Questions and Replies

Reply:

(1) Sentech has issued 1 090 appointments to 825 installation companies in different provinces. Some were appointed in different provinces due to capacity.

(1)(a) Names of appointed companies is attached hereto as Annexure A.
(1)(b) Companies are contracted at R450 per successful completed installation for Value Added Tax (VAT) registered companies and R390 non-VAT registered companies.

(2)(a) See Annexure A attached

(2)(b) See Annexure B attached. The defaulting SMMEs have either corrected their conduct and performance or in some instances their contracts were cancelled.

Thank You.

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

The department undertook to advertise the vacant superfluous state owned properties on the open tender market using its approved letting out strategy, however the department is currently finalising the verification of the vacant superfluous properties to ensure that there are no encumbrances in terms of dolomitic conditions, environmental conditions and any other.

So far, the department has introduced the interim guideline to renew expired leases and also use assessment committees to process received applications were the encumbrances have been verified and cleared.

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure

1. Yes, the refurbishment was done to reconfigure certain floors thereby creating five units out of the three and four bedrooms being converted into two bedrooms. Furthermore the refurbishment resulted in conversion of the domestic quarters into three duplex units which are currently occupied by Deputy Ministers.

2. Rygersdal is used for accommodation of Director-Generals and Deputy Ministers.

3. Security in manned by South African Police Services.

a) With respect to costs related to security, our sister department, South African Police Services (SAPS), will be best suited to respond to the question.

b) The projected expenditure for the current financial year for planned maintenance and corrective maintenance is R 1 342 713.23 and the actual expenditure to date is R 70 873.21.

Reply:

RESPONSE BY THE MINISTER M. GUNGUBELE, MP. CHAIRPERSON OF THE NATIONAL CONVENTIONAL ARMS CONTROL COMMITTEE (NCACC).

PQ1875 (NW2126E)

The above question relates to claims that were made by the US Ambassador R. Brigety on the 10th May 2023 that a Russian Vessel Lady R which had come to offload equipment for the South Africa National Defence Force (SANDF) at Simonstown Navy Dockyard, had loaded Arms from South Africa and that these were destined for Russia.

The South African Government responded that this was not the case, it emphasised that no arms to the knowledge of the Control Authority of South Africa was authorised for such a transaction/transfers.

The NCACC which is the Controlling Authority for Conventional Arms Control in South Africa has not authorised any transfers to Russia since 2020 and this would rule out such transfers being authorized

Further, the Presidency issued a statement in this regard, stating that given the seriousness of such claims and the negative implications for South Africa’s International standing the President will appoint a Judge (retired) to investigate this matter. This is where we find ourselves regarding whatever claim has been made about the alleged transfers of arms to Russia.

On the 29 May 2023, a 3 Person Panel was been appointed by the President Ramaphosa, headed by Judge Phineas Mojapelo (retired). The panel is currently hard at work in order to bring this matter to its ultimate conclusion within its mandate. The Panel has been granted a six (6) week period to conclude its investigation.

It is perhaps prudent that the investigation headed by the Judge be granted to run its course in order pronounce a competent outcome, that would settle the matter with an informed ruling.

Thank You.

Reply:

The National Prosecuting Authority does not keep statistics on the number of witnesses who have been denied immunity from prosecution in terms of section 204 of the Criminal Procedure Act, Act 51 of 1977.

Section 204 is only used in exceptional circumstances where it is in the interest of justice to use the provision. The court decides whether to or not to grant immunity from prosecution to a witness, after the evaluation of the evidence of the witness.

The decision not to prosecute a person, but to use such a person as a witness in terms of section 204 of the Criminal Procedure Act, 1977, is normally made in consultation with the Senior Public Prosecutor, Deputy Director or Director of Public Prosecutions depending on the circumstances of the case. The Prosecutor does not give any undertaking to a section 204 witness that he or she will not be prosecuted as the discharge of the witness from prosecution is subject to the decision of the court, taking into account, whether the person answered frankly and honestly all questions put to him or her.

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure

1. There are no property management contracts with SKG and SKG Africa.

1. Not applicable
2. Not applicable
3. Not applicable.

2. Yes, the Department has lease contracts with the aforementioned company.

1. Lease contracts for office space, storage and parking for client departments that the department is servicing.
2. The total value of the lease agreements is quantified as R 228 470 748.00
3. Individual leases are for various periods ranging from 1 - 9 years and 11 months.

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure

1. Yes, the Department has recently received the proposed budget requirement for the profiling of the Greydell community from the Buffalo City Municipality; the estimated cost is R600 000.00 and the estimated timeframe is 3 months to complete including compilation of the report. It is expected the profiling will commence in the new financial year in consultation with political leadership and subsequent to funding approval processes.

2. (a) The Department is currently surveying the land in question with a view to subdividing it for disposal to relevant identified stakeholders, inter alia, a portion to the HDA for BCM Human settlement purposes, a portion to ACSA for the extension of the runway and a portion to the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment for incorporation into the Umtiza Nature Reserve.

(b) The Department is currently engaging other stakeholders on the Greydell resettlement program with a view to finalise an intergovernmental solution to the invaded land.

(c)

(i) Timeframes for the interventions are being determined at present; and

(ii) Costs for the interventions are being determined at present.

Reply:

The following response is provided by South African Football Association (SAFA):

(1). unfortunately, employee relations cannot be discussed with third parties thus we unfortunately cannot furnish Parliament with the resignation letter from the former CEO as requested.

(2)(a). We are not in possession of the so-called Motlanthe resignation letter published in the media. Adv. Motlanthe denied this letter in a press conference held at SAFA House on 8 May 2023 where the media attended in numbers, which was broadcast live to the public. Recordings of that press conference are available from various media houses.

(b). We are also not aware of the cameras and listening devices in the former CEO’s office as stated thus we cannot comment further on the matter.

(3)(a). SAFA has effective governance structures. The National Executive Committee is responsible for policy making and meets regularly. The Secretariat deals with operational issues and is headed by the CEO. SAFA also has independent Committees which are composed of independent persons, and these include Ethics and Integrity Committee, Judicial Committee, Remuneration Committee and Audit Committee.  

(b). Our HR policy for any appointment states that “candidates are selected for appointment according to their ability, qualifications and competencies required to fulfil the job requirements, without having regard to discrimination factors, such as race and gender. Internal candidates are given prior consideration for job appointments and only where it is considered that a suitable internal candidate is not available will an external candidate be appointed”.

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure

1. (i) CAPE TOWN

a) None, no upgrades.

b) Cape Town: Both presidential residences are located at the Groote Schuur Estate, Rondebosch. The Department gets a single account for the entire Groote Schuur Estate from the City of Cape Town under one erf number for both water and Electricity. They do not have separate accounts. See the below amounts for Groote Schuur Estate:

WATER & ELECTRICTY	2018/2019	2019/2020	2020/2021	2021/2022	2022/2023
GROOTE SCHUUR ESTATE	R 2 170 555,81	R 2 128 400,48	R 1 827 931,65	R 2 093 435,59	R 2 691 952,04

c) Both presidential residences are located at the Groote Schuur Estate, Rondebosch. The Department gets a single account for the entire Groote Schuur Estate from the City of Cape Town under one erf number for both Property rates and taxes. They do not have separate accounts. See the below amounts for Groote Schuur Estate:

PROPERTY RATES /TAXES	2018/2019	2019/2020	2020/2021	2021/2022	2022/2023
GROOTE SCHUUR ESTATE	R 170 879,46	R 177 538,94	R 125 366,47	R 134 808,99	R 141 600,00

d) MAINTENANCE	2018/2019	2019/2020	2020/2021	2021/2022	2022/2023
GENADENDAL	R1 671 780,00	R1 642 863,87	R776 720,00	R502 209,64	R1 099 169,90
HIGHSTEAD	R627 852,00	R618 381,35	R294 231,60	R 51 994,92	R528 426,71

2. (a) None

(b) None

(c) None

(d) None

3. Not applicable

1. (ii) DURBAN

(a) None, no upgrades.

