the job role.

(ii) The Norms and Standards will also assist in determining an ideal split between how many SMS posts as a maximum should be located at a national level and how many SMS posts should be located at a provincial level. Furthermore, the MPSA has issued a Directive on the process to coordinate the grading of an entire occupational category or certain level within an occupation category that is utilised by more than one department. The aim of the Directive is to ensure consistence in the provision and grading of posts.

Reply:

I have been advised by the Department as follows:-

(a) The funds reflected under the Consultants: Business and advisory services line item are not funds that will be used to procure consultancy services. National Treasury allocated Phase 1 roll-out funding under the Economic classification (Goods and Services: Consultants: Business and advisory services) line item. These funds will be used to procure connectivity services for the facilities targeted for the Phase 1 roll-out over the MTEF period.

The increase in the allocation is due to additional funds that National Treasury allocated towards the SA Connect Phase 1 implementation.

(b) Additional funding was allocated by National Treasury in 2017/18 and 2018/19 as it was envisaged that lessons learnt from the Phase 1 pilot will allow for a ramp up of the project in the outer years. This funding is in addition to the partial funding that was allocated for the Phase 1 roll-out during the 2014 MTEF allocation period, covering the 2015/16, 2016/17 and 2017/18 financial years.

(c) There will not be any consultants procured using the funds allocated for the roll-out.

(d) Refer to (c)

 

Reply:

1. Yes. Not all training offered to public servants takes place through the National School of Government. There is no regulation that mandates departments to send public servants to the National School of Governement to be trained.

Mandatory training programmes are the Compulsory Induction Programmes (CIP) for newly appointed public servants from salary levels 1 to 16 as per the Directives issued by the Minister for Public Service and Administration namely;

  (a) Amendments to the Directive on the Implementation of the Compulsory Induction Programme (CIP) in the public service, April 2015

  (b) Directive on Compulsory Capacity Development, Mandatory Training Days and Minimum entry requirements for Senior Management Services (SMS).

    (i) CIP 1-12 focuses on newly appointed public servants on salary levels 1 to 12. This CIP 1-12 is divided into two programmes, namely CIP 1-5 and CIP 6-12 with dedicated focus on the unique requirements of knowledge, skills, values and competencies that is relevant and responsive at these salary levels respectively.

   (ii) CIP 13-14 focuses on newly appointed public servants on salary levels 13 and 14, namely Directors and Chief Directors. These programmes focus on the unique requirements of knowledge, skills, values and competencies that are relevant and responsive at these salary levels.

   (iii) CIP 15-16 or the Executive Inductive Induction Programme (EIP) focuses on newly appointed public servants on salary levels 15 and 16, namely Deputy-Director Generals and Director-Generals. This programme focuses on the unique requirements of knowledge, skills, values and competencies that are relevant and responsive at these salary levels.

2. Yes. All the training programmes are focused on a specific target group or salary level of public servants.

   (a) The department that identified the training needs decides what training should be carried out.

   (b) The guidelines that inform the training programmes are the Learning Provision Cycle and the Learning Programme Design Matrix. The Learning Provision Cycle provides the strategic framework for planning, design, development, approval, delivery and monitoring and evaluation of the training programmes. The Design Matrix provide the specific guidelines with regard to the specific/enabling outcomes, assessment criteria, learning statements, assessment activities, and related critical cross filed outcomes to ensure integration of learning.

   (c) The National School of Government is responsible for the quality of training that is selected and offered. It does this using its Quality Management and Monitoring and Evaluation Systems. The Quality Management System involves the Quality Management System Policies with accompanying implementation toolkits. The Monitoring and Evaluation processes include the 100% monitoring of all NSG programmes, regular on-site visits and evaluation reports as well as application or learning studies focusing on selected National School of Government programmes.

3. (a) Every training programme has assessment requirements to ensure the effectiveness of training.

   (b) Training is monitored and evaluated on a regular basis. The National School of Government conducts evaluations of the training programmes and the application of learning thereof in the workplace to establish (i) whether training is achieving its intended objectives and (ii) whether training is resulting in expected changes in the workplace; and if so, what these changes mean to the public.

4. (a) The National School of Government is continually analysing the Report on National Skills Development Strategy of South Africa from the Human Resource Development Council of South Africa, and also the Workplace Skills Plans of departments, in order to recommend training offered through the NSG as an appropriate mechanism to improve performance where performance weaknesses are identified;

(b) The Public Service Commission has released reports on the “State of the Public Service” as well as reports such as “ Assessing the effectiveness of training provided by PALAMA in improving skills and competencies of public service leadership with a view to inform curriculum development by the National School of Government, September 2014” . The recommendations provided in these AMPAT reports inform the training offered through the NSG as an appropriate mechanism to improve performance where performance weaknesses are identified.

Reply:

The Thokoza Hostel is situated in the Gauteng Province and falls within the jurisdiction of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality.

