Reply:

The information can be processed through the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans in the new year, as the beneficiaries names are considered confidential.

DATE OF SUBMISSION: 08 DECEMBER 2015

Reply:

1. I am not going to provide security sensitive information about the movement of the President
2. No

DATE OF SUBMISSION: 08 DECEMBER 2015

Reply:

This information has been requested from Tlokwe Local Municipality and will be communicated to the Honorable Member when it is available.

 

Reply:

Due to the voluminous nature of the information requested, I would recommend that the member approaches the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans and request to have this information tabled in a meeting of the Portfolio Committee in one of their sessions in 2016.

DATE OF SUBMISSION: 08 DECEMBER 2015

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works

a) In terms of the question “How many contractors from the previously disadvantaged communities have upgraded from grade 1 to grade 2”, the response is as follows:

A total of 928 registration upgrades from grade one to grade two have been recorded in the General Building (GB) Class of Works over the past 10-year period from 1 October 2005 to 31 September 2015.

A total of 620 registration upgrades from grade 1 to grade 2 have been recorded in the Civil Engineering (CE) Class of Works over the same period.

Note that many contractors are registered in more than one Class of Works. The number of upgrades is not disaggregated by ownership, but Grade 1 is almost entirely black-owned.

b) In response to the question “How many such [Grade 1] contractors have upgraded to Grade 9”, the response is as follows:

No contractor has upgraded from Grade 1 to Grade 9 over the past 10 years.

However, it is worth pointing out that 38 General Building and Civil Engineering registration upgrades have occurred from Grades 4 to 8 to Grade 9 within the 10 year period.

__________________________________________________________________

Reply:

a) Yes, there has been progress in job creation in the South African economy, although the unemployment rate remains unacceptably high.

The most recent Quarterly Labour Force Survey released by Statistics SA puts total employment in September 2015 at 15 828 000. This is an increase of some 2 500 000 over the September 2011 QLFS estimate of 13 318 000 employed persons. It should be noted, however, that a new Master Sample based on the 2011 census data was introduced in 2015, and Statistics SA therefore cautions that year-on-year changes should be interpreted with care. Notwithstanding this caution, the data indicate that if the rate of increase in employment over the past years is continued over the period ahead, approximately 5 million jobs will be created by 2020.

It is also apparent from the QLFS data that the rate of increase in the labour force has exceeded the rate of job creation, and so the unemployment rate has remained broadly unchanged. In September 2011 the estimated rate of unemployment was 25.7 per cent, and in September 2015 it was 25.5 per cent.

b) With respect to the question whether decent jobs have been created on an incremental basis annually, Government is mindful that wages are low and employment opportunities are irregular in some parts of the economy. Between 2011 and 2015, formal non-agricultural employment increased by approximately 1.5 million. In the September 2015 QLFS, informal sector work accounts for 2.7 million jobs, agriculture employment is 900 000 and private households account for 1.28 million jobs. These are important and sizeable shares of the employment total, and working conditions are varied in these sectors.

Programmes and policy initiatives that are aimed at improving conditions amongst lower-income workers include sectoral wage determinations by the Minister of Labour, investment in training and skills development and small enterprise support programmes. Government’s main direct contribution to the expansion of job opportunities is through the Expanded Public Works Programme and the Community Work Programme, and the youth employment incentive has been introduced to encourage firms to create work opportunities for first-time young work seekers.

The objective of the Jobs Fund is to support innovative approaches to employment creation and work seeker support, thereby contributing to evidence and learning about effective employment initiatives and strategies. The Jobs Fund aims to create 150 000 sustainable jobs and will contribute to evidence-based policy making.

To date the Jobs Fund has issued 5 calls for proposals, and approved 108 project applications of which 85 are currently being implemented. R5.6 billion in grants has been committed to the 108 projects. These project partners have committed R7.9 billion in matched funding. To date R2.78 billion in grants have been disbursed to implementing projects and R4.2 billion in matched funding has already been leveraged from these partners. The 85 projects being currently implemented have to date created 60 675 new permanent jobs and an additional 30 358 persons have been placed in vacant positions on a permanent basis. 16 124 short term jobs have been created, 13 291 persons completed internships and 128 196 persons has received work readiness/technical training.

Most of the jobs created have been entry level jobs for which the salary ranges between the sectoral minimum wage and R3500. Most of those employed are youth in their first jobs. Jobs have also been created in the salary cohort of R3500- R8800 with a few jobs created at salary levels in excess of R8000 per month. Jobs are evidenced through the submission of contracts of employment and payroll amongst others.

Reply:

This information has been requested from the Mbombela Local Municipality and will be communicated to the Honorable Member when it is available.

The Honorable Member should provide CoGTA with any concrete information in his possession that could assist in any investigation – which will be initiated if there is a prima facie basis in existence.

 

Reply:

This matter is currently the subject of litigation between the Department and the company concerned and as such any comments at this stage are likely to prejudice the Department’s case.

DATE OF SUBMISSION: 08 DECEMBER 2015

Reply:

National Department of Health

1. (a) and (b) (i) - Nil

(2) R7 299 000.00

Western Cape Department of Health

1. (a) and (b) (ii)

	CLAIMED	PAID OUT
2011-12	R38 065 710.00	R15 900 800.00
2012-13	R16 577 812.00	R6 197 147.05
2013-14	R156 742 059.90	R22 587 000.00
2014-15	R66 537 807.64	R17 311 080.30

(2) R71 401 million

(3)

Year	Top 5 most common
2013-14	Neonatal encephalopathy Delayed diagnosis of illnesses Maternal / labour complications Failure to diagnose and treat
2014-15	Neonatal encephalopathy Maternal /labour complications Failure to diagnose and treat

(4)

Hospital	Number of claims	How much paid in 2014-15
Groote Schuur	3	R775 000.00
Tygerberg	3	R790 000.00
Mowbray Maternity	2	R836 600.00
Worcester	2	R4 867 615.00
Karl Bremer	1	R200 000.00
Hanna Coetzee clinic	1	R1 227 660.00
Retreat MOU	1	R220 000.00
Clanwilliam	1	R100 000.00
Delft CHC/Tygerberg	1	R7 829 205.30
IdasValley clinic	1	R45 000.00
False Bay	1	R200 000.00
Paarl	1	R220 000.00

Eastern Cape Department of Health

1. (a) and (b) (ii)

Financial Year	Amount Claimed	Amount paid
2011/2012	R331 728 678.64	R25 336 038.35
2012/2013	R393 108 094.28	R44 743 495.84
2013/2014	R198 207 500.00	R49 513 I08.93
2014/2015	Information not furnished	Information not furnished
Since 1 April 2015	R2 304 490 306.10	R147 861 438.84

(2) The Eastern Cape Department of Health does not allocate a budget for legal claims settlements, however when a settlement obligation arises from a medico legal claim, funds are reprioritized from within the departmental allocation to pay for such obligation.

