Questions and Replies

Reply:

I have already briefed the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans on the implementation plan for milestone 1 of the Defence Review on the 26th November 2015.

I have also undertaken to provide regular briefings to the Committee on the progress made at each stage of the implementation plan. I have similarly recently met with the Defence Service Commission and the Military Ombud.

DATE OF SUBMISSION: 12 DECEMBER 2015

Reply:

(a) The Department of Military Veterans still has a number of medals in stock to be awarded to members of the non-statutory force of uMkhonto we Sizwe for whom the first set of medals were designed and cast. At present the Department of Military Veterans has gone into negotiations with the former APLA for approval of designs of medals for their organisation.

(b) There have been no medal parades since 2012 to honour any military

Veterans.

(i) No medal parades were held nor planned to honour Statutory Forces.

(ii) The Department held three medal parades to award medals to uMkhonto we Sizwe non-statutory force.

DATE OF SUBMISSION: 11 DECEMBER 2015

Reply:

(1) A process of consultation with role players is underway.

(2) Depending on the outcome of the consultations, the department proposes to prioritise the former non-statutory force members who did not qualify for Special Pensions from 1996 and destitute World War military veterans in the provisioning of pension.

(a) In instances where the value of the Special Pensions is lower than the value of the military pension’s value, top-up is proposed.

(b) and (c) Special Pensions does not pay a standardized pension amount to the beneficiaries but utilizes a formula which considers the age of the beneficiary and the years spent in service.

(3) Whilst there are on-going consultations, the view of the Department is that any pension granted to Military Veterans may be offset against other benefits received from the State, such as the Special Pensions.

(4) During the 2014-15 financial periods, the department made contingency provisions to provide pension to 500 Military Veterans at an estimated cost of approximately R23 million.

DATE OF SUBMISSION: 11 DECEMBER 2015

Reply:

I do not engage suppliers. Armscor continually interacts with all suppliers on a range of projects with an aim to ensure that suppliers honour their contractual obligations at all times.

.

Reply:

There has been no attempt to persuade the Minister of Finance to establish a Tourism Development Fund. The tourism development aspects raised in the question are funded through existing funding mechanisms in the department provided for by the National Treasury within the current appropriated budget. These include inter alia the Tourism Incentive Programme (TIP), the Social Responsibility Implementation (SRI) Programme and the Strategic Partners in Tourism initiative.

Reply:

For 2014/15 financial report the department had met the 2% disability target. Female representation on SMS level has reached 42%, the deviation is caused by the number of vacant post at SMS level, where resignations of female SMS members had an impact on the focused target.

 

DATE OF SUBMISSION: 11 DECEMBER 2015

Reply:

(1) The reason why the target was not achieved is because the Department relies on the military veterans to approach the department with requests to update their records. It is assumed that those Military Veterans who are not updating their records, their personal details have not changed.

(2) As per the Act the listing of Military Veterans in the National Military Veterans database is a permanent function which is not expected to end as it caters for the transition of members of the defence force who exit service.

(3) The 21 322 updated files completed was not broken down as per former force, at the time of reporting, due to the nature of our system we may not be able to go back at the end of the reporting period to track the composition of the batch. With the current improvements on the system, we will make sure such a break-down is provided in future.

 

 

DATE OF SUBMISSION: 11 DECEMBER 2015

Reply:

a) Yes, Annual financial statements of the Special Defence Account (SDA) were always tabled with the Annual report of the Department of Defence as required by the Appropriations Act, and the last SDA Annual financial statements for the 2014/15 financial year were tabled in Parliament on 29 September 2015 with the tabling of the annual report of the Department of Defence.

b) The next Annual financial statement of the SDA will be for the financial year 2015/16, and the tabling thereof will be done with the tabling of the Annual Report after the financial statements have been completed and audited, which is usually around September/October each year

DATE OF SUBMISSION: 12 DECEMBER 2015

Reply:

This question must be redirected to the Minister in the Presidency responsible for Performance, Monitoring, Evaluation and Administration. In addition the Minister is the current Chairperson of the National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC)

DATE OF SUBMISSION: 11 DECEMBER 2015

Reply:

(1) (a) Advertisements have been placed and short listing is underway.