(b) JL Dube house is situated in Durban Kwa Zulu Natal and is used by both the President and the Deputy President. The Department gets one account for Water and lights and they are paid as such to the Municipality. Breakdown for the past five years on the property is as indicated below.

WATER & ELECTRICTY	2018/2019	2019/2020	2020/2021	2021/2022	2022/2023
	R 865 920,40	R 932 909,54	R 3 508 587,90	R 602 028,12	R 611 042,11

(c) Rates & Taxes for 2018 was paid as a lump sum to the municipality as per invoice that was received. With effect from 2019 Rates are paid on monthly instalments as per the change that was implemented by the Department. Expenditure is indicated below for each financial year

PROPERTY RATES /TAXES	2018/2019	2019/2020	2020/2021	2021/2022	2022/2023
	R 972 274,08	R 2 982 242,88	R 1 088 432,64	R 1 142 645,76	R 1 037 048,41

(d) MAINTENANCE INC. CLEANING	2018/2019	2019/2020	2020/2021	2021/2022	2022/2023
	R1 095 883,30	R2 003 111.60	R1 702 077,02	R1 956 773,31	R3 098 777.57
RENOVATION	R6 326 321.00

2. (a) None

(b) None

(c) None

(d) None

3. Not applicable

(1)(iii) PRETORIA:

a) None, no upgrade

b) Mahlamba Ndlopfu and OR Tambo are both Presidential residences situated at Bryntirion Estate in Pretoria. Mahlamba Ndlopfu residence is used by the President while OR Tambo is used by the Deputy President.

WATER & ELECTRICTY	2018/2019	2019/2020	2020/2021	2021/2022	2022/2023
Mahlamba Ndlofpu	R 57 569, 60	R 56 220, 44	R 65 592, 79	R 76 015 ,04	R 70 123, 68
OR Tambo	R 202 101, 86	R 153 315, 59	R 1 330 585, 73	R 478 257,27	R 485 290, 18

(c)

PROPERTY RATES / TAXES	2018/2019	2019/2020	2020/2021	2021/2022	2022/2023
Mahlamba Ndlomfpu	R 262 878, 00	R 210 345, 51	R 197 395, 43	R 258 327, 88	R 233 035, 32
OR Tambo	R 34 140, 00	R 27 142, 47	R 38 060, 85	R 47 796, 96	R 46 388, 73

(d) MAINTENANCE INC. CLEANING	2018/2019	2019/2020	2020/2021	2021/2022	2022/2023
Mahlamba Ndlomfpu	R 11 239 082, 10	R 2 476 807, 12	R 4 348 667, 4	R 6 957 436, 51	R 4 225 511, 57
OR Tambo	R 1 964 720, 94	R 3 180 325, 65	R 2 142 456, 91	R 2 230 861, 38	R 2 717 008, 89

2. Not applicable

(a) None

(b) None

(c) None

(d) None

3. None

Reply:

To facilitate court recordings, the Department concluded a contract for the provision of Court Recording Technology (CRT) solution and its support and maintenance for a period of 5 years in 2016 (RFB 2014 02). The maintenance and support services for the CRT as defined in RFB 2014 02 expired on the 13 April 2021 and no replacement contract was put in place. The absence of a contract meant that no corrective and preventative maintenance was in place leading to collapse of the machines across the country, thus negatively affecting the functioning of courts.

Several competitive bidding processes were undertaken by the Department to appoint a service provider on a short-terms basis, but these were unsuccessful due to the responding bidder being unresponsive. The Department then approached National Treasury for assistance and was given permission to do a single source procurement.

The Department has not appointed the service provider in question as a sole-source service provider. However, the service provider was appointed effective 26 March 2022, using the single-source process in terms of National Treasury’s Supply Chain Management Instruction Note 03 of 2016/2017, with the concurrent approval of National Treasury. The appointment was for the maintenance and support of the CRT and Sexual Offences System (SOS), and the monetary value of the single-source process appointment was R26 220 000.00

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure

1. The Old Magistrates Court in Underberg falls within and is known as Himeville Magistrates Court. This court is being used by the Department of Justice to provide court services to the community.

2. The building is in current use as magistrate’s court and is operational five days a week.

3. Regular maintenance is carried out on the building through day-to-day maintenance and covers all disciplines such as building, electrical and mechanical. The Department of Justice also carries out maintenance using their own delegation. The DPWI is also in the process of planning a complete repairs and renovations project including additional accommodation to the facility.

4.There is currently no debt with the municipality as the account is up to date.

5. (a) The total cost of maintenance to the building over the last 5 years amounts to R1.8m.

(b) The most senior official at the building is a magistrate and,

(c) There are 14 staff member employed by the Department of Justice.

Reply:

a) No other officials were found to have been involved in the incident, only the arrested officials was involved.

b) The Department continues to implement security awareness sessions and has established security committees which tackle security incidents including smuggling of drugs and cell-phones and prevention thereof. Additional measures in place at all correctional centres to deal with access to drugs and cell phones are as follows:

• all persons (officials, visitors and service providers) entering or leaving the correctional centre are subjected to searching as per section 27 of the Correctional Services Act 111 of 1998 and Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) guidelines;
• searching of vehicles at access points has been intensified including daily searches inside cells and living Units including storerooms, work spaces and ablution areas;
• intensified searches by Emergency Support Team (EST) include unannounced search operations even after hours;
• correctional centres have been declared a bugless environment;
• Training of sniffer dogs on cell- phones are reported to the South African Police Service (SAPS) and banned from future visits.

END

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure

The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI)’s Johannesburg Regional Office, has investigated and confirmed that there’s only 1 property owned by the DPWI that is vacant is the portion of Remainder of the Farm Benoni No. 77– IR, measuring 640 hectares within the City of Ekurhuleni in Ward 73. It is to be noted that the affected portion is a farm in an undeveloped area and it is not posing any danger to the neighbouring properties. The department is in a process of procuring a service provider to maintain all vacant properties, should the need arises.

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure

The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) is not responsible for the allocation of properties for rehabilitation purposes.

Reply:

(a) & (b) The total number of inmates aged 60 and above serving life sentences as at 30 March 2023 are as follows:

REGION	TOTAL LIFERS AGED 60 YEARS AND ABOVE
EASTERN CAPE	138
FREE STATE & NORTHEN CAPE	56
GAUTENG	158
KWAZULU-NATAL	171
LIMPOPO, MPUMALANGA,, NORTH WEST	128
WESTERN CAPE	93
GRAND TOTAL	744

END

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

As the provision of temporary shelters to fire victims’ resorts under Disaster Management, a function of the Local Municipalities, the Department has not received any requests nor provided any temporary shelters to fire victims.

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

The department provides security services to safeguard vacant state owned properties in various municipalities including the City of Tshwane and Theewaterskloof local municipality.

The department further lets out state owned properties at reasonable rental rates to avert illegal occupation. Currently the department is implementing an intensive drive to let out superfluous vacant properties that are not presently needed for service delivery objectives of user departments.

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure has not been approached to procure a new generator for Home Affairs in Graaff-Reinet as this is a Leased Building and the generator is the responsibility of the Landlord. The Department (DPWI) was however approached on the 26th April 2023 to repair the existing generator through the current Landlord.

