Questions and Replies

Reply:

(a) Not applicable

Approved by the Minister on
Date: 2015/05/06

Reply:

(a) The department does not have any invoices from private contractors currently unpaid for longer than 30 days.

(b) Not applicable.


 

Approved by the Minister on
Date: 6/05/2015

Reply:

No, the department does not administer legislation that has a regulatory obligation and therefore, it has not developed a strategy to reduce a regulatory burden.


Approved by the Minister on
Date: 24/04/2015

Reply:

Yes.

1. The Department is currently providing school primary preventive oral health programmes to Quintile 1 and 2 schools in collaboration with the Department of Basic Education, as part of the Integrated School Health Programme (ISHP). The services consist of:

a. Dental screening;
b. Oral health education;
c. Tooth brushing sessions;
d. Tooth fissure sealant applications; and
e. Basic treatment services.

2. The Department has purchased Mobile Dental Clinics, equipped with dental equipment and instruments, for the NHI pilot districts, to provide oral health services to children at schools and areas that are difficult to reach. This serves to improve access to services to communities that are poor.

3. The Department conducts quarterly visits to facilities in districts and provinces to assess the quality of oral health services that are used by the poor. Reports with recommendations are then sent to relevant provinces to take remedial action where necessary. Such exercises help to improve quality of oral health services.

4. The Ideal Clinic initiative aims to include and improve oral health services at Primary Health Care Level by ensuring availability of appropriate infrastructure, equipment and human resources to render quality oral health services.

5. Placement of Community Service Dentists in rural areas and also to areas where there were no oral health services have increased and therefore the access to oral services has increased to poor communities.

END.

Reply:

Yes.

There are plans to upgrade the Lenasia South Community Health Centre into a 250 bedded district hospital. These plans are still in the design phase.

In the mean time there are plans to have seventy six (76) step down beds activated in the Community Health Center and a 24 hour casualty and an emergency service.

The project for the step down beds is at an advanced stage and it is planned that the patients will be admitted by 01 June 2015.

Minor renovations are currently underway in the casualty and emergency area.

It is envisaged that provision of 24 hour emergency services will thus commence on 01 October 2015.

END.

Reply:

(i) In Namakwa there are 2 district hospitals; Dr van Niekerk Hosp in Springbok and Abraham Esau Hosp in Calvinia. No public hospital was closed in the Namakwa District during the past 10 or more years.

(ii) Kleinzee Hospital is a private facility owned by De Beers Mining Company and was closed due to the down scaling of the mining activities in Kleinzee.

(aa) - (bb) The Department has no record of any Government Hospitals that have closed in Namaqualand nor in Kleinzee.

(cc) The only Hospital in Namakwa or in Kleinzee that closed in the past 5 years is the Private Hospital which is still owned by De Beers. In this regard there is an engagement process for the facility to be donated to the Northern Cape Department of Health.

The facility was closed due to De Beers scaling down their operations and moving their staff to other business units across SA and Southern Africa.

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works

(1) (a) (i) and (ii) below is a list of the top 10 landlords that the Department of Public Works is leasing property from. The landlords are classified as being in the top 10 in terms of cost to the Department and the number of properties leased (see Annexure A).

The landlords are as follows:

• 1. Delta Property Fund
  2. Redefine Properties Limited
  3. Rebosis Property Fund Limited
  4. Encha Properties Trust (PTY) Ltd.
  5. JHI Properties (PTY) Ltd.
  6. Tacora Investments (PTY) Ltd.
  7. Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs Inc.
  8. Summermania Seven (PTY) Ltd.
  9. Mergence Africa Property Investments
  10. Premium Properties Ltd.

(1) (b) Please refer to the attached Annexure (B).

(2) (a), (b) and (c) Please refer to the attached Annexure (A and B).

Reply:

1. (a) (b) (c) The sector is currently finalizing the data for the repeating learners with will be available by April 2015. For the 2015 academic year, provinces are are expecting to submit by the end of October 2015, according to Government Gazette 29757. However, the sector is able to provide the requested data for 2012 and 2013.
 

Source: EMIS 2013

Attached please find here: 2013 REPEATING LEARNERS continued

Reply:

(a) The State Security Agency (SSA) spent the following amounts on newspapers:

Attached please find here: Financial Year Amount

Reply:

(a) None
(b) None
(i) None
(ii) None

Reply:

(a) (b)
SANRAL is not currently collecting any revenue through any 3rd party agency at the border posts. As indicated previously, foreign vehicles have the same obligation to pay toll as any other vehicle using the GFlP roads. Currently 14 741 foreign vehicles are registered on the SANRAL toll system.

