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06 July 2015 - NW2393

Profile picture: Mokgalapa, Mr S

Mokgalapa, Mr S to ask the Minister of Police

(1)With reference to Operation Fiela, since its inception, (a) how many operations have been conducted and (b) in which (i) cities and (ii) areas; (2) how many suspects have been (a) arrested and (b) released (i) on bail and/or (ii) due to no charges being pressed; (3) in respect of each suspect still under detention, where are the specified suspects being detained; (4) how many cases (a) are currently pending before court and/or (b) have resulted in conviction as a result of the specified operation; (5) how many (a) illegal firearms, (b) weapons and (c) illegal narcotics have been confiscated as a result of the specified operation?

Reply:

(1)(a) 343

(1)(b)(i)

EASTERN CAPE

East London, Humansdorp , King Williams Town, Mthatha, Port St John’s, Uitenhage

FREE STATE

Ladybrand, Mangaung, Phuthaditjaba, Welkom, Bethlehem, Bloemfontein, Bultfontein, Henneman

GAUTENG

Alexandra, Benoni, Brakpan, Carltonville, Katlehong, Boksburg, Ga-Rankuwa, Johannesburg, Krugerdorp, Mamelodi, Springs, Tembisa, Vereeniging

KWAZULU-NATAL

Indanda, Newcastle, Pietermaritzburg, Kokstad, Ladysmith, Port Shepstone, Umkomaas,Umlazi

LIMPOPO

Bela- Bela , Giyane, Lephalale, Modimolle, Musina, Phalaborwa, Polokwane, Seshego, Thabazimbi, Thohoyandou, Tzaneen, Vaalwater

MPUMALANGA

Acornhoek, Elukwatini, Ermelo, KwaMhlanga,

Middelburg, Nelspruit, Piet Retief, Secunda, Standerton, Witbank, Bushbuckridge

NORTH WEST

Brits, Klerksdorp, Rustenburg, Taung, Vryburg, Wolmaranstad, Zeerust, Haartebeespoort, Lichtenburg, Marikana, Mogwase, Pochefstroom, Stilfontein, Thlabane

NORTHERN CAPE

Alexandra Bay, Calvinia, De Aar, Kimberley, Kuruman, Port Nolloth, Postmasburg, Windsorton, Griekwastad, Hartswater, Jan Kempdorp, Keimoes, Springbok, Victoria West

WESTERN CAPE

Cape Town, George, Hermanus, Khayelitsha, Kraaifontein, Kuilsriver, Milnerton, Mitchells Plain, Nyanga, Vredenburg, Worcester, Bellville, Parrow, Oudsthoorn, Vredenburg

 

(1)(b)(ii)

 

EASTERN CAPE

Matatiele, Mount Road, Mdantsane, Motherwell

FREE STATE

Park Road, Thabong, Selosesha, Zamdela

GAUTENG

Alrode, Diepsloot, Johannesburg Central, Hillbrow, Moroka, Orlando, Pretoria Central, Pretoria West, Sunnyside, Temba,

KWAZULU-NATAL

Brighton Beach, Chatsworth, Durban Central, Jozini, Mountain Rise, Mtuzuma,

LIMPOPO

Lebowakgomo, Lulekani, Mahwelereng, Makhado, Masemola, Mphephu, Tubatse, Vuwani, Westerburg,

MPUMALANGA

Pienaar, Tonga

NORTH WEST

Atamelang, Boitekong, Ikageng, Mahikeng, Mmakau, Phokeng,

NORTHERN CAPE

Barkely West, Kagisho, Kakamas, Roodepan, Wilbosten, Galeshewe

WESTERN CAPE

Dunoon, Wynberg, Grassy Park, Conville, Mannenburg, Bishop Lavis,

(2)(a) 9098

(2)(b)(i) The information that is required is not readily available as each case must be verified before the information can be submitted. A request is hereby made for an extension in order for us to provide quality and correct information as soon as it is received.

(2)(b)(ii) The information that is required is not readily available as each case must be verified before the information can be submitted. A request is hereby made for an extension in order for us to provide quality and correct information as soon as it is received.

(3) The information that is required is not readily available as each case must be verified before the information can be submitted. A request is hereby made for an extension in order for us to provide quality and correct information as soon as it is received.

(4) The information that is required is not readily available as each case must be verified before the information can be submitted. A request is hereby made for an extension in order for us to provide quality and correct information as soon as it is received.

(5)(a) 27

(5)(b) 39

(5)(c)

Dagga

287231.068g

Dagga Plant

6

Tik

623.5g

Mandrax

439 Tablets

Cocaine

2301g

Crystal Meth

12g

Heroine

1125 Tablets

Whoonga

124g

Khat

34g

Nyaope

2312.37g

 

06 July 2015 - NW1112

Profile picture: Mbhele, Mr ZN

Mbhele, Mr ZN to ask the Minister of Communications

How much did (a) her department and (b) entities reporting to her spend on advertising in The New Age newspaper in the (i) 2011-12, (ii) 2012-13 and (iii) 2013-14 financial years?

Reply:

GCIS procures media space and services on behalf of other departments and public entities. The total funds spent on TNA Media related service including transactions facilitated for the departments and entities as follows:

(a)  Department

(i)  Financial Year 2011/2012 R 7 637 809.65

(ii) Financial Year 2012/2013 R 8 348 116.90

(iii) Financial Year 2013/2014 R 9 048 481.89

(b)  Entities

BrandSA

(i), (ii) & (iii) BrandSA did not spend on advertising in The New Age newspaper for financial years 2011/12, 2012/13 and 2013/14.

Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA)

(i), (ii) & (iii) The ICASA did not spend on advertising in The New Age newspaper for financial years 2011/12, 2012/13 and 2013/14.

Film and Publication Board (fpb)

(i), (ii) & (iii) The FPB did not spend on advertising in The New Age newspaper for financial years 2011/12, 2012/13 and 2013/14.

Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA)

(i), (ii) & (iii) The MDDA did not spend on advertising in The New Age newspaper for financial years 2011/12, 2012/13 and 2013/14.

South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC)

  1. 2011-12 none
  2. 2012 – 2013 R175 840
  3. 2013 – 2014 R73 140

MR N MUNZHELELE

[ACTING] DIRECTOR GENERAL

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

MS AF MUTHAMBI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

06 July 2015 - NW2196

Profile picture: Lotriet, Prof  A

Lotriet, Prof A to ask the Minister of Science and Technology

Whether her department is currently involved in a work exchange and/or employment agreement with the Republic of Cuba: if so, (a) What number of Cuban nationals (i) are currently employed and (ii) are due to be employed by her department, (b) What specific work roles are envisaged for the Cuban nationals, (c) what are the specific skills sets of each of the Cuban nationals (i) currently employed and (ii) due to be employed, (d) what are the details of the process followed to ensure that the same skill set was or is not available in the country and amongst South African citizens (e) what is the total cost of the (i) employment or (ii) prospective employment of such Cuban nationals?

Reply:

  1. No, there are no Cuban nationals currently employed by the Department of Science and Technology. However, there are scientific exchanges in specific research and development areas facilitated through the Bilateral Scientific and Technological Cooperation Agreement signed in 2001. Important collaborations in the past have focused on biotechnology and nanotechnology, with five related flagship projects implemented from 2005 to 2014, namely:
  • (a) Cholera vaccine development project, supported from 2005;
  • 1(b) Human monoclonal antibodies, supported from 2006;
  • (c)  Pre-clinical drug development, supported from 2006;
  • (d) the use of radio-labelled compounds in medical, biosciences and industrial research, with focus on radio-labelling cancer receptor targeting compounds, supported from 2007; and
  • (e)development of drug delivery systems, lateral flow-point-of-care diagnostic kits and biosensors based on nanoparticles, with focus on new therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals based on monoclonal antibodies, supported from 20072.
  •  

2.  For each of the above projects, there has been one principal researcher from each side, supported by teams of R&D staff in their organisations. The Cubans involved in the R&D projects are highly qualified scientists in their field of specialisation, most holding Phds in the respective science disciplines they conduct research on.

3.It should be stressed that the Cuban scientists were, however not employed in South Africa but remained based at their own institutions in Cuba.

06 July 2015 - NW2395

Profile picture: Mokgalapa, Mr S

Mokgalapa, Mr S to ask the Minister of Police

(1)How many witnesses have (a) been attacked or (b) died while under witness protection (i) in the (aa) 200910, (bb) 201011, (cc) 201112, (dd) 201213, (ee) 201314 and (ff) 201415 financial years and (ii) from 1 April 2015 up to the latest date for which information is available; (2) how many of these incidences resulted in investigations (a) which are still in progress and (b) which have been completed in respect of each specified financial year or time period; (3) how many investigated cases were found to involve breaches in security committed by members of SA Police Service in respect of each specified financial year or time period? NW2760E

Reply:

The information that is required is not readily available as each case must be verified before the information can be submitted. A request is hereby made for an extension in order for us to provide quality and correct information as soon as it is received.

06 July 2015 - NW2240

Profile picture: Matsepe, Mr CD

Matsepe, Mr CD to ask the Minister of Police

Whether (a) his department and (b) any entities reporting to him has paid out the remainder of any employee's contract before the contractually stipulated date of termination of the contract since the 2008-09 financial year up to the latest specified date for which information is available; if so, (i) what amount has (aa) his department and (bb) entities reporting to him spent on each such payout, (ii) to whom were these payouts made and (iii) what were the reasons for the early termination of the contracts in each specified case?

Reply:

Kindly find below mentioned answers to the abovementioned question. There were no such terminations for the years 2008-2009 and 2012-2013.

