Reply:

 

The Department published the White Paper on National Public Transport Policy, 2021 which commits that all forms of transport services will become “accessible to all”, (i.e universally accessible); including people with disabilities, all over the country. (Page 4).

The White Paper applies to all forms of transport services; road-based public transport, cycling and walking, rail, aviation and maritime. The implementation of this part of the White Paper requires coordination across the provinces and the State-owned Entities of the Department. The Transport Sector Transformation Forum meets quarterly, and progress on universally accessible transport is reported in this forum.

In road-based public transport services specifically, since 2010, ten municipalities have developed a universal design access plan (UDAP) to implement universally accessible transport systems in Integrated Public Transport Networks (IPTNS), using the Public Transport Network Grant (PTNG). In these ten municipalities new public transport vehicles have to be universally designed, to accommodate wheelchairs, people with other disabilities, passengers accompanying children, elderly people and women.

All ten municipalities report annually on the implementation of their UDAP, which includes all aspects of the travel chain, not vehicles alone. The implementation of the UDAP is part of the operational plan of the new public transport system within an IPTN. Where any form of transport in an IPTN is not accessible, passengers are able to register a complaint. Under the National Land Transport Act section 18(5) this complaint must be remedied.

Reply:

​​(1) – (4)

 

It is important to note that law enforcement in South Africa is primarily the responsibility of the South African Police Service (“the SAPS”). SAPS is responsible for investigating crime and security throughout the country. The police service is crucial for the safety of South Africa's citizens and was established in accordance with the provisions of Section 205 of the Constitution. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, also states that the police’s responsibilities are to prevent, combat and investigate crime; maintain and protect the public, their property and the overall security and safety of the Republic; uphold and enforce the law. Sometimes this function, which is a preserve of the police, is entrusted to other entities in terms of section 334 of the CPA. This is to assist the police in the primary function of keeping law and order.

Such appointment only confers police powers to appointees to enforce police functions where police are assisted in their mandate by additional resources. Appointment does not make appointees police officials as stipulated in the South African Police Service Act, 1995, (Act No. 68 of 1995) (“the Police Act”). An enabling provision in law should guide appointment of law enforcement officers as peace officers. This would be followed by a formal process of appointment requiring a formal request and approval of the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, in consultation with the Minister of Police before permission can be granted and subsequently published in the Gazette. Only then will the appointees be regarded as peace officers. The Department of Justice is not aware of any formal request or application to declare CPWs as peace officers.

Municipal Police

Metropolitan municipalities can apply to the Member of Executive Council responsible for safety and security to and establish their own municipal police units, which are tasked mainly with traffic policing and the enforcement of municipal bylaws. Municipal police have fewer powers than the South African Police Service, and do not investigate major crimes. They work in co-operation with the South African Police Service to prevent crime and maintain public order.

Section 206 of the Constitution provides that national legislation must provide a framework for the establishment, powers, functions, and control of municipal police services. The procedure for establishing a municipal police service is laid down in the South African Police Service Amendment Act of 1998. This law allows municipalities to apply to the government of the relevant province for permission to establish a municipal police service. The Minister of Police may approve the application, after consultation with the National Commissioner of the South African Police Service.

Do crime prevention wardens qualify as peace officers?

The question whether crime prevention wardens recently appointed by Gauteng Provincial Government qualify as peace officers as stipulated by section 334 of the CPA or not is as follows:

As stated in the foregoing paragraphs, the Department has not received any formal request in this regard and thus it is our submission that for an appointment to be made there must have been compliance with the requirements laid down in section 334 of the CPA. Until that process is adhered to, such personnel would not qualify as peace officers.

It is also worth noting that it falls outside my mandate to state that the appointees form part of the municipality police or are traffic wardens or are appointed as law enforcement officers. I am unaware whether there was consultation of the Member of Executive Council with the Commissioner of Police in terms of section 64A(2)(a) of the Police Act or not, for permission for such appointment. This falls within the mandate of the Minister of Police.

Reply:

Find here: Reply

Reply:

 

To date, 26 out of 37 appointments of contractors have been concluded by the Implementing Agent of the project, the Mopani District Municipality. Progress is indicated in the table below:

ITEM	VILLAGE NAME - PROJECT	PROGRESS
1	Bambeni Reticulation – Pipeline D	75%
2	Homu 14A Reticulation – Pipeline B	47%
3	Ngove Reticulation Contract B – Pipeline D	43%
4	Skhunyani Reticulation Contract B – Pipeline D2	05%
5	Bode Reticulation Contract B – Pipeline D2	06%
6	Makoxa Reticulation Contract A – Pipeline F1	35%
7	Maswanganyi Reticulation Contract A – Pipeline D2	02%
8	Kamninginisi Block 2 Reticulation – Pipeline F2	05%
9	Muyexe Reticulation – Pipeline F2	24%
10	Dzingidzingi Reticulation – Pipeline D2	05%
11	Xikukwane Reticulation Contract C – Pipeline F1	Site establishment
12	Mhlaba Willem Reticulation – Pipeline F2	25%
13	Risinga View Reticulation Contract A – Pipeline F1	05%
14	Nwakhuwani Reticulation – Pipeline B	05%
15	Makoxa Reticulation Contract B – Pipeline F1	05%
16	Gawula Reticulation – Pipeline A	05%
17	Vuhehli Reticulation – Pipeline B	04%
18	Homu 14 B – Pipeline B	03%
19	Muyexe Reticulation Contract B – Pipeline F2	05%
20	Mageva Reticulation Contract A -Pipeline D	05%
21	Mahlathi Reticulation – Pipeline A	04%
22	Mapayeni Contract A – Pipeline B	03%
23	Maswanganyi Contract B – Pipeline D2	Site establishment
24	Xikukwani Contract A – Pipeline F1	04%
25	Risinga View Contract B – Pipeline 1	Site establishment
26	Xikukwani Contract B – Pipeline F1	Site establishment

*

Reply:

(a) Relevant details of all businesses that benefited from the Green Tourism Incentive Programme.

I have been informed by the Department that the details such as the name, surname, ID number, symbol, email address, physical address, telephone number, location or online identifier addresses of all businesses that benefitted from the Green Tourism Incentive Programme cannot be disclosed without the Department contravening the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).

(b) Reasons that the details of beneficiaries of the specified programme are not made public.

The beneficiaries of the specified programme have not provided permission in terms of the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) for their details to be made public and the Department is not exempted in accordance with POPIA to distribute the personal information

Please note: The contract that is signed with applicants and beneficiaries also has a confidentiality clause.

Reply:

On 26 May 2023, the President transferred the administration, powers and functions entrusted by the Electricity Regulation Act (Act no.4 of 2006) to the Minister of Electricity in terms of section 97 the of Constitution.

Both Departments (Mineral Resources & Energy and Electricity) are working closely to manage the transition through effective coordination; and dedicated focus on programmes that will alleviate the electricity shortage in the short term and enable long-term security of supply.

 

Reply:

According to the information received from SAA

1. The record shows that during Coleman Andrew’s tenure as CEO, the Board on 14 April 2000, considered the sale and leaseback of B737-200 aircraft and approved:

1. The sale of 13 B737-200 ADV aircraft (11 passenger and 2 freighters) to SafAir, or a party nominated by SafAir acceptable to SAA.
2. That SAA enters a 5 and half year leaseback in respect of each aircraft.
3. That SAA leases an additional 3 B737-200 aircraft from SafAir if required by the Airline; and
4. That SAA leases 2 new generation narrow-body aircraft from SafAir provided the terms were equal or better than the other offers received by SAA.

Note that SafAir is a South African aircraft leasing company and there was no declaration in the minutes that this company was owned by Mr. Andrews.

