Questions and Replies

Reply:

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) produced a report on the investigation into the South African Post Office (SAPO) pursuant to proclamation R5 of 2014 amended by proclamation R56 of 2014. A copy of the SIU report was sent to former Acting CEO: SAPO, Adv Ivumile Nongogo and former Minister of Communications, Ms Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams.

The Honourable Member may seek a copy of the report through the standard procedure outlined in the Promotion of Access to Information Act.

Reply:

A three-member independent panel was appointed on 25 May 2023 to enquire into the circumstances of the docking of the Russian vessel known as Lady R in Simonstown, Western Cape, in December 2022.

The panel consists of Judge PMD Mojapelo as Chairperson, Adv Leah Gcabashe SC and Mr Enver Surty.

The panel has been tasked to:

• establish the circumstances that led to the docking of the ship and the alleged loading of cargo, and the departure of the Lady R cargo ship from Simonstown, during the period from 6 to 9 December 2022;

• establish persons who were aware of the cargo ship’s arrival, and, if any, the contents to be off-loaded or loaded, the departure and destination of the cargo;

• evaluate whether constitutional, legal or other obligations were complied with in relation to the cargo ship’s arrival, its stay, the loading or off-loading of its contents, and its departure.

The panel’s report will include recommendations on any steps that may need to be taken in light of their findings or as a result of any breaches that may have occurred.

Reply:

1. Yes, the Minister is implementing the remedial actions from the Public Protector’s report guided by prescripts of the law. As such, the DPSA are dealing with the issue of Occupational Specific Dispensation (OSD) through a process lead. DPSA has commissioned Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC) to conduct a Personnel Expenditure Review (PER), that includes the review of OSDs in the public sector.

2. Yes, the National Department of Health has commenced discussions with relevant stakeholders to facilitate negotiations to address the Occupation Specific Dispensation (OSD) for Clinical Associates. The Department has held meeting(s) with the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) to table issues pertaining to the conditions of service for the Clinical Associates as raised in the Public Protector’s report.

3. Fiscal constraints continue to be a limitation on the issue of creation of additional posts for all categories, including Clinical Associates posts within the public health system. Currently, Provinces are unable to fill existing vacant posts or create new ones, despite service delivery needs/demands. Instead, they are required to prioritize posts across all levels of care within the available budget.

END.

Reply:

(1)       In addition to sexuality education offered through Life Skills and Life Orientation, the department offers care and support programmes to mitigate barriers to teaching and learning and ensure that learners are retained in school to complete basic education. These includes amongst other but not limited to Integrated School Health Programme (ISHP), National School Safety Programme , National School Nutrition  Programme, Peer Education programmes, School Sport, Arts, and Culture programmes.

(2)  The department continues to collaborate with sister departments including Sports Arts and Culture,   Health, Social Development, South African Police Services to mention a few. The collaboration with Soul City and loveLife continues through the Adolescents and Young People (AYP) programme.     

                                                              

Reply:

1. According to the North West University (NWU), the B. Nursing curriculum outlay, the number of work-integrated learning hours as per accreditation document submitted and approved by the South African Nursing Council (SANC). The total required clinical hours over the 4 years, are 3000 hours. This is in line with South African Nursing Council’s Nursing-Education-and-Training-Standards, page 12, Bachelor degree (Regulation R174). The 3000 hours include laboratory hours for Anatomy, Physiology, as well as simulation laboratory hours for all the nursing modules and does not refer to clinical placements in accredited facilities only.

With regards to the NEHAWU strike earlier this year, the NWU nursing students were placed in facilities where there was no strike activities and their clinical hours were therefore not affected.

2. Students are allowed ample opportunities and are supported to catch up on any missed hours before they exit in December (not May) and graduate in March of 2024, according to the yearbook outcomes and academic calendar of the university.

END.

Reply:

a) According to the North West Provincial Health, they are not aware of the Public Protector’s Report and the anonymous reference number referred to in the question. They would like to request the Honourable Ms MD Hlengwa to provide them with this information in order to provide a proper respond.

b) Fruitless and Wasteful expenditure are disclosed in the Annual Report and presented to Parliament, however the North West Department of Health indicates that it is not aware of the reference (00254121_d ANONYMOUS (5) reflecting on the question.

The North West Provincial Department of Health further indicates that they are also not aware of the Public Protector’s Report on the appointment of private legal practitioners by the Northwest Department of Health in dealing with disciplinary proceedings.

END.

Reply:

In 2014, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) promulgated the Policy on Screening, Identification, Assessment and Support (SIAS). The purpose of the Policy on SIAS is to provide a policy framework for the standardisation of the procedures to identify, assess and provide programmes for all learners, including autistic learners as they require additional support to enhance their participation and inclusion in school. To date, 178 757 Teachers, 10 786 Officials and 8 727 ECD Practitioners have been trained on the implementation of the Policy on SIAS. The DBE continues to monitor the implementation of the policy to ensure its effective implementation. 

Reply:

(a) In the quest to respond to the report emanating from the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) three-day visit to the Free State in 2022, the FS Provincial Department of Health has informed that to date, a total of 862 critical health professionals posts (i.e. 774 medical doctors, 74 Specialists, 664 Nurses and 4 Paramedics) were filled.

These posts were filled despite general budget cuts that negatively affects the Compensation of Employment (CoE).

The Province has further introduced stringent control measures to manage the filling of positions which are:

(i) Prioritization of the posts in the Annual Recruitment Plan – where funding permits;

(ii) Prioritization of the posts for conditional grant funding;

(iii) Continuous engagement with Provincial Treasury for approval of filling of posts;

(iv) Filling of replacement posts considered and approved by-weekly; and

(v) Advertisements published National wide through print media.

(b) The Free State Provincial Department of Health is unable to state a specific date of when the specified challenges will be eradicated. However, it can confirm that incremental action plans (i.e. per facility) are being implemented. They are at various stages of implementation and are monitored closely by the Provincial Head Office.

END.