(c) Not applicable

Reply:

(a) The Department of Transport has, as pail of a Public Private Partnership initiative -Treasury Approval 1 process, concluded a feasibility study on the Moloto Rail Development Corridor in October 2014. The operational due diligence has identified two possible gauge variations being Standard and Cape gauge. The optimized rail option has recommended Cape Gauge as the preferred gauge to be used for the Moloto Rail Corridor.

(b) The Cape Gauge technology will integrate seamlessly with the existing rail system, which will be able Po distribute 84% of passengers to within walking distance of their destinations in Tshwane.

Reply:

(a) i. The National Road Traffic Act (NRTA) forms as published in the schedule of forms (volume 1) are the only forms approved for use at DLTC's, vehicle testing stations and registering authorities. Published forms should not be copied for use at the Registering Authorities and all other vehicle and licencing centres in South Africa.

ii. Yes, when a member of public visits our various licensing offices they are provided with only the approved and published forms as per the NRTA and there should not be any copies provided to the public.

(b) Since the implementation relating to road traffic management.

(c) Department of Transport is not aware of any photocopying of the forms and the costs related thereto.

(d) Falls away

Reply:

(1) (a) The S'hamba Sonke Program is funded through the Provincial Road Maintenance Grant (PRMG). The 201 5 Division of Revenue Bill allocates the PRMG fund amounting to R9.952 billion, R10.291 billion and R10.807 billion for the 2015/16, 2016117 and 201718 financial years respectively (the current MTEF).

(b) (i) (aa) All nine provinces are the Receiving Officers (RO) of the grant and therefore Implementing Authorities of the grant.

(bb) In the case of Limpopo, the Roads Agency Limpopo is sub-contracted to execute some of the capital works implementation whereas SANRAL also assists willing provinces through a Service Level Agreement (SLA).

(c) There are approximately 223 295, 234 460 and 246 183 work opportunities to be created for the 2015/16, 2016/19 and 2017/18 financial years respectively (the current MTEF).

(ii) Although no funding from the conditional grants of the S'hamba Sonke Dedicated Programme has been misappropriated there has been deviations which have been approved within the conditions set out in the Grant framework. When the Infrastructure Grant to Provinces was reconfigured to the PRMG.

Reply:

(a) The information is surely available on the annual reports but, Ms Poppy Khoza was appointed as the Director of Civil Aviation by the Minister of Transport with effect from 1 December 2013.

(b) Cabinet approved the appointment of Ms Khoza at its cabinet meeting of 20 November 2013.

(c) Ms Poppy Khoza was appointed by the Minister of Transport as the Acting Director from Z November 2012 until 30 October 2013,

(d) Mr Gawie Bestbier was appointed as Acting Director of Civil Aviation from 31 October 2013 up to 30 November 2013.

NW902E

Reply:

(1) and (2) The attached list comprises of the names, relevant details, budget and amount spent on each of the 164 projects supported by the National Skills Fund in the 2013/14 financial year.

(3) and (4) Please refer to my response to question 2663

Reply:

a) The Department through its Inter-Provincial Policies and Procedures (IPPP) forum has developed a proposed "Fees Model" together with Provinces. There still needs to be discussions with the National Treasury on the proposed Model.

The Provinces submitted the model to their Provincial Treasuries to conduct an assessment of the financial implications. The Provinces whose fees were higher in a particular category of motor vehicles were supposed to decrease their fees or to perhaps not increase those fees for a certain period. So that other Provinces whose fees were lesser will be able to stabilize/catch up with Provinces whose fees were higher.

This has a huge financial implication on the own revenue generated by the Provinces and Local Authorities, therefore it is critical that the National Treasury should give guidance on the proposed model.

b) Once National Treasury has agreed and given its approval and the IPPP has reviewed the response, a statement will be made

Reply:

(1) Yes

(a) A multi-disciplinary barn lead by the Director-General of the State Security Agency.

(b) A full investigation has been launched into the purported leakage, its veracity and verification will be handled in terms of the protocols governing the management of classified information

(c) An investigation is currently underway and the Joint Standing Committee an intelligence (JSCI) has been briefed.

(2) The findings of the Investigation will be made available to the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence (JSCI). The SSA will do all in its power to expedite the investigation and to identify and act against those responsible for this serious act of security breach against the Agency and the Republic of South Africa.

