Questions and Replies
17 March 2015 - NW571
De Freitas, Mr MS to ask the Mr. M S F de Freites (DA) to ask the Minister of Transport:
How many (i) ships and (ii) skippers have been licensed in each month in (aa) 2012, (bb) 2013 and (cc) 2014 and (b) in each case what (i) was the length of the Iicen9e and (ii) are the reasons for this’NW651E
Reply:
(I) & (II)
(aa)
2012/2013 |
Ship Surveys |
Skippers License |
4/12 |
558 |
860 |
5/12 |
623 |
903 |
6/12 |
682 |
1252 |
7/12 |
643 |
1080 |
8/12 |
663 |
724 |
9/12 |
938 |
604 |
10/12 |
1099 |
811 |
11/12 |
1208 |
898 |
I2/12 |
360 |
378 |
1/13 |
1119 |
644 |
2/13 |
744 |
292 |
3/13 |
647 |
493 |
(bb)
2013/2014 |
Ship Surveys |
Skippers License |
4/13 |
889 |
584 |
5/13 |
973 |
90 |
6/1J |
892 |
152 |
7/13 |
74:t |
374 |
8/13 |
718 |
158 |
9/ 3 |
969 |
1798 |
10/13 |
1678 |
684 |
11/13 |
1236 |
1090 |
IZ/13 |
934 |
809 |
2/14 |
1299 |
1309 |
2/24 |
807 |
650 |
3/14 |
837 |
656 |
(cc)
2014/2015 |
Ship Surveys |
Skippers Lience |
4/14 |
872 |
1350 |
5/14 |
980 |
175 |
6/14 |
857 |
147 |
7/14 |
1146 |
977 |
8/14 |
1000 |
357 |
9/14 |
1273 |
237 |
10/14 |
1469 |
21 |
11/14 |
1189 |
382 |
12/14 |
707 |
52 |
(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.
12 March 2015 - NW194
Matsepe, Mr CD to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
(1) With reference to the reply of the Minister of Communications to question 1031 on 27 November 2014, what was the total amount that (a) his department and (b) each of its entities (i) spent on and/or (ii) budgeted for advertising for each month between 1 January 2013 and 31 July 2014, excluding expenditure transferred through the Department of Communications for advertising; (2) does such figure for each month represent the (a) total value of advertising that appeared in the media in that month, (b) amount paid in that month for advertising that may have appeared previously or (c) amount paid in advance for advertising that appeared at a later date; (3) in each specified case, what amount did (a) his department and (b) each of its entities spend on advertising in (i) print, (ii) radio, (iii) television, (iv) online and (v) outdoor; (4) in each specified case, what is the breakdown of advertising by (a) his website and (ee) billboards location in each province?
Reply:
Find here: Reply attached
10 March 2015 - NW346
Marais, Mr EJ to ask the Minister of Transport
(1) (a)(i) How many new appointments were made at the SA National Roads Agency Limited in the (aa) 2012-13 and (bb) 2013-14 financial years, in each case and (b)(i) what are the names of the appointees and (ii) in which positions were they appointed; (2) were (a) the positions advertised in the press and (b) standard recruitment processes followed; 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; (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; (4) (a) how many staff members are currently in an acting capacity in each case, (b) in what position are they acting and (c) for what reason?
04 March 2015 - NW9
Madisha, Mr WM to ask the Minister of Basic Education
(1) Whether the intensive investigation that she promised on 4 December 2014 to remedy the serious and alarming deficits that the 2014 annual national assessments (ANA) showed in respect of Grade 9 mathematics were now in place and communicated to all schools for implementation; if not, why not; if so, what were these radical interventions; (2) Will she make a statement on (a) which interventions she is seeking from individuals in society and (b) the private sector that were in a position to dramatically improve the perennially hopeless situation of mathematics in our state schools?
Reply:
(1)
▪ The Department of Basic Education (DBE) conducted an intensive diagnostic analysis of learner performance in the Grade 9 Mathematics ANA tests. The findings have been succinctly documented in the 2014 ANA Diagnostic Report.
