Questions and Replies
12 September 2023 - NW2540
Buthelezi, Ms SA to ask the Minister of Water and Sanitation
What (a) factors has his department found to be the main reasons for the deterioration of the water and sanitation systems in the large metros since the award-winning days of the eThekwini Municipality in 2014 (details furnished) and (b) plans has he put in place to turn the declining situation around?
Reply:
a) The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), has found the main reasons for the deterioration of the water and sanitation systems are:
- Infrastructure is in a poor condition, caused by a lack of maintenance, which is in turn caused by non-prioritization of budgets for maintenance and operations as well as poor billing and revenue collection, which are in turn caused by poor leadership and management.
- Non-adherence to standard operating processes for drinking water treatment and wastewater treatment, caused by municipalities failing to hire the necessary staff with the correct skills and qualifications as well as poor management in the municipalities. These factors are as important as infrastructure condition, if not more important, as contributors to poor performance.
- DWS, the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) and Department of Human Settlements (DHS) allocate approximately R20 billion per annum in water and sanitation infrastructure grants to municipalities, but often this money must be used to repeatedly repair and refurbish infrastructure which has deteriorated rapidly due to a lack of maintenance by municipalities.
- Vandalism and metal theft are an increasing cause of infrastructure failure, but this is partly a result of inadequate security being provided by the municipalities.
b) The DWS released its Green Drop report in 2022, which indicated that the performance of many municipal wastewater treatment systems has deteriorated. The report identified 334 wastewater systems in a critical state of performance, in 90 municipalities. Blue Drop assessments are also being conducted by the DWS to all Water Services Authorities to measure all aspects contributing to a sustainable Water Services Business, and provision of safe water to the citizens of South Africa. The Blue Drop report is due to be released at the end of September 2023. Beyond producing the Blue and Green monitoring reports, DWS is engaged in several initiatives aimed at addressing the problem of pollution of rivers by municipal wastewater treatment works in the following ways:
- Firstly, the Minister has agreed on action plans to address infrastructural deficiencies in many of the worst performing municipalities, and DWS is assisting municipalities with funding from the Water Services Infrastructure Grant and Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant to address these deficiencies.
- Secondly, DWS is taking regulatory action in terms of the National Water Act, including issuing non-compliance notices, directives, taking civil action, and as a last resort, laying criminal charges against polluting municipalities.
- Thirdly, DWS is drafting amendments to the Water Services Act to strengthen its role as the regulator of municipal water and sanitation services and to enable the Minister to intervene effectively when there is non-compliance with directives to stop pollution.
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12 September 2023 - NW2652
Masipa, Mr NP to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
With reference to the land claim on the farm Syferfontein 80 JP and a number of other farms where an amended Government Gazette 37443 Notice 221, dated 20 March 2014 was published, being in contradiction to the Land Claims Commission’s 2020/21 Annual report (details furnished), what (a) are the details of the explanation that she, her department and the National Land Claims Commissioner furnished for the discrepancy and (b) was the (i) amount of financial compensation paid to the community and (ii) basis for the estimation?
Reply:
a) It must be noted that an error was committed at the time of the publication of the amended gazette Notice No. 221 of 2014 in the Government Gazette No.37443 dated 20 March 2014.
The purpose of publishing property in terms of section 11(7) of the Restitution of Land Rights Act, Act 22 of 1992, as amended, is to notify all the interested and affected parties of the land Restitution claim and should not include the Restitution award.
The error on the subject line of the Gazette notice in that the claim will be settled through financial compensation will be corrected through another Government Gazette.
b) (i). No payment has been processed.
(ii). Falls away.
END
12 September 2023 - NO508
Gantsho, Ms N to ask the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment
What are the relevant details of the process that her department has embarked upon to empower small fishers and communities to access the oceans economy?
Reply:
Find reply here
12 September 2023 - NW2372
Graham-Maré, Ms SJ to ask the Minister in the Presidency
With reference to motor vehicle licenses as reflected in the Budget Vote of The Presidency, what (a) is the reason for the increase in expenditure from R4000 in the 2021-22 financial year to a projected expenditure of R 46000 in the 2022-23 financial year on the line item and (b) are the full relevant details?
Reply:
There is no significant increase on the expenditure for vehicle licence as The Presidency only spent R 6 000 for car licensing at the end of 2022-23 financial year. The projected expenditure of R 46 000 might be the result of misalignment of the budget as transfers and subsidies includes both vehicle and car licenses expenditure.
NAME OF THE DRAFTER : Dineo Kau
DESIGNATION : Acting Chief Financial Officer
CONTACT DETAILS : 063 669 1968
SIGNATURE : ____________________________
______________________________
Phindile Baleni (Ms)
Director General and Secretary of Cabinet
Date:
__________________________
Khumbudzo Ntshavheni
Minister in the Presidency
Date:
12 September 2023 - NO529
Weber, Ms AMM to ask the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment
(1) What is the status of the complaint submitted to her department regarding the cofferdam mining by Alexkor in the Richtersveld; (2) whether she has found that the One Environmental System affects the ability of her department to take action on mining sites; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
Find reply here
12 September 2023 - NW2563
Alexander, Ms W to ask the Minister of Water and Sanitation
Whether his department has taken any action to assist the Lesedi Local Municipality to deal with the massive sewage leaks and spillages that have been ongoing for the past 18 months; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS)has sent a Notice of Intention to issue a Directive in terms of the National Water Act (Act 36 of 1998) to the Lesedi Local Municipality in relation to the operations and maintenance of Devon Waste Water Treatment Works. In addition, a non-compliance letter was issued to the municipality in terms of the 2022 Green Drop audit findings.
The DWS has provided support to the municipality in the 2022/2023 financial year through the Water and Sanitation Infrastructure Grant (WSIG). The WSIG transfer went towards Devon Wastewater Treatment Works for:
- Upgrading of power supply
- Refurbishment of critical Mechanical and electrical equipment
- Licensing of the works to ensure compliance with Green Drop Certification programme.
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12 September 2023 - NW2571
Sihlwayi, Ms NN to ask the Minister of Water and Sanitation
In light of the fact that for the past two financial years his department has recorded underspending on the grants and transfers allocated to the local sphere of government for the provision of water and sanitation infrastructure, what strategies and/or steps does he intend to implement to eradicate underspending by the local government in order to enable the provision of water and sanitation services to communities?
Reply:
The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has put measures in place to prevent underspending on the grants and transfers allocated for the provision of water and sanitation infrastructure. Some of the strategies and/or steps includes the following:
- Collaboration with Implementing Agents to address challenges emanating from Supply Chain Management.
- Reprioritising the budget towards projects with acceleration plans and effective contract management.
- DWS is improving project audits and ensuring compliance for both direct and indirect grants funded projects to mitigate against poor performance.
- The DWS has established and is capacitating its Water Services Branch with engineers and project managers to improve monitoring of all projects across the country.
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12 September 2023 - NW2551
Basson, Mr LJ to ask the Minister of Water and Sanitation
Considering that metropolitan municipalities in Gauteng are facing major water supply issues from the Rand Water, with some households not receiving water for weeks, what measures have been put in place to curb the shortage of bulk water supply from the Rand Water, specifically in preparation for the summer months?
Reply:
The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) and Rand Water, working with all Water Service Authorities (WSA) within the Gauteng Province, have put in place the following measures to curb shortages of bulk water in the province:
- Rand Water commissioned the Zuikerbosch Water Treatment Plant on 31 August 2023. The Zuikerbosch WTW will provide an additional 150ML/d into the water supply system and WSAs are expected to provide DWS with detailed plans on how the additional water will be used more efficiently.
- Municipalities are encouraged to fix leakages that result in high non-revenue water losses.
- Rand Water and Water Service Authorities are implementing Water Conservation/Water Demand management measures.
- Municipalities are raising awareness to water users to reduce consumption of water.
- DWS is also engaging all municipalities in Gauteng to build more reservoirs to curb water outages.
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12 September 2023 - NW1369
Bodlani, Ms T to ask the Minister in the Presidency
What are the (a) reasons that the Media Development and Diversity Agency funding process does not make direct payment to the beneficiaries instead of making payments via intermediaries and (b) full details of all (i) intermediaries that were utilised and (ii) related transactions (aa) for the 202223 financial year and (bb) since 1 April 2023?