Reply:

(1) No, due to the nature of our mandate
(a) Not Applicable
(b) Not Applicable
(c) Not Applicable

(d) Not Applicable

(2) No due to the nature of our mandate
(a) Not Applicable
i. Not Applicable
ii. Not Applicable
iii. Not Applicable
iv. Not Applicable
v. Not Applicable

Reply:

a) The Province of KwaZulu Natal is using a Pro License computerised learners licence system in all their Driving License Testing Centres: Western Cape and Eastern Cape each have 3 Computerized Learners License Test, Limpopo, North West, Northern Cape, Mpumalanga and Free State have two sites per province. Gauteng has about 20 sites that uses eNaTIS computerized Learners License Test and all this are currently pilots sites.

b) The system was designed in terms of the current K53 Motor Vehicle Driving License Manuals. She system randomly select questions from a pool of 1 500 questions that an applicant for a learners license must answer. The sequence of the question and their answers are not similar in a particular test.

c) (i) (aa) The setting up cost is R 900 00 per site.

(bb) A year's maintenance is included in the initial setting up costs listed above

(ii) The Computerised Learners License Test is a module within the eNaTIS system d) The roll out of the system started around 2011/2012 financial years to date

The roll out of the system around 2011/12 financial year to date.

Reply:

(a) How many persons have graduated from the SATaxi Council Driver Training Academy since its inception.

A total number of 238 driven have been trained since the inception of the SA Taxi Council Driver Training Academy.

The breakdown is as follows:
 

(b) What (i) process, (ii) procedures and (iii) mechanisms exist to monitor improvement in driving by these graduates and,

The South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) has established a Call Centre for the commuters to call in and report any reckless driving or if it is suspected that a driver could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol. If a call is received suggesting any of the above, the call centre staff will notify the nearest law enforcement agency for action to be taken.

Drivers are also trained on the aspects of customer care as part of improving the image of the industry in the face of the general public. A number of calls have been received from commuters expressing their appreciation in the manner in which taxi driven have improved in dealing with the commuters and the respect shown to them.

(c) What has been the cost to her department in this regard to date?

A once off payment of R5.5 million was made during the launch in the 2011/12 financial year.

Reply:

(a) In order to approve efficiencies the Road Accident Fund (RAF) has implemented a process in terms of which the different components making up a claim can now be settled independently (part-settlement), e.g. a claim for past loss of earnings can now be settled whilst the claim for future loss of earnings may require further investigation, and, or assessment, resulting in a future settlement date of the aforementioned component of the claim. This process of part-settlement of the different components of the claim means that little value can be gained from comparing an initial offer (which may relate to only a specific component of the claim) with the final settlement amount (which may exclude the earlier settled component), because like-for-like amounts would not be compared. For this reason the RAF is unable to respond to the specific query.

(b) Due to the number of claims involved, the part-settlement process alluded to above, and the timing of the capturing of certain part-settlements on the RAF's claim system, it is impractical to respond to the remainder of the question, except for providing the below response to part (i) of the question as it relates to possible reasons (other than part-settlement) for the variance between an initial offered settlement and a final settlement amount.

(i) It is not uncommon for an initial offer amount on a component of the claim to be less than the eventual settlement amount. Some of the more common reasons for this include, but are not limited to, the following:

a. The RAF may have applied a percentage apportionment, based on the RAF's assessment of the claimant's contributory negligence, which apportionment served to reduce the amount of the initial offer. This apportionment may later have been reduced, or abandoned, following negotiation or receipt of new evidence:

b. Claimants are entitled to, and frequently do, amend their claims, either by increasing the amount already claimed under a specific component of the claim or by claiming a new amount under a new component. Such amendments are typically the result of the submission of new documentary evidence pertaining to a specific component of the claim; medico-legal reports; Serious Injury Assessment Reports; and, or. actuarial reports that are submitted after the initial offer, or that may be updated after the initial offer. The RAF assesses such additional submissions and may update the initial offer where indicated; and

c. The outcome of litigation, as regards the fault aspect (apportionment) and, or, the quantum of the claim could result in the apportionment being reduced or the quantum being increased, either of which may impact the final settlement amount.

It bears noting that in many instances the RAF settles claims for more than what was originally claimed.

Reply:

(a)The Department is currently working with Statistics South Africa to collate data for all motor vehicle accidents occurred in (aa) 2012-12. (bb) 2012-13 and (cc) 2013- 2014. The data processing will commence once the data capturing is completed.

(b)There are various Road Safety initiatives that focused on seatbelt usage.

Reply:

Attached please fine here: Reply

Reply:

No summons has been filed against the SA Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) for (i) 2011/2012; (ii) 2012/2013; and (iii) 201312014 financial years. (b) NIA, (c) no summons were received against the SACAA Certification Department and (e) N/A

Reply:

Yes there were investigations conducted. (a) The investigations (i) commenced early in 2007 (ii) investigations ended on 24m October 2008. (b) Investigations were conducted by Ernst & Young. (c) Findings and results - Two employees of SACAA were involved in selling examination papers and answers (d) (i) As a result of the investigation, SACAA instituted disciplinary actions against these two employees "Examination Officers" who were charged with misconduct in that they "overrode IT systems, thereby breaching established examination processes" and failed to secure their logon details which allowed unauthorised access to the examination system. (ii) The names of the two employees are Mr Alec Mnisi and Ms Nancy Mashamaite.