(b) VACANCY RATE AS AT 01 APRIL 2014 TO DATE

SN	POST TITLE	SALARY LEVEL	TOTAL COST
1	Personnel Officers x 2	5	R 264, 798
2	Senior personnel Officers x 3	6	R 476, 955
3	Admin Assistants x 3	7	R 588, 834
4	Admin Officer x 1	8	R 243, 747
5	Assistant Director x 1	10	R 361, 659
6	Deputy Director x 1	12	R 674, 979
7	Director x 1	13	R 864, 177
8	Chief Director x 2	14	R 2, 085, 000
9	DDG x 2	15	R 2, 535, 612
10	DG x 1	16	R 1, 656, 618
GRAND TOTAL	R 9, 752,379

(c) The Department of Military Veterans (DMV) in collaboration with the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) developed its Service Delivery Model (SDM) which is fundamental to the design of the organogram. Discussions are underway to fine tune the first draft of the organogram.

 

DATE OF SUBMISSION: 11 DECEMBER 2015

Reply:

Both Department’s Accounting Officers and Senior Officials responsible for housing portfolio for Military Veterans met to reconcile housing targets over the Medium Term Expenditure Framework and agreed on delivering 2000 houses which is a realistic figure.

DATE OF SUBMISSION: 11 DECEMBER 2015

Reply:

1. Yes,

(aa/ab) During July 2015, a meeting was held between the Minister, management of the Department and officials from Auditor General in which Supply Chain Management and Performance Information management were discussed.

(ac) The Contract Management Sub-Unit has been established, this Sub-Unit has a Practitioner and interviews for the Assistant Director: Contract Management will be conducted in December 2015. In addition to this the Director: Supply Chain Management has been appointed with effect from 01 December 2015. The appointment of these officials will not only secure stability in Contract Management in the Department but will also ensure consistent administration and management of contracts, e.g., the database of contracts kept in Supply Chain Management will be monitored and reviewed monthly by the Chief Financial Officer.

(ac)(i) The Supply Chain Management directorate had experienced capacity constraints however this was addressed through the appointment of contract employees.

(ac)(ii) In terms of oversight responsibilities, the Chief Financial Officer will ensure that there is regular monitoring and reviews of the contract administration and compliance with Supply Chain Management policies and procedures.

Reply:

1. (a) During the 2014-15 financial periods the Department had planned to build 1000 houses for the benefit of Military Veterans through its partnership with the Department of Human Settlements.

(b) The R31.9 million top-up transfer to the Department of Human Settlement was in respect of the planned construction of 400 houses.

2. The Department of Human Settlements plans as agreed with the Department was for the building of 400 houses in the following provinces:

• Kwa-Zulu Natal
• Eastern Cape
• Free State and
• Mpumalanga3. 

3. Questions 3-5 must be redirected to the Department of Human Settlements as they have the constitutional mandate to address housing issues in the Republic of South Africa.

DATE OF SUBMISSION: 11 DECEMBER 2015

Reply:

1. The Chairperson of the Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB) wrote to the Minister of Finance on 16 March 2015 requesting the National Treasury to provide the MDB with inputs on a number of matters including a definition of municipal viability, indicators to measure viability and an analysis of the potential impact of each of the proposed boundary re-determinations.

In reply to the specific questions asked:

(i) No date was specified for the requested information to be provided to the MDB.

(ii) The Municipal Demarcation Board published notices in provincial gazettes in early July 2015 formally announcing the details of proposed re-demarcations that they were consulting on. The National Treasury conducted a thorough analysis of these proposals and the Minister of Finance wrote to the Chairperson of the MDB on 6 August 2015 to provide the Board with the information requested.

(iii) National Treasury did not make recommendations to the MDB. The inputs submitted provided information on the affected municipalities and analysis about potential impacts of the proposed boundary redeterminations, noting that in advance of the actual implementation of the proposals it is not possible to know with certainty what the impact will be. This information was provided, at the request of the MDB, to contribute further to the information on which the Board made its decisions.