2009-2010 FINANCIAL YEAR

PERSAL NO

RANK

SURNAME & INITIALS

RETIREMENT DATE

AMOUNT

REASON FOR TERMINATION

0400019-6

Major General

Jones JA

2009-04-30

R 1 054 268.21

Section 35

0472624-3

Major General

Mphego NM

2009-09-30

R 1 165 822.26

Section 35

2010-2011 FINANCIAL YEAR

PERSAL NO

RANK

SURNAME & INITIALS

RETIREMENT DATE

AMOUNT

REASON FOR TERMINATION

0058432-1

Major General

Terblanche OS

2010-08-31

R 1 804 775.28

Section 35

0160983-1

Lieutenant General

Naidoo P

2010-08-31

R 4 462 679.40

Section 35

0483197-7

Lieutenant General

Hlela HM

2010-08-31

R 2 008 538.48

Section 35

0062764-0

Major General

Fryer MJ

2010-09-30

R 1 686 082.36

Section 35

0616380-7

Brigadier

Mokoena TD

2010-09-30

R 042 003.71

Section 35

0173416-4

Major General

Mbambo DM

2010-10-31

R 1 423 127.31

Section 35

0435245-9

Major General

Pienaar LJ

2010-10-31

R 1 213 169.85

Section 35

0473766-1

Major General

Van Der Westhuizen CC

2010-10-31

R 1 364 556.79

Section 35

0535587-7

Lieutenant General

Mtimkulu LTMP

2010-11-30

R 1 077 881.65

Section 35

0066660-2

Major General

Roos A

2010-12-31

R 1 572 791.53

Section 35

0055403-1

Major General

Els WJ

2011-01-31

R 1 706 716.69

Section 35

0062694-5

Colonel

Bester LJ

2011-01-31

R1 114 572.90

Section 35

0170499-1

Major General

Mokwena RJ

2011-01-31

R 1 522 507.82

Section 35

0429640-1

Lieutenant General

Pruis LCA

2011-01-31

R 2 194 100.02

Section 35

0401284-4

Major General

Meyer M

2011-02-28

R 1 488 136.93

Section 35

0417501-8

Brigadier

Taylor RJ

2011-02-28

R 1 439 484.09

Section 35

2011-2012 FINANCIAL YEAR

PERSAL NO

RANK

SURNAME & INITIALS

RETIREMENT DATE

AMOUNT

REASON FOR TERMINATION

609287-0

Major General

Mabasa KW

2011-09-30

R 1 831 974.99

Section 35

2011-2012 FINANCIAL YEAR

PERSAL NO

RANK

SURNAME & INITIALS

RETIREMENT DATE

AMOUNT

REASON FOR TERMINATION

0605774-8

Lieutenant General

Lebeya SG

2014-05-31

R 865 295.10

Section 189 (Labour Relations Act)

0608018-9

Lieutenant General

Mofomme AL

2014-05-31

R 1 064 595.73

Section 189 (Labour Relations Act)

2014-2015 FINANCIAL YEAR

PERSAL NO

RANK

SURNAME & INITIALS

RETIREMENT DATE

AMOUNT

REASON FOR TERMINATION

0479543-1

Lieutenant General

Dramat A

2015-03-31

R 3 109 029.80

Section 35

06 July 2015 - NW2049

Profile picture: Van Dyk, Ms V

Van Dyk, Ms V to ask the Minister of Communications

(1)Whether there is a shortfall of funds between the amount made available by the Universal Service and Access Fund and the projected costs of the production of the set-top boxes; if so, what does this shortfall amount to; (2) whether negotiations are underway with the National Treasury in order to secure additional funding to cover the shortfall; if so, at what stage are these negotiations? NW2312E

Reply:

  1. The available budget allocated for the provision of free set-top-boxes to five (5) million poor television household is R2, 523,642, 000. Shortfall to be established once the costing of the STBs has been determined.
  2. Negotiations with National Treasury will be initiated once a shortfall figure, if any, has been identified.

MR NDIVHUHO MUNZHELELE

[ACTING] DIRECTOR GENERAL

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

MS AF MUTHAMBI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

06 July 2015 - NW2486

Profile picture: Mbhele, Mr ZN

Mbhele, Mr ZN to ask the Minister of Police

What (a) has been the adverse impact of Eskom’s loadshedding on the functioning of police stations and the ability of the SA Police Service (SAPS) to perform its duties and (b) strategies has the SAPS implemented to mitigate this impact?

Reply:

(a) Load shedding has an adverse effect on service delivery in the SAPS. It has an impact on all communication and network operations, including the registering of case dockets, circulation of firearms and vehicles. A number of stations cannot function at night because there are no lights, especially in the cells when there are detainees, which is a huge security risk.

(b) Not all 1140 fully fledged police stations have generators. Of the 1 140 police stations, 197 do not have generators. Of the 197 police stations, 184 police stations are non-devolved police stations, which is the responsibility of DPW and 13 are devolved, which is SAPS’ responsibility.

The National Department of Public Works has been requested to register projects for the provisioning of generators at the non-devolved police stations. Funding has been made available for this purpose for the 2015/ 2016 financial year.

All devolved police stations without generators will be provided with a generator by the end of the current financial year.

The SAPS also invests in renewable green energy and includes solar perimeter lighting in all renewal and new generator and electrical maintenance contracts.

Five (5) devolved police stations in the Eastern Cape are fully dependent on solar power; namely Afsondering, Katkop, Lukholweni, Mbizeni and Zamuxolo.

The SAPS is in the process of putting out a tender for the procurement of mobile backup generators to be distributed by the Provinces as and where the need arises.

06 July 2015 - NW1347

Profile picture: America, Mr D

America, Mr D to ask the Minister of Communications

(a) Was her department involved in the development of the tender process of the Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa for the assembly and production of the Government’s five million set-top boxes to be issued to identified poor households; if so, what are the relevant details of her department’s involvement?

Reply:

The department is not involved in the tender process.

MR N MUNZHELELE

[ACTING] DIRECTOR GENERAL

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

MS AF MUTHAMBI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

06 July 2015 - NW462

Profile picture: Davis, Mr GR

Davis, Mr GR to ask the Minister of Communications

(1)Whether her department spent an amount of R1,6 million on an official departmental advertisement published in a certain newspaper (name and details furnished); if not, why not; if so, (2) whether this expenditure was authorised by (a) the relevant Deputy Director-General or (b) any other official accounting officer; if not, why not; if so, by whom?

Reply:

  1. The Department of Communications did not spend an amount of R1.6 million for an official advertisement in the named newspaper, but rather spent R720 990.72.  This cost saving was due to negotiated discounts through media bulk buying.
  2. The above expenditure was authorised in accordance with the GCIS/DOC supply chain management delegation 4.4 which states that "the acquisition of print media directly with the sole service providers or sole appointed agent , approval thereof rests with the Chief Director (Communication Services Agency) and the Chief Financial Officer for amounts between (R30 000.00 – R3 million)."

This expenditure was within the provision of delegation 4.4 and it was authorised by the Acting Chief Director: Communication Service Agency and Acting Director General in his capacity as the Accounting Officer due to the absence of the Chief Financial Officer at the time.

MR D LIPHOKO

[ACTING] DIRECTOR GENERAL

GOVERNMENT COMMUNICATIONS (GCIS)

DATE:

MS AF MUTHAMBI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

06 July 2015 - NW2481

Profile picture: McLoughlin, Mr AR

McLoughlin, Mr AR to ask the Minister of Police

(1)With regard to his reply to question 2293 on 18 June 2015, where did he get the information that Democratic Alliance (DA) members were wearing DA branded name tags; (2) whether there are any reasons and/or provisions why an open public meeting, where press are reporting, cannot be recorded; if so, what are the reasons and/or provisions; (3) why did the chairperson inform the community police forum meeting that the Member of the Executive Council had given an instruction to postpone the meeting when it was in fact Mr D Sibuyi who had given the advice that the meeting be postponed; (4) will any action be taken in this regard?

Reply:

(1) From CPF Chairperson Linda McKenzie.

(2)  CPF chairperson Linda McKenzie observed a hidden video camera recorder hidden in the shoe box and asked Mr Allan Fourie why the camera is hidden in the box and his reply was that it is used to record and video. She then asked him if he had obtained permission from the executive and he replied that permission was not needed.

(3)  CPF chairperson conveyed the message from the MEC office to the community at the CPF meeting.

(4)  No action will be taken.

06 July 2015 - NW2054

Profile picture: Majola, Mr TR

Majola, Mr TR to ask the Minister of Communications

(a) What are the dates for the dual illumination period for the transition to broadcast digital migration, (b) what is the projected cost of the dual illumination period and (c) which departmental programme will finance the illumination period?

Reply:

(a) Dual illumination already exist in South Africa. We assume that dual illumination here is referred to the performance period. The performance period will be determined by the Minister in consultation with Cabinet in due course. The consultation timeline with Cabinet will be determined in consideration of a few factors:

  • Bilateral engagement with neighbouring countries regarding harmonisation of frequency spectrum interference; and
  • Pending court decision against the Government by eTV.

(b)

DESCRIPTION

2015-2016

2016-2017

2017-2018

Dual Illumination (Ex VAT)

R113, 975 542

R120, 683, 617

R129, 369, 314

Dual Illumination (Incl. VAT)

R129, 932, 118

R137, 579, 323

R147, 481, 018

(c) Sentech has in its budget funding for Dual Illumination Period for 2015/16.

MR NDIVHUHO MUNZHELELE

[ACTING] DIRECTOR GENERAL

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

MS AF MUTHAMBI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

06 July 2015 - NW2457

Profile picture: Kalyan, Ms SV

Kalyan, Ms SV to ask the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation

(1) Who in her department authorises the payment of (a) annual membership and (b) other fees to the African Union; (2) Does her department consult with the Minister of Finance or any relevant officials from the National Treasury before authorising South Africa’s annual membership payments to the African Union; if so, (a) have such taken place or (b) when will such consultations take place with regard to the country’s payment(s) for the 2015-16 financial year; (3) Have any representatives from the African Union contacted her department in the past 12 months to request additional funding, other than the country’s annual membership fees?

