Questions and Replies

Filter by year

23 May 2016 - NW1283

Profile picture: Shinn, Ms MR

Shinn, Ms MR to ask the Minister of Telecommunications and Postal Services

(a) How much funding has been allocated for the Virtual Cyber Security Hub hosted by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research for the 2016-17 financial year and (b) what are the specific deliverables that the specified hub must deliver against these funds; (2) (a) how much funding has been allocated for the specified hub for the (i) 2017-18 and (ii) 2018-19 financial years and (b) what items and programmes will the funding be spent on in each of the specified years; (3) whether his department is the sole funder of the specified hub; if not, (a) what is the name of any other funder, (b) what is the financial contribution of each other funder and (c) what are the specific items and programmes to be delivered against these funds in each case, respectively; if so, what is the position in this regard; (4) (a) How much did his department spend in each year that it contributed to the specified hub and (b) what items and programmes were these funds spent on in each specified year?

Reply:

I have been advised by the Department as follows:-

(1)(a) The amount allocated to the Cybersecurity Hub for the 2016/2017 financial year is R 16, 418, 000.00

(b) Specific deliverables include

  • Formalise engagements with stakeholder, which supports the sharing and technical integration of cybersecurity incident information
  • Operationalisation of the Proactive and Reactive services
  • Increased functionality of Hub’s tools
  • Assist in the enablement and establishment of sector CERTs
  • Dissemination of incident and thereat information to stakeholders
  • Undertaking of a cybersecurity awareness programs which includes upgrade of the Hub’s website functionality

(2)(a)(i) In the 2017/2018 financial year R 15, 325, 000.00 has been allocated

(ii) In the 2018/2019 financial year R 12, 297, 000.00has been allocated

It should be noted that the allocated budget for these two financial years are subject to change as the MTSF is yet to be finalised.

(b) The monies will be used as follows:

  • Obtaining international certification for the Hub
  • Establishment of both private and public sector industry specific CERTs
  • Integration of incident information
  • Development and deployment of cybersecurity audit and readiness tools
  • Ongoing awareness programs

(3)(a) The Department is the sole funder of the Hub

(b) N/A

(c) N/A

(4)(a) In the 2014/2015 financial year R 18 533 013 was allocated

In the 2015/2016 financial year R 15 156 157 was allocated

(b) In the 2014/2015 financial year the monies were used for:

  • Establishment of the Hub
  • Development of Operational Processes
  • Development of Policies and Procedures

In the 2015/2016 financial year the monies were used for:

  • Research
  • Technical and operational support
  • System integration
  • Facilities, facilities maintenance
  • Infrastructure costs
  • Stakeholder engagement

23 May 2016 - NW1287

Profile picture: Basson, Mr LJ

Basson, Mr LJ to ask the Minister of Telecommunications and Postal Services

(1)What meetings of (a) the National ICT Forum and (b) each of its four forums have taken place since 1 October 2015, in each case indicating (i) dates, (ii) venues of these meetings, as well as (iii) agendas and (iv) records of decisions made at each meeting; (2) Which (a) reports and/or (b) initiatives have been instigated by any of the specified forums, in each case providing the relevant details including (i) plans of action and (ii) deadlines where applicable?

Reply:

I have been advised by the Department as follows:-

1. (a) Since 1 October 2015, the National ICT Forum has held a number of meetings through its various structures, which comprises of the Chairpersons Forum, Chamber meetings and Working Committees.

(b) (i) Meeting Dates:

      • Chairpersons Forum – 30 November 2015, 11 March 2016 and 06 May 2016
      • Economic Chamber – 3 March 2016
      • Social Chamber – 27 November 2015 and 19 February 2016
      • Governance and Security Chamber – 7 December 2015
      • ICTs and Disability Chamber – 2 December 2015 and 17 March 2016

(ii) Venues:

  • Chairpersons Forum – Director General’s Boardroom (Department)
  • Economic Chamber – Blue Crane Boardroom (Department)
  • Social Chamber – Blue Crane boardroom (Department)
    • Governance and Security Chamber – Blue Crane Boardroom (Department)
  • ICTs and Disability Chamber – Burgherspark Hotel (Pretoria)

 

(iii) Agendas:

Chairpersons Forum – Stakeholder Mobilization and Participation, Resource Mobilization, Draft Work Programmes of Chambers, National Workshop

Economic Chamber – ICT Skills, ICT SMMEs support, Electronic Manufacturing, Postal Sector and ICTs

  • Social Chamber – e-Health, e-Education, e-Justice and e-Agriculture
  • Governance and Security Chamber – e-Commerce, Internet Governance, Policy Mapping and Cyber Security.
  • ICTs and Disability Chamber – ICT Assistive Devices, Access to Government websites, Access to Banking Services

(iv) Records of decisions:

  • Chambers have developed their Terms of Reference and firmed up their structures
  • Chambers have now resolved and are prepared draft Work Programmes which still need to
  • be approved by the department
  • The Chairpersons Forum agreed to convene a National Workshop to discuss and endorse
  • the draft Work Programmes

(2)(a) Reports and (b) Initiatives

Initiatives that are coming out of the draft work programmes of the chambers include the following:

  • Conduct a National ICT Skills Audit with relevant stakeholders
  • Develop and implement a basic National e-Literacy Programme
  • Facilitate creation of Creative Hubs for SMMEs in townships with relevant support
  • Support development of ICT applications that will enable SMMEs to expand business opportunities
  • Develop and implement a Cybersecurity Awareness programme
  • To develop a National set of Principles/framework for Internet Governance in South Africa
  • Establish/ or revive an Intergovernmental Forum on Internet Governance
  • Create a cybersecurity Body of Knowledge for general access by South Africans
  • Explore Youth Job Creation Programme focusing on cybersecurity awareness
  • Facilitate engagements with relevant to improve access to banking services, government websites, employment, education and broadcasting for people with disabilities.

A National Workshop will be convened before the end of June 2016 to discuss and endorse the draft programmes of each Chamber. The workshop will also discuss resource mobilization for implementation of the work programme and timelines.

23 May 2016 - NW578

Profile picture: Tarabella - Marchesi, Ms NI

Tarabella - Marchesi, Ms NI to ask the Minister of Finance

With reference to each metropolitan municipality and based on the 2014-15 audited annual financial statements, what amount of (a) irregular expenditure, (b) unauthorised expenditure and (c) fruitless and wasteful expenditure was (i) reported, (ii) condoned, (iii) written off in an adjustment budget and (iv) recovered in terms of section 32 of the Municipal Finance Management Act 56 of 2003?

Reply:

The Honourable Member should note that the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) provides in section 32(2) that the Municipal Council must recover all irregular expenditure incurred unless the municipal council has, after an investigation by a council committee, certified the expenditure as irrecoverable and has decided to write it off. The municipal council is the only appropriate authority that should take action in relation to the irregular, unauthorised, fruitless and wasteful expenditure that has been incurred. The overall accountability process for municipal budget and expenditure must take place in a municipality, Provincial and national oversight is ‘distant’ and intervention by the two spheres only warranted as a last resort where local government has collapsed. Therefore, detailed information in this regard is therefore best obtained from the municipality concerned.

The following response is provided based on the disclosures in municipal audited annual financial statements, monitoring reports submitted by the municipality and engagements during mid-year meetings with municipal officials. The Honourable Member should also note that National Treasury has recently introduced consequence management measures that were elaborated on in MFMA Circular 76 issued in October 2015. This provided practical information on how municipalities should address such matters. It must therefore be understood within the context of the phased-in approach to implementation; hence, please noted that further actions may have been taken since these engagements with municipalities which are not reflected in this response as they are subject to ongoing monitoring and reporting.

(a) Irregular expenditure relates to categories of expenditure incurred in contravention of or not in accordance with the MFMA, Municipal Systems Act, Public Office-Bearers Act, and Supply Chain Management policy. These are listed below for metropolitan municipalities:

Buffalo City incurred R1.8 billion irregular expenditure of which none was condoned. No information was reported on amounts to be recovered, although MPAC was tasked with the responsibility to investigate such matters. During mid-year engagements the municipality advised that 8 employees were dismissed, however, no information was provided on write-offs or recovery.

City of Cape Town incurred R1 million irregular expenditure of which R85 000 was condoned. Disciplinary procedures were in place. A forensic unit was established to investigate allegations; however, no information was available on write-offs or recovery.

Ekurhuleni incurred R794 million of irregular expenditure of which R32 million was condoned; however, the majority of the cases were still under investigation by MPAC and other organs of state. In instances where MPAC had concluded investigations, these were reported to council for condonement. Section 32 processes will be used to follow up on recoveries.

eThekwini incurred R500 000 of irregular expenditure of which R400 000 was condoned. The municipality advised that it is addressing this matter in terms of the legislated processes.

City of Johannesburg incurred R1.5 billion of irregular expenditure of which R4 million was condoned. 83 cases are being investigated and 10 have been completed. The municipality has implemented measures to recover money. For example, when an employee resigns before the disciplinary case has been completed, the municipality withholds the employees pension payout. No information was available on write-offs and recoveries.

Mangaung incurred R289 million of irregular expenditure of which none was condoned. A special adjustments budget in terms of Section 32 was passed. No information was available on write-offs and recoveries.

Nelson Mandela Bay incurred R2.1 billion of irregular expenditure of which R12 million was condoned. Investigations are being conducted by Internal Audit and reports are tabled at MPAC from time to time, for recommendations and follow-up actions, including those instances where amounts are write-off and recoveries instituted. No further details were available.

City of Tshwane incurred R1.6 billion of irregular expenditure of which R28 million was condoned. A number of cases are currently under investigation. No information was available on write-offs and recoverable.

(b) Unauthorised expenditure means any expenditure incurred by a municipality otherwise than in accordance with section 15 or 11(3) of MFMA and includes overspending of total amount appropriated in the municipality’s approved budget or overspending of the total amount appropriated for a vote in the approved budget or expenditure from a vote unrelated to the department or functional area covered by the vote or expenditure of money appropriated for a specific purpose, otherwise than for that specific purpose or spending that is inconsistent with any conditional allocation, amongst others. These are listed below for metropolitan municipalities:

Buffalo City incurred R432 million of unauthorised expenditure of which none was authorised through a special adjustment budget in terms of section 28 of the MFMA read with regulation 23(6) of the Municipal Budget and Reporting Regulations. No information was available on any recoveries. However, a report was submitted to MPAC for investigation and recommendation.

City of Cape Town had reported no unauthorised expenditure.

Ekurhuleni had reported no unauthorised expenditure.

eThekwini had reported no unauthorised expenditure.

City of Johannesburg incurred R2.7 billion of unauthorised expenditure. No information was provided on amounts authorised through an adjustment budget in terms of section 28 of the MFMA read with regulation 23(6) of the Municipal Budget and Reporting Regulations, or on amounts recovered.