▪ Copies of the 2014 Diagnostic report highlighting challenges that learners are experiencing in terms of Grade 9 Mathematics content have been printed and distributed to all public and independent schools.
▪ The DBE is currently conducting roadshows with all provincial and district officials involving the mediation of the 2014 ANA diagnostic report in Mathematics.
▪ Further, the DBE is currently hosting General Education and Training (GET) Mathematics subject committee meetings to focus on subject improvement plans in grade 9 Mathematics based on the findings of the 2014 ANA Diagnostic Report in Mathematics.
▪ The DEE in partnership with the Sasol lnzalo foundation has developed material in key content areas of Grade 9 Mathematics which has been mediated to all Senior Phase Mathematics subject advisors.
▪ The 1+4 Intervention Model is one of the key features of the Framework for improving performance in the Senior Phase.
(2) (b) There is an MST Roundtable that is scheduled for the 19 March 2015 in the Department of Basic Education. A total of 80 representatives from the NGO sector, universities, DHET, DST and DBE that support and/or have interest on issues relating to the MST in Education in the country are envisaged to be invited to attend the 3d MST in Education Roundtable. The purpose of the MST Roundtable is for the Minister to outline the Strategic Direction of Government in Enhancing MST Performance.
04 March 2015 - NW317
Boshoff, Ms SH to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
317. Ms H S Boshoff (DA) to ask the Minister of Basic Education: (1) With reference to farm schools in Mpumalanga, (a) how many private properties that have public farm schools on their premises have been turned into state-owned properties and (b) how many public farm schools on private properties are operational in terms of an agreement in accordance with section 14 of the South African Schools Act, Act 84 of 1996, between the Member of the Executive Council and the owner of the private property in Mpumalanga; (2) how many (a) learners in (i) primary school and (ii) secondary school are amending rural or farm schools and (b) of these schools lack basic facilities such as piped water, toilets and electricity in Mpumalanga; (3) (a) how many learners in (i) primary school and (ii) secondary school whose rural or farm schools have been closed are being transported to merger schools due to limited capacity at the hostel of the respective merger school and (b) what is the percentage of parents of learners whose rural or farm schools have closed, who serve on the school governing bodies of merger schools in Mpumalanga; (4) whether the Mpumalanga provincial education department has produced a provincial draft budget document for the rural farm school hostel project; (5) what number of child support grants have been transferred along with learners who have been transferred to boarding schools following the closure of their rural or farm school in Mpumalanga?
Reply:
The question has been referred to the province and the response will be forwarded as soon as it is received.
04 March 2015 - NW314
Van Der Walt, Ms D to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) With reference to the building of Selowe Primary School in Blouberg, Limpopo, (a) why is this building project not completed, (b) who was the contractor, (c) what amounts have been paid to the contractor and (d) what action has been taken to finish this building project; (2) whether any legal processes are pending against the contractor; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
1. (a) According to information received from the province, the contractor who was appointed in May 2013 and had been progressing slowly eventually abandoned the site and all the works stopped in June 2014. He was behind on the project and was facing penalties according to the Joint Buildina Contracts Committee contract (JBCC). The implementing agent (IDT) terminated the contractor after the site was abandoned at the roof level in July 2014. The implementing agent then re-advertised the project and has replaced this contractor.
(b) The initial contractor was Shota Engineering cc.
(c) The initial contractor (Shota Engineering cc) was paid R 2,151,727.42.
(d) The contract was terminated and the implementing agent then re-advertised the project and has replaced this contractor.