(3) In the Eastern Cape, for both years, the 5 most common complaints for which compensation was claimed were:

• Obstetrics and gynaecology;

• Paediatrics;

• Orthopaedics;

• Trauma; and

• Family medicine.

(4) The top 10 litigated hospitals in the Eastern Cape and corresponding claims paid in 20 14/ 15 is presented in the table below as follows:

NO	NAME OF INSTITUTION	NUMBER OF CLAIMS 2014/15	AMOUNTS CLAIMED (not finalised) these matters are still active and pending, as they are not settled)	AMOUNTS PAID
1	Butterworth Hospital	86	R278 042 265.00	RO.OO
2	Frere Hospital	56	Rl87 245 594.10	RO.OO
3	Cecilia Makiwane Hospital	41	R88 572 625.00	RO.OO
4	Dora Nginza Hospital	39	R193 951 117.00	RO.OO
5	Mthatha General Hospital	48	R217 625 555.44	RO.OO
6	All Saints Hospital	19	R171 363 625.00	RO.OO
7	Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital	32	R123 279 284.00	R8 000 000.00
8	Bedford Orthopaedic Hospital	14	R5 425 000.00	RO.OO
9	St Barnabas Hospital	13	R45 050 000.00	RO.OO
10	Livingstone Hospital	12	R20 30I 325.52	RO.OO

1. The following interventions are being implemented in the Eastern Cape to address the high number of medico legal claims in the province:

• The department held a medico legal summit and invited all affected role players to look at ways of managing medical litigations in the province;

• The department is finalizing the appointment of the Medical Ombudsman for the Province;

• The department is also appointing a panel of medical legal experts to assist with preparation for the cases before they appear in court, and in same terms strengthening its legal representation; and

• The department is continuously strengthening the quality of health care services and ensuring adequate retention of patient records; including direct interventions focused specifically in management of medico legal trends.

KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health

1. (a) and (b) (ii)

Financial Year	No of new matters received	Amount Claimed	No of matters settled	Amount paid
2011/2012	81	R326 342 322.68	30	R41 357 533.80
2012/2013	165	R992 272 280.20	28	R49 400 941.94
2013/2014	309	R1 596 517 823.74	49	R123 885 303.21
2014/2015	404	R3 046 136 920.80	61	R212 851 030.87
2015/2016 (as at 11 September 2015)	194	R1 456 528 457.00	17	R68 852 267.54

(2) The Department has not budgeted for litigation matters, as it is difficult to predict possible liabilities.

(3)

Year	Top 5 most common
2013-14	Obstetrics and gynaecology Paediatrics Surgery Orthopaedics Misdiagnosis
2014-15	Obstetrics and gynaecology Paediatrics Surgery Orthopaedics General (refers to claims to cover non medical errors resulting in litigation against the Department ranging from maintenance, security & operational issues)

(4)

District	Hospital	No. of claims 2014/15	Amounts paid
eThekwini District	Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital	121
	Addington Hospital	77
	King Edward VIII Hospital	69
Amajuba District	Mahatma Ghandi Memorial Hospital	69
	Charles Johnson Memorial Hospital	68
	Inkosi Luthuli Central Hospital	34
	Total amount paid for eThekwini District		R85 704 607.21
uMgungundlovu District	Edendale Hospital	44
	Northdale Hospital	44
	Total amount paid for uMgungundlovu District		R10 796 165.80
Ugu District	Port Shepstone Hospital	34
	Total amount paid for Ugu District		R1 375 000.00
Amajuba District	Madadeni Hospital	34	RO.OO
	Total amount paid for Amajuba District		R67 714.83

The Department is planning a Medico-Legal Summit to discuss and address the Medical negligence claims in the Province.

Mpumalanga Department of Health

(1) (a) and (b) (ii)

The following table represents the amounts claimed for medical negligence:

Financial Year	Amount Claimed for medical negligence
2011/2012	R131 538 785.00
2012/2013	R93 194 265.00
2013/2014	R95 375 306.00
2014/2015	R 562 210 541.00
April 2015 to June 2015	R130 536 500
TOTAL	R1 012 855 397.00

(b) The amounts paid out for claimed medical negligence, in Mpumalanga is listed as follows:

(aaa) During the 2011/12 financial year, a total number of eight (8) medical negligence claims were paid at a cost of R5 056 370.00.

(bbb) During the 2012/13 financial year, a total number of three (3) medical negligence claims were paid at a cost of R220 000.00.

(ccc) During the 2013/14 financial year, a total number of nine (9) medical negligence claims were paid at a cost of R44 193 741.66.

(ddd) During the 2014/15 financial year, a total number of five (5) medical negligence claims were paid at a cost of R2 773 768.00

(bb) For the period April 2015 to August 2015, the department has paid three (3) medical negligence claims at a cost of R10 099 248.63.

(2) The Mpumalanga Department of Health has been allocated with a budget of R22 212 000.00 for claims against the state and R34 737 000 for legal fees, that are paid to state attorneys and private attorneys.

(3) The most common complaints in Mpumalanga for which compensation was claimed in 2013/14 and 2014/15 financial years, were obstetric cases due to birth injuries where period of labour has been prolonged and resulted in the child suffering from cerebral palsy and orthopaedic cases as a result of motor vehicle accidents.

(4) (a) The Top Ten hospitals in Mpumalanga with highest claims in 2014/15, are:

• Tinswalo Hospital

• Matikwana Hospi

• Themba Hospital

• Mapulaneng

• KwaMhlanga Hospital

• Witbank Hospital

• Rob Ferreira Hospital

• Shongwe Hospital

• Sabie Hospital

• Evander Hospital

(i) Number of claims made against them

• Tinswalo Hospital	13
• Matikwane Hospital	13
• Themba Hospital	12
• Mapulaneng Hospital	07
• KwaMhlanga Hospital	04
• Witbank Hospital	04
• Rob Ferreira Hospital	04
• Shongwe Hospitals	03
•-- Sabie Hospital -­	03
• Evander Hospital	02

(ii) Total amount paid out of each specified claim in 2014/15

• Tinswalo Hospital None

• Matikwane Hospital None

• Themba Hospital None

• Mapulaneng Hospital None

• Kwa Mhlanga Hospital R430 000.00

• Witbank Hospital R2 411 432.00

• Rob Ferreira Hospital None

• Shongwe Hospitals None

• Sabie Hospital None

• Evander Hospital None

Free State Department of Health

1. (a) and (b) (ii)

	CLAIMED	PAID OUT
2011-12	R39 201 030.30	R5 473 097.00
2012-13	R145 406 892.00	R2 935 534.00
2013-14	R177 408 892.65	R673 373.00
2014-15	R322 449 863.07	R15 090 000.00
2015-	R259 771 498.92	R12 725 427.59

(2) R10 000 000.00 was budgeted for the 2015/2016 financial year.