Mangaung incurred R2.1 billion of unauthorised expenditure. A special adjustments budget in terms of Section 28 of the MFMA read with regulations 23(6) of the Municipal Budget and Reporting Regulations was passed by council. No information was available on recoveries.

Nelson Mandela Bay incurred R780 million of unauthorised expenditure, of which R623 million was authorised through a special adjustment budget. No information was available on recoveries.

City of Tshwane incurred R2 billion of unauthorised expenditure, of which R1.2 billion was authorised through an adjustment budget. A report was tabled in Council to address accounting-related transactions, such as over-expenditure relating to provision for depreciation, loss on disposal of assets, finance charges and debt impairment.

(c) Fruitless and Wasteful Expenditure relates to expenditure incurred that could have been avoided had reasonable care been exercised. These are listed below for metropolitan municipalities:

Buffalo City incurred R5 million of fruitless and wasteful expenditure. No expenditure was condoned and no information was available on write-offs or recoveries. However, a report was submitted to MPAC for investigation and recommendations.

City of Cape Town incurred R440 00 of fruitless and wasteful expenditure, of which none was condoned; however, R146 000 was recovered. The municipality is in the process of condoning the outstanding amounts.

Ekurhuleni incurred R181 million of fruitless and wasteful expenditure, of which R1.2 million was condoned. These have been referred to MPAC and other organs of state for investigation.

eThekwini had reported no fruitless and wasteful expenditure.

City of Johannesburg incurred R20 million fruitless and wasteful expenditure of which R23 000 was condoned, and R361 000 was still to be recovered. The remainder is subject to the outcome of further investigations.

Mangaung incurred R29 million of fruitless and wasteful expenditure. A special adjustments budget in terms of Section 32 was passed by council. No information was available on condoned amounts, write-offs or recoveries.

Nelson Mandela Bay incurred R551 million of fruitless and wasteful expenditure of which R226 000 was condoned. MPAC are still investigating. No confirmation of outcomes was received with regard to write-offs or recoveries.

City of Tshwane incurred R19 million of fruitless and wasteful expenditure of which R513 000 was condoned. A number of cases are still under investigation. No confirmation of outcomes were received on write-offs or recoveries.

23 May 2016 - NW1200

Profile picture: Redelinghuys, Mr MH

Redelinghuys, Mr MH to ask the Minister of Police

(a) When did construction commence on the Dube Police Station in Winterveldt, in the City of Tshwane, (b) what are the causes for the delay in the completion of the construction of the specified police station, (c) what is the anticipated date of completion, (d) what is the budget allocation for the construction and completion of the specified police station, (e) what amount has been spent to date and (f) what is the projected final expenditure on the completion of the construction of the specified police station?

Reply:

(a) The original contract commenced on 13 November 2011 and the contract was terminated (DPW) on 13 March 2014 due to the contractor not performing his obligations. The second contract to finalise the outstanding work was awarded on 10 November 2015.

(b) The contractor failed to perform his obligations and the National Department of Public Works had to re-start the tendering process in order to appoint the new contractor for completion of the project.

(c) The anticipated date of completion is 9 July 2016.

(d) The budget allocation for the construction and completion of the specified police station is R 31 581 451-00.

(e) The amount spent to date is R 16 887 830-00.

(f) The projected expenditure for the project is R 31 581 451-00.

23 May 2016 - NW990

Profile picture: Maynier, Mr D

Maynier, Mr D to ask the Minister of Finance

What are the full details of the reprioritisation of funds for the 2016 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, as highlighted on pages 57 and 58 of the 2016 Budget Review, in terms of (a) what amount of funds in Rands has been reprioritised from each (i) national department, (ii) province and (iii) municipality and (b) what percentage do the specified amounts in each case represent of funds reprioritised (i) at each level and (ii) of the total amount of funds reprioritised?

Reply:

The details of the reprioritisation of funds in the 2016 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, subsequent to the aggregates tabled in the 2015 Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement are set out below.

(a)(i) Amounts reprioritised from national departments:

see the link:  http://www.pmg.org.za/files/RNW990Table.docx

  1. As part of the reprioritisation exercise, the Department of Energy receives additional funding taken from the local government level: Integrated National Electrification Programme. This results in a net positive reprioritisation of R87.2 million in 2016/17.

(a)(ii) Amounts reprioritised from provinces:

The provincial department-specific impact of the provincial equitable share reprioritisation is determined through separate provincial-own budgetary processes and legislative approval. Thus the details for each province were not known at the time of tabling the 2016 national budget; however the aggregate provincial reprioritisation was. The provincial equitable share reprioritisation per province is shown in the table below.

Provincial equitable share: heres the list: http://www.pmg.org.za/files/RNW990Equitable.docx

The amount reduced from grant allocations to each recipient province was determined by the department that acts as the national transferring officer. The effect of grant reductions on provincial aggregates is shown in the table below and is informed by the respective allocation criteria for each individual grant. Details of allocation criteria are provided in the respective conditional grant frameworks for each grant as contained in 2016 Division of Revenue Bill.

Provincial conditional grants:

 heres the link: http://www.pmg.org.za/files/RNW990Accountable.docx

(a)(iii) Amounts reprioritised from municipalities:

Local government equitable share:

The impact on municipalities of the R1.8 billion in reprioritisation of the local government equitable share over the MTEF is not shown separately per municipality, as many factors influenced these allocations. These are set out in the Explanatory Memorandum to the Division of Revenue (Annexure W1 to the Division of Revenue Bill and the Budget Review). The allocations amount to 26.4 per cent of the local government level reprioritisation and 5.5 per cent of the total reprioritisation over the MTEF.

The changes affecting municipal allocations include data updates to variables in the local government equitable share formula; to account for changes in projected inflation, electricity and water bulk costs and household growth rates. Significant changes also resulted from the decision by the Municipal Demarcation Board to re-determine multiple municipal boundaries, including the merging of several municipalities. All new demarcations are reflected in the 2016 Division of Revenue Bill and therefore allocations for individual municipalities in the 2015 and 2016 Division of Revenue Bills are not directly comparable where demarcations have been changed. The allocations for Special Support for Councilor Remuneration and Ward Committees also changed as a result of the merging of some municipalities.

The amount reduced from grant allocations to each recipient municipality was determined by the department that acts as the transferring officer. The aggregate grant reductions for individual grants are shown in the table below and are informed by the respective allocation criteria for each individual grant. Details of allocation criteria are provided in the respective conditional grant frameworks for each grant as contained in 2016 Division of Revenue Bill.

Local government conditional grants:

here's the link: http://www.pmg.org.za/files/RNW990conditiongrant.docx

(b)(i) &

(b)(ii) The percentage that each amount represents of the funds reprioritised in the sphere of government that it resides in is show in the tables above under (a)(i), (a)(ii) and (a)(iii). These tables above also show the percentage that funds represent of the total amount of reprioritisation over the MTEF.

Reprioritisation at each sphere of government as a percentage of the total:

see the link: http://www.pmg.org.za/files/RNW990reproriasition.docx

23 May 2016 - NW1091

Profile picture: Kohler, Ms D

Kohler, Ms D to ask the Ms D Kohler

(1) What is the total number of (a) fridges, (b) sets of curtains (c) couches, (d) tables and (e) chairs that were replaced at the Parliamentary villages since 1 April 2015; (2) what are the (a) names and (b) addresses of the (i) organisations and (ii) entities that the furniture was donated to; (3) what is the physical address of the department’s central storage warehouse from where furniture is distributed?

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works

(1) No (a) fridges, (b) curtains, (c) couches, (d) tables and (e) chairs were replaced at the Parliamentary villages since 01 April 2015.

(2) (a) and (b) (i) and (ii) and (3) fall away.

23 May 2016 - NW1184

Profile picture: Ollis, Mr IM

Ollis, Mr IM to ask the Minister of Police

(1)Whether the case opened by the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) into financial irregularities and alleged corruption involving certain persons (names furnished), following the findings of a forensic report completed in November 2012, has been finalised; if not, has it been closed; (2) (a) who has been interviewed during the investigation of the specified case, (b) what findings were made in the specified case, (c) what charges, if any, were laid against any person and (d) when will the specified case be finalised; (3) whether any person was (a) arrested and/or (b) prosecuted in this regard; if not, (i) why not in each case and (ii) when will the implicated persons be prosecuted; if so, what are the relevant details in each case; (4) whether any feedback was given to (a) Nedlac and/or (b) him regarding the results of the specified investigation; if so, in each case, (i) when was the feedback given and (ii) what was the feedback?

Reply:

(1) Yes, a case docket was opened by the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac). The matter is still under investigation and is being investigated by the Anti-Corruption Task Team (ACTT), a subcomponent of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI).

(2)(a) Witnesses who were involved in the day-to-day running of Nedlac were interviewed.

(2)(b) The case is under investigation.

(2)(c) Allegations of fraud are being investigated.

(2)(d) The matter will be finalised as soon as all the prosecutor’s instructions have been dealt with.

(3)(a) No arrests have been made yet.

(3)(b) No person has been prosecuted yet.

(3)(b)(i) The case is still under investigation.

(3)(b)(ii) When the investigation and the case is finalised in court.

(4)(a) A progress report/feedback has been given to Nedlac.

(4)(b)(i) On 2016-03-08.

(4)(b)(ii) Feedback given was that the matter was still under investigation and further particulars were requested from Nedlac.

23 May 2016 - NW1177

Profile picture: Volmink, Mr HC

Volmink, Mr HC to ask the Minister of Finance

Has there been a review of the allocation of the equitable share to provinces for health services in the (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16 financial years; if not, (i) why not and (ii) does the National Treasury intend to make any changes to the equitable share formula; if so, what changes have been made to the equitable share formula in the specified financial years?

Reply:

Yes. The provincial equitable share formula is reviewed and updated annually with new data, where available. Periodic reviews of the formula are also undertaken.

The provincial share of nationally raised revenue is disbursed to provinces using the Provincial Equitable Share (PES) formula. The formula comprises of six components, of which health is one of them, weighted at 27 per cent.

The structure of the health component in the provincial equitable share was amended through a review undertaken in 2010/11. The revised health component, introduced from 2011/12, uses a risk-adjusted capitation index and output data from public hospitals to estimate each province’s share of the health component. These two subcomponents work together to balance the needs (risk-adjusted capitation) and demands (output component). Caseload data in the health component, which measures demand on the ground, changes from year to year and is updated every year with data from the national Department of Health’s Information System. However, the epidemiological landscape that drives the risk profile of a population in a province is unlikely to change from year to year and this subcomponent of the health component is updated on a 4 to 5 years interval cycle.

A review of the provincial equitable share formula is currently underway that will, amongst others, assess all data sources available for each of the components of the formula, including the health component. The outcomes of this review will be implemented in future medium term expenditure frameworks (MTEFs).

(i) Not applicable.