Reply:
a) The MDDA does not fund through intermediaries. Applications are submitted directly to the MDDA, and communication is between the MDDA and applicants. Upon approval of a funding application, contractual arrangements are concluded between the MDDA and successful grantees.
b) (i) and (ii) not applicable
(aa) not applicable
(bb) not applicable
DRAFTER OF THE REPLY
Name: Prof. Hlengani Mathebula
Designation: Chairperson of the Board of Directors
Contacts: 082 448 9219
Signature:
_____________________________
Ms Nomonde Mnukwa
Acting Director General: GCIS
Date:
__________________________
Hon. Khumbudzo Ntshavheni
Minister in the Presidency
Date:
12 September 2023 - NW2572
Tseki, Mr MA to ask the Minister of Water and Sanitation
In light of the fact that the President of the Republic, Mr M C Ramaphosa, in his 2022 State of the Nation Address (SONA), committed his government to eradicate the backlog of water use licence applications and reduce the turnaround time to only 90 days, what total number of (a) water use licence applications were approved since 10 February 2022 and (b) those approved, were for previously disadvantaged communities?
Reply:
a) 791 water use licence applications were approved since 10 February 2022
b) 198 of the 791 water use licence applications were issued to Historically Disadvantaged Individuals.
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12 September 2023 - NW2647
Matiase, Mr NS to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
Whether, with reference to her reply to question 1195 on 4 May 2023, she foresees any further factors that may affect the settlement of the specified land claim in the third quarter of the 2023-24 financial year; if not, what further progress has been made to ensure that the long overdue land claim is settled; if so, what are the relevant details of the factors; (2) whether any steps have been taken to ensure that all pertinent issues that are stalling the payment of the claim are resolved, especially those that led to the beneficiaries adopting the verification interdict process because of some disagreement of the payment to be made; if not, (a) why not and (b) what (i) are the detail of the issues that still need to be resolved and (ii) is the timeframe thereof; if so, what are the relevant details of the steps that have been taken?
Reply:
(1) (i) No, The claim is projected for settlement in the 3rd quarter of the current financial year as per the reply to question 1195 submitted on 4 May 2023. The Settlement memorandum has been compiled and is currently undergoing the internal processes for consideration by the delegated authority.
(2) Yes, the offer was accepted by the claimants and the settlement agreement was signed with the addition verification lists.
(a),(b)(i),(ii) Falls away.
END
12 September 2023 - NO532
Bryant, Mr D W to ask the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment
(1) What impact has she found the delays in the implementation of the small-scale fishing process in the Western Cape have had on the sector; (2) whether her department has put plans in place to create additional opportunities for small-scale fishers in the Western Cape; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
Find reply here
12 September 2023 - NW342
Mthenjane, Mr DF to ask the Minister in the Presidency
What follow-up strategies has he undertaken to assess the impact of the red tape reduction program of the Red Tape Unit?
Reply:
The Red Tape Reduction initiative led by Mr Sipho Nkosi is working on reducing red tape that impacts the climate for investment and business. The initiative has identified ten priority areas for intervention, of which five are underway, namely those related to tourism operator transport permits, the mining and prospecting rights license system, work permit and visa administration, informal trading, and early childhood development (ECD) centres in townships.
The impact of the programme is monitored through the internal management processes of the Presidency, including quarterly management reports. The Department of Performance Monitoring and Evaluation also conducts evaluations on a quarterly basis. The Presidency’s 2022/23 annual report will report on the extent to which the RTR targets contained in The Presidency’s 2022/23 APP have been achieved.
Moreover, the RTR initiative has since April 2023 been transferred to fall under the Project Management Office in the Presidency which will apply project management disciplines to measure the progress and impact of the programme.
NAME OF THE DRAFTER: ____________________________
DESIGNATION : ____________________________
CONTACT DETAILS : ____________________________
SIGNATURE : ____________________________
____________________
Phindile Baleni (Ms.)
Director-General and Secretary of the Cabinet
Date:
APPROVED/NOT APPROVED
______________________________
Ms Khumbudzo Ntshavheni
Minister in The Presidency
Date:
12 September 2023 - NW2468
Graham-Maré, Ms SJ to ask the Minister in the Presidency
(1)What are the (a) relevant details of the progress that has been made on the (i) establishment of a state-owned holding company to house strategic state-owned entities (SOEs) and (ii) recommendations to retain, consolidate and/or dispose of SOEs and (b) time frames in terms of the establishment and implementation of the recommendations; (2) whether the evidence-based criteria for the restructuring of SOEs have been published; if not, on what date will the criteria be published; if so, (3) whether she will furnish Ms S J Graham with the specified evidence-based criteria; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
The Parliamentary Question 2468 does not fall within the scope of my competence.
NAME OF THE DRAFTER :
DESIGNATION :
CONTACT DETAILS :
SIGNATURE : ____________________________
______________________________
Phindile Baleni (Ms)
Director General and Secretary of Cabinet
Date:
__________________________
Khumbudzo Ntshavheni
Minister in the Presidency
Date:
11 September 2023 - NW2558
Khumalo, Dr NV to ask the Minister of Human Settlements
Given that the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) is intended to be a key stakeholder to capacitate and regulate the sector, (a) what total number of NHBRC offices were opened in rural areas since 1 August 2022 and (b) where is each specified office located?
Reply:
a) There were no offices opened in rural areas during the period in question. The National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) is in the process of concluding a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the South African Local Government Association (SALGA). This MoU aims to secure locations for service points (shared office space in rural municipalities), which will cater for communities that are far from the existing main offices and the rural communities. Furthermore, the NHBRC reaches out to these communities through the utilisation of community halls and outreach programmes as part of its service strategy.
b) Not applicable.
05 September 2023 - NW2344
De Freitas, Mr MS to ask the Minister of Transport
(a) Which court orders regarding Siyangena Tehnologies have (i) been met and (ii) not been met to date, (b) what are the reasons that the specified orders have not yet been met and (c) by what date will the orders be met?
Reply:
a) (i)The court ruled in favour of PRASA in the High Court (Gauteng Division) case number 14332/18 and declared the Siyangena Technologies contract unlawful and irregular. Siyangena Technologies proceeded to launch an appeal application in the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) under case number 487/2021. The SCA confirmed the High Court decision and thereby ruling in favour of PRASA.
(ii) Refer to (i) above.
b) The Superior Courts Act, 2013 provides that an application for leave to appeal, or an appeal, suspends the operation and execution of a decision, pending the outcome of the application or appeal. Consequently, a court order cannot be executed until the appeal proceedings are determined.
c) Siyangena Technologies has launched an application for leave to appeal the SCA judgment in the Constitutional Court. Siyangena Technologies has launched an application for leave to appeal the SCA judgment in the Constitutional Court and PRASA is awaiting judgment in that regard. The judgement from the Constitutional Court dismissed Siyangena’s leave to appeal the SCA judgement which in favour of PRASA. The Con Court further awarded costs in favour of PRASA. The parties (Siyangena and PRASA) must now appoint an engineer within 30 days of the judgement in order to determine the value of the works as per the judgement.
05 September 2023 - NW953
Sithole, Mr KP to ask the Minister of Transport
(1)With reference to the internal inquiry that the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) is instituting into the Chairperson of Prasa following reports that he used the organisation’s rental house in Cape Town for personal use, (a) what are the full relevant details on the matter and (b) on what date will Prasa release the report on the matter; (2) whether the house continues to be rented by Prasa; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
(1) (a) The details are part of the report.
(b) The report on the matter was concluded on the 31 March 2023. The report was submitted by the Board of Control of PRASA to the Minister of Transport for consideration. Based on the findings of the report the Chairperson was released of his responsibilities as the Chair of the Board.
(2) Mr. Ramatlakane, vacated the house on 15 March 2023, in line with the short-term lease. The house in question is owned by PRASA and is one of many others in the portfolio, which is leased out to tenants as part of the PRASA’s secondary mandate to generate revenue out of its assets. As already mentioned above, a proposal on the future use (internal or external consumption of the asset) has been prepared and will serve at the various committees within PRASA for approval to ensure the secondary mandate is achieved.
01 September 2023 - NW2675
Kruger, Mr HC to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
Whether, with reference to the Auditor-General’s 2020/2021 report which stipulates that 84% of municipalities in the Republic failed to pay their creditors within the mandated 30-day period, her department has conducted a detailed quantitative and qualitative assessment of the resultant socio-economic ramifications, specifically the adverse impact on job losses and business viability for small companies, sole proprietors and cooperatives; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details of the (a) assessment and (b) strategic measures under consideration to rectify this systemic issue?
