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:

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:

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 some information is still being processed. A request is hereby made for an extension of time in order to SAPS to provide quality and correct information as soon as it is ready.

Reply:

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

 

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:

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:

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 metropolitan municipalities 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 metropolitan municipalities and will be communicated to the Honorable Member when it is available.

 

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:

1. We launched the Academy for Leadership and Management in Health Care (the Academy) in December 2012 and tasked and Advisory Committee to guide its establishment. The Academy has not yet been established. The organizational model and governance structure of the Academy has been approved by the National Health Council Technical Advisory Committee on 14 October 2015 and will be presented to the next National Health Council meeting for approval.
2. For the reason stated above, the Academy has not been functional formally since it has not as yet been formally established. The Advisory Committee has been supporting the National Department of Health with induction programmes for new CEOs and further training for CEOs. The Advisory Committee has also worked with the Department of Health to develop the prototype of a unique training methodology, the “Knowledge Management Hub”. The Advisory Committee has also worked with the Department of Health to develop competency frameworks for District Managers and Hospital CEOs.

The Advisory Committee submitted its recommendations for establishing the Academy to the Director-General of the Department of Health and the National Health Council Technical Committee (NHC-TAC) in May 2015. The recommendations of this were followed up in August 2015 by a presentation to the NHC-TAC on the concept of the Academy’s Knowledge Hub and the prototype for use.

3. The activities of the Advisory Committee were originally funded by the Department of International Development (DFID) and subsequently by the Public Health Enhancement Fund. These organizations have their own financial reporting systems. Financial information can be obtained from these organizations.

END.

Reply:

1. Analysis of this blood sample has been completed. For the record, the correct reference numbers are: Brits CAS 489/07/2015 and Brits mortuary DR 274/2015 and seal number PMK 206017/8.
2. (a) The Johannesburg Forensic Chemistry Laboratory (FCL) has an ante-mortem blood alcohol analysis backlog. The post-mortem blood alcohol, backlog has been wiped out.

(b) The FCL’s do not provide reports to family, only to the client, which in this instance is the Brits mortuary. .

END.

Reply:

a) The National Integrated ICT Policy White Paper will be tabled in Cabinet for approval by the end of the financial year.

b) The Department intends to gazette the draft National e-Strategy before the end of the financial year.

c) SAPO currently needs financial assistance from Government.

SAPO has been given a guarantee of R1.67 billion in the past financial year and R2.5 billion in the current financial year. The Post Office uses these guarantees to raise cash from the financial markets.

Moving forward SAPO's Strategic Turnaround Plan (STP) has been developed and approved by Cabinet. Its effective implementation requires effective leadership and funding. As part of supporting SAPO's turnaround, the Department has recognised the need to stabilise SAPO's leadership. The board and the Group CEO have been appointed. To date, there has been more focus on the implementation of cost cutting initiatives. There is currently a need to implement revenue generation initiatives and these require funding. Effective implementation of the STP will enable the entity to be economically viable.

 

Reply:

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

 

Reply:

(1) (a) There are currently a total of 16 358 active reservists in the SA Police Service.

(b) There are currently a total of 2 031 active reservists in the SA Police Service in the Eastern Cape as on 13 November 2015.

(2) (a-c) The following number of reservists were in the SA Police Service in the Eastern Cape, as indicated per year in the table below:

YEAR	TOTAL NUMBER OF ACTIVE AUDITED RESERVISTS
2010/2011	2874
2005/2006	4093
1995/1996	Audited figures not available

Since 2006 a total of approximately 13 000 reservists were permanently employed in the South African Police Service, either as permanent members, security guards or Public Service Act members.

In addition, following the adoption of the voluntary nature of the new reservists system without any remuneration several reservists no longer reported for duty due to the fact that the primary reason for joining was to secure permanent employment in the South African Police Service and not to voluntarily serve their communities.

(3) No reservists have been recruited in the Eastern Cape since the beginning of 2015. The primary aim of the revised reservist system is to recruit quality reservists to establish a professional reservist system with integrity.

The posts for reservists in the Eastern Cape Province were advertised during March 2015, with the closing date of 13 March 2015. A total of 45 applications were received, all of which were not conforming to the set requirements to be enlisted as reservists in the South African Police Service.

(4) None of the current reservists in the Eastern Cape are being paid for services. The new reservist National Instruction provides for volunteers from the community to take responsibility for the safety of their communities as part of the Community Policing philosophy without any remuneration for services rendered.

However, the South African Reserve Police Service Amendment Regulations: No 36922 dated 15 October 2015, paragraph 5(1) to 5(3), determines that the National Commissioner may approve the call up of reservists to perform duties to achieve the objectives as referred to in Section 205(3) of the Constitution of South Africa, for which they may receive remuneration in accordance with the following predetermined scales:

RANK	PAYMENT PER HOUR
Constable	R 16.090
Sergeant	R 20.360
Warrant Officer	R 25.090
Captain	R 32.596
Lt Colonel	R 41.245
Colonel	R 56.452
Brigadier	R 56.452

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) 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) King James Advertising

(b) Advertising

(c) Quoted amounts for retainer fees and invoiced amounts did not correspond, invoiced amounts were much higher than quoted amounts

(2) The matter is being investigated

 

 

MR NN MUNZHELELE

DIRECTOR GENERAL [ACTING]

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

MS AF MUTHAMBI (MP)

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

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) Subject to sub-regulation (2), of Section 22 of the MDDA Act 14 of 2002, funds contemplated in section 15(2)(a) of the Act must be allocated by the Board in accordance with the following percentages:

• Community media projects: at least 60%
• Small Commercial media projects: at least 25%
• Research projects: 5%

(b) The reason for giving community media projects more funding is informed by Regulations in terms of Section 22 of the Media Development and Diversity Agency Act of 2002, as enacted in the Government Gazette No. 22570 of 10 October 2003.