Reply:

(a) (i) The Free State Provincial Department of Health has informed the Minister that it is engaging in a number of interventions to solve the shortage of specialists to address the orthopaedic surgery backlog. This amongst others includes:

• Creating of more nursing posts and headhunting of more Specialists with relevant experience is underway and it is envisaged that more staff will be recruited in the next few months;
• Requested the National Department of Health to recruited Orthopaedic Specialists through the Nelson Mandela Fidel Castro Government to Government Agreement;
• Improvement of appointment practices to minimise delays that could deter applicants (Reduced from 6 weeks to 2 weeks);
• Filling of critical posts to enable increased theatre time;
• Increased Theatre Capacity – from 3 to 5 elective Orthopaedic list;
• Outreach to neighbouring Hospitals both Orthopaedic Wards and Theatre immediately; and
• Increase pool of Specialists in the Province in conjunction with the Academic Hospital.

(ii) In solving the crisis of operating theatre times that also influences the orthopaedic surgeries backlog, the Province is/has-

• Rationalised the budget and prioritize relevant surgical equipment and services;
• Strengthen the Outreach Programme at Level 1 Hospital by increasing rate outreach to lower levels of care;
• Encourages the improvement on theatre time and usage;
• Increased the usage of back-up generators during load shedding or unscheduled power cuts;
• Surgical marathons or blitzes;
• Improved monitoring of the backlogs through an electronic system;
• Better management of Theatre time through improving efficiencies;
• Developed and implemented a Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) on optimum Theatre Utilization;
• Strengthened Theatre User Committee with attendance by Head Specialists and Matrons; and
• The budget for orthopaedic implants to continue these services and increase arthroplasties (Total Hip & Knee Replacements) has been increased in the current financial year.

(b) The above-mentioned interventions are being implemented simultaneously to address the orthopaedic surgery backlog, even though a specific date of realizing the ultimate goal cannot be stated, the monitoring of the backlogs through the electronic system will be able to inform of progress being made.

END.

Reply:

The response is based on an assumption that the term pre-trial psychiatric assessments refers to an enquiry into a mental condition of an accused in terms of Section 77, 78 and 79 of the Criminal Procedure Act, 1977 (Act No 51 of 1977) as amended.

(a) The Department is not aware of any negotiations regarding private hospitals admitting detainees needing pre-trial psychiatric assessment.

(b) Currently, private hospitals do not offer services for detainees needing pre-trial psychiatric assessment.

(c) Provincial Departments of Health contract psychiatrists and psychologists from the private sector to assist with pre-trial assessments in public sector facilities.

Enquiries into a mental condition of an accused in terms of the Criminal Procedure Act is a service that the Department of Health renders at the request by courts to assist the Criminal Justice System in evidence gathering and prosecution of accused as required by the Criminal Procedures Act, 1977. It is therefore not a health service, but a function of criminal justice. Furthermore, the budget for this function is with the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development who also remunerate the Department of Health as well as the professionals that are appointed by the courts to conduct the enquiries.

END.

Reply:

a) We can confirm that there are no delays for social grants payments for the month of April 2023. All SASSA grants recipients using the SASSA/Postbank gold cards that were due to be paid in April via the National Payment System (ATMs, retailers and over the counter in Post Office branches) have been paid. The payments being concluded currently are those affecting people that collect their grants in Cash Pay Point in areas that are not covered by the NPS, and there are no notable delays in those payments. The current queues visible within Post Office branches are not payment queues, but queues of beneficiaries whose SASSA card will expire end April 2023, and they are responding to the call to come forward to collect new cards. The process of collecting the new SASSA cards has been communicated extensively to beneficiaries since the beginning of this card replacement program in March 2023.

b) The Grants Payments System used by Postbank to facilitate social grants payments has been migrated to a more stable environment from in January 2023. This was done to immediately address the infrastructure-related performance issue. The migration to the cloud platform also provided improved security in the Grants Payments System and reduced downtime, given that most of the payments challenges were Information Technology system related.

Reply:

(1) What are the reasons that managers of child and youth care centres are precluded from receiving funded remuneration from her department, despite the fact that the Children’s Act, Act 38 of 2005, requires a manager to be appointed;

• The Children’s Act, Act 38 of 2005, Chapter 13, Part 1 gives mandate to the MEC for social development to establish child and youth care centres. The managers of child and youth care centres managed by Department of Social Development (state run facilities) are remunerated according to the Public Service Act, 1994 and Public Service Regulations, 2016 as amended.

(2) what are the reasons that the manager’s post and the social worker’s post cannot be a combined post when there is no funding available for the manager’s post;

• The creation and registration of a social work post and that of social work manager is guided by the Social Service Professions Act 110 of 1978. The two (2) posts are distinct in nature with separate work content.

(3) if her department does not allow funding for a manager, what are the reasons that the reporting requirements are so onerous as to require a manager to meet such requirements?

• The Department is busy developing a strategy for employment of social services professionals which is inclusive of social work occupational categories. The strategy is also considering the social work manager / supervisors. A process of obtaining funding from the National Treasury is underway.
• The reporting requirements are determined by the Occupational Specific Dispensation (OSD) in accordance with the government prescripts.

Reply:

The question asked falls within the purview of the Member of Executive Council (MEC) for Education in Mpumalanga. The Hon Member is kindly advised to refer the question to the MEC for Education in Mpumalnga.   

Reply:

• Diphtheria vaccine is part of routine childhood immunisation programme, and it is administered and recorded on the child road to health booklet.
• The department, in partnership with non-governmental organization (NGOs) and the United Nations agencies have developed the following strategies and interventions that address vaccine hesitancy with an intent to restores vaccine confidence among the members of the public. These interventions are aimed at improving uptake and coverage of routine immunisation: These are:
  • • The side-by-side campaign which is health information and education through SABC radio stations, aired on 11 radio stations and in in 11 languages, educating and sharing information on the importance of childhood vaccination. This includes phone-in programme where questions and answers are provided on the spot. Furthermore, the side-by-side campaign is using various advocacy strategies such as social media platforms (e.g., Facebook, twitter, Instagram etc.) where messages are posted to address vaccine hesitancy on an individual level and importance of vaccination is communicated to communities. Channels such as mobile audio-visual, social mobilisation trucks for awareness. The department also makes use of media engagement radio slots, as well as ongoing public announcements and shows to improve full coverage.