Reply:

1.    The Director General or his delegate (Accounting Officer) approves payments for annual membership and other fees to the African Union.

2.    No, it is not a requirement for her department to consult with the Minister of Finance or any relevant officials from the National Treasury before authorising South Africa’s annual membership payments to the African Union as the budget is appropriated to the department.

3.   No, the department has not been contacted in the past 12 months by any representatives from the African Union to request additional funding, other than the country’s annual membership fees.

UNQUOTE

06 July 2015 - NW2386

Profile picture: Kohler-Barnard, Ms D

Kohler-Barnard, Ms D to ask the Minister of Police

(1)What are the relevant details of all expenditure that was found to have been (a) irregular and (b) wasteful in his department (i) in the 2014-15 financial year and (ii) from 1 April 2015 up to the latest specified date for which information is available; (2) in respect of each such finding of (a) irregular and (b) wasteful expenditure, (i) what (aa) is the description thereof, (bb) is the value thereof and (cc) action has been taken against the persons accountable for such expenditure and (ii)(aa) what amount of such expenditure has been recovered and (bb) from whom has it been recovered?

Reply:

(1)(a)(i) and (ii) and (2)(a)(i)(aa), (bb), (cc) and (ii)(aa) and (bb).

The following details are applicable in respect of expenditure found to be irregular expenditure in the 2014/2015 financial year:

Details of irregular expenditure

Cases

Actions taken

Amount recovered from employees

2014/2015

Catering

1

Verbal warning

R 0.00

R 17 370.00

Food & Beverages

1

Written warning

R 0.00

R 25 229.58

Furniture

1

Written warning

R 0.00

R 9 102.00

Repairs

1

Verbal warning

R 0.00

R 24 453.00

Security Services

1

Verbal warning

R 0.00

R 7 085.00

Storage Fees

1

Verbal warning

R 0.00

R 3 657.50

Total

6

 

R 0.00

R 86 897.08

For the period 1 April 2015 to date no irregular expenditure was found to be irregular of nature.

(1)(b)(i) and (ii) and (2)(b)(i)(aa), (bb), (cc) and (ii)(aa) and (bb).

The following details are relevant to amounts found to be fruitless and wasteful expenditure in the 2014/2015 financial year:

Details of fruitless and wasteful expenditure

Cases

Actions taken

Amount recovered from employees

2014/2015

Penalties on License Fees

42

Liability investigation conducted to determine recoverability

R 1 822.80

R 72 357.25

Accommodation

8

Liability investigation conducted to determine recoverability

 

R 46 631.00

Air/Bus Tickets

5

Liability investigation conducted to determine recoverability

 

R 1 765.50

Non attending of courses

4

Liability investigation conducted to determine recoverability

R 590.00

R 2 474.00

Incorrect Payment

1

Liability investigation conducted to determine recoverability

 

R 14 443.71

Penalty Municipal Account

1

Liability investigation conducted to determine recoverability

 

R 2 000.00

Telecommunications

1

Liability investigation conducted to determine recoverability

 

R 1 122.30

Total

62

 

R 2 412.80

R 140 793.76

For the period 1 April 2015 to date no expenditure was found to be fruitless and wasteful expenditure.

In respect of fruitless and wasteful expenditure, the outcome of a liability investigation being conducted to determine recoverability can result in the following:

  • Investigation still pending (no resolution);
  • Treasury Regulation 12.7.3 resolution (claim against official must be waived in those instances where state cover is not forfeited);
  • Liability cannot be determined; and
  • Liability determination to recover expenditure.

If the category of irregular expenditure is considered, it reflects the incurrence of expenditures by members countrywide mainly where procurement prescripts were not technically complied with. The Department did however receive the goods or services. In each such incident reported, a due process of investigation, determination of responsibility and consideration of disciplinary steps are considered. Preventative control measures such as procurement authority, segregation of duties, and registration/rotation of suppliers regarding quotations, exception reporting and certification, limit irregular and fruitless expenditures. The formal process of assessment as indicated is via the Supply Chain Management (BAC) mechanism.

It should be noted that 2014/15 figures are still being audited by the Auditor-General as part of the year-end audit process, and could change.

06 July 2015 - NW337

Profile picture: Davis, Mr GR

Davis, Mr GR to ask the Minister of Communications

(1) Was a resolution taken by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) council to either (a) revoke or (b) enforce section 7(4) of the ICASA Act, Act 13 of 2000, in respect of the expiry of term of office of the four ICASA councillors at the end of 2014; if not, why not; if so, did the Council resolve to (i) revoke or (ii) enforce section 7(4); (2) on which authority did she rely when she wrote a letter dated 6 October 2014 notifying the ICASA councillors that section 7(4) of the ICASA Act, Act 13 of 2000, would not apply in this case; (3) were the four ICASA councillors referred to above paid for the 45-day working period that she revoked in her letter dated 6 October 2014; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

Reply:

Yes, the four Councillors were duly paid on 30 December 2014 for their 45 day extended period after the expiry of their term, as follows:

Councillor’s Name

End of Office Term

End of the extended 45 working days

Councillor William Currie

30 September 2014

02 December 2014

Councillor Joseph Lebooa

30 September 2014

02 December 2014

Councillor Ntombizodwa Ndhlovu

31 October 2014

08 January 2015

Councillor William Stucke

31 October 2014

08 January 2015

MR N MUNZHELELE

[ACTING] DIRECTOR GENERAL

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

MS AF MUTHAMBI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

06 July 2015 - NW2055

Profile picture: Majola, Mr TR

Majola, Mr TR to ask the Minister of Communications

Will recipients of the free set-top boxes need valid SABC licences before digital switch on; if not, what regulatory amendments are anticipated to enable this?

Reply:

Yes, recipients of free set-top-boxes will have to present valid SABC television licence.

MR NDIVHUHO MUNZHELELE

[ACTING] DIRECTOR GENERAL

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

MS AF MUTHAMBI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

06 July 2015 - NW1932

Profile picture: Masango, Mr SJ

Masango, Mr SJ to ask the Minister of Communications

(a) Who are the current chief financial officers of (i) her department and (ii) the entities reporting to her and (b) what is the qualification of each chief financial officer?

Reply:

(i)  Departments

Department of Communications (DoC)

  1. The position is vacant. The recruitment process is in progress.
  2. The appointment will be finalised in line with the required qualifications.

Government Communications (GCIS)

  1. Kenneth Zwelinjani Momeka
  2. National Diploma: Cost and Management Accounting (TUT) and B Tech degree: Corporate Administration (UNISA).

 

(ii)Entities

Brand SA

(a)   Ms Alice Puoane

(b)  Com degree

Film and Publication Board (FPB)

(a)    The position is vacant. The FPB is in the process of recruiting a Chief Financial Officer.

(b)    The minimum qualification requirement for the Chief Financial Officer post is a degree in Finance or similar qualification on the same NQF level and preferably also having CA (SA) or CIMA qualifications.

Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA)

(a)     The CFO position at ICASA is vacant. A process is currently underway to fill the position.

(b)     The minimum requirements for the position are Masters Degree in Commerce (Finance, Auditing, Accounting or related) and/or Chartered Accountant NQF level 9.

Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA)

(a)  The MDDA does not have a CFO. However, the Finance Manager (Talifhani Khubana) has been appointed as Acting CFO.

 

(b) Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting

Honours Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting

Master of Business Administration

South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC)

(a)  James Rogers Aguma

(a)   B Com ( Accounting )

Post Graduate Diploma in Accounting

Post Graduate Certificate in Auditing

NDIVHUHO MUNZHELELE

[ACTING] DIRECTOR GENERAL

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

MS AF MUTHAMBI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

06 July 2015 - NW2051

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Motau, Mr SC to ask the Minister of Communications

(1)(a) What amount has been budgeted for the marketing of the transition to Broadcast Digital Migration and (b) from which departmental programme is this budget derived; (2) has an invitation to tender been published for the work; if so, (a) on what date was the invitation published in the Government Gazette and (b) under what Government Gazette number? NW2314E

Reply:

(1)

(a) R22 Million has been identified from the DTPS 2014/15 budget. The department is liaising with DTPS and National Treasusy for the funds to be rolled-over to 2015/16 financial year and also be transferred to the DoC to fund the Public Awareness Campaign and its related activities.

(b) as per the above

(2) No tender can issued on unappropriated funds. The PFMA does not allow the Accounting Officer to spend amounts that have not been appropriated. Procurement activities in this regard can be undertaken after National Treasury has guaranteed the roll-over and function shift of the R22 million request.

MR NDIVHUHO MUNZHELELE

[ACTING] DIRECTOR GENERAL

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

MS AF MUTHAMBI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

06 July 2015 - NW1688

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Van Dyk, Ms V to ask the Minister of Communications

(a) How many copies of My District Today published by the Government Communication and Information System are distributed (i) weekly and (ii) monthly, (b) through what medium is the publication distributed, (c) in what language is the publication published, (d) is each province equally represented in the publication and (e) how is the publication monitored to ensure that it successfully reaches communities?

Reply:

(a)    My District Today is a weekly online newsletter published every Friday. Currently My District Today is circulated to a database of roughly 10 000 stakeholders including Academia, Civil society Organisation: NGOs, FBOs, CBOs, Business, Government Sector: National departments, Provincial government and Municipalities, Community Development Workers, Street Committees, Commercial Media: SABC ALS, Community Media: small print, radio as well as community television; Community Policing Forums, Thusong Programme Coordinating Structures, Traditional Authorities, Special Groups: Organised Youth structures, Women’s groups and those structures of people with disabilities, Rate Payers Associations, Organised Labour, Constituency Offices and Ward Committees, amongst others.