04 March 2015 - NW45
Lovemore, Ms AT to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) Whether primary schools in the Eastern Cape have had one of their assigned posts allocated for a teacher of an African language and for isixhosa, in particular; if so, does this post assignment apply to all primary schools in the province; (2) whether these appointees will be responsible for the teaching of an African language as part of the Incremental Introduction of African Languages (IIAL) programme: if not, why are schools required to appoint an isiXhosa teacher; if so, why is it necessary to appoint a full-time educator at this stage in the implementation of IIAL; (3) why these posts have not been allocated in addition to the number of posts that would ordinarily have been required at affected primary schools; (4) whether the llAL programme will operate as planned in the 2015 academic year; if not, (a) why not and (b) what are the detailed plans for the programme; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
(1) Whether primary schools in the Eastern Cape have had one of their assigned posts allocated for a teacher of an African language and for isiXhosa, in particular; if so, does this post assignment apply to all primary schools in the province;
The introduction of IsiXhosa in Grades 1 and 8 in 201 5 in the Eastern Cape is a provincial initiative which complements the national HAL programme. The posts are only allocated to schools that are currently not offering an African Language or isixhosa, that is, mainly the former Model C schools. The number of posts to be allocated is determined in terms of the post provisioning process. Affected schools are allocated an additional post(s) from the pool of ad-hoc posts, determined as part of the total post basket of the province.
04 March 2015 - NW316
Boshoff, Ms SH to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) What is the number of reports of (a) drug possession, (b) drug dealing, (c) alcohol possession. (d) firearm possession and (e) possession of knives and other weapons at (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools (aa) in the (aaa) 2011-12, (bbb) 2012-13 and (ccc) 2013-14 financial years and (bb) since 1 April 2014 in each province; (2) What mechanisms have been put in place to ensure that (a) principals report any such incidents to the district offices and (b) district offices report these incidents to the provincial departments of education?
Reply:
I . My Department does not have such detailed and disaggregated information of schools as you have requested in your questions. The possession of drugs, alcohol. firearms. knives and other weapons would be serious transgressions in terms of the Code of Conduct for Learners at schools and will be managed at a school level in collaboration with SAPS.
2. All schools have Incident Reporting Registers to record incidents related to the use and abuse of illegal substances. This information remains with the school for the purposes of District Monitoring. The Department is not in a position to determine the number of learners affected nationally by substance abuse.
27 February 2015 - NW165
Mokgalapa, Mr S to ask the Mr S Mokgalapa (DA) to ask the Minister of Women in the Presidency
(1) With reference to the reply of the Minister of Communications to question 1031 on 27 November 2014, what was the total amount that (a) her department and (b) each of its entities (i) spent on and/or (ii) budgeted for advertising for each month between 1 January 2013 and 31 July 2014, excluding expenditure transferred through the Department of Communications for advertising; (2) does such figure for each month represent the (a) total value of advertising that appeared in the media in that month, (b) amount paid in that month for advertising that may have appeared previously or (c) amount paid in advance for advertising that appeared at a later date; (3) in each specified case, what amount did (a) her department and (b) each of its entities spend on advertising in (i) print, (ii) radio, (iii) television, (iv) online and (v) outdoor; (4) in each specified case, what is the breakdown of advertising by (a) her department and (b) each of its entities in terms of (i) name of and (ii) amount spent on each (aa) publication, (bb) radio station, (cc) television station, (dd) website and (ee) billboards location in each province?
Reply:
The Department of Women is a new department which has just been established. It is for this reason that the question is not applicable to it.
Approved by the Minister on
Date: 26/02/2015.
27 February 2015 - NW223
Ntobongwana, Ms P to ask the Minister of Women in The Presidency:
Why does her office not have accurate and comprehensive data on gender-based violence that reveals the extent and magnitude of the problem while it could assist to reduce such violence against women in society?
Reply:
The Department of Women is still in the process of establishing its own systems and processes that will enable it to gather, capture, store and use such data as one of the tools to curb violence against women in our society.
Approved by the Minister on
Date: 24/02/2015
25 February 2015 - NW7
Madisha, Mr WM to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
( I ) Whether, in view of the public controversy surrounding a certain person (name furnished) arising from the finding of the Public Protector that the said person had not been truthful about having matriculated and notwithstanding the kind of role model such a person may project, she proceeded to invite the person to speak to successful matriculants at the launch of the 2014 matriculation results; if not. what is the position in this regard, if so, (a) how and why did she arrive at the decision to invite the said person and (b) what is her position with regard to the person's statement to the matriculants at the launch that there are certificated people and educated people in the world; (2) whether it is her position that matric certification is unnecessary to one's education and should therefore not be striven for?