1. Based on the above Board resolution, the sale was authorized by the Board at the time.

.

Remarks: Reply: Approved / Not Approved

Jacky Molisane P J Gordhan, MP

Acting Director-General Minister

Date: Date:

Reply:

The Department of Higher Education and Training does not have any policy for institutions of higher learning regarding the nature and kind of organisations that may operate on campuses of higher learning. The Higher Education Act (101 of 1997) as amended has entrusted the Council of a university with the role to govern the institution and the principal (Vice-Chancellor) with the responsibility to manage the institution and oversee the administration. Therefore, universities policies are developed by universities and approved by councils as determined by their statutes.

The Department is not aware of the operations of the World Mission Society Church of God at universities. More information in this regard will be sourced through Universities South Africa and made available to Parliament.

Reply:

I have started the process by requesting the transcript/recordings of the said meeting.

Once received, I will engage the services of legal advice to start the process.

 

Reply:

The Department can confirm that the road D2953 is a provincial road under the management of the Mpumalanga province.

As the honourable member may be aware of the separation of powers and responsibility on road (provincial roads) as exclusive functions of the province, the Department does not have plans and is not in any plans to rehabilitate 4.5km of road D2953. The Mpumalanga Department of Public Works and Roads is however carrying out maintenance of the road such as pothole patching and routine maintenance to keep the road safe and usable.

1. Not applicable
2. (i) Not applicable
3. Not applicable

Reply:

I have been informed that the Department has established a Provincial Tourism Statistics Committee to work closely with provinces, to improve the quality and availability of tourism statistics at provincial level, noting that tourism is a concurrent function in South Africa.

Furthermore, the Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) for South Africa is compiled annually by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) according to the internationally-agreed standard Tourism Satellite Account: Recommended Methodological Framework [TSA: RMF], developed by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

The TSA is a standard statistical framework and the main tool for the economic measurement of tourism.

The TSA provides macro-economic aggregates that describe the size and the direct economic contribution of tourism, such as tourism direct gross value added (TDGVA), tourism direct gross domestic product (TDGDP) and tourism direct employment, consistent with similar aggregates for the total economy, and for other productive economic activities and functional areas of interest.

Reply:

(1)

1. None

1. None

1. None

1. (i) and (ii) None

(2) The Auditor-General South Africa audits Departmental projects on an annual basis, and the audit report gets included in the Annual Report, which gets tabled in Parliament.

(3) Not applicable

Reply:

1. According to the Compensation Commissioner the campaign to compensate former miners with Tuberculosis and/or Silicosis began in 2014 and is ongoing.. The programme has received renewed attention in the past 8 years.

1. The total number of persons who were assisted in the past three years is indicated in the table below:

Details	1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021	1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022	1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023	Total
Number of TB claims paid	3 264	3 900	4 742	11 906
Amount of TB paid	R32 126 827	R33 696 731	R46 106 033	R111 929 591
Number of Silicosis claims paid	1 419	1 034	1 236	3 689
Amount of Silicosis paid	R121 276 176	R88 201 178	R102 547 449	R312 024 803

1. The Deputy Minister of Health, (Hon) Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, working closely with the Deputy Ministers of Employment and Labour and Mineral Resources and Energy, provincial and neighbouring country governments, other social protection and class action settlement funds, trade unions and the ex-miners’ associations. has been leading the programme on outreach activities for former miners There is also a call centre (080 100 0240) that former miners can call to query their claim status.

It must be noted that the majority of former miners are in labour sending areas such as the Eastern Cape, Lesotho and Mozambique and thus the outreach campaigns assist in bringing services closer to the towns / districts where the former miners live. In the last five months of 2023, outreach activities were undertaken in two districts in KwaZulu-Natal and three districts in the Eastern Cape. Former miners can also access compensation claims services at fixed hospital facilities in Mthatha, Carletonville, Kuruman and Burgersfort.

END.

Reply:

THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, LAND REFORM AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT:

1. Yes, the Communal Land Bill and the Communal Land Tenure Policy are being developed for public comment and they seek to provide for the transfer of communal land held in trust by the State, to communities and community members occupying such communal land; as well as to provide for the award of comparable redress; registration of communal land; land rights inquiries; the democratic administration of communal land; the establishment of communal land boards; dispute resolution mechanisms; and to amend and repeal certain laws.

1. Yes, the process to design a fit-for-purpose structure for the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) is in progress and the capacity constraints analysis was completed. The Land Tenure Unit has completed a proposed new structure to accommodate these functions and recommend a separate Directorate at national and provincial levels for communal tenure and the creation of District sub-directorates for communal tenure to accommodate this order. Currently, the existing capacity within DALRRD handles all matters related to communal land, working with Ingonyama Trust Board (ITB) secretariat. The new Board has also been appointed and DALRRD has seconded a well-qualified official to act as the Chief Financial Officer for the ITB.

Reply:

Industry, together with universities and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges, need to be more responsive to each other in understanding and communicating training needs, including sharing information with respect to skills development across the renewable energy value chain. This requires that there is a collaborative effort to jointly assess existing skill requirements and offerings, identify gaps and put in place training interventions. To catalyse such engagement between industries, the various types of training providers and SETAs, facilitation, either by an industry association, government department or agency or a funded intermediary, may be required. This will have more impact in consolidation existing knowledge than establishing satellite campuses to specialise in renewable energy.

The Department of Higher Education and Training through the National Skills Fund (NSF) made available R105.5 million for the establishment of the South African Renewable Energy and Technology Centre (SARETEC) at the Bellville Campus of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT).

This Project, supported by ESKOM; the South African National Energy Development Institute; Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services Sector Education and Training Authority (MerSETA); Department of Energy (DoE); University of Stellenbosch; Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and Northlink TVET College addresses the current constraints of the lack of suitable practical skills and work experience in the renewable energy industries. This is in response to the DoE’s Integrated Resource Plan, which commits to procure 800 Mega Watts of renewable energy over the next 20 years.

SARETEC is in the process of being accredited by the Quality Council on Trades and Occupations (QCTO) for various topics relating to renewable energy. According to the information from SARETEC the Centre issues attendance certificates stating modules or courses completed. The two qualifications are quality assured by the QCTO and the offerings are based on SAQA unit standards and are offered by the appropriate SETAs. The quality development partner is MerSeta.

The following universities offer qualifications and courses in Renewable Energy:

• The Central University of Technology provides a Higher Certificate in Renewable Energy Technologies
• The Cape Peninsula University of Technology is in the process of getting accreditation of the Master of Engineering in Smart Grid
• Nelson Mandela University offers qualifications and learning programmes in Renewable Energy Engineering.
• The Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment at the University of the Witwatersrand offers learning programmes and courses in Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
• The University of Cape Town offers the Master of Science in Engineering specialising in Sustainable Energy Engineering and the Master of Philosophy specialising in Energy and Development Studies through their Energy Research Centre
• The Tshwane University of Technology has a Centre for Energy and Electric Power in the Engineering Faculty, which carries out research and contract work for industry and the community. There is also a short learning programme on Energy Management for a Sustainable South Africa offered by the Centre.
• The North-West University (NWU) offers learning programmes in Renewable Energy within the Bachelor of Engineering and Master of Engineering degrees. NWU also offers modules in Indigenous Knowledge and Renewable Energy Sources for Sustainable Livelihood in the Bachelor of Indigenous Knowledge Systems
• The University of Pretoria provides learning programmes in Renewable Energy in the Bachelor of Engineering Honours in Electrical Engineering and Master of Engineering degrees.

In relation to the Energy and Water Sector Education and Training Authority (EWSETA) is actively involved in renewable energy initiatives and programmes that contribute significantly to the scarce and priority skills in the renewable energy sector.

The Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), in collaboration with the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC), and the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI) commissioned a study to gain insight into the renewable energy sector’s skills needs, gaps and possible interventions to address these. The Green Cape and the Department of Higher Education and Training are engaging on the results of this study.

Reply:

Find reply here

Reply:

1. Common and widespread issues leading to student protests.
   1. Most student protests occur at the beginning of the academic year between January and end of March of every year. Challenges that bring about student protests vary from year to year. In 2015 and 2016, the key issues were around free education. In 2018 and 2019, the demands of students included funding of the missing middle and postgraduate studies, academic and financial exclusions, accommodation, transport allowances for students not living in university-managed accommodation, issuing of academic records for students who are indebted to universities, as well as insourcing of university services such as cleaning, catering, and security.

• 1. During 2020 and 2021, concerns raised by students included blended teaching and learning access to teaching and learning assistive devices (data, laptops, etc.), online examinations where most students demanded physical examinations whilst the rest preferred online, and Covid-19 vaccination (access and willingness of students to vaccinate).

• 1. The common and widespread issues raised by students at the beginning of the 2022 academic year were on academic and financial exclusions; National Student Financial Assistance Scheme (NSFAS) funding; funding for the “missing middle” and postgraduate students; student debt; fee increases; student accommodation shortages, safety and security issues including Gender-based violence (GBV).

1. Steps taken to address issues.

• 1. The Department of Higher Education and Training (the Department) has analyzed the issues raised by students and has noted that some of the issues, given that our institutions are autonomous, will require institutional responses and intervention to resolve them while others are systemic issues and would require a structured and organized intervention from the Department and its relevant entities. It should be noted that some of the issues raised at a national level require medium- and long-term planning. These are being addressed in some way or another, but many may take time to address especially those that have significant financial implications, such as student accommodation shortages, funding for postgraduates and missing middle students. Some concerns resulted in policy review, development of regulations as interventions.

• 1. At the national level, I and the Department have continuous engagements with the stakeholders to ensure concerns raised by students receive attention and are attended to. In 2023, officials from the Department conducted institutional visits during registration to receive registration updates and reports on any challenges that may arise and assist institutions to deal with these challenges.

• 1. With regards to institutional related matters, the Department encourages regular engagements between university management and Student Representative Councils (SRCs) to resolve the concerns of students. All universities that experienced protests had engagements with SRCs and reached agreements on several issues, as a result protests ended. The Department monitors these engagements to ensure that they are fair and produce the intended results. The Department also continues to work with law enforcement agencies to ensure that when protests become violent, that there are no lives lost and university property is protected.

Reply:

Yes, due to the issuing of Permission to Occupy (PTOs) in KwaZulu-Natal being retained by the former Minister of Land Affairs, in accordance with the KwaZulu-Natal Land Affairs Act, 1992 (Act No. 11 of 1992), the former Minister delegated the function to the Provincial Government of KwaZulu-Natal in 1998 and the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development has since withdrawn the delegations.

The Ingonyama Trust Board (ITB) technically took over the function from the KwaZulu-Natal Government and stopped issuing PTOs in 2007; however, the litigation on this matter is not completed, and the application (appeal) by Ingonyama Trust is yet to be heard by the Supreme Court of Appeal.

Reply:

1. It is not true that Mahikeng Provincial Hospital does not have enough beds and space for the newborn babies. The hospital has enough bed space to accommodate the new babies who were placed in boxes. The babies were not placed in the cardboard boxes because of the shortage of beds and/or space.

1. The details of intervention steps are:

1. The hospital has started with the procurement of additional medical equipment; enforcement of referral policy, diversion of patients who need treatment at some other facilities, to ease up the pressure from the hospital, improved proactive planning based on the workload that determines and anticipates the sudden increase in deliveries.

1. The hospital managers are advised to make provision for sudden increase of the workload such as the one of increases deliveries. The situation will be attained through proper planning based on the health service information. The hospital managers are also encouraged to ensure that they enforce optimal utilisation of available resources and sharing of resources within the catchment area.

END.

Reply:

Find here: Reply

Reply:

The Department has allocated funding for the finalisation of feasibility reports and development of concept designs which should be completed by the end of the 2023/24 financial year. The funding for the actual construction will be finalized by September 2023.

The details designs will determine the actual construction period. However, the preliminary targets are for the institution to be completed in 2026/7 financial year.

Reply:

(a) (i) Table 1 below indicate the response.

Table 1:

Province	Total Number of state mortuaries
Eastern Cape	22
Free State	11
KwaZulu Natal	25
Gauteng	11
Limpopo	12
Mpumalanga	20
Northern Cape	11
Northwest	7
Western Cape	17
National	136

 

(ii) There are no crematoriums operated by the state, as state hospitals do not cremate corpses on site. From the information received from Provinces, Persons that pass on in hospitals are transferred to private mortuaries or crematoriums by family members, and other human remains such as stillborn babies are disposed off as anatomical waste and the disposal thereof is handled as part of the health risk waste contracts outsourced to various private companies in all 9 (nine) provinces.

(b)(c)(d) Names, locations and capacity of state mortuaries are attached as Annexure A.

 