MR NN MUNZHELELE

DIRECTOR GENERAL [ACTING]

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

MS AF MUTHAMBI (MP)

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE

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:

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

(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:

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 ideal would be for the department to have an electronic Document Management System. An electronic system for all applications for visas, permits and refugee IDs and travel documents would obviate the need to keep paper applications since applications would be scanned. All applications would be electronically available for processing and used when needed. This will also alleviate filing space constraints currently a problem at head office.

In line with the above vision, the department has recently introduced an electronic application process for visas and permits, which allows for applications and supporting documents to be scanned and be available in electronic format, thus easing the process of retrieval of records. It also facilitates obtaining statistics on operations and performance. Whilst there are some implementation glitches, which are being addressed as and when they occur, the department expects the system to be fully embedded during the next financial year. 

Reply:

(1)(a)(i) The upgrading of the Mkhondo Local Municipality’s waste water treatment plant (WWTP) in Mpumalanga commenced on 29 June 2012.

(1)(a)(ii) The plant was completed on 30 October 2015.

(1)(b) (i) The total cost of the upgrade to date is R 65 980 058.23.

(1)(b)(ii) The total expected cost for the upgrading of the plant is R 59 159 095.50.

(1)(c) The upgraded category of the plant Inlet works and screw pump station includes the following:

• Transfer pipeline and distribution chamber
• Biological Reactor
• Secondary sedimentation tanks
• Return activated sludge (RAS) and scum pump station
• Chlorine contract channels and dosing facility
• Sludge handling and treatment
• Anaerobic digesters

(2) No. The municipality is in the process of appointing a consultant for operation and maintenance for the period of two years which shall ensure sustainability and skill transfer to eight (8) process controllers for Mkhondo Waste Water Treatment Works.

---00O00---

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) The Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) has not received a complaint from Mr. Abraham.

(2) The complaint was lodged with his previous employer, the Department of Social Development in KwaZulu-Natal. The DPSA will investigate and also respond once the Department of Social Development has furnished the DPSA with details of the complaint.

Reply:

(1) & (2) The Department is unable to provide exact details of a formalised communications relations agreement with Vietnam because it has not entered into any agreement with Vietnam.

 

 

MR NN MUNZHELELE

DIRECTOR GENERAL [ACTING]

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

MS AF MUTHAMBI (MP)

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE

Reply:

(a)(i) According to the National Immigration Information System (NIIS) system there are around 144 200 appeal cases defined as backlog, and around 80 315 of these cases appear to be active on the system.

(a)(ii) The causes of the delay in the adjudication of appeal cases is as follows:

• Presently there are five Refugee Appeal Board Members, including the Chairperson, serving five Refugee Reception Offices (Pretoria, Musina, Durban, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town) in the whole of South Africa. Most of the applications from these offices are rejected as unfounded and they end up at the Refugee Appeal Board.

 

• In the past members of the Refugee Appeal Board (RAB) used to seat as single members for each appeal hearing. However, following a number of judicial review applications challenging composition of the Board members in the appeal hearing, the RAB is now compelled to seat as a quorum for hearings. Being five members of the Board, three members must be seated to constitute a quorum for each appeal hearing.

• It is also not helping that previous RAB decisions, back-dating before the Western Cape High Court case of Harerimana in December 2013, are challenged on the quorum issue and end up being settled out of court on condition that they are reheard before a properly constituted quorum, and there are many such cases.

- Present legislation (the Refugee Act 130,1998) does not make provision for appointment of part time Board Members, so it is not legally possible to appoint part-time Board Members for backlog projects.

- As much as the Board makes efforts to adjudicate appeals already heard, there is also a high number of appeals scheduled to be heard by the Board. The RAB tries to balance the number of cases it hears with those that are adjudicated.

- The decision making process requires extensive research on latest possible country of origin information, International Refugee Law and Case Law because of the complexity of most cases that have to be adjudicated and it is not always easy to get access to these sources of information.

- The RAB decisions need to be carefully constructed because sensitive human rights issues are being dealt with; some of which in their nature are matters of life and death. The RAB has to apply its mind to the facts of each case in compliance with Public Administrative Justice Act, The Constitution, The Refugee Act, International Refugee Law and other Human Rights Instruments before coming to a particular decision.

(b) It is presently not possible to provide a time-frame because the appeal cases dealt with differ in terms of their profiles and complexity. Some appeal cases are simple and straightforward and some are high profile and complicated cases that require in-depth research and legal consultation.

However, during the RSA-UNHCR High Level Bilateral Meeting in Geneva, in July 2015, the two parties agreed to development of a backlog project to address the outstanding appeal cases pending with the RAB. Provided enough human capacity and financial resources are made available, the backlog could be cleared by financial year end in March 2019.