• • • A nationwide immunisation catch-up drive that was introduced at the end of 2020, 2021, 2022 and in 2023, which invites parents/guardians and caregivers to bring all eligible children who have missed their routine vaccination dates to be immunised. This will ensure that these children are fully immunised for age and fully protected against vaccine preventable diseases.

• • • The Ward Based Outreach Primary Health Care (WBOTPHC) check the children vaccination status through the road-to-health booklets (RtHB) during the routine household visits. This enables them to check on all children who have missed a dose and those who are found to have missed their dates, they are referred to the nearest health facilities to receive the missed doses.

• • • The department conducts health screening during the health events. On these days, professional nurses can check if mothers have taken their children for vaccination. This is done by the teams carrying vaccine cold boxes and all children who missed their doses are vaccinated onsite.

• • • The Health Promoters deliver health education messages in health care facility, and these messages include asking parents/caregivers/guardians about the vaccination status of their children.

• • • South Africa joins the whole of Africa to observe Annual Africa Vaccination Week (AVW) which is commemorated from 24-30 April. On these days, community members across all nine provinces are engaged and health workers make use of the opportunity to educate communities on the importance of people receiving vaccinations at regular and stated frequency. The further message that is shared during the vaccination week, is about educating members of the communities to avoid missing one or more doses within the national immunisation schedule.

• • • Implementation of immunisation recovery plan is ongoing to obtain additional insights from different stakeholders, such as caregivers, health workers and other decision-makers, on the barriers related to supply, demand, enabling environment for the immunisation programme. This plan focuses on the delivery of vaccination services to the provinces/districts with high number of unimmunised communities as well as their perspectives on what strategies might be used to overcome the barriers to the delivery of vaccination services and how to improve coverage and equity.
• These strategies are ongoing to address vaccine hesitancy and to increase immunisation uptake and coverage. The effectiveness of these strategies is evidenced by improved immunisation coverage comparatively, to prior embarking on the immunisation catch-up drives. These were also intensified again during the measles outbreak and the measles immunisation campaign that were recently conducted.

END.

Reply:

According to the Free State Provincial Department of Health,

1. The incident happened at Boshoff Clinic, the theft of anti-retroviral medicine amounting to the value of R85 000. Only 1 facility (Boshoff clinic) is affected. The employee was arrested by the police. He was charged criminally (SAPS Case number 27/01/2023) and departmentally. The employee was suspended from the 2nd of March 2023 and is still on suspension awaiting the finalisation of the disciplinary hearing.

2. The facility has installed the burglar bars on both windows and is planning to install the intruder alarm system.

END.

Reply:

(a)

• The National Treasury allocates funding for Social Assistance Grants to the National Department of Social Development on an annual basis as “specifically and appropriated funds”, which means it may not be used for any other purposes.
• Annually, the Department request approval from the National Treasury to disburse the Social Assistance grants funds on a monthly cashflow requirement linked to the annual budget allocation.
• National Treasury also approves the monthly payment dates of the social assistance grants
• Monthly, the National Department of Social Development submits a payment schedule instruction to National Treasury to approve payments to be released to the nine (9) SASSA regions for the payment to social assistance beneficiaries as per agreed payment dates and amounts.
• The Department ensures that payments to SASSA are approved within four (4) days of the scheduled payment dates. Once payments have been made, SASSA is required to submit expenditure reports on a monthly basis to reflect all payments made. This is used as a monitoring mechanism.
• The Department participates in the review of the agreement with the Post-Office to ensure that the arrangement ensures timely and accurate payments.
• The Department also has an oversight forum which reviews SASSAs performance reports which includes targets relating to approval and payments to eligible beneficiaries.

(b)

SASSA has developed a schedule and follows it rigorously for processes leading to pre–payment files extraction, as well as actual payment extraction. These processes include (but are not limited to) the following:

• The schedule covers a process to verify new and changed bank accounts/cellphones and is performed daily, to ensure that there is no backlog of unverified accounts at the time of payment file extraction. Where an account is on unverified status for more than 5 days, such account is re-extracted and re-submitted for verification through National Treasury with the banks.
• The schedule covers the process to verify new and existing applications against external databases and where the datasets are not received in time, internal control processes are implemented to ensure that verification and payment processes are not delayed.
• The schedule, which covers processes to means test new and existing applications with the banks, has been formalized and is scheduled in advance leading to the extraction of the payment file.
• For bulk payments of social grants, a payment schedule is compiled and agreed to with the banks and retailers to ensure enough cash is supplied and in circulation during payment periods.
• The payment dates for social grants and COVID-19 SRD have been staggered in a manner that ensures that there is no disruption within the financial sector.
• The workflow for the extraction and authorization of payment files has been automated to ensure seamless processing.
• Constant client directed (via SMS) and public communication is done throughout all communication channels to ensure that clients are kept up to date regarding payment dates, as well as, any changes in payment dates or processes.
• Biometric authentication for staff has been implemented – especially in the payment environment - to ensure enhanced controls are in place and observed.
• Reconciliations are performed with all banks to ensure correct payments were effected and to detect payments which were not effected (EF70 codes – where client accounts were closed / not FICA’d etc. post payment.) In these cases, the money is returned and reconciled with SASSA, whereafter SASSA engages the clients for updated information.

(c)

The Grants Payments System used by Postbank to facilitate social grants payments has been migrated to a more stable environment from in January 2023. This was done to immediately address the infrastructure-related performance issue. The migration to the cloud platform also provided improved security in the Grants Payments System and reduced downtime, given that most of the payments challenges were Information Technology system related

Reply:

Pre -, during and post-counselling services are an essential component of treatment of patients with cancer. Counselling is provided by their treating doctor, including the Medical and Radiation Oncologists, as well as the multidisciplinary palliative care team of which social workers are key team members. Counselling is prioritised in palliative care services which commences at the point of diagnosis of the cancer and continues throughout the continuum to ensure that the patient lives a quality life for as long as possible.