(ii) With respect to the health component, yearly data updates were applied for (a) 2013/14, (b) 2014/15 and (c) 2015/16 as follows:

  • 2013/14

          The health component for 2013/14 was updated with the 2011 General Household Survey, 2012 mid-year population estimates, data from the Council for Medical Schemes’ Risk Equalisation Fund, and District Health Information Services data for 2010/11 and 2011/12. The details of such updates are contained in pages 77 to 79 of the 2013 Division of Revenue Bill.

  • 2014/15

        The health component for 2014/15 was updated with the 2012 General Household Survey, 2013 mid-year population estimates, data from the    Council for Medical Schemes’ Risk Equalisation Fund, and District Health Information Services data for 2011/12 and 2012/13. The details of such updates are contained in pages 77 to 78 of the 2014 Division of Revenue Bill.

  • 2015/16

         The health component for 2015/16 was updated with the 2013 General Household Survey, 2014 mid-year population estimates, data from the Council for Medical Schemes’ Risk Equalisation Fund, and District Health Information Services data for 2012/13 and 2013/14. The details of such updates are contained in pages 79 to 80 of the 2015 Division of Revenue Bill.

23 May 2016 - NW1359

Profile picture: Alberts, Mr ADW

Alberts, Mr ADW to ask the Minister of Transport

(1)(a)(i) How many road users as a percentage of the total average number of monthly road users and (ii) what exact number of road users have made use of the offer by the SA National Roads Agency Ltd (Sanral) to obtain a 60% discount on their e-toll accounts if they pay the specified accounts before 1 May 2016 and (b)(i) what sum total payments and (ii) what percentage of payments has been been made in accordance with the specified offer by (aa) individual road users and (bb) business concerns; (2) whether Sanral intends taking futher legal steps agains non-paying e-toll road users; if not, why not; if so, (a) whether the envisaged legal steps include criminal legal processes, (b) what will be the extent of that, (c) by which date this will happen and (d) what is the extent of the legal costs which has been budgeted for settling the claims?

Reply:

(1) (a)(i) & (ii) There are approximately 2.5 million distinct vehicles using the GFIP on a monthly basis. Approximately 1,45 million vehicles are currently registered or making payment. SANRAL received more than 600 000 enquiries on the less60% offer via the web or via inbound calls from the public. Of the 600 000, approximately 130 000 have settled their account or made arrangements to settle. There is however still work in progress related to the balance of the 600 000 users indicated above.

(b)(i) R136m discounted paid and payment agreements for a further R123m discounted entered into.

(ii) (aa) & (bb) – the system is not set up to distinguish between type of users.

(2) SANRAL is an agency of Government and must comply with the requirements of the PFMA. There is a legal obligation on users to pay toll at a toll plaza or tolling point. SANRAL is obliged to collect outstanding debts to Government in terms of the PFMA.

(a) The SANRAL Act allows for both civil and criminal legal processes. Both are available to SANRAL and the prosecuting authorities.

(b) The extent of these processes are determined by legislation

(c) The NPA already successfully prosecuted a person in 2015 for the non-payment of toll as well as fraud. Further cases are investigated. The issuing of civil summonses already commenced.

(d) We trust that the honourable member is not suggesting that due to legal costs, SANRAL should neglect its obligation to collect the debt owed as mandated in the PFMA. As the honourable member would appreciate the costs are dependent on the particular process, legal costs are determined by the courts.

23 May 2016 - NW1364

Profile picture: Alberts, Mr ADW

Alberts, Mr ADW to ask the Minister of Transport

(a) How many (i) individuals and (ii) business concerns have been summoned by the SA National Roads Agency Ltd (Sanral) regarding their outstanding e-toll accounts, (b) what is the scale from the smallest to the largest amount being claimed, (c) what is the legal cause of each specified claim, (d)(i) which legal firms have been employed to institute legal steps and (ii) in terms of which process were they appointed, (e)(i) whether senior advocates will be appointed regarding any of the specified claims, (ii) who are the senior advocates and (iii) in terms of what process were they appointed and (f)(i) what do the legal costs currently amount to regarding the issuing of summonses and (ii) what amount has Sanral budgeted for settling the specified claims?

Reply:

(a) (i) 5449 individuals

(ii) 837 Corporate/businesses

(b) Smallest amount = R204.75

Largest amount = R10 551 548.16

(c) The Legal cause is Non Payment of Toll.

(d) (i) & (ii) From a Summons issue perspective Daly Attorneys were used. They form part of the Contractor’s business model with their sub-contractors.

Werksmans Inc. is on a retainer as Sanral’s attorneys of record related to e-Toll matters. A due SCM process was followed in their initial appointment.

(e) (i) Senior advocates may be appointed depending on the specifics of the defences offered for specified claims. However, no matter has reached a stage where the particular defences are known.

(ii) (iii) The appointment of senior advocates depends on the legal matters to be argued and the availability of a particular senior advocate.

(f) (i) There are fixed costs applicable to the drafting of summonses, costs of the court and sheriff costs. (ii) There is no specific budget for legal costs. SANRAL has a general budget for legal costs. Furthermore, depending on the particular process, legal costs are determined by the courts and if a defendant found guilty, the costs are carried by the defendant.

23 May 2016 - NW971

Profile picture: James, Dr WG

James, Dr WG to ask the Minister of Human Settlements

(1)How many houses were built by her department in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality in the Eastern Cape in the (a) second and (b) third quarters of the 2015-16 financial year; (2) with reference to the R500 million budget allocation from the National Treasury to the specified municipality (a) how many houses will be built, (b) by what date and (c) what are the further relevant details of this funding with regard to housing; (3) whether any of the specified funds will be used for rectification purposes; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details; (4) what are the details of any monies to be used outside of the specified municipality for the building of the specified houses?

Reply:

(1) The Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality constructed 1219 new houses, serviced 139 stands with water and sanitation and rectified 1561 houses during the 2015/16 financial year.

As far as rectification is concerned, it is now policy that my Department will no longer rectify any houses using its funds. A directive in this regard as been issued to all Provincial Human Settlements Departments that no funding from the Human Settlements Development Grant may be utilised for rectification. Any house that has defaults is the responsibility of the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC), which is responsible to identify the contractor and ensure that they rectify the shoddy work at their own cost.

(a) 198 houses/units were built during the second quarter of 2015/16 financial year in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, Eastern Cape.

(b) 215 houses/units were built during the third quarter of 2015/16 financial year in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, Eastern Cape.

(2) An additional R500m was allocated to the Eastern Cape Provinces by the National Department and was disbursed as follows:

    (a) R122m to Housing Development Agency which was appointed as the implementing agent for all new developments in the municipality;

    (b) R46,5m for projects to be completed in the municipality by the Eastern Cape Department of Human Settlements – ECDOHS;

    (c) R50,3m to the Municipality to complete current running projects (R50, 3m);

    (d) R95m to the Revolving Fund of municipality as a reimbursement for bridge financing to fund housing construction;

    (e) R186,2 to fund project commitments in the Eastern Cape other than Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality.

(3) The funds expended on rectification during the year under review were funded from the original Human Settlement Development Grant allocation to the Eastern Cape for 2015-16 financial year.

(4) An amount of R186, 2 m was spent on subsidised housing construction in the Eastern Cape other than in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality, from additional R500m allocation.

23 May 2016 - NW1089

Profile picture: Kohler, Ms D

Kohler, Ms D to ask the Minister of Public Works

In respect of each province, what are the (a) names and (b) addresses of the 1 200 properties of his department that have now been declared untraceable on the records of his department?

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works

The 1 200 properties are not untraceable as suggested by the Honourable Member. Rather, the land parcels in question cannot be linked to the Geographical Information System (GIS) due to the absence of cadastral information on them. The Department of Public Works (DPW) has therefore approached the Office of the Chief Surveyor-General to provide spatial geo-reference cadastral data of South Africa for these properties in the format of the (Environmental Systems Research Institute) ESRI files that are currently being used in the Department, so that the land parcels can be linked to the GIS. It is important for all property under the custodianship of the DPW to be put on the GIS system so that the Department or the Property Management Trading Entity (PMTE) is enabled to manage immovable assets optimally, incorporating the ability to do conditionality assessments and thus provide for asset investment decisions.

Attached to this reply is Annexure A, which lists the 1 200 properties.

23 May 2016 - NW1247

Profile picture: Maynier, Mr D

Maynier, Mr D to ask the Minister of Finance

Whether the Financial Intelligence Centre (a) has conducted or (b) is conducting an investigation into (i) allegations of money laundering and (ii) any other specified matter in respect of (aa) members of the Gupta family and/or (bb) known close associates of the Gupta family; if not, in each specified case, why not; if so, in each specified case, what are the relevant details?

Reply:

The short answer is that the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) is not an “investigating authority”, and is therefore not mandated to undertake nor conduct investigations to gather evidence to prove criminal conduct in a prosecution.

Legal provisions in the Financial Intelligence Centre Act, Act No 38 of 2001 (the FIC Act), prevent the FIC from disclosing any information on what matters the FIC may be working on or not.

In particular, the FIC Act contains strict limitations to protect the confidentiality of reporters, on the disclosure of information reported to it, information at its disposal and of details of its activities concerning such information (section 29 read with section 53, and sections 40 and 41 read with section 60, of the FIC Act).

The FIC is therefore not able to provide the information requested.

The way the Honourable Member has phrased this Question 1247, reflects certain misunderstandings of the FIC Act and how the FIC is called upon to lawfully administer the FIC Act, which I need to clarify, and do so below, to ensure the Honourable Member is better informed.

The FIC Act requires designated financial and other institutions to establish and verify the identities of their customers, and maintain related records of their customers and their transactions. The FIC Act also requires designated institutions to report certain information, such as large cash transactions (R25 000 and above) and suspicious and unusual transactions to the FIC. Importantly, an institution which reports a suspicious or unusual transaction to the FIC may continue with the reported transaction(s) unless instructed by the FIC not to do so.

The FIC Act currently does not require a financial institution to pay special attention to any category of customers. The FIC Act also does not contain any provisions which require financial institutions to apply a risk-based approach to the manner in which they manage customer relationships. In this respect the FIC Act is not in line with current international standards on measures to combat money laundering and terrorist financing (the Recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force (the FATF)).

These FATF standards require, among others, that financial institutions understand the risks associated with different business relationships and apply enhanced due diligence where they perceive higher risk of money laundering or terrorist financing. Enhanced due diligence implies more diligent identification and verification measures and stricter monitoring of customers’ transaction activities.

Parliament is currently considering amendments to the FIC Act to give effect to the requirements of the international standards. These requirements include the application by financial institutions of a risk-based approach to customer due diligence and applying additional due diligence to PEPs (described in the amendments as Persons in Prominent Positions).

I re-affirm that the FIC does not itself undertake “investigations” with a view to gather evidence to prove criminal conduct in a prosecution.