The publication aims to profile the impact of government programmes by elevating community voices and coalface stories – the editorial bias is towards profiling success stories of government’s nine priorities especially in remote and far lying communities which often do not get public attention.

The publication further serves to elevate local stories to the national platforms such as the Vuk’uzenzele newspaper, the Public Sector Magazine, internal newsletters of government departments, etc.

(b)       My District Today is published on the GCIS website and cascaded via email to national, provincial and local stakeholders.

(c)       The publication is currently published in English.

(d)       Equal representation of all nine provinces is ensured through a rotational roster, wherein if five stories are covered in a week (one from each province) the next edition automatically covers the remaining four. Provinces are therefore equally represented in a month.

(e)     In terms of monitoring, a survey was conducted in August 2014 among recipients to evaluate interest, conceive inputs and further ideas on areas of improvement. The survey made a number of recommendations which are being implemented.

Because of its nature as an online publication it is primarily intended for stakeholders and community intermediaries as opposed to individual community members who receive communication via other channels. This dissemination is done by means of a data base maintained both nationally and provincially, through the Content and Knowledge Management Assistant Directors in GCIS Provincial Offices who verify email addresses.

Provision is made for occasional print versions of the product during the GCIS provincial outreaches where it is distributed to members of the public with other government information material.

DONALD LIPHOKO

[ACTING] DIRECTOR GENERAL

GCIS

DATE:

MS AF MUTHAMBI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

06 July 2015 - NW1643

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Mackenzie, Mr C to ask the Minister of Communications

(a) How many queries have been received by the Film and Publication Board (FPB) since it implemented the Call Centre System in July 2014, with a toll-free number for distributors and the broader community to access the FPB, (b) has the call-logging facility enabled sufficient tracking to ensure closure of queries and (c) how many queries have been resolved thus far?

Reply:

a) 3767 is the total number of queries received in July 2014 to March 2015.

b) The process of tracking is manual, a service provider will be appointed to automate the process.

c) 2070 total queries were resolved in July 2014 to March 2015.

NDIVHUHO MUNZHELELE

[ACTING] DIRECTOR GENERAL

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

MS AF MUTHAMBI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

06 July 2015 - NW545

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Horn, Mr W to ask the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation

Whether any employees in her Department have been on suspension with full salary since 01 January 2014, if so, (a) how many employees and (b) what is the total cost thereof?

Reply:

(a) One employee was suspended; and

(b) The total costs is R546 000.00

06 July 2015 - NW1022

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Chance, Mr R to ask the Minister of Communications

What amount was spent by the Independent Communications Authority of SA on (a) décor, (b) plants and (c) art work purchased (i) directly from artists and (ii) through an agent in the 2013-14 financial year in each case?

Reply:

ICASA did not purchase (a) décor (b) plants and (c) artwork (i) from artists or (ii) through an agent in the 2013/2014 financial year.

MR N MUNZHELELE

[ACTING] DIRECTOR GENERAL

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

MS AF MUTHAMBI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

06 July 2015 - NW2521

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Mbhele, Mr ZN to ask the Minister of Police

(1)How many criminal dockets were opened with the SA Police Service (SAPS) in each province for the offence of (a) failing to comply with environmental management plans and programmes or (b) for mining or prospecting without an approved environmental management plan (EMP) or environmental management programme (EMPR) in the (i) 2013-14 and (ii) 2014-15 financial years; (2) how many criminal dockets were handed over to the National Prosecuting Authority in each province for the offence of (a) failing to comply with the EMP and EMPR or (b) for mining or prospecting without an approved EMP or EMPR Authority in the (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15 financial years?

Reply:

The information that is required is not readily available as each case must be verified before the information can be submitted. A request is hereby made for an extension in order for us to provide quality and correct information as soon as it is received.

06 July 2015 - NW1644

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Van Dyk, Ms V to ask the Minister of Communications

(a) How many Film and Publication Board (FPB) classifiers have been trained through a formal qualification process and (b) at what institution have the specified Film and Publication Board classifiers qualified since 26 May 2014?

Reply:

  1. There is no formal qualification provided for classifiers. FPB provides informal classifier training in the form of workshops. These are conducted using the services of experts in the different fields- the appeals tribunal and experienced senior classifiers. Training is informal in the form of a workshop which deals in depth with the classification guidelines, applicable legislations including the Constitution. On a quarterly basis, there are refresher classifiers’ training workshops provided which are interactive and allow classifiers to provide operational feedback and challenges experienced in the application of the guidelines and legislation.
  2. No formal qualification is offered to classifiers.

NDIVHUHO MUNZHELELE

[ACTING] DIRECTOR GENERAL

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

MS AF MUTHAMBI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

06 July 2015 - NW1348

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America, Mr D to ask the Minister of Communications

(a) Which companies or industry groupings were involved in the revision of the Broadcast Digital Migration policy approved by Cabinet in March 2015 and (b) why were these revisions not gazetted for public comment before Cabinet approval was sought?

Reply:

(a) Various industry formations in the Broadcasting and Electronic Manufacturing; National Signal Distributor; Regulator; Public and Private institutions made inputs to the amendments process of the Broadcasting Digital Migration Policy approved by Cabinet in March 2015.

(b) Revisions were not gazetted because the process was a continuation of the amendments gazetted on the 4th of December 2013.

MR NDIVHUHO MUNZHELELE

[ACTING] DIRECTOR GENERAL

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

MS AF MUTHAMBI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

06 July 2015 - NW2391

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Mbhele, Mr ZN to ask the Minister of Police

To how many police stations has the Integrated Case Docket Management System been deployed?

Reply:

The Investigation Case Docket Management System (ICDMS) functionality has been implemented at 697 police stations since inception. These figures reflect the status as on 2015-06-12.

The breakdown per Province is as follows:

PROVINCE

TOTAL

Eastern Cape

58

Free State

60

Gauteng

138

KwaZulu-Natal

100

Limpopo

58

Mpumalanga

73

North West

52

Northern Cape

42

Western Cape

116

TOTAL

697

06 July 2015 - NW2052

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Motau, Mr SC to ask the Minister of Communications

Has her department (a) finalised and (b) gazetted the technical specifications for the manufacture of the direct-to-home set-top boxes; if not, on what date does she expect the specifications to be finalised; if so, (i) on what date was the Government Gazette published and (ii) under what Government Gazette number?

Reply:

(a) & (b) In terms of DTH SANS 1719, Section 5.2 and 6, the technical specifications for Direct-To-Home Set-Top-Boxes has be developed by Free-To-Air (FTA) Broadcasters. The technical specifications has not been developed and finalised. Timelines for the compilation and finalisation of the specification is yet to be obtained from the FTA broadcasters.

(i) As a result of the above, no gazette has been published; and

(ii) No gazette number since the specifications has not been developed.

MR NDIVHUHO MUNZHELELE

[ACTING] DIRECTOR GENERAL

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

MS AF MUTHAMBI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

06 July 2015 - NW2479

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Mbhele, Mr ZN to ask the Minister of Police

(1)What are the reasons for the Edenvale Police Station’s refusal to raid a known drug den (details furnished); (2) whether he will give an instruction for such a raid to take place; if not, why not; if so, when?

Reply:

  1. The house is occupied by different tenants from different counties and has been reported to EMPD that they can raid the place for overcrowding. It was raided for drugs by SAPS but nothing was found.

(2) The address has been given to EMPD for overcrowding. A joint operation between SAPS and EMPD has been arranged for execution.

06 July 2015 - NW2048

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Van Dyk, Ms V to ask the Minister of Communications

(1)Have any specific criteria been developed to identify eligible households to receive a free set-top box as part of the revised Broadcasting Digital Migration Policy; if so, (a) by whom were the criteria developed, (b) on what date were the criteria published in the Government Gazette and (c) under what Government Gazette number; (2) (a) how will eligible households be (i) identified and (ii) vetted to determine the legitimacy of their receipt of a set-top box, (b) who will carry out this process, (c) what is the projected cost of this process and (d) has the process begun?

Reply:

  1. (a) The qualifying criteria was developed by the USAASA.

(b) The criteria was published on the 28th of October 2014 under gazette number 38134.

2. (a) According to USAASA, (i) (ii) the identification and vetting of the applicant will be done through the means test and (b) there have been business rules developed by the Agency and SAPO. The process will show the various checks and balances to ensure that the right recipients receive the boxes.

(c) R190 million is allocated for the distribution of Set-Top-Boxes.

(d) The process has not begun.

MR NDIVHUHO MUNZHELELE

[ACTING] DIRECTOR GENERAL

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

MS AF MUTHAMBI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

06 July 2015 - NW2053

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Motau, Mr SC to ask the Minister of Communications

Has work commenced on developing the technical specifications for the integrated digital television sets; if so, (a) on what date did the work commence, (b) who is serving on the committee developing the specifications and (c) what is the projected completion date for the specifications?

Reply:

No.

Integrateg Digital Television (IDTV) SANS 10352 standard is yet to be finalised. According to SABS, the standard is targeted for finalisation at the end of 2015.