Counselling for Cancer Patients:

1. Diagnostic Counselling: Patients who receive cancer diagnosis undergo diagnostic counselling, which involves discussing the diagnosis, its implications, and potential treatment options. This counselling aims to provide emotional support, answer questions, and help the patient understand the next steps.
2. Treatment Decision Counselling: The Department recognises that cancer treatment often involves making important decisions. Patients are presented with treatment options counselling which including the benefits, risks, and potential side effects of each option. Health care workers may help the patient to weigh their options and make informed decisions based on their preferences and medical advice.
3. Emotional Support: Patients diagnosed with cancer are offered social service counselling through social workers/psychologist within the health care facility. Emotional support pre-counselling services includes emotional, and where available, spiritual support to help patients and their families cope with fear, anxiety, and stress related to their diagnosis. Counsellors may provide guidance on managing emotions, communicating with loved ones, and accessing additional support resources.
4. Post-Treatment Counselling: After completing cancer treatment, it is recommended that patients undergo post-treatment counselling. This counselling focuses on addressing the emotional and psychological effects of cancer, such as post-treatment anxiety, fear of recurrence, or coping with physical changes. The counselling provides a space for patients to discuss their concerns, learn coping strategies, and adjust to life after treatment.
5. Survivorship counselling: Some Tertiary Hospitals in collaboration with other Stakeholders, do offer survivorship programs that provide long-term support to individuals who have completed treatment. These programs may include counselling sessions to address survivorship issues, including emotional and spiritual well-being, managing risk behaviour, monitoring for late effects or complications of treatment, and transitioning back to daily life. These facilities include eg Steve Biko , Charlotte Maxeke, Inkosi Albert Luthuli, Groote Schuur, Chris Hani Baragwanath, Red Cross Memorial, Kind Edward VIII and Universitas Academic Hospitals).

Palliative Care: For patients with advanced cancer or those nearing the end of life, palliative care counselling can be provided in collaboration with palliative care Stakeholders (Hospice, Frail Care facilities, Home based palliative care services). This form of counselling focuses on improving quality of life, managing symptoms, discussing end-of-life preferences, and providing emotional support to patients and their families.

END.

Reply:

The National Department of Health does not have specific emergency funds in preparation for another global pandemic, the emergency funds are enshrined in the Disaster Management Act and is the competency of the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs through the National Treasury. Funds are released when the President of the Republic of South Africa declares a disaster through the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.

END.

Reply:

According to the Gauteng Provincial Department of Health, Edenvale Hospital did not award any tenders to Minzorex and its subsidiaries.

a) The Gauteng Department of Health has not awarded any tenders to Minzorex and its subsidiaries in the past twelve months.

b) The investigations by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) are still in progress and the Department will implement the recommendations once investigation is concluded.

c) Suppliers been red-flagged by SIU are not prohibited to do business with government unless been blacklisted. The blacklisting of the suppliers such as Minzorex will be performed once the SIU have concluded their investigation. No provincial health department has contracted with Minzorex as per the confirmation received from the provinces.

END.

Reply:

(a) Support the national Government afforded the City and the residents of Hammanskraal and surrounding areas

The national, provincial and respective district outbreak response teams were activated to coordinate the response to the outbreak. Ward-based Outreach Teams (WBOTs) were also activated to facilitate community-based interventions. The teams assisted with conducting contact tracing, active case finding linked to diagnosed cases within the community and visiting families of all the identified patients.

Two wards that were used for Covid at Jubilee Hospital were re-opened to serve as special wards for Cholera and Patients Under Investigation (PUI). This provided an additional capacity of 60 beds.

Surrounding hospitals were activated to receive stable patients who were referred to make space for diarrhoeal patients. Steve Biko Academic Hospital (SBAH) and Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital accepted the referrals. Jubilee Hospital does not have Specialists since it is a District Hospital. A Gastro-Enterologist was mobilised from DGMAH to do ward rounds at Jubilee Hospital. This assisted to improve clinical management and outcomes of admitted patients. National Health Laboratory Services allocated a dedicated team within their DGMAH laboratory to deal with Jubilee Hospitals’ specimens to improve Turn Around Times (TAT).

Field Epidemiologists were activated from the World Health Organization (WHO) and Government. His team has expanded to include Specialists in Infection Prevention and Control (IPC), Case Management, Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE). Community health workers were trained on hygiene packs and deployed to distribute the packs to the community, conduct health education and community surveillance. There is ongoing training of health care workers through webinars and refresher courses.

A field hospital was established in Kanana, Hammanskraal, to address the late presentation of sick patients which is a major contributor to the mortality. The field hospital started operating on 26 May 2023 and has since seen more than 100 patients. The utilization of the field hospital is constantly monitored.

A Task Team was established with all role-players involved in water quality monitoring; this includes the Department of Water and Sanitation, The City of Tshwane –Water Services and Environmental Health, the Department of Health (National and Province). Responsibility of testing of water has been distributed between role-players to avoid duplication and waste of resources. The Department of Water and Sanitation has engaged the Water Research Commission (WRC) and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to provide quality assurance for water quality testing.

The Department of Social Development obtained the list of deceased individuals from Jubilee Hospital to provide psychosocial support and social relief to their families. This was done in collaboration with local Councillors. By 30 May 2023, the Social Workers had visited 19 families to provide counselling and social relief.

Risk Communication and Community Engagement activities have been intensified to (1) ensure that everyone at risk for cholera is informed about how to reduce the risk of spreading the disease, take personal protective and preventive measures, and go to the health facility if they become severely ill (2) debunk rumours and misinformation by providing accurate information about how to recognise symptoms of cholera, how it is transmitted and what to do to encourage prevention and early treatment-seeking behaviour, and how to care for family members with diarrhoea, and (3) to facilitate community engagement and feedback through community radio and outreach activities, to ensure uptake of available services to prevent the spread of cholera.