(3)

Year	Top 5 most common
2013-14	Cerebral Palsy Botched Operations Misdiagnosis leading to complications Perforation of uterus during delivery
2014-15	Cerebral Palsy Botched Operations Misdiagnosis leading to complications Perforation of uterus during delivery

(4)

Hospital	Number of claims
Pelonomi Hospital	9
Bongani Hospital	8
Thebe	5
Universitas	4
Fezi Ngubentombi	3
Boitumelo	3
Manapo	2
Elizabeth Ross	2
Botshabelo	1

No payments have been made yet, all matters still pending.

(5) A medico legal expert panel, consisting of medical doctors from various medical disciplines has been appointed. One of their responsibilities is to draft a Litigation Prevention Strategy, the strategy is still a in a draft format.

Limpopo Department of Health

1. (a) and (b) (ii)

	CLAIMED	PAID OUT
2011-12	R161 228 792.79	R11 394 831.08
2012-13	R130 155 032.44	R4 114 165.00
2013-14	R299 181 456.14	R22 033 040.50
2014-15	R656 940 666.77	R31 364 817.07

1. The budget and revenue unit make availability of the funds for payments on claims against the State and litigation matters.

1. The most common complaints that the department receives:

• Loss of a child during labour/delivery
• Foreign objects left inside the patients after the operation
• Cerebral palsy
• Maternal death
• Amputations

1. (a) The Limpopo province is divided is divide into 5(five) districts namely; Mopani, Capricorn, Waterberg, Sekhukhune & Vhembe District. The hospitals that have a large number of cases are as follows:

• Philadelphia
• Polokwane
• Maphutha Malatji
• Mankweng
• Nkhensani
• Sekororo
• Seshego
• Malamulele
• Tshilidzini
• Letaba

 

(b) (i) This are the claims that have been made against each hospital for the financial year 2014/15 are:

• Philadelphia = 12
• Polokwane = 12
• Mapjutha Malatji= 09
• Mankweng = 08
• Nkhensani = 07
• Sekororo = 06
• Seshego = 04
• Malamulele = 04
• Tshilidzini = 03
• Letaba = 03

 

(ii) For the financial year 2014/2015 the Department has paid R23 805 262.72

1. In respect of Limpopo Province the Department of Health has established a specialized unit which is the Medico Legal unit separate from the Legal Services unit which functions includes:

• Identification of overt claims, potential claims and monitoring of medical negligence cases,
• Consultation with state attorney,
• Rebuttal of claims,
• Settlement of claims and
• Closure of cases.

North West Department of Health

1. (a) and (b) (ii)

	CLAIMED	PAID OUT
2011-12	R733 602.57	R753 602.57
2012-13	R144 470 255.72	R7 899 232.50
2013-14	R207 601 325.00	R12 959 528.18
2014-15	R499 577 250.00	R19 978 582.00
Since April 2015	R142 886 250.00	Nil

(2) R5 409 525.00

(3) Most common complaint that the Department receives:

Obstetric complications

END.

Reply:

This information has been requested from these two metropolitan municipalities and will be communicated to the Honorable Member when it is available.

 

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works

(1)(a) The Department of Public Works (DPW) confirms that it did not sidestep or circumvent the provisions of the Public Finance Management Act, (Act No. 1 of 1999), (PFMA) when awarding tenders. However, there are situations where deviations are permitted in terms of the applicable legislation, regulations and policy prescripts. All tenders awarded were done in accordance with prescribed and legislated procurement methods and within the duly approved procurement systems of the DPW.

Numerous projects have been launched to ensure that procurement systems are intact and leasing processes are clear, transparent and well-articulated. This includes, amongst others, the introduction of a standardised lease agreement that ensures that all salient matters of the lease are captured clearly. The signing of leases has been centralised at the Head Office to the Head of the Property Management Trading Entity (PMTE) and other delegated officials at Deputy Director-General level. Due to the unique nature of the property and construction environments, the Supply Chain Management (SCM) processes for leasing and construction procurement are also in the process of being revised, where unique SCM processes for each of these fields will apply.

(1)(b) Yes, purchases were made and services were procured as part of the DPW’s obligation to render services to clients. However, in light of Government’s drive to reduce expenditure, the DPW focused on areas where spending could be reduced. On furniture, costs were reduced by 80% compared to the previous year: from R8 400 504.62 in 2014/15 to R1 679 383.33 as at end October 2015.

On renovation/upgrades costs were reduced by 30% compared to the previous year: from R176 017 074.00 in 2014/15 to R123 108 435.00 as at end of October 2015.

(1)(c) No money has been spent on the extension, maintenance or upkeep of the President’s private residence in Nkandla during the period 1 March 2012 to 31 October 2015.

(1)(d) The DPW embarked on an Immovable Asset Register (IAR) Enhancement Programme to provide certainty on the extent of immovable assets, and validate completeness and accuracy of immovable assets under its custodianship. As a continuous exercise to ensure that the Department’s IAR is complete and accurate, the Department’s IAR was reconciled against the Deeds records and other National and Provincial IAR’s for both the interim and annual financial statements during the past three financial years (2012/13, 2013/14 and 2014/15).

(1)(e) The Department’s programme to rebuild its Immovable Asset Register (IAR) that complies with the Generally Recognised Accounting Practice (GRAP) by 31 March 2016 is making good progress, as indicated below:

• The physical verification of specifically identified land parcels by DPW has been concluded. To date the Department has verified 36 852 of the identified land parcels in the 2013/14 financial year.
• The remaining 6900 land parcels are being verified and assessed during the 2015/16 financial year.
• The Department’s State Domestic Facilities not on State land have been identified and accounted for.
• Approximately 60% of DPW’s properties have had municipal values applied to them in the 2014/15 financial year with the remainder to be completed by 31 March 2016 in line with the GRAP phase-in process as permitted by the Accounting Standards Board (ASB) Directive 2. This has resulted in the disclosure of DPW’s properties at R78.1 billion for the year ending 31 March 2015, compared to the R10.3 billion in the 2013/14 financial year.
• There was no audit qualification pertaining to the Department’s IAR in 2013/14 and 2014/15 financial years.