 

MR NDIVHUHO MUNZHELELE

[ACTING] DIRECTOR GENERAL

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

MS AF MUTHAMBI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

06 July 2015 - NW2050

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Van Dyk, Ms V to ask the Minister of Communications

(1)How has the (a) production and (b) supply of the (i) set-top boxes and (ii) antennae for the Broadcasting Digital Migration Policy roll-out been divided between the 26 successful bidders for the project; (2) what is the value of the orders placed in each case; (3) are there any collaborations between the successful bidders, if so, between which bidders? NW2313E

Reply:

  1. (a) & (b) There has not been any allocations placed to any of the service providers. However, allocation will be made taking account of the different capacities which the various service providers have, expected time of delivery, pricing and other considerations.
  2. No orders has been placed as yet
  3. USAASA is not aware of any collaboration between the service providers.

MR NDIVHUHO MUNZHELELE

[ACTING] DIRECTOR GENERAL

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

MS AF MUTHAMBI, MP

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS

DATE:

06 July 2015 - NW2398

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Mokgalapa, Mr S to ask the Minister of Police

How many cases of witnesses that have (a) been attacked and/or (b) died while under witness protection resulted in (i) completed investigations, (ii) pending proceedings before the courts and (iii) convictions and (c) members of SA Police Service (i) face pending proceedings before the courts and/or (ii) have been convicted as a result (aa) in the (aaa) 200910, (bbb) 201011, (ccc) 201112, (ddd) 201213, (eee) 201314 and (fff) 201415 financial years and (bb) from 1 April 2015 up to the latest date for which information is available?

Reply:

The information that is required is not readily available as each case must be verified before the information can be submitted. A request is hereby made for an extension in order for us to provide quality and correct information as soon as it is received.

06 July 2015 - NW2451

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Ollis, Mr IM to ask the Minister of Police

(1)With regard to case CAS02/10/2011 lodged with the SA Police Service in Rosebank, Johannesburg, (a) was the case indeed opened, (b) which investigating officer has been assigned to the case, (c) have any investigations been carried out at the premises of the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) in Jellicoe Avenue, Rosebank, and (d) have any suspects been (i) identified or (ii) arrested; (2) (a)(i) which items have been reported as allegedly having been stolen, (ii) in whose possession were the specified items at the time of the alleged theft and (b) have any of these items been recovered; (3) are investigations in the specified case ongoing or has the case been closed; (4) are any other cases involving (a) Nedlac or (b) its premises currently under investigation; if so, in each case, (i) on what date was each of the specified cases opened, (ii) what is the relevant case number and (iii) what was the outcome of the investigations in respect of each specified case? NW2819E

Reply:

(1)(a) Yes

(1)(b) Sergeant Nkosi

(1)(c) Yes

(1)(d)(i) No

(1)(d)(ii) No

(2)(a)(i) Laptop, cellular phone and two Kruger Rands valued R60 000.

(2)(a)(ii) In the office of lawful owner, N. H. Mkhuize.

(2)(b) No

(3) Case is closed.

(4) No, there are no other cases currently investigated.

03 July 2015 - NW2327

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Alberts, Mr ADW to ask the Minister of Public Enterprises

(1) Whether the law firm that has been appointed to audit Eskom has ever done any work for the Government, State organs or State institutions; if so, what are the relevant details; (2) whether any South African or international directors of this law firm have ever done any work for the Government, State organs or State institutions; if so, what are the relevant details?

Reply:

(1) The Honourable member is referred to various government departments for a response on whether the firm has done any work for government. The Law firm (Dentons) has not previously been engaged by Eskom.

(2) As the Minister of Public Enterprises I am in no position to respond on whether the law firm has or not done any other work to various Government Departments and therefore request the Honourable member to direct the question to the relevant Government Department for a response.

03 July 2015 - NW2304

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Basson, Mr LJ to ask the Minister of Water and Sanitation

Whether, with regard to her department’s report to the Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation on 3 June 2015 indicating the required investment in infrastructure over the next 10 years to be at R805 billion and available funding at only R46 billion for each year, her department has a plan in place to fund the R35 billion annual shortfall; if not, how does her department plan on managing the infrastructure; if so, what are the relevant details?

Reply:

Yes, there is a plan to cater for the annual shortfall of R35 billion.

1.  As part of the development of the Water Sector Infrastructure Investment Framework in 2012, the Department developed a first order Water Financing Strategy published on 5 June 2012.

2.   In addition, my department has thus far successfully negotiated major increases in the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) and the Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant (RBIG), the establishment of a new Municipal Water Infrastructure Grant (MWIG), as well as major increases in the Water Board’s infrastructure investment budgets. This was done in collaboration with the National Treasury as well as the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, with the aim of increasing budgeting for especially municipal infrastructure operations and maintenance (O&M), addressing aged infrastructure, rehabilitation, and infrastructure replacement.

3.  Partnerships with Financial Institutions and the broader private sector are also vigorously pursued.

4.  As a result of financial constraints, there will be on-going prioritization of water supply areas to identify and sequence projects that offer the best economic and social returns and are addressing the most critical security of supply challenges.

---00O00---

03 July 2015 - NW2243

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Balindlela, Ms ZB to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

Whether (a) his department and (b) any entities reporting to him has paid out the remainder of any employee’s contract before the contractually stipulated date of termination of the contract since the 2008 – 09 financial year up to the latest specified date for which information is available; if so, (i) what amount has (aa) his department and (bb) entities reporting to him spent on each such payout, (ii) to whom were these payouts made and (iii) what were the reason for the early termination of the contracts in each specified case?

Reply:

(a) Yes

(b) Yes

(i) (aa) [Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries] (ii) and (iii)

SMS Members

Institution

Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF)

Amount paid out

To whom the payouts were made

Reason

DAFF

R 1, 105,073.17

Amount includes leave credits that had to be paid out.

Ms NJ Nduli (Former DG of DAFF).

Employment contract was re-determined.

DAFF

R 1, 649,076.54

Amount includes leave credits that had to be paid out.

Mr L Zita (Former DG of DAFF).

Employment contract was re-determined.

DAFF

R 750, 125.25

Amount includes leave credits that had to be paid out.

Ms B Thokoane (Former Special Adviser to the Minister).

Employment contract was terminated.

(i) (aa) [Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries] (ii) and (iii)

Non SMS Members

Institution

Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF)

Amount paid out

To whom the payouts were made

Reason

 

None

   
       
       

(i) (bb) [Entities] (ii) and (iii)

Entity

Amount paid out

To whom the payouts were made

Reason

Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP)

R 1, 195,918.28

Dr MM Dyasi

Breakdown of the employment relationship.

Agriculture Research Council (ARC)

R 260 311.35

Ms SL Ginindza

Termination of contract

Agriculture Research Council (ARC)

R 422 607.46

Ds ST Masia

Termination of contract

Agriculture Research Council (ARC)

R 849 646.39

Mr CL Matthews

Termination of contract

National Agricultural Marketing Council (NAMC)

None

   

Ncera Farms

None

   

PPECB

None

   
       

03 July 2015 - NW2417

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Macpherson, Mr DW to ask the Minister of Trade and Industry

What amount did (a) his department and (b) each entity reporting to him spend on advertising in (i) Sowetan and (ii) Daily Sun in the (aa) 2012-13, (bb) 2013-14 and (cc) 2014-15 financial years?

Reply:

Response from the Department

(a) (i) (ii) (aa) (bb) (cc)

Advertising Cost: 2012/13

The annual advertising cost per newspaper per financial year is indicated in the table below:

Newspaper

2012/13 Financial Year

2013/14 Financial Year

2014/15 Financial Year

Sowetan

R1 283 046.88

R1 146 164 .88

R511 733.97

Daily Sun

0

0

0

Response from the Entities

Entity

b (i)(aa)

b (i)(bb)

b (i)(cc)

b(ii)(aa)

b (ii)(bb)

b(ii)(cc)

Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC)

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Export Credit Insurance Corporation (ECIC)

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

National Credit Regulator (NCR)

R 237 304

R 244 263

R 209 111

R 149 136

R 496 540

R 109 470

National Consumer Tribunal (NCT)

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

National Empowerment Fund (NEF)

R 135 254.40

R 111 960

R 657 600

R63 354

R 6 960

R 37 040

National Gambling Board (NGB)

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

National Lotteries Commission (NLC)

R 56 363

R 461 183

R 438 039

R 78 229

Not Applicable

R 112 783

National Metrology Institute of South Africa (NMISA)

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

National Regulator For Compulsory Specifications (NRCS)

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

South African Bureau of Standards (SABS)

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

South African National Accreditation System (SANAS)

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

National Consumer Commission (NCC)

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Companies Tribunal (CT)

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

R 77 278.65

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

03 July 2015 - NW2297

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Baker, Ms TE to ask the Minister of Water and Sanitation

(1)With regard to the amount of R352,4 million which was set aside to assist the nine municipalities affected by drought in KwaZulu-Natal, (a) which municipalities have received payments and (b) what amount has each municipality received to date; (2) have funding agreements been signed with all affected municipalities; if not, (a) which municipalities have outstanding agreements and (b) what action has been taken to remedy this?

Reply:

(1)(a) Refer to table below regarding the nine municipalities affected by drought in KZN:

No.

Name of Municipality

Business Plan

Funding agreement

Amount received to date

1

Umzinyathi District Municipality

Approved

Approved

R1 782 836.47

2

Umkhanyakude District Municipality

Approved

Approved

R6 321 734.42

3

Uthukela District Municipality

Received and pending approval

Received and pending approval

None

4

Ugu District Municipality

Approved

Approved

None

6

Zululand District Municipality

Approved

Approved

None

7

UguDistrict Municipality

Approved

Approved

None

8

IlembeDistrict Municipality

Approved

Approved

None

9

Harry Gwala

Approved

Approved

None

---00O00---

03 July 2015 - NW2224

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Alberts, Mr ADW to ask the Minister of Public Enterprises

Whether she will consider Eskom’s request not to impose load shedding on the country’s water pumps and related infrastructure so as to ensure safe and continuous water supply and services; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

Reply:

It is the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) and not the Minister of Public Enterprises that can make determinations on the exemption of infrastructure or customers’ load shedding, as the impact on other customers and the national power system needs to be considered. The National Code of Practice for emergency demand reduction (NRS048-9) addresses the manner in which critical loads are treated – including water systems (section 7).