(b) The Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, Deputy Minister of Health, MEC for Health in Gauteng, and MMCs from the City of Tshwane convened at Jubilee Hospital and agreed on the establishment of the Technical Coordination Committee lead by the Director-General for Health. This Committee consists of senior managers from the departments of Health, Water and Sanitation, Social Development and the City of Tshwane. The function of the Committee is to oversee the public health response, water quality monitoring, psycho-social support and social relief for distressed families, and Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE)

As a health sector, all provinces through Heads of Health (Technical Committee of the National Health Council), were alerted of the outbreak and a physical meeting convened to ensure readiness of all the provinces. Cholera Incident Management Teams have been activated at national, provincial and district level and attended by multisectoral and multi-disciplinary stakeholders. Meetings are held to monitor the intervention strategies as well as the outbreak.

Risk Communication and Community Engagement is conducted at various media platforms for the South African community. The country is on high alert through the Provincial Departments of Health, National Health Laboratory Services. The department is continuously updating the public and stakeholders, especially focusing on high-risk areas with densely populated informal settlements, areas with unreliable water supply and sanitation.

END.

Reply:

At this stage, it is premature to approach National Treasury to lobby for additional funding for the remedial actions from the public protector. The matters of conditions of service for Clinical Associates have been presented to the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) and are being considered as part of the wider process of the Personnel Expenditure Review exercise that includes the review of OSDs in the public sector. Engagement with National Treasury will subsequently be informed by the outcomes of the DPSA process.

END.

Reply:

1. What (a) number of social workers have been employed by the Government for the period 1 April 2022 to 1 April 2023.

• 2 233 social service professionals employed by government during 1 April 2022 to 1 April 2023.

What (b) is the breakdown of the specified number in each department.

There are several government departments that employs social services professionals. The table below reflects those that submitted. The Department is still collating information from the Department of Health, Department of Defence, Department of Correctional Services.

Social Development	Basic Education	Justice	Grand Total
1 545	674	14	2 233

(2) what is the total number of social workers who are currently in the employ of Government.

Grand Total = 23 561

(3) what are the details of the plans that have been put in place to achieve the target of employing 55 000 social workers by 2030?

• The Department of Social Development developed a draft Strategy for the Employment for Social Service Professional’s in collaboration with the following departments:
  • Social Development Provincial Departments.
  • Department of Basic Education.
  • Department of Health.
  • Department of Correctional Services.
  • South African Police Services.
  • Department of Justice.
  • Department of Defence.
  • HWSETA.
  • COGTA.
  • South African Council for Social Service Professionals (SACSSP).

• The cost analysis was done based on the additional required 31 744 Social Service Professionals by NDP vision 2030 to reach 55 000 by 2030.
• The estimated cost based on the workforce needs is approximately R9 578 552 700.
• A bid was developed to request funding from the National Treasury.
• The draft Strategy for Employment of Social Service Professionals was presented on 28 February 2023 to the Technical Working Group for Social Protection, Community and Human Development Cluster.
• The draft Strategy for Employment of Social Service Professionals was also presented on 15 March 2023 to the Technical Working Group for Social Protection, Community and Human Development Cluster.
• The draft Strategy for Employment of Social Service Professionals was further presented on 29 March 2023 to the Portfolio Committee workshop.

Reply:

(a) A total of 6,225 caregivers under the age of 18 years have benefited for one child support grant in the past five (5) years, that is, from 2018/19 financial year to end of February 2023. A provincial breakdown is depicted in the table below:

(b) A total of 221 caregivers under the age of 18 years have benefited for more than one child support grant, during the past five years. A provincial breakdown is depicted in the table below:

Reply:

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) is responsible for the development of National Catalogues for core textbooks. These Catalogues are forwarded to provinces for them to procure for schools. In regard to study guides, the Department developed Grade 12 study guides including study guides for Mathematics and Physical Sciences. These study guides are made available on the DBE website www.education.gov.za for access by schools, learners and parents. Provinces and schools print these study guides for learners in schools.

For core (textbook, teacher guides, etc.) materials, the National Department has evaluated each of the materials developed, prior to any recommendation for the materials to be included on the national catalogue for procurement by schools. As of now there is currently no call for submission made by the Department for authors to submit such materials for screening/evaluation. Therefore, the authors are advised to market the study guides for Mathematics and Physical Sciences to schools as supplementary learning materials. The author can also contact the DBE directly for further engagement and assistance. The contact details are Mr Sifiso Sibiya on email: [email protected].

Reply:

a) According to Free State province, Batho clinic has been operating on extended service hours (07:00 -19:00) since 12 July 2022 after consultation was done with the clinic committees and local communities. Further awareness was done daily both to the internal customers and still continues. Batho clinic still operates 07:00 – 19:00 hours and the same operational hours are displayed on the service board at the clinic entrance.

b) The deceased was not refused healthcare services as he came after 19:00 when the clinic was already closed and there was no one (clinicians) on duty in the clinic. The security officials on duty who were  guarding the facility called Emergency Medical Services for the deceased.

c) The nearest health  facilities closer to Batho clinic are Mangaung and University of the Free State Community Partnership Program (MUCPP) and Pelonomi Hospital both are within 5km radius and operates 24hours. The awareness of the primary health care facilities operating hours is continuously done through local radio stations, media and displayed on the service board at the clinic and through clinic committees. The department of health management from the province and district offices visited the bereaved family at their home and provided redress on the matter (responding to media statement). The family was also encouraged to write a formal complaint so that the responses on the specific concerns can be given.

END.

Reply:

a) (i) According to the Free State Department of Health there was no time where patients were left without food. However, there were challenges with the supplier who partially delivered few stock items on large quantity order which was placed on the 26 October 2022.

This supplier also decided to verbally cancel the order and refused to write a cancellation letter when a follow up was done by the hospital. This impasse therefore led to the hospital being unable to place a new order as this order was still active.