Reply:
Noting that, in accordance with Section 71 of the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA), municipalities submit Section 71 reports to National Treasury (NT) each month detailing their creditors, and NT assesses those reports. Given the foregoing context, this inquiry must be forwarded to the minister of finance so that National Treasury can react appropriately.
End.
31 August 2023 - NW1880
Luthuli, Mr BN to ask the Minister of Small Business Development
What other steps has her department taken to ensure that the most remote rural areas and secluded persons are aware of and able to benefit from the services offered by her department, when her department hosts outreach programmes that are aimed at showcasing and giving information regarding the services that it offers available to a wider audience as these outreach programmes are rarely held in the specified areas, and that means that persons who need the services are still unable to access them despite Government trying to do so by reaching out once or twice a year?”
Reply:
The Department of Small Business Development and its agencies, Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda) and Small Enterprise Finance Agency (sefa), from time to time participate in Municipal LED Forums organised by the Municipalities in various Provinces across the Country. This includes Business Forums, Imbizos, Summits / Conferences, Community Outreach Programmes as well as Road Shows. The DSBD uses these platforms to share information regarding the services that are available to SMMEs and Co-operatives. The Department also utilises Seda and sefa offices across the country to share information regarding the services of the Department and its agencies.
Furthermore, and in line with the District Development Model (DDM), the Department had in the past financial year assigned senior and middle managers, from Acting Deputy Directors-General to Deputy Directors to all districts and provinces to act as both the provincial and district champions wherein they ensure continuous engagement with districts and municipalities to expose and enable SMMEs to access the services and programmes of the Department. The Department has taken this further by bringing in personnel, additional to the establishment, to link with the districts directly to take forward the work of DDM.
31 August 2023 - NW2507
Mathulelwa, Ms B to ask the Minister of Small Business Development
In light of how small businesses and/or co-operatives are struggling to access funding from her department, what total number of businesses did she develop in her hometown since the start of her term of office?”
Reply:
My Hometown is Mthatha, in the King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality, since the 1st August 2021 I have been advised that;
The Small Enterprise Finance Agency (sefa) funded 5901 Small Micro and Medium Enterprises (SMMEs) in King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality (KSD) to the value of R79.5 million. This financial support helped create and sustain 4963 jobs. In terms of developmental impact, sefa’s disbursements to businesses owned by black entrepreneurs were R79.5 million, women-owned businesses received disbursements to the value of R28.5 million, the youth owned businesses received R19.5 million in disbursements and those based in the rural areas received R49.5 million over the same period. And this covers small business in both Mqanduli and Mthatha my hometown.
The Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda) service delivery is geared on a provincial focus with District Municipalities as it’s networks for reach and access of services. From 2021 when I was appointed as the Minister of the Department of Small Business Development (DSBD) to date, Seda Eastern Cape (EC) supported 8516 SMMEs and Co-operatives of which 1706 are residents of OR Tambo District Municipality. These numbers pertain to non-financial support provided to SMMEs and Co-operatives by Seda EC and exclude support provided by various other ecosystem stakeholders.
Seda’s impact is not only based in the Minister’s hometown but rather regional. For the 2023 financial year in the Eastern Cape, the Seda Technology Programme currently supports fourteen (14) Incubators in the Eastern Cape. Twenty-seven (27) clients were funded through the Technology Transfer Assistance Programme at a total cost of R14 296 665.00. Furthermore, five (5) clients were supported with quality and standards interventions at a total cost of R237 103.97.
Annexure 1
The attached annexure illustrates Seda’s financial and non-financial support in the Eastern Cape Province:
Seda Eastern Cape clients
Newly Approved Incubators
Quality and Standards Beneficiaries
Technology Transfer Assistance Beneficiaries
30 August 2023 - NW2451
Masipa, Mr NP to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
What total amount (a) has been allocated to each agri-park in each financial year since it was established and (b) was spent by each specified agri-park in each specified financial year; (2) whether she will furnish Mr N P Masipa with the full list of all agri-parks, indicating (a) the total number of agri-parks, (b) the relevant details of the current status of each agri-park and (c) which agri-parks are currently (i) functional and (ii) dysfunctional; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
1. (a), Refer to Annexure A for amount allocated to Farmer Production Support Unit (FPSUs) and AgriHubs.
(b) The Agri-Hubs has three components, i.e. Farmer Production Support Unit, Agri-Hub and Rural Market Centres. The Department has thus far constructed 51 FPSUs and 10 Agri-Hubs
2. (a) 51 FPSUs and 10 Agri-Hubs
(b) Refer to Annexure B
(c) (i) and (ii) refer to Annexure B
30 August 2023 - NW1616
Yako, Ms Y to ask the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure
In light of how his department outsources most of its work to outside bidders, which measures has he taken to build state capacity and a register of credible suppliers?
Reply:
The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure
State Capacity
The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure has a two-prong approach to executing the maintenance functions. It is a blend of Out-sourced and In-sourced Services. On the other hand, the In-sourced services, are executed internally through utilisation of the Workshops in our various Regional office, whilst on the other hand, the Department acquires the talent of young graduates and tradespeople and facilitates with the on-job training. Through this, the Department also assists in market absorption within the spheres of government with overflow branching-off to the private sector. The artisan trainees are paired with the appointed service providers to transfer the skills towards obtaining the trade certificates.
Furthermore, the continuous improvement strategy in Facilities Maintenance is inter alia to improve the up-keeping of assets throughout their life cycle through the increased use of the In-Sourced Workshops. The aim of the initiative is to expand on the Workshops to deliver in-sourced facilities management services, efficiently and cost-effectively in line with the FM Strategy. This will in turn build the maintenance capacity within the department.
Credible Suppliers
The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure sources the suppliers for its various undertakings within the confines of current prescripts such as the National Treasury Central Supplier Database (CSD) and including the provisions of the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) where applicable.
CSD is a repository of service providers that wish to participate in the goods and services rendered in government. The department has committed to enhancing the levels of screening of the service providers obtained from the CSD to ensure the department sources credible suppliers. Quotation-based procurement does not ideally facilitate for the adequate screening, hence a move toward tendering process where possible.
The tendering process allows for appropriate screening of the competencies of potential service providers. This is through an established procurement process that allows for the establishment of competent committees such as the Bid Specification Committee (BSC) and Bid Evaluation Committee (BEC) and the Bid Adjudication Committee (BAC).
29 August 2023 - NW13
Masipa, Mr NP to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
What are the details of the (a) total breakdown of funding used to support the Chloe Land Care Programme in Juno, Limpopo, since the start of the project, (b)(i) past and (ii) current land care programmes and (c)(i) beneficiaries of such programmes and (ii) employment created; (2) what led to the demise of the Chloe Sisal Project?
Reply:
(1)(a) The Chloe ‘LandCare’ Project was not funded from the LandCare Conditional Grant since its inception. On investigation we found out that the project was conceived from the umbrella principles of LandCare to pursue the LandCare ethos; it is for this reason the project was called Chloe LandCare.
The Chloe ‘LandCare’ Project sought to improve the grazing conditions of the area and to establish a livestock association. Workers were hired to erect the fence and to clear bush encroachment and sisal to improve the area under grazing.
Our further investigations revealed that this Project was funded from the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP)’s Integrated Incentive Grant and reported to Department of Public Works and Infrastructure as a National Transferring Officer for the grant.
(b) (i),(ii),(c)(i),(ii) List of 2021/22 and 2022/23 land care projects are attached. Please refer to Annexure A.
(2) The Limpopo Department of Agriculture undertook a rigorous economic assessment and research by a specialist who concluded that the Sisal projects should be closed since they were not economically viable.
29 August 2023 - NW2227
Tambo, Mr S to ask the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies
Whether he will elaborate in a comprehensive manner the bases of the predicted revenue increase for the SA Post Office of an average annual rate of 4.7% per cent, from R5.5 billion in the 2021-22 financial year to R6.3 billion in the 2024-25 financial year, which he alluded to in the recent debate on Budget Vote 30; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
The revenue budgets for the SA Post Office are contained in the Corporate Plan. In determining the revenue budgets in the Corporate Plan the following aspects were taken into consideration:
• Current revenue
• Current cost
• Revenue projects and initiatives
• Cost containment projects and initiatives
• Revenue tariff increases
• Inflationary increases
The budget is as per the Corporate Plan 2023/24FY is indicated below:
29 August 2023 - NW2453
Masipa, Mr NP to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
Considering that the Animal Health Act, Act 7 of 2002, was passed by Parliament and signed into law by former president Mr Thabo Mbeki in 2002, what (a) are the reasons that the specified Act was never promulgated and (b) was the name of the official who failed to implement the Act?