(a) The Landlord was subsequently approached to expedite the repairs to the current generator set but procurement of a new generator has not been addressed – alternatively to provide sustainable sources of energy.

(b) The Landlord is responsible for the procurement.

(c) The procurement of the new generator set is dependent on the maintainability of the existing generator set and if not repairable, a subsequent approval of funding by the Landlord’s Board of Trustees. The Landlord indicated a meeting of the Board of Trustees is being convened during the week of 29 May 2023, subsequent to which financial decisions regarding operational expenditure/capital expenditure will be provided, due to the huge magnitude of repairs required to the generator set.

(i) N/A.

(ii) N/A.

(aa) Should the landlord fail to repair/replace the generator set within a reasonable timeframe, DPWI will invoke the lease contract conditions, put the landlord in mora and take appropriate actions to repair/replace the generator. The outcome of the meeting between the landlord and his board of directors will guide the way forward and allow DPWI to communicate clear timeframes as to when the generator will be repaired/ replaced.

(bb) Total cost for the repairs/replacement of the generator set will be for the account of the landlord.

Reply:

1. The Department conducts Personnel suitability checks (PSC) on current officials and new appointments to determine the suitability of a candidate pre and post- employment by the DCS.

The screening is based on five pillars such as Citizenship, Criminal record, Finances including credit checks, Property checks and directorship in companies, analysis of financial statements, verification of qualifications and registration with professional bodies and previous employment record.

A fully security vetting which entails information collection and analysis about the candidate/ official background, covering the nine factors of lifestyle audit to determine a person`s security competence and reliability is conducted, based on the level of access to information.

The nine factors include the following aspects:

• Family background and upbringing
• Education
• Employment ad work ethics
• Social life and social media activity checks
• Finances
• Personality
• Values
• Legal aspects
• Loyalty

b) DCS conducts Security Threats Assessment (TRA) in conjunction with stakeholders such as South African Police Services (SAPS) and State Security Agency (SSA)

Security Treats Assessments (TRA) are conducted in all DCS Correctional Facilities pre and post security incidents to mitigate as well as to investigate risks posed to the DCS.

TRA were conducted at most Maximum Correctional Facilities, Medium Correctional facilities and Community Correctional Offices.

(i) Measures such as the Security Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in combating smuggling of contrabands and illicit activities are implemented, furthermore, the DCS has a Code of Conduct that all its employees must abide too and the use of the Anti- Corruption Strategy is in place.

(2) The DCS has not had an incident of offenders being used as hit men.

END

Reply:

Find here: Reply

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

a) The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure working together with the Provincial Departments responsible for Roads and municipalities identified 288 bridges to be constructed under the Welisizwe Rural Bridges Programme over the Medium Term Expenditure Framework MTEF period.

(ii) The programme has been able to build 41 bridges since its inception in 2009 but has also been able to complete four (4) in the 2022/23 financial year. The plan is to build 96 bridges for the current financial year through the Budget Facility for Infrastructure (BFI) allocated from the beginning of 2023/24 financial year.

b) The 41 bridges were built in the Eastern Cape, Kwa-Zulu Natal and Gauteng; the four completed bridges for 2022/23 are in Kwa-Zulu Natal while the 288 planned bridges will be built in Eastern Cape, Free State, Kwa-Zulu Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West over the MTEF period.

c) The life span of the bridges is over 20 years with maintenance; and

(ii) Their quality can be traced back to world war two (1945) wherein some of the constructed bridges are still functional to date depending on maintenance provided.

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) supports the Housing Sector by releasing identified land parcels from the DPWI Immovable Asset Register to the Housing Development Agency (HDA) for human settlement purposes.

After the land and properties are released, the HDA can commence with town planning processes and National Treasury endorsement, using the power of attorney the DPWI has granted HDA.

a) HDA will be in a position to provide details of how long it will take to get communities accommodated in new homes.

b) HAD will execute the project and timelines can be provided by HDA.

Reply:

South Africa supports the implementation of the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections through the work of the SADC Electoral Advisory Council (SEAC). SADC deployed a SEAC Pre-Election Assessment Goodwill Mission to the Republic of Zimbabwe, from 12-19 April 2023, to conduct a pre-election assessment for the upcoming 23 August 2023 harmonised elections. A comprehensive report on the outcomes of the SEAC Goodwill Mission was shared with the Government of Zimbabwe. The Report is expected to be presented to the 25th Ordinary Meeting of the Ministerial Council of the Organ on 21 July 2023.

 

Reply:

The Rooiwal Waste Water Treatment Works in Hammanskraal does not have sufficient capacity to deal with the amount of sewage flowing into it and has not been well-maintained for many years. The inadequately effluent from the Rooiwal Waste Water (sewage) Treatment Works is polluting the Apies River which flows into the Leeukraal Dam from which water is abstracted by the City’s Temba Water Treatment Works, which provides water to Hammanskraal residents. The Temba Water Treatment Works is supposed to clean the raw water abstracted from the dam and treat it so that it is fit for human consumption. However, the water in the dam is so polluted that the Temba Water Treatment Works is not able to treat the water such that is meets the required standards for drinking water. Hence the people of Hammanskraal have not been having a reliable or safe supply of drinking water for many years.

Since 2011, DWS has taken numerous regulatory actions (non-compliance notices and directives) against the City for it to stop the pollution of water resources in the area from its Rooiwal Waste Water Treatment Works. Since 2019, the Department has been engaged in legal action against the City for a court order to instruct the City to address the issue.

It is possible that the cholera outbreak which started in Hammanskraal in Tshwane is related to the pollution of water sources in the area from the Rooiwal Waste Water Treatment Works. An investigation is underway into the source or sources of the cholera outbreak. Technical teams from the Department of Water and Sanitation, and the provincial and national Department of Health as well as relevant municipalities are carrying out water quality tests at distribution points and at water treatment works in areas in Hammanskraal where people have become infected. They are also engaged in tracking and tracing of infections. Cholera has not yet been identified through the tests. The Water Research Commission has also commissioned a verification of the DWS and CoT tests as well as independent tests, the results of which should be available shortly. It is important to note that cholera is not only spread through polluted water – it is also spread through poor hygiene, eating contaminated food or by coming into contact with the faeces of an infected person. To date, the original source of the cholera infection has not been located.

The City has warned the residents of Hammanskraal) not to drink the water from the Temba water treatment works (which is the water coming out of taps in Hammanskraal) and is supplying them with drinking water from tankers. The water tankers abstract water from Magalies Water and Rand Water sources, which is compliant with drinking water standards.

In the light of the cholera outbreak it is imperative that the repair and upgrade of the Rooiwal WWTW be dealt with as a matter of national urgency. DWS does not have voted funds to provide to Metros for water and sanitation. Metropolitan municipalities are supposed to use a portion of their USDG grant to supplement their own budget allocations for water and sanitation.

DWS has estimated the cost of a full rehabilitation and upgrade of the Rooiwal WWTW over the next three financial years to be in the region of R4 billion. The project can be implemented in stages, with an emphasis on work to stop or reduce the pollution from Rooiwal in the early stages.

The Mayor and the City have indicated that the City does not have the capacity on its own to address the sanitation challenges, nor does it have sufficient funds to address the challenges timeously on its own. The Mayor has also indicated that the City’s SCM processes are corrupted.

In this context, the CoT, DWS and National Treasury have recently agreed that:

• The DWS and the City will partner together to jointly manage a project to fix the Rooiwal WWTW in Hammanskraal.
• Tshwane will contribute a portion of its USDG allocation. Council approval for R450 million to be allocated over the MTEF has been granted.
• The DBSA will be appointed by CoT as the implementing agent for the project.
• A financial task team consisting of NT, DWS, the City and DBSA has been put in place to develop a financing plan for the project. Various options are being considered, including but not limited to, increasing the City’s contribution from its USDG allocation, shifting funds from other grants, and DBSA loan finance.