Reply:

(1) Refer to Annexure A for the list of notices that were issued for non-compliance by Inkomati-Usuthu Catchment Area in the 2014-15 financial year.

(2) Refer to Annexure B for the list of directives that were issued for non-compliance in the 2014-15 financial year.

(3)(a)(i) One (1) notice of compliance was issued during the period 1 May to 30 September 2015.

(3)(a)(ii) No directives were issued during the date in question.

(3)(b) The notice was issued against Mbombela LM (SembcorpSilulumanzi).

(3)(c) The matter is not yet resolved.

---00O00---

Annexure A

	NOTICES 2014/2015
No.	(a) Name of institution	(b) Outcome
1	Barberton Mine: Sheba Gold Mine: Discharge of partially treated sewage and engaging in unlawful water use activity	Not Resolved
2	York Timber Sabie Mill: Discharge of partially treated wastewater	Not Resolved
3	Chief Albert Luthuli LM: Elukwatini WWTW Discharge of partially treated sewage	Not Resolved
4	Msukaligwa LM: Breyton WWTW Discharge of partially treated sewage	Not Resolved
5	Bushbuckridge LM: Dwarsloop WWTW Discharge of partially treated sewage	Not Resolved
6	Bushbuckridge LM: Shopping Complex Sewer pipeline overflow	Resolved
7	Mbombela LM: Hillsview pump station sewer overflow	Resolved
8	Mbombela LM: Hazyview WWTW Discharge of partially treated sewage	Resolved
9	Department of Public Works: Tonga Hospital WWTW	Not Resolved
10	Mbombela LM: Manhole overflow at Hillsview	Resolved
11	NKK Colliery: Failing to take measures to prevent pollution	Not Resolved
12	Bushbuckridge LM: Acornhoek Ponds, blockage of sewer pipeline	Resolved
13	Bushbuckridge LM: Acornhoek Police Station Ponds sewer line	Resolved
14	Chief Albert Luthuli LM: Carolina WWTW pump station sewer overflow	Not Resolved
15	ThabaChweu LM: Manhole overflow along the railway line	Resolved
16	Bushbuckridge LM: Thulamahashi Section manhole overflow	Resolved
17	Chief Albert Luthuli LM: Silobela pump station overflow	Not Resolved
18	Bushbuckridge LM: Thulamahashi Section A sewer pipeline overflow	Resolved
19	Mbombela LM: Telkom Pumpstation sewage spillage	Resolved however sewer line still poses challenges
20	National Dept of Public Works: Barberton Prison Farm WWTW: irrigating with waste	Not Resolved
21	Dept of Public Works: Bongani Hospital WWTW: Discharge of partially treated sewage	Not Resolved
22	Dayzenza Plaza WWTW: Discharge of effluent to a wetland	Not Resolved
23	Sembcorp Silulumanzi: Kingsvale WWTW: Discharge of partially treated sewage	Not Resolved
24	Chief Albert Luthuli LM: Ekulindeni WWTW raw sewage overflow from a manhole	Not Resolved
25	Barberton Mines: Sheba Gold Mine: failing to take measures to prevent pollution	Not Resolved
26	Barberton Mines: Fairview Mines: engaging in water use activities without authorisation	Not Resolved
27	Exxaro Coal: Strathrae Colliery: failing to take measure to prevent pollution	Not Resolved
28	Nkomati Anthracite: Madadeni operations: failure to take reasonable measures to prevent pollution	Not Resolved
29	Sappi Ngodwana: failure to comply to license condition regarding the effluent quality used for irrigation	Not Resolved
30	Transnet Freight Rail: diesel spillage	Resolved

Annexure B

	DIRECTIVES 2014/2015
No.	(a) Name of institution	(b) Outcome
1	Department of Public Works: Louiville WWTW	Not Resolved
2	Bushbuckridge LM: Mkhuhlu WWTW	Not Resolved
3	Dept of Public Works: Shongwe Hospital WWTW	Not Resolved
4	Bushbuckridge LM: Mangwazi Bio disk WWTW	Not Resolved
5	Emakhazeni LM: EmakhazeniWWTw	Not Resolved
6	Bushbuckridge LM: Maviljane Ponds	Not Resolved
7	Transnet Fright Rail: Rock Phosphate Spillage	Resolved
8	Marrian Industrial Estate: Diesel Spillage	Resolved
9	Bushbuckridge LM: Maviljane township Manhole overflow	Resolved
10	Eastside Coal company: discharge of polluted water from the RWD into the SwartwaterSpruit	Partially Resolved
11	Droogvallei Rail Siding Company: overflow of pollution control dam	Resolved
12	Nkomazi LM: Sewage overflow from manhole	Resolved
13	Jab Dried Fruits Products, illegal wastewater discharge
14	Pembani Coal Carolina: Backfilling a pit with discard	Resolved
15	Bushbuckridge LM: Thulamashi WWTW discharge of partially treated sewage	Not Resolved
16	Bushbuckridge LM: Tintswalo WWTW: Discharge of partially treated sewage	Not Resolved
17	Msukaligwa LM: Breyten WWTW discharge of partially treated sewage	Not Resolved
18	National Dept of Public works. Oshoek WWTW: Discharge of partially treated sewage	Resolved
19	Public Works: Shongwe Hospital, Sewage overflow from the ponds to the river	Not Resolved
20	Mbombela LM: Hazyview WWTW, discharge of partially treated sewage	Resolved
21	Chief Albert Luthuli LM: sewage spillage at Silobela pump station	Not Resolved
22	Mbombela LM: Kabokweni Ridge and Bhejukufa pump station overflow	Resolved
23	ThabaChweu LM: Graskop WWTW: raw sewage leakage	Resolved
24	Dept of public works: Tonga Hospital: Discharge of partially treated sewage	Not Resolved
25	Chief Albert Luthuli LM: Carolina Wastewater pump station: Overflow of raw sewage	Not Resolved
26	Ilanga Eggs: disposal of waste into the environment	Not Resolved
27	Mbombela Local Municipality: Rocky’s drift WWTW: discharging partially treated sewage	Not Resolved
28	Pembani Coal Mine: Directive to put measures to prevent pollution	Not Resolved
29	Jab Dried Fruit Product: Illegal Discharge of Effluent	Not Resolved
30	Mbombela LM: Municipal sewer line spillage at Bhejukufa	Resolved
31	Bushbuckridge LM: Dwarsloop WWTW: Discharge of partially treated effluent	Not Resolved