The above key indicators highlight the significant advances made to enhance the Department’s IAR.

 

(2) (a) and (b) Government’s policies are not neo-liberal. In the current global and national context, necessary measures to ensure fiscal consolidation have been collectively agreed upon by Cabinet and I fully support these measures. Naturally, these measures have impacted upon the line budgets of all Government departments and, as indicated above, the DPW has accordingly implemented a range of cost-cutting interventions.

_______________________________________________________________

Reply:

The information can be processed through the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans in the new year, as the beneficiaries names are considered confidential.

DATE OF SUBMISSION: 08 DECEMBER 2015

Reply:

This matter is currently the subject of litigation between the Department and the company concerned and as such any comments at this stage are likely to prejudice the Department’s case.

DATE OF SUBMISSION: 08 DECEMBER 2015

Reply:

1. The Memorandum of Understanding was executed in September 2014.

a) The terms of reference include undertaking and completing a pre-feasibility study (“PFS”) for a new low cost steel production facility in South Africa (the “Project”) that will meet international environmental compliant standards using raw materials that are locally and regionally available. The envisage Project had to be a profitable low cost producer of a broad spectrum of steel products required by the South African and Sub-Saharan markets

Furthermore, it envisages the establishment of a down-stream industrial park to process some of the steel products to finished goods for domestic and export markets.

b) The estimated total capital outlay of the envisage plant is USD 5 billion which is R70 billion at R14/$. The Project will be funded partly with debt (up to 60%) and partly with equity (40%). The objective of the IDC is to play a catalytical role in the establishment of the facility and not to have a controlling interest in the project.

c) The plant will be designed to have a capacity of 5 million tons of steel per annum. During the detailed feasibility study, consideration will be given to the option to build the Project in two phases of approximately 2.5 million tons each.

d) The labour force to construct the Project is estimated to peak at around 11000 and construction will span over a period of at least 42 months. The operational labour requirement for the Project is estimated at 3 500.

An earlier pre-feasibility study was completed, based on the use of a Rotary Hearth Furnace (“RHF”) technology. Since Hebei seeks to use a different technology, further pre-feasibility studies will be conducted. For details of the earlier pre-feasibility study outcomes, the attention of the Honourable Member is drawn to the reply submitted to Parliamentary Question 4138.

-END-

Reply:

Due to the voluminous nature of the information requested, I would recommend that the member approaches the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans and request to have this information tabled in a meeting of the Portfolio Committee in one of their sessions in 2016

DATE OF SUBMISSION: 08 DECEMBER 2015

Reply:

The information can be processed through the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans in the new year, as the beneficiaries names are considered confidential.

DATE OF SUBMISSION: 08 DECEMBER 2015

Reply:

Due to the voluminous nature of the information requested, I would recommend that the member approaches the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans and request to have this information tabled in a meeting of the Portfolio Committee in one of their sessions in 2016

DATE OF SUBMISSION: 08 DECEMBER 2015

Reply:

A pre-feasibility study (“PFS”) was conducted by the IDC in August 2012.

The key findings of the PFS include:

• A new low cost iron and steel plant with annual capacity of 2.5 million tons based on low cost iron ore and coal resources in South Africa, is viable.
• The preferred process route would be the Rotary Hearth Furnace (“RHF”) technology. The primary advantage of this technology is that it does not require coking coal and subsequently has the lowest operating cost. The downside is the high capital cost of an RHF project and relative high electricity consumption.
• The second best option is Blast Furnace (“BF”) technology. Although it is the most proven route worldwide for iron making, it requires coking coal which is not currently available in South Africa and was therefore considered second best to RHF.
• Beneficiation of the magnetite could be done at a facility at Phalaborwa.
• Middelburg would be a suitable location (and significantly better than Phalaborwa) based on availability of coal, raw material transport logistics, infrastructure including water, rail and electricity as well as proximity to inland domestic market.

After the PFS was concluded, IDC embarked on a process to find a strategic equity partner which led to the Memorandum of Understanding executed with China’s Hebei Iron & Steel Group (HBIS) in September 2014.

HBIS’s participation is conditional upon using their core competence which is based on BF technology as well as to increase the target size of the project to 5mtpa of which a substantial portion will be exported, to other Sub-Saharan African markets. The BF process necessitates the use of coking coal that would need to be imported (possibly from Mozambique). The capacity change, new markets identified and raw material import requirements may put an inland site such as Middelburg at a competitive disadvantage. Therefore, they are considering a coastal site as an alternative.

HBIS and IDC are currently conducting additional prefeasibility studies to assess the economic viability of BF technology, increased size and the project location. Depending on the outcome of these additional prefeasibility studies, a detailed feasibility study will be conducted before a final investment decision is made.

-END-

Reply:

1. Yes
2. (a)(i) The process underway has been initiated by Armscor to test the market for information through the issuance of RFI (Request for Information).

At this stage Armscor has only done the RFI (Request for Information), depending on the findings from the RFI, the process can stop or be moved to the next step which will be a request for Offer (RFO).

(ii) Same as previous answer.

(b)(i) There is no specific amount allocated to the project, the request for information will assist in terms of the budget.

(ii) As above.

(c) This will dependent on whether we go ahead with the project in the first place. So far no such decision has been made.

3. The outcome of the findings will provide guidance on the way forward.

4. No statement will be made

DATE OF SUBMISSION: 07 DECEMBER 2015

Reply:

The President of the Republic of Sudan did not attend the Forum of China-Africa Cooperation Summit, (FOCAC).

Reply:

(1)(a) The rollout will commence after all preparations for implementation have been finalised.

(b) Refer to (a) above

(c) Refer to (b) above

(2) The National Treasury requested an implementation plan from the Department in order to release the funds.

Reply:

This information has been requested from the metropolitan municipalities and will be communicated to the Honorable Member when it is available.

 

Reply:

1. (a) There is evidence that National Treasury Instruction 01 of 2013/2014

related to the cost containment measures is being taken seriously by accounting officers of departments. When comparing actual expenditure of departments for the financial periods 2013/2014 and 2014/2015, it is clear that a saving of R5 billion, which represents a saving of 20% was realised. Savings in respect of constitutional institutions and public entities are not available since these institutions use financial systems that are different to that of departments and which the National Treasury does not have direct access to.

(b) Non-compliance with the Treasury Instruction on Cost Containment shall result in irregular expenditure. Section 38(1)(h)(iii) and section 51(1)(e)(iii) of the PFMA requires accounting officers of departments and constitutional institutions and accounting authorities of public entities to take effective and appropriate disciplinary steps against any official(s) in the service of the department, constitutional institution or public entity who makes or permits irregular expenditure. Transgressions of the Treasury Instruction shall only be known at institutional level and it is the responsibility of the respective accounting officer or accounting authority to take the necessary action for non-compliance with the Treasury Instruction.