ANNEXURE A

State Mortuaries Names, locations and capacity are reflected below

EASTERN CAPE PROVINCE
	Facility(b)	Town(c)	Capacity(d)
1	New Brighton	New Brighton	60
2	Mount Road	Mount Road	44
3	Gelvandale	Gelvandale	18
4	Grahamstown	Grahamstown	48
5	Graaff-Reinet	Graaff -Reinet	40
6	Woodbrook	Woodbrook	35
7	Mdantsane	Mdantsane	33
8	Bizana	Bizana	12
9	Butterworth	Butterworth	32
10	Bhisho	Bhisho	12
11	Queenstown	Queenstown	32
12	Adelaide	Adelaide	9
13	Aliwal North	Aliwal North	32
14	Middelburg	Middelburg	9
15	Mthatha	Mthatha	96
16	Mount Fletcher	Mount Fletcher	10
17	Mount Frere	Mount Frere	32
18	Molteno	Molteno	12
19	Lusikisiki	Lusikisiki	32
20	Port Alfred	Port Alfred	9
21	Uitenhage	Uitenhage	12
22	Joubertina	Joubertina	6
FREE STATE PROVINCE
No	Facility(b)	Town(c)	Capacity(d)
1	Bloemfontein	Bloemfontein	248
2	Botshabelo	Botshabelo	9
3	Jagersfontein	Jagersfontein	16
4	Bethlehem	Bethlehem	16
5	Harrismith	Harrismith	9
6	Ficksburg	Ficksburg	9
7	Smithfield	Smithfield	16
8	Phuthaditjhaba	Phuthaditjhaba	21
9	Welkom	Welkom	72
10	Kroonstad	Kroonstad	22
11	Sasolburg	Sasolburg	40
GAUTENG PROVINCE
No	Facility(b)	Town(c)	Capacity(d)
1	Johannesburg	Johannesburg	3000-4500
2	Roodepoort	Roodepoort	1000-2000
3	Germiston	Germiston	3000-4500
4	Carlentonville	Carletonville	250-500
4	Springs	Springs	1000-2000
5	Heidelberg	Heidelburg	250-500
6	Diepkloof	Diepkloof	2000-2500
7	Sebokeng	Sebokeng	2000-2500
8	Pretoria	Pretoria	2000-2500
9	Bronkhorstspruit	Bronkhorspruit	250 – 500
10	Garankuwa	Garankuwa	1000-1500
KWAZULU NATAL PROVINCE
No	Facility(b)	Town(c)	Capacity(d)
1	Phoenix	Phoenix	540
2	Pinetown	Pinetown	124
3	Park Rynie	Park Rynie	177
4	Port Shepstone	Port Shepstone	112
5	Harding	Harding	12
6	KwaDukuza	KwaDukuza	102
7	Pietermaritzburg	Pietermaritzburg	433
8	New Hanover	New Hanover	22
9	Howick	Howick	18
10	Richmond	Richmond	15
11	Ladysmith	Ladysmith	25
12	Estcourt	Estcourt	51
13	Dundee	Dundee	100
14	Greytown	Greytown	53
15	Newcastle	Newcastle	85
16	Madadeni	Madadeni	56
17	Dannhauser	Dannhauser	6
18	Kokstad	Kokstad	48
19	Ixopo	Ixopo	12
20	Umzimkulu	Umzimkulu	9
21	Bulwer	Bulwer	12
22	Nongoma	Nongoma	24
23	Paulpietersburg	Paulpietersburg	06
24	Vryheid	Vryheid	12
25	Pongola	Pongola	12
26	Richards Bay	Richards Bay	136
27	Eshowe	Eshowe	150
28	Richards Bay	Richards Bay	136
29	Mkhuze	Mkhuze	Hospital facility
30	Mosvold	Mosvold	Hospital facility
31	Manguzi	Manguzi	Hospital facility
32	Nkandla	Nkandla	Hospital facility
33	Ulundi	Ulundi	Undertaker holding facility
LIMPOPO PROVINCE
No	Facility(b)	Town(c)	Capacity(d)
1	Polokwane	Polokwane	72
2	Lebokwakgomo	Lebowakgomo	48
3	Bela Bela	Bela Bela	60
4	Elim	Elim	54
5	Maphutha Malatjie, Phalaborwa	Phalaborwa	54
6	Nkhensani, Giyane	Giyani	24
7	Kgapane, Tzaneen	Tzaneen	78
8	Tshilidzini	Thohoyandou	66
9	Letaba, Tzaneen	Tzaneen	54
10	St Ritas	Glen Cowie	54
11	Mokopane	Mokopane	60
12	Groblersdal	Groblersdal	102
MPUMALANGA PROVINCE
	Facility(b)	Town(c)	Capacity(d)
1	Standerton	Standerton	18
2	Balfour	Balfour	15
3	Carolina	Carolina	18
4	Bethal	Bethal	24
5	Witbank	Witbank	36
6	Delmas	Delmas	15
7	Belfast	Belfast	15
8	Mmamethlake	Mmametlhake	36
9	KwaMhlanga	KwaMhlanga	21
10	Middelburg	Middelburg	32
11	Tonga	Tonga	24
12	Themba	Themba	66
13	Mapulaneng	Mapulaneng	12
14	Tintswalo	Acornhoek	18
15	Barberton	Barberton	18
16	Lydenburg	Lydenburg	18
17	Volksrust	Volksrust	18
18	Evander	Evander	30
19	Ermelo	Ermelo	30
20	Embhuleni	Elukwatini	18
21	Piet Retief	Piet Retief	30
NORTHERN CAPE PROVINCE
No	Facility (b)	Town(c)	Capacity(d)
1	Kimberley	Kimberly	30
2	Upington	Upington	36
3	De Aar	De Aar	18
4	Kuruman	Kuruman	36
5	Calvinia	Calvinia	15
6	Springbok	Springbok	13
7	Postmasburg	Postmansburg	12
8	Hartswater	Hartswater	6
9	Douglas	Douglas	6
10	Prieska	Prieska	6
11	Victoria West	Victoria West	6
NORTHWEST PROVINCE
No	Facility(b)	Town(c)	Capacity(d)
1	Phokeng	Rustenburg	80
2	Vryburg	Vryburg	44
3	Klerksdorp	Klerksdorp	50
4	Lichtenburg	Lichtenburg	20
5	Brits	Brits	100
6	Potchefstroom	Potchefstroom	20
7	Mafikeng	Mafikeng	15
WESTERN CAPE PROVINCE
No	Facility(b)	Town©	Capacity(d) Outstanding
1	Salt River	Salt River
2	Tygerberg	Tygerberg
3	Paarl	Paarl
5	Vredendal	Vredendal
6	Malmesbury	Malmesbury
7	Vredenburg	Vredenburg
8	Worcester	Worcester
9	Wolseley	Wolseley
10	Hermanus	Hermanus
11	George	George
12	Laingsburg	Laingsburg
13	Mossel Bay	Mossel Bay
14	Knysna	Knysna
15	Oudtshoorn	Oudtshoorn
16	Beaufort West	Beaufort West
17	Riversdale	Riversdale

END

Reply:

THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, LAND REFORM AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT:

The Department of Cooperative Governance is mandated to address municipal related matters including Local Economic Development.

1. The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) works closely with municipalities in the construction of Agri-Parks including Farmer Production Support Units, Agri Hubs and rural access roads.

1. DALRRD has partnered with the African Development Bank through the Middle-Income Country Technical Assistance Fund (MIC TAF) Grant of $400,000.00 for appointment of a transactional advisor to assist in enhancing and upscaling the Agri-Parks program to a sustainable infrastructure development system (SIDS) methodology. This approach will facilitate public-private sector partnerships (PPPs) and value proposition for sustainable and bankable Agri-Parks supporting Agribusiness in line with the Agriculture and Agro-processing Master Plan. The two pilot projects identified for the partnership are: Tshiame Agri-Park in the Free State Province and Springbokpan Agri-Park in the Northwest Province as gazetted as Strategic Integrated Projects (SIPS) in South Africa.

Reply:

Though it is not a legislative requirement, the Minister may consider to publish a report on the Informal Settlements Upgrading Partnership Grant (ISUPG), if so doing will improve the performance of the sector.

The Informal Settlements Upgrading Partnership Grant (ISUPG) is a schedule 5 grant that is allocated to Provincial Departments of Human Settlements and Metropolitan Municipalities for upgrading of permanent bulk water, sanitation, and electricity infrastructure (including Alternative Building Technology systems) that services informal settlements. During the 2022/23 financial year the National Department of Human Settlements approved business plans where Metropolitan Municipalities were allocated a budget of R1,188,181,137 for permanent water and sanitation infrastructure that includes reticulation. The breakdown of these allocations is as follows:

Metropolitan Municipalities 2022/23 ISUPG:

Name of Metropolitan Municipality	Total Permanent Municipal Engineering Services Budget for 2022/23
	Water Infrastructure	Sanitation Infrastructure
1. Buffalo City Metro	R32,700,000	R25,063,320
2. City of Tshwane	R84,634,701	R111,919,741
3. City of Ekurhuleni	R289,427,684	R0
4. City of Johannesburg	R63,912,000	R96,222,000
5. Mangaung Metro	R78,539,500	R144,896,650
6. Nelson Mandela Bay	R0	R33,743,000
7. City of Cape Town	R51,726,000	R108,088,000
8. eThekwini	R19,230,897	R48,077,644
TOTAL	R620,170,782	R568,010,355

Reply:

THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, LAND REFORM AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT:

No. With reference to the reply to question 706 on 5 April 2023 regarding production targets of vaccines that were out of stock, not all specified targets were met.