(ii) This matter was reported to Provincial Treasury and the incident number was issued. The Provincial Treasury was also requested to cancel the order for the hospital to create a new order. A process for a new order was re-initiated.

However other surrounding institutions have been assisting with the provision of food supplies and the hospital management is regularly monitoring food supplies to ensure that patients are fed.

(b) The Free State Department of Health has the following plans to resolve general food supply concerns in the facilities in the province:

• In the current financial year 2023/2024,the Free State Department of Health will screen and contract suppliers with good track record in this area.

There will also be alternative reliable suppliers list that hospitals can rely on in the event the contracted supplier fail in their contract.

END.

Reply:

(a) Learners wrote the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) late in 2021, after almost two years of unprecedented interruption to schooling and learning caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The PIRLS results show that as much as the pandemic had a negative impact on education in general, reading literacy development was specifically impacted. Further to this, when the Department of Basic Education (DBE) was preparing to receive the Early Childhood Development function in 2022, it conducted the first ever Thrive by Five Index study, which found that only 45% of children were developmentally on track by the age of five, meaning many children start school not school-ready. 

(b) In South Africa about 60% of school days in 2020 were lost for children in the early grades. In 2021, most schools still had to operate according to a rotational timetable to comply with social distancing regulations. As a result, some children lost up to 50% of school days in 2021.

(c) The DBE, in collaboration with a team of reading experts from civil society and academia, is reviewing the Integrated Sector Reading Plan. A revised National Reading Literacy Strategy is therefore, being developed; and central to it, is the need to improve the teaching and learning of African Home Languages reading literacy on a large scale, in the emergent and early grade phases (Early Childhood Development and Foundation Phase).

The recent transfer of ECD function from the Department of Social Development (DSD) to DBE, creates an opportunity to improve school-readiness, by helping Early Learning Programmes to become incubators of emergent and early literacy. To this end, we have sourced dedicated funding to empower over 20 000 under-resourced ECD programmes with early learning resources, which will include those that foster emergent and early literacy skills.

The revised Strategy will comprise refining policy to explicitly guide the development of reading literacy, with a primary focus on Home Language literacy; Teacher training, focused on Home Language reading literacy; the provision of culturally relevant and age-appropriate reading resources for both ECD and Early Grades; as well as strengthening collaboration with parents, communities and partners. We will be tracking the implementation through strengthening the monitoring, quality assurance, evaluation and feedback loop. 

In relation to the utilisation of the data from PIRLS, we will be initiating an extensive capacity-building programme for officials and teachers, which will be facilitated by an expert Technical Advisory Group (TAG).

(d) The Strategy is still under development, and will undergo an extensive consultation process before it is finalised. The Department is planning to finalise these processes in the next coming months. 

(e) The entire reading ecosystem is being considered; hence, the department is consulting all key stakeholders on the development of a revised strategy. 

Reply:

1. According to the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA),

• Mr Naas Ferreira had lodged a complaint of unprofessional conduct against Drs Piek, Mostert and Laubser. At inquiry held by the Professional Conduct Committee of the Medical and Dental Professional Board (“the Committee”), Dr Piek and Dr Laubser pleaded guilty and were found guilty of unprofessional conduct.
• Dr Mostert pleaded not guilty. Mr Ferreira was then called as a witness against Dr Mostert and after cross examination, the HPCSA closed its case.
• Dr Mostert chose to exercise his Constitutional right to remain silent and not to testify in a case against himself.
• Dr Mostert legal representation applied for his discharge after HPCSA has closed its case.
• The Committee after deliberations found Dr Mostert not guilty of unprofessional conduct.
• Mr Ferreira was not happy about the Committee’s decision on Dr Mostert and complained why Dr Mostert did not testify in the case against himself and why his legal representative was the one testifying.
• The HPCSA explained to Mr Ferreria that Dr Mostert has a Constitutional right to remain silent and not to testify in a case against himself.
• It was also explained to Mr Ferreira that Dr Mostert’s legal representative has a right to represent him and that in doing so the legal representative is not giving evidence.
• There was therefore no maladministration or corruption on the part of the HPCSA in handling this case. It was dealt with in terms of the Constitution and the Health Professions Act, 1974.

2. HPCSA investigated the cases which were consolidated and was duly finalised by the Preliminary Committee of Inquiry in 2017, however, an error occurred on the system where one of the consolidated cases was not closed. The matter has since been resolved and the practitioner was informed accordingly. Registration subsequently issued a Certificate of Status in April 2023; and thus, based on HPCSA the matter is resolved.

END.

Reply:

Issues that may be affecting the SA Post Office will not impact the targets of the SA Social Security Agency in the 2023-24 financial year.

SASSA processes payments of social grants recipients directly into their nominated bank accounts at the beginning of the payment cycle and it is not dependant on the SA Post Office to execute this function, hence the target on the payment of social grants will invariably be achieved.

Reply:

A retrospective review of data from National Health Laboratory Service data shows that outbreaks occur approximately every three to six years. Mumps is considered a common and mild disease with few complications which does not pose a major public health threat to the country. The Department has responded by providing information to the public and other stakeholders. Individuals with mumps are advised to stay at home until symptoms resolve and to seek health care should they develop complications.

END.

Reply:

• Hon. Abrahams, the Department of Employment and Labour has 9 Provincial Offices, which are equivalent to the number of Provinces that the country has. This is so, even because this particular Portfolio does not have concurrence function when it comes to other spheres of government.

• Over and above that the Department of Employment and Labour has about 126 Labour Centres across the country. In this number please add about 30 Satellite Offices again country wide.

If you travel around the country, you will also notice that the Department of Labour is having 41 Thusong Services Centre as well as 447 Visiting Points in the Republic.

• This is the infrastructure or footprint if you like that the Department of Employment and Labour is having to ensure that citizens of this country have access to the services that we render. And I have not even spoken about one of the programmes that we have of Taking Services To the People or Road-Shows as others would prefer to call them. They normally take place outside of the cities like Cape Town, due to the fact that we need not to leave anyone behind, even those who are in the country-side must be provided with the decent public services that other fellow South Africans enjoy.