2. The report compiled by the National Treasury and submitted to the MDB explored a number of different aspects of municipal viability that could be affected by boundary redeterminations. These included financial viability, institutional viability, economic viability and service delivery viability. Again, no recommendations were made to the MDB.

Reply:

1. Yes, the Correctional Supervision and Parole Board considered the mentioned offender and his profile report was received by Head Office during September 2015 and submitted it to the National Council for Correctional Services (NCCS). As soon as the recommendation of the NCCS is available, it will be submitted to the Minister for consideration.

(2)(a) & (b) See (1) above.

(3)(a)&(b) The offender was not denied to be considered for possible parole placement by the (a) Minister and (b) Correctional Supervision and Parole Board.

(3)(i) & (ii) Parole applications are submitted in accordance with and in compliance to section 42(2) (d) of the Correctional Services Act, Act 111 of 1998, as amended. Amongst others, during the said period the offender did not participate in Victim Offender Dialogue and the Department in collaboration with the offender was in the process of tracing his victims. Furthermore, his support system was also not positively confirmed.

Reply:

(1)(a) According to the Correctional Services Act, Act 111 of 1998 offenders sentenced to life incarceration before 1 October 2004 had to serve a minimum detention period of 20 years before being eligible for consideration for placement on parole. However, on 15 July 2011 the North Gauteng High Court handed down a judgment in the Van Wyk case which had the effect to change the minimum detention period for offenders sentenced to life incarceration before 1 October 2004 prior to them being eligible for consideration for placement on parole. The implication was that the previous credit system was also applicable to those offenders sentenced to life sentences from 1 August 1993 up to 30 September 2004 and after allocation of the maximum number of credits advanced their consideration dates from 20 years to 13 years and 4 months.

(1)(b)(i) & (ii) Section 63 of the Correctional Services Act, Act 8 of 1959; and section 136 of the Correctional Services Act, No 111 of 1998 determines the minimum periods of sentence that must be served before consideration may be given for possible placement.

(2) The mentioned offender was sentenced to life imprisonment on 11 January 2002 and is eligible for consideration for possible parole. However, parole applications are submitted in accordance with and in compliance to section 42(2) (d) of the Correctional Services Act, Act 111 of 1998, as amended. As soon as the requirements of the aforementioned section are complied with, the Case Management Committee will submit the profile report to the Correctional Supervision and Parole Board (CSPB). The CSPB will then make a submission to the National Council for Correctional Services for a recommendation to the Minister.

(3) See (2) above

(4) See (2) above

Reply:

The Department of Home Affairs does not have information about this alleged appeal. A request from an organisation such as Cage Africa to the South African government should follow proper channels and be submitted through the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO).

Reply:

(a) My understanding of red tape is that it is bureaucratic delays in the administration processes that impede and hamper service delivery. We have simplified all business processes for the work of my Department in order to have swifter turnaround times for example, processing of water use licenses. We have reduced the turnaround times for decision makers with regards to Supply chain processes for bid evaluation and bid adjudication processes.

Refer below for response from Entities:

NO.	NAME OF ENTITY	RESPONSE
1.	Amatola Water	(a)(ii) Amatola Water Board defines red tape as “official routine or procedure marked by excessive complexity which results in delay or inaction” (b)(i)(ii); (aa); (bb) & (bbb) Amatola Water Board has governing structures internally that ensure an effective and efficient decision making process that reduces red-tape. The governing structures of Amatola Water Board have policies and procedures to give guidance and, to maintain sound control environment. Amatola Water Board is an active stakeholder that participates in various water sector forums and committees that are lead by Department of Water and Sanitation which are aimed at reducing the decision lag processes (e.g. DG’s Forum, PROWAF, SAAWU). The Shareholders Compact (SHC) which serves an agreement between the Water Board and Minister of Water and Sanitation is aligned to the corporate objectives of the water board. This SHC creates a common space for understanding and execution of strategy. The SHC also forms part of the performance system and monitoring is on a quarterly basis in order to take an immediate corrective action against adverse performance results.
2.	Bloem Water	(a) (i) N/A (ii)Legal mandate by Executive Authority, which is the Board appointed by the Minister, following the Delegation of authority to CE and further to staff. (b)(i) (ii) (aa)(bb)This includes Policies approved and procedures implemented to function in such a way to minimise and reduce processes, costs and red tape. (aaa) (bbb)N/A
3.	Lepelle Northern Water	(ii)Red Tape- excessive bureaucracy or adherence to official rules and formalities. (i) (ii) (aa)(bb) Our internal processes do not have red tape challenges. (aaa) (bbb) N/A
4.	Magalies Water	(a)(ii)Red tape is defined in Magalies Water within the context of normal managerial functions. This is such that management activities are executed in a certain sequence which follows planning within a formal authority of hierarchical decision making. (b)(i)-(ii)A materiality and significance framework and the Delegations of Authority (aa)-(bb)-(aaa) N/A (bbb)The above instruments do neither identify nor reduce red tape but facilitate effective decision making processes within the organisation. The materiality and significance framework facilitate decisions on material transactions by the Board and on significant transactions by the Minister of Water and Sanitation. The delegations of authority facilitate internal decision making processes at various managerial levels.
5.	Mhlathuze Water	(a) (i) N/A (ii) Our understanding of the word “red tape” is that it is a term used to describe excessive regulation that hinders timeous action or decision-making. (b) (i) (ii) (aa) (bb) MW has recently reviewed its business processes in order to streamline all its processes for effective delivery of services. MW policies are reviewed regularly to ensure that they are still effective and relevant in achieving service delivery. (aaa)N/A (bbb)It should however be noted that statutory compliance takes precedence over internal processes, policies and procedures.
6.	Overberg Water	(a) (i) N/A (ii) Overberg Water is not experiencing any red tape in our engagement within and with the external stakeholders. (b) (i) (ii) (aa) (bb) N/A (aaa) (bbb) N/A
7.	Rand Water	(a) (ii) There is no definition of red tape in terms of the law. (b) (i) (ii) (aa) (bb)To improve efficiencies within Rand Water’s Supply Chain Management we are continuously reviewing our systems and policies and currently participating in the review of the Preferential Procurement Act in order to improve economic transformation and participation of previously disadvantages entities in the business of Rand Water. (aaa) (bbb) N/A
8.	Sedibeng Water	a) (i) N/A (Applicable to the department) (ii) Red tape is when processes to approve and authorize activities of the entity are held hostage due to long authorization and approval processes. (b) (i) The necessary processes are still undertaken as per the prescripts of the legislation and business best practices, however business processes mapping was undertaken to respond to the legislation, policies and procedure are defined to enable business efficiencies. (ii) Systems implemented to identify red tape are (aa) The time taken to authorize transactions is checked against the target set to authorize and process; the level of authorization required in terms of the delegated authority; the number of people who hold the requisite authority to transact (bb) reduce red tape in: (aaa) N/A (Applicable to the department) (bbb) A shared services model and automation of the business processes systems was implemented. Reviewing the delegation of authority to allow back up and acting positions taking into account the level of understanding on accountability.
9.	Umgeni Water	a) (i) N/A (ii) Red tape is when processes to approve and authorize activities of the entity are held hostage due to long authorization and approval processes. (b) (i) (ii) (aa) (bb) Umgeni Water has developed systems of internal control that include approved policies and an articulate delegation of powers framework. The framework gives appropriate officials powers to implement decisions at various and appropriate levels. (aaa) N/A (bbb) These systems assist the organisation to quickly dispatch resources and make business decisions without having to wait for executive and accounting authority meetings. However the accounting authority exercises appropriate oversight on decisions taken by management / officials.
10.	Trans-Caledon Tunnel Authority	(a) (i) N/A (ii) TCTA is a service provider to other water management institutions.  It does not regulate (i.e. grant permission to an organisation /individual to carry out an activity) or provide a service over which it has a monopoly to others electricity water etc. (b) (i) (ii) (aa) (bb) (aaa) (bbb) N/A The questions are, therefore, not of relevance to TCTA.
11.	Water Research Commission	(a) (ii) Definition of Red Tape. The term red tape is not used. (b) (i) The WRC has had no specific interventions or (ii) systems implemented. The WRC has a fairly efficient deal flow system with our research management system and while we continuously seek improvement, we have had no complaints about unnecessary red tape. The legislative requirements and regulations that apply to the WRC have been effectively integrated into the operations to ensure smooth process flows. (aaa) (bbb) N/A
12.	Inkomati CMA	(a)(ii) Red tape is defined as complicated official rules and regulations, especially when these are considered unnecessary: excessive bureaucracy (b) (i) (ii) (aa) (bb) Not for the entities to respond to. (aaa) (bbb) N/A
13.	Breede-Gouritz CMA	(a) (i) N/A (ii) The BGCMA defines red tape as excessive impediments that require compliance and conformity to formal rules either in terms of established rules within the organization, policy, compliance register, regulations, Treasury Instructions or applicable legislation. These impediments can prevent the BGCMA from making a timeous decision. (b)(i) If it is a rule or policy the BGCMA applies either a deviation route having obtained the necessary approvals but if it is the legislation there is strict compliance. (ii)The performance process flow and compliance register define and identify areas of compliance plus the extent required to implement those. (bb) Depending on the nature of red tape, relevant officials are given specific delegations and if it is a governance issue the Board or the Minister is approached. (aaa) (bbb) N/A