Reply:

The SANDF is not aware of any Military Shop in Pretoria that sells military medals. The SANDF remains the custodian of all the South African military medals.

 

DATE OF SUBMISSION: 08 DECEMBER 2015

Reply:

This information has been requested from the Ethekwini Metropolitan Municipality and will be communicated to the Honorable Member when it is available.

 

Reply:

This information has been requested from the metropolitan municipalities and will be communicated to the Honorable Member when it is available.

 

Reply:

In responding to the question the assumption is made that the Honourable Member is referring to daily maximum demand. The table below indicates the customer daily energy demand from 1 March 2015 to 29 November 2015.

Date	Customer Demand MWh
2015/03/01	615 989
2015/03/02	669 051
2015/03/03	674 638
2015/03/04	675 675
2015/03/05	678 546
2015/03/06	678 138
2015/03/07	644 353
2015/03/08	622 464
2015/03/09	677 087
2015/03/10	685 801
2015/03/11	687 776
2015/03/12	688 292
2015/03/13	689 000
2015/03/14	650 059
2015/03/15	625 750
2015/03/16	677 776
2015/03/17	684 592
2015/03/18	686 001
2015/03/19	687 755
2015/03/20	682 914
2015/03/21	644 010
2015/03/22	630 664
2015/03/23	683 404
2015/03/24	687 956
2015/03/25	685 945
2015/03/26	690 873
2015/03/27	669 502
2015/03/28	632 650
2015/03/29	608 103
2015/03/30	661 626
2015/03/31	669 967
2015/04/01	668 627
2015/04/02	651 398
2015/04/03	594 235
2015/04/04	590 128
2015/04/05	579 514
2015/04/06	589 727
2015/04/07	655 740
2015/04/08	666 176
2015/04/09	672 502
2015/04/10	672 108
2015/04/11	637 678
2015/04/12	619 241
2015/04/13	663 577
2015/04/14	677 597
2015/04/15	677 271
2015/04/16	679 907
2015/04/17	671 634
2015/04/18	645 426
2015/04/19	630 322
2015/04/20	669 247
2015/04/21	679 860
2015/04/22	683 606
2015/04/23	679 504
2015/04/24	680 109
2015/04/25	635 071
2015/04/26	611 130
2015/04/27	624 250
2015/04/28	666 329
2015/04/29	668 547
2015/04/30	663 547
2015/05/01	617 955
2015/05/02	612 217
2015/05/03	617 004
2015/05/04	662 729
2015/05/05	679 554
2015/05/06	675 633
2015/05/07	686 368
2015/05/08	683 972
2015/05/09	653 427
2015/05/10	630 569
2015/05/11	680 763
2015/05/12	684 688
2015/05/13	683 584
2015/05/14	683 452
2015/05/15	680 843
2015/05/16	652 459
2015/05/17	627 987
2015/05/18	672 777
2015/05/19	682 316
2015/05/20	680 819
2015/05/21	684 597
2015/05/22	678 270
2015/05/23	649 686
2015/05/24	636 941
2015/05/25	680 562
2015/05/26	691 093
2015/05/27	689 785
2015/05/28	687 883
2015/05/29	678 297
2015/05/30	636 299
2015/05/31	624 217
2015/06/01	663 832
2015/06/02	678 966
2015/06/03	687 834
2015/06/04	699 092
2015/06/05	702 533
2015/06/06	677 867
2015/06/07	653 802
2015/06/08	694 948
2015/06/09	703 928
2015/06/10	716 499
2015/06/11	716 836
2015/06/12	714 953
2015/06/13	661 765
2015/06/14	640 077
2015/06/15	673 059
2015/06/16	650 032
2015/06/17	706 515
2015/06/18	711 768
2015/06/19	705 245
2015/06/20	669 921
2015/06/21	650 940
2015/06/22	697 149
2015/06/23	706 460
2015/06/24	706 658
2015/06/25	706 221
2015/06/26	697 005
2015/06/27	672 992
2015/06/28	651 838
2015/06/29	688 460
2015/06/30	698 407
2015/07/01	692 949
2015/07/02	693 312
2015/07/03	690 260
2015/07/04	653 354
2015/07/05	637 854
2015/07/06	679 880
2015/07/07	698 275
2015/07/08	692 722
2015/07/09	686 403
2015/07/10	682 469
2015/07/11	655 458
2015/07/12	635 239
2015/07/13	685 843
2015/07/14	698 754
2015/07/15	695 409
2015/07/16	691 166
2015/07/17	696 565
2015/07/18	660 855
2015/07/19	646 471
2015/07/20	683 527
2015/07/21	690 396
2015/07/22	699 851
2015/07/23	708 383
2015/07/24	701 131
2015/07/25	670 257
2015/07/26	651 721
2015/07/27	694 919
2015/07/28	700 715
2015/07/29	704 311
2015/07/30	698 663
2015/07/31	703 594
2015/08/01	661 007
2015/08/02	636 444
2015/08/03	682 407
2015/08/04	689 477
2015/08/05	692 994
2015/08/06	690 907
2015/08/07	678 144
2015/08/08	638 883
2015/08/09	614 219
2015/08/10	628 776
2015/08/11	681 094
2015/08/12	685 460
2015/08/13	679 649
2015/08/14	677 149
2015/08/15	634 823
2015/08/16	607 120
2015/08/17	652 403
2015/08/18	660 354
2015/08/19	657 677
2015/08/20	657 116
2015/08/21	647 200
2015/08/22	617 489
2015/08/23	604 102
2015/08/24	644 647
2015/08/25	645 891
2015/08/26	646 045
2015/08/27	644 655
2015/08/28	634 684
2015/08/29	601 424
2015/08/30	591 426
2015/08/31	632 223
2015/09/01	669 042
2015/09/02	676 263
2015/09/03	682 373
2015/09/04	700 260
2015/09/05	661 441
2015/09/06	636 233
2015/09/07	675 372
2015/09/08	687 079
2015/09/09	677 477
2015/09/10	678 821
2015/09/11	678 059
2015/09/12	653 847
2015/09/13	629 895
2015/09/14	670 489
2015/09/15	679 680
2015/09/16	675 104
2015/09/17	676 985
2015/09/18	682 142
2015/09/19	653 659
2015/09/20	637 410
2015/09/21	688 762
2015/09/22	683 341
2015/09/23	673 321
2015/09/24	633 573
2015/09/25	650 464
2015/09/26	629 960
2015/09/27	617 185
2015/09/28	661 945
2015/09/29	675 770
2015/09/30	675 378
2015/10/01	662 080
2015/10/02	665 036
2015/10/03	630 343
2015/10/04	611 024
2015/10/05	658 813
2015/10/06	669 966
2015/10/07	670 396
2015/10/08	668 657
2015/10/09	670 214
2015/10/10	633 378
2015/10/11	615 977
2015/10/12	662 540
2015/10/13	671 910
2015/10/14	673 013
2015/10/15	667 974
2015/10/16	666 560
2015/10/17	633 974
2015/10/18	608 772
2015/10/19	660 891
2015/10/20	666 228
2015/10/21	668 833
2015/10/22	673 724
2015/10/23	665 720
2015/10/24	629 230
2015/10/25	608 906
2015/10/26	660 869
2015/10/27	664 197
2015/10/28	669 483
2015/10/29	674 863
2015/10/30	668 504
2015/10/31	627 524
2015/11/01	604 362
2015/11/02	645 209
2015/11/03	656 034
2015/11/04	653 911
2015/11/05	659 857
2015/11/06	659 962
2015/11/07	628 519
2015/11/08	609 244
2015/11/09	664 576
2015/11/10	666 367
2015/11/11	671 344
2015/11/12	676 683
2015/11/13	673 616
2015/11/14	632 639
2015/11/15	603 480
2015/11/16	652 420
2015/11/17	654 575
2015/11/18	655 851
2015/11/19	642 153
2015/11/20	645 569
2015/11/21	610 940
2015/11/22	588 569
2015/11/23	641 785
2015/11/24	660 352
2015/11/25	665 091
2015/11/26	663 060
2015/11/27	657 316
2015/11/28	615 845
2015/11/29	607 541