Reply:
(a) The SABC owns the venue that was used for the announcement of the NSC 2014 results. The SABC, as a host organisation, therefore determines who represents the SABC at the event.
(b) The statement, in this particular instance, is taken out of context and therefore the Minister has no position on it.
(2) The National Senior Certificate is the most important qualification in the schooling sector and the Department of Basic Education is the custodian of this qualification and therefore the question posed in this case is irrelevant.
25 February 2015 - NW58
Waters, Mr M to ask the Minister of Basic Education
(1) How many learners attending schools in the Edenvale area were caught (a) in possession of drugs and (b) dealing in drugs in the (i) 2012 and (ii) 2013 academic years; (2) at which schools did the above learners attend; (3) what were the consequences for the learner in each case? (2) at which schools did the above learners attend; (3) what were the consequences for the learner in each case?
Reply:
The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has entered into a Collaborative Partnership Protocol with the South African Police Service (SAPS) in 2011. The Protocol is an acknowledgement that safety is a shared responsibility between both the Departments. Officials from both Departments have committed themselves to promote the safety of everyone at school and to combat school violence as captured in the delivery agreement of both Ministries. Action Plan 2019 (Goal 10) is also enhanced through this partnership as it ensures that children remain effectively in schools until they turn 15 years old. One of the commitments of the Partnership Protocol is to prevent and manage alcohol and drug use amongst learners in schools.
1. According to information received from SAPS two learners were arrested (a) for the possession of illegal drugs (b) and none for dealing in illegal substances (i) during 2012 and (ii) 2013 academic years.
2. The two learners were from Edenglen High School and Don Materra Child and Youth Care Centre.
3. Both learners were arrested for possession of illegal drugs and both cases were withdrawn at Court. The learner from Edenglen High School was suspended and the learner from Don Materra Child and Youth Care Centre was transferred to another institution.
25 February 2015 - NW47
Van Der Walt, Ms D to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) Which schools in Malamulele? Limpopo, were prevented from opening for the 201 5 academic year as a result of protests; (2) In each school, what is the number of affected learners in each grade; (3) in each school, what measures will be taken to ensure that all learners who have not attended schools since the beginning of January 2015 will be provided with an opportunity to attend a catch-up programme, and (b) when will she start taking these measures: (4) When will the catch-up programmes begin? ( 5 ) What measures will be taken to prevent protestors from closing schools in Malamulele in the future?
Reply:
(1) Which schools in Malamulele, Limpopo, were prevented from opening for the 2015 academic year as a result of protests;
Approximately 149 schools were prevented from opening for the 201 5 academic year. A list ofthe affected schools is attached. The impasse at Malamulele has, however, now been resolved. Schools in the area have opened for the first time in 201 5 allowing for learning and teaching to commence in the hundred and forty nine (149) schools that were affected.
(2) In each school, what is the number of affected learners in each grade?
A list of schools and the number of learners that were affected per grade is captured in the table attached. The information on learners is however based on 2014 statistics as the schools have only just reopened and statistics for 2015 are currently being verified.
(3) in each school, what measures will be taken to ensure that all learners who have not attended schools since the beginning of January 2015 will be provided with an opportunity to attend a catch-up programme, and (b) when will she start taking these measures;
The Provincial Department of Education has developed a catch up plan to make up for lost time.
(4) When will the catch-up programmes begin?
The commencement date for the Catch-up Programme is not yet finalised.
(5) What measures will be taken to prevent protestors from closing schools in Malamulele in the future? NW48E
The Department of Basic Education will continue to work with School Governing Bodies and communities to ensure that all schools are protected at all times. The situation in Malamulele is however unique in that the community is at the centre of the activities that pose a threat to schooling and schools.