Reply:

Not being the fire Department, we do not have a register of the fires but we have a register of all support given. The Department keep track of these incidents through its interaction with municipalities and provinces as well as through reports in the media. An important source of information, which the Department relies upon, is the published reports of the Fire Protection Association of Southern Africa (FPASA). Currently, published information by the FPASA is available for four years being 2010 until 2013 as indicated in table 1 below. The 2014 statistics will be available in March 2016 and the 2015 statistics will be available in March 2017.

(a) & (b) Table 1: 2010 - 2013 Fire Incidents Report from the Fire Protection Association of Southern Africa:

Year	No of fire incidents	Financial damage/losses	Highest Causes
	Formal	Informal	Formal	Informal	Formal	Informal
2010	2 578	2 590	R 525 406 578	R 64 719 575	Undetermined	Undetermined
2011	3 943	4 046	R 576 242 642	R 102 389 740	Undetermined	Undetermined
2012	4 593	4 516	R 556 062 426	R 114 556 248	Undetermined	Undetermined
2013	4 859	4 886	R 770 392 753	R 117 693 080	Undetermined	Undetermined

2010- Narrative of Fire Incidents

Most of the fire incidents occurred in the Metropolitan Municipalities with Ethekwini leading with 490 formal and 508 informal settlements fire incidents, followed by Tshwane with 562 formal and 287 informal dwellings, in third place is Ekurhuleni with 321 formal 385 informal dwellings affected by fire incidents, the City of Johannesburg is fourth place with 264 formal and 239 informal incidents recoded, the City of Cape Town recorded 190 formal and 172 informal dwelling fore incidents, Nelson Mandela recorded 122 formal and 212 informal dwelling fire incidents and Mangaung recorded 128 formal and 129 informal dwelling fire incidents.

The rest of the fire incidents are shared between other District and Local Municipalities. The total damage in rand value cutting across formal & informal dwellings, flats, furniture shops, restaurants, churches, hospitals, nursing homes, warehouses, cinemas and night clubs was worth approximately R 1, 3 billion in 2010.

The causes of the fire incidents vary between formal and informal dwellings. For both formal and informal dwellings, a significant portion of the causes of the incidents were undetermined, with a record of 739 and 965 respectively. In formal dwellings most of the determined causes in order of frequency were electrical, open flames and cooking. In the informal sector most (734) were as a result of open flames, cooking incidents were 249, electrical were 220, arson recoded incidents were 151 followed by heating at 112 incidents and 64 were due to smoking.

The rest of the incidents are minor in terms of frequency and range between welding, lightning, unrest and other.

The Honourable member will no doubt remember that in 2005 we had committed ourselves, through the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), that we would have adhered to the desired goals to eradicate informal settlements by the year 2014. President Mbeki signed these on behalf of the country, a commitment which is in line with the founding policy document of the ANC – The Freedom Charter, which proclaims that there shall be no slum.

2011- Narrative of Fire Incidents

A large portion of the causes of these fire incidents were undetermined but others in order of highest incidents recorded ranges from open flames, electrical faults, cooking, heating and arson. The total damage in rand value cutting across formal & informal dwellings, flats, furniture shops, restaurants, churches, hospitals, nursing homes, warehouses, cinemas, night clubs etc. is worth just above R 2, billion in 2011.

In this financial year, the City of Cape Town leads with the number of incidents with 905 formal and 1007 informal dwelling fire incidents, followed by EThekwini Metro with 559 formal 526 informal dwelling fire incidents, in third place is Tshwane Metro with 689 formal and 346 informal dwelling fire incidents, Ekurhuleni is fourth place with 395 formal 418 informal dwelling fire incidents, the City of Johannesburg recorded 390 formal 345 informal dwelling fire incidents, Mangaung recorded 133 formal and 143 informal dwelling fire incidents, Buffalo City recorded 68 formal 172 informal dwelling fire incidents and last was Nelson Mandela with a record of 18 formal and 34 informal dwelling fire incidents. The rest of the incidents are minor in terms of frequency and range between welding, lightning, unrest and other.