DWS and the City will have formed a joint technical steering committee to oversee the project.

In the short-term, an alternative drinking water source will be put in place by Magalies Water for Hammanskraal through the emergency construction of a 30-40 Ml/day package-plant at Klipgaart WTW. The plant will provide drinking water in the Hammanskraal water distribution system. The Package Plant will be implemented in a phased approach with 10Ml/day at a time. The units will be in place starting from October 2023 at Klipgaart WTW and will be completed by March 2024.

In the meatime, CoT will continue with mobile water tankering services for Hammerskraal residents, from designated water filling points, with regular testing of water provider from tankers. Community structures will be requested to participate in a structure with the City to monitor the tankers and testing of water from the tankers.

The repair and upgrading of the Rooiwal will be implemented in phases which will be run concurrently, between September 2023 and June 2026. The upgrading will result in an increase in the capacity of Rooiwal from 250 ML/day to 380 ML/day.

---00O00---

Reply:

The department does not maintain a record of the necessary data required by respectable member. It is advised that the inquiry be forwarded to the Department of Transport since it is in charge of aviation-related operations, including the creation of airport plans that serve as a blueprint for all current and future airport improvements.

End.

Reply:

1. Yes, the refurbishment was done to reconfigure certain floors thereby creating five units out of the three and four bedrooms being converted into two bedrooms. Furthermore the refurbishment resulted in conversion of the domestic quarters into three duplex units which are currently occupied by Deputy Ministers.

2. Rygersdal is used for accommodation of Director-Generals and Deputy Ministers.

3. Security in manned by South African Police Services.

(a) With respect to costs related to security, our sister department, South African Police Services (SAPS), will be best suited to respond to the question.

(b) The projected expenditure for the current financial year for planned maintenance and corrective maintenance is R 1 342 713.23 and the actual expenditure to date is R 70 873.21.

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY: QUESTION NO. 2035 (Written Reply) Mr I S Seitlholo (DA) asked the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

The draft reply to Parliamentary Question No. 2035 (Written Reply) is submitted for your consideration.

The input has been provided by the Prestige Business Unit.

I hereby attest that the information provided in response to NA PQ 2035 is true and correct, to the best of my knowledge.

________________________

MR. M SAZONA

CHIEF DIRECTOR: PRESTIGE

DATE:

Draft reply supported / not supported/ comments

________________________

MS. N MAKHUBELE

ACTING-DIRECTOR GENERAL

DATE:

Draft reply supported / not supported/ comments

_____________________

MS. B SWARTS, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS AND INFRASTRUCTURE

DATE:

Draft reply approved / not approved/ comments

__________________________

MR. S ZIKALALA, MP

MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS AND INFRASTRUCTURE

DATE:

 

 

Reply:

1. (a) The Minister of Human Settlements has not been informed of the low quality of houses that are rebuilt for displaced persons. The National Department of Human Settlements (NDHS) in collaboration with the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) will undertake physical verifications regarding the quality and structural integrity of the houses and provide further details.

It must also be mentioned that on 9 May 2023, the Deputy President, and other sector departments including the NDHS visited the township of Charlesville, Jagersfontein. According to what is reported and what the team saw on the ground, out of the eight households affected, only three houses have been built by a sponsorship contractor. It is worth noting that the team visited a beautiful big showhouse, which is spacious and of good quality.

(b) It is anticipated that the physical verifications will be completed on or before 30 June 2023, whereafter feedback will be provided to the Honourable Member

Reply:

1. (a) The Board Members of the Independent Development Trust submitted their declarations of interest.

(b) IDT management submitted their declarations for financial year 2022/2023.

2. (a) The Board Members are requested annually to submit their declarations of interests and this is done continuously in all Board and Committee meetings.

(b) IDT managers are required to declare their financial interest as per the Code of Ethics and Business Conduct on an annual basis.

3. 

• The declarations of interest for Board members are submitted before the start of the financial year. The Board members have fully complied with the set timeframes.

• IDT management complied and submitted the declaration of interest by 31 May 2023.

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY: QUESTION NO. 2042 (Written Reply) Ms S J Graham (DA) asked the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

The draft reply to Parliamentary Question No. 2042 (Written Reply) is submitted for your consideration.

The input has been provided by the Independent Development Trust and duly processed by the Inter-Governmental Relations Business Unit.

I hereby attest that the information provided in response to NA PQ 2042 is true and correct, to the best of my knowledge.

________________________

MR. A MTHOMBENI

DEPUTY DIRECTOR GENERAL: IGR

DATE:

Draft reply supported / not supported / comments

________________________

MS N MAKHUBELE

ACTING-DIRECTOR-GENERAL

DATE:

Draft reply supported / not supported / comments

_____________________

MS. B SWARTS, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS AND INFRASTRUCTURE

DATE:

Draft reply approved / not approved / comments

__________________________

MR. S ZIKALALA, MP

MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS AND INFRASTRUCTURE

DATE:

 

 

Reply:

Municipalities are required to publish all tenders and contracts on their website and also on the municipal notice boards in accordance with section 75 of the  Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA). In addition, MFMA circular 83 advocates for publication of procurement information on tender portal, which requires municipalities to pulish all bids, awarded bids, cancelled bids, deviations, variations & extensions of existing contracts on the eTender Publication Portal. This is done as a way to promote a culture of transparancy and to give efffect to section 217 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, which advocates for municipalities to procure goods and services in terms of a system which is transparent, fair, competitive, equitable and cost effective.

(b)

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) referrals to municipalities are not done through the Minister, but through the MECs. If the MEC does not take the necessary action, then the SIU will escalate the matter to the Premier in the Province.     

Furthermore, officials from the Department are collaborating with officials from the Presidency and the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME), who are assessing implementation of recommendations emanating from the SIU investigation reports. Should this broader assessment with the Presidency and the DPME identify matters that require my attention, I will ensure that the necessary steps are taken to ensure accountability.  

The Department of Cooperative Governance (DCoG) in collaboration with the SIU established the Local Government Anti-Corruption Forum (LGACF) which is vital for purposes of fostering collaboration amongst the various stakeholders at local government in order to effectively fight corruption and co-ordinate efforts amongst provinces and law enforcement agencies. On a quarterly basis, the SIU provides progress on municipal investigations through the LGACF.

As such, the Department will continue to collaborate with the SIU and other law enforcement agencies to ensure that recommendations emanating from investigations reports are implemented and there is accountability.

End.

Reply:

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) regularly conducts inspections and audits on the operation and maintenance of the Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTWs) in all Water Services Institution (WSIs) within the Free State. The inspections aim to assess whether WWTWs are operated and maintained in a manner that does not pose risks of pollution resulting in contamination of water resources and increasing risks to human health and the environment.