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Reply:

(1) I wish to advise the Honourable member that the legal responsibility for recovering monies belonging to government and which have been misappropriated lies with the heads of the provincial departments affected. This recovery can be done once an investigation has established legal liability on the part of the relevant contractors and officials. The details that the Honourable member seeks cannot be provided at this stage because the SIU submits its reports to the President in terms of the SIU Act. My department has not received a copy of the reports. A proper assessment will be conducted once the full reports have been received. In the meantime, the SIU has advised my department that an estimated amount of R747 530 961. 75 has been identified by the SIU as the amount that can be considered by the affected provincial departments recoverable from the liable contractors and/or officials. The SIU further advises that those departments have been informed of their options regarding these matters.

(2) (a) The SIU advises that it has referred a total of thirty-two (32) cases against implicated individuals and/or entities, that are not state owned entities or employed by the state, to law enforcement agencies, for criminal investigation and possible prosecution. It does not have further details of progress in that regard

(b) (i) & (ii) The SIU has further referred a total of thirty-five (35) cases against implicated government officials to law enforcement agencies, for criminal investigation and possible prosecution.

(3) (a) The SIU has further advised that it has finalised 30 investigations in respect of 91 low cost housing projects.

(b) One investigation in respect of a subsidised housing project in the Western Cape has not yet been completed, as the services of a Quantity Surveyor has had to be procured to conduct a value-for-money exercise in respect of this subsidised housing project, to complete the investigation report.

Reply:

It is the duty of the political parties to ensure that their voters turn out to vote on Election Day.

 

Reply:

(1) Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality (BCMM) was allocated R713.1 million for the 2015/16 financial year and R285.3 million was transferred to the municipality on the 9th of July 2015. The municipality spent an amount of R69.1 million on Urban Settlements Development Grant (USDG) programmes as outlined in the table below as at 30 September 2015. The National Department of Human Settlements is therefore not aware of any funds allocated to BCMM in the 2015-16 financial year that have been utilised for activities or programmes or purposes for which they were not intended.