1. Reasons where the specified targets were not met are detailed below:

VACCINES IN STOCK	AVAILABILITY Y/N	REASONS FOR NOT MEETING TARGET
African Horse Sickness (AHS)	Yes	The product took longer than expected to pack because it is a 12-dose pack size.
Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD)	Yes	The process of packing AHS vaccines impacted on finalising packaging of the LSD vaccine. Product is now available.
Pulpy Kidney Alum	Yes	Packing commenced in the first week of May 2023 due to delays in packing AHS vaccines.
Brucella S19	No	The delay was due to the long list of key products which were in line to be freeze-dried and this affected its production schedule.
Brucella Rev 1	No	The delay was due to the long list of key products such as AHS and Bluetongue Viral Vaccine (BTV) which were in line to be freeze-dried this caused rescheduling of production plans.
Rift Valley Fever Live	Yes	Packing for this product was delayed due to the long lead time to pack AHS. Product was available for distribution in the week of 19 June 2023.
Botulism	Yes	Quality control test took longer than expected, there was a need to confirm its safety and efficacy. Product was available in the week of 19 June 2023.

1. The revised target dates of the various vaccines are detailed below:

VACCINE	REVISED TARGET DATE FOR RELEASE	REASONS FOR DELAY
Bluetongue	Product was released in late April 2023. Another batch will be released in the first week of July 2023.	Demand was more than supply.
African Horse Sickness	Product is released weekly.	Demand was more than supply.
Lumpy Skin Disease	Expected delivery date end of June 2023.	Currently packing AHS.
Pulpy Kidney Alum	Available.	Awaiting Quality Control (QC) results.
Brucella S19	Product expected delivery date is end of July 2023.	Long list of products awaiting freeze-drying.
Brucella Rev 1	Product expected delivery date is end of July 2023.	Long list of products awaiting freeze-drying.
Rift Valley Fever Live	Available	No delay; currently packed.
Botulism	Product was available in the week of 19 June 2023.	There was a delay in QC results.

Reply:

 

(1) (a) What are the reasons that the position of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of South African Tourism (SAT) has not yet been filled.

 

The previous process to appoint a CEO did not yield a result as the recommendation of the Board at the time did not receive the Minister’s concurrence as required in terms of the Tourism Act, 2014.

The current Board has prioritised the filling of this vacancy, amongst other critical ones.

(b) On what date will the process for the specified appointment (i) start and (ii) be concluded

1. The process will start in June 2023.
2. Considering the entity’s experience with previous CEO recruitment processes, it can be anticipated that the process will take up to 6 months and should therefore be concluded by December 2023.

(2) (a) On what date was the acting CEO of SAT appointed in that capacity.

The Acting CEO was appointed on the 6th May 2023

(b) What are the terms and conditions relating to the

1. Specified position

The Acting CEO was appointed in line with the Acting Policy and with specific Delegation of Authority as indicated by the Board.

1. Position he/she currently holds

She currently holds the position of Chief Operations Officer

(c) What remuneration, perks and/or other forms of incentives are granted to the acting CEO whilst serving in the acting position.

The Acting allowance is allocated to the incumbent in line with the SAT Acting policy 2021. An allowance of 20% is added to monthly remuneration. The allowance is calculated at twenty percent (20%) of notch one (1) of the total cost to company of the position the acting employee will be appointed into.

Reply:

According to the information received from Eskom:

The National Nuclear Regulator published its detailed requirements for the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station (KNPS) long term operation. Eskom is working diligently to meet these stringent conditions. Eskom has submitted the required licence application to the National Nuclear Regulator, which is now in the process of assessment.

The DPE has established regular feedback sessions with the KNPS team to engage and monitor progress of the associated life extension project activities on a monthly basis.

Eskom has made significant progress in the replacement of the three life-limiting components (i.e., refuelling water storage tanks, reactor pressure vessel head and steam generators) which have been identified by the National Nuclear Regulator as crucial to the life extension programme. The refuelling water storage tanks and the reactor pressure vessel heads have already been replaced in both units. Eskom is currently in an outage to replace the three steam generators on Unit 1.

Thereafter the replacement of the remaining three steam generators on Unit 2 will commence in the latter part of this year.

Remarks: Approved / Not Approved

Jacky Molisane PJ Gordhan, MP

Acting Director-General Minister of Public Enterprises

Date: Date:

Reply:

It is important to point out that the Department is obliged to conduct its procurement process in compliance with all legislative and regulatory prescripts of the laws of South Africa.

With regard to 1 (a)(b) The grid constraints that affected BW6 procurement were in specific areas and there is no linkage with Karpowerships.

With regard to 2 (a) Please see response 1 above(b),for all the remaining Preferred Bidders under the Risk Mitigation IPP Procurement bid window, the Department intends to conclude all procurement decisions before the end of this financial year.

With regard to 3 (a) and (b) The Department is not responsible for the allocation of grid, this is the mandate of Eskom as the custodian of the national grid.

With regard to 4, The lists of procured projects and the list of preferred bidders for each of the bid windows are available on the IPP Projects website at www.ipp-projects.co.za  The Department can provide the list if so required.

Reply:

Find here: Reply

Reply:

1. What were the total expenses incurred per line item for each party in each case?

I have been informed that the table below outlines the expenditure for flights, accommodation and other expenses:

Line Item	SA Tourism Board	SA Tourism Officials
Flights	R 303 334.94	R 330 070.35
Accommodation	R 154 673.55	R 174 939.25
Visa	R 27 421.30	R 90 517.46
Insurance	R 1 080.00	R 1 125.00
Transfers	R 6 785.00	-
Subsistence & Travel Allowance	R 29 980.18	R 30 866.60
Totals	R 523 274.97	R 627 518.66
Grand Total	R1 150 793.63

1. (i) and (ii) With reference to responses to Questions 2120 as tabled on 16 June, I have been informed by SA Tourism that there was no fruitless expenditure identified in relation to the proposed Tottenham Hotspur deal. As a result, there was no reimbursement requested.

The former Minister of Tourism approved the travel for the Board Chairperson. The Board Chairperson approved the travel for the Board members and the Acting Chief Executive Officer. This is in line with the travel approval process that was in place at the time. Thus, there was no fruitless expenditure in this regard.

The matter is, however, before Internal Audit for investigation.

(c)- (e) Not Applicable

Reply:

1. (i) De Beers ceded their Mining Right to Cullinan Diamond Mine (Pty) Ltd in June 2008. The annual financial assessment review for 2023 was submitted on 30 March 2023. The current environmental assessment was calculated at R252 231 057.00. The financial provision that is held by the Department in a form a guarantee amounts to R347 879 259.00.

(ii) De Beers last Social and Labour Plan before ceding was for the period 2006 to 2010. The said Social and Labour Plan was fully implemented.

1. The financial provision is fully funded and has a surplus of R96 648 202.22

Reply:

(1) What total number of

(a) Directors-General (DGs) - One

(b) Deputy Directors-General (DDGs)- Four

(c) Chief Executive Officer(s) (CEOs) - None

(d) Acting CEOs are in each section and/or entity of her department - One

(2) Whether there are any performance management criteria that they adhere to; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details.

I have been informed by the Department that all officials sign a performance agreement.

 

Position	Agreement is signed with
Director-General	Minister
DDGs	Director-General
CEO	SAT Board
Acting CEO	SAT Board

(3) What consequence management criteria are in place for such DGs, DDGs, CEOs and acting CEOs.

DG and DDGs career incidents are managed in accordance with the Public Service Act and its Regulations. The CEOs or ACEO’s career incidents are managed accordance with the Labor Relations Act.

(4) (a) What Total number of senior management vacancies are in her department

There are eight senior management vacancies in the department.

(b) What are the relevant details of the salaries attached to each

Department of Tourism

Rank	Number of posts	Cost per post per annum
Chief Director	4	R 1 371 558
Director	4	R 1 162 200

South Africa Tourism

Vacancy	Remuneration
Chief Executive Officer	R 2.5 m
Chief Financial Officer	R 2.1 m
Chief Strategy Officer	R 2.1 m
Chief Conventions Bureau Officer	R 2.1 m
Chief Marketing Officer	R 2.1 m

Reply:

The 30% equity to be held by historically disadvantaged groups as enunciated in the regulations is derived from section 9(2)(b) of the Electronic Communications Act (Act No. 36 of 2005) as amended. On this basis, the regulations giving effect to the provisions of the Act, cannot be amended until the ECA is amended.

