Questions and Replies
08 December 2015 - NW4055
Mbhele, Mr ZN to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans
With reference to her department’s 2014-15 Annual Report, (a) what are the names of the 97 military veterans’ co-operatives that were registered and (b) to which former (i) non-statutory forces (names furnished) or (ii) statutory forces (names furnished) did each veteran belong?
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
08 December 2015 - NW3906
Lekota, Mr M to ask the President
(1)Whether he was regularly holding discussions with the Minister of Finance to ascertain whether the notice from National Treasury, dated 19 December 2013, which was signed by Schalk Human, Acting Accountant-General, prescribing cost containment measures and urging fully compliance with sections 38(1)(b), 38(1)(c)(iii) and 51(b)(iii) of the Public Finance Management Act of 1999 was being taken very seriously by all accounting officers across all government departments and also by all accounting authorities in public entities, if so, (a) which departments were complying 100% with the notice and which were not, and (b) what action has he or the Government in general taken against those departments and officials that were in contempt of the National Treasury prescription, if not, why not ?
Reply:
1. (a) There is evidence that National Treasury Instruction 01 of 2013/2014
related to the cost containment measures is being taken seriously by accounting officers of departments. When comparing actual expenditure of departments for the financial periods 2013/2014 and 2014/2015, it is clear that a saving of R5 billion, which represents a saving of 20% was realised. Savings in respect of constitutional institutions and public entities are not available since these institutions use financial systems that are different to that of departments and which the National Treasury does not have direct access to.
(b) Non-compliance with the Treasury Instruction on Cost Containment shall result in irregular expenditure. Section 38(1)(h)(iii) and section 51(1)(e)(iii) of the PFMA requires accounting officers of departments and constitutional institutions and accounting authorities of public entities to take effective and appropriate disciplinary steps against any official(s) in the service of the department, constitutional institution or public entity who makes or permits irregular expenditure. Transgressions of the Treasury Instruction shall only be known at institutional level and it is the responsibility of the respective accounting officer or accounting authority to take the necessary action for non-compliance with the Treasury Instruction.
08 December 2015 - NW4059
Maimane, Mr MA to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans
(1)With reference to various replies received from her predecessors pertaining to the movement of the President, Mr Jacob G Zuma, and all relevant operational planning requirements (details furnished) and with reference to her replies to question 1221 on 9 June 2015, question 1941 on 9 June 2015 and question 3510 on 20 October 2015, on what basis is she refusing to provide the requested information in each case, since former ministers did provide similar detailed information when it was requested; (2) whether she submitted the specified information requested through a parliamentary channel that protects such security sensitive information; if not, why not; if so, in each case, on what date? NW4930E
Reply:
- I am not going to provide security sensitive information about the movement of the President
- No
DATE OF SUBMISSION: 08 DECEMBER 2015
08 December 2015 - NW4095
America, Mr D to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
Whether any municipal official or councillor of the Tlokwe City Local Municipality in the North West undertook any international travel (a) in the 2014-15 financial year and (b) since 1 July 2015; if so, (i) what was the purpose of each trip, (ii) who undertook each trip and (iii) what was the total cost of each trip including, but not limited to, (aa) flights and (bb) accommodation?
Reply:
This information has been requested from Tlokwe Local Municipality and will be communicated to the Honorable Member when it is available.
08 December 2015 - NW4057
Baker, Ms TE to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans
With reference to her department’s 2014-15 Annual Report, (a) what are the names of the 1 343 military veterans who accessed counselling services and (b) to which former (i) non-statutory forces (names furnished) or (ii) statutory forces (names furnished) did each veteran belong?
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
08 December 2015 - NW3832
Van Dyk, Ms V to ask the Minister of Communications
(a) What percentage of the Media Development and Diversity Agency funding is allocated to (i) print media and (ii) electronic media per annum and (b) what is the reason for giving any of the specified categories more funding as compared to others?
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
08 December 2015 - NW3766
Sithole, Mr KP to ask the Minister of Public Works
(a) How many contractors from the previously disadvantaged communities have upgraded from grade one to grade two and (b) how many such contractors have upgraded to grade 9?
Reply:
The Minister of Public Works
a) In terms of the question “How many contractors from the previously disadvantaged communities have upgraded from grade 1 to grade 2”, the response is as follows:
A total of 928 registration upgrades from grade one to grade two have been recorded in the General Building (GB) Class of Works over the past 10-year period from 1 October 2005 to 31 September 2015.
A total of 620 registration upgrades from grade 1 to grade 2 have been recorded in the Civil Engineering (CE) Class of Works over the same period.
Note that many contractors are registered in more than one Class of Works. The number of upgrades is not disaggregated by ownership, but Grade 1 is almost entirely black-owned.
b) In response to the question “How many such [Grade 1] contractors have upgraded to Grade 9”, the response is as follows:
No contractor has upgraded from Grade 1 to Grade 9 over the past 10 years.
However, it is worth pointing out that 38 General Building and Civil Engineering registration upgrades have occurred from Grades 4 to 8 to Grade 9 within the 10 year period.
__________________________________________________________________
08 December 2015 - NW3905
Lekota, Mr M to ask the President of the Republic
Whether, subsequent to his declaration of 2011 as the year of job creation followed by the announcement of several initiatives to boost job creation, including the setting up of a R9 billion jobs fund, the Government has achieved any significant milestones towards creating five million jobs by 2020 and bringing the unemployment rate down to 15% as it had set out to do; if not, why not; if so,(a) has half that target been reached in half the time that was allocated to achieve that goal and (b) have decent jobs indeed been created on an incremental basis annually?
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.
08 December 2015 - NW4220
Jooste, Ms K to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans
(1)With regard to the contract between her department and Zeal Health Innovations to provide medical care to military veterans, what (a) are the details of the processes that were followed by her department to award the specified contract to the specified company, (b) were the terms and conditions of the specified contract and (c) medical services were rendered by (i) the specified company and (ii) any other sub-contractor to the specified military veterans; (2) whether all military veterans who received medical treatment through the specified contract with the specified company were bona fide military veterans registered in the National Military Veterans Database; if not, why not; if so, (a) who are the military veterans who received medical care from the specified company and (b) to which former statutory and non-statutory forces did each military veteran belong?
Reply:
This matter is currently the subject of litigation between the Department and the company concerned and as such any comments at this stage are likely to prejudice the Department’s case.
DATE OF SUBMISSION: 08 DECEMBER 2015
08 December 2015 - NW3381
James, Dr WG to ask the Minister of Health
(1)With reference to his reply to question 443 on 26 May 2015, what amount was (a) claimed for medical negligence from and (b) eventually paid out by (i) his department and (ii) each provincial department of health (aa) in the (aaa) 2011-12, (bbb) 2012-13, (ccc) 2013-14 and (ddd) 2014-15 financial years and (bb) since 1 April 2015; (2) what amount was budgeted for litigation by (a) his department and (b) each provincial department of health for the 2015-16 financial year; (3) in respect of each province, what are the five most common complaints for which compensation was claimed in the (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15 financial years; (4) (a) which 10 hospitals had the highest number of claims against them and (b) for each hospital (i) how many claims were made against each one and (ii) what total amount was paid out for each specified claim in the 2014-15 financial year; (5) whether he has a plan to address the high number of medical negligence claims in the country; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
National Department of Health
- (a) and (b) (i) - Nil
(2) R7 299 000.00
Western Cape Department of Health
- (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 |
|
Neonatal encephalopathy Delayed diagnosis of illnesses Maternal / labour complications Failure to diagnose and treat |
|
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
- (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 |
- 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
- (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 |
|
Obstetrics and gynaecology Paediatrics Surgery Orthopaedics Misdiagnosis |
|
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
- (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 |
|
Cerebral Palsy Botched Operations Misdiagnosis leading to complications Perforation of uterus during delivery |
|
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
- (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 |
- The budget and revenue unit make availability of the funds for payments on claims against the State and litigation matters.
- 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
- (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
- 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
- (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.
08 December 2015 - NW4113
Hill-Lewis, Mr GG to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
(1)What transitional arrangements were put in place in the (a) Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality and (b) Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality respectively to facilitate the transfer of assets from their former district municipalities to the new Metros; (2) whether such arrangements are still in place; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details; (3) whether any backlog of assets still remains to be transferred; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, for each of the specified Metros, what (a) is the nature, (b) is the value of the assets to be transferred and (c) are the relevant reasons why the specified transfers have not yet taken place?
Reply:
This information has been requested from these two metropolitan municipalities and will be communicated to the Honorable Member when it is available.
08 December 2015 - NW3907
Lekota, Mr M to ask the Minister of Public Works
(1) Whether, during the period 1 March 2012 to 31 October 2015, his department (a) sidestepped or circumvented the provisions of the Public Finance Management Act, Act 1 of 1999, to make procurements, sign or extend leases or enter into any contract of any kind, (b) continued to undertake any purchases or improvements in respect of any prestige projects in spite of constrained national finances, (c) spent any money on the extension, maintenance or upkeep of the President’s private residence in Nkandla, (d) failed to fully update the Asset Register and (e) neglected or abandoned any state property anywhere in the country; if not, what is his position with regard to each of the specified issues; if so, in each case, (i) why, (ii) when and (iii) for what reason; (2) whether he will make a statement on (a) how and (b) to what extent the Government’s neoliberal policies impact on the functioning of his department; if so, how does he intend to remedy the situation?
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.
_______________________________________________________________
08 December 2015 - NW4049
Esau, Mr S to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans
With reference to her department’s 2014-15 Annual Report, (a) what are the names of the 693 military veterans who received Social Relief Distress through the SA Social Security Agency and (b) to which former (i) non-statutory forces (names furnished) or (ii) statutory forces (names furnished) did each veteran belong?
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
08 December 2015 - NW4268
Hoosen, Mr MH to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans
(1)Whether, with regard to the contract between her department and Zeal Health Innovations to provide medical care to military veterans, all medical fees due to the specified company have been paid within the prescribed 30 days payment arrangement; if not, (a) why not and (b) what amount is still outstanding since the awarding of the specified contract; if so, (i) how were the medical fees for the provision of the specified medical services structured, (ii) what were the terms and conditions of payment for the specified fees and (iii) what amount of the specified fees have been paid as at the latest specified date for which information is available; (2) why does the specified company claim to serve 14 000 military veterans when her department only registered 6 795 deserving military veterans with access to healthcare services in the 2014-15 financial year; (3) whether the contract for the provisioning of medical care services to military veterans was previously awarded irregularly to another company which resulted in the contract being cancelled; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, (a) what are the relevant details of the irregular awarding of the specified contract, (b) what were the financial implications for her department and (c) who was held responsible for the irregular awarding of the specified contract?
Reply:
This matter is currently the subject of litigation between the Department and the company concerned and as such any comments at this stage are likely to prejudice the Department’s case.
DATE OF SUBMISSION: 08 DECEMBER 2015
08 December 2015 - NW4131
Van Dyk, Ms V to ask the Minister of Telecommunications and Postal Services
What (a) has been achieved to date with the rollout of the SA Connect’s first phase, (b) has been the cost of the specified project to date and (c) is the breakdown of the total cost of the specified project to date; (2) What stipulations have been made by the National Treasury for the release of budgeted funds for the specified project
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.
08 December 2015 - NW4088
Topham , Mr B to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
With reference to each metropolitan municipality’s 2015-16 budget, what is the proposed (a) operational and (b) capital expenditure on services to informal settlements?
Reply:
This information has been requested from the metropolitan municipalities and will be communicated to the Honorable Member when it is available.
08 December 2015 - NW3953
Van Damme, Ms PT to ask the Minister of Communications
(1) With reference to the Auditor-General’s note in the SA Broadcasting Corporation’s (SABC) 2014-15 Annual Report that a specific vendor was overpaid by R 2 million, what is the (a) name of this vendor, (b) nature of the service that the vendor rendered and (c) reason for overpayment; (2) Whether the overpaid moneys have been recovered since the findings were made by the Auditor-General in the SABC’s 2014-15 Annual Report; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
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:
08 December 2015 - NW4096
America, Mr D to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
(1)(a) How many officials of the Tlokwe City Local Municipality in the North West are currently on suspension and (b) for each suspended official, (i) what is the (aa) position of the official and (bb) reason for the suspension, (ii) for how long has each specified official been suspended and (iii) what has been their total remuneration during the period of suspension; (2) whether any severance packages were paid to any municipal officials; if so, for each official (a) who was the official, (b) why was the severance package paid, (c) for how long was the official employed by the specified municipality and (d) what was the total amount of the severance package?
Reply:
This information has been requested from Tlokwe Local Municipality and will be communicated to the Honorable Member when it is available.
08 December 2015 - NW4056
Baker, Ms TE to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans
With reference to her department’s 2014-15 Annual Report, (a) what are the names of the 1 700 military veterans who accessed job opportunities and (b) to which former (i) non-statutory forces (names furnished) or (ii) statutory forces (names furnished) did each veteran belong?
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
08 December 2015 - NW4052
Marais, Mr S to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans
With reference to her department’s 2014-15 Annual Report, (a) what are the names of (i) the 645 military veterans and (ii) their dependents who received bursaries and (b) to which of the former (i) non-statutory forces (names furnished) or (ii) statutory forces (names furnished) did each veteran belong?
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
08 December 2015 - NW4050
Esau, Mr S to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans
With reference to her department’s 2014-15 Annual Report, (a) what are the names of the 6 795 military veterans who were provided access to healthcare and (b) to which former (i) non-statutory forces (names furnished) or (ii) statutory forces (names furnished) did each veteran belong?
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
08 December 2015 - NW4155
Groenewald, Dr PJ to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans
(1)Whether any acquisition process for the purchasing of aircraft for (a) the President or (b) the VIP Unit of the SA Air Force has commenced; if so, (2) (a) when the acquisition process in each specified case (i) commenced and (ii) should be completed, (b)(i) what amount has been budgeted for each aircraft and (ii) from which budget item each separate aircraft will be funded and (c) when will the specified process be completed up until the acceptance of the specified tender is completed; (3) if the acquisition process has not yet commenced, when she envisages the process will commence; (4) whether she will make a statement regarding the matter? NW5028E
Reply:
- Yes
- (a)(i) The process underway has been initiated by Armscor to test the market for information through the issuance of RFI (Request for Information).
At this stage Armscor has only done the RFI (Request for Information), depending on the findings from the RFI, the process can stop or be moved to the next step which will be a request for Offer (RFO).
(ii) Same as previous answer.
(b)(i) There is no specific amount allocated to the project, the request for information will assist in terms of the budget.
(ii) As above.
(c) This will dependent on whether we go ahead with the project in the first place. So far no such decision has been made.
3. The outcome of the findings will provide guidance on the way forward.
4. No statement will be made
DATE OF SUBMISSION: 07 DECEMBER 2015
08 December 2015 - NW4115
Bozzoli, Prof B to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
Whether any budget has been (a) prepared, (b) tabled and (c) adopted by the Ethekwini Municipal Council for the 2022 Commonwealth Games; if not, how was it possible for the City of Durban to bid for the specified project; if so, (i) what are the funding implications for the specified municipality and (ii) how will the specified municipality raise the necessary funds?
Reply:
This information has been requested from the Ethekwini Metropolitan Municipality and will be communicated to the Honorable Member when it is available.
08 December 2015 - NW4094
Matsepe, Mr CD to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
For each metropolitan municipality, (a) what is the current threshold limit for indigent grants, (b) what services form part of the indigent grant package, (c) how many households are registered as indigent, (d) what is the total value of indigent grants budgeted for the 2015-16 financial year and (e) is the eligibility for indigent grants determined (i) via application and/or registration or (ii) automatically via property valuation?
Reply:
This information has been requested from the metropolitan municipalities and will be communicated to the Honorable Member when it is available.
08 December 2015 - NW4213
Figg, Mr MJ to ask the Minister of Public Enterprises
What has been the demand for electricity in each month since March 2015 up to the latest specified date for which information 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 |
08 December 2015 - NW4090
Topham , Mr B to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
(1)For each metropolitan municipality, what (a) amount was spent on legal fees in the (i) 2013-14 and (ii) 2014-15 financial years and (b) was this amount spent on; (2) whether any of the officials employed by the specified municipalities are lawyers that have been removed from the roll; if so, (a) what is their current role at each of the specified municipalities and (b) why were they employed?
Reply:
This information has been requested from the metropolitan municipalities and will be communicated to the Honorable Member when it is available.
08 December 2015 - NW4089
Topham , Mr B to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
Whether each metropolitan municipality has a closed circuit television network; if not, why not; if so, how many cameras are (a) on the network and (b) currently active?
Reply:
This information has been requested from the metropolitan municipalities and will be communicated to the Honorable Member when it is available.
08 December 2015 - NW4111
Mileham, Mr K to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
(1)Whether any forensic (a) audits and/or (b) reports have been generated for the Thabazimbi Local Municipality in Limpopo since 2004; if not, (i) why not and (ii) what action will he take in this regard; if so, in each case, what were the findings of the specified (aa) audits and/or (bb) reports; (2) whether the specified (a) audits and/or (b) reports were tabled before the council of the specified municipality; if not, why not; if so, in each case, (i) when were the (aa) audits and/or (bb) reports tabled and (ii) what actions were taken in this regard; (3) whether any disciplinary action was taken against any persons, parties and/or organisations implicated in the specified audits and/or reports; if not, (a) why not and (b) what action will he take in this regard; if so, what were the outcomes of the disciplinary action taken in each case?
Reply:
This information has been requested from the Thabazimbi Local Municipality and will be communicated to the Honorable Member when it is available.
08 December 2015 - NW3969
Lekota, Mr M to ask the President of the Republic
(1) Whether his statement on 8 November 2015, that his political organisation comes first, represents his policy position as the President of the Republic of South Africa; if not, (2) whether he will unreservedly retract the specified statement and apologise to the nation for devaluing the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, which he is sworn to uphold through the specified statement; if not, why not; if so, (a) when and (b) how is he going to apologise; (3) Whether he will make a statement on the responsibility of the President of South Africa to place the interest of South Africa above every other endeavour; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
- I made the statement that the ANC comes first at an ANC Provincial Conference in my capacity as the President of the ANC. Since its founding in 1912 the ANC has been at the forefront of the struggles to defeat apartheid colonialism, and since its election into power in 1994, to liberate South Africans from the triple challenge of poverty, unemployment and inequality.
Like many South Africans, I joined the ANC to contribute to the achievement of its historic mission of building a non-racial, non-sexist, prosperous and democratic society. Given this important role that the ANC has played and still plays in leading this society towards the achievement of these goals, and considering that a large number of citizens have put their faith and hopes on the ANC to lead them to a better life for all, it is important that the work of building the ANC into a stronger organization that can continue to lead society is vigorously pursued.
There is therefore nothing wrong or untoward in saying the ANC comes first. It does not mean I love my country any less. It is in fact because of the love of my country and my commitment to its success that I believe that the ANC should be stronger so that it can lead us to a united and prosperous society.
2. The statement I made does not devalue the Constitution of the Republic in any way, nor does it contradict the Oath of Office which I took when I was sworn in as the President of the Republic of South Africa. There is therefore no reason to retract the statement I made.
08 December 2015 - NW4097
America, Mr D to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
(1)What amount was spent on advertising by the Tlokwe City Local Municipality in the North West (a) in print media, (b) on radio, (c) on television, (d) online, (e) outdoors and (f) any other medium (i) in the 2014-15 financial year and (ii) since 1 July 2015; (2) in respect of each specified advertisement, (a) in which media was it flighted and (b) what was the (i) purpose of the advertisement and (c) cost?
Reply:
This information has been requested from Tlokwe Local Municipality and will be communicated to the Honorable Member when it is available.
08 December 2015 - NW3790
Maimane, Mr MA to ask the President of the Republic
In the light of the Supreme Court of Appeal’s finding on 8 October 2015, in the Hlaudi Motsoeneng case and the implications the specified court’s finding has for the powers of the Public Protector, what action is he going to take to comply with the remedial actions contained in the Public Protector’s report Secure in Comfort?
Reply:
The question concerns matters that are currently before the Constitutional Court in the case of the EFF v the Speaker of the National Assembly and Others. I cannot respond at this stage in deference to the courts.
08 December 2015 - NW4156
Groenewald, Dr PJ to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans
(1)What is the curriculum for the training of a fighter pilot in the SA National Defence Force; (2) whether students are allowed to repeat any of the courses in the curriculum if they do not pass the first time; if so, (a) which parts of the curriculum and (b) how many times this may be repeated; (3) how many students are currently being trained as fighter pilots; (4) whether she will make a statement regarding the matter?
Reply:
The information required is classified and the response to the above questions can be provided in a closed session of the Joint Standing Committee on Defence.
DATE OF SUBMISSION: 08 DECEMBER 2015
08 December 2015 - NW4108
Robertson, Mr K to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
What amount was spent on (a) catering and (b) entertainment by the Tlokwe City Local Municipality in the North West (i) in the 2014-2015 financial year and (ii) since 1 July 2015?
Reply:
This information has been requested from the Tlokwe Local Municipality and will be communicated to the Honorable Member when it is available.
08 December 2015 - NW4092
Matsepe, Mr CD to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
Whether, for each metropolitan municipality, any municipal official or councillor undertook any international travel (a) in the 2014-15 financial year and (b) since 1 July 2015; if so, (i) what was the purpose of each trip, (ii) who undertook each trip and (iii) what was the total cost of each trip including (aa) flights and (bb) accommodation?
Reply:
This information has been requested from the metropolitan municipalities and will be communicated to the Honorable Member when it is available.
08 December 2015 - NW3775
Lekota, Mr M to ask the President of the Republic
Whether he has been actively promoting the concept of the African Renaissance with a view to ensuring, as former president, Mr Thabo Mbeki, had observed, that the African upper echelons do not remain as a mere parasite on the rest of society, who continue to enjoy self-endowed mandates to define and use their political power in a manner that keeps Africa at the periphery of the world economy, poor, underdeveloped and incapable of development, if not. Why not; if so, how has he and the Government pushed forward the ideals of the African Renaissance and (b) what outcome has he and the Government achieved in relation thereto since 2009?
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:
- 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.
08 December 2015 - NW4112
Davis, Mr GR to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
(1)Whether any water tankers were purchased by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (a) in the (i) 2013-14 and (ii) 2014-15 financial years and (b) since 1 June 2015; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, in each case, (aa) how many water tankers were purchased in each specified financial year, (bb) what was the total cost of the specified tankers purchased and (cc) who supplied the specified vehicles; (2) whether he has found that the specified purchases represents a fair market price for the specified vehicles; if not, why not; if so, what are the further relevant details in each case?
Reply:
This information has been requested from the Province and will be communicated to the Honorable Member when it is available.
08 December 2015 - NW3753
Carter, Ms D to ask the President of the Republic
Whether the Government intends to encourage an independent mediation process in respect of disputes with other parties, opposition parties included, as first recourse in order to find amicable resolution so that matters of dispute do not have to be referred to Courts for adjudication; if not, why not; if so, what steps does the Government intend to take in this regard.
Reply:
The general principle is that all political and other disputes should be resolved through discussion, negotiation, mediation, and other forms of non-adversarial dispute resolution mechanisms. We should only resort to the courts when these channels have failed. Parties should refrain from using the courts to resolve political disputes. Parliament has various mechanisms in place to resolve disputes between parties in terms of its Rules, and all parties should make optimal use of those Rules to resolve disputes.
08 December 2015 - NW4104
Ollis, Mr IM to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
What is the proposed (a) operational expenditure and (b) capital expenditure of the Tlokwe City Local Municipality in the North West on services to informal settlements in the 2015-16 financial year?
Reply:
This information has been requested from Tlokwe Local Municipality and will be communicated to the Honorable Member when it is available.
08 December 2015 - NW4206
Marais, Mr S to ask the Minister in the Presidency
(1)Whether the National Conventional Arms Control Committee approved any export of arms to foreign states under section 14 of the National Conventional Arms Control Act, Act 41 of 2002 (a) in the (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2014-15 financial years and (b) since 1 April 2015; if not, why not; if so, (aa) to which states, (bb) and what are the further relevant details;
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:
08 December 2015 - NW4058
Baker, Ms TE to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans
With reference to her department’s 2014-15 Annual Report, (a) what are the names of the 160 military veterans who received burial support and (b) to which former (i) non-statutory forces (names furnished) or (ii) statutory forces (names furnished) did each veteran belong?
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
08 December 2015 - NW4103
Ollis, Mr IM to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
(1)What amount of the capital budget of the Tlokwe City Local Municipality in the North West was spent on refurbishing infrastructure in the (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15 financial years; (2) what (a) are the details of each project and (b) amount was spent on each project; (3) whether any capital funds were used to pay salaries; if so, (a) why and (b) what amount?
Reply:
This information has been requested from Tlokwe Local Municipality and will be communicated to the Honorable Member when it is available.
08 December 2015 - NW4093
Matsepe, Mr CD to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
(1)For each of the metropolitan municipalities, (a) how many officials are currently on suspension and (b) for each suspended official, (i) what is the position of the specified official, (ii) what is the reason for the suspension, (iii) for how long has each specified official been suspended and (iv) what has been their total remuneration during the period of suspension; (2) whether any severance packages were paid to any municipal officials; if so, for each specified official, (a) who was the official, (b) why was the severance package paid, (c) for how long was the specified official employed by each of the specified municipalities and (d) what was the total amount of the severance package?
Reply:
This information has been requested from the metropolitan municipalities and will be communicated to the Honorable Member when it is available.
08 December 2015 - NW4106
Robertson, Mr K to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
(1)Whether the Mbombela Local Municipality has been given authorisation to veto the Code of Conduct for councillors and municipal officials as contained in Schedule 1 of the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act, Act 32 of 2000; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details; (2) whether there are any councillors and/or municipal officials who are in contravention of their payment arrangements of rates and/or taxes that exceed the prescribed 30 days payback period in the specified municipality; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, (a) who are the (i) councillors and/or (ii) municipal officials and (b) in each case, (i) what amount is outstanding and (ii) for how long?
Reply:
This information has been requested from the Mbombela Local Municipality and will be communicated to the Honorable Member when it is available.
08 December 2015 - NW3983
Bozzoli, Prof B to ask the Minister of Higher Education and Training
Is he aware of any universities which are at risk of being unable to pay their debts between now and the end of the 2016-17 financial year; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, in respect of each specified university, (a) why is this the case, (b) what is the projected budget deficit in the (i) 2015-16 and (ii) 2016-17 financial years and (c) what steps will he take to prevent any possible liquidations from happening; 2) has (a) he or (b) his predecessors ever provided bailouts to universities; if so, (i) when, (ii) to which institutions and (iii) what amounts were paid in each case; 3) does he expect that it will be necessary to provide bailouts to any universities in the (a) 2015-16 and (b) 2016-17 financial years; if so, (i) why, (ii) to which institutions, (iii) when and (iv) what amount will each bailout be?
Reply:
1.Yes.
(a) In November 2015, the University of Fort Hare (UFH) informed the Department that it has continued to experience financial strain and requested approval to utilise R35 million of its earmarked infrastructure grant to enable short-term relief. Approval was granted and the University must reimburse this amount from its subsidy in April 2016. This will not negatively impact on the progress of projects.
(b) Operating deficits are projected for UFH in the 2015/16 and 2016/17 financial years.
(c) The University was requested to provide a turnaround strategy to manage the cash flow constraints and bring it onto a sound financial footing.
2. The Department does not provide bailouts to universities. The Annual Ministerial Statement on University Funding deals with the funding instruments to steer the university sector, and is issued in accordance with the requirements of the Higher Education Act, 1997 (Act 101 of 1997 as amended) and the funding framework for universities (Government Gazette, No 25824 of 9 December 2003). All universities are funded as explained in this statement.
3. No. As indicated, the allocation of the total funding available to universities is articulated in the approved Annual Ministerial Statement on University Funding. The 2014 statement for the 2015/16 and 2016/17 financial years is available on the Departmental website.
Compiler/contact persons:
Ext:
DIRECTOR – GENERAL
STATUS:
DATE:
REPLY TO QUESTION 3983 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED
Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP
MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING
STATUS:
DATE:
08 December 2015 - NW4116
Marais, Mr S to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans
(1)(a) When will she finalise the appointment of military judges to the military courts and (b) what are the reasons for the delay in the appointments of military judges; (2) (a) what are the practical consequences of the specified delay in respect of the backlog of cases and (b) how will this be addressed? NW4989E
Reply:
- (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
08 December 2015 - NW3717
Maimane, Mr MA to ask the President of the Republic
Whether, given (a) the reply of the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation to question 3509 on 22 September 2015 and (b) his statements on 15 September 2015 during his foreign policy briefing confirming the invitation of a Sudanese delegation to the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan has been (i) invited to and/or (ii) confirmed his attendance at the FOCC Summit to be held in Johannesburg in December 2015?
Reply:
The President of the Republic of Sudan did not attend the Forum of China-Africa Cooperation Summit, (FOCAC).
07 December 2015 - NW4127
Shinn, Ms MR to ask the Minister of Communications
(1)(a) How many applications for government-sponsored Set Top Boxes have been lodged at post offices around the country; (b) how many of the specified applications: (i) have been approved as at the latest date for which information is available (ii) have been rejected (iii) are still being processed; (2)what is the reason for the rejection of the specified applications?
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
07 December 2015 - NW4071
Whitfield, Mr AG to ask the Minister of Human Settlements
With regard to housing delivery in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality in the Eastern Cape, (a) how many Breaking New Ground houses have been built in the specified municipality (i) since 2011 and (ii) in the beginning of the 2015-16 financial year and (b) what were the targets for the (i) 2011-12, (ii) 2012-13, (iii) 2013-14, (iv) 2014-15 and (v) 2015-16 financial years?
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 |
- 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.
07 December 2015 - NW3972
Lees, Mr RA to ask the Minister of Public Service and Administration
(1)What are the details of the actions taken by his department to resolve the claims of Mr J G Abraham that were lodged with his department (details furnished) for (a) a long-service award and (b) a two-thirds contribution towards his medical aid contributions; (2) whether the specified claims have been resolved to the specified person’s satisfaction; if not, (a) why not and (b) what are the reasons in each case; if so, what are the further relevant details in each case?
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.
07 December 2015 - NW4126
Shinn, Ms MR to ask the Minister of Communications
(1)(a) What are the terms of reference of the enquiry that she asked National Treasury to conduct into the manufacturing and procurement process of the Set Top Box tender and (b) what is the deadline for the (i) completion and (ii) delivery of the report; (2) Whether the report of the specified enquiry will be made public; if not, why not; if so, what are further relevant details?
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