The departmental information is that the funds were budgeted and spent for the purposes which are illustrated below as at 30 September 2015:

 

(2) The department has utilises the USDG Framework and Division of Revenue Act No.1 of 2015 to regulate the use of its grants. The Grant Framework and the USDG Policy clearly outlines and guides municipalities on the scope of the utilisation of the USDG and this includes:

• Increase in bulk infrastructure capacity
• Increase in the basic services to poor households, specifically in informal settlements, including water, sanitation, electricity, refuse removal and transport access
• Increase in land provision for informal settlement upgrading, subsidy housing, or mixed use development in support of catalytic projects
• Increase in access to socio-economic amenities
• Improved dwelling unit densities within an improved spatial integration framework

The Division of the Revenue Act Section 17 (1) states that “despite anything to the contrary in any other legislation, an allocation referred to in Schedules 4 to 7 may only be utilised for the purpose stipulated in the Schedule concerned and in accordance with the applicable framework section”. Section 18(1) states that “a transferring officer may withhold the transfer of a schedule 4 or 5 allocation or any portion thereof, for a period not exceeding 30 days if (a) the province or municipality does not comply with any provision of this Act.

It is to be noted that in terms of relevant procedure, the Auditor-General also audits expenditure and application of grants by Provinces and Municipalities and these reports are provided to the Department and will be used take corrective action if there is misuse of the grants.

The Department through its Financial and Monitoring and Evaluation units also undertake quarterly visits as well as quarter review sessions with municipalities and provinces, and these also present the Department with an early warning opportunity if there is inappropriate use of grants.

(3) No. However, the Honourable member is encouraged to provide me with details regarding his area of concern.

Reply:

Yes, the National Treasury has formally written to all national and provincial departments who have outstanding debts with municipalities. Please note that the notification was done through a letter by the Director-General: National Treasury who wrote to all Directors-General on 21 July 2015 conveying the message and I reiterated the matter with correspondence on 13 August 2015 to all the executive authorities alerting them of the arrears owed to municipalities.

It is important to understand that the process of addressing these unsettled accounts is being co-ordinated through the President’s Co-ordinating Council (PCC), where Premiers of provinces, Cabinet Ministers, and Accounting Officers of departments have committed to directly address the issue and give regular feedback to the PCC. The written communication from the National Treasury to departments and provinces is part of this high-level process.

The Section 71 of Municipal Finance Management Act (Act No. 56 of 2003) report for June 2015 shows that various departments owed municipalities as per the table below.

Table 1: Age analysis of debt owed to municipalities by National Departments

Section 71 of Municipal Finance Management Act (Act No. 56 of 2003) for June 2015 see the link: http://www.pmg.org.za/files/RNW4066-151210TABLE.docx

Section 71 of Municipal Finance Management Act (Act No. 56 of 2003) for June 2015 see the link: http://www.pmg.org.za/files/RNW4066-151210TABLE.docx

(a) All departments listed above were written to by the Minister of Finance on 13 August 2015.

(b) At the time of writing, the following debts were owed to municipalities by national departments amounted to R1.7 billion and provinces owed R2.5 billion.

(c) In addition, the report shows that a majority of the debt has been outstanding for more than 90 days.

(d) The Department of Public Works has initiated a process to verify the outstanding amounts owed by government in order to resolve problems with contested bills. This process is being undertaken to ensure that all outstanding amounts reported by municipalities are legitimately due by the named departments and to correct any undue errors. This process of verification is a work-in-progress and the outcome is not yet available. The report will also indicate a more accurate picture of progress made with payments of outstanding amounts by departments and province.

(e) Once the outcome of the work done by Public Works is made available, this will inform the actions to be taken.

Reply:

Visible policing in Vusimusi informal settlement is usually conducted by means of foot patrol mostly during the weekends. The 4 X 4 double cabs are also utilized to patrol the area.

Reply:

The total costs incurred to date amounts to R1 717 351-52 calculated as follows:

Disciplinary hearing R1 088 193-54

Review of the disciplinary hearing (SAPS) R 226 062-00

Review of the arbitration (Maj Gen Booysen) R 403 095-98

TOTAL R1 717 351-52

Reply:

(a) Three (3) sectors.

(b) SECTOR 1: (Township), Jiyana, Isivana, Isishjetweni, Ibaxa, Welamlambo, Ethafeni

SECTOR 2: (Informal Settlement) Vusimuzi and hostels, Vusimuzi squatter camp, Enhlanzeni,Tembisa Plaza, Thiteng and Tembisa Taxi Rank, Mpho and Lekaneng.