• The office that you are refereeing to at No. 10 Molteno Street, Goodwood, Cape Town is not even a Labour Centre. It is a Satellite Office, with the supervisor Mr Thembekile Hoza – [email protected]. He is ably assisted by five (5) other officials. It is operating from 07h00 up until 16h00. Nearby Goodwood in Bellville the Department of Labour has the Labour Centre, which is more capacitated than the Satellite Office which is only having 6 personnel. There are no vacancies in there are no Labour Satellite Office, situated at No. 10 Molteno Street, Goodwood, Cape Town.

 

• In the private sector the booking system may work fairly well, due to a limited number they are dealing with, but in the public sector the same system may just be creating some mayhem, disorder, havoc, chaos and confusion, thereby defeating the same objective that you wanted to achieve. And again this is due to the number of people that public sector is dealing with, nature of the services they look from in as far as public facilities are concerned. So, for now, the Department find it better to serve people as they come and just find a way of managing the queues if they are there in a more orderly manner.

• And yes, forms get received, assessed and processed further to the payment of claims in the event where they meet all the required particulars. It may be confirmed that screening of applications, prioritisation of claims per benefit types maternity application, sick applications, elderly 60+, physically challenged are served first every morning.

• Sometimes, the Department remains not sure when one is asking about the backlog. Because this may mean so many things. As it is indicated above correctly filled out claim forms after received, assessed and processed further when they meet all the known and communicated requirements. In the event where those forms have outstanding information, then applicants have to furnish that which is still required.

• The Department is still exploring possible ways to mitigate challenges of load-shedding, with our sister Department of state assets, the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure. Thank you!

Reply:

According to the Gauteng Department of Health, the problem with the former service provider was resolved through the appointment of another service provider who ensured that the collection of medical waste is done in line with the Service Level Agreement, and the hospital also confirmed that they have never experienced similar problems since the appointment of the new service provider.

END.

Reply:

a) The National Department of Health has developed a 10-year infrastructure plan regarding the needs of our health facilities. The programme is focusing on projects that are still in planning (pre-tendering phase) while projects that are already under construction and in the tender phase will continue in the processes that have already commenced. Facilities that require part or full rehabilitation or replacement and infrastructure that needs to be newly built lend themselves to management through this programme while routine maintenance needs to be the primary responsibility of provinces managed through other programmes. The quantification and sequencing of the need and financing requirements are based on the 10-Year Health Infrastructure Plan (YHIP). Initial focus will be on PHC facilities as these are the first points of contact for patients and scale can be reached easier and quicker while planning for hospitals is underway.

b) In the current financial year, the National Department of Health has put aside R7 119 867 billion through Health Facility Revitalisation Grant (HFRG) to be shared by the provincial health departments. The aim of this grant is to accelerate and improve on the conditions of the existing health infrastructures. The budget will also use to provide new health facilities which address population growth and changes in burden of diseases. And there are few large projects that are currently in construction and implemented by the National Department of Health funded through the National Health Insurance Indirect Grant: Health Facility Revitalization Component (In-Kind Grant). The budget for the grant in the 2023/2024 financial year is R1.4 billion. The needs of health infrastructure are funded through (i) the Equitable Share; (ii) HFRG; and (iii) In-Kind Grant. See below the allocations from the three funding streams for 2023/24FY:

END.

Reply:

a) The grants payments Master Services Agreement entered between SAPO and SASSA in 2018 was ceded to Postbank which was originally a division of SAPO when the contract was concluded. The cession of the contract to Postbank by SAPO was concluded given that the payments are financial services facilitated through the National Payment System (NPS) in which Postbank is a participant and SAPO is not a recognized participant. Since the inception of the contract in 2018, Postbank was facilitating more than 90% of the grants payments via the NPS, whereby grant recipients mostly received their money via ATM’s and retailers similar to any bank transaction. SAPO only facilitated limited beneficiary numbers payments within its branches and it still continues offering this service, providing the rationale for the contract cession.

b) Postbank together with SASSA implement a public campaign that included roadshows and on the ground activations creating public awareness that Postbank is responsible for social grants payments.

Reply:

Yes, Social Assistance legislation provides for primary care givers and relatives of children in receipt of the Child Support Grant (CSG) including CSG Top Up to receive the grant until the month in which the child turns 18 years of age. The same legislation provides for COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) for working age unemployed adults (18 -59). Although the provision is temporary, it caters for the same group of beneficiaries.

It is important to emphasise that children’s grants should be seen in the context of comprehensive social protection programmes rendered by government. To this effect, Government provides essential services for example, food nutrition programme to poor children through the Department of Basic Education and other free basic municipal services at reduced and controlled costs to impoverished households of which the majority of these children come from. In addition, the same children are exempted from paying school fees.

Government has ensured that basic food items such as brown bread, maize meal, vegetables, fruits, eggs, samp, mealie rice and milk are zero-rated, meaning the 14% VAT is not paid on these goods.

The Department did consider extending the CSG for beneficiaries over 18 and still at school up to the age of 21 years (similar to the FCG) in previous years, however, the proposal was not supported due to fiscal constraints.

Reply:

(a) (i) The satellite clinic in Ward 29 Makolokwe, Rustenburg, in North West started operating in 2002.

(ii) The satellite clinic in Ward 29 Makolokwe, Rustenburg was replaced by a mobile clinic since 2005. Currently, the mobile clinic station is at the community hall.

(b) (i) This structure, built by Bophuthatswana Government, was used as  a storage area for some of the Sub-district equipment, while awaiting equipment disposal. The equipment was removed by 1 April 2023. The building is currently not in use. The sub-district management is still to decide what the building will be used for going forward.

(ii) During the time that the equipment was stored at the building, security personnel were posted at the facility to secure the equipment. Since the equipment has been moved out of the building (1 April 2023), the security personnel have been posted to another health facility that urgently required additional security staff.

END.