Any interested party, including Starlink can engage the Regulator to seek advise on operations in South Africa.

|As a Department, we welcome partners and investors to develop and invest in the sector and economy; and appeal that they comply with regulations for the sector.

Thank You.

Reply:

The Honourable Member is advised that this Question is a repeat of the Honourable Member’s Question 2046 on the same matter, which we have already responded to. The Honourable Member is referred to that response accordingly.

END.

Reply:

(a) Wage negotiations and agreements take place within the Institutional Bargaining Forum, and the Minister may not intervene in wage negotiations. The University under the leadership of the Council must resolve the current deadlock using the various mechanisms available to them, including dispute resolution.

Section 34 (1) and (3) of the Higher Education Act 101 of 1997 (ACT), as amended which state the following:

(1) The council of a public higher education institution must appoint the employees of the public higher education institution.

(3) The council must determine the conditions of service, disciplinary provisions, privileges and functions of the employees of the public higher education institution, subject to the applicable labour law

(b) The ACT does not permit Minister to concede to the demands of staff at universities.

Reply:

1. On what date will she start the process to properly constitute the South African Tourism (SAT) board.

The process to properly constitute the SA Tourism Board has already commenced in April 2023.

The previous SA Tourism Board was dissolved by way of Notice in the Government Gazette No 48461. A call for nominations was published by way of Notice in the Government Gazette No 48759, dated 7 June 2023. The advert was then placed in two national newspapers, City Press and Sunday Times. The final closing date for nominations as per the Gazette is 06 July 2023.

(b) How does the present SAT Board make any (i) Resolutions and (ii) Decisions

The Board makes decisions as per their fiduciary duties in terms of the Tourism Act.

(c) What resolutions and decisions have been executed by the current board:

See Annexure A , below.

(d) What are the implications of the resolutions and decisions for

1. SAT

See Annexure A, below.

1. Department

None, the Board/Accounting Authority has fiduciary duties which cannot be transferred to

the Department.

(e) What processes and/or procedures will be followed pertaining to resolutions and decisions made by the illegal SAT Board

None, the Board is not illegal. Persons responsible for the affairs of the Board were appointed in accordance with the Tourism Act of 2014.

ANNEXURE A

	RESOLUTION	IMPLICATIONS
	26 April 2023 - Confirmation of Delegation of Authority (DOA) The Board agreed to require from management that all decisions taken since the gazette of the appointment of the new board of South African Tourism (SAT) on 21st April 2023, in terms of the Accounting Authority Delegation to the Accounting Officer or his delegate, be confirmed in writing by the Accounting Authority.	This enabled Board to review powers exercised in terms of the existing DOA since the Interim Board’s appointment and address any concerns.
	05 May 2023 – Retraction of the DOA in existence. The Board resolved to retract the DOA in existence. The Interim Board would approve the Annual Procurement Plan and the Delegation of Authority give effect thereto, at a meeting of the Board to be held in due course.	The temporary withdrawal retained all accounting authority powers with the Board. Required Board to expeditiously conduct the relevant review in order to enable efficiency while ensuring that relevant authorities have line of sight when appropriate powers are exercised.
	05 May 2023 – Reporting lines The Board resolved that the reporting lines should revert to those approved by Board previously under Advocate Mgumbi, and are on file with the Ministry.	This reversed implementation of unapproved changes to the structure.
	05 May 2023 – Internal Audit Plan The Board resolved to approve the following audit activities for initiation in Q1: Audit recommendations Coverage plan Probity audits Investigations Performance information Execution of Meetings Africa The Board will require further details and risk assessment prior to approving the IA plan for the rest of the year.	This enables implementation of audit activities while providing Board with an opportunity to review alignment of audit plan with organisational risks.
	06 May 2023 – Acting Chief Executive Officer resignation Board resolved to accept the resignation of the ACEO with immediate effect The Interim Board resolved that the Chairperson must inform the Minister of the resignation and the Interim Board’s decision, in line with the requirements of the Tourism Act, 2014	This required urgent change management procedures to ensure business continuity.
	10 May 2023 - Revisions to Delegation of Authority (DOA) Board adopted amendments to the DOA Matrix dated 29 April 2021 to be effected in an updated Matrix. The amendments come into effect immediately.	This provided a revised DOA that enabled efficiency while ensuring that relevant authorities have line of sight when appropriate powers are exercised.
	09 May 2023 - Annual Procurement Plan Board resolved to approve the Annual Procurement Plan subject to the following changes: The procurement projects listed in the category “Business Events” must also be subjected to a competitive bidding process where applicable.	This decision provided a framework of priority procurement projects to enable delivery of approved plans.
	09 May 2023 – Board Committees Resolved to designate the following members for Committee responsibilities as follows: Ms Zama will chair Audit and Risk Committee (ARCO) and Human Capital and Remuneration Committee (HCREMCO) Mr Mntambo will chair Marketing and Commercial Committee (MARCOM) and Awards Committee.	This provides the institutional mechanism for managing the board functions.
	09 May 2023 - Launch of global brand campaign Board resolved that the launch of the Global Brand Campaign be postponed. The Board directed Management to ensure stakeholder consultation as well as briefing to the Board is attended to urgently in order to proceed with approval processes for the launch in due course.	This enabled management to process appropriate consultation and initiate approval for the campaign.
	12 May 2023 – Additional capacity for ARCO Board resolved to approve the recommendation of the ARCO Chair to appoint the specified persons as additional members of ARCO	This provides the additional capacity for managing the ARCO functions with the reduced capacity Interim Board.
	27 May 2023 – Quarter 4 report for 2022/23 Board resolved to ratify the report submitted by management to the Minister through the Department in terms of applicable prescripts. Directed Management provide to specified information.	Regularised the report submitted to the Minister for it to have Accounting Authority approval, where management had submitted without its approval due to in the absence of a Board at that stage.
	31 May 2023 – Annual Financial Statements (AFS) and Annual Performance Report (APR) The Board resolved as follows: Approved the 2022/2023 Annual Performance; Approved the 2022/2023 Annual Financial Statements with the correction of specified amendments as communicated by ARCO. Noted that management must specifically confirm the resolution of the identified issues and amendments prior to their submission to the Auditor General. Agreed that Management must outline to ARCO the reasons for identified areas of non-compliance. Expressed concerns regarding the potential risks associated with late submission of the Annual Financial Statements.	The entity is able to submit to the Minister and the Auditor-General of South Africa accounting information for oversight and assurance processes with Accounting Authority approval.
	31 May 2023 - Hub Heads The Board, in line with the Delegation of Authority, approved that the contract extension for a specified position be submitted to Minister for concurrence.	The entity is able to avert capacity constraints in international markets while the recruitment moratorium is in place.
	31 May 2023 – Microsoft Licences The Board resolved to ratify the management decision in order to allow business continuity. The Board reserved the right of consequence management in the event of any exceptions being noted in relation to the above-mentioned matters not having been reviewed at ARCO as required by the revised Delegation of Authority.	Renewal of Microsoft licences enable business continuity for the entity. Audit and Risk Committee concerns specified information not being provided for its consideration require monitoring in case exceptions arise as a result.
	BMW International Open and BMW Golf Cup World Finals The Board approved the recommendations that: SATourism proceeds with the German event. SATourism to use local companies in Germany for activation at the BMW International Open. Invitations to the private sector be issued indicating that SATourism will not cover their costs, but will provide corporate hospitality and a ticket to the BMW International Open. Re-confirmed the decision of the Interim Board members not to travel for the BMW International Open SATourism delegation should be kept at a minimum. Travel approval to be processed through normal existing procedures.	The entity is able to meet its contractual obligations while managing associated risks.
	02 June 2023 - Recruitment Board resolved to initiate the process for recruitment for prioritised posts.	This will close the leadership vacancies at the entity and improve capacity to deliver approved plans.
	02 June 2023 – Whistleblowing reports. Board resolved to source additional investigative capacity to deal with reported cases.	This will expedite finalisation of investigation of whistleblowing reports, some long outstanding, in order to determine if any action is required.
	07 June 2023 – Brand Ambassador Collaboration The Board Committee resolved to approve the consummation of a partnership/collaboration with a brand ambassador with Board support. Directed that Management must take a long view and develop a solid road map of how to leverage the opportunity.	Leverages his brand as part of a global brand campaign to build a positive destination affinity.
	08 June 2023 – Clarification on DOA Having received Management’s letter to Board Chair seeking clarity on specified DOA clauses, Board provided response to identified areas of clarity and directed that Management communicates the DOA resolutions to all staff by 09 June 2023.	Provides clarity in response to management’s request to enable implementation of the DOA as an internal control tool.