There are seven (7) WWTWs owned by Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality serving Bloemfontein area. From these WWTWs, three (3) are operational, three (3) are partially operational and one is non-operational. The three operational and three partially operational WWTWs discharge wastewater which is not compliant to the General Limits for wastewater, and therefore there is potential to pollute water resources and the environment. The 2022 Green Drop report has found two WWTWs to be at a critical state, while the remaining five are at a very poor state. The table below provides details on the status of the 7 WWTWs:

Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTW)	Operational Status	Detailed operational information
Bloemdustria	Operational	Poor operation and maintenance practices Plant does not discharge, however there are no boreholes to monitor ground water pollution No operational flow meters
Bainsvlei	Partially Operational	No operational degritter at inlet works One sludge recycle pump not in operation No operational process monitoring done Sludge lagoons overgrown with weeds No disinfection of final effluent before release Poor operation and maintenance practices No operational flow meters
Bloemspruit	Partially Operational	WWTW consists of 3 parallel modules. Only modules 1 and 3 are partially operational. Module 2 is completely out of operation One mechanical screen non-functional 2 out of 3 screw pumps are operational Only 1 primary settling tank of 6 from module 1 is operational Only 2 primary settling tanks of 6 from module 3 are operational Blocked nozzles at Bio-Filter rotating arms. 3 humus tanks of 4 out of operation for module 1 6 Humus tanks of 8 is out of operation for module 3 No disinfection prior to discharge Sludge drying beds not in operation and overgrown. Flow meters not operational
Sterkwater	Non-Operational	WWTWs completely non-Functional due to cable theft and poor operations. Raw wastewater is diverted to the storm water channel close to Renoster Spruit
Northern Works WWTW	Operational	Disinfection of final effluent is not consistent
North-eastern	Partially Operational	Degritter not operational 2 of 3 screw pumps not operational 2 of 3 automatic screens not operational Defuse aerators not all operational Mixers 5 and 8 out of operation Unavailability of primary settling tanks cause solids to carry over to the activated sludge process. Sludge lagoons full of sludge and discharging premature super natant water. Lack of sludge dry beds to dry sludge. No final water disinfection. No operational flow meters
Welvaart	Operational	The WWTW was just restored to functionality in June 2023

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Reply:

The information required by Honourable member is monitored by the National Treasury. It is recommended that the question be directed to Minister of Finance for the National Treasury to provide responses accordingly.

End.

 

Reply:

a)  The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) is responsible for bulk water supply in the country and plays role of regulator of water and sanitation services and water resources. In the event of municipal failures, the DWS provides support to municipalities as Water Service Authorities and providers who grapple with sewage spillages. There are interventions in place to provide relief to the residents of (i) Dikgatlong, (ii) Sol Plaatje and (iii) Magareng in the Northern Cape summarised in the table below:

Local Municipality	Challenges	Intervention	Total Project Cost
Dikgatlong	Blockages in sewer lines and manholes (in cases by foreign material into sewer systems) Dysfunctional pumpstations and loadshedding interruptions Barkley West WWTW is partially functional.	The Barkley West Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTW) was recently refurbished along with the pumpstations DWS is currently funding the Dikgatlong construction of VIP’s Construction of the Windsorton-Holpan bulk water supply. Upgrading of the Barkly West WWTW. This project is still in a planning stage.	R 47 009 295
Sol Plaatje	Blockages in sewer lines and manholes (in cases by foreign material into sewer systems) Dysfunctional pumpstations Homevale WWTW is partially functional Poor operation and maintenance of sewer infrastructure Refurbishment and maintenance required was not within municipal financial capabilities.	DWS is funding the construction of the Carters Ridge outfall sewer line and sewer pump station. Refurbishment of the Homevale WWTW Replaced the Gogga pumpstation to Homevale sewer outfall pipeline Refurbishment of the Gogga pumpstation	R 57 366 501
Magareng	Waterlogging in areas due to blockages in sewer lines and manholes Poor operation and maintenance of sewer infrastructure Notices and Directives only partially effective	DWS provided funding emergency repair works to the Warrenton WWTW and surrounding sewer pump stations Refurbishment of the inlet works, aeration basin, clarifier, maturation ponds, chlorine, WAS / RAS pump station, auxiliary electrical works, sludge drying beds, flood lighting and vacuum pump station. Refurbishment of the Ikhutseng and Warrenval pump stations	R 48 911 542

b) It is the responsibility of the municipalities to provide proper sanitation services and a healthy environment. The Department regulates through the Green Drop best practise system and investigates non-compliance through administrative enforcement. Wherever necessary, DWS also provides funding and support to municipalities that apply for available grants earmarked for addressing water services infrastructure challenges.

c) Department ensures protection of water resources, which can be achieved by initiating rectification measures against the identified non-complaint water users and polluters. When municipalities fail in their mandate to ensure compliance in terms of wastewater and effluent spillages, various legal frameworks can be initiated to address the contraventions. In instances where a water user fails to comply with any of the license conditions, the Department first exercises administrative enforcement actions in the form of Notices and Directives in accordance with the National Water Act. This is meant to afford the water users an opportunity to rectify non-compliances within certain timeframes.

When users are non-responsive, the Department proceeds with either or both criminal and civil enforcement actions. Criminal sanctions can also be instituted against the municipalities guided by Criminal Procedure Act on violations related to wastewater and effluent spillages. Section 151 of the National Water Act provides legal basis for laying of criminal charges against the municipalities that are intentionally or negligently pollute water resources or engage in unlawful water usage. Offenses under Section 151 of the National Water Act can be used to address pollution of water resources, making it a criminal offense to discharge pollutants into water resources without the necessary authorisation

d) Support is provided through health and hygiene awareness campaigns, and financial support through the WSIG and the RBIG. The administrative enforcement requires rehabilitation of impacted areas. Where municipalities fail to rectify and rehabilitate, the Department can take legal action.

 

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Reply:

The 4th Ordinary Session of the African Union Specialised Technical Committee (STC) on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment (ARDWE), held virtually from 13-17 in December 2021, inaugurated the Africa Multi-Hazard Early Warning System and Early Action Situation Room for Disaster Risk Reduction. It was recognised that the establishment of the Situation Room could play a key role in contributing towards reducing disaster mortalities and economic losses at micro level and improved disaster risk management at macro level through improved availability and access to early warning information, as well as harmonised early warning systems, which would include weather-related disasters exacerbated by Climate Change. It was further recognised that the operationalisation of the Situation Room and the Multi-Hazard Early Warning Programme and its sustainability is dependent on the inputs from the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and Member States that directly interface with the hazards, as well as continued financial and technical support from the cooperating partners.

Furthermore, this STC adopted the Revised 2021-2030 Integrated African Strategy on Meteorology (Weather and Climate Services) which aims to provide strategic direction on the development and application of meteorology (weather and climate services) to support Africa’s social and economic development including in sectors such as agriculture and food security, health, water management, aviation, infrastructure, marine and blue economy, disaster risk reduction, energy, inter alia. The 2021-2030 Integrated African Strategy on Meteorology (Weather and Climate Services) comprises five key pillars, namely:

• Increasing political support and recognition of national meteorological services (NHMs) and Regional Climate Centres (RCCs)
• Improved observation networks, data access and processing
• Improved weather, water, climate and climate change services
• Research and Innovation, development and training
• Strengthened partnerships with relevant institutions, the private sector and civil society.

In addition, this STC meeting adopted a report on the creation of African disaster operations capacity and capability and endorsed the creation of a continental civilian capacity for disaster preparedness and response, which will draw from individual African Member States’ capacities to provide timely assistance to disaster-stricken countries. This STC meeting also adopted the Disaster Recovery Framework (DRF) and indicated that the main objective of the framework is to guide resilient socio-economic recovery efforts of the continental, regional and national levels. This included a contextual analysis of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on various sectors. The framework proposes transformational policy and programmatic actions that would be undertaken in a short, medium and long term to respond to the pandemic and other disasters within the COVID-19 contexts; recover from the pandemic and the other disasters and build back better from future crises and disasters.