03 July 2015 - NW2523

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Steyn, Ms A to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

1) With regard to the deal that was struck between South Africa and the United States of America (USA) in securing the country’s preferential market access under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), has his department developed a plan to assist the country’s poulty industry with adjusting its strategic position before the anticipated influx of chicken from the USA; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details; (2) will the Government incentives under the Industrial Policy Action Plan and the Agricultural Policy Action Plan be made available to the poultry industry as a means of ensuring minimal damage to the industry’s future growth prospects; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details; (3) What action steps has his department taken since the announcement of the agreement that was reached between the SA Poultry Association and its counterpart in the USA to ensure minimal disturbance to the industry and ensure that job losses are avoided? NW2895E

Reply:

1 As the honourable member is aware the APAP has included the Poultry Value Chain as a strategic value chain for development. The development of the value chain includes supporting the reduction of input costs through increasing the supply of good quality feed (soya) and possibly maize. All 9 provinces have identified a number of poultry projects which include increasing the number of Broiler houses as well as support for small scale processing via new abattoirs to be funded via CASP. This development plan was presented to the U.S. during the AGOA negotiations and it is understood that the U.S. response was to accept a lower volume once the developmental needs and objectives were made clear. The U.S. has also offered in support to the agreement on the quota to support training and capacity building of extensions officers as well as research personnel. The South African industry is in full support of this initiative. 

2 The use of incentives under IPAP and APAP was discussed with the industry as well as with representatives of Historically Disadvantaged Individuals (HDI) in the Poultry Sector. However we are still in discussions on how this will take place in line with the Poultry Sector Value Chain development proposal in APAP.

3 DAFF Economic Development Trade and Marketing DDG has been in constant consultation with the industry body SAPA, the DTI as well as the APAP team and together they have engaged with the planned poultry value chain development proposal for sector growth. The poultry value chain development proposal is also a key commodity intervention the government’s 9 point plan under Priority 1: Revitalisation of Agriculture and the Agroprocessing Value Chains. A DAFF/DTI team is also in the process of identifying the criteria which will be used to allocate and administer the trade quota to ensure there is minimal volatility of import volumes to reduce the potential negative impact. The quota concession will include a volume which will be for HDI's only and will most likely to taken up by existing producers who have indicated that they need it to ensure they have a resonate supply level.

03 July 2015 - NW2218

Profile picture: Lekota, Mr M

Lekota, Mr M to ask the Minister of Finance

(1)Whether the National Treasury had (a) refinanced debt in order to keep up its rate of spending at any stage from 1 January 2009 up to the latest specified date for which information is available and (b) undertaken any exercise, with independent verification, to assess to what extent the heavier borrowings by the Government in the specified period had served a clear countercyclical purpose as is shown by economic growth taking the country out of the trough it was into a higher gradient; if not, why has the national debt risen so rapidly to its present level; if so, what (i) are the details and (ii) impact will the refinancing of debt have on the fiscus in the next four years in a market where the cost of borrowing will have risen; (2) whether, in pursuit of achieving intergenerational equity, the Government is keeping young South Africans fully informed of the repayment burden that is being shifted to them to settle?

Reply:

  1. (a) Government borrows money to finance the main budget balance and maturing debt. To partly mitigate refinancing risk – the risk that government will not be able to raise money to finance the budget deficit and repay debt at any scheduled point, or will have to do so at high cost – government also makes use of a bond-switch programme to ease pressure on targeted areas of the bond redemption profile by exchanging short-term for longer-term debt. Between 2008/09 and 2014/15, government switched R203 billion short-term debt (domestic bonds) for longer-term debt.

(b) (i) National Treasury estimates the impact of fiscal policy on economic growth. Internal estimates of the fiscal multiplier are in line with published South African peer-reviewed journal articles, which find that fiscal stimulus has a fairly significant short-term impact on growth.

As was the case for South Africa, many governments had estimated in 2010 that the economy would quickly recover to pre-crisis growth rates. Countercyclical stimulus was expected to reduce the time it would take for economies to return to potential levels of output. These growth projections proved to be over-optimistic; a secular decline in global growth delayed fiscal consolidation and produced rising levels of debt.

Countercyclical policy can influence short-term deviations from trend growth, but cannot be used to address structural declines in output. Many governments have grappled with the fiscal implications of a global slowdown in growth. In South Africa’s case, potential growth has been revised downwards due to lower long-term global growth projections and electricity supply constraints.

Slower potential GDP growth implies that the output gap is fairly small, with two implications for fiscal policy: first, the level of output cannot be significantly increased by running larger deficits; second, the deficit will not likely be reduced by a cyclical upturn in taxes, implying that there is a structural imbalance between revenue and expenditure. The focus of the 2015 Budget is on narrowing the structural fiscal deficit by raising taxes, slowing spending growth and putting in place measures to improve spending efficiency.

(b) (ii) Government is paying interest at an average coupon/interest rate of 10 per cent on the debt which needs to be refinanced over the next four years. It is projected that this debt will be refinanced at a lower average coupon/interest rate of 9 per cent.

2.    The 2015 Budget is aimed at ensuring long-term fiscal sustainability, which is a defining feature of intergenerational equity. The budget also aims to change the composition of borrowing, in order to ensure that government debt is used to fund expenditures with a long-term impact.

Government has stated that there is a long-term (or structural) imbalance between revenue and expenditure, and is addressing this imbalance by raising taxes and reducing the rate of expenditure growth. The bulk of the slowdown in spending growth has been targeted at government consumption, with the current deficit (i.e. the gap between revenue and consumption spending) projected to close in 2015/16. Government is protecting capital expenditure, which remains the fastest growing area of non-interest spending. These three elements of the budget are likely to improve the intergenerational fairness of fiscal policy.

Government reports on the long-term implications of its fiscal choices. The 2015 Budget Review includes estimates of the debt outlook and debt repayments up to 2020/21. In addition, the main findings of the long-term fiscal model are available on the Treasury website. The long-term model’s main finding is that current social spending policies are sustainable over the next three decades.

03 July 2015 - NW1736

Profile picture: Lovemore, Ms AT

Lovemore, Ms AT to ask the Minister of Basic Education

(1)What are the full details of the readiness of (a) her department and (b) the nine provincial education departments to implement the newly revised curriculum for schools of technology in 2016, including (i) curriculum, (ii) workshop, (iii) textbook and (iv) teacher readiness;

Reply:

  1. (a)(b) (i) curriculum

The development of Curriculum Assessment and Policy Statements (CAPS) for Technical subjects was completed and signed by the Minister of Basic Education on the 13 April 2015; this is in accordance with the Government Gazette No 37840 dated July 2014. Printing is currently in progress and distribution of the CAPS documents will be completed before the training of teachers in June 2015. A total of 52, 750 copies of the CAPS documents for Technical Mathematics, Technical Sciences, Civil Technology, Electrical Technology and Mechanical Technology will be printed and distributed as indicated below:

  • 5 copies ( 1 for each subject) to the National office DBE
  • 5 copies ( 1 for each subject ) to each provincial office
  • 5 copies ( 1 for each subject ) to each district office; and
  • 10 copies (2 for each subject) to each school offering a technical subject

(b) (ii) Workshop

Since the inception of the grant, the objective of training 2,749 teachers, building 118 new workshops, refurbishing 266 existing workshops and supplying equipment, machinery and tools to participating schools has been achieved. The grant was reconfigured in 2014 and it now forms part of the new Mathematics, Science and Technology Conditional Grant. The outputs of the new grant include the supply of machinery, equipment and tools and the training of teachers. Based on the total number of technical schools and the state of physical infrastructure at most schools, the schools have the capacity to implement the curriculum. Those that had challenges were recapitalised by the conditional grant.

(b) (iii) Textbooks

The development process of both Technical Mathematics and Technical Sciences textbooks sponsored and co-managed by Sasol-Inzalo Foundation and DBE will be finalised by July 2015. Publishers are in the process of developing Civil Technology, Electrical Technology and Mechanical Technology textbooks due to be finalised in August 2015. Printing and distribution of all technical textbooks will be completed by 30 October 2015.

(b)(iv) Teacher readiness

The changes introduced in the revised CAPS necessitated the need for orientation of subject advisors and re-training of teachers on theory and practical teaching methodologies.

An audit of skills centres in preparation for the training of FET Technical schools subject advisors and teachers and Technology Senior Phase (Grade 7 – 9) subject advisors and teachers was conducted and finalised.

The Department issued letters to HOD’s on 16 April 2015 to inform them of the training process and to request them to ensure that notifications to all partners are issued.

A National Task Team (NTT) for the development of CAPS training guideline document for the three (3) Technical subjects specialisation; Civil technology, Electrical technology, and Mechanical technology have been developed and finalised.

A National Task Team (NTT) for the development of CAPS training guideline document for Technical Sciences and Technical Mathematics has been developed and finalised.

Subject Advisors and Teacher training on the three (3) Technical subjects has been scheduled for 29 June – 03 July and 05-09 October 2015 (School Holidays) and these dates have been communicated to all provinces. The training of Technical Mathematics and Technical Sciences has been scheduled for July 2015 and these dates have also been communicated to all provinces. The training is aimed at 70% skills transfer and 30% on the strengthening of theory of the specialisation.

The funding for this training will be sourced from the reconfigured MST Conditional Grant. The objective of the grant is to, supply machinery, supply of equipments and tools. The objective of the grant is to train subject advisors and teachers, building of new workshops, refurbishing of existing workshops and supplying equipment, machinery and tools.