Reply:

This information has been requested from the metropolitan municipalities and will be communicated to the Honorable Member when it is available.

 

Reply:

This information has been requested from the Thabazimbi Local Municipality and will be communicated to the Honorable Member when it is available.

 

Reply:

1. I made the statement that the ANC comes first at an ANC Provincial Conference in my capacity as the President of the ANC. Since its founding in 1912 the ANC has been at the forefront of the struggles to defeat apartheid colonialism, and since its election into power in 1994, to liberate South Africans from the triple challenge of poverty, unemployment and inequality.

Like many South Africans, I joined the ANC to contribute to the achievement of its historic mission of building a non-racial, non-sexist, prosperous and democratic society. Given this important role that the ANC has played and still plays in leading this society towards the achievement of these goals, and considering that a large number of citizens have put their faith and hopes on the ANC to lead them to a better life for all, it is important that the work of building the ANC into a stronger organization that can continue to lead society is vigorously pursued.

There is therefore nothing wrong or untoward in saying the ANC comes first. It does not mean I love my country any less. It is in fact because of the love of my country and my commitment to its success that I believe that the ANC should be stronger so that it can lead us to a united and prosperous society.

2. The statement I made does not devalue the Constitution of the Republic in any way, nor does it contradict the Oath of Office which I took when I was sworn in as the President of the Republic of South Africa. There is therefore no reason to retract the statement I made.

Reply:

This information has been requested from Tlokwe Local Municipality and will be communicated to the Honorable Member when it is available.

 

Reply:

The question concerns matters that are currently before the Constitutional Court in the case of the EFF v the Speaker of the National Assembly and Others.   I cannot respond at this stage in deference to the courts.

Reply:

The information required is classified and the response to the above questions can be provided in a closed session of the Joint Standing Committee on Defence.

DATE OF SUBMISSION: 08 DECEMBER 2015

Reply:

This information has been requested from the Tlokwe Local Municipality and will be communicated to the Honorable Member when it is available.

 

Reply:

This information has been requested from the metropolitan municipalities and will be communicated to the Honorable Member when it is available.

 

Reply:

The Honourable Member will be aware that African stability, development and prosperity have been the bedrock of the ANC-led government since the dawn of our democracy in 1994.

We continue this trajectory by committing to various AU programmes, with the following discernible examples:

1. Peace, Security and Stability: On 08 November 2015, I presided over the closing ceremony of the Amani Africa Field Training Exercise held in Lohatla, Northern Cape, whose main objective was to test the ‘Rapid Deployment Capacity’ (RDC) of the African Standby Force. The success of this Exercise points to the Continent’s readiness to expeditiously provide solutions to some of our instability challenges.

What was most gratifying about Amani Africa was the fact that Southern African Development Community (SADC), the East African Standby Force, North Africa Regional Command, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Volunteering Nations of the African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crises (ACIRC), all participated in this historic exercise. Amani Africa is a practical headway that has been made to ensure stability, which is indispensable to continental development. The Honorable Member will also recall the swiftness with which SADC addressed the recent challenges in Lesotho.

 

2. NEPAD: As the Honourable Member will know, NEPAD has been one of the corner stones of the African Renaissance. The initiative is anchored on our collective determination to extricate ourselves and the Continent from underdevelopment and exclusion in a globalising world. It is a call for a new relationship based on domestic, continental and global partnerships to address under-development, founded on the realisation of common interest, obligations, commitments, benefit and equality.

NEPAD has a number of key programmes, one of which is infrastructure development. The Continent continues to make progress in this regard through the implementation of the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) and the Presidential Infrastructure Championing Initiative (PICI) chaired by South Africa, and spearheaded by seven dedicated Heads of State and Government. PICI is part of PIDA, serving as an initiative to bring political leadership to bear, to fast-track the implementation of important projects from the PIDA Priority Action Plan by identifying and dealing with blockages, missing links and choke-points.

For example, under PICI, progress is being made in closing the missing link of the trans-Saharan highway project covering 4500 kilometres between Algeria and Nigeria and $40 million has been secured towards its continued construction. It is expected to be completed in 2016. The optic fibre component of the same project has seen substantial progress, with the completion of 60% of the project. The ICT Broadband Fibre Optic Network Linking Neighbouring States project, championed by Rwanda, has been completed. Egypt recently held the first Steering Committee meeting of the footprint states of the Navigational route between Lake Victoria and the Mediterranean Sea. Construction on the Grand Inga project is due to begin soon. The Dakar Financing Summit in June 2014 prioritized 16 PIDA projects for exposure to private and institutional investors.

With an infrastructure deficit of about USD 92 billion per year, NEPAD is making every effort to highlight this very important challenge. In light of this, at its annual meeting in May 2014, the African Development Bank launched the Africa50 initiative in order to mobilise USD 100 billion for regional infrastructure projects, focusing on addressing the key part of the project cycle that is project preparation. There are several projects in this regard, so this is by no means an exhaustible list.