SECTOR 3: (Township) Moedi, Khatamping, Endayini, Umnonjaneni, Esiqongweni, Entshonalanga, Umthambeka Ext 5, Umfuyaneni.

(c) The total population of Tembisa South policing area is 111 926. The population figures per sector is not available.

(d)

Police vehicles (i)	Police officers (ii)
03	06

 

Reply:

There are no records of any investigation pertaining specifically to the entity in question at any of the DPCI Components.

Reply:

1. The Lead Entity has not been appointed yet because the Department is following due process.

(2)(a)(i) Current infrastructure roll-out is fragmented, it leads to duplication of efforts and resources, and also focuses on urban areas. Additionally, the roll-out of parallel and competing networks especially in rural areas is considered not feasible or viable because of the socio-economic profile of the rural areas and demand for services. The criteria for designating a Lead Entity took into consideration the extent of fibre infrastructure in the country and the national network scope and scale that can be leveraged to reduce the cost and distances to connect facilities to existing infrastructure. Furthermore, the entity should have the capacity to coordinate other State-Owned Entities (SOEs) in order to leverage and efficiently use State assets and investments to expedite broadband roll-out, particularly in rural areas, in a cost effective manner.

(ii) Refer to (i) above

(b) The appointment of the Lead Agency will be announced once the appointment process has been finalised.

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 Tlokwe Local Municipality 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 Tlokwe Local Municipality and will be communicated to the Honorable Member when it is available.

 

Reply:

1. Yes, the intentions of the strategy to address air pollution in dense and low-income settlements are supported.

The effects of indoor air pollution to human health as a result of the use of solid fuels remain of grave concern to the Ministry of Health. Many households still cook and heat their homes using wood, coal and even dung, in open fires and leaky stoves, and these practices contribute to premature death and illness from respiratory and cardiac conditions and also results in burns, injuries and poisoning from fuel ingestion. We support an approach that addresses the social determinants of health and sustainable development.

The Department aligns with strategies that ensure healthy air in and around the household. The Department of Health supports programmes for clean household energy in contributing towards addressing child and maternal health as a core preventative public health measure.

The intersectoral approach, including roles for critical departments and national, provincial and local government, is supported to address air pollution effects and the Department of Health will continue to partake in programmes aimed at addressing such effects.

2. Yes.

The Department of Health is involved with the assessment and control of biological agents in the environment and improving social concerns and thereby addressing the ongoing health impacts of domestic fuel burning through ongoing Environmental Health programmes. Environmental Health Practitioners are trained on monitoring of Indoor Air Quality and capacitating members of the public through awareness creation. Health awareness campaigns focus inter alia on improved ventilation and lighting.

Within the National Department of Health, Environmental Health has recently been elevated into a Chief Directorate to prioritize prevention of ill health that is caused by environmental factors. The relevant Manager has been tasked with engaging with the Department of Environmental Affairs as well as Non-Governmental Organizations to address the environmental determinants of ill health. Government is committed to the increased use of renewable/subsidized residential housing. It is acknowledged however that more is required to effectively respond to the dangerous energy sources burned in dense low-income communities.

While we collectively work with our partners to prevent ill health caused by environmental factors my Department will also ensure that good health care is provided to poor communities that are forced by poverty to continue burning unsafe fuels that cause ill health.

END.

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 the Ethekwini Metropolitan Municipality and will be communicated to the Honorable Member when it is available.

 

Reply:

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

 

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 nature of the information that is required, SAPS is not able to provide the full details within the given time frame as the information is not readily available. A request is hereby made for an extension of time in order for SAPS to provide quality and correct information as soon as it is received.

Reply:

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

 

Reply:

The Department of Defence was not involved in the travel arrangements for the diplomatic visit to the Republic of Cuba by the Deputy President, Mr C Ramaphosa, and his entourage during the month of October 2015.

Please refer your question to the Presidency.

DATE OF SUBMISSION: 08 DECEMBER 2015

Reply:

This information has been requested from the 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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

(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:

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