Reply:

THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, LAND REFORM AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT:

(1) The Land Bank is under the administration of National Treasury and any recapitalization of the Land Bank is the responsibility of National Treasury. The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) had no plans to provide R3,9 billion to the Land Bank in the 2019-22 financial years.

(a),(b),(i)-(iii) Falls away . However, it should be noted that in 2020, the Land Bank experienced liquidity challenges and DALRRD has remained supportive of the Bank’s efforts to resume lending activities whilst the process to finalise the debt restructure solution with the Bank’s lenders is still in process. Among the programmes that the DALRRD is implementing is the Blended Finance Scheme, which is a collaboration between the DALRRD and financing institutions where DALRRD contributes the grant and the financing institution approves the loan.

(2) The DALRRD has signed a ten-year agreement with Land Bank and for the period 2022/23 – 2024/25, DALRRD and the Land Bank have collectively committed R1,95 billion of blended funds to support smallholder, medium and larger commercial black producers. The blended finance scheme was launched in October 2022 and statistics below are from inception to date and for the 2023/2024 financial year.

Inception to date

November 2022 to date
Total Client Approvals	Total Approvals (Loan + Grant)	Total Disbursements (Loan + Grant)	Total Loan Commitments	Total Grant (Blending + Insurance)
47	R352 113 806	R31 648 890	R165 279 924	R186 833 882

2024 Financial Year

April 2023 to date
Total Client Approvals	Total Approvals (Loan + Grant)	Total Disbursements	Total Loan Commitments	Total Grant (Blending + Insurance)
17	R96 686 340	R24 751 528	R43 571 030	R53 115 310

(3)(a),(b) The performance measures in place include the following:

• 50% Female, 40% youth and 6% people with disabilities supported i.e. owners of enterprises supported;
• jobs created;
• hectares supported or capacity of production supported; and
• reach per province.

(4) (a) The programme is demand driven and the caps are already set per category of farmer; the following estimations are made:

• If all beneficiaries are smallholder producers with a grant cap of R15 million per transaction, the Land Bank can support a minimum of 22 transactions per annum. However, because the programme is demand driven, at the end of 2022/23, the Land Bank recorded a total of 30 producers supported.
• If all beneficiaries supported are medium scale producers with a grant cap of R30 million per transaction, the Land Bank can support a minimum of 11 transactions per annum. However, because the programme is demand driven, at the end of 2022/23 Land Bank recorded a total of 30 producers supported.
• If all beneficiaries supported are large scale commercial farmers, with a grant cap of R40 million or R50 million, depending if the support is an acquisition or production expansion, the Land Bank can support a total of 9 transactions. However, because the programme is demand driven, at the end of 2022/23, the Land Bank recorded a total of 30 producers supported.

 

(b) The Minister of DALRRD has a performance agreement with the President. Progress on performance is submitted periodically not only on the Blended Finance Scheme but other programmes as well. No date is set to brief the President.

Reply:

1. (a) and (b) The projects could not be awarded the preferred bidder status, the basis being Eskom the grid owner and operator confirmed to the department that grid capacity was exhausted in areas where the said projects locations were proposed. The grid that was available could only accommodate 1000MW of projects in their respective proposed locations.

1. (a) and (b), Eskom the grid owner and operator is the custodian of such information ( Eskom GCCA ) and it’s available to the public. (2) (c), Eskom as the custodian of the national grid, is best placed to address the actions that are being taken to resolve grid capacity constraints for future projects.

1. The REIPPPP Bid Window 6 has closed and cannot be re-opened, as this is not provided for in the Request for Proposals (RFP) and public procurement prescripts.

Reply:

a) The commitment aims to enable 1.7 million households to access internet services by expanding infrastructure, which will be utilized by partnering Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to provide metered internet services.

• The deployment of infrastructure to provide access has not yet commenced. In May 2023, the Treasury confirmed accessibility to the allocated funds, and the process to finalize the disbursement of funds has begun.

• Currently, the appointment of professional service providers for detailed network designs is underway. These designs will facilitate households in accessing broadband services through public Wi-Fi.

• Negotiations with third-party site owners who possess locations where BBI intends to share the infrastructure are currently underway. Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) are still being negotiated, and drafts are circulating with continuous engagement with servitude owners to familiarize them with the project.

• Appointment of equipment suppliers, installers (SMMEs) to facilitate infrastructure roll-out is underway, in addition, engagements are underway with ISPs/ WISPs/ MVNOs to gather requirements.

• The development of the commercial model for partnerships with ISPs is underway.

a) Total number of households connected with broadband connectivity to date?

There are no households that have been provided access to internet access to date.

Thank You.

Reply:

(a) According to the report from the North West Provincial Department of Health, there are 5 staff members who were involved in the incident where newborn babies were placed in cardboard boxes.

(b) The consequence management process is under way and the steps to be taken will be determined after the completion of the investigation.

END.

Reply:

• 1. Provinces are managing operations between all taxi services in the different provinces and that involves the relations between the taxi drivers and Uber drivers. Where there are violent tensions between the taxi service operators, the provinces intervene and involve the law enforcement authorities as those would be criminal matters.

• 1. It is prudent to mentioned that my predecessors have had a number of engagements with the taxi industry stakeholders to quell the violence and conflict that exist in this industry. That is, the Department had several meetings with taxi operators, e-hailing drivers and App companies (i.e. Uber and Bolt) as follows:
     1. The Department (the then Minister of Transport, Mr Maswanganyi) met the Minister of Police (Mr Fikile Mbalula) to discuss the taxi violence and thereafter convened a meeting with e-hailing drivers, App companies and metered taxi operators on 28 July 2017, Centurion;
     2. Then, the Department met with operators and provincial Department of Transport in Sandton, Gautrain Station, to deal with the violence that occured there;
     3. Former Ministers (Mr Blade Nzimande and Mr Fikile Mbalula) engaged affected stakeholders including cities and SANTACO. Then, the National Task Team (NTT) comprising of SANTACO, Metered Taxis, App companies and e-hailing drivers was established. The NTT had several meetings to deal with the matter at hand; and
     4. The Minister issued a media statement to denounce acts of taxi violence which transpired in the vicinity of the Maponya Mall, Soweto on Friday, 02 June 2023. In no distant future, the Department will, once more, engage the affected stakeholders to serious implore all stakeholders to desist from doing the violent act and co-exist for the beneficial of passengers.