Reply:

No members of the State Security Agency (SSA) have been placed on suspension since 1 January 2014. There is however six members who were placed on suspension prior to the date above and whose disciplinary processes have commenced.

The cost implications for the period 1 January 2014 to date are R6, 984,614.00

Reply:

Minister in the Presidency responsible for Women only took office in the current administration.

(a) Not applicable
(b) Not applicable
 

Reply:

A) (i) 2011/12 financial year – 23
(i) 2012/13 financial year - 25

(i) 2013/14 financial year – 2

B) FOR YEAR: 2011/12 (23 Appointments Made
 

Please find here: FOR YEAR: 2012/13 (25 Appointments Made)

Reply:

(I) & (II)

(aa)

(bb)

(cc)

(b)

(i) what was the length of the license

Local General Safety Certificate - 12 Months

small Vessel Skippers Certificate of Competence - no expiry date

(ii) what are the reasons for this As per Regulations

Small Vessel Skippers license - there are no provisions in our Merchant Shipping (National Small Vessel Safety) Regulations, 2007 as to the expiry dates of these certificates.

Reply:

(1) (a) How many new appointments were made at the Airports Company South Africa in the (i) 2011-12, (ii) 2012-13 and (iii) 2013-14 financial years and (b) in each case, (i) what are the names of the appointees and (ii) in which positions were they appointed;

(a) The Airports Company South Africa appointed various people in different positions during the period under review.

(i) Appointments 2011 -12 were, 375
(ii) Appointments 2012 -13 were, 379
(iii) Appointments 2013 -14 were, 413

Detail of appointments per financial year, per position and employee is attached for reference as requested.

(2) were (a) the positions advertised in the press and (b) standard recruitment processes followed; if not, why not, in each case; if so, (i) how many applications were received for each advertised position, (ii) what was the highest qualification for the persons who were appointed and (iii) what level of remuneration will be paid to the persons who were appointed;

(a) The Company resourcing is approached in line with the approved policy, regulating recruitment, selection and appointments. (b) A copy of the policy is included for reference. Recruitment for positions that are vacant and should be filled is done according to policy requirements.

(3) whether vacant posts were also advertised internally; if not, why not; if so, (a) how many positions were filled internally and (b) what are the names of the incumbents:

In line with the policy as attached, all vacant positions that should be filled are advertised internally. The promotions for each year are reflected below:

(b) (i) Promotions 2011 -12 were, 22
(ii) Promotions 2012 -13 were, 108
(iii) Promotions 2013 -14 were, 158

The detail about each promotion is included in the attached sheet for each year under review.

(4) (a) how many staff members are currently in an acting capacity and (b) in each case, (i) in what positions are they acting and (ii) for what reason? NW485E

The Company approaches absence from people in supervisory and management positions, by requiring a person to Act in such capacity during periods of absence. This allows for business continuity and does expose individuals to gain experience in a different role as well.

The record of people acting during the period mainly December 2014- January 2015, which accumulated to 144 instances, is attached for reference.

Reply:

Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS)

(1) (a) How many new appointments were made at the Air Traffic and Navigation Services in the (i) 2011-12 - 137(6 Professionally qualified; 120 Skilled Technical Workers and Junior Managers; 11 Semi-skilled and Discretionary Decision positions)
(ii) 2012-13 - 107(10 Professionally qualified; 81 Skilled Technical Workers and Junior Managers; 6 Semi-skilled Technical Workers and 10 Unskilled and Defined Decision Making positions)
(iii) 2013-14 - 146(4 Professionally qualified, 128 Skilled Technical Workers and Junior Managers; 12 Semi-skilled Technical Workers and 2 Unskilled and Defined Decision Making Positions

(2) (a) the positions advertised in the press -Yes, depending on the position ATNS does use the press if the position requires this recruitment method. Not all positions are advertised via the press.

(b) Yes, all positions are filled as per recruitment process and policy.

(i) Average 10 (again this is very subjective, as it largely depends on the level and qualification of the position).

(ii) what was the highest qualification for the persons who were appointed - As per minimum requirements of each advertised position. Again this varies from entry to top levels in the Company.

(iii) ATNS benchmarks all our remuneration against the South African market. Ail remuneration offered is in line with the market benchmark based on the grade of the position.

(3) Yes