2012- Narrative of Fire Incidents

The total damage of the fire incidents was R 3, 1 billion in the 2012/13 financial year. The causes of the fire incidents vary between formal and informal dwellings. For both formal and informal dwellings, a significant portion of the causes of the incidents were undetermined, with a record of 1248 and 1685 respectively. In formal dwellings most of the determined causes in order of frequency were electrical (934), open flames (744), cooking (486) and heating (298). In the informal sector most (1154) were as a result of open flames, electrical were 506, cooking incidents were 385, arson recoded incidents were 289 followed by heating at 200 incidents and 88 were due to smoking. The rest of the incidents are minor in terms of frequency and range between welding, lightning, unrest and other.

The fire incidents are largely prevalent in Metropolitan areas and again the City of Cape Town leads for the 2nd consecutive year with 1310 formal and 1169 informal dwelling fire incidents, followed by Ethekwini with 588 formal and 508 informal dwelling fire incidents, in third place is the Tshwane Metro with 652 formal and 374 informal dwelling fire incidents, In fourth place is the City of Johannesburg Metro with 372 formal and 353 informal dwelling fire incidents, followed by Ekurhuleni Metro in fifth place with 305 formal and 345 informal dwelling fire incidents, at sixth place is Buffalo City with 82 formal and 177 informal dwelling fire incidents, the Mangaung Metro recorded 134 formal and 122 informal dwelling fire incidents followed in last place by the Nelson Mandela Bay with 19 formal and 25 informal dwelling fire incidents.

2013 – Narrative of Fire Incidents

The direct fire losses in 2013 were in excess of R 2 billion. The fire incidents in 2013 within the formal and informal dwellings resulted in 106 deaths. In this period still, a significant portion of the incident causes were undetermined. As in the previous financial years, the highest determined cause of fire incidents in the formal sector is electrical (925) and in the informal sector it is open flames with a record of 1177 in 2013.

The undetermined causes in the formal dwellings were 1540 and 1926 in informal dwellings.

In terms of highest numbers recorded in the formal dwellings were electrical followed by open flames incidents were 805, cooking incidents were 388, arson incidents were 340, heating incidents were 287 and smoking incidents were 128.

In the informal sector, most determined fire incidents were caused by open flames followed by 511 electrical incidents, 444 arson incidents, 349 cooking incidents, 181 heating incidents and 94 smoking incidents. The rest of the incidents are minor in terms of frequency and range between welding, lightning, unrest and other.

The City of Cape Town recorded the highest number of fire incidents with 1097 formal and 1118 informal dwelling incidents, followed by Tshwane Metro with 713 formal and 393 informal dwelling incidents, in third place is Ethekwini Metro with 577 formal and 532 informal dwelling incidents, in fourth place is Nelson Mandela Bay with 435 formal and 537 informal dwelling incident, followed by Ekurhuleni in fifth place with 404 formal and 461 informal dwelling incidents, the City of Johannesburg recorded 412 formal and 373 informal dwelling fire incidents and lastly is Mangaung with a record of 135 formal and 173 informal dwelling fire incidents.

(c) The Department has the Informal Settlements Upgrading Programme (ISUP) whose primary objective is to cater for improving the basic infrastructure and dwelling standards and quality of life of households living in informal settlements. The ISUP for the current MTSF aims to ensure that 750 000 households living in 2200 informal settlements benefit from improved living conditions, and this include preventative measures from the threats and causes of fires.

There is grant funding allocated for this purpose to assist the municipalities in fast tracking the provision of security of tenure, basic municipal services, social and economic amenities and the empowerment of residents in informal settlements to take control of housing development directly applicable to them. The grants include the Human Settlements Development Grant (HSDG) as well as the Urban Settlements Development Grant (USDG).

In the Metropolitan areas the Department in conjunction with the Metropolitan Municipalities are funding the roll-out of solar lighting as well as improved cooking facilities for households, in order to limit the use of fossil fuels and liquid fuels, which are a major cause of fires in informal settlements

The ISUP includes, as a measure of last resort, and exceptional circumstances, the possible relocation and resettlement of households on a voluntary and co-operative basis as a result of the implementation of upgrading projects. The ISUP is instituted in terms of Section 3(4) (g) of the Housing Act, 1997 (Act No.107 of 1997)

(d) All Provinces and Metropolitan Municipalities are implementing the ISUP. Provinces implement the ISUP in the District and Local Municipalities as well.

(e) The Department has a Monitoring and Evaluation unit that is responsible for programme and project oversight. In addition, to project level verification, the Department convenes quarterly financial and non-financial performance assessment on Provinces and its Metropolitan Municipalities on all programmes in the Housing Code, including the Upgrading of Informal Settlements Programme.

As a result of reports and recommendations of the monitoring and evaluation process, the Department has initiated a National Upgrading Support Programme (NUSP) to provide support to Provinces and Municipalities to fast track the planning to implement the ISUP programmes. In addition the work of the Department also forms part of the Monitoring and Evaluation programmes and process of the Department of Monitoring and Evaluation, and a focus area is the ISUP.

Reply:

(1) (a) The total number of applications lodged at the 18 SKA area branches up to 30 November 2015 amounts to 2, 336 in total.