25 February 2015 - NW60
Boshoff, Ms SH to ask the Minister of Basic Education
When will her department conduct an inspection at the Dowerglen High School in order to determine whether any learners qualify to participate in the school feeding scheme? NW62E
Reply:
In terms of the National School Nutrition Programme Conditional Grant Framework in the Division of Revenue Act (DORA), the Department has a mandate to provide meals to all learners in quintile I to 3 primary and secondary schools, as well as identified special schools in line with the specified budget allocated by National Treasury. Dowerglen High School is a quintile 5 school and currently falls outside the mandate of the NSNP.
25 February 2015 - NW57
Waters, Mr M to ask the Minister of Basic Education
(a) What are the reasons that the Dowerglen High School situated in Edenvale, Gauteng, receives an inadequate budget from the department given that all the learners are from disadvantaged communities and (b) when will this issue be rectified?
Reply:
(a) Dowerglen High School is a fee-charging school ranked in quintile 5 with an enrolment of 422. The school has been ranked by the Gauteng Department of Education according to the relative poverty of the community surrounding the school. The school received an allocation of R530 per learner for 2014/15. This allocation was above the national 2014 quintile 5 per learner benchmark of R183. The total allocation paid to the school for 2014/15 is R223.660.
The school can apply to the Gauteng Department of Education to be re-ranked, or to be voluntarily declared a no-fee school in order for their allocation to be more than what they are receiving now.
12 December 2014 - NW2937
Lovemore, Ms AT to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) What are the names of the schools that were gazetted for closure in the relevant provincial gazette, as required by Section 33( I) of the South African Schools Act, Act 84 of 1996, in each province, in the (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14 financial years; (2) what are the names of the schools that have been deemed closed through learners moving to alternative schools in each province, in the (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14 financial years; (3) what are the names of the schools that have merged in each province, in the (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14 financial years? NW3581E
Reply:
The above questions are addressed in the annexure provided as the response is composed of extensive lists of schools as requested by the parliamentary query.
Attached find here: Annexure A
12 December 2014 - NW2163
Van der Westhuizen, Mr AP to ask the Minister of Public Service and Administration
(1) Have the revised proposals for the disciplinary code and regulations been submitted to the Public Service Bargaining Council; if not, why not; if so, (a) when was it submitted and (b) when can a decision on this matter be expected; (2) is he confident that a revised code will improve the turnaround time and serious backlogs currently experienced with disciplinary cases in the public service; if not, why not; if so, when will such an improvement be reflected in the statistics of the public service? NW2614E
Reply:
(1) (a)(b) Yes, the revised disciplinary code and procedure has been tabled for negotiation at the Public Service Bargaining Council during the negotiation, a decision on this matter can be expected when the negotiation is concluded.
(2) Yes, we are confident that the revised code will improve the turnaround time for concluding disciplinary cases in the public service, improvement will be reflected when the revised disciplinary code is fully implemented.
12 December 2014 - NW2464
Bagraim, Mr M to ask the Minister of Labour:
How many work days has her department lost to (a) sick leave and (b) strike action in the (i) 2011-12, (ii) 2012-13 and 2013-14 financial years?
Reply:
Sick leave
(a)(i) 2011-12 = 56 165.5 days
(a)(ii) 2012-13 = 49 790 days
(a)(iii) 2013-14 = 71 094 days
Strike action
(b)(i)
(b)(ii)
(b)(iii)
2011-12 = 6 working days
2012-13 = 0 working days
2013-14 = 0 working days
12 December 2014 - NW2799
Filtane, Mr ML to ask the Minister of Public Service and Administration:
How does he intend to mitigate against possible labour unrest resultant from non-approval of probations and payment of pay progression?
Reply:
To date nothing has been brought the attention of the department about possible industrial action as a result of non-approval of probations and payment of pay progression. However, if there are disputes emanating from the violation of some of the clauses in the conditions of service of employees, there are processes to be followed, which will enable for such issues to be resolved.
11 December 2014 - NW2653
Van Der Walt, Ms D to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
Whether the recommendations made in the Ministerial Committee on Rural Education Report of 2005 were implemented; if not, (a) why not and (b) which recommendations were not implemented; if so, what are the relevant details? NW3298E
Reply:
Yes, all the key recommendations made in the Ministerial Committee on Rural Education Report of 2005 have been implemented through the various programmes that the Department is rolling out in all provinces.