Instead, the FIC analyses information reported to it and at its disposal, and supplies financial intelligence on financial transactions of reported persons or entities, but not evidence, to competent authorities, such as investigating law enforcement authorities, statutory supervisory bodies and state security agencies, to facilitate the administration and enforcement of the laws of the Republic.

These competent authorities, as lawful recipients of FIC issued financial intelligence, in turn undertake independent criminal investigations, supervisory inspections, or other actions, respectively, within their respective legal mandates.

Accordingly, the sharing of information by the FIC with other competent authorities enables them to better discharge their respective responsibilities in the administration of the criminal justice system, the financial and non-financial sector regulatory systems, and the protection of national security, in the Republic.

The FIC Act contains strict limitations on the disclosure by the FIC of information at its disposal. This also applies to disclosure by the FIC of details of its activities concerning such information. Section 29(4) of the FIC Act provides that:

“No person who knows or suspects that a report has been or is to be made in terms of this section may disclose that knowledge or suspicion or any information regarding the contents or suspected contents of any such report to any other person, including the person in respect of whom the report is or is to be made, otherwise than-

(a) within the scope of that person’s powers and duties in terms of any legislation;

(b) for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this Act;

(c) for the purpose of legal proceedings, including any proceedings before a judge in chambers; or

(d) in terms of an order of court.”

Contravention of this provision is an offence punishable by imprisonment for 15 years or to a fine not exceeding R100 million under section 53 read with section 68 of the FIC Act.

Moreover, section 40(1) of the FIC Act restricts the FIC to disclosing information under its control:

“(a) to an investigating authority inside the Republic, the South African Revenue Service and the intelligence services, which may be provided with such information-

(i) on the written authority of an authorised officer if the authorised officer reasonably believes such information is required to investigate suspected unlawful activity; or

(ii) at the initiative of the Centre, if the Centre reasonably believes such information is required to investigate suspected unlawful activity;

(b) to an entity outside the Republic performing similar functions to those of the Centre, or an investigating authority outside the Republic which may, at the initiative of the Centre or on written request, obtain information which the Centre reasonably believes is relevant to the identification of the proceeds of unlawful activities or the combating of money laundering or financing of terrorist and related activities or similar offences in the country in which that entity is established;

(c) to an accountable institution or reporting institution which or any other person who may, at the initiative of the Centre or on written request, be provided with information regarding the steps taken by the Centre in connection with transactions reported by such accountable institution, reporting institution or person, unless the Centre reasonably believes that disclosure to such accountable institution, reporting institution or person of the information requested could-

(i) inhibit the achievement of the Centre’s objectives or the performance of its functions, or the achievement of the objectives or the performance of the functions of another organ of state; or

(ii) prejudice the rights of any person;

(d) to a supervisory body, which may at the initiative of the Centre or on written request be provided with information which the Centre reasonably believes is relevant to the exercise by that supervisory body of its powers or performance by it of its functions in relation to an accountable institution

(e) in terms of an order of a court; or

(f) in terms of other national legislation.

In terms of section 41 of the FIC Act:

“No person may disclose confidential information held by or obtained from the Centre except-

(a) within the scope of that person’s powers and duties in terms of any legislation;

(b) for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this Act;

(c) with the permission of the Centre;

(d) for the purpose of legal proceedings, including any proceedings before a judge in chambers; or

(e) in terms of an order of court.”

Contravention of these two provisions (sections 40 and 41) is an offence and punishable by imprisonment for 15 years or to a fine not exceeding R100 million under section 60 read with section 68 of the FIC Act.

Confirmation or denial by the FIC in the public domain on whether the FIC has received or disclosed any information relating to a particular person or entity to another competent authority, or taken any other action related to such information would amount to a contravention of the above-mentioned provisions of the FIC Act and is therefore not legally permissible.

Moreover, since the FIC’s mandate requires it to assist and work in collaboration with other competent authorities in any given criminal investigation or supervisory inspection or action, any public disclosure of information relating to a specific person or entity who may be the subject of an investigation, supervisory inspection, or details of an operation being conducted by such competent authorities,. It would therefore be irresponsible for the FIC to comment in public on operational matters in which the FIC may or may not be involved. is likely to have a serious detrimental impact on the investigation, inspection or operation.

In conclusion, as Minister of Finance I therefore cannot confirm or deny whether the FIC has information relating to the specific persons or entities previously mentioned at its disposal, nor whether the FIC has or has not made information available to law enforcement authorities in support of investigations of allegations of money laundering against the specific persons or entities.

23 May 2016 - NW1286

Profile picture: Basson, Mr LJ

Basson, Mr LJ to ask the Minister of Telecommunications and Postal Services

(a) What steps have been taken to replace the three councillors who resigned from the National Broadband Advisory Council in 2015, (b) who is the current chair of the specified council and (c) what meetings has he had with the specified chairperson since taking office, in each case indicating (i) dates, (ii) venue and (iii) agenda of any specified meetings?

Reply:

(a) There have not been attempts to replace the Councillors. Minister met with the previous Chairperson and expressed the intention to change the structure of the Council to derive maximum value for all stakeholders.

(b) There is currently no designated Chairperson of the council.

(c) There has not been any meetings with the Chairperson.

23 May 2016 - NW1282

Profile picture: De Freitas, Mr MS

De Freitas, Mr MS to ask the Minister of Transport

(a) Why are the contact names and details on her department’s website outdated (b) When will they be updated, (c) Whose responsibility is it to update the specified details and (d) What mechanisms and processes are in place to ensure that the specified information is always up-to-date in the future?

Reply:

a) The process of updating our website is underway including Contact us page. We have appointed an Online Media Service personnel to deal with it

b) The process is already underway and the Online Media Personnel is working on it

c) Its Communications Directorate to update content that goes on the Website

d) Online Media Service will be working with all stakeholders to collect information and update the website

23 May 2016 - NW972

Profile picture: James, Ms LV

James, Ms LV to ask the Minister of Human Settlements

(1)How many government subsidised houses currently require rectification in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality in the Eastern Cape; (2) (a) how many government subsidised houses were rectified in the specified municipality (i) in the (aa) 2011-12, (bb) 2012-13, (cc) 2013-14 and (dd) 2014-15 financial years and (ii) since 1 April 2015 and (b) what plans does her department have to limit the need for rectification in the specified municipality?

Reply:

(1) Five thousand four hundred and sixty five (5 465) houses in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality in the Eastern Cape require rectification.

(2) (a)(i)(aa) to (cc) From 2011 to 2014 a total of 28 261 housing units were rectified by the Provincial Department and/or Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality;

(dd) In 2014/15, a total number of 2 048 units were rectified by the Provincial Department and/or Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality;

(ii) Since 1st April 2015, a total of 1 561units were rectified; and

(b) As far as rectification is concerned, it is now policy that my Department will no longer rectify any houses using its funds. A directive in this regard was issued in 2015 to all Provincial Human Settlements Departments that no funding from the Human Settlements Development Grant may be utilised for rectification. Where defects and poor workmanship are identified, they remain the responsibility of the Province, Municipality and/or the Developer to take relevant remedial action against the contractor and enforce repairs at the cost of the contractor or developer.

The Honourable member is also referred my speech to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on 12 May 2015 during the Policy Debate on the budget of my Department. I indicated,

“We are no longer rectifying houses using our budget. Any house that has defaults is the responsibility of the NHBRC, which is responsible to identify the contractor and ensure that they rectify the shoddy work at their own cost. The money currently used on rectification can and will be used in building more houses”.

In order to limit the need to rectify houses, Government established the National Home Builders Registration (NHBRC). Its mandate is to ensure that all contractors who undertake the construction of a subsidised house are registered with the NHBRC and the requirement for registration, amongst others, is that they comply with all minimum norms and standards and expertise to construct a house.

In addition, the National Department conducts structured project-level monitoring on a quarterly basis in all nine Provinces for verification of delivery. During these, the quality of construction is also observed and reported. I also recently met with contractors involved in the housing subsidy market to address challenges and to emphasize amongst other the importance of quality workmanship.

23 May 2016 - NW1222

Profile picture: Filtane, Mr ML

Filtane, Mr ML to ask the Minister of Police

Whether he is aware of the alleged irregularities (details furnished) at the Madeira Police Station in Mthatha, Eastern Cape; if not, will he institute an investigation into the alleged irregularities for the purposes of bringing a solution; if so, (a) what steps, if any, have been taken to resolve the specified irregularities, (b) what is the (i) progress and (ii) time frame of the specified steps and (c) what are the further relevant details?

Reply:

The Provincial Commissioner of the Eastern Cape was not aware of the alleged irregularities as contained in the attached statements to this Question in Parliament, which are viewed in a very serious light.

 (a) Two (2) Senior Officers have been appointed to conduct an in-depth investigation into the alleged irregularities at Madeira Police Station with a view to take appropriate action against whoever might be implicated in such irregularities.

 (b) The investigation will commence immediately and is envisaged to be finalized within twenty one (21) days.

 (c) Progress will be reported in due course.

23 May 2016 - NW815

Profile picture: Kopane, Ms SP

Kopane, Ms SP to ask the Minister of Public Works

What criteria have been put in place to decide on the proportional allocation of the buildings owned by his department to state (a) departments and (b) organs for rent?

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works

(a) User Departments’ accommodation requirements differ in size and type and are informed by User Asset Management Plans (U-AMPs) for new requirements and/or ad hoc requests. The decision on the allocation of State-owned property to meet User requirements is also informed, among others, by: an assessment of the type of service being rendered by the client department; the fitness for purpose of the building; the functionality of the building; and the geographic location of the building.

The Department of Public Works (DPW) is further guided by the Space Planning Norms and Standards for Office Accommodation Use by Organs of State (Government Gazette No. 27985, 2 September 2005) to determine the appropriate space requirements for allocation.

(b) In the main, immovable assets under the custodianship of the DPW are primarily intended for the use of national User-Departments. Where assets are surplus to its needs, the DPW engages with other organs and custodians in the national, provincial and local spheres following the application of the above-mentioned criteria. Where there is no take-up within the Government sector, the Department may elect to lease out surplus properties to the private sector.

________________________________________________________________________

23 May 2016 - NW893

Profile picture: Ndlozi, Dr MQ

Ndlozi, Dr MQ to ask the Minister of Mineral Resources

(1)Has he earned any additional income from businesses, in particular businesses doing work for the Government, since his appointment as Minister; if so, (a) when, (b) how much did he earn, (c) from which businesses and (d) for what work;

Reply:

1. No. The Minister has not earned any additional income from doing business with government

a) N/A

b) N/A

c) N/A

d) N/A

(2)     whether his (a) spouse, (b) children and (c) close family earned income from businesses, in particular businesses doing work for the Government, through his appointment as Minister; if so, in respect of each case, (i) when, (ii) how much did each earn, (iii) from which businesses and (iv) for what work?          NW1019E

ANSWER

2. No family members of the Minister have earned incoming from doing business with government.

i) N/A

ii) N/A

iii) N/A

iv) N/A

 

Reply

Approved/not approved

Mr MJ Zwane, MP

Minister of Mineral Resources

 

 

Date Submitted:-………………/………………/2016

 

23 May 2016 - NW1199

Profile picture: Redelinghuys, Mr MH

Redelinghuys, Mr MH to ask the Minister of Police

(a) Which SA Police Service stations currently serve Ward 24 in the City of Tshwane, (b) what are the boundaries of the area of operation of each of the specified police stations and (c)(i) how many (aa) police officers, (bb) officials who are employed in terms of the Public Service Act, Act 103 of 1994, and (cc) operational vehicles are at each of the specified stations and (ii) what is the breakdown in terms of the (aa) rank of each specified officer and official and (bb) division each specified officer and official belongs to?