(a) The budget allocated for the 2015/16 financial year was R19 730 000.00. This was for the provision of temporary residential units, for accommodation of residents pending the redevelopment. The budget allocated for the 2016/17 financial year is R61 000 000.00, this funding is for the demolition of the existing buildings as well as for the installation of engineering services up to phase one of the development.

(b) The hostel comprises of forty-one (41) hostel blocks in a dormitory formation, which were deemed not suitable for human habitation and will be demolished and replaced by three storeys of Community Residential Units. These three storeys will yield two thousand, six hundred and twenty one (2621) units.

(i) & (ii) Tenders for demolition of the existing buildings and installation of services were advertised during March 2016. This project will consist of seven phases and will be implemented in a phased approach over a period of approximately eight (8) years subject to the availability of the required funding.

Reply:

Metropolitan Municipality	Centre Established (Yes/No)	Number of staff working for each Specified Centre	(b)(i) Budget for 2015/16 financial year	(b)(ii) the critical disaster risk management issues for each municipality
City of Cape Town	Yes	83	R 119.18 mil (Capital Budget: R 8,183 mil Operational Budget: R111 mil)	Fires and floods
City of Tshwane	Yes	26	R 22.566 Mil	Shortage of staff and resources
City of Ekurhuleni	Yes	11	R 18. 935 mil (Capital Budget: R 14.176 mil Operational Budget: R 4.759 mil)	Staff of shortage in relation to the municipal population of ± 3.2 million which the municipality is trying to resolve with 11 more positions created and advertised. Lack of funding model for disaster management which still awaits the approval of the council. Mainstreaming of the function in all the sector departments of the municipality as required by law.
City of Johannesburg	Yes	30	R 1 350 000 (Incident Management Fund R 1 000 000.00 Capacity Building – R100 000.00 Printing & Stationery (Public awareness campaigns) – R200 000.00 Stores & Material – R50 000.00)	Establishment of an integrated Disaster Management Centre Increase of Human Capital Funding for the City’s Disaster Risk Reduction Projects Ward based capacity building programmes Enhancement of Early Warning Systems
Ethekwini Municipality	Yes	7	R 116 000 000 (Capital Budget: R 21 mil Operational Budget: R 95 mil	Constrain is that there is a huge staff shortage
Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality	Yes	22 (5 x Operational staff; 17 x Control Centre Operators)	R 16 477 194	High vacancy rate on critical posts relating to operational staff Insufficient budget allocation (especially for immediate emergency incident relief)
Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality	Yes	1 x Manager 1 x Admin 4 x Operational 1 x Intern 1 x Vacant funded post 41 Vacant unfunded posts	R 2 782 063	Buffalo City lacks the capacity in terms of finances, staff, vehicles, equipment and accommodation required for a Metropolitan Municipal Disaster Management Centre. Lack of participation of Sector Departments in Disaster Management Structures Very large informal sector (multiple risks)
Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality	Yes	29	R 20 654 900	Budgetary constraints Staffing Incorporation of the DM plan in the IDP and development projects.

Reply:

The response in the attached schedule is based on information provided by the eight (8) metropolitan municipalities.

Metropolitan Municipality	a) How often do metropolitan municipalities review their by-laws holistically	b) On what date was the last review done in each metropolitan municipality
1. City of Cape Town	Council reviews its by-laws during the five (5) years term of office in local government.	The last review was on 29 June 2015.
2. City of Johannesburg	On an annual basis.	The last reviewed was in 2015.
3. Ekurhuleni	On an annual basis.	The last reviewed was in 2015.
4. eThekwini	Currently in the process of rationalising all by-laws, a process which the municipality started a few years ago.	Still in the review process.
5. Mangaung	On an annual basis.	The last reviewed in May 2015
6. City of Tshwane	By-laws are reviewed on an on-going process.	The last review was in September 2013. Some by-laws are still in the review process.
7. Buffalo City	The review process is ongoing. Some by-laws some in the process of commented on.	The last review was in 11 August 2014.
8. Nelson Mandela Bay	Periodic review are undertaken.	The last review was in January 2016

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works

The investigation into alleged irregularities at the Independent Development Trust (IDT) was not conducted by the Auditor-General of South Africa. The IDT Board of Trustees appointed Gobodo Forensic and Investigative Accounting (PTY) Ltd. (GFIA) to conduct a preliminary investigation into the allegations of irregularities in the procurement of goods and services.

A preliminary report, which was presented to the IDT Board of Trustees, revealed serious irregularities in the supply chain management processes within the IDT and further recommended that certain significant findings required further investigation.

The Board then took a proactive step and referred such an investigation to the Specialised Audit Services Unit (SAS) within the Office of the Accountant-General at the National Treasury. This Unit conducts all its investigations in collaboration with all the law enforcement agencies of Government, including the South African Police Service under the auspices of Anti-Corruption Task Team.