Reply:
a) The Animal Health Act, 2002 is a complete departure from the Animal Diseases Act 1984 and requires a complete overhaul of the entire animal health regulatory service. The country, industry and markets must be thoroughly planned and prepared as any hasty overhaul will have implications for South Africa’s trading partners. We are in the process of ascertaining and analysing what would be in the best interest for South Africa i.e. whether to strengthen weaknesses identified in the Act that is currently in force (Act No. 35 of 1984) or repeal and replace it with the un-promulgated Act (Act No. 7 of 2002). The Department aims to conclude this exercise before the end of the current calendar year and will approach Parliament for guidance once all factors have been assessed.
b) There are no records that point to any one official who could have decided not to have the Act promulgated. The Department is currently undertaking an analysis as to whether to strengthen the current Act No. 35 of 1984 or proceed with the necessary steps to promulgate Act No. 7 of 2002.
29 August 2023 - NW2195
Mazzone, Ms NW to ask the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies
With reference to his reply to question 1210 on 19 May 2023 and the costs associated with the upgrade of the Digitech website, (a) what is the name of the company, entity and/or person to whom the contract was awarded to redesign the website, (b) who are the directors and/or members of the entity that was awarded the specified contract, (c) what specifications and/or requirements were required in the design, (d) what is the purpose and function of the new website, (e) what was the justification for the cost of almost R 750 000 for redesigning the website and (f) what are the reasons that an outside service provider was appointed instead of the State Information Technology Agency that designed the original website?
Reply:
I have been advised by the Department as follows:-
(a) No external service provider was awarded the contract, as SITA was tasked by the DCDT to develop the website.
(b) No external service provider was awarded the contract, as SITA was tasked by the DCDT to develop the website.
(c) All requirements for the solution have been included in the User Requirement Specification (URS).
(d) The purpose of DigiTech is to collect data about digital products developed in South Africa with the aim of supporting the products’ technology enablement and promote and expand their adoption and use. Through DigiTech, the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies seeks to promote SA-developed digital products in other markets whilst facilitating partnerships with other countries on the co-promotion of local technologies (source: https://www.digitech.gov.za/en/about)
(e) The development of the website included the following key items:
• Project Management
• Infrastructure Provisioning Requirements and Software Upgrade o Upgrade of the O/S
• Upgrade of Application software
• Commissioning of the beta environment at CFI
• Development (analysis, design, and testing)
• User Requirement Specification
• Conceptual Solution Architecture
•Developing the DigiTech according to the URS
•Updating the Digitech website with the new theme
• Testing o Technical Testing
• UAT and Sign-off
• Implementation o Vulnerability assessment scans
•Deployment
(f) SITA was tasked by the DCDT to develop the website
28 August 2023 - NW2436
Hendricks, Mr MGE to ask the Minister of Basic Education to ask the Minister of Basic Education
(1) Whether her department has any regulatory control over the curriculum being taught by a certain school (name furnished) as confirmed by its Director for Education (details furnished); if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, (2) whether she will intervene to de-register and close the school for (a) promoting a certain ideology (name furnished) in furtherance of apartheid and (b) preparing and encouraging South African learners to serve in a foreign army that is renowned for its brutality and ongoing defence of apartheid (details furnished); if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details; (3) whether she has found that the school’s curriculum and ethos contravene the values of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, which rails at all forms of apartheid, which the United Nations Organisation declared a crime against humanity; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
1. The school is an independent school and the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) indicates that it receives support as required. It teaches the CAPS curriculum.
All independent schools are required to adhere to the Regulations relating to the registration of and subsidies to independent schools, which is monitored by the Provincial Education Departments (PEDs).
The school must ensure that:
(i) The average duration of a school day and the minimum number of school days per calendar year comply with the prescribed national hours as stipulated in the National Curriculum Statement (NCS) and Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement Documents.
(ii) The curriculum for learners in the various school phases meet the required outcomes of the NCS and are recognised by the Authority and Higher Education South Africa, and after registration, the independent school applies for accreditation with Umalusi.
The WCED ensures that the standards by and conditions under which such examinations are conducted by an independent school, equate to those required of a public school for the same examination.
The WCED will monitor the school’s compliance with the assessment requirements, including School Based Assessment (SBA), Practical Assessment Tasks, and Language oral assessments. This involves, inter-alia, moderation of assessments.
2. The power to deregister schools lies with the relevant Provincial Education Department.
3. The CAPS curriculum is aligned to the Constitution.
24 August 2023 - NW2049
Breytenbach, Adv G to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
Whether Christiaan Prinsloo, a former Police Colonel, convicted of stealing policeowned firearms and selling them to, amongst others, Cape Town gangs, racketeering, corruption and theft, who as a result was sentenced to an effective 18 years of direct imprisonment on 21 June 2016 by the Bellville Regional Court, has been released on parole; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, (a) on what date and (b) what process was followed prior to his release?
Reply:
a) Offender Christiaan Prinsloo was released on parole on 04 August 2020, and his sentence will expire on 20 June 2033.
b) The offender in question benefitted from the special remission of sentence granted by the President of the Republic of South Africa on 16 December 2019, which reduced his sentence with one (01) year. He then became eligible to be considered for parole as part of the Special Parole Dispensation and his placement on parole was approved by the Correctional Supervision and Parole Board (CSPB).
The following factors were inter alia taken into consideration when an offender was considered for possible placement on parole:
- the offender ‘s response to development and treatment programmes associated with rehabilitation;
- the existence and quality of support systems in the community;
- the probability of re-offending;
- the risk that the offender may pose to the community at large;
- the outcome of restorative justice processes and possible referral for mediation if it had not been done prior to the CSPB meeting; and
- the risk to the victim.
END
22 August 2023 - NW2376
Mhlongo, Mr TW to ask the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture
(1). What impact does the ongoing litigation against the outcomes of the elections held in 2022 have on the day-to-day operations of the SA Football Association (SAFA) and its legacy trust. (2). what is the status of the criminal investigation against the SAFA President filed by a former SAFA National Executive Committee Member, as stated in the SAFA Annual Financial Statement? NW2713E
Reply:
(1). According to SAFA, the day-to-day work is progressing without any hindrance. The Legacy Trust as an entity has concluded its work and a closeout report has been sent to Parliament through the Department of Sport Arts and Culture and to the Portfolio Committee of Sport during SAFA’s appearance in April 2023. The ongoing litigations only mean that some of the funds meant for football development is now being channeled to defending the Association against such litigations.
(2). The status can only be provided by law enforcement and the individual who laid the charges.
22 August 2023 - NW2170
Mulder, Mr FJ to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
Whether the (a) Legal Practice Council and/or (b) any of the various Bar councils in the Republic have set (i) race and/or (ii) gender admission targets for pupillages in their domain; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details; (2) What (a) race and (b) gender were the pupils who (i) applied for and (ii) were admitted to a pupillage position to become an advocate at the various Bars in the Republic in the past three years?
Reply:
(1) The Legal Practice Council has not set specific race or gender targets for admission to pupillage. The Legal Practice Council does focus on transformation, as one of its core mandates, and this is evident in the pupils who are admitted into the pupillage programmes each year.
The Bar Councils are non-statutory independent bodies and the Minister does not account to Parliament for their actions and policies.
(2) Number of Pupils 2021, 2022, 2023 (broken down by race and gender) with registered Practical Vocational Training Contracts at the various Bar Councils in South Africa:
2021 |
||
Race |
Gender |
Total |
Black |
Female |
29 |
Coloured |
Female |
4 |
Indian/Asian |
Female |
1 |
White |
Female |
7 |
Black |
Male |
36 |
Coloured |
Male |
3 |
White |
Male |
5 |
2022 |
||
Race |
Gender |
Total |
Black |
Female |
42 |
Coloured |
Female |
1 |
Indian/Asian |
Female |
3 |
White |
Female |
7 |
Black |
Male |
34 |
Coloured |
Male |
1 |
Indian/Asian |
Male |
2 |
White |
Male |
2 |
2023 |
||
Race |
Gender |
Total |
Black |
Female |
40 |
Coloured |
Female |
5 |
Indian/Asian |
Female |
2 |
White |
Female |
3 |
Black |
Male |
38 |
Coloured |
Male |
3 |
Indian/Asian |
Male |
3 |
White |
Male |
6 |
22 August 2023 - NW2385
Horn, Mr W to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
With reference to the lifestyle audits that will be undertaken in terms of the Regulations and Guide issued by the Department of Public Service and Administration in 2021, what (a) steps has he taken to ensure the audits are undertaken in (i) his department and (ii) entities reporting to him and (b) are the details of the outcomes of any audit that has already been undertaken?
Reply:
Background: Lifestyle audits, according to DPSA guide on lifestyle audits, are a critical and legitimate management tool and forms part of a department’s system of risk management. Accordingly, heads of department are required, in terms of Regulation 22 of the Public Service Regulations of 2016 to analyse ethics and corruption risks as part of their department’s system of risk management.
The DPSA guide on lifestyle audits divided the lifestyle process in three phases that include lifestyle review by using the financial disclosure framework as a tool, then the second phase is to conduct investigations if the lifestyle review is indicating that the declared interests are not commensurate with the lifestyle of the particular designated employee, and lastly a full lifestyle audit is to be conducted if the investigation has found indications or suspicions of the designated employee living beyond their means.
a) In the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, the steps taken to ensure the audits are undertaken include the following:
(i) lifestyle reviews were done through the Financial Interests Disclosure Framework, as part of the lifestyle audit process for the previous financial disclosure periods. All the Senior Management Service members were verified, an assessment report with findings was provided by the Public Service Commission, and no SMS member was recommended for a detailed profiling in relation to their affordability and standard of living.
Secondly, lifestyle reviews were done for other categories of employees designated to disclose financial interests that include financial administration employees, supply chain management employees, Middle Management Service members and equivalent OSD designated employees, assistant directors and equivalent OSD designated employees. In this category, there were no referrals recommended after the reviews were done.
Furthermore, the Department has a risk management policy in place and is in the process of reviewing the Anti-Corruption and Ethics management policy to include lifestyle audits as one of the tools to prevent, investigate and ultimately deal with employees who are found to have acted unethically or committed any offence that include fraud, theft, conducting business with the organs of the State and corrupt activities in general.
(ii) Steps taken to ensure the audits are undertaken in Department and entities reporting to the Minister,
- In the NPA, lifestyle review and lifestyle investigations were conducted for all SMS and Non-SMS members. During the 2021/22 financial disclosure period, 203 SMS members (Level 13-16) and 982 non-SMS members (Level 9-10 including OSD) submitted their financial declarations through the e-Disclosure system. These categories of employees were verified and there were no referrals recommended for detailed profiling in relation to conducting full investigations. In addition, the NPA conducted a total of 1185 random lifestyle reviews for both SMS and Non-SMS. Out of the 1185, a total of 7 officials were referred for lifestyle investigations.
- The Office of the Chief Justice (OCJ) has drafted a lifestyle audit policy, which is in the consultation stage. However, lifestyle reviews are conducted in accordance with the Financial Interests Disclosure Framework, as provided by Regulation 18 of the Public Service Regulations, as the OCJ’s policy has not been approved, no audits have been undertaken in terms thereof and no outcomes can therefore be reported.
b) Are the details of the outcomes of any audit that has already been undertaken?
Regarding the Department as well as the two institutions/entities reporting to the Minister, there were no referrals emanating from lifestyle reviews for further investigations and therefore no audits have been conducted in the preceding periods.
There are no outcomes that can be reported at this stage.
21 August 2023 - NW2277
Kohler-Barnard, Ms D to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans:
(1) Whether she has been invited to make a submission to the panel probing the docking of the Lady R at Simon’s Town in December 2022; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details; (2) whether she has held any official at Defence Intelligence accountable for allowing the specified ship to dock at Simon’s Town; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
The Department of Defence was invited to make a submission to the panel probing the docking of Lady R in Simon’s town in 2022. The Department of Defence and its entities presented and submitted their version of events and evidence to the panel investigating the docking of Lady R in Simon’s town in 2022.
All invited parties were welcomed to submit any forms of evidence to the panel to assist it to finilize its investigation and to bring this matter to its ultimate conclusion within its mandate. However as stated in previous public statements, No arms were loaded and transported to Russia.
21 August 2023 - NW1892
Cebekhulu, Inkosi RN to ask the Defence and Military Veterans
(1) Whether the Republic supplied arms to Russia during the period of its war against Ukraine; if not, what (a) are the relevant details surrounding the docking of Lady R in Simon’s Town in December 2022 and (b) assurance can the Government give South Africans regarding the claims by the United States Ambassador to the Republic of South Africa, Mr Reuben E. Brigety, which stand to destabilise the Rand; if so, (2) Whether this can be regarded as a breach in the Republic’s stance of neutrality on the war; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? (
Reply:
(1) On the 11th May 2023, US Ambassador Reuben E. Brigety convened a press conference and levelled allegations regarding weapons and ammunition being loaded onto US sanctioned Russian cargo vessel Lady R during the docking of Lady R in Simon’s Town in December 2022.
As stated in many previous public statements and I reiterate that nothing was loaded onto Lady R, but rather, Lady R was delivering equipment that was ordered by SANDF pre –Covid in 2018/19.
Due to the serious nature of these allegations, the extent of public interest and the negative implications for South Africa’s international standing, the President of the Republic of South Africa, H.E. Cyril Ramaphosa announced the establishment of an independent inquiry into the circumstance of the docking of Lady R in Simon’s Town.
Through this inquiry, Government seeks to investigate and establish all the facts that led to docking of Lady R in Simons Town.
The Department of Defence welcomed the President’s decision to institute the investigation as it would offer the department an opportunity to ventilate its side of the story with concrete evidence and to address any unwanted allegations.
It is therefore prudent that the panel be granted space and time to finilize its investigation and to bring this matter to its ultimate conclusion within its mandate.
(2) As stated in the response above, nothing was loaded onto Lady R and South Africa still remains neutral and non-align in the Russia- Ukraine conflict and still firmly believes in the view that multilateralism, dialogue and negotiations are the key to unlock sustainable international peace.
21 August 2023 - NW2432
Mohlala, Ms MR to ask the Minister of Water and Sanitation
What (a) measures has his department together with the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs put in place to effectively address the critical issue of municipalities struggling to meet their payment commitments for bulk water, which poses a severe threat to essential services and the well-being of affected communities, (b) actions and strategies will he take to tackle the mounting municipal debts to water boards, in the event that the defaulting municipalities persist in their non-responsiveness and neglect of their obligations and (c) specific measures does his department have in place to ensure their accountability and prevent the burden of non-payment from unfairly impacting the water boards?
Reply:
a) The Department of Water and Sanitation convened a joint workshop with Water Boards, National Treasury, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) and South African Local Government Association on 5 December 2022. The purpose of the workshop was to develop strategies to improve Billing and Revenue Collection in the water sector. The resolution from that workshop was to draft standardised operating processes (SOP) for debt recovery, to cater for both the Water Boards and the Department’s Water Trading Entity.
b) The proposed actions and strategies in place to tackle the municipal debt include the following:
- DWS will collaborate with National Treasury to ensure that equitable share allocations are withheld from non-paying municipalities.
- DWS will ensure that standardised credit control and debt recovery processes are put in place across all the water boards. This will include consistent enforcement of water restrictions on non-paying municipalities and legal processes to attach municipal bank accounts where necessary.
- Bulk prepaid meters will be installed by water boards in municipalities with a poor payment record.
c) The Minister has finalized the consultation process with 144 Water Services Authorities on the outcome of the above-mentioned workshop. The Minister is currently engaging with the Water Boards regarding the measures to address municipal debts to the Water Boards.
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21 August 2023 - NW2375
Mhlongo, Mr TW to ask the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture
Whether a certain person (name furnished) is still employed by the SA Football Association Legacy Trust; if not, what (a) was the position of the specified person and (b) are the reasons stated for leaving the employ of SAFA; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
According to SAFA, Ms. Amanda Dlamini has never been employed by the 2010 Legacy Trust, (a) and (b) falls off.
21 August 2023 - NW2377
Mhlongo, Mr TW to ask the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture
What are the full details of the state of football development in each of the 52 regions of the SA Football Association, giving objective criteria in terms of the (a) regional and local football association leagues and competitions, (b) financial stability, (c) governance, (d) administrative capacity and (e) any other specified related criteria?
Reply:
According to SAFA, Football is being played in all our 52 Regions. We have the Men and Women Regional Leagues. The promotion and demotion system are in place, wherein teams from the Regional Leagues are being promoted to the Provincial Leagues, which are known as ABC Motsepe Leagues and Sasol Provincial Leagues. Furthermore, our teams are also being promoted from the Provincial Leagues to the Motsepe Foundation League and Hollywood bets Super League.
We believe that with the availability of more financial resources, the highlighted areas, which are financial stability, governance, and administrative capacity, can be improved.
21 August 2023 - NW1891
Cebekhulu, Inkosi RN to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans
Whether it is a usual and/or an acceptable practice that a commercial vessel such as Lady R is permitted to dock and\or offload at one of the Republic’s naval bases, while it should have docked in the harbour of Cape Town, Port Elizabeth or Durban, as is the case with commercial vessels; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
(1) On the 11th May 2023, US Ambassador Reuben E. Brigety convened a press conference and levelled allegations regarding weapons and ammunition being loaded onto US sanctioned Russian cargo vessel Lady R during the docking of Lady R in Simon’s Town in December 2022.
As stated in many previous public statements and I reiterate that nothing was loaded onto Lady R, but rather, Lady R was delivering equipment that was ordered by SANDF pre –Covid in 2018/19.
Due to the serious nature of these allegations, the extent of public interest and the negative implications for South Africa’s international standing, the President of the Republic of South Africa, H.E. Cyril Ramaphosa announced the establishment of an independent inquiry into the circumstance of the docking of Lady R in Simon’s Town.
Through this inquiry, Government seeks to investigate and establish all the facts that led to docking of Lady R in Simons Town.
The Department of Defence welcomed the President’s decision to institute the investigation as it would offer the department an opportunity to ventilate its side of the story with concrete evidence and to address any unwanted allegations.
It is therefore prudent that the panel be granted space and time to finilize its investigation and to bring this matter to its ultimate conclusion within its mandate.
18 August 2023 - NW2184
Nodada, Mr BB to ask the Minister of Basic Education to ask the Minister of Basic Education
(1) Whether she will furnish Mr B B Nodada with a list of schools that are located in high-risk communities in each province; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details; (2) what manner of psycho-social support does her department offer the specified schools in the specified communities; (3) whether her department has engaged with the Departments of Social Development and Health regarding the placement of students of psychology, psychiatry and/or social work in the high-risk schools; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details of the engagements?
Reply:
1. A total number of 805 Schools is being prioritized for the provision of comprehensive Psychosocial Support (PSS) across the nine (9) Provinces. The list is hereby attached.
2. The package of PSS interventions provided in these schools is as follows:
2.1 Capacity building of School Based Support Teams on the School guide for Psychosocial Support.
2.2 Visiting Professional Nurses and Social Workers.
2.3 A Learner Support Agent (LSA) in each school.
2.4 Linkages with Community Based Organizations for referrals through a guided mapping process.
2.5 Childcare (ECD) Vouchers for young mothers.
2.6 Homework Support.
2.7 Keeping girls in schools programmes (Return to school programme support).
2.8 Gender Based Violence prevention programmes.
2.9 Linkage to Post-violence care services.
2.8 Debriefing services for educators and LSAs.
3. Placement of students of social work in schools is part of on-going discussions taking place as part of a Strategy for the placement of Social Services Professionals in Schools that is currently being led by the Department of Social Development. Placement of Psychology Students will be taken up with Universities as part of the development of the Mental Health App whose aim will be provision of counselling services to learners. Both these processes have started.
18 August 2023 - NW2152
Sithole, Mr KP to ask the Minister of Tourism
Whether, considering the recommendation that the SA Tourism Board should engage an independent and capable body to test the compliance of its five-year strategic plan and Annual Performance Plans (APPs) with the SMART principle of being specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound before finalising and tabling the strategic documents to Parliament, and noting that the APPs have not been presented to Parliament in the past year, her department intends to take up the specified recommendation with the Board; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
Following the recommendations of the Portfolio Committee, I sent a letter to the Chairperson of the SA Tourism Board in response to the recommendations. The letter is attached as Annexure A.
I have, further, been informed by SA Tourism that to ensure compliance of its five-year strategic plan and Annual Performance Plans (APPs) with the SMART principle of being specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound before finalising and tabling the strategic documents to Parliament, SA Tourism has the following process when developing its Strategic Plan and APP:
- An external facilitator is appointed to drive the strategic conversation with the participants and document key insights from the discussions. SA Tourism compiles the Strategic Plan and APP with input from the different business units.
- The Strategic Planning, Evaluation, and Programme Management (SPEPM ) unit of SA Tourism ensures that the requirements of the Revised Framework for Strategic Plans and Annual Performance Plans and other relevant regulations are implemented; the interrogation of the business units’ targets to ensure the results are linked to the outcome; to review the targets and indicators to ensure they comply with the SMART criteria; as well as training and advising business unit managers on strengthening their KPIs to meet the SMART criteria.
- Furthermore, the Strategic Plan and APP is reviewed by SA Tourism’s Internal Audit unit as they are independent of the planning process.
- In prior years the Auditor-General reviewed the APP before submission to the Department, however, for the FY23/24 APP, the AGSA indicated that it would no longer undertake this proactive assurance. The Department of Tourism has a final review of the APP before submission to the Minister.
As detailed above, the indicators and targets are reviewed by the SPEPM unit, Internal Audit unit as an independent quality assurer and the Department of Tourism. The need for an independent review of the draft strategic documents will continue to be met through the use of Internal Audit as a competent, independent unit to implement relevant audit procedures to test for compliance with prescripts.
17 August 2023 - NW2523
Herron, Mr BN to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
(1) With regard to the findings of the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), as reported in the Final Consolidated Report for Proclamation R23 of 2020, dated 10 December 2021, in particular the findings of the SIU on the City of Cape Town (CCT) (details furnished), what progress has been made by the SIU regarding instructions to the State Attorney; (2) whether any civil action has been instituted following the report of the SIU; if not, why not; if so, (a) on what date and (b) what is the current status of such action; (3) whether the SIU informed the CCT that the (a) expenditure was regarded as irregular and (b) service provider profited excessively; if not, why not, in each case; if so, on what date was the CCT informed; (4) whether the SIU had directed and/or expected of the City Manager (CM) to take any steps; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what steps (5) whether the SIU report found that the CM had taken the specified steps; if not, what are the consequences set out in the report of not taking the steps; if so, on what date did the SIU find that the CM took the steps?
Reply:
(1) With regard to the findings of the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), as reported in the Final Consolidated Report for Proclamation R23 of 2020, dated 10 December 2021, in particular the findings of the SIU on the City of Cape Town (CCT) (details furnished), what progress has been made by the SIU regarding instructions to the State Attorney;
The SIU briefed the Office of The State Attorney, who in turn briefed suitable Senior Counsel on 25 November 2022.
(2) whether any civil action has been instituted following the report of the SIU; if not, why not; if so, (a) on what date and (b) what is the current status of such action;
Papers have been drafted and the institution of civil proceedings is imminent. Whereas the SIU is currently involved in discussions with the CCT’s attorneys regarding certain technical issues pertaining to the proceedings, this will not preclude the institution of the proceedings.
(3) whether the SIU informed the CCT that the (a) expenditure was regarded as irregular and (b) service provider profited excessively; if not, why not, in each case; if so, on what date was the CCT informed;
The CCT and/or its attorneys are aware of the SIU’s findings in the above regard. In view of the pending institution of litigation and the related current discussions between with the SIU and CCT’s attorneys, the disclosure of further detail is considered confidential at this stage.
(4) whether the SIU had directed and/or expected of the City Manager (CM) to take any steps; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what steps
The SIU has not directed and/or pertinently required of the City Manager to take any specific steps.
(5) whether the SIU report found that the CM had taken the specified steps; if not, what are the consequences set out in the report of not taking the steps; if so, on what date did the SIU find that the CM took the steps?
As indicated above, the SIU has not directed and/or pertinently required of the City Manager to take any specific steps.
17 August 2023 - NW2442
Msimang, Prof CT to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
Considering that the President, Mr MC Ramaphosa, recently authorised the Special Investigating Unit to investigate allegations of serious maladministration in the affairs of a certain Office (details furnished), which was identified by reports of the Auditor-General of South Africa, (a) how long will the specified investigation take, (b) what total budget has been set aside and (c) what are the expected outcomes?
Reply:
a) How long will the specified investigation take
It is estimated that the investigation will take approximately 12 months. However, given the nature of forensic investigation(s), it may be finalised sooner or be extended, depending on the evidence uncovered during the investigation.
b) What total budget has been set aside
The Special Investigating Unit is not in a position to say whether any budget has been set aside by the relevant entity. However, it is estimated that the investigation will cost R4 880 554.24.
c) What are the expected outcomes
It is expected that the investigation should produce inter alia the following outcomes, provided that sufficient evidence be uncovered during the investigation to support these outcomes:
- The recovery of losses suffered by the state through the institution of civil proceedings;
- Referral of evidence of misconduct for the institution of disciplinary or corrective action;
- Referral of evidence indicating, or pointing to a criminal offence to the National Prosecuting Authority;
- Identify systemic gaps and make systemic recommendations to avoid identified instances of maladministration from occurring in future;
- Closure reports on all sub-investigations conducted as per the proclamation; and
- Submit Presidential Reports, as envisaged in sections 4(1)(f) and (g) of the SIU Act.
Given the nature of forensic investigation(s), the SIU cannot warrant that its investigations or its forensic services will result in the detection of impropriety, malpractice or criminal conduct, or in any successful remedial civil or disciplinary proceedings or criminal prosecutions. The outcomes of forensic investigations are unpredictable and the success of the legal outcomes, in particular civil litigation and/or criminal prosecution, are largely dependent on other entities, such as the National Prosecuting Authority, Office of the State Attorney, the South African Police Service, the Special Tribunal, the courts and the judicial system.
END
16 August 2023 - NW616
Kruger, Mr HC to ask the Minister in the Presidency
How much progress has the Red Tape Unit made in implementing a red tape regulatory framework that will ease the regulatory burden on small businesses?
Reply:
The DSBD was requested to provide input on the Framework that has been put in place to address the issue of Red Tape.
The Department has indeed assessed measures nationally, provincial and locally. There are a multitude of legislative and regulatory criteria that small businesses need to comply with, not all of them are “onerous”, but still it provides a good indication that our regulatory frameworks are not well coordinated and synchronised, and are often duplicatory, placing both a cost and time burden on small businesses. The DSBD has prioritised twenty-nine (29) pieces of legislation (and related regulations, and by-laws, etc) that impact on SMME growth and development. This is summarised in Figure 2.
Names of legislation and Relevant Details
The twenty-nine (29) pieces affect informal sector, small, medium micro enterprises and cooperatives
across the spectrum. Regarding cooperatives, we have noted that CIPC reporting under the Co-operatives Development Act, is onerous as most co-ops are required to submit audited financial statements. That imposes a considerable expense, which does not apply to any other small enterprise. This contrasts with the Company’s Act which has specified thresholds over which enterprises are required to submit audited annual financial statements.
The Department has put out a request for quotations to enlist private sector red tape and small business development “experts” to conduct an analysis of these twenty-nine pieces of legislation and regulations, as well as other targeted sources of red tape like CIPC reporting for cooperatives. We have already however analysed several areas of “red tape” and ease of doing business challenges over the past few years and group these into the following categories:
- Business Registration & Reporting;
- State Procurement;
- Construction Industry; and
- Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment.
The Pilot Administrative Simplification Programme (PASP) focuses on institutionalising the best practices and learnings made by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) and Ease of Doing Business (EODB) and is focused on local government - its interventions target Districts/Secondary Cities and Local Municipalities. The Department of Small Business Development (DSBD) is by no means the sole player in this ecosystem for measuring impact of the red tape reduction ecosystem:
- The Investment Climate Reform Programme (formerly, the National Ease of Doing Business Programme) follows and focuses on improving the Investment Climate within the country. The key focus of the National Programme is starting a business, paying taxes, registering property, Construction Permits and trading across borders. The programme is located within the dtic and falls under its InvestSA branch.
- The Sub National Doing Business Programme finds expression through the National Treasury’s Cities Support Programme targeting metros, and focusing on Construction Permits, registering property, enforcing contracts and getting electricity.
- In addition to the Doing Business Survey, the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) vigorously pursues the tracking of MTSF Priority 2 targets, monitoring 40% of the indicators, as well as focusing on the expansion of access to procurement opportunities to SMMEs, youth and women.
- The integration of the MFMA, Circular 88 sector and economic indicators (including electricity) is thematic and provides a level of integration between traditional indicators measured in local government, and those that have been shown effective in National and Sub National Doing Business Programmes.
Measuring the Impact of the DSBD Red Tape Reduction PASP
The key focus of the PASP is measuring the impact of seven (7) Red Tape Reduction dimensions identified by the Guidelines approved in 2014:
- Improving Municipal Service Delivery: Citizen Service Charters and Complaints Notification Systems (CNS).
- Improving Municipal-Business Communication and Customer Relationship Management (CRM).
- Improving Municipal Policies, By-laws, and Regulations.
- Improving Supply Chain Management Processes.
- Speeding up Land Development Processes and Time Frames - Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act (SPLUMA).
- Speeding up Building Plan Approval Processes and Time Frames.
- Better Management of Informal Trading.
The following is a multi-level strategy driven by the DSBD, that has been put in place for measuring the impact of the programme:
- Questionnaires on compliance for managers, e.g., Supply Chain Manager, Building Plans Approval Manager, etc. for the seven (7) key red tape indicators.
- Survey of SMMEs on the seven (7) key indicators of Red Tape challenges.
- Focus groups with SMMEs to get clarity of the challenges they identified through the surveys conducted.
- Assessment of Compliance for “good practise” in the above seven (7) areas of a municipality.
- Functionality Assessment of compliance measures.
- Action Plans developed to address performance deficits across the seven (7) key red tape indicators.
- Action Plan Registers to Monitor Progress on the implementation of interventions contained on the seven (7) key red tape indicators of the Action Plans recommended.
- Reports on the above.
The Presidency communicated to Premiers, in November 2022, to establish Red Tape Reduction Units in their respective provinces. There is continuous engagement with the provinces by the Presidency to facilitate the establishment of the Red Tape Reduction units in each province. The Department of Small Business Development (DSBD) continues to engage the Presidency to get feedback on the progress made on the matter.
It is anticipated that the business units responsible for the red tape in the provinces, especially in offices of the Premiers, will act as Red Tape Reduction Champions at the highest level in the respective provinces as something that is sorely needed to galvanize the entire SMMEs and cooperatives sector at the provincial level. This will be complementary to the work that is being done by the Departmental and Presidential red tape reduction business units.
NAME OF THE DRAFTER : ____________________________
DESIGNATION : ____________________________
CONTACT DETAILS : ____________________________
SIGNATURE : ____________________________
16 August 2023 - NW889
Kohler-Barnard, Ms D to ask the Minister in The Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation
(1) What progress has her Office made in incrementally eliminating wasteful and fruitless expenditure in public sector institutions; (2) whether she will furnish Ms D Kohler with the amount lost in each year due to wasteful and irregular expenditure since 1 January 2019 to date; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details; (3) whether her Office is on track to achieve a 75% reduction in qualified audits in the public sector by 31 March 2024; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
1. The Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) has been working with other departments to improve financial management within the public sector. Some of the measures to this end include the implementation of the Heads of Department Performance Management and Development System (HoD PMDS), which includes the prevention of fruitless and wasteful expenditure as one of the Key Government Focus Areas that are assessed. This and other measures complement the amendments to the Public Audit Act, which empowers the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) to issue a certificate of debt for failure to implement the remedial action if financial loss was involved. Data shows that these measures are beginning to make an impact, as reflected in the 2021/22 report of the AGSA, which shows that there has been a decline in the number of institutions that incur fruitless and wasteful expenditure.
2. The 2021-22 report of the AGSA shows that public sector institutions disclosed fruitless and wasteful expenditure of R5,83 billion over the past three years of the current administration. In 2020-21 financial year public sector instituions incurred R1,72 billion in fruitless and wasteful expenditure. This was a decline from the 2019-20 financial year when R2,23 billion in fruitless and wasteful expenditure was incurred. Whilst challenges persist, the report notes that a descernible improvement trajectory has been established.
(3) According to the 2021-22 report of the AGSA, audit outcomes have shown a gradual upward trend since the previous administration’s term ended, with 114 institutions improving whilst 46 regressed. During the 2021-22 financial year, 312 out of 424 public sector institutions achieved unqualified audit opinion (128 clean and 184 unqualified with findings). This translates into 74% (30% clean and 44 unqualified with findings). If this trend can be maintained the target of 75% of auditees achieving an unqualified audit opinion would be achieved by 2024.