3.2 The National Land Transport (NLT) Amendment Bill has been passed by the National Assembly and it is undergoing the National Council of Provinces processes. Once signed into law by the President, the Department will introduce the regulations to regulate the e-hailing services to bring into effect the level playing field. This process has been started and it is undertaken in parallel to the process of the NLT Amendment Bill.

3.3 A declaration was signed during the National Taxi Lekgotla, where the taxi industry and all other stakeholders rejected violence and pledged to work with government to ensure that peace and stability prevails within the taxi industry sector.

Reply:

Find reply here

Reply:

(1)(a)(b) The Protection of Personal Information Act No. 4 of 2013 (POPI Act), specifically Section 11, prohibits the dissemination (disclosure) of personal information about data subjects (entities or individuals) without their consent.

(2) Services rendered to government and entities transacting with Postbank include:

• Disbursement of net stipends/wages to Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) participants.

• Disbursement of social grants to beneficiaries of social subsidies through the Special Disbursement Account.

• Collection of municipal rates and taxes

• Banking (opening accounts) the unbanked EPWP participants to enable disbursement through a bank account.

• PQ2181 Ms T Bodlani (DA) to ask Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies

(3) There is no government department and/or entity that has pledged to do business with Postbank. However, it is in Postbank’s strategy to expand its services to other Government departments and entities.

Thank You.

Reply:

The Department of Higher Education and Training always engages with university management teams, Student representative Councils (SRC), South African Union of Students (SAUS) and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) to resolve genuine student concerns raised with me and the Department. Some of these discussions’ pre-date the registration period as challenges is experienced during registration period. The Minister holds meetings with Vice-Chancellor (through USAf), Students (SRCs through SAUS) and NSFAS to ensure that universities are ready to commence the following academic year and any challenge foreseen is resolved.

The issues that become the subject of university protest are both sectorial and institutional. Where a national intervention is required, the Department attends to the matters. It should be noted that some of the issues raised at a national level require medium- and long-term planning. These are being addressed in some way or another, but many may take time to address especially those that have significant financial implications, such as student accommodation shortages, funding for postgraduates and missing middle students. All management teams of all universities engage regularly with their Student Representative Councils (SRCs) on matters that are specific to the institutions.

The Department has been engaging and providing guidance and support to all universities that experienced protests including the Cape Peninsula University of Technology and the University of the Western Cape. It also continues to work with law enforcement agencies to ensure that when protests become violent there are no lives lost and university property is protected.

Reply:

(a) The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies has collaborated with the Department of Basic Education to introduce technological ways of promoting teaching and learning in schools. By issuing policy direction to the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) during the Covid-19 pandemic to release temporary spectrum license to telecommunications operators, an obligation was put in place to provide broadband connectivity for 17 months from the date of implementation during the 2021/2022 financial year. A virtual classroom solution was developed at 17 (seventeen) schools where laptops were given to all Grade 12 learners as well as teachers at these schools. The virtual classroom solution had the following items:-

• Wireless microphone;
• Video Camera;
• Smart Board;
• LED Monitor/Display with Webcam;
• 24” Monitor;
• Collaborative Learning Management Software;
• Learning Management Software;
• Video Platform; and,
• Tracking software on learners and teachers’ devices.

Out of these seventeen (17) schools, 5 were in the Eastern Cape, 2 in the North West, 3 in the Northern Cape, 2 in Limpopo, 1 in Kwa-Zulu Natal, 2 in the Free State, and 2 in Mpumalanga.

(b)

1. The seventeen (17) schools which received the virtual classroom solution were either in townships or in rural areas of South Africa.

2. In the 2021/22 financial year, Broadband Infraco (BBI) provided connectivity, including Wi-Fi and Telematics (IT related) training, at Mhlanganisweni Technical High School in the Port St Johns Municipality in the Eastern Cape. The Telematics facility done in partnership with the University of Stellenbosch.

3. As part of the SA Connect Phase 1 programme, the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies provided broadband connectivity (including Wi-Fi) to 596 public schools in South Africa. Also, under the Universal Service and Access Obligation for 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz, 4770 public mainstream schools and 140 special needs schools in South Africa were provided with broadband connectivity by mobile network operators.

4. Services are scheduled to be rolled out to 18 520 public schools nationally, under the SA Connect Phase 2. License Spectrum Service Obligations Stream will be done by the various Telcos, namely Telkom, Vodacom, MTN, Cell C, Liquid Intelligent Technologies, and Rain Networks. ICASA is finalising the terms and conditions of these obligations with the relevant stakeholders to ensure that these obligations are implemented.

Thank You.

Reply:

1. Table 1 below indicates the current status of overcapacity in state mortuaries, as provided by provinces.

 

Table 1:

Province	Total number of State Mortuaries with over capacity
KwaZulu Natal	None
Limpopo	3
Mpumalanga	None
Northern Cape	1
Northwest	None

 

1. Even though all facilities in provinces have a back-up generator capacity, there are however, there increased expenditure costs due to diesel and maintenance of generators and this has an impact somewhat.

1. Table 2 below indicates the current status of unclaimed bodies at state mortuaries as provided by provinces.

Table 2

Province	Total number of unclaimed bodies
KwaZulu Natal	1362
Limpopo	136
Mpumalanga	54
Northern Cape	51
Northwest	174

1. No. There is continuous are discussions between Forensic pathology service, local municipalities, South African Police service with regards to unclaimed bodies.

Responses are still awaited from the Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng and Western Cape Provinces. The updated information will be submitted as soon as it is received from these Provinces.

END.

Reply:

(a)(i) The Department conducts monitoring and enforcement inspections on implementation of community development projects by mines as per the annual performance plan. 237 Social and Labour Plan inspections were conducted in the previous financial year (2022/2023) and directives were issued for various reasons of non-compliance.

(ii) Yes, but if the company continues not to implement SLP, the right can be suspended or cancelled and if they apply for renewal of the mining right, the application can be refused.

(b) See (a)(i) above

Reply:

1. The question on the operational issues related to the running of Crematoria in the Country should be directed to the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, which is the relevant department responsible for the crematoria regulation and monitoring.

1. This question should also be referred to the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.

1. The above-mentioned department would be in a better position to make a pronouncement on how the matters as questioned will be addressed.

1. The above-mentioned department would be in a better position to make a statement in this regard.

END.

Reply:

I have been informed that the Department of Tourism has established an Inter-Departmental Tourism Statistics Technical and a Steering Committee to ensure continuous collaboration in improving key national tourism statistics.

The committees consist of members from the Department of Tourism, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), Department of Home Affairs (DHA), South African Tourism (SAT) and the tourism private sector is represented by the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA).

Other stakeholders are invited when there is a need.

Senior officials are members of the Inter-Departmental Tourism Statistics Technical Committee and Directors-General and CEOs are members of the Steering Committee, chaired by the Director-General of the Department of Tourism.

The Department works closely with Stats SA and DHA to ensure the availability and reporting of tourist arrivals data.

Stats SA uses migration data collected by DHA to produce amongst others, tourist arrivals data which is released monthly through the Tourism and Migration Report.

The Department also receives tourist arrivals data from Stats SA on a monthly basis.

The Department further works with Stats SA on tourist-related statistics, including the Domestic Tourism Household Survey, the Tourism Satellite Account and the Accommodation Survey.

 

Reply:

I view the allegations placed before me in a very serious light, though I cannot confirm nor deny the same as I do not have any evidence or specific information at my disposal. Accordingly, I hereby appeal to the Hounorable Member to furnish me with more details/ information which my Department will use to investigate the allegations.