11 December 2014 - NW2325
Madisha, Mr WM to ask the Minister of Public Service and Administration
Whether the Government’s (a) processes and (b) procedures were now in place to ensure that any state employee who (i) was dismissed from service on account of any impropriety or (ii) resigned to avoid being subjected to disciplinary proceedings had his or her details entered in an up-to-date register to preclude such a person from ever being employed within the public service again; if not, why not; if so, how was a certain person (name furnished) appointed as chief financial officer of a public entity (name furnished) after being suspended from a certain government department (name furnished)? NW2908E
Reply:
(a)(b) Government is in a process of revising the Public Service Disciplinary Code and Procedure and also Chapter 7 of the SMS Handbook. This Disciplinary Code and Procedure has been tabled for negotiations at the Bargaining Council, (i)(ii) the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) working with the National Treasury will ensure that the PERSAL system respond to this kind of a need to ensure that public servants who commit acts of misconduct are precluded from entering the public service, including state institutions.
11 December 2014 - NW2870
Lovemore, Ms AT to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) With reference to her reply to question 958 on 18 September 2014, what are the steps in the process of planning to ensure that a sufficient number of Grade R practitioners obtain accredited qualifications in order to satisfy future demands; (2) what exactly she meant. with regard to her reply to paragraph (3) of question 958 that "Since Grade R has been identified as national priority 1 00% coverage of Grade R will be funded through the national fiscus"? NW3513E
Reply:
(I) The Department of Basic Education has developed a comprehensive plan aimed at guiding the Provincial Education Departments on the Upgrading of Grade R practitioners. The plan clearly indicates options available for practitioners in different NQF levels and provides the admission requirement for each option.
PEDs have since identified practitioners and their qualification levels. From a total of 15 000 practitioners that are under-qualified, the DBE has set a target of 5 000 new practitioners per year to be supported to complete a qualification (either a BEd Foundation Phase or Diploma in grade R teaching). Currently. 3 400 (68%) practitioners have been enrolled in institutions to complete either the BEd or Diploma in Grade R teaching.
To increase the capacity of HEIs to offer the Diploma in Grade R teaching. The DBE has approached HE!s in each province the Provincial Teacher Education and Development Committees to offer the diploma. UNlSA, University of Johannesburg and University of Pretoria are in the process of developing this qualification. Currently. only four (4) institutions offer this qualification namely North West University, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, SANTS and Lyceum.
(2) The source of funding the expansion of Grade R has historically been the national fiscus and will continue to be so going forward. This funding is included in the equitable share transfers to provinces. Provinces are expected to, amongst others; prioritize the expansion of Grade R \Vi thin their provincial education budgets.
11 December 2014 - NW2867
Boshoff, Ms SH to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) (a) With reference to the Emakhazeni boarding school in Machadodorp in Mpumalanga, what was the total cost for the building of this school and boarding facilities. (b) how many learners will be accommodated in the school, (c) which grades will be catered for, (d) why is this school still not functional, (e) what are the relevant details of the infrastructure delays the school has experienced. (f) when will the school (i) be fully functional and (ii) begin a full academic programme and (g) how many farm or rural schools are planned to be closed down with the opening of this school: (2) (a) what are the relevant details of any interviews for teacher placements and support staff that have taken place, (b) how many teachers and support staff will be accommodated at this school and (c) where will the teachers be accommodated; (3) will the school be designated as a no-fee school; (4) will the (a) school or (b) department facilitate transport to meetings for Student Government Board members who reside far from the school; (5) has the necessary interaction taken place with the Department of Roads and Transport to ensure that learners will have access to transport to return home during weekends and holidays and back again? NW3509E
Reply:
Attached find here: Response
11 December 2014 - NW2582
Carter, Ms D to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
Whether she has ascertained through departmental inspections and any other means that (a) all schools had separate toilets for boys and girls, (b) all school toilets were clean. hygienic and functioning at all times, (c) all schools provided information in close proximity to toilets on how and why hands had to be thoroughly washed and dried as an essential habit to be acquired for good health. (d) all schools provided sanitary pads for girls and (e) all schools provided separate bins for the disposal of used sanitary pads; if not, why not: if so. what are the details of her enquiry into the matter of school toilets? NW3219E
Reply:
(a) The provision of sanitation facilities in the education sector is separated into male and female facilities. furthermore the Regulations Relating to Minimum Uniform Norms and Standards for public School infrastructure provide guidance for the separation of these facilities based on the enrolment range per gender and the number of sanitary fixtures required to respond to the enrolment range, this addresses aspects on the number of boys & girls in a school against the number of toilets. basins. boys urinals. Grade R toilets and Unisex toilets catering for persons with disabilities.