Reply:

  1. Loate and Dube police stations.

(b) A map indicating the boundaries is attached as per Annexure A.

(c)(i)

 

(c)(i)(aa) Police Act Employees

(c)(i)(bb) Public Service Act Employees

Dube

41

9

Loate

118

26

(c)(ii)(aa) and (bb) Breakdown per function and salary level is attached as per Annexure B.

(c)(i)(cc) Operational vehicles at Dube police station:

Operational vehicles at Dube police station

Sectors

6

Detective Service

5

Client Service Centre

6

Crime Prevention

2

Total operational vehicles

19

Operational vehicles at Loate police station

Detective Service

16

Client Service Centre

5

Crime Prevention

15

Total operational vehicles

36

23 May 2016 - NW1201

Profile picture: Redelinghuys, Mr MH

Redelinghuys, Mr MH to ask the Minister of Police

(1)Whether a certain person (name and details furnished) has been declared medically unfit; if so, (a) when and (b) what are the further relevant details; (2) whether the specified person’s pension has been paid out; if not, (a) why not and (b) when is this expected to be finalised; (3) whether the specified person’s (a) medical aid and (b) pension benefits were suspended at any stage (i) during and/or (ii) after employment by the SA Police Service; if so, (aa) why and (bb) what are the further relevant details; (4) who is responsible for processing the specified person’s pension pay-out; (5) whether any case of negligence is being investigated with regard to the non-payment of the specified person’s pension pay-out; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

Reply:

(1)(a) Yes, on 31 March 2015.

(1)(b) On grounds of medical conditions. The member was informed in writing to submit a full set of the correctly completed exit documents to the South African Police Service.

(2)(a) No. The member’s exit documents are still at the Government Pension Administration Agency (GPAA) for further processing of pension payout.

(2)(b) According to the rules of the pension fund, pension monies will be paid out within 60 days from the date after the day on which GPAA received exit documents from SAPS (11 March 2016). Expected finalization/payment date is before or on 8 June 2016.

(3)(a) No. According to Polmed records, the member still has medical aid cover, and her medical aid benefits were never suspended at any stage.

(b)(i)&(ii) The member’s pension benefits were suspended during the period 1 April 2007 until 30 September 2007.

(aa)&(bb) The member was on leave without pay for the period 1 April 2007 to 30 September 2007 which emanated from the disapproval of temporary incapacity leave by the Health Risk Manager.

Upon receipt of supporting medical report from the member, SAPS reconsidered the representation and converted the leave without pay for the period 1 April 2007 to 30 September 2007 into temporary incapacity leave.

The member was reimbursed for the period of leave without pay on 24 February 2014. The pension contribution to GPAA was deducted from the reimbursement and paid to GPAA for the said period.

(4) SAPS is responsible for processing Ill-Health Retirement and the Government Pension Administration Agency (GPAA) is responsible for pension payout.

(5) No case of negligence is being investigated.

No negligence was found on the side of SAPS but rather on the side of the member due to the following reasons:

- The member submitted documents of poor quality, e.g. the decree of divorce was certified more than once.

- The member’s lawyer refused to submit the decree of divorce that was duly certified.

23 May 2016 - NW1285

Profile picture: Shinn, Ms MR

Shinn, Ms MR to ask the Minister of Telecommunications and Postal Services

(1)Has the Universal Service Access Agency of South Africa (USAASA) played any role in the planning of SA Connect; if not, (a) why not and (b) what role will USAASA play in the future planning and rollout of the programme; (2) (a) what is the estimated cost of (i) planning and (ii) rolling out (aa) Phase 1 and (bb) Phase 2 of SA Connect, (b) what is the detailed breakdown of how this funding will be spent in the (i) 2016-17, (ii) 2017-18 and (iii) 2018-19 financial years and (c) which budget allocation will the specified funds come from in each of the specified financial years?

Reply:

I have been advised by the Department as follows:-

1. No.

(a) The Department has engaged with USAASA to ensure alignment of the Broadband initiatives being funded through the USAF and SA Connect Phase 1 hence USAASA’s current and future plans are aligned with the SA Connect Phase 1 District Municipalities.

(b) The Department and USAASA will continue to engage to outline the agency roles on SA Connect implementation taking into consideration developments in the sector

2. (aa) (i)-(ii) The estimated cost for Phase1 of SA Connect is R6.56billion

(bb) (i) – (ii) The estimated cost for Phase2 of SA Connect is R67.4 billion

(b) (i)-(iii) Phase 1 detailed breakdown

Phase 1 Budget Allocation (Million)

2016/17

2017/18

2018/19

Total

R 516.34

R 719. 52

R 720. 37

R6.56 Billion

(i)- (iii) Phase 2 detailed breakdown

Phase 2 Budget Allocation (Million)

2016/17

2017/18

2018/19

Total

R 823, 9

R 1, 557

R 2, 213

67.42 Billion

(c) The funding for Phase 1 will come from Budget allocation MTEF 2016/-2018/19. No allocation for Phase 2

20 May 2016 - NW1313

Profile picture: Figlan, Mr AM

Figlan, Mr AM to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services

How many drug-related cases from the Tembisa South Police Station in Gauteng (a) went to court and (b) ended in successful convictions in the (i) 2013-14, (ii) 2014-15 and (iii) 2015-16 financial years?

Reply:

The Honourable Member should note that the Police are the custodians of all dockets and have record of decisions taken by the courts on matters referred to the respective courts. Therefore, the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, as well as the National Prosecuting Authority do not keep such statistics.

20 May 2016 - NW1417

Profile picture: Mhlongo, Mr TW

Mhlongo, Mr TW to ask the Minister in The Presidency: Women

Whether (a) her department and (b) all entities reporting to her are running development programmes for (i) small businesses and (ii) co-operatives; if not, why not; if so, in each case, (aa) what are the relevant details, (bb) what amount has been budgeted and (cc) how many jobs will be created through the specified development programmes in the 2016-17 financial year?

Reply:

a). No, it is not our mandate
b). No, it is not CGE's mandate

 

Approved by the Minister on Acting
Date: 18/05/2016

20 May 2016 - NW899

Profile picture: Sonti, Ms NP

Sonti, Ms NP to ask the Minister of Social Development

(1)Has she earned any additional income from businesses, in particular businesses doing work for the Government, since her appointment as Minister; if so, (a) when, (b) how much did she earn, (c) from which businesses and (d) for what work; (2) whether her (a) spouse, (b) children and (c) close family earned income from businesses, in particular businesses doing work for the Government, through her appointment as Minister; if so, in respect of each case, (i) when, (ii) how much did each earn, (iii) from which businesses and (iv) for what work?

Reply:

I wish to refer the Honourable Member to the Office of Registrar of Member’s Interest in Parliament where I have made submissions since becoming a Minister and a Member of Parliament.

 

20 May 2016 - NW153

Profile picture: Hoosen, Mr MH

Hoosen, Mr MH to ask the Minister of Social Development

(1)How long does a (a) social worker, (b) student social worker and (c) social auxiliary worker on average have to wait to be registered by the SA Council for Social Service Professions (SACSSP); (2) How does the overall functioning of the SACSSP impact on the availability of social workers; (3) whether the SACSSP paid R81 000 to a certain company (details furnished); if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?

Reply:

  1. The average turnaround time for the registration of all categories of social work practitioners is one day provided that applicants furnish the council with all the required documentation.
  2. In terms of the Act the SACSSP has three complementary mandates to execute, namely, registration and professional services, education, training and development as well as professional conduct. These mandates are executed in relation to all registered social workers available to practice in the country.
  3. Def Music Studio was contracted by the SACSSP for publication of promotional material during 2006. An amount of R81 000.00 was paid for services rendered.

 

 

20 May 2016 - NW1259

Profile picture: Marais, Mr EJ

Marais, Mr EJ to ask the Minister of Public Enterprises

(1)     Whether, with reference to the unveiling of a new arms factory in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on 27 March 2016 in partnership with South Africa, (a) the National Treasury and/or (b) Parliament were advised of the new arms merger between Denel SOC Ltd and the Saudi Military Industries Corporation; if not, why not, in each case; if so, on which dates in each case; (2) whether (a) she and/or (b) Denel SOC Ltd (i) notified and/or (ii) consulted the SA National Defence Force for recommendations prior to the specified merger; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details; (3) (a) which countries will use the armaments produced by the specified factory, (b) how much money was put forward by South Africa towards this merger and (c) what is the estimated financial return that this merger will generate?

Reply:

 

1. (a)(b) No merger or any kind of joint venture has been formed between Denel SOC Ltd, its subsidiaries or associated companies and the Military Industries Corporation (MIC) in relation to the new arms factory in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. However, Rheinmetall Denel Munition (Pty) Ltd, an associate of Denel, has designed and built the plant on a turnkey solution basis, as part of the supplier customer transaction arrangement. Therefore, there was no need to either inform or seek approval from Government or Parliament.

   
 

2. (a)(b)(i)(ii) As indicated above in (1)(a) and (b), there was no requirement to notify or consult the SANDF.

 
 

3 (a) Denel is not privy to the information.

 

    (b) No funds from South Africa were put into the project.

 

    (c) See (1) and (2) above.

20 May 2016 - NW981

Profile picture: Wilson, Ms ER

Wilson, Ms ER to ask the Minister of Social Development

What immediate steps is her department taking to address illegal deductions from social grants through the SA Social Services Agency?

Reply:

It should be noted that the only permissible deduction form a social grant is that which is done in terms of Regulation 26A to the Social Assistance Act, 2004. This provides for deductions from a social grant, before it is paid into the SASSA card, and is for funeral insurance only. There are limitations on the amount which may be deducted. There are currently approximately 778 000 such deductions taking place monthly.

All other “deductions” are in fact EFT debits, which come off the social grant once it is paid into a bank account. Again, not all of these are illegal as many are done with the express consent of beneficiaries. However, both the Department and SASSA are alarmed at the reported increase of disputed deductions.

The Ministerial Task Team, appointed to look at the whole issue of deductions from social grants, and make recommendations as to how this can be addressed, has been working from February 2014 and is still active. This Task team is comprised of representatives from the Department, SASSA and civil society. The Team has recently completed its second report, with recommendations which are currently under consideration.

Currently the Department is involved in two court cases on deductions, with a third pending; the outcome of which will have an impact on how deductions are dealt with in the future.

 

The Department has also published proposed amendments to the regulations to the Social Assistance Act, 2004 for public comment, which will allow for better control and limit most kinds of deductions. The closing date for public comments was 15 April and the Department has received a wide range of comments from various stakeholders, including the industry itself. There is now a process to work through these comments, before the proposed amendments are finalized and published for implementation.

SASSA implemented a recourse mechanism in 2015. The mechanism was developed after consultation with various stakeholders, including civil society. SASSA staff have been trained on the implementation of this mechanism, and follow up training and implementation monitoring is being done in all provinces.

Any beneficiary experiencing a problem with his/her grant, whether this be related to deductions in terms of Regulation 26A or EFT debits off the social grant once this has been paid into the bank account should contact the nearest SASSA office or phone the SASSA call centre on 0800 60 10 11, CPS 0800 60 01 60 or the GBV 0800 428 428. The beneficiary will be expected to complete an affidavit confirming that he/she never gave authority for the deduction and SASSA is then responsible to work with the relevant role players to resolve this query. Where it is confirmed that the deduction has been implemented without authority, arrangements are made to refund the money to the beneficiary.

In addition to the above, SASSA has embarked on an active communication campaign to educate and raise awareness about this problem. Community leaders are requested to assist in this task, so that every beneficiary understands that they should not give their card or PIN to anyone, it is their responsibility to safeguard their SASSA card, and that they should not respond to tele-marketing or SMS marketing offering financial services or products at all.

20 May 2016 - NW855

Profile picture: Sonti, Ms NP

Sonti, Ms NP to ask the Minister of Social Development

(1)How many cases of unauthorised, illegal and falsified deductions of old age pensions in each province have been reported to her department since 2013; (2) how many of the reported cases (a) have been finalised and (b) are still being investigated since 2013; (3) how many (a) of the reported cases that were investigated involved SA Social Security Agency (SASSA) officials and (b) SASSA employees have been arrested in this regard since 1 January 2013?

Reply:

(1) It is difficult to isolate the number of unauthorized, illegal and falsified deductions which have been effected, as not all deductions are unauthorized and illegal. There are many deductions taking place which have been authorized by the beneficiaries. However, since 2014, when SASSA started recording and tracking the disputes, a total of 21 466 disputes have been recorded. In addition, during January 2016, syndicate fraud affecting approximately 8 000 social grant beneficiary accounts was uncovered originating in the Western Cape. For all these cases, the beneficiaries have been refunded the amounts deducted and a criminal investigation is underway.

(2) Of these 21 466, a total of (a) 12 160 have been resolved and (b) 9 094 are still under investigation.

(3) (a) None of the cases under investigation involve SASSA officials. Deductions occur once the social grant money has been paid into the bank account, and generally involve the beneficiary responding to SMS (mobile) marketing or taking a loan from a micro-lender.

(b) Since the practice does not involve SASSA officials, no SASSA official has been arrested in this regard.

20 May 2016 - NW1264

Profile picture: Breytenbach, Adv G

Breytenbach, Adv G to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services

With reference to the reply of the Minister of Home Affairs to question 1006 on 26 April 2016, (a) where did the selection panel of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) hold the interviews to fill the vacancy at the IEC and (b) what were the costs associated with conducting the specified interviews in terms of (i) travel, (ii)(aa) accommodation and (bb) catering costs, (iii) remuneration of any persons and (iv) any other specified costs?

Reply:

The interviews for the vacant position at the Electoral Commission were conducted by a Panel chaired by the Chief Justice comprising of the representatives of the South African Human Rights Commission, Commission for Gender Equality and the Public Protector, and constituted in terms of section 6 of the Electoral Commission Act, on 17 February 2016.

   (a) The interviews were held at the Southern Sun, OR Tambo International Airport, Gauteng.

   (b) (i) Travelling costs: There were four candidates who were based outside of

  Gauteng and their travelling costs inclusive of air travel and shuttle amounted to R27 657.00.

(ii) (aa) Accommodation costs and (bb) catering costs: The four candidates who are referred to in (i) were the only persons who were provided with accommodation at the Southern Sun OR Tambo International Airport. The costs that were expended in relation to accommodation, conferencing and catering amounted to R32 497.70.

(iii) Remuneration of any persons: There were no costs associated with remuneration of any persons.

(iv) The other costs incurred relates to recording and transcription which

amounted to R16 484.80.

The total amount incurred for the interviews was R76 639.50.

20 May 2016 - NW256

Profile picture: Sonti, Ms NP

Sonti, Ms NP to ask the Minister of Social Development

Whether she and/or her department has bought advertising space in The New Age in the (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15 financial years; if so, (i) what number of times and (ii) for what amount in each specified financial year?

Reply:

(a)(b)(c)(i)(ii) Yes, the Department bought space for recruitment advertising in The New Age for the period only in 2014-15 and the total amount is R67 125.02

20 May 2016 - NW1315

Profile picture: Gqada, Ms T

Gqada, Ms T to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services

How many drug-related cases from the Tembisa Park Police Station in Gauteng (a) went to court and (b) ended in successful convictions in the (i) 2013-14, (ii) 2014-15 and (iii) 2015-16 financial years?

Reply:

The Honourable Member should note that the Police are the custodians of all dockets and have record of decisions taken by the courts on matters referred to the respective courts. Therefore, the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, as well as the National Prosecuting Authority do not keep such statistics.

20 May 2016 - NW114

Profile picture: Masango, Ms B

Masango, Ms B to ask the Minister of Social Development

(1)What has been the effect of the recent severe drought on the vulnerable groups in South Africa in terms of (a) food insecurity, (b) escalating food prices and (c) household water shortages for especially the elderly in rural areas who cannot walk long distances to fetch water; (2) whether her department has put any measures in place to support the specified groups during the drought; if not, why not; if so, what measures has her department put in place to support the specified groups; (3) whether any plans have been put in place to compensate grant recipients for the projected increases in food prices due to the drought; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

Reply:

1. The recent severe drought has had a severe impact on the vulnerable groups in South Africa in terms of (a) food insecurity, (b) escalating food prices and (c) household water shortages.

According to the Issue 3 - March 2016 Food Basket Price Monthly report from the National Agricultural Marketing Council and the Food Price Monitoring Committee using the Stats SA data, In February 2016 the price a basic 22 item food basket increased by approximately R56 (+10.86%) in nominal terms from R510 to R566.

It is projected that South Africa will need to import an estimated five million tons of maize between May this year and April 2017, which will weigh heavily on the trade deficit.

Water shortages were reported across various Provinces, Districts, Local Municipalities and Communities. The drought disaster declared areas were supported with various measures including the supply of water using water tankers in Local Municipalities and the affected communities.

2. The Social Assistance Act, Act 13 of 2004 mandates the Department through the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) to provide social relief of distress (SRD) to any person in need of immediate relief, provided they meet certain prescribed criteria. One such criterion is that the person has been affected by a disaster as defined in the Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act No. 57 of 2002).

During this drought period SASSA has continued to provide SRD to affected households. By December 2015, the following beneficieries were supported:

  • 2 271 SRD disbursed in a form of cash
  • 49 387 SRD disbursed in a form of food parcels
  • 46 681 SRD disbursed in a form of vouchers

Over and above SRD provision DSD also continue to implement various programmes that seek to provide relief to the food insecure and vulnerable households, incliding the drought affected households. Below is the overview of other interventions that provide food relief to the effected specified groups, the number of beneficieries and the projected budget allocation to the programmes:

PROGRAMME

TOTAL NUMBER

BUDGET

Community Nutrition & Development Centres (CNDCs)

166 CNDCs reaching about 1,901 952 beneficiaries

R175 million (FY 16/17)

Drop Inn Centres (DIC)

678 DICs

R1, 7 million

Social Relief of Distress (SRD)

263 057 beneficiaries

R 450 million

Early Childhood Development Centres (registered)

26 553 ECDs & 1.5million children

R1,9 Billion

Social assistance

16 million social grant beneficiaries in SA

R130 Billion per year,

3. In the financial year 2016/17 budget speech the Minister of Finance announced the the social grants increase as follows:

  • The old age, disability and care dependency grants will rise by R80 to R1 500 in April 2016 and by a further R10 to R1 510 in October.
  • The child support grant will rise by R20 to R350 in April and the foster care grant by R30 to R890.

This overall increased expenditure on social assistance from R129 billion to R165 billion in 2018/19 reflects a decisive intention to curb food insecurity challenges amongst the poor and vulnerable people in our country. This will also curb the impact of drought amongst food insecure and vulnerable citizens.

20 May 2016 - NW1223

Profile picture: Alberts, Mr ADW

Alberts, Mr ADW to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services

On what date a certain person (details furnished) rightfully qualifies to apply for parole?

Reply:

The mentioned person was eligible for parole on 16 June 2015 and was placed for parole supervision on 18 June 2015.

20 May 2016 - NW1458

Profile picture: Groenewald, Mr HB

Groenewald, Mr HB to ask the Minister of Public Enterprises

(a) How many (i) Chief Executive Officers and (ii) Chief Financial Officers has the SA Airways (SAA) had since 1 January 2005, (b) who are the persons in each case, (c) what is the date on which each specified person (i) assumed duty and (ii) left duty, (d) what is/are the reason/reasons that each specified person left the service of the SAA, (e) (i) which persons did not complete their periods of service and (ii) what was/were the reason/reasons in this regard, (f) what was the remuneration package of each specified person, (g) what remuneration did each specified person receive upon leaving each post and (h) what was the reason that each specified person received the specified remuneration?

Reply:

SAA currently reports to National Treasury. The Honorable Member is advised to direct his question to the Minister Finance.

 

20 May 2016 - NW1168

Profile picture: Masango, Ms B

Masango, Ms B to ask the Minister of Social Development

With reference to her reply to question 544 on 4 November 2015, how many (a) SA Social Security Agency senior officials, (b) Net1 Cash Paymaster Services’ officials and (c) other officials have been (i) suspended, (ii) investigated, (iii) criminally charged and (iv) convicted in each province for being implicated in illegal deductions on social grants in the (aa) 2011-12, (bb) 2012-13, (cc) 2013-14, (dd) 2014-15 and (ee) 2015-16 financial years?

Reply:

(a) No SASSA senior officials have been (i) suspended, (ii) investigated, (iii) criminally charged or (iv) convicted for being implicated in illegal deductions in any province for any of the years indicated. There is currently an investigation underway in the Eastern Cape (Port Elizabeth) and Western Cape (Athlone) provinces.

(b) No Cash Paymaster Services official have been (i)suspended, (ii) investigated, (iii) criminally charges or (iv) convicted for being implicated in illegal deductions in any of the provinces for the periods indicated.

(c) No other officials have been (i) suspended, (ii) investigated, (iii) criminally charged or (iv) convicted for being implicated in illegal deductions in any of the provinces for any of the years indicated. However, in 2015/16 a criminal case was opened in Western Cape following syndicated fraud activity affecting in excess of 8 000 social grant beneficiary accounts. This investigation is still underway and no further details are available at this time.

 

20 May 2016 - NW1248

Profile picture: Maynier, Mr D

Maynier, Mr D to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services

1) With reference to the Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of Fraud, Corruption, Impropriety or Irregularity in the Strategic Defence Procurement Packages, what is the (a) total amount spent and (b) breakdown of such expenditure on the specified commission since its establishment in 2011 to date; 2) With reference to the Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of Fraud, Corruption, Impropriety or Irregularity in the Strategic Defence Procurement Packages, what is the (a) total amount spent and (b) breakdown of such expenditure on the specified commission since its establishment in 2011 to date; 3) What is the (a) total amount spent and (b) breakdown of such expenditure on the compensation of each (i) evidence leader, (ii) forensic auditor and (iii) research consultant working for the specified commission since its establishment in 2011 to date?

Reply:

1. (a) The total amount spent on the Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of Fraud, Corruption, Impropriety or Irregularity in the Strategic Defence Procurement Packages as at 31 March 2016 is R137, 264, 521.

(b) The table below provides the breakdown of the expenditure since its establishment in 2011 to date:

2. (a) Total amount spent on evidence leaders, forensic auditor and research consultant is R93, 148, 779.

    (b) The tables below provide the breakdown of expenditure as follows:

    (i) Evidence leaders:

   (ii) Forensic Auditor:

(iii) Research Consultant:

20 May 2016 - NW979

Profile picture: Masango, Ms B

Masango, Ms B to ask the Minister of Social Development

(1)Whether she is aware of the challenging conditions under which social workers in the Free State work; if not, why not; if so, what plans are in place to correct the situation; (2) (a) in how many other provinces are social workers facing similar challenging conditions, (b) what are the relevant details in each case and (c) what plans, if any, have been put in place by her department to alleviate the plight of these social workers and ultimately their clients?

Reply:

1. Yes, I am aware of the working conditions of social workers in the Free State. During 2014/15; I initiated district dialogues across the province where social workers identified and discussed issues pertaining to working conditions impacting on social work practice. This was in preparation for the National Social Work Indaba held in March 2015, where working conditions was identified as a theme for discussion. Feedback from Free State district dialogues was incorporated into a consolidated report on provincial dialogues, which was presented at the Indaba. Resolutions, inclusive of improvement of working conditions were adopted to guide the development of a National Action Plan to respond to the plight of social workers. Through the support of the department, the Provincial Department of Social Development in the Free State is developing a provincial Action Plan to respond to the situation.

2. (a) I am also aware of the situation in all other provinces.

(b) There are similar challenges to working conditions of social workers in all provinces, and these include inadequate tools of trade, inadequate office accommodation and poor office infrastructure, limited support staff (e.g. receptionists) and inadequate transport for social workers.

(c) Based on information collated from district and provincial dialogues I hosted a National Social Workers Indaba in March 2015 with the theme “Revitalising Social Work Practice in South Africa” providing a platform for further discussions and identification of solutions to alleviate poor working conditions of social workers. A consolidated report on working conditions was presented at the Indaba to inform discussions and resolutions. Based on resolutions adopted, a National Action Plan on the Social Work was developed to guide development of province specific plans. The Department is monitoring the implementation of the Action Plan in all provinces. Furthermore, implementation of the Action Plan is a standing agenda point of MINMEC to ensure monitoring thereof by senior managers within the department.

20 May 2016 - NW1312

Profile picture: Figlan, Mr AM

Figlan, Mr AM to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services

How many drug-related cases from the Kempton Park Police Station in Gauteng (a) went to court and (b) ended in successful convictions in the (i) 2013-14, (ii) 2014-15 and (iii) 2015-16 financial years?

Reply:

The Honourable Member should note that the Police are the custodians of all dockets and have record of decisions taken by the courts on matters referred to the respective courts. Therefore, the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, as well as the National Prosecuting Authority do not keep such statistics.

20 May 2016 - NW1203

Profile picture: Mazzone, Ms NW

Mazzone, Ms NW to ask the Minister of Public Enterprises

(1)     (a) On what grounds was the contract of employment of a suspended Chief Executive Officer (Mr Riaz Saloojee) terminated on or around 14 April 2016 and (b) what are the further relevant details in this regard; (2) whether any investigation into the specified person’s suspension was conducted; if not, why not; if so, what are the detailed outcomes of the specified investigation?

Reply:

(1) (a) The contract of employment of the Chief Executive Officer was due to terminate on 31 January 2017. The Board decided to bring forward the termination date and pay out the balance of the contract. The decision was precipitated by the fact that the relationship between the Board and CEO was irreconcilable and had irretrievably broken down.

(b) None

(2) Yes, there was an investigation. I am not in a position to share the results of the investigation as there are disciplinary hearings involving other employees unfolding and at this stage there is a likelihood of further legal action.

20 May 2016 - NW1269

Profile picture: Selfe, Mr J

Selfe, Mr J to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services

(1)Whether he has received a parole request file of a certain person (details furnished) who was incarcerated for a life sentence at the Grootvlei Correctional Centre in Bloemfontein, Free State in 2002, from his department’s Correctional Supervision and Parole Board chairperson; if not, why not; if so, (2) Has he considered the specified offender’s request for parole; if not, why not; if so, (a) on what date(s) and (b) what were the outcomes; (3) (a) why have all the appointments the specified offender had scheduled with a psychiatrist as a prerequisite for parole consideration either been (i) cancelled and/or (ii) postponed indefinitely since October 2014 and (b) when will the specified offender be afforded the opportunity to meet with a psychiatrist?

Reply:

(1) No, the mentioned offender was sentenced to 2 sentences of life incarceration on 20 March 2002 for multiple offences relating to murder, possession of firearms and ammunition as well as assault.

This implies that he completed 14 years of his sentence and his parole consideration is due after maximum credits were allocated to him as well as the granting of special remission of sentence.

His parole consideration documents (G326 parole profile report) have been prepared by the Case Management Committee but have not yet been submitted as a result of an outstanding Psychologist report.

(2) The Minister has not received the parole profile report of the offender in question and has not considered the offender for placement on parole.

(3)(a)(i) & (ii) No, appointments with a psychiatrist were cancelled or postponed.

(3)(b) The offender has been scheduled to be seen by a psychologist as from 9 May 2016. Once the comprehensive report has been prepared by the psychologist, the Case Management Committee will submit a recommendation to the Minister via the Parole Board.

20 May 2016 - NW1270

Profile picture: Selfe, Mr J

Selfe, Mr J to ask the Minister of Correctional Services

(1)Whether the Barberton Correctional Services facility in the Umjindi Local Municipality in Mpumalanga has been without any water supply in the period 01 January 2016 up to the latest date for which information is available; if so, what is the position in this regard; if so, (a) on what dates and (b) for how long was the specified facility without a water supply; (2) (a) what steps are (i) his department and/or (ii) any other (aa) national and/or (bb) provincial department taking to resolve water supply issues at the specified facility caused by low levels of the Lomati Dam, which supplies water to Barberton and (b) by when will the water supply issues at the specified facility be resolved?

Reply:

1. Yes, on 05 February 2016 a request was received from the municipality to reduce water supply. The municipality also requested the centre to likewise reduce the pressure to the centres and households.

It should be mentioned that from 15 December 2013 Umjindi Municipality started reducing the water pressure to the farm because of the water demands from the local community and the available water supply.

(1)(a) Period without Water

(1)(b) Duration

08 to 27 Feb 2016

20 Days

12 to 14 March 2016

03 Days

15 to 30 March 2016

16 Days

02 April 2016

1 Day

16 to 22 April 2016

07 Days

27 April to 10 May 2016

14 Days

(2)(a)(i) The Department has granted approval to the centre to procure its own water tank truck as well as JoJo tanks to supply water to the facilities and households.

Department of Correctional Services has requested the National Department of Public Works (NDPW) to investigate the possibility of boreholes on the farm and funds have been made available to implement a borehole water system

(2)(ii)(aa) Arrangements are in place between Department of Correctional Services and Umjindi Municipality with the assistance of Sappi to transport water to the centres using a tank truck.

(2)(ii)(bb) The water challenges of the province have been registered nationally due to the fact that the entire area is subjected to severe drought and the municipality reservoir is also empty

2(b) Procurement of the water tank truck will be through a Transversal Contract with National Treasury.

The borehole water system is dependent on the availability of under- ground water levels fed by rainfall, but National Department of Public Works has already started with the investigation process.

20 May 2016 - NW1275

Profile picture: Robertson, Mr K

Robertson, Mr K to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services

Whether docket CAS 31/12/2015 opened in Mpumalanga has been submitted for prosecution yet; if not, (a) is the specified case still being discussed at the National Prosecuting Authority in Nelspruit and (b) what progress has been made with regard to establishing the course of action for this high profile case; if so, what (i) is the charge against the accused and (ii) progress has been made with the specified prosecution to date?

Reply:

I wish to inform the Honourable Member that the National Prosecuting Authority requests further particulars in relation to this matter in order to locate it within its system. Please provide the name of the specific police station where the docket was opened, the name of the suspect and the nature of the charges being investigated.

20 May 2016 - NW152

Profile picture: Hoosen, Mr MH

Hoosen, Mr MH to ask the Minister of Social Development

(1) What amount did her department transfer to the SA Council for Social Service Professions (SACSSP) in the (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15 financial years; 2) what was the rationale behind the (a) financial transfer or (b) nontransfer to the SACSSP in each specified financial year; (3) what was the audit opinion received by the SACSSP for each specified financial year?

Reply:

1. The Department of Social Development transfered the following amounts respectively:

(a) 2012-13 : Amount transfered was R1 550 000.00

(b) 2013-14 : Amount transferred was R1 628 000.00; and

(c) 2014-15 : The Council was not funded for this financial year

2. (a)

The SACSSP is a statutory body established in terms of the Social Service Professions Act, (Act 110 of 1978) as amended. It has the primary aim of guiding and regulating practitioners within the sector and protecting the interest of the public at large.

The SACSSP has been funded in line with the Policy on Financial Awards to Service Providers for the development, management and implementation of projects linked to the departmental mandate and key strategic objectives.

As the lead employing organ of state and key role player in planning, supporting and ensuring that there is adequate workforce to provide services, the Department has to ensure support to the Council in order for it to meet its statutory obligations.

For the financial years 2012-13 and 2013-14, the Council was funded in order to implement the current Social Service Professions Act, (Act 110 of 1978), deliver on its core mandate, priorities and ensure effective regulation of the Social Service Practitioners.