Reply:

The Department of Basic Education has historically been responsible for the development and implementation of the National Curriculum Framework for children from birth to four years old (NCF).  Provincial and national monitoring and support systems have therefore, been established and implemented to ensure that ECD centres comply with the standards set out in the NCF.  However, the Thrive by Five Index, which was established to evaluate the efficiency of Early Learning Programmes (ELPs), indicated the need to further strengthen our monitoring and support of quality ECD provisioning.  Given this, the Department is in the process of developing a Quality Assurance and Support System, that will set out very clear quality standards so that ELPs will clearly understand the expectation around quality provisioning.  The Quality Assurance and Support System will further include support mechanisms to progressively reach the quality standards that have been agreed upon.  The Thrive by Five Index will also be repeated every three-four years, to continuously provide an independent evaluation of whether quality is being improved.

Reply:

The Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent (MISA) did not provide any urgent support measures to Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality (NMBMM) as the NMBMM’s Disaster Management Center and Emergency Teams had technical capacity to attend to the floods. MISA remains available to augment and provide support to NMBMM as and when needed, the same way MISA does not low and medium capacity municipalities.

End.

Reply:

1. Roles are given to traditional leaders in terms of section 25 of the Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Act, 2019 (Act No. 3 of 2019). In this regard, a national or provincial department can only give roles to traditional leaders in respect of functional areas of such a department. The building of shelters is not a functional competence of the Department of Traditional Affairs. However, in practice we collaborate with traditional leaders and other role players in addressing the socio-economic needs of communities in areas under the jurisdiction of traditional leaders. We have seen this in practice during natural disasters where traditional leaders have played a pivotal role in, among others, speedily making communal land parcels available for resettlement.

2. As indicated in (1) above, the building of shelters is not the functional competence of the Department of Traditional Affairs. The Department therefore does not have at its disposal the information referred to by the Honourable Member.

End.

Reply:

a) A total of 83 farms were planned under the Land Development Support programme for the 2022-23 financial year. All 83 farms were finalised, and they are currently under implementation. Finalised in this context involves farm assessment to determine needs including farmer skills assessment, business plan development with the farmer assisted by commodity organisation, budget approval, contracting and opening a grant holding account for implementation. Based on the approved commodity and seasonality associated with it, implementation is spread out in line with milestones as outlined in the approved business plan.

b) (i) A total of 66 farms are planned for the 2023-24 financial year. These farms are being subjected to the various committees for endorsement and subsequent approval and implementation by respective provinces.

(ii) and (iii) Refer to the table below:

Province	District Municipality	Project Name	Property description	Budget	Commodity
Eastern Cape	Amathole	Bellrock	Farm No.1826,Remaining Extent of Farm No.1827 and PTN 1 of Farm No.1850	R6 125 600	Livestock
Eastern Cape	Amathole	Eureka	Portion 3&4 of Farm Leuwis Drift No.1 and Remainder of elands Kop No.2	R6 125 600	Livestock
Eastern Cape	Sarah Baartman	Farm 318	Ptn 0 Of Farm No.326 GRAAFF REINET RD	R3 739 840	Livestock
Eastern Cape	Sarah Baartman	Irene farm	Irene farm	R3 739 840	Livestock
Eastern Cape	Sarah Baartman	Radiesvley farm	Radiesvley farm	R6 125 600	Livestock
Eastern Cape	Amathole	Sixhenxe Farming Coop	Portion 4 Of Farm 1048	R7 737 600	Subtropical
Eastern Cape	Chris Hani	Soetfontein Farm	Remaining Extent Of Portion 0 Of Farm Plaatkraal No.261 and other portions.	R3 739 840	Livestock
Eastern Cape	Chris Hani	Ulin Farm	Portion 0 Of Farm Ulin No.845 and other portions.	R6 125 600	Livestock
Eastern Cape	Sarah Baartman	Waterford Group 1	Waterford Group 1	R3 739 840	Livestock
Free State	Fezile Dabi	Concordia farm	Rietfontein No. 2457/1; Verdien No. 2456/1	R6 125 600	Livestock
Free State	Thabo Mofutsanyane	De Spruit	De Spruit No. 1071	R 7 415 200	Field Crops
Free State	Mangaung	Schmidtsdrift	Schmidtdrift No. 1972	R 7 415 200	Field Crops
Free State	Thabo Mofutsanyane	Schurvekop	Schurvekop No. 187 (LU 3)	R 7 415 200	Field Crops
Free State	Mangaung	Tussenrevier	Tussenrevier No. 1963	R 7 415 200	Field Crops
Free State	Fezile Dabi	Weltevrede Noord	Weltevrede Noord No. 584/1	R11 284 000	Poultry
Gauteng	North East Region	Aron Mbatha	Portion 12 (of 2) of farm Tweefontein No.491 JR	R11 284 000	Livestock
Gauteng	Westrand	Kesiiloe Hendrick Soai	Remaining Extent of Portion 22 and Portion 99 of the farm Brandvlei 261 IQ	R 6 125 600	Livestock
Gauteng	City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality	Kodumela Moepa Thutse Farming Projects (PTY) LTD	Ptn 119 of the farm Bultfontein 107 JR	R11 284 000	Livestock
Gauteng	Metsweding	Kwindla Farm	Portion 21 of farm Haartebeesfontein No.123 JR	R11 284 000	Livestock
Gauteng	Sedibeng	Mojaletema Primary Co-operative	R/E ptn 5 of Uitkyk no 327 and R/E of ptn 15(of ptn 4) of farm Bulfontein	R 3 739 840,00	Livestock
Gauteng	North East Region	Mpho Octavius. Selepe.	Portion 15 of farm Leeuwdraai No.211 JR	R11 284 000	Poultry
Gauteng	City of Tshwane	Stav Chicken	Ptn 14 of farm Fiarfield no. 236 JR	R11 284 000	Poultry
Kwazulu Natal	King Cetshwayo	Belmore	Portion 2 of farm Lot 68 Umfolozi no.13568.	R8 060 000	Sugarcane
Kwazulu Natal	uMgungundlovu	Birdwood Farm	Portion 503 of the farm Beaulieu Estate No. 1412 FT	R5 480 800	Horticulture
Kwazulu Natal	Zululand	Kroomdraai	Portion 1 of the Farm Kromdraai No.459, Portion 2 of the Farm Kromdraai No.459 and Remaining Extent of the Farm Kromdraai No 459.	R6 125 600	Livestock
Kwazulu Natal	Ilembe	Margaret	Ptn 1 of the farm no 16988	R8 060 000	Horticulture
Kwazulu Natal	Harry Gwala	Melville Park	Unit 2 of the reminder of Portion 1 of farm Bersheba, no 38 ES	R6 125 600	Livestock
Kwazulu Natal	uMgungundlovu	Runnymeade Farm	Portion 1 of the farm Runnymeade No. 15577 FS	R6 125 600	Livestock
Kwazulu Natal	Umzinyathi	Spitskop /Sibiya	Remainder of Portion 1 of the farm Spitskop No. 161 and Remainder of the farm Spitskop No. 161	R7 415 200	Field Crops
Kwazulu Natal	Umzinyathi	Stratherne	Stratherne No.4134, Meadowbank No.4130, Ongeluk No.8448, up and Down No.4962	R6 125 600	Livestock
Kwazulu Natal	King Cetshwayo	Tasma	Portion 2 of farm Lot 68 Umfolozi no.13568, Portion 2 (of 1) Lot 71 of farm Umfolozi no.13567 and other. Portions.	R7 737 600	Macademia
Kwazulu Natal	Ilembe	Tulele Fram	Portions 129, 200, 472 of Chaka’s Kraal No 865	R8 060 000	Horticulture
Limpopo	Capricorn	Dakalo Reginah Magwede	Ptn 1 & 8 of the farm Jakhalsfontein 119 MR	R6 125 600	Livestock
Limpopo	Mopani	Deerpark	Ptn 20 of the farm Deerpark 459 LT	R7 737 600	Subtropical
Limpopo	Waterberg	Doornlaagte	Ptn 1 of the farm Doornlaagte & Ptn 4 of the farm Platlaagte 614 KS	R6 125 600	Livestock
Limpopo	Capricon	Magwasha	Ptn 0 of the farm Liberton 298 MS	R6 125 600	Livestock
Limpopo	Capricon	Rhone farm	Ptn 2 of the farm Rhone 321 MR	R6 125 600	Livestock
Limpopo	Mopani	Sekgopo Community	Ptn 2 & R/E of Ptn 0 of the farm Roodedraai 378 LT	R6 125 600	Livestock
Limpopo	Waterberg	Sterkstroom	R/E of Ptn 6 of the farm Sterkstroom 105 KR	R6 125 600	Livestock
Limpopo	Waterberg	Temo Ya Tlhabane Holding	Ptn 1 of the farm Doornlaagte 619 KS	R6 125 600	Livestock
Mpumalanga	Ehlanzeni	Bellevue	Ptn of Farm Bellevue B 519 JT & Rem.Ext of Ptn 0 of Bellevue A2 520 JT	R7 415 200	Citrus
Mpumalanga	Nkangala	Elandspruit	Portion 39 (Of Ptn 2) Of Farm Elandspruit No.291 JS	R7 415 200	Grain
Mpumalanga	Gert Sibande	Haarlem	Rem Ext of Portion 3 of the farm Haarlem 39 IT	R7 415 200	Grain
Mpumalanga	Nkangala	Kalbasfontein	Kalbasfontein 284 JS Portion 22	R 7 415 200	Livestock
Mpumalanga	Ehlanzeni	Kliprievier (Elvis Meshack Dludlu)	Remaining extent of portion 1 of the farm Kliprievier 73 JT	R 6 125 600	Livestock
Mpumalanga	Nkangala	Klipspruit - JE Skhosana Farms & Logistics)	Portion 11(Portion of Portion 3) of the farm Klipspruit 199 IR:Remaining Extent of Portion 0 of the farm Stilte 223 IR	R7 415 200	Livestock
Mpumalanga	Nkangala	Klipspruit	Ptn 7 (Of Ptn 4) Of Farm Klipspruit No.199 IR	R11 928 800	Layers
Mpumalanga	Gert Sibande	Mooihoek	Rem Ext of Ptn 1 of the farm Mooihoek 168 HT	R6 125 600	Livestock
Mpumalanga	Gert Sibande	Rendal	Portion 2 (Nozika) of Riversdale 127 IT	R6 125 600	Livestock
Mpumalanga	Gert Sibande	Shepstone	Rem Ext of Shepstone 280 IT	R6 125 600	Livestock
Mpumalanga	Nkangala	Witklipbank	Portion 21 (Portion of Portion 4) of the farm Witklipbank 202.	R11 284 000	Broiler
North West	Ngaka Modiri Molema	Amantle Trading	Remainder of Portion 24, 25, 28,80,82, 91 and portions 44.	R 7 415 200	Field Crops
North West	Bojanala	Gosiame-Ramaila	Portion 799 of Hartebeesfontein (Gosiame-Ramaila)	R 6 125 600	Livestock
North West	Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati	Kildare Carlow	Portion 162 of Farm Remaining Extent van Block C 2nd Railway Grant Nr 1 JM	R 6 125 600	Livestock
North West	Dr Kenneth Kaunda	Makwene Enooh	Pnt 36 of the farm rietkuil 397 IP and Pnt 22 of the farm Wolverand 425 IP	R 6 125 600	Livestock
North West	Dr Kenneth Kaunda	Mamusa Farms (Pty) Ltd	Portion 8 of Rooipoort 202 IP & 11 of Wilfontein 201 IP	R6 125 600	Livestock
North West	Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati	Mogonedi Archibold	Portion 2 of the farm Alnwick 287 JM	R6 125 600	Livestock
North West	Bojanala	Raphulo	Portion 879 of Hartebeespoort C419 JQ ( Raphulo)	R 6 125 600	Livestock
Northern Cape	Pixley Ka Seme	Keilder	Portion 4 and 5 of Hedley Plains A No. 64, Portion 6 of the farm Doonies Pan No. 106.	R3 739 840	Livestock
Northern Cape	Namakwa	Klein vogelfontein	Portion 0 of the farm Klein Vogelsfontein No 920	R3 739 840	Livestock
Northern Cape	Pixley Ka Seme	Kranshoek	Farm kranshoek no 396.	R3 739 840	Livestock
Northern Cape	Frances Baard	Melkvlei	Farm no. 221 & R/E of portion 3 of Farm Longlands no. 231	R7 415 200	Livestock
Northern Cape	ZF Mgcawu	Vilander. No. 318	Remainder of Farm Vilander No.318	R3 739 840	Livestock
Western Cape	Eden	Forest Hall	Erf 562, Kurland in the Bitou Municipal area,	R5 480 800	Livestock
Western Cape	Cape Winelands	Mesco farms	Portions 2, 3, 4 and the remainder of Farm Ruytershove No.25, Stellenbosch	R8 704 800	Horticulture
Western Cape	Eden	Ruiterbosch	Portion 41 of the Farm Ruiterbos No 60, situated in the Mossel Bay Municipality	R3 739 840	Livestock