3. APRM:

The APRM derives from NEPAD and its aim is to foster and promote good political, economic, social and corporate governance in Africa by encouraging Member States to adopt international best practice, which should eventually translate into political stability, economic growth, sustainable development and sub-regional and continental economic integration. South Africa is committed to advancing, nationally and continentally, the objectives of the APRM.

South Africa acceded to the APRM in March 2003 and was reviewed in July 2005. This resulted in the release of the Country Review Reports in 2007 and its’ National Programme of Action .South Africa tabled its First Report on the Implementation of the Programme of Action in January 2009. The second such Report was tabled in January 2011, with the Third Report being tabled in January 2014. South Africa will soon enter the second Peer Review phase.

Membership of the APRM has risen to 35 and 17 countries have been reviewed to date. This is an utterly unique system of self-assessment in the world in terms of its transparency and extent, and the underlying benefits cannot be overstated in terms of the shaping of national development discourse and providing models of best practice on key cross-cutting issues.

4. CAADP AND OTHER PROGRAMMES:

Another key priority for African development is agriculture, as reflected in the AU/NEPAD Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP). CAADP is one of NEPAD’s most successful programmes and has been key to driving development on the Continent and responding to poverty, hunger and joblessness. CAADP ensures that the great commodity that we have, arable agricultural land, is used for the benefit of all Africans.

In this regard, 52 states have been engaged in CAADP related interventions, 40 have received direct support under CAADP, 40 have signed CAADP national compacts, 30 National Agriculture and Food Security Investment Plans have been developed and reviewed, at least 8 countries have met the 10% of budget target, and 4 RECs have developed their own regional compacts. Ten countries have registered more than 6% annual growth in agriculture.

5. PARTNERSHIPS:

The role of international partners is to help scale up and accelerate our own efforts. Therefore, South Africa continues to play a leading role in engaging Africa’s Strategic Multilateral Partnerships, such as FOCAC, TICAD, Africa-EU, Africa India, Africa-Korea, Africa-Arab, Africa-South America, NAASP, and Africa-Turkey going forward. One of the key NEPAD principles is “New partnerships within Africa and with the international community”. It is for this reason that all of the Partnerships have been constructed on the understanding that engagement with Africa is to be done within the framework of NEPAD, as the socio-economic development programme of the AU, with the aim of assisting in the achievement of AU/NEPAD objectives and programmes.

South Africa continues to play a key role in the review of all of Africa’s partnerships with the North and the South, being conducted by the AU PRC Sub-Committee on Multilateral Cooperation.

South Africa is Co-Chair with China of FOCAC until 2018 and we have hosted a very successful FOCAC Summit in Johannesburg on 4-5 December 2015.

President Xi Jinping of China announced a development partnership with Africa worth $60 billion, accompanied by a 10 point plan focusing on areas that are key priorities for development in the continent. We look forward to taking the win-win cooperation further as the African continent as it holds great promise for the renewal of the African continent economically. This occurred on the backdrop of a very successful India-Africa Summit.

Reply:

This information has been requested from the Province and will be communicated to the Honorable Member when it is available.

 

Reply:

The general principle is that all political and other disputes should be resolved through discussion, negotiation, mediation, and other forms of non-adversarial dispute resolution mechanisms. We should only resort to the courts when these channels have failed. Parties should refrain from using the courts to resolve political disputes. Parliament has various mechanisms in place to resolve disputes between parties in terms of its Rules, and all parties should make optimal use of those Rules to resolve disputes.

Reply:

This information has been requested from Tlokwe Local Municipality and will be communicated to the Honorable Member when it is available.

 

Reply:

There have been exports in terms of Section 14 which were authorised by the NCACC to foreign countries in the years 2010; 2011; 2012; 2013; 2014.The reporting cycle is on a calendar year basis and not on financial year basis, in line with section 23 of the NCAC Act. Therefore the reports are from January to December of each year. This means that the 2015 export report will only be available in 2016.

The NCACC considers all applications against set criteria in terms of section 15 as provided for in the NCAC Act and this occurs after a deliberate process by various Government Departments.

The Reports on Transfers of controlled items are compiled quarterly (4 quarters), as well as annually and are tabled in Parliament through the office of the Speaker of the National Assembly and the Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces. These reports are subsequently referred to the Joint Standing Committee on Defence.

These exports are further reported on to the United Nations in line with International obligations of South Africa in terms of Treaties and Conventions, in accordance with International Law.

From the ensuing, it is the intention of South Africa to ensure that arms transferred do not end up with rogue elements elsewhere in the world. South Africa is committed to contributing to Peace and Security in the world.

Lastly, the NCACC activities are subject to the Auditor-General (AG) of South Africa, who perform annual evaluations and assessments on qualitative aspects of the work undertaken, per given period. The past period performance of the NCACC by the AG in this regard was found to be without qualification.

 

Approved / Not Approved

Mr J T Radebe, MP

Minister in The Presidency

Date:

Reply:

This information has been requested from Tlokwe Local Municipality and will be communicated to the Honorable Member when it is available.

 

Reply:

This information has been requested from the metropolitan municipalities and will be communicated to the Honorable Member when it is available.

 

Reply:

This information has been requested from the Mbombela Local Municipality and will be communicated to the Honorable Member when it is available.

 

Reply:

1.Yes.

(a) In November 2015, the University of Fort Hare (UFH) informed the Department that it has continued to experience financial strain and requested approval to utilise R35 million of its earmarked infrastructure grant to enable short-term relief. Approval was granted and the University must reimburse this amount from its subsidy in April 2016. This will not negatively impact on the progress of projects.

(b) Operating deficits are projected for UFH in the 2015/16 and 2016/17 financial years.

(c) The University was requested to provide a turnaround strategy to manage the cash flow constraints and bring it onto a sound financial footing.

2. The Department does not provide bailouts to universities. The Annual Ministerial Statement on University Funding deals with the funding instruments to steer the university sector, and is issued in accordance with the requirements of the Higher Education Act, 1997 (Act 101 of 1997 as amended) and the funding framework for universities (Government Gazette, No 25824 of 9 December 2003). All universities are funded as explained in this statement.

3. No. As indicated, the allocation of the total funding available to universities is articulated in the approved Annual Ministerial Statement on University Funding. The 2014 statement for the 2015/16 and 2016/17 financial years is available on the Departmental website.