(b) (i) A total of 2, 074 qualifying applications has been processed up to 30 November 2015.

(ii) A total of 262 non-qualifying applications has been processed up to 30 November 2015

(iii) A total of 274 applications for the period ending 30 November 2015 stills needs to be processed.

(2) The reasons for the 262 non-qualifying applications to date are the following:

(a) Foreign ID’s (Total: 1)

(b) Unknown address (Total: 207)

(c) Total household income above income threshold of R3200 pm (Total: 54)

 

 

MR NN MUNZHELELE

DIRECTOR GENERAL [ACTING]

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

MS AF MUTHAMBI (MP)

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE

Reply:

(1) Refer to Annexure A for locations of the 200 monitoring sampled sites within the Inkomati-Usuthu Catchment Area.

(2) Refer to the table below for problem areas that have been identified:

Catchment	Specified Area
SABIE-SAND CATCHMENT	Sabie Town
	Mkhuhlu
	Dwarsloop
	Thulamahashe
	Bushbuckridge
	Acornhoek
CROCODILE RIVER CATCHMENT	Emthonjeni
	WatervalBoven
	Ngodwana
	White River
	Rocky's drift
	Kabokweni
	Kanyamazane
	Barberton
	Louieville
	Malelane
	Hectorspruit
	Komatipoort
UPPER KOMATI CATCHMENT	Seepage from Union Colliery
	Tributary of boesmanspruit at Tselentis Colliery
	Downstream of Tselentis Discard Dumps
	Coastal fuel @ Witkrans Seepage
	Carolina sewage Discharge point
	Elukwatini
LOWER KOMATI CATCHMENT	Driekoppies
	Tonga Hospital WWTW
	Tonga Ponds
	Ka-Maqhekeza
USUTHU CATCHMENT	Piet Retief
	Heyshope Dam (Downstream of Kangra mine)
	Amsterdam
	Assegai

(3) Refer to the table below for the names of the wastewater treatment plants in the specified area:

Requesting the Honorable Member to note that the report of the Blue and Green Drop reports, has been submitted to Cabinet for approval in line with the exercise of executive authority in terms of section 85 of the Constitution hence the information cannot be provided at this point.

Catchment	Name of the wwtw plants
SABIE-SAND CATCHMENT	Sabie WWTW
	Hazyview WWTW
	Mkhuhlu WWTW
	Dwarsloop
	Thulamahashe
CROCODILE RIVER CATCHMENT	Emthonjeni sewage
	WatervalBoven sewage
	(Sappi Ngodwana) Bambi on Elands Rriver
	White River WWTW
	Rocky's drift sewage
	Kabokweni WWTW
	Kanyamazane WWTW
	Barberton WWTW
	Louieville WWTW Final Discharge
	Mhlatiplaas WWTW final exit
	Mhlatikop WWTW
	Hectorspruit WWTW
	Komatipoort WWTW
UPPER KOMATI CATCHMENT	Carolina WWTW
	Elukwatini sewage Pump Station
	U/S of Elukwatini Pump Station
	ElukwatiniWWTW
LOWER KOMATI CATCHMENT	Shongwe Hospital WWTW
	Tonga Hospital WWTW
	Tonga Ponds
	Ka-Maqhekeza Plaza sewage package plants
USUTHU CATCHMENT	Mkhondo WWTW
	Amsterdam WWTW

(4) The selection of monitoring sites for river health is completely different from chemical monitoring program. While the selection of monitoring sites for chemical monitoring program is activity based and seeks to establish the impact of land-based activities on the quality of water resources, the selection of monitoring sites for river health purposes looks at the reference conditions that best mimic the natural conditions of the river before development took place. The monitoring points for these respective monitoring programs are therefore far apart from each other in most instances and although it is possible to attribute the health of the river to the quality of the resource, it is not always accurate since it is not activity-based. Hence the number of monitoring sites for the River Health programme are fewer compared to those for chemical monitoring. The eco-status of the various catchment within the Inkomati-Usuthu Water Management Area are summarised below per catchment.

Sabie Catchment – 15 of 20 sites were monitored along the length of the Sabie River (mainstream) from source till it enters the Kruger National Park was recorded to be at category B and even A in some places which is almost pristine. The head-waters of the Sabie River showed degraded eco-status and improved as the river continues downstream, contrary to the norm where the head-waters are more pristine and tend to deteriorate as the river progresses downstream. A detailed study of the upper reaches of the catchment revealed that the impact on the eco-status in the head-waters emanates from the poor maintenance of the road networks in the forestry plantations causing high sedimentation and increased turbidity.

The moderately impacted to near pristine eco-status is attributed to the high flow of water in this river which provides adequate dilution for partially treated waste water discharged into the river. However, in areas where wastewater treatment works discharge partially treated waste, there has also been impact associated with the low levels of dissolved oxygen that results from the high organic loads that utilize oxygen to be broken down. This phenomenon is shown by the high prevalence of air breathing taxa (micro-organisms) recorded and conversely low prevalence of those taxa that get dissolved oxygen from water. These taxa were negatively affected by low levels of dissolved oxygen which occurs as a result of high organic loads found in partially treated domestic waste water. The Sabie River Eco-Status study was conducted in 2012/13.

Crocodile Catchment – 15 of 18 sites were monitored along the length of the Crocodile River (main stem) from source till it enters Mozambique was recorded to be at category C and with 3 sites at category B/C. The level of development in this catchment is extremely high and composed of industry, mining, irrigated agriculture and wastewater treatment works. Two of the tree sites that are rated at category B/C are just upstream of Nelspruit. From Nelspruit down towards the border of Mozambique, the eco-status remains at category C. This is the stretch that contains the highest number of wastewater treatment works in this catchment. The Crocodile River Eco-Status study was conducted in 2013/14.

Komati Catchment – 23 of 31 sites were monitored along the length of the Komati River (mainstream) from source till it enters Mozambique was recorded to be at category C and with 5 sites recording B category and 3 sites at category D. The level of degradation in this catchment is higher due to mining development but not necessarily wastewater treatment works. There are actually fewer wastewater treatment works in this catchment than in both the Sabie and the Crocodile Catchments. The Komati River Eco-Status study was conducted in 2014/15.

Usuthu Catchment – Assessment currently underway and will be completed in the first quarter of 2016/17 financial year.

(5) Yes, steps have been taken against those activities that negatively impact on the water resources including issuing of notices and directives as well as opening of criminal cases and the details of the latter are presented in the table below:

Name of the Polluter (a)	Case Number	Reasons for such actions
Maviljan Ponds (Bushbuckridge Municipality)	Case 127/08/2014	Continuous discharge of partially treated sewage into a water resource.
Thulamahashe WWTW (Bushbuckridge Local Municipality)	Case 89/02/2014	Continuous discharge of partially treated sewage into a water resource
Carolina WWTW (Chief Albert Luthuli Local Municipality)	Case 57/09/2015	Continuous discharge of partially treated sewage into a water resource
Hillsview Pump Station	Case 35/07/2014	Continuous overflow of raw sewage into the water resource.
Twin City Hazyview (Mbombela Local Municipality)	Case 112/02/2014	Continuous overflow of raw sewage into the water resource
TTC manhole (ThabaChweu Local Municipality)	Case 11/05/2014	Continuous overflow of raw sewage into the water resource

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Reply:

1. Currently, four provinces (KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, Northern Cape, and Limpopo) have declared states of disaster and processes are underway to declare a state of disaster in Mpumalanga province. Requests for drought relief have been made to the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) in the Department of Cooperative Governance (DCOG). An allocation of R364.3 million in 2015/16 was made to the department for disaster relief grant transfers for provinces. The Eastern Cape has also indicated that it is in the process of finalising a request (a)The NDMC is currently working together with the affected sector departments to verify and finalise the funding requests. In addition, the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is also engaging with provinces and the NDMC and the National Treasury to finalise the funding requirements. This process will determine the extent to which financial resources are required over and above the already available disaster relief grant, as well as the extent to which other budgets and allocations can be reprioritised for drought relief assistance. Further details may be obtained from the NDMC, which is responsible for the technical assessment process(i) Requests are being processed and verified by the NDMC (ii) Allocations will be determined on the basis of the outcomes of the NDMC’s process. Otherwise, the existing allocation of R364.3 million that is already within the NDMC/DCOG budget was made at the beginning of the year and is available (b) It is anticipated that the funding requested will mainly be used for supply of water tankers, drilling, testing and equipping of boreholes (for both animal and human consumption) and supply of animal feed.

2. Funding for disaster relief is based on the verified damages and cost of repairs by the provinces and the NDMC. Once the disaster has been declared, the province will make an assessment of what damages occurred and what the cost of the repairs will be. This assessment is then sent to the NDMC, in the department of Cooperative Governance, which verifies the damages and the cost of repairs. After the verification, the NDMC will make a submission for funding to the National Treasury. However, the NDMC may decide that due to the urgency and seriousness of an event, the already available allocation can (in consultation with the Treasury) be made available immediately to assist with relief efforts while a full assessment is underway, as provided by the Division of Revenue Act, In addition the province may, as provided for in section 25 of the Public Finance Management Act (and provided that the legal provisions are complied with), urgently reprioritise funds towards an urgent disaster response while a final assessment is being finalised.

Reply:

In the next 7 years all relevant programmes of the Department, including the conditional grant framework will be aligned to the delivery on amongst other, the legacy of the Commonwealth Games 2022 for the country.

In this vein, it is envisaged that the club development programme that is being piloted in 2 provinces presently will be rolled out in the other provinces, targeting mainly the rural areas.

Within these programmes, there will be capacity development initiatives, the provision of equipment and attire and formation of clubs and local sports structures

Through a targeted approach basic sport and recreation infrastructure will be rolled out to those areas most in need.

Sport and Recreation South Africa will work closely with the local Organising Committee to ensure that rural areas are also beneficiaries to other initiatives.

Reply:

Ministerial commitments are ongoing in nature. The assessment as to whether these commitments were implemented or are still in progress is done by the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA). Until such time as the department obtains a clean audit outcome, the AGSA is likely to report that these ongoing Ministerial commitments will remain work in progress. Clearly the onus rests on the department to convince the AGSA that it has improved its asset management, accountability of reporting from the regions, leadership, financial accountability, record keeping and has implemented proper financial management processes and credible action plans before the AGSA will agree that these commitments were fully implemented.

Reply:

1. Government borrows money to finance the main budget balance and maturing debt. As government is running budget deficits it will not be in a position to pay down its existing stock of debt. This will only be possible once government runs budget surpluses.

However, government has a strategy to mitigate sharp increases in debt repayments over the medium term whereby short-dated debt is exchanged for longer-dated debt. In 2015/16 and 2016/17, government will refinance the maturing domestic loans of R85 billion and foreign loans of R16 billion.

• (a) Details on loan repayments are available in Table A.7 on page 49 of the 2015 MTBPS.
• (b) Government finances its gross borrowing requirement through issuing domestic short- and long-term loans, foreign loans and also draw downs on its cash balances.

The term structure of debt is not necessarily an indicator of intergenerational equity. Intergenerational equity is about ensuring that future generations are not unfairly burdened by the fiscal decisions taken today. Swapping shorter-dated debt for longer-dated debt helps government to manage the risk of default and ensure long-term fiscal sustainability of its social programmes. Similarly, issuing long-dated debt for projects with long-term benefits (e.g. infrastructure) can enhance intergenerational equity.

2. Table A.7 on page 49 of the 2015 MTBPS discloses detail on the financing of national government’s borrowing requirement which includes maturing debt.

Reply:

(1) The residents of the Mhlaba Village in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality who extended their Breaking New Ground (BNG) government subsidised houses did not qualify for the Rectification Programme because the Rectification Policy clearly states that, “Under no circumstances shall alterations to the original dwellings qualify for rectification nor be included in the rectification programme.”

(2) The National Housing Programme for the rectification of subsidised houses that were built during the period 15 March 1994 and 1 April 2002, was specifically introduced to address cases where dwellings had structurally failed due to design flaws, problematic geotechnical conditions which were not catered for in the specification of the houses or to repair houses that were damaged before occupation by the approved housing subsidy beneficiaries. These affected houses were not enrolled under the National Home Builders Registration Council’s (NHBRC) warranty scheme and the relevant houses were pre-identified and recorded in a register. No additions to the register were allowed. The Rectification Programme is not applicable in cases where lack of general maintenance or neglect has led to the deterioration of the dwellings.

Secondly, the Programme prescripts only apply to the original superstructure that was constructed with the housing subsidy funding; structural failures of any additions or improvements to the houses that were affected by the beneficiaries are thus excluded from the scope of the rectification work.

Honourable Member, I am amazed that this question is even raised. We all know that we are working tirelessly against an ever increasing backlog and diminishing resources. Surely, we should not encourage total dependency in the State. If people are able to incrementally improve their houses, it suggest that they have the means. We should focus on those who are still waiting for shelter. It is a responsible thing to do."

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

Reply:

(a) (i) A total of 11 252 houses were delivered in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality since 2011 (01 April 2011 to 31 October 2015) with budgets allocated from the Human Settlements Development Grant (HSDG).

(ii) Preliminary information indicates that at least 440 houses were completed in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality from 01 April 2015 to 31 October 2015.

The table below provides information on deliverable versus the targets for each year, where available:

FINANCIAL YEAR	HOUSES - TARGET	HOUSES DELIVERED
2011-12	Information is not available	2 983
2012-13	Information is not available	1 560
2013-14	3 978	3 973
2014-15	3 079	3 079
2015-16	2 778	440 (April to October)
Total houses delivered		11 252

1. While the average annual target for houses over the last three years for Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality and for which the information is readily available was 3 278 houses, the municipal level information was included in the HSDG provincial business plan only from 2013-14.

The delivery targets (houses only) per year since 2011-12 were:

(i) 2011-12: Information not available (Municipal level target not catered for at in the HSDG provincial business plan);

(ii) 2012-13: Information not available (Municipal level target not catered for at in the HSDG provincial business plan);

(iii) 2013-14: 3 978 houses;

(iv) 2014-15: 3 079 houses;

(v) 2015-16: 2 778 houses.

Reply:

During the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Global Summit held in Mexico from 27 to 29 October 2015, South Africa was appointed as the Lead and or Chair of the OGP. In accepting the responsibility to Lead the OGP , the South African government reiterated its profound commitment to ensure that the OGP’s Programme's on the Principles of Transparency, Accountability and Responsiveness performs better.

The Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) will further engage the Office of the Chief Procurement Officer at National Treasury with the intention of finding ways in which the OGP’s commitments and principles around Open Contracting are domesticated.

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:

Requesting the Honorable Member to refer the question to the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) who is in a better position to respond to the estimated amount of kilometers of water pipes that were replaced in each of the metropolitan municipalities.

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Reply:

1. National Treasury was requested by the Chairperson of the MDB on 16 March 2015 to submit information on the potential impact on municipal viability of several proposed boundary redeterminations. A report providing this information was submitted to the MDB on 6 August 2015. Honourable van Lingen wrote to the Minister of Finance on 27 August 2015 and requested a copy of this report. In a reply dated 26 October 2015, the Minister of Finance informed Honourable van Lingen that it was not possible to share this report before the budget is tabled as it includes information on budget allocations to affected municipalities and all budget information is embargoed prior to the tabling of the budget. As such no report was presented to the Select Committee on Appropriations.
2. As outlined above, no report was presented to the Select Committee on Appropriations.