(b) the rationale behind the non-transfer of funds to the SACSSP in respect of the 2014-15 financial year was mainly to allow the SACSSP an opportunity to finalise the implementation of objectives funded in the previous financial years, utilizing funds rolled over to the 2014/15 financial year but also to develop and present an expenditure plan linked to the said funds. The Department continued to monitor compliance and performance in the 2014/15 financial year.

3. The audit opinions received by the SACSSP for each specified financial years were as follows:

2012-13 financial year

The opinion received on the financial performance of the Council presented a fair view on the financial performance of the Council in accordance with the accepted accounting principles.

2013-14 and 2014-15

For both specified financial years, the Council received qualified audit opinions although the financial statements presented a fairly financial position of the SACSSP in line with the accepted accounting principles.

19 May 2016 - NW1126

Profile picture: Maynier, Mr D

Maynier, Mr D to ask the Minister of Finance

(1)Whether, in light of his official statement on 1 April 2016, he is undertaking concrete actions to (a) map a path for higher economic growth and (b) preserve the country’s investment grade rating; if not, why not in each case; if so, in respect of each concrete action relating to (i) economic growth and (ii) the country’s investment rating, (aa) what is the objective, (bb) who is responsible for implementation, (cc) what is the deadline for implementation and (dd) when was it approved by Cabinet; (2) does a plan exist to monitor the implementation of the concrete actions relating to (a) economic growth and (b) the country’s investment rating; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

Reply:

1.Yes, concrete actions are being undertaken.

South Africa needs to achieve higher levels of inclusive growth that raises employment, reduces inequality and eliminates poverty. Higher growth is also critical to help maintain South Africa’s investment grade rating.

The National Development Plan is the framework followed by all government departments to address structural constraints in the economy and achieve higher growth. The 2016 Budget Review outlines actions taken to promote private investment, address infrastructure bottlenecks, labour relations, improving policy certainty and coordination and on improving the ease of doing business (pg 25 – 27).

To further support efforts and implementation to foster higher economic growth, the president tasked the Ministry of Finance and Mr Jabu Mabuza to lead coordination with business, government and labour. Work from various work streams has focused on:

  1. preserving South Africa’s sovereign credit rating, which include joint roadshows to present a united front to rating agencies and international community, recommendations on reducing policy uncertainty and necessary fiscal and economic reforms.
  2. finding opportunities for co-investment, such as the launch of the SME Fund announced on 9 May, and
  3. resolving blockages in key sectors which can accelerate growth and investment, with ongoing task teams working within agriculture and tourism.

2. Monitoring progress is critical to ensure we are on the right path. Demonstrating concrete progress on our stated commitments to reform state owned companies, to catalyse growth and to maintain sound public finances is critical not only for ratings agencies, but for confidence in South Africa more broadly.

Government’s progress in implementing the NDP is monitored through the medium-term strategic framework (MTSF), which provides detailed reporting on individual programmes, including targets, timelines, and indicators to measure performance and the Minister/s responsible for each outcome. The process is managed and monitored by the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation.

19 May 2016 - NW465

Profile picture: Maynier, Mr D

Maynier, Mr D to ask the Minister of Finance

(1) Whether consultants were employed to advise on the restructuring of the SA Revenue Service (SARS); if so, what was the (a) name of the consulting firm and (b)(i) total cost and (ii) breakdown of the cost of employing the specified firm; (2) what is the (a) estimated cost and (b) breakdown of the estimated cost of restructuring SARS?

Reply:

The South African Revenue Service has submitted the following information.  Please note that the Minister is unable to verify the content.

1. The South African Revenue Service did employ consulting firms to advise on the SARS restructuring. These were Bain Consulting and Gartner Ltd.

      (a) These were Bain Consulting and

           (i) Total order = R155,125,728.00 (including contingency claims of 10% so far only R700 000 has been claimed). Paid to date R = R103,609.629.40

      (b) Gartner Ltd.

           (ii) Total order = R157,442,590.00 (including contingencies of 10%). Paid to date = R60,555,640.00

2. The total contracted figure is R312,569,318.00

Contracts with service providers were concluded based on fixed amounts for services to be rendered. That being said, the overall cost of the restructuring of SARS cannot be estimated at this point in time as the process is still underway.

19 May 2016 - NW610

Profile picture: Ntlangwini, Ms EN

Ntlangwini, Ms EN to ask the Minister of Finance

(1)What is the cost incurred by the SA Revenue Services for employing the services of a certain company as at the latest specified date for which information is available; (2) was an open tender system followed in appointing the specified company; if not, why not in each specified case?

Reply:

The South African Revenue Service has submitted the following information.  Please note that the Minister is unable to verify the content.

1.The cost incurred for the mandated work was:

  • Gartner:
        • Total Order: R157,442,590.00 (including contingencies of 10%)
        • Paid to date: R60, 555, 640.00

2. No, an open tender was not followed for continuity, the Project was in two phases,

    (a) in phase 1(diagnostic) of the project, the Gartner services were procured on the basis of an agreement for IT Consultancy services between SITA and Gartner.

   (b) In phase 2 of the project, the services of Gartner were procured in terms of National Treasury regulation 16A6.4 read together with paragraph 10.5.2 of the Supply Chain Management practice note number 3/ 2003 for continuity purposes.

19 May 2016 - NW939

Profile picture: Brauteseth, Mr TJ

Brauteseth, Mr TJ to ask the Minister of Labour

Has (a) she and/or (b) her Deputy Minister ever (i) met with any (aa) member, (bb) employee and/or (cc) close associate of the Gupta family and/or (ii) attended any meeting with the specified persons (aa) at the Gupts’s Saxonwold Estate in Johannesburg or (bb) anywhere else since taking office; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, in each specified case, (aaa) what are the names of the persons who were present at each meeting, (bbb)(aaaa) when and (bbbb) where did each such meeting take place and (ccc) what was the purpose of each specified meeting?

Reply:

(aNo

(b) Not informed of

(i)(aa) No

(bb) No

(cc) No

(ii) (aa) No

(bb) No

(aaa) Irrelevant

(bbb)(aaaa) Irrelevant

(bbbb) Irrelevant

(ccc) Irrelevant

19 May 2016 - NW1171

Profile picture: Maynier, Mr D

Maynier, Mr D to ask the Minister of Finance

What effect did the decision of the President, Mr Jacob G Zuma, to remove the former Minister of Finance, Mr Nhlanhla Nene, on 9 December 2015 have on the value of assets under management of the (a) Government Employees Pension Fund, (b) Unemployment Insurance Fund, (c) Compensation Commissioners Fund, (d) Compensation Commissioners Pension Fund, (e) Associated Institutions Pension Fund and (f) Public Investment Corporation in (i) rands and (ii) percent in each case?

Reply:

The total decrease in Asset Under Management (AuM) over the period 08 December 2015 to 12 December 2015 amounted to R99 107 867 476, 76. Table 1 below provides detailed information as per requested institution.

 

Table 1: AuM per institution

GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE PENSION FUND

         

Start date

End date

End Market Value (Rands)

Change in Rands

Change in Percentage

2015/12/08

2015/12/09

1 578 842 958 575,68

   

2015/12/09

2015/12/10

1 533 030 433 903,16

-45 812 524 672,52

-0,03

2015/12/10

2015/12/11

1 492 840 656 310,47

-40 189 777 592,69

-0,03

2015/12/11

2015/12/12

1 492 952 420 399,11

111 764 088,64

0,00

2015/12/12

2015/12/13

1 492 954 477 051,57

2 056 652,46

0,00

         

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE FUND

Start date

End date

End Market Value(Rands)

Change in Rands

Change in Percentage

2015/12/08

2015/12/09

118 539 328 931,11

   

2015/12/09

2015/12/10

113 622 850 706,82

-4 916 478 224,29

-0,04

2015/12/10

2015/12/11

110 538 549 728,88

-3 084 300 977,94

-0,03

2015/12/11

2015/12/12

110 553 868 800,92

15 319 072,04

0,00

2015/12/12

2015/12/13

110 555 818 779,42

1 949 978,50

0,00

         

COMPENSATION COMMISSIONER FUND

 

Start date

End date

End Market Value(Rands)

Change in Rands

Change in Percentage

2015/12/08

2015/12/09

34 722 690 994,32

   

2015/12/09

2015/12/10

32 550 500 181,82

-2 172 190 812,50

-0,06

2015/12/10

2015/12/11

31 615 296 174,48

-935 204 007,34

-0,03

2015/12/11

2015/12/12

31 627 883 140,02

12 586 965,54

0,00

2015/12/12

2015/12/13

31 628 048 616,55

165 476,53

0,00

         

COMPENSATION COMMISSIONERS PENSION FUND

Start date

End date

End Market Value(Rands)

Change in Rands

Change in Percentage

2015/12/08

2015/12/09

16 943 272 754,78

   

2015/12/09

2015/12/10

16 271 781 984,86

-671 490 769,92

-0,04

2015/12/10

2015/12/11

15 809 698 426,57

-462 083 558,29

-0,03

2015/12/11

2015/12/12

15 811 843 053,26

2 144 626,69

0,00

2015/12/12

2015/12/13

15 812 007 764,12

164 710,86

0,00

         

ASSOCIATED INSTITUTION PENSION FUND

Start date

End date

End Market Value(Rands)

Change in Rands

Change in Percentage

2015/12/08

2015/12/09

14 106 965 858,19

   

2015/12/09

2015/12/10

13 361 805 139,24

-745 160 718,95

-0,05

2015/12/10

2015/12/11

13 055 814 127,87

-305 991 011,37

-0,02

2015/12/11

2015/12/12

13 059 366 371,64

3 552 243,77

0,00

2015/12/12

2015/12/13

13 059 853 104,81

486 733,17

0,00

         

PIC FUNDS UNDER MANAGEMENT

Start date

End date

End Market Value(Rands)

Change in Rands

Change in Percentage

2015/12/08

2015/12/09

1 791 426 488 177,86

   

2015/12/09

2015/12/10

1 737 191 207 615,39

-54 235 280 562,47

-0,03

2015/12/10

2015/12/11

1 692 157 213 606,73

-45 033 994 008,66

-0,03

2015/12/11

2015/12/12

1 692 309 150 164,43

151 936 557,70

0,00

2015/12/12

2015/12/13

1 692 318 620 701,10

9 470 536,67

0,00

19 May 2016 - NW991

Profile picture: Maynier, Mr D

Maynier, Mr D to ask the Minister of Finance

Whether the Deputy Minister of Finance, Mr Mcebisi Jonas, has provided him with any further particulars concerning the allegation that he, as Deputy Minister of Finance, was offered the position of Minister of Finance by members of the Gupta family as set out in the Deputy Minister’s official media statement dated 16 March 2016; if not, why not; if so, (a) when were the particulars provided, (b) what particulars were provided and (c) why were the particulars provided?

Reply:

The details that the Deputy Minister made public is contained in the media statement released on the 16 March 2016. Please see the media statement attached. The Deputy Minister advises that he is obtaining further legal advice on the matter.