 

 

Compiler/contact persons:

Ext:

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

REPLY TO QUESTION 3983 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

Reply:

1. (a) On 13 October 2015, I made the following appointments: Statutory Directors (Director Military Judges, Directory Military Prosecutions, Director Military Defence Counsel and Director Military Judicial Reviews); Reserve Force Military Judges (2 Senior Military Judges and 4 Military Judges).

(b) Regular Force Military Judges will be appointed as soon as their secret security clearances are in place.

(2) (a) As indicated above, I have appointed Statutory Directors and Reserve Force Military Judges to deal with cases in the military justice system.

(b) Once vetting is completed of Regular Force Military Judges these appointments will further alleviate pressure on the system.

DATE OF SUBMISSION: 08 DECEMBER 2015

Reply:

1. The widespread incidents of violence and destruction of property during protests is a cause for major concern. I have spoken about this matter many times in public platforms. The violence in our society is inherited from the violence perpetrated during the apartheid system and the violence response it engendered.

There are studies that have been undertaken to understand factors that contribute to a culture of violence in our society. Some of the studies have been undertaken by organisations outside government. Others have been commissioned by government itself. For instance, a few years ago the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster contracted the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation to undertake research on the violent nature of crime in South Africa.

The critical step that we need to take is not so much to commission more studies because there is already some research that has been undertaken. What is important is taking steps to turn the tide against violent protests and the destruction of property.

2. There are various important initiatives government will implement to address the matter next year. These include educating society about the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. This education campaign about rights and responsibilities of citizenship is important considering that next year (2016) will be the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution of the Republic by former President Nelson Mandela. It will also be the 40th anniversary of 16 June 1976 student uprisings.

Studies show that violence in our society affects mostly women and children. Government will use the year 2016, which is the 60th anniversary of the Women’s March to the Union Buildings to mobilise society against violence that is committed against women and children.

Other measures will be announced in due course.

Reply:

1. (a) As part of an exercise undertaken by the North West Office of the Premier to determine the cost drivers of the wage bill in the Province, misinterpretation of employee information lead to the reports in the media about the 36 000 ghost workers in the Province. After realisation of this misunderstanding the Director-General of the North West Office of the Premier, Dr Keneilwe Sebego issued a media statement, early in November 2015, indicating that there were no ghost workers in North West, but that non-permanent type of appointments were erroneously labelled as ghost workers. This was also officially confirmed in a letter, dated 13 November 2015, addressed to the Director-General of the DPSA in response to enquiries made to the North West Office of the Premier.

(b) Taking the information in (a) above into consideration, there was no fraud or financial loss in the North West Provincial Administration since the payments made to these non-permanent type of appointments were made legitimately.

(c) The non-permanent appointees themselves benefited from the salaries legitimately paid to them.

(d) The DPSA is not aware of any disciplinary action taken as a result of the misunderstanding. The Office of the Premier in North West indicated that it will continue to monitor appointments in the Provincial Administration.

(2) The management and employment of public servants at national and provincial level are managed through a decentralized Human Resource Management framework where Heads of Department and Executive Authorities are responsible for the employment and management of their own employees. Departments’ employee numbers and payroll fall under the purview of the respective Executive Authorities and are audited by the Auditor-General.

(a) The Public Finance Management Act, 1999; Treasury Regulations and other legal prescripts contain provisions to deal with monitoring of payments to employees in the Public Service. Fraud and non-compliance to these measures are managed through the disciplinary processes in the Public Service.

(b) See the reply to (a) above.

Reply:

The department was informed by the Limpopo Department of Economic Development Environment and Tourism that an administrative enforcement notice was issued to the management of the Modimolle landfill site and that a criminal investigation was initiated, at the Thabazimbi landfill site, by Environmental Management Inspectors within the Limpopo Department of Economic Development Environment and Tourism and this case is currently under investigation.

(ii) The Limpopo Department of Economic Development Environment and Tourism is the licensing authority for general landfill sites in the Limpopo Province. For this reason, the Limpopo Department of Economic Development Environment and Tourism is also the competent authority for undertaking compliance and enforcement activities in relation to non-compliance that is detected at the landfills that the enquiry relates to. Given that the function is a constitutionally concurrent function, the Department of Environmental Affairs is mindful of the Limpopo Department of Economic Development Environment and Tourism’s regulatory obligations in this regard. The Department of Environmental Affairs will provide the necessary assistance and support if this is required or requested, but will always first engage with the provincial authority (which in this case is the Limpopo Department of Economic Development Environment and Tourism) before any form of enforcement action is taken in instances where the competence to undertake the necessary compliance and enforcement action lies with the provincial authority.

(ii)(aa) As indicated above, the Department of Environmental Affairs will not encroach into the regulatory space of various competent authorities which regulate the environment unless a specific request is received. However, and in response to the growing environmental concerns around general landfill sites across the country, Working Group IV included in its 2014/2015 work programme a national general landfill site compliance and enforcement blitz in order to understand what the exact compliance status is in relation to sites which were flagged as problematic; and

(bb) Upon request of the Limpopo Department of Economic Development Environment and Tourism, the Department of Environmental Affairs will undertake the necessary enforcement action. However, and as indicated above, the Limpopo Department of Economic Development Environment and Tourism is currently undertaking various actions at each of these landfills, and where no action is noted the Limpopo Department of Economic Development Environment and Tourism indicated that these facilities, namely, Vaalwater, Bela-Bela and Mookgophong will be included in their inspection programme for this financial year.

---ooOoo---

Reply:

(a) The amount of irregular expenditure incurred by the Department of Home Affairs increased from R730 000 in the 2013/14 financial year to R1 809 000 in the 2014/15 financial year. The reasons for the increase in the amount disclosed as irregular expenditure are:

• Use of single quotation without approval for a deviation;
• Motivation for a deviation was considered not justifiable by the Auditor General;
• Failure to incorporate local content component in the bid for the office furniture; and
• The controls that have been introduced by the department to effectively detect and report all irregular expenditure. In this regard, it should be noted that the department itself identified 50% of the irregular expenditure disclosed in the 2014/15 financial year.

(b) Details of the irregular expenditure for 2014/2015 financial year are attached as Annexure A.

Reply:

(1) (a) The scope of investigation covers the supply chain processes followed by the Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa in the appointment of Ernest and Young to oversee the procurement process and companies to supply digital terrestrial (DTT), direct to home (DTH), satellite dishes and antennas.

(b)(i) & (ii) The investigation is expected to be finalised by end December 2015.

(2) The sensitivities regarding the information contained in the final report will determine whether the report will be made public or not.

 

 

 

MR NN MUNZHELELE

DIRECTOR GENERAL [ACTING]

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

MS AF MUTHAMBI (MP)

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE