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MINISTER OF WATER AND SANITATION

The table below provides breakdown of the procurement allocation for the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) main account, and Water Trading Entity (WTE):

*QSE – Qualifying Small Enterprises *EME – Exempt Micro Enterprise

The table below provides breakdown of procurement spending for Entities reporting to the Ministry of Water and Sanitation. It is important to note that there is not set aside Policy in Government in relation to entities. Water Boards procurement budget for financial year 2021/22 was over R7 billion, whereas the expenditure for the year under review is more than R3 billion spent on small-medium- and micro-enterprises which is more than 45%. Water boards financial year 2022/23 information provided for Quarter 1 - 3 where one quarter is still to be reported.

Reply:

a) & (b) (i-ii) Regulation 62 of the Public Service Regulations (PSR), 2016 states that a secondment in terms of section 15 (2) or (3) of the Public Service Act, 1994 may only take place if-

(a) The employee or person being seconded has the necessary competency;

(b) The period of secondment does not exceed 12 calendar months, unless due to operational reasons determined otherwise by the Minister for the Public Service and Administration (MPSA); and

(c) An agreement has been concluded between the receiving and seconding department, organ of state, other government or any other body.

The recipient department, organ of state, other government or any other body in terms of section 15 (2) or (3) of the Act shall bear the inclusive costs of secondment, unless the seconding department, organ of state, other government or any other body agree otherwise.

Based on the above, the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) does not have a database of the information as secondments are administered by departments. Departments only approach the DPSA where they require a secondment for a period exceeding 12 calendar months as prescribed in Regulation 62 (1) (b) of the PSR, 2016.  

Therefore, this information must be sourced directly from individual departments as the information is not captured on the PERSAL system. 

(c) Through the National Treasury’s General Conditions of Contract (GCC) and Supply Chain Management: A Guide for Accounting Officers, guidance is provided to departments on the management of risks and associated conflict of interest from service providers. The relevant Treasury and each accounting officer may be approached to provide detailed information in response to this question.

End

Reply:

(a)(i)(ii)

Note:

1. There are no school without fence.
2. Not Adequate fence only means that the height of the fence does not meet the required height of 1.8m as stipulated in the Norms and Standards.
3. Incorrect measurement of the height of the fence in some of the schools

(b)(i)  The main reason for the delay in the upgrade of fencing is the challenge to balance all infrastructure needs within the constraints of the available budget

(b)(ii)  There are fencing projects at more than 500 schools scheduled for implementation in 2023/24

Reply:

The Department of Cooperative Governance (DCOG) will continue to support Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality in accordance with section 154 of the Constitution. This will be done in accordance with the District Development Model (DDM) in collaboration with other sector departments including the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) as DWS is responsible for water regulation. DWS monitors the management of drinking water quality compliance by WSAs and further engages the WSAs where non-compliance is detected. WSAs are required to register for the monitoring programme on the DWS’s Integrated Regulatory Information System (IRIS). Following the release of the Blue Drop Watch Report by DWS on 6 June 2023, DCOG in collaboration with DWS is developing an action plan, to be submitted to Cabinet, that seeks to address the non-compliances in the treatment processes of drinking water and effluent.

Furthermore, DCOG has embarked on a process of identifying stalled water projects, among others, in mainly dysfunctional municipalities that are perennial under spenders of the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG). DCOG has consulted with National Treasury and SALGA on the creation of MIG schedule 6B that will see DCOG implement the identified stalled projects in dysfunctional municipalities as a mitigating measure towards water resilience and universal access. The schedule 6B implementation will be done in this financial year.

End.

Reply:

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) and Nkomazi Local Municipality (LM) conducted a site inspection at 2ML reservoir in Ka-Hhoyi area. It was established that the concrete reservoir was leaking at the bottom. The Municipality indicated that a contractor will soon be appointed to inspect and repair the leaking reservoirs and several other water storages within the jurisdiction of Nkomazi LM.

The Municipality reported that a visual structural assessment was conducted to water storages within the jurisdiction and the report is in possession of the Municipality. Currently the Municipality advertised tender for the refurbishment of the water storages, which closed on the 24th of April 2023. The procurement process for appointment is planned to be concluded before end of September 2023. The project is funded by Nkomazi Local Municipality and the ward 11 water storage is one of the infrastructures that will benefit from the programme.

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Reply:

(1) A comprehensive overview of the procedure that was followed from the point when SA Tourism conceived the idea of a trip to New York to celebrate Freedom Day to the stage when the proposal was formally put forward for approval; if not, why not, if so, what are the relevant details.

I have been informed by South African Tourism that it has policies and a delegation of authority that guides the process for in-market programmes. The process that was followed for the Freedom Day celebration was as follows:

• One of the key programmes implemented annually is SA Tourism collaborating with the missions abroad to celebrate national days. For the 2023 Freedom Day celebrations, SA Tourism collaborated with the SA Mission in New York whereby the Consulate General of South Africa extended the invitation to the Mayor of New York for the event.
• Upon acceptance of the invitation by the Mayor of New York, the Hub-Head of SA Tourism in the US requested through an invitation that the Acting CEO of SA Tourism be part of the celebration as the event was elevated to high level dignitaries.
• The ACEO then submitted a formal motivation to the Minister on the 4th of April 2023 for approval to be part of the programme and this was approved on the 12th of April 2023.
• Subsequently, the ACEO saw the need to extend the invitation to the Portfolio Committee.
• A response from the Portfolio Committee was received on the 14th of April 2023.
• A request was made to the Minister on the 16th of April 2023 for the approval of the Portfolio Committee to travel to the US and for SAT to pay the costs.
• There was no Board approval for the project as this is part of the approved US Hub annual operational plan which focused on the collaboration with missions. Furthermore, the entity used the event to amplify the Global Advocacy programme.
• The budget for the event is part of the annual collaboration with missions which is part of the US Hub office annual operational plan.

The activities in New York were part of the localisation of the Global Advocacy Programme in the USA, which is a priority source market for South Africa. This was planned and delivered to amplify the Annual Global Advocacy Programme, which is a key deliverable of the entity’s Annual Performance Plan (APP) for the 2023/24 Financial Year, under Programme 3: Leisure Marketing.

(2) What checks and balances are in place to ensure that the proposed expenditure is compliant with rules and regulations.

South African Tourism manages all expenditure in line with the provisions of the PFMA, Treasury Regulations and associated internal control policies.

I advised that SAT cannot pay for Parliamentarians’ expenditure as these costs must be borne by Parliament.

Reply:

The Board of the Amatola Water had 12 meetings and 10 special board meetings, in the past 12 months. The prescribed number of meetings per year is six (6).

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Reply:

BACKGROUND

Discipline management is a decentralised function. Information pertaining to discipline is captured by departments on the PERSAL System. When this data is accessed by the DPSA, it provides a holistic picture on discipline management in the Public Service. When information is not captured or available (either due to non-existent categories on the PERSAL System, or negligence on the side of a department), this impact the perceived picture.

RESPONSE

What (a) total number of public servants were investigated for corruption, theft and/or fraud in the Public Service during the (i) 2019-20, (ii) 2020-21 and (iii) 2021-22 financial years and (b) is the breakdown of the specified number for each national and provincial department;

2) (a) in what total number of the investigations was consequence management taken and (b) what type of consequence management was taken by each national and provincial department;

3. In instances where consequence management was not taken, what are the reasons that it was not taken?

The PERSAL System only makes provision for department to enter records where action was taken and captured by departments.

4. What total amount is involved in each of the investigations into fraud, corruption and theft?

The information at our disposal through the PERSAL System does not reflect the specific amounts involved in the specific areas.

5. What total amount was recovered in the course of each investigation?

The information at our disposal through the PERSAL System does not reflect the amounts involved, however this may be sourced directly from each department.

End

Reply:

The Department of Water and Sanitation is not aware of any dysfunctionality which exists within the Amatola Water Board.

Any allegations that are brought to the attention of the Minister, that involves the Water Boards, are investigated, and addressed accordingly.

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Reply:

The table below provides breakdown of the procurement allocation for the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) main account, and Water Trading Entity (WTE):

*QSE – Qualifying Small Enterprises *EME – Exempt Micro Enterprise

The table below provides breakdown of procurement spending for Entities reporting to the Ministry of Water and Sanitation. It is important to note that there is not set aside Policy in Government in relation to entities. Water Boards procurement budget for financial year 2021/22 was over R7 billion, whereas the expenditure for the year under review is more than R3 billion spent on small-medium- and micro-enterprises which is more than 45%. Water boards financial year 2022/23 information provided for Quarter 1 - 3 where one quarter is still to be reported

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Reply:

In nature of the question posed, the arrests fall within the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation: Crimes Against the State.

Reply:

1. The NDA’s work to provide grant funding and capacity building for NPOs is limited by budget it receives from the National Treasury.

2. Yes. (a)(b)(c)(i)(ii) see Annexure A

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

(1)

a) 30 May 2023.

b) Station block, cells, single and married quarters.

c) A Back to Office Report is still in progress but has thus far captured serious concerns surrounding the flat concrete roof leaks at the block of flats, the cells that do not comply with the Project Five Start Specifications, the down pipes, aging infrastructure (waste water underground pipes) and lack of security measures.

(2) The provision, installation and connection of the JoJo Tanks are considered a capital works project and hence would require South African Police Services to request such capital works from DPWI as governed by the Service Level Agreement and Government Immovable Asset Management Act as they hold the Capital infrastructure budget. Regrettably, South African Police Services had independently purchased 3 x 5000lts JoJo tanks on the 08 August 2022. The same appointed Contractor that delivered the JoJo Tanks had them installed and connected to the main water municipal line.

As REONET (shared water savings initiative) is already on site, a request will be made to them for the possible assistance in electrical connection of the water tanks, failure which will require South African Police Services to fund this connection and create a Works Control System Project. A time frame can thus not be provided immediately.

(3) As South African Police Services are custodians of allocating official quarters to their qualifying members, this question must be posed to South African Police Services for a response.

(4) It is acknowledged that despite a safety assessment not being conducted that the spill over within the basement is of serious concern which has further been captured as such in the Back to Office Report. The Client was requested to log a call with NDPWI Central Call Centre to afford NDPWI an opportunity of addressing such via day-to-day.

(5) No, a budget has not been allocated for repairs and refurbishment of the station in the current financial year. The budget process has already commenced by means of the Back to Office Report which must be submitted to Construction Projects Management Business Units for evaluation and cost estimate purposes, after which such will be submitted to Property Portfolio Management Unit.

The following dates are projected:-

Submit Back to Office Report to Construction Projects Management Business Units by 30 June 2023. Construction Projects Management Business Units to evaluate and provide cost estimate by end of July 2023. Submit the motivation to Property Portfolio Management Unit or further attention in respect of processes to allocate funds and create a Works Control System Project within the first week of August 2023. Allocate funding and create a Works Control System Project for implementation within the 2024/2025 financial year, subject to availability of funds.

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure

(1)

(a) Attached please see progress update report made on the implementation of the recommendation by BDO

(b) The DPWI provided the fire damage report to the HAWKS as an input into the investigation into the Parliament Fire – DPWI awaits for the outcome of the independent investigation and apply consequences upon the outcome of the investigation for all the areas of uncertainty.

(2) Yes a follow up report was provided by BDO in February 2022, please see the attached report

(3) Please see the attached report

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

The DPWI is currently renting out both improved and unimproved state owned properties to various tenants, see attached Annexure A (active leases including both improved and unimproved as well as the tenant name and rental amount).

Reply:

(a) (b) (c)

(d) Around 9 000.

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

(1)

(a) As part of departmental calendar, the budget vote events are earmarked to interact with sector stakeholders to share developments around the policy imperatives and priorities of the department.

(b) The Cresta Grande hotel in Cape Town.

(2)

(a) The venue hire and dinner cost R132 457.60 for a guest list of about 130 persons.

(b) The budget line item was from the venue hire under goods and services

(3)

(a) 130 persons.

(b) The intended outcome was for information sharing and building cohesion within the sector on implementation of cross cutting programmes.

(4) (a),(b) and (c) Building strategic partnerships with sector stakeholders in promoting departmental outcome on integrated planning and coordination.

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

1. The Department availed a list of 258 vacant land parcels from its Immovable Asset Register to the Housing Development Agency (HDA) in support to accommodate the flood victims in KZN. The HDA applied its housing suitability criteria matrix which included environmental considerations and encumbrances and requested 5 land parcels within eThekwini to be availed. The below table indicates the land parcels made available within eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality. Table 1 refers:

Further to the above, the Department processed 04 land parcels in support of flood victims in the uMsunduzi Local Municipality. Table 2 refers.

In support of human development, the Department processed additional 13 land parcels for release to the HDA across provinces. HDA indicated that the land parcels released within KZN will also be utilised to support communities affected by the floods, in particular Portion 891, Erf. 76 Cato Manor within eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality.

2. (a) DPWI have approved released of the land parcels to the Housing Development Agency and have issued the Special Power of Attorney (SPOA) for commencement of the Town Planning processes whilst awaiting National Treasury endorsement and the initiation of transfer and conveyancing processes.

(b) The DPWI supports spatial transformation by releasing DPWI identified land parcels to the (HDA) for human settlement purposes. This is done in terms of both Departments constitutional mandates as well as in terms of the Departmental Disposal Policy that supports the social disposals. Further to the above, reference is made to the Cabinet Memorandum No.03 of 2019 (Cab memo) which approved that the state-owned land identified as suitable for human settlement development be released to the HDA as well as the issuing of the Power of Attorney in favour of the HDA.

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure

a) The total amount spent on the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) sector budget vote networking dinner was R 132, 457.60.

b) The criteria used to invite the guest list was on selecting key sector stakeholders such as entities, professional councils, identified beneficiaries from EPWP projects, young professionals and bursary holders, and oversight bodies such as members of Audit Committee and Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure.

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

(1)

(a) The department has approximately 71 number of stalled projects for a period exceeding 12 months due to construction companies’ incapability to complete the various contracts.

(b) The total monetary value is approximately R4.4 Billion for the infrastructure projects.

(c) The details of the projects are attached herewith marked as Annexure A.

(d) The is a range of measures taken by the department which include but not limited to warning letters, mora letters and ultimately termination of the contracts.

(2) The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure is a custodian of government infrastructure. The department has various entities, which are state owned companies, including the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB). The CIDB is a statutory body established to promote and regulate the construction industry. It plays a vital role in promoting best practices, regulating the industry and providing support to contractors. The CIDB is well positioned to address the concerns of incapable construction companies and effectively grading contractors to ensure that this conduct does not arise in future.

Reply:

1. (i) (ii) To date, 49 449 persons and 12 362 households receiving social grants have been linked to economic and employment opportunities. Not possible to provide detailed information at this stage as current data collection and analysis is not disaggregated accordingly to these categories.

The DSD Portfolio is working with the FinMark Trust on piloting the “Generating Better Livelihoods for Grant Recipients” initiative to link social grants beneficiaries to sustainable livelihoods opportunities through employment, skills development and social entrepreneurship. The project’s primary target is Child Support Grant and will be extended to other grant types.

Reply:

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Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

Background

In Park Road Police Station is being implemented by the Development Bank of South Africa on behalf of the Department of Public Work and Infrastructure. The project scope for this project entails construction of new facilities (New Gate House, Dog Kennels, CSC, Educational Centre and Archive) and Repair and renovation to all existing building.

a) Plant (IDP) was signed off by the DBSA, as SSD was experiencing cash flow problems. IDP, the second Contractor, was subsequently terminated on the 23 July 2019 due to non-performance.

b) (i) At that time of March 2019, the SSD was paid R9 704 530.60 for works done by SSD (about 15.4 % of Initial Construction Cost of R62 879 067.08) and progress on site was 17%. IDP were however terminated on the 23 July 2019 and no monies were paid to them.

(ii) The contract duration was for 24 months with the initial completion date of 30 November 2019. As mentioned above, the IDP were terminated on the 23 July 2019.

c) Following the ceding of the initial contract between SSD and IDP, and subsequent the termination of IDP. A new tender process was started under RFP 222/2019 to appoint the replacement contractor. The recommended bidder offer was R85 211 178. The DBSA requested funding for R98 299 615 (Construction, Professional Fees and DBSA Management fee) however this was no approved. DBSA was instructed to institute legal processes to claim from repudiated contractor and recover the funds in order to successful complete the project.

DBSA appointed Mpfumelelo Business Enterprise cc (MBE) on 29 October 2020 for R 48 970 754.93 on a phased scope. To date, the overall progress is approximately 73%, the anticipated practical completion date of is 03 October 2023. To date R 37 302 012,99 Incl. VAT has been certified for work done by MBE

MBE was handed over the Park Road SAPS site on 04 January 2021 and works commenced on the 18 of January 2021 for a 11 months duration to implement the reduced scope (Phase 1).

With respect to the percentage of budget and expenditure to date. As mentioned above, SSD was paid R9 704 530.60 for works done by SSD (about 15.4 % of Initial Construction Cost of R62 879 067.08). For the current contractor, R 37 302 012,99 Incl. VAT has been certified for work done by Mpfumelelo Business Enterprise cc (MBE) (About 76% of Contract amount of R48 970 754.93).

Reply:

1. Yes, eligible children continue to receive the full value of the Foster Care Grant, as per Child Support Grant Top-Up Policy which was adopted by Cabinet in 2015. The Policy emphasised that all orphans already in the court ordered foster care will remain in the system and will not be affected by the introduction of the CSG Top-Up. This is because it is constitutionally regressive to take the provision away from children who are already receiving it.

1. No. The provision of the grant is only applicable to new applicants with effect from date when the provision came into operation.

1. (a) As of May 2023, there were 289 139 Foster Care Grant and 43 135 beneficiaries children on the Child Support Grant Top-Up beneficiaries nationally.

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure

(1) The horticultural staff complement of TEFLA is herein below mention, however TEFLA has outsourced the pest control to a company called Choice Pest Control. Herein below is total number of horticultural staff employed to maintain gardens throughout the Parks are as follows:

(a) Acacia Park – 66

(b) Laboria Park - 8

(c) Pelican Park - 9

(2) Only pest control has been outsourced to a subcontractor, Choice Pest Control. All other horticultural services are provided by TEFLA directly through their internal staff.

(3) All horticultural work was part of the project scope and no additional costs are incurred by the Department in carrying out this work. The horticultural scope is attached.

Reply:

1. The said office had experienced capacity challenges as a result of high volumes of clients visiting due to carry overs from previous days. SASSA has since strengthened capacity and prioritised the Maponya Mall office to effectively address these issues.

1. (a) over 300 per day (b) 1500 weekly; and (c) 6 000 monthly

1. Yes. The Maponya Mall office uses a generator provided by the Centre Management. Though the generator is fully functional, load shedding has a negative impact on network connectivity which in turn results in losses in production time. SASSA Gauteng Region is currently looking at alternative load shedding back up power supply.

1. Yes. The office has (a) 3 security officers monitoring the safety of beneficiaries in the queues and CCTV cameras that have 24 hours recording capacity

(b) 30 minutes intervals

Reply:

We are committed to preventing, detecting and eliminating fraud and corruption in the social assistance programme. In this regard, we have taken full advantage of new technologies to strengthen anti-corruption measures, starting with the digitisation of our service offering. These include interfaces with the databases of other government departments, including Home Affairs (Population Register) to validate information on identity, life status, employment status, as well as PERSAL and Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF).

In addition to measures alluded to above, SASSA implements the following internal anti-corruption controls:

• Validation of applicants’ information through interfaces with systems from other entities.
• Conditional approval of a grant-pending bank account verification. Payment is extracted only if the bank account details match those of the approved beneficiary.
• Local offices perform daily verification of transactions as a process for ensuring that all transactions processed on SOCPEN are supported by the relevant documents.
• Biometric validation of all transactions will be implemented as from 01 June 2023. This serves as a non-repudiation of all transactions performed on the system.
• Confirm and validate all large amounts, and where there is suspicion of fraud, the payment of grants must be immediately stopped through Post Bank, or a bank recall is done through the South African Reserve Bank.
• Monthly run of the Oracle list of personnel against SOCPEN, immediately before cut-off for payment extraction on a monthly basis. Any records found added, except for FCG, must be held over for confirmation of eligibility before payment is released, even if this only happens the following month.
• Run an Oracle list of SASSA personnel against SOCPEN before grant payment extraction to identify staff on SOCPEN.
• System prohibition of one staff member using the credentials of another staff member to log onto the system.

Another method of combating Child Support Grant (CSG) fraud has to do with the implementation of the whistleblowing mechanism wherein SASSA employees and members of the public are able to report allegations of Fraud.

These allegations are investigated internally, since SASSA has an internal investigation unit which is well capacitated and works in conjunction with the Law Enforcement Agencies.

Reply:

1. The DSDTV is due to be launch in the second quarter of the current financial year. It is important to clarify that the platform that I referred to during the Budget Vote 19 is DSDTV, and not DSTV.

1. Once officially launched, DSDTV will be accessible to the public on the online platform on www.dsdtv.org.za. This online platform is commonly known as Over the Top (OTT) platform, a media service in which streaming of content is offered directly to viewers via the internet with no support of cable, broadcast, and satellite television platforms.

1. During the pilot phase, the Department will explore ways of monetising and zero rating the platform to cut down on data cost for the public.

1. It cost the Department R81 250 a month to set up, load information, design and maintain the platform.

1. There is no contractual agreement with DSTV. The platform will be piloted for a period of 12 months. Thereafter it will be evaluated before a final decision is taken on the way forward.

1. Financial constraints preclude the Department from entering into any arrangement with the SABC. The OTT platform provides Government with an invaluable opportunity to talk directly to its beneficiaries at a reduced cost. It also creates internal capacity and skills to produce DSD Portfolio-related content.

1. South African population.

1. The content will be sourced directly from the DSD Portfolio interventions and programmes and overseen by the Chief Directorate; Communication.

1. Refer to (h) above.

1. The content on the platform will focus on all areas of the DSD Portfolio.

1. Refer to (h) above.

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

1. The Department received a letter of demand from Geo Louw (representing Jana Van Rensburg).

2. The region had already obtained a legal opinion from State Attorney.

3. In terms of the legal opinion obtained from the State Attorney, the complainant should not be paid unless if there is a court order to that effect. The complainant as per the legal opinion provided, is not being disadvantaged, but in the event they believe in their case, they may proceed and test their case before a competent court of law as they did by way of issuing a letter of demand, hence litigation starts by issuing a letter of demand and the subsequent process shall follow thereafter.

4. It may also pose a challenge with the auditors in the sense that the Department may not have valid grounds as to why it deviated from the legal opinion provided, which legal opinion was accordingly requested by the same Department to guide the Department with the further handling of the matter in question.

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure

1. (a) Yes, in 2013 a desk top analysis was done and ascertained that areas of the station were over-utilized and SAPS have placed such need for a capital works project on their U-AMP. In addition, DPWI has provided additional space by means of a rehabilitation project relating to the conversion of garages into offices which has slightly alleviated the over-utilization. Final Delivery of this project was taken on the 05 September 2019.

b) Yes, the 2013 desk top revealed that the cells are in need of a total upgrade. The Client must register a Capital Works, works control system project to address this shortcoming as they hold the Capital infrastructure budget, which will be prioritized in terms of the placement on the U-AMP.

c) The Station had identified the need, in 2013, to convert the official single quarters into offices, which is a capital works project and will require the Client to register a Capital Works, works control system project as they hold the Capital infrastructure budget. However SAPS 2023/2024 U-AMP does not indicate this need and a revised conditional survey will have to be conducted in this regard and has been scheduled for the 30 May 2023.

d) Yes, a site assessment was conducted on the married quarters of the Brighton Beach Police Station

(i) The 2013 desk analysis ascertained that the married quarters were in good condition and were renovated last in 2007.

.(ii) A revised conditional survey will have to be conducted in this regard and has been scheduled for the 30 May 2023.

2. The provision, installation and connection of the JoJo Tanks is considered a capital works project and hence would require SAPS to request such capital works from DPWI as governed by the service level agreement as they hold the Capital infrastructure budget. Regrettably, SAPS had independently purchased 3 x 5000lts JoJo tanks on the 08 August 2022. The same SAPS appointed Contractor that delivered the JoJo Tanks had them installed and connected to the main water municipal line. The electrical supply from the JoJo tanks are currently running from extension cords. DPWI Workshops have been requested to evaluate whether they are able to assist in the connection of such and as a result, a firm date of electrical connection cannot be provided.

3. SAPS is required to request such capital works from DPWI as governed by the service level agreement as this is a capital works project as they hold the Capital infrastructure budget.

This request to DPWI is further required by the GIAMA.

4. DPWI has a Water Savings Term Contract, REONET, on site who had addressed this subject. Should this be a new complaint, SAPS to register a call with DPWI Day-to-Day Call Centre?

Reply:

(1) The following local municipalities are currently under intervention as provided for in section 139 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996:

(2) The National Treasury is the custodian of Municipal Finances and all information related to the finances and expenditure of municipalities resides with the National Treasury.

End.

Reply:

1. There was no emergency procurement undertaken during the state of disaster gazetted on 09 February 2023.

1. (i)-(ii), (bb), (cc) (dd) Notwithstanding work done by Eskom for risk mitigation, there was no emergency procurement done since the establishment of the National Energy Crisis Committee.

Reply:

Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs did not provide reply to question 1835 on 15 June 2022. The abovemention question was responded to By Minister of Water and Sanitation. It is recommended that honourable member transfer PQ 2378 to Ministry of Water and Sanitation to provided replies accordingly.

End.

Reply:

The public hospitals and forensic pathology mortuaries have continuous backup generator capacity. This helps mitigate the potential of mortal remains decomposing. There are continuous discussions with ESKOM to exempt public hospitals and Forensic pathology mortuaries from loadshedding. Most of the decomposed bodies are received by forensic pathology mortuaries mostly due to these bodies being discovered in public spaces after a longtime.

1. Measures taken to trace families for both public hospitals and forensic pathology mortuaries.

• In relation to Forensic Pathology Mortuaries, all unclaimed bodies are managed according to (i) the regulations for rendering Forensic Pathology Services (No R341 of 2005) – Section 43, 44, and 45 and (ii) the National Code of Guidelines for Forensic Pathology Practice in South Africa – Chapter 13 Section 460 to 464.
• It is the mandate of the South African Police Service (SAPS) to manage all unidentified cases from both the public hospitals and Forensic Pathology Service facilities. The SAPS has the competency of identification and tracing of families.

(b) Steps taken by the Department of Health to trace the families of the deceased?

The Department of Health collaborates with the SAPS, Department of Home Affairs (for finger prints), Department of Social Development (for tracing of families) and local municipalities (for paupers’ burial where families are not successfully traced).

The steps are as follows:

• In case of an unclaimed body where there are addresses provided, their next of kin are contacted.
• Tracing is also done by the social worker using details provided by the hospital.
• Community development/health workers are also used in tracing at last address that was given on the deceased patient’s file.
• The unclaimed deceased details and photos also get published through public media outlets.
• Should the tracing not be successful, the deceased’s DNA is extracted and sent to the SAPS Forensic Science Laboratory for storage in the database for future reference. It is only at this stage that the Department of Health makes an application to the Municipality for a Pauper burial.  

END.

Reply:

The use of consultants is regulated in the Municipal Cost Containment Regulations issued by the National Treasury.

End.

Reply:

Amalgamation of underfunded municipalities will not resolve challenges experienced in the local government. The Department of Cooperative Governance, National Treasury and the South African Local Government Association are in a process of looking at the possibility of revising the current equitable share formula to address the issue of underfunded municipalities.

End.

Reply:

1.The requested information resides with the Provincial Education Departments (PEDs); PEDs are best placed to respond as they are custodians of educational facilities (schools) in provinces. 

2a. School Based Support Teams (SBSTs) provide first level support and in addition to that, the districts provide psycho-social support to learners and staff. Furthermore, the Department collaborates with the sister Government Departments including Social Development, as well as, other relevant Non-Profit Organisations and stakeholder to provide support to learners, educators and other staff members at schools.

2b. Schools effectively implement the School Access Control Policy.  All schools are linked to their local police station (SAPS), as part of the MOU between National SAPS and DBE, this includes visits to schools by SAPS officials who conduct random searches and seizures.

Reply:

1. (b) (c) (d) No, the Department of Health has not commissioned any studies and or live monitoring to assess the current extent of electromagnetic pollution in urban and rural areas.

1. -(ii) The South African Products and Regulatory Authority (SAPHRA), which is an entity of the National Department of Health is responsible, from the viewpoint of human health, for regulating electronic products producing non-ionising electromagnetic fields (EMF), i.e. where the frequency of such EMF is less than 300 GHz. In carrying out this responsibility, SAPHRA has been utilising the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International EMF Project (www.who.int/peh-emf/en/) as its primary source of information and guidance with respect to the health effects of EMF. The International EMF Project was established by the WHO in 1996 to (i) assess the scientific evidence for possible adverse health effects of non-ionising electromagnetic fields on an on-going basis, (ii) initiate and coordinate new research in this regard, and (iii) compile health risk assessments for different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. The Department of Health has been a member of the International Advisory Committee of the International EMF Project since 1998.

In June 2005 the International EMF Project hosted a workshop that was specifically aimed at considering the possible health consequences of the emissions from cellular base stations and wireless networks. The findings of this workshop were summarised in a 2-page Fact Sheet (http://www.who.int/peh-emf/publications/facts/fs304/en/). The following extract from this Fact Sheet is still considered by the WHO as a summary of the findings to date, i.e. “Considering the very low exposure levels and research results collected to date, there is no convincing scientific evidence that the weak RF signals from base stations and wireless networks cause adverse health effects.”

Another WHO Fact Sheet was published in June 2011 and reviewed in October 2014, i.e. Electromagnetic fields and public health: mobile phones. This Fact Sheet can be found at http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs193/en/) and the conclusion is stated as follows: “A large number of studies have been performed over the last two decades to assess whether mobile phones pose a potential health risk. To date, no adverse health effects have been established as being caused by mobile phone use.”

The WHO recommends utilising internationally recognised exposure guidelines such as those published in 1998 by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) and reconfirmed in 2009 for the frequency range 100 kHz – 300 GHz (i.e. including all the frequencies employed by the cellular industry). The Department of Health likewise recommends the use of these ICNIRP guidelines to protect people against the known adverse health effects of EMF.

The numerous measurement surveys, which have been conducted around the world and in South Africa, have shown that the actual levels of public exposure as a result of base station emissions invariably are only a fraction of the ICNIRP guidelines, even in instances where members of the public have been really concerned about their exposure to these emissions. At present there is no confirmed scientific evidence that points to any health hazard associated with the very low levels of exposure that the general public would typically experience in the vicinity of a cellular base station. The Department is therefore satisfied that the health of the general public is not being compromised by their exposure to the microwave emissions of cellular base stations. This also means that local and other authorities, in considering the environmental impact of any particular base station, do not need to and should not attempt, from a public health point of view, to set any restrictions with respect to parameters such as distance to the mast, duration of exposure, height of the mast, etc.

The Department of Health is not able to make any pronouncements about the specific levels of EMF that a member of the public would experience at any particular base station site when it is in operation. However, generally-speaking unless a person would climb to the top of a mast (or other structure supporting an antenna) and position him/herself not more than a few meters away right in front of the active antenna, such a person would have no real possibility of being exposed to even anywhere near the afore-mentioned ICNIRP guideline limits. Since these base stations are typically cordoned off by means of barbed wire fencing and locked gates/doors in order to protect the sensitive and expensive technology, getting to a mast and actually climbing it despite the afore-mentioned security measures would certainly not be considered responsible behaviour. Even then the only real threat to the health of the person would be falling at any height from the structure in question. Based on the results of numerous global and local surveys, the experience has been that the exposure to base station EMF at ground level is typically in the range of between 0.001 – 1.0 % of the afore-mentioned ICNIRP guideline limits. Against this background of available data, there would be no scientific grounds to support any allegation that adverse health effects might be suffered by a responsible member of the public due to the EMF emitted by a base station.

Although the Department of Health currently neither prescribes nor enforces any compulsory exposure limits for electromagnetic fields, the Department does advise all concerned (whether they be a government department, the industry or the public) that voluntary compliance with the afore-mentioned ICNIRP exposure guidelines is the recommended and science-based way to deal with any situation involving human exposure to the non-ionising electromagnetic fields emitted by cellular base stations and handsets.

In addition, the National Environmental Management Regulations, 2014, as amended, published under the National Environmental Management Act 1998 (Act 107 of 1998), is the national legislation prescribing requirements for Environmental Impact Assessment to be conducted for various activities, prior to their commencement, depending on their scale and their potential to result in environmental and health impacts. The installation and use electromagnetic of Internet Wi-Fi [5G], Low Earth Orbit satellites, mobile phone towers and Internet fibre cables have not been identified as activities with a potential to result in significant pollution to the environment and therefore do not require an EIA to be conducted.

END.

Reply:

The Department tracks provincial expenditure through monthly reports that are required in terms of the Division of Revenue Act. Under-spending is often an indication of delayed payments.

The provinces are also required to provide reasons for under-spending. Where there are challenges, the DBE intervenes through forums such as Budget Standards, Inter-provincial meetings as well as direct engagements with provinces,  

Reply:

1. No.

1. The mandate holder for the JETIP belongs to the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment, we advise that you accordingly direct the matter to their office.

Reply:

1. (i) National departments: R 92 564 557
2. Provincial departments: R 346 382 610
3. State-owned entities: R 76 313 507

1. The Mangaung Intervention Team has taken the following steps to facilitate payment of municipal accounts from departments and state owed entities:

• Meetings were held with different departments to discuss the payment of municipal debts;
• Letters of demand have been issued to the different departments;
• Services have already been disconnected from provincial government. They were reconnected only after payment of R 50 million as well as commitment to make a payment arrangement for the remaining outstanding amount. Government has been given until 30 June 2023 to provide a formal payment arrangement. Should there be a failure to submit, they will be disconnected again.
• Re-allocations or reconciliation of accounts with credit balances and accounts with debt balances is in progress.

End.

Reply:

(a) The current Minister of Home Affairs has not appointed the Immigration Board in terms of Section 4 and 5 of the Immigration Act.

(b) The reason for not doing so is because the Department of Home Affairs is developing new Immigration, Refugee Protection and Citizenship Policy framework which is enroute to Cabinet.

(c) Please refer to answer above.

(d) Please refer to answer above.

(e) Please refer to answer above.

END

Reply:

The water crisis in Cradock does not emanate from a source problem. The Fish River has an average flow of 26m³/s which consists of water being transferred via the Orange Fish transfer scheme.

The challenges experienced in Cradock are attributable mainly to a lack of functionality of water and sanitation services infrastructure, which is further exacerbated by load shedding. During long loadshedding, not enough raw water can be pumped to the Water Treatment Works (WTWs). Chris Hani District Municipality as Water Services Authority has put mitigations in place to respond to the challenges. The table below summarises challenges within Cradock and interventions/ mitigations in place to address them:

Table1: Water and Sanitation challenges

Extended water interruption or shortages in Cradock due to non-functional or damaged water processing units are mainly affecting Hillside and Bersig areas. Measures to address this include the upgrade of Cradock bulk water infrastructure, funded through Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG). Consultants have been appointed to plan for this upgrade. A service provider has also been appointed to repair the raw water pump at Geelbooi and install a required protection control panel at Cradock WTW.

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Reply:

Find reply here

Reply:

1. Total number of visa applications
2. Received: 15 935
3. Rejected: 2 084

1. The most common reason for rejection were for invalid return flight tickets or no proof of reservation thereof.

1. The nationalities of the persons:
2. Successfully applied: Attached as Annexure A
3. Rejected: Attached as Annexure B

END

Reply:

(1)(a) There are currently no new dams under construction. Current projects such as the raising of Tzaneen and Clanwilliam dams, are upgrades of existing dams.

(2)(a) The following 8 new dams that are being planned for construction in the foreseeable future:

1. Nwamitwa Dam
2. Lusikisiki Regional Water Supply Scheme - Zalu Dam
3. Coerney Dam
4. Foxwood Dam
5. Mzimvubu Water Project (Stage 2) - Ntabelanga Dam
6. uMkhomazi Water Project Phase 1 - Dam at Smithfield
7. Cwabeni Off-Channel Storage Dam
8. Stephen Dlamini Dam

(2)(b) The details pertaining to the planned dams are as follows:

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Reply:

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

QUESTION NO 2461

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 15 JUNE 2023

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO. 24)

2461. Ms A M M Weber (DA) to ask the Minister of Water and Sanitation:

(1) Whether his department received the application for a Water Use Licence General Authorisation (WULGA) for the Kusile Wetland Offset Plan from Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what is the date of the specified application;

(2) Whether he will furnish Ms A M M Weber with the details of whether Eskom Holdings Pty (Ltd) has received the WULGA license for the Kusile Wetland Offset plan; if not, why not; if so what are the relevant details?

NW2802E

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MINISTER OF WATER AND SANITATION

1. Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd lodged a water use licence application for the rehabilitation of wetlands identified in Kusile Wetland offset plan (Ref No. WU8831) on 24 July 2018 which was closed and re-opened 3 times on eWULAAS between December 2018 and November 2020, due to non-submission of technical information by the Applicant. Phase 3 of the application process was re-opened again on 01 December 2020 on eWULAAS and the Applicant submitted the technical information on 08 March 2021.

The Applicant was subsequently requested to submit outstanding technical information on 22 March 2022 (see letter attached hereto) then opted to withdraw the water use licence application on 02 April 2022 (Withdrawal notification attached hereto).

1. Eskom Holdings Pty (Ltd) withdrew the water use licence application on 02 April 2022 as indicated above.

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