  1. (a)(i)(aa) (a)(ii)(bb)(cc)(dd)(ee) Numbers and percentage of learners offering Technology subjects per Province from 2005, 2008, 2010 and 2012.

YEAR

Civil Technology

Engineering Graphics And Design (EGD)

Electrical

Mechanical

 

NUMBER WROTE

%

NUMBER WROTE

%

NUMBER WROTE

%

NUMBER WROTE

%

(aa) 2005

10283

2%

20653

4%

6510

1%

6728

1%

(bb) 2008

10392

2%

26491

5%

7526

1%

7890

1%

(cc) 2010

9359

2%

26350

5%

5843

1%

6859

1%

(dd) 2012

8759

2%

25070

4%

5010

1%

5975

1%

(ee) (2015)

data is not yet available

(b) All technology subjects are non-designated; i.e. HEIs do not recognise these subjects as requirements to university entrance.

3.     The Department is aware that the National Curriculum Statements (NCS) present foundational skills to all learners and these skills create opportunities for learners to enter further and higher education. Therefore the list of critical skills according to the Government Gazette 37716 dated 3 June 2014 contains occupations that require the foundational skills, which are acquired through the basic education sector.

4.    (a)The Universities do not consider these subjects as requirements for entrance into engineering courses at a university. This puts learners at a disadvantage if after three years of studying they change their minds and no longer want to become artisans but engineers, they are then not credited at HEIs.

(b)Based on the targets set by the National Development Plan (NDP), the Department is committed to contributing to the production of 30,000 artisans per year by 2030 (NDP, Chapter 9, p277), through the strengthening and refocusing of technical schools and increasing the learner enrolments from 27,000 to 57,000 in 2030. The revision of the curriculum and the recapitalisation process at technical schools will also ensure that the industry requirements in terms of technical specialisation are met and thereby increase participation in the technical education sector.

In order to further strengthen articulation between GET and FET Technology, Senior Phase Subject Advisors and Teachers will be part of the training for specialisations scheduled for June and October 2015 as mentioned above. Advocacy on the Decade of the Artisan in partnership with Department of Higher Education (DHET) is currently being rolled out in all provinces with the intention to increase participation in artisanship and engineering.

The Department and DHET have embarked on a process of aligning the curriculum for basic education with that of Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Colleges.

(c) The enrolment of learners in the technical fields has been declining since 2008 due to the changes in the National Curriculum Statement (NCS). The revision of the Nated 500 to remove areas of specialisation resulted in the overload of subject content areas and the decline in learner enrolment. The reintroduction of the specialisation by the revised Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) for technical schools and the implementation of the recapitalisation programme will ensure that sector is expanded.

The following targets for the increase in learner enrolment have been set for 2014-2019:

Targets

Mechanical Technology

Electrical

Technology

Engineering

Graphics &Design

Computer

Technology

Technical Maths

Technical Science

Maths

Physical Science

2014

6,410

5,278

28,919

9,527

0

0

21,214

21,214

2015

6,602

5,436

30,943

10,003

0

0

22,275

22,275

2016

6,800

5,599

33,109

10,503

11,694

11,694

11,694

11,694

2017

7,004

5,767

35,427

11,028

12,279

12,279

12,279

12,279

2018

7,214

5,940

37,907

11,580

12,893

12,893

12,893

12,893

2019

7,431

6,118

40,560

12,159

13,538

13,538

13,538

13,538

Targets: National Learner Enrolment in Technical Schools (2014 – 2019)

Provincial Targets per Technology Subject:

2015 Targets

PROVINCE

MT

ET

EGD

CT

Tech Maths

Tech Science

Maths

Science

EC

507

418

2,377

768

 

 

1,711

1,711

FS

582

479

2,727

882

 

 

1,963

1,963

GP

1,753

1,443

8,214

2,655

 

 

5,913

5,913

KZN

1,046

861

4,901

1,584

 

 

3,528

3,528

LP

323

266

1,512

489

 

 

1,088

1,088

MP

360

297

1,689

546

 

 

1,216

1,216

NC

126

104

591

191

 

 

425

425

NW

539

444

2,527

817

 

 

1,819

1,819

WC

1,367

1,125

6,405

2,071

 

 

4,611

4,611

TOTAL

6,602

5,436

30,943

10,003

 

 

22,275

22,275

2016 Targets

PROVINCE

MT

ET

EGD

CT

Tech Maths

Tech Science

Maths

Science

EC

681

560

3,314

1,051

1,170

1,170

1,170

1,170

FS

530

436

2,581

819

912

912

912

912

GP

1,808

1,489

8,804

2,793

3,110

3,110

3,110

3,110

KZN

1,685

1,387

8,202

2,602

2,897

2,897

2,897

2,897

LP

558

460

2,718

862

960

960

960

960

MP

465

383

2,266

719

800

800

800

800

NC

186

153

904

287

319

319

319

319

NW

495

408

2,410

764

851

851

851

851

WC

392

323

1,910

606

675

675

675

675

TOTAL

6,800

5,599

33,109

10,503

11,694

11,694

11,694

11,694

2017 Targets

PROVINCE

MT

ET

EGD

CT

Tech Maths

Tech Science

Maths

Science

EC

635

523

3,211

999

1,113

1,113

1,113

1,113

FS

584

481

2,955

920

1,024

1,024

1,024

1,024

GP

2,063

1,699

10,436

3,249

3,617

3,617

3,617

3,617

KZN

1,550

1,276

7,841

2,441

2,718

2,718

2,718

2,718

LP

306

252

1,547

482

536

536

536

536

MP

436

359

2,205

687

764

764

764

764

NC

190

157

963

300

334

334

334

334

NW

603

497

3,052

950

1,058

1,058

1,058

1,058

WC

636

524

3,217

1,001

1,115

1,115

1,115

1,115

TOTAL

7,004

5,767

35,427

11,028

12,279

12,279

12,279

12,279

2018 Targets

PROVINCE

MT

ET

EGD

CT

Tech Maths

Tech Science

Maths

Science

EC

574

473

3,018

922

1,027

1,027

1,027

1,027

FS

487

401

2,560

782

871

871

871

871

GP

2,059

1,695

10,818

3,305

3,679

3,679

3,679

3,679

KZN

1,817

1,496

9,545

2,916

3,247

3,247

3,247

3,247

LP

447

368

2,347

717

798

798

798

798

MP

440

362

2,312

706

786

786

786

786

NC

135

111

708

216

241

241

241

241

NW

499

411

2,621

801

891

891

891

891

WC

757

623

3,978

1,215

1,353

1,353

1,353

1,353

TOTAL

7,214

5,940

37,907

11,580

12,893

12,893

12,893

12,893

2019 Targets

PROVINCE

MT

ET

EGD

CT

Tech Maths

Tech Science

Maths

Science

EC

592

487

3,230

968

1,078

1,078

1,078

1,078

FS

502

413

2,739

821

914

914

914

914

GP

2,121

1,746

11,575

3,470

3,864

3,864

3,864

3,864

KZN

1,871

1,541

10,213

3,062

3,409

3,409

3,409

3,409

LP

460

379

2,511

753

838

838

838

838

MP

453

373

2,474

742

826

826

826

826

NC

139

114

758

227

253

253

253

253

NW

514

423

2,804

841

936

936

936

936

WC

780

642

4,256

1,276

1,421

1,421

1,421

1,421

TOTAL

7,431

6,118

40,560

12,159

13,538

13,538

13,538

13,538

(d) (i) Negotiations between the Department and Higher Education South Africa (HESA) and Umalusi are in progress for considering the designation of these technology subjects

(d)(ii)The non-designation is the only challenge that the Minister foresees.

03 July 2015 - NW2299

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Baker, Ms TE to ask the Minister of Water and Sanitation

Are there any plans in place to release water from the Lesotho Highlands Water Project to assist the Free State towns of Ficksburg, Clocolan and Marquard which have been affected by drought; if not, (a) why not and (b) what other measures have been put into place to deal with the effects of water security resultant from the drought in these communities?

Reply:

Yes, a submission has been made to the Director-General on 21 May 2015 for the release of water from the Katse Dam (Lesotho Highlands Water Project).

(a) Falls away

(b) In order to ensure the sustainability of supply within the system, pumping at the Tienfontein Pump Station (Caledon River) should be maintained. This can only be achieved by releasing water from the Lesotho Highlands Water Scheme (Katse Dam) into the Caledon River. The transfer of water from Knellpoort Dam via the Novo transfer scheme to Rustfontein Dam should also be maintained. Fast-track and intensify the implementation of water conservation and water demand management measures in all affected municipalities. Urgent implementation of the gazetted water restrictions and the monitoring of possible unlawful water use along the Modder River, upstream of Maselspoort Dam.

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03 July 2015 - NW2333

Profile picture: McLoughlin, Mr AR

McLoughlin, Mr AR to ask the Minister of Finance

(1) (a) What is the total value of South Africa’s current gold reserves, quoted in US dollars, and (b) what proportion of South Africa’s gold reserves is (i) stored in South Africa and (ii) located offshore; (2) (a) where are the local gold reserves held and (b) when last was a stock check of the locally held gold reserves undertaken; (3) (a) where are the reserves kept which are held offshore and (b) what percentage share of the reserves is held at each respective location; (4) (a) when last (i) were the gold reserves held offshore inspected and (ii) was an accurate stock take undertaken and (b)(i) who conducted such an inspection, (ii) to whom do they report and (iii) where can a copy thereof be obtained; (5) has any portion of South Africa’s gold reserve ever been found to be missing or unaccounted for; if so, what steps have been taken to ascertain the whereabouts of said reserves?