 

Reply:

1. (a) The target audience for the specified reports are the following:

The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation

The Deputy Ministers of International Relations and Cooperation

The Director-General of International Relations and Cooperation

Deputy Directors-General

Chief Directors

Internal Audit

Audit Committee

The Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation.

(b) The total cost of producing the reports cannot be quantified in monetary terms as the reports are drafted and produced in-house.

2. The Office of the Chief Operating Officer, through the Chief-Directorate Strategic Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, manages the processes of quarterly and annual reporting within DIRCO. Information received is quality assured and reflected in the departmental reporting in line with the framework for managing performance information. 

Reply:

Honourable member, we initially experienced technological challenges with the roll out of the e-visa system during 2021. However, towards the end of 2022, we successfully completed a series of 34 enhancements to the e-visa system. Currently, there are no technological challenges with the e-visa system. Honourable member, I also wish to inform the house that we have added 20 more countries on the e-visa system bringing it to a total of 34 countries that can now use our e-visa system for tourism purposes.

END

Reply:

Honourable member this matter was fully ventilated in a court of law. Judgement has been passed but Dr Magudumana is appealing. Hence I am not able to answer your question for now.

END

Reply:

(1)&(2) Mr. Krasimir Kamenov was issued with a relatives’ visa to join his spouse and subsequently obtained permanent residence in the Republic of South Africa in 2004. He was a naturalised citizen at the time of his death.

With regards to Mr. Fulgence Kayishema, upon him entering the Republic of South Africa in December 1999, he was issued with a Temporary Permit to Prohibited Persons in terms of Section 41(1) of Aliens Control Act 96 of 1991 under a different name and nationality. He then applied for asylum and was later granted Refugee status in 2002. However, it transpired afterwards that his Refugee status was granted through misrepresentation. The Department will follow legislative prescripts in dealing with misrepresentation in terms of Section 36(1)(a) and section 36(2) of the Refugees Act.

END

Reply:

1. Yes, Reference KRN6/2/2/E/42/0/0/25 was lodged by Mr. Mswelengi Bhekumuzi Bhengu on behalf of the Meyershoek Community on 23 December 1998, for the Remainder of Portion 0 of the farm Meyers Hoek No.847 in extent of 1513, 5256 hectares. The lodger and a few members alleged that they were not part of the settlement as they did not want alternative land.