(b) Yes. Not all toilets are clean, hygienic and functional at all times. Some areas use the pit system which is not easy to maintain. Another challenge that renders school toilets not functional at all times is the lack of water supply to schools. In some cases, the toilets are old, unrepaired and sewerage systems not being regularly serviced by local municipalities.
(c) Yes. during monitoring, one of the areas observed is whether learners practice hand washing before meals. Posters on hand washing and general hygiene which were developed and distributed to schools are often observed on display to be integrated in Life Orientation by educators. Nutrition Education is a key pillar of the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP).
(d) Schools are not obliged to provide sanitary pads for girls. There are programmes with external partners that provide sanitary pads and reproductive health programmes to selected disadvantaged schools.
(e) The Department does not have the details on the provision of bins to dispose of sanitary pads in schools.
11 December 2014 - NW2765
Breytenbach, Adv G to ask the Minister of Public Service and Administration:
(1) Whether he received an invitation to the wedding of Vega Gupta and Aakash Jahajgarhia; if so, (2) whether he attended any of the wedding festivities between 30 April and 3 May 2013; if so, (3) whether he stayed overnight at the venue; if so, (a) what accommodation did he use, (b) who paid for the said accommodation, (c) what mode of transport did he use to attend the wedding festivities and (d) who paid for the travel costs?
Reply:
(1) Yes. Members of the Executive usually receive invitations from individuals and institutions, invited in their private capacity or official capacity. Weddings are generally private.
(2) No.
(3) Falls away.
11 December 2014 - NW2754
Kohler-Barnard, Ms D to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
(a) How many investigations by the Special Investigating Unit into the SA Police Service (i) were (aa) undertaken and (bb) completed in the (aaa) 2012-13 and (bbb) 2013-14 financial years and (ii)(aa) are currently underway and (bb) have been completed since 1 April 2014 and (b) what was the outcome of each completed investigation in each specified financial year? NW3404E
Reply:
(a)(i)(aa) The SIU conducted one investigation into the South African Police Service (SAPS). Although two Proclamations (R42 of 2010 and R73 of 2010) were issued by the President in respect of the SAPS, . Proclamation R73 of 2010 simply extended the period of investigation that had been set out in the initial Proclamation. The matters that the SIU was required to investigate were as follows:
alleged procurement irregularities relating to:
• procurement of a new two-way radio communication network for the Eastern Cape Province (Tetra);
• National Police Day 2009/10 and 2010/11:
• procurement of police uniforms;
• procurement of lntenda Procure Solutions; and
• procurement of solar panels (Boschkop Police Station)
- devolution of functional responsibilities from DPW to SAPS
-building and/or renovations of 33 Police Stations conflicts of interest
Re: (a)(i)(bb) and (a)(ii) The investigation relating to the SAPS has been finalised and the SIU is in the process of compiling the Report to be submitted to the President.
(b) The outcomes are as follows
• criminal referral letters were sent in respect of 16 persons
• disciplinary referral letters were sent in respect of 116 SAPS members
• an acknowledgement of debt to the value of R496 000 was obtained
• In respect of the Eastern Cape Tetra contract, the SIU is considering approaching the High Court for an order cancelling the contract and recommending criminal and disciplinary action against certain SAPS officials.