Reply:

1 (a) The value of the official gold reserves as at 31 May 2015 was US$4.8 billion, which is approximately 4 million fine ounces.

1 (b) The SARB holds a large percentage of South Africa’s gold reserves in vaults of official sector institutions at offshore bullion centres, while a smaller amount is held locally. It is operationally efficient to store gold at offshore bullion centres should the need arise to conduct gold transactions. The exact percentage allocation is not made public.

2 (a) Gold reserves held locally are held at Rand Refinery Proprietary Limited (Rand Refinery), the South African Mint Company (RF) Proprietary Limited (SA Mint), and various branches of the SARB, including its head office.

2 (b) The SARB performs regular reconciliations on reports based on gold held at various local locations. An audit of locally held gold reserves is also conducted annually.

3 (a) Most of South Africa’s gold reserves are kept at secure offshore bullion centres, in vaults of official sector institutions.

3 (b) The exact percentage allocation is not made public.

4 (a) Senior SARB officials conduct due diligence visits to inspect gold reserves held offshore on a regular basis. The last due diligence visit was conducted during 2014.

4 (b) The report on each due diligence visit is forwarded to the executive of the SARB. As these reports contain confidential information, they are not publically available.

5 No.

03 July 2015 - NW2522

Profile picture: Steyn, Ms A

Steyn, Ms A to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

With reference to his response to oral question 153 on 10 June 2015, what amount has been budgeted for the implementation of the Agricultural Policy Action Plan in the 2015-16 financial year?

Reply:

(a) The Agricultural Policy Action Plan (APAP) is planned over a five-year period and will be updated on an annual basis. Cabinet furthermore approved APAP      in March 2015, and implementation will commence in the 2015/2016 financial year. It is important to note that APAP does not act outside existing            budgets such as DAFFs budgetary allocation. However it provides a comprehensive strategic approach in implementing the National Development Plan (NDP) and the Medium Term Strategic Framework (MTSF) and directs the spending on strategic interventions identified by all stakeholders.

 APAP 2015/16 interventions are funded via DAFF’s grant programmes such as CASP, Ilema Letsema, and sector organisations’ contribution. The estimated  total for APAP 2015/16 is R 4, 6 billion.

03 July 2015 - NW2217

Profile picture: Lekota, Mr M

Lekota, Mr M to ask the Minister of Public Enterprises

(1) Whether the Government had completed a detailed financial analysis to put an estimate on the final cost of Medupi Power Station; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details; (2) whether the Government’s financial analysis corresponds with independent estimates that Medupi Power Staton will have cost the Government R300 billion rand or 10 times its cost at the signing of the contract; if so, what is the Government’s own estimate of the final cost; (3) does the Government’s final cost estimate differ with the independently estimated cost of R300 billion; if not, why not; if so, (a) by what amount below or above that mark, (b) will the Government explain what consequences will flow for all those who allowed the target to be overshot by the specified amount and (c) what measures has the Government implemented from 2009 to control the runaway costs; (4) will she make a statement on the handling and management of Medupi Power Station from its implementation up until the latest specified date for which information is available in light of the Government’s own fiduciary responsibility for Medupi Power Station? NW2574E

Reply:

(1) Yes. The cost to completion on the Medupi Project, as with other long term projects, is reviewed on an ongoing basis. The current approved cost to completion is R105bn. The Board of Eskom has not approved any further revision to the R105bn. The most recent review of the costs is currently undergoing internal Governance scrutiny. Should an increase to the current cost of completion be required, the Board will seek the necessary Shareholder approval through the PFMA process.

(2) Eskom is not familiar with the details, assumptions or factors that have been considered in the independent estimate of R300 billion, hence Eskom is not in a position to comment on the credibility of the estimate. The current approved project cost to completion on the Medupi Project is R105 billion.

(3) Eskom’s final cost estimate differs from the quoted independent estimate.

    (a) Eskom’s current approved cost to completion of Medupi of R105bn is R195 billion below the above mentioned independent estimate.

      (b) The Government is aware that the Medupi project might have cost overruns due to the various factors and Eskom will provide the detail of cost overruns to the Department in due course when all the Government processes have been completed.

     (c) Eskom is consistently incorporating techniques to improve performance and manage costs. These ideas for improvement are derived from lessons learnt on other local and international projects. The following main cost control measures have been implemented:

• The introduction of additional supervisory resources to manage construction interfaces and the quality of on-site construction activities and off-site fabrication works.

• The strengthening of construction techniques within the project.

• Implementation of a robust claims management strategy.

• Improved Project oversight and streamlined decision making via the Eskom Board Build Program Review Committee and Eskom’s Executive Build Program Review Committee.

(4) The Minister will continue with the shareholder oversight pertaining to the progress of the Medupi Power Station project. The operational issues of the project are handled by the Eskom and quarterly progress is provided to the Department. The Department has undertaken a study to evaluate Eskom’s build programme and there has been lessons learned which are to be implemented to the build programme.

03 July 2015 - NW1913

Profile picture: Kalyan, Ms SV

Kalyan, Ms SV to ask the Minister of Water and Sanitation

(a) Who are the current chief financial officers of (i) her department and (ii) the entities reporting to her and (b) what is the qualification of each chief financial officer?

Reply:

Refer to the table below for the current Chief Financial Officers of the Department and the Entities:

Department/ Entity

Full Names

Qualifications

Department: CFO Water Trading Entity

Mr Mpho Mofokeng

B Tech: Cost & Management Accounting Degree

Department: CFO Main Account

Ms Nthabiseng Fundakubi

B Tech: Business Administration

Amatola Water

The CFO post is vacant.

N/A

Bloem Water

Mr OJ Stadler

B Comm Honours; Masters in Business Leadership (MBL)

Lepelle Northern Water

Mr JC Kilan

Honours: Accounting; Masters in Business Administration

Magalies Water

Ms A Raphela

B Comm Honours; Chartered Accountant

Mhlathuze Water

Mr B Ndaba

(b) B Comm (Accounting)

Overberg Water

Ms A Cilliers

B Compt, B Compt Honours; Chartered Accountant

Rand Water

Mrs SM Nyembe

B Comm (Accounting); B Compt Honours

Sedibeng Water

Ms MA Shasha

B Compt Honours

Umgeni Water

Mr TB Hlongwa

B Comm (Accounting); B Comm Honours (Accounting); Chartered Accountant

Inkomati-Usuthu CMA

Ms Thembelihle Mjaji

Qualified Chartered Accountant.

Honours in Bachelor of Accounting Science

Degree in Bachelor of Accounting Science

Breede Gouritz CMA

Mrs. Judith Ntombizanele Nkomombini

Bachelor of Commerce

---00O00---

03 July 2015 - NW1839

Profile picture: Balindlela, Ms ZB

Balindlela, Ms ZB to ask the Minister of Water and Sanitation

(1)Whether she has taken any steps to implement the recommendations of the Auditor-General with regard to preventing the procurement of goods and services with a transaction value below R500 000 without obtaining the required price and quotations; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details with regard to each recommendation;

Reply:

(1) Yes, steps have been taken to implement the recommendations of the Auditor- General with regard to preventing the procurement of goods and services with a transaction value below R500 000, refer below:

  • The Accounting officer invites and accepts written price quotations for requirement up to an estimated value of R500 000.00 from as many suppliers as possible, that are registered on the list of prospective suppliers.
  • Where no suitable suppliers are available from the list of prospective suppliers, written price quotations may be obtained from other possible suppliers.
  • If it is not possible to obtain at least three (3) written price quotations, the reason should be recorded and approved by the accounting officer/ authority or his /her delegate.
  • The Supply Chain Management policy which incorporates the above and other quotation process has been approved and is currently utilized within the Water Trading Entity as a guideline for the procurement process which include other related National Treasury practices notes and related circulars issued by other authorities within the Water and Infrastructure Sector e.g. CIDB Regulations.

(2) Yes, steps have been taken to implement the recommendations of the Auditor-General with regard to preventing the procurement of goods and services with a transaction value above R500 000.00, refer below:

  • Accounting officer invite competitive bids for all procurement above R500 000.00.
  • Competitive bids are advertised in the Government Tender Bulleting and in other appropriate media should an accounting officer deem it necessary to ensure greater exposure to potential bidders. The responsibility for advertisement cost lies with the relevant accounting officer.
  • Should it be impractical to invite competitive bids for specific procurement, such as in urgent or emergency cases or in cases of a sole supplier, the accounting officer/ authority may procure the required goods and services by other means, such as price quotations or negotiations in accordance with Treasury Regulation 16A6.4. The reasons for deviating from inviting competitive bids are recorded and approved by the accounting officer or his/ her delegate.
  • The Accounting officer reports within ten (10) working days to the relevant Treasury and the Auditor-General regarding all cases where goods and services above the value of R1 Million (VAT inclusive) and providing description of the goods or services, the name/s of the suppliers/s, the amount/s involved and the reasons for deviating from the prescribed competitive bidding process.
  • Goods, works or services may not deliberately be split into parts or items of lesser value merely for the sake of procuring the goods, works or service otherwise than through the prescribed procurement process. when determining transaction values, a requirement for goods , works or services consisting of different parts or items must as far as possible be treated and dealing with as a single transaction
  • Accounting officers apply the prescripts of the preferential procurement policy Framework Act, 2000 (Act No. 5 of 2000) and its associated Regulations for all procurement equal to or above R30 000.00.00 (VAT included) less than
    that amount if and when appropriate.
  • The Supply Chain Management policy which incorporates the above and other bids processes has been approved and is currently utilized within the Water Trading Entity as a guide-line for the procurement process which include together with other related National Treasury practice notes and related circulars issued by other authorities within the Water and Infrastructure Sector e.g. CIDB Regulations.

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