Reference KRN6/2/2/E/42/0/0/202 was settled on 9 January 2000 in full and final settlement of a court order in respect of the following properties:

• farm Meyershoek No. 847;
• farm Onrust No. 848;
• Rem of Nels Rust; and
• Portion 8 of Nooitgedacht No. 903 collective extent of 3262.9193 ha.

2. The additional members that were not part of the original claim (KRN6/2/2/E/42/0/0/202) were added on the name verification list in the Section 42D memorandum for KRN6/2/2/E/42/0/0/25, after the homestead identification was analyzed against the original list.

3. (a) The outcome will be based on the further research recommendations.

(b) The delay was due to obtaining a legal opinion on the court order.

(c) Further research is needed as there is a position taken through the Court Order to see if the matter can be taken further.

(d) The Legal Unit of the Department will present the final further research report and the legal opinion on the matter based on the Court Order.

Reply:

1) The Public Audit Act, 2004 (Act No. 25 of 2004) as amended in section 5(1B)(b) states that the Auditor-General has the power to issue a certificate of debt, as prescribed, where an accounting officer or accounting authority has failed to comply with remedial action. The Regulations published on 1 April 2019 state in section 12 that for purposes of this Part, “accounting officer” also includes a former accounting officer, and “member of the accounting authority” also includes a former member of the accounting authority. Public officials that have left the institutions therefore can still be issued with certificates of debt.

2) and (3) The National Treasury does not maintain this information. The Auditor General of South Africa should be engaged to obtain the detailed information.

Reply:

a) The Department has increased the rollout of the e-visa system to 34 countries. All countries that the Republic has diplomatic relations with, can now apply for a tourist visa on the e-visa system or are exempted from visa requirements for short-term visits.

b) All technological challenges associated with the rollout of the e-visa system have been resolved. The e-visa system has been successfully enhanced and is fully operational.

END

Reply:

(a)(i) 31 March 2021: As per the Departmental Annual Report 2021/22, the total contingent liabilities reported was: R2,358,451,000.00 of which R2,152,423,000.00 was for legal claims;

(a)(ii) 31 March 2022: As per the Departmental Annual Report 2022/23, the total contingent liabilities reported was: R2, 338,966,000.00 of which R2,107,068,000.00 was for legal claims;

(a)(iii) 31 March 2023: As per unaudited Annual Financial Statements (AFS) submitted as at 31st May 2023, the Department has re-stated its assessment of its contingent liabilities following receipt of a commissioned technical report advising the Department on how to disclose its contingent liabilities on legal matters. The Department has therefore re-assessed its disclosed contingent liability amount to R239,500,000.00 which excludes legal matters. The amount of R2,171,242,664.07 for legal claims is recognised as a note and annexure to the AFS. This amount was not included in the main total because it cannot be reliably estimated as the “possible settlement” amount.

(b) There is no direct correlation between the recruitment of the referred 13 legal resources, and the reduction of the stated contingent liabilities. These officials were employed by the Department to handle all litigation matters emanating from the Department and their employment has no direct bearing on the reduction of the amount disclosed within the contingent liability register, as amounts disclosed are the amounts claimed by the Plaintiffs.

From April 2020 to March 2023, the Department employed one Senior Legal Administration Office who is on level 12 and 7 Legal Administration Officers who are on level 9. The cost of these officials is prescribed as per their level of appointment based on remuneration scales determined by the Department of Public Service Administration (DPSA).

END

Reply:

(a)(i)&(ii) There are no technological or system impediments that prevent South Africans born overseas from applying for Smart ID Cards. South Africans born abroad are able to apply for Smart ID Cards in the country.

(b) Naturalised citizens will soon be able to apply for Smart ID Cards once we have completed the verification process of their records.

(c) & (d) The Minister will make an announcement once the Department is ready to accept Smart ID Card applications from naturalised citizens.

END

Reply:

The Department of Home Affairs offices are located in various geographical areas and all offices in both urban and rural areas will have the self-service KIOSK. Thus, there will be no reason to deny communities in rural areas access to the self-service machine as the machines will be deployed in all DHA offices. The rollout will be informed by the available budget in a phased approach and the priority will be the deployment in non-modernised offices, followed by modernised offices and other strategic points.

END

Reply:

(a) The following zones are in place for Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) control purposes. These zones are not unique to South Africa but is an accepted international way to deal with zones of different FMD risk in a country.

• The FMD Infected Zone, which is the Kruger National Park and adjacent game reserves. This zone is permanently FMD infected, due to the presence of FMD infected buffalo which are permanent carriers of the disease;
• the FMD Protection Zone is the zone adjacent to the Kruger National Park, with mainly communal cattle and small stock farming areas. It is assumed that these are the communities that are referred to in the question above, although the term “red zone” is not used officially or internationally; and
• the FMD Free Zone is the rest of the country, although this status is currently suspended due to outbreaks that occurred between 2019 and 2022.

The high risk posed by the buffalo in the infected zone is the reason for the permanent protection zone in the adjacent communities. The control approach is multi-layered, to provide for prevention of outbreaks, early detection of outbreaks, and limiting the spread of outbreaks as much as possible. The layers include fencing around the Kruger National Park, routine vaccination of cattle populations in the protection zone adjacent to the fence, regular inspection of all cattle in the protection zone, and movement control for cloven hoofed animals and products out of the protection zone. If the above system of prevention works well, then no outbreaks are reported in the protection zone and the zone serves its purpose well. That is currently the status. Should an outbreak occur in the protection zone, the systems are in already in place to detect the disease quickly and prevent its further spread.

(b) If there are reports of FMD in a specific part of the protection zone, premises with cloven hoofed animals in that area will be placed under quarantine to prevent further spread of the disease. Animals in such areas cannot be moved or marketed until the quarantine has been lifted. Farmers in the protection zone, in areas without active FMD outbreaks, are unfortunately negatively affected by the permanent restrictions placed on the area. Provision is made for moving of unvaccinated animals out of the protection zone. These animals are subject to quarantine and testing prior to movement and government subsidises the payment of some of these tests for non-commercial movements. There is also a drive to promote market access for farmers within the protection zone and government is engaging with a number of stakeholders in this regard.

Work on supporting the development of a system to improve market access for producers in FMD high risk areas as part of efforts to reduce the risk of live cattle movements to markets in areas of low risk including the previously WOAH-recognized FMD free zone without vaccination has been proposed. This work involves the setting up of feedlots and quarantine camps to support this activity particularly for animals intended for slaughter.

Reply:

1. Yes. According to the National Disease Database, 13 406 disease outbreaks of controlled and notifiable diseases were reported and followed up by Provincial Veterinary Services in the ten-year period from January 2013 to December of 2022. A list of diseases and the number of outbreaks per province is attached as Annexure A.

2. The disease control measures relevant to the different controlled diseases are detailed in Table 2 of the Regulations to the Animal Diseases Act, No 35 of 1984, attached as Annexure B. These are the requirements for the control of the diseases as required by law. Since the epidemiology of each disease is different, the control measures are different for different diseases. Furthermore, different outbreaks of the same disease may be handled slightly differently, depending on the situation on the ground, the numbers of animals involved, the farming practices and the areas affected. It is not feasible to provide detailed information for each of the 13 406 outbreaks noted above.

Notifiable diseases such as Rift Valley Fever, Bluetongue and Lumpy Skin Disease, are not controlled by government and there are no prescribed control measures. However. outbreaks must be notified to the state veterinarian and awareness is done on ways to prevent further outbreaks.

Reply:

1. The 10-point strategy was adopted by the Council of Education Ministers on 5 May 2023.

2. The convenors of the various workstreams have been appointed.

3. Operational plans are being developed in June 2023.

4. A detailed presentation on the challenges, strategy and tactics is attached.