THANK YOU
16 August 2023 - NW2348
Masipa, Mr NP to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
What are the details of the (a) reasons that the Pretoria Deeds Office has moved offices, (b) dates that her department knew about the need to move offices, (c) registration targets that were achieved by the Pretoria office in each month, (d) project plan of the relocation of offices and (e) reasons for failure to provide (i) deeds registry services during the relocation of offices and (ii) comprehensive plans to catch up with lost productivity days?
Reply:
a) The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) took a decision to consolidate all offices into a single building to improve access to services and service delivery.
b) September 2022.
c) 89% of deeds made available within 7 days from lodgement to registration against a target of 95%; and
99% of deeds are made available within 10 days from registration to delivery against a target of 95%.
d) Please refer to Annexure A for the Deeds Office project plan and communication to clients and the public.
e) (i) The Deeds Office did not fail to provide registry services during the relocation; the deeds office provided limited services i.e. only lodgement of deeds was suspended, and registration services proceeded as normal.
(ii) There is no need for a catch-up plan as the Deeds office was proactive and obtained approval for overtime before moving the office to ensure sustained productivity.
16 August 2023 - NW1517
Gondwe, Dr M to ask the Minister in the Presidency
With reference to the Public Service Commission Amendment Bill [B 21D of 2015], about which the Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration was recently informed by the Public Service Commission that the Bill is currently sitting with the Office of the President, on what date will the Bill be brought before Parliament?
Reply:
The Public Service Commission Amendment Bill [B 21D of 2015], has already been assented to by the President on 19 September 2019. The Bill was published in government gazette No. 42742 of 03 October 2019 as Act No. 10 of 2019.
The Department of Public Service and Administration is however currently processing another amendment to the Public Service Commission Act, the amendment was approved by Cabinet and published, by the Minister of Public Service and Administration, for public comments in the government gazette of 9 June 2023. The Minister of Public Service and Administration is the relevant Cabinet Minister responsible for the processing of the Bill to Parliament, as such it will be difficult for me to give an answer as to on what date the Bill will brought before Parliament.
NAME OF THE DRAFTER: Geofrey Mphaphuli
DESIGNATION : Principal State Law Adviser
CONTACT DETAILS : Ext 5403
SIGNATURE : ____________________________
_____________________________
Phindile Baleni (Ms)
Director General and Secretary of Cabinet
Date:
_____________________________
Khumbudzo Ntshavheni
Minister in the Presidency
Date:
16 August 2023 - NW1687
Kruger, Mr HC to ask the Minister in the Presidency
Whether she will furnish Mr H C C Krüger with a comprehensive breakdown of the procurement allocation of (a) her Office and (b) every entity reporting to her in terms of the percentages allocated to (i) small-, medium- and micro-enterprises, (ii) cooperatives, (iii) township enterprises and (iv) rural enterprises with a view to evaluating the effectiveness of the set-aside policy of the Government in fostering an inclusive and diverse economic landscape (details furnished) in the (aa) 2021-22 financial year and (bb) since 1 April 2023?
Reply:
The Presidency did not have the Minister in The Presidency under (Vote 1) until 06 March 2023. The Minister in The Presidency was located under Vote 08 (Department of Planning Monitoring and Evaluation).
There is currently no budget allocation linked directly to the office of the Minister
Procurement allocation is based on the Procurement Plan, which caters for the needs of The Presidency including the Ministries. There are no spending or allocations to the Minister for the period under review.
NAME OF THE DRAFTER : Dineo Kau
DESIGNATION : Acting Chief Financial Officer
CONTACT DETAILS : 063 669 1968
SIGNATURE : ____________________________
_____________________________
Phindile Baleni (Ms)
Director General and Secretary of Cabinet
Date:
__________________________
Khumbudzo Ntshavheni
Minister in the Presidency
Date:
16 August 2023 - NW209
Mbabama, Ms TM to ask the Minister in the Presidency
(1) What are the details of the (a) destination and (b) total costs for (i) accommodation, (ii) travel and (iii) any other costs incurred for international travel of each (aa) Minister and (bb) Deputy Ministers of his Office since 1 June 2019; (2) what is the total cost incurred for domestic air travel for each (a) Minister and (b) Deputy Minister of his Office since 1 June 2019? NW209E
Reply:
The Presidency did not have the Minister in The Presidency under (Vote 1) from 1 June 2019 to 06 March 2023. The Minister in The Presidency was located under Vote 09 (Department of Planning Monitoring and Evaluation).
On 6 March 2023, The President announced the appointment of the Minister in the Presidency (Vote 1), Ms. Khumbudzo Ntshavheni. The Minister is supported by two Deputy Ministers, Mr Kenneth Morolong and Ms. Nomasonto Motaung. The Minister in the Presidency (Khumbudzo Ntshavheni) costs are covered by the State Security Agency.
1. (aa) Minister in The Presidency (Khumbudzo Ntshavheni)
(a) Destination N/A
(b) Total cost for R0
(i) Accomodation (International ) R0
(ii) Travel and other costs (International) R0
(bb) Deputy Minister Kenneth Morolong
(a) Destination N/A
(b) Total cost for R0
(i) Accomodation (International ) R0
(ii) Travel and other costs (International) R0
(bb) Deputy Minister Nomasonto Motaung
(a) Destination N/A
(b) Total cost for R0
(i) Accomodation (International ) R0
(ii) Travel and other costs (International) R0
2. Domestic Air Travel
(a) Minister in the Presidency (Khumbudzo Ntshavheni) R0
(b) Deputy Minister Kenneth Morolong R22 928
(c) Deputy Minister Nomasonto Motaung R73 075
NAME OF THE DRAFTER: Mr K Mashapha
DESIGNATION : Acting Chief Financial Officer
CONTACT DETAILS : 012 300 5998
SIGNATURE : ____________________________
____________________
Phindile Baleni (Ms.)
Director-General and Secretary of the Cabinet
Date:
APPROVED/NOT APPROVED
______________________________
Ms Khumbudzo Ntshavheni
Minister in The Presidency
Date:
15 August 2023 - NW1325
Yako, Ms Y to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
Whether he has engaged Justice Cameron to ascertain the reasons he decided to disclose the escape of Thabo Bester to GroundUp; if not, why not; if so, what are the reasons that he never informed him and/or Parliament on his suspicions about the matter? NW1490E
Reply:
No,
The Portfolio Committee in its meeting on this matter thoroughly examined the issue; amongst other things, as to why Justice Cameron chose to disclose the details of the escape incident to the media in the way that he did. Therefore, there is no need to probe the matter further.
15 August 2023 - NW1008
Tambo, Mr S to ask the Minister in Presidency
a) What is the level of advertising spend by the out of home media business sector based on racial demographics? b) Does he intend to put measures in place to ensure more diversity in the market itself, to compel large agencies to participate in promoting black owned entities?
Reply:
Time Period |
Total ad spend on Out of Home |
Spend on 100% black owned companies |
Spend on 100% white owned companies |
Spend on other races |
2019/20 – 2022/23 |
R182 461 332.10 |
R150 142 904.05 |
R31 439 248.53 |
R5 353 440.00 (Indian owned) |
Percentage share |
82% |
17% |
1% |
b) GCIS has established the Marketing and Advertising Council (MAC), through which transformation in the Advertising and Marketing industry is at the top of the agenda. The council will conduct regular assessment and monitoring for compliance to the BEE code, to ensure that the entire industry comply and meet the minimum requirements,
Drafter of the Reply:
Name: Regomoditswe Mavimbela
Designation: DDG: Content Processing and Dissemination
Recommended/Not Recommended:
Ms Nomonde Mnukwa
Acting Director-General
Date: 10 August 2023
Approved / Not approved
______________________
Ms Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, MP
Minister in The Presidency
14 August 2023 - NW2004
Mathulelwa, Ms B to ask the Minister of Basic Education to ask the Minister of Basic Education
What (a) time frames has she determined for the eradication of pit toilets in all schools in Matatiele and (b) are the reasons that there have been so many delays in the process of eradicating such toilets?
Reply:
1. There are 3388 schools that are dependent on basic pit toilets on the Sanitation Appropriate For Education (SAFE) programme.
2. The balance of schools on the 3388 schools, sanitation projects at 2767 schools have already progressed to practical completion.
3. The target of the schools on the SAFE programme is scheduled to achieve practical completion by the end of 2023/24.
4. With regards to schools in Matatiele, DBE has provided 78 schools with Sanitation facilities and will provide sanitation facilities to the outstanding 4 schools in Matatiele by end of 2023/2024 financial year.