Reply:

Figure 1 below provides details of the municipalities across the country regarding (1) What is the (a) total number of fire stations in each province, (b) current number of (i) bakkies, (ii) trucks and (iii) other specified vehicles at each fire station and (c) respective reaction time for each of the stations to attend to an emergency.

NAME OF PROVINCE	a) TOTAL NUMBER OF FIRE STATIONS IN EACH PROVINCE	(b) CURRENT NUMBER FIRE APPLIANCES (in all categories)	MEMORANDA OF UNDERSTANDING/ MUTUAL AID AGREEMENT
Western Cape	95 (ninety five)	657 (six hundred and fifty seven)	In terms of Section 12 of the Fire Brigade Services act 99 of 1987,and contextualizing of front-end partnerships, provinces, districts/metro and local municipalities maintains a formal Mutual Aid Agreement. Coordination of assistance and resources are performed by the respective District Municipalities in terms of the Section 84 (1) (j) (i) of the Municipal Structures act 117 of 1998. All municipal as well as Designated fire services have access to said agreement.
Free State	20 (twenty)	41 (forty one)
Gauteng	93 (ninety three)	204 (two hundred and four)
Eastern Cape	33	114
KwaZulu Natal	61	145
North West	21	83
Limpopo	27	86
Mpumalanga	17	69
Northern Cape	9	32

End

 

Reply:

1. How has the Tourism Safety Plan been operationalised to mitigate such incidents and ensure a secure environment for both domestic and international visitors.

I have been informed by the Department that the Tourism Safety Plan has been implemented since 2018. The Tourism Safety plan has initiatives that speak to the three main themes that form part of the strategy. The bulk of the initiatives form part of the “Proactive Measures” which are those initiatives that have to be put in place even before an incident happens, to minimise the risks. Some of the initiatives that were operationalised include:

The Tourism Monitors Programme – this programme entails the recruitment and training of young unemployed youth, who are then deployed at the various identified attractions and to assist the tourist with basic tourism related and safety information.

Identification of the hot spots – This process is about understanding some of the key areas where most of the crimes/attacks against tourist take place. Such information will not only assist in putting measures to counter such attacks in the identified areas but will also ensure that the risks of attacks to tourists is minimised.

Police Reservists – The department together with SAPS made a call up for police reservists back in 2019 as part of ensuring police visibility especially in Mpumalanga then, following a spate of follow-ons.

The department has over the years conducted “tourist safety awareness” sessions jointly with SAPS and other security structures in the various provinces.

Establishment of Provincial Tourism Safety Forums (PTSF) – the department has been instrumental in the establishment of the PTSF.

 

(2) Whether she will furnish Ms H Ismail with a thorough assessment of the implementation of the specified plan, including the

a) Strategies:

The National Tourism Sector Strategy’s pillar three on “Visitor Experiences” demands that there should be a plan of safety. It’s on that premise that department developed that National Tourism Safety Strategy in 2018 and the current plan being implemented is based on the strategy.

(b) Resources:

Tourism Monitors programme is funded through the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP).

(c) Partnerships leveraged to address the challenge; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details

The 2018 strategy was developed through a partnership between government and tourism private sector. The implementation has over the year been more government lead but recently the Minister had conducted a session with both private and public sectors to assess the progress on implementation and to ensure that private sector also contributes to the strategy implementation.

On Monday 29 May 2023, I held a multi-sector Tourism Safety Dialogue, which included a range of stakeholders including the National Department of Tourism, provincial tourism departments and agencies as well as the private sector.

The dialogue agreed to the full implementation of the Terms of Reference of the National Safety Forum, the Memorandum of Understanding with the South African Police Service and the use of technology to further mitigate the impact of crime on local and international tourists.

This meeting will, now, be held quarterly in a bid to track implementation and progress.

 

Reply:

Municipalities are at the liberty of choosing their own financial system that they utilise to, amongst other things, bill their customers. In this regard, the Minister has no legal oligation/authority to put measures in place to regulate the functionality of the billing systems of municipalities because each system operates differently. In relation to the billing system being utilised by the City of Matlosana Local Municipality, according to the municipality, it uses Business Connexion (BCX) Solar system to bill residents on a monthly basis in five (5) areas within its jurisdiction to which it distributes electricity, namely; Klerksdorp including its suburbs, Orkney, Stilfontein, Hartbeesfontein and Jouberton.

According to the City of Matlosana Local Municipality, the municipality is not aware of irregularities with the billing system which could have caused exorbitant electricity costs, as it has implemented the tariffs as per the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA)’s 2022/23 tariffs approval letter. The municipality became aware that some of the accounts distributed to residents levied abnormal usage due to load-shedding which interrupted the system whilst the final accounts levies were in process. The affected accounts were since identified and rectified. The municipality has indicated that it has implemented corrective measures which will curb future system interruptions in the form of installing additional inverters which will ensure continuous power supply to the uninterrupted power supply (UPS) and IT servers in the event of load-shedding.

The Department, in its capacity to provide relief to the residents, makes grant transfers to municipalities through the local government equitable share, which should be used to, amongst other things, cover the free basic services component for indigent customers. Each indigent household, through the local government equitable share grant, is entitled to 50 kWh free electricity and 6 Kl of water each month.

End.

Reply:

(a)

(i) I have received the report of the Portfolio Committee dated 5 May 2023. On 22 May 2023, I convened a meeting with Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) to discuss the poor performance on infrastructure projects.

(ii) These projects started in 2012, before I took office and therefore the report was not handed to me. However, I have been informed by the Department that upon receipt of the report in June 2020, the following steps were taken:

1. the Accounting Officer opened a case with the South African Police Services (SAPS) on, 14 September 2020.

2. briefed the national office of the State Attorney to pursue civil claims against implementing agents on 25 July 2020 and, upon instruction from the State Attorney, reinstituted the claims around 27 July 2021 in the Mahikeng Office.

3. instituted disciplinary proceedings against implicated officials in October 2020. The process is still ongoing with cases before the Labour Court.

(b) I am informed by the Department that the forensic investigation found that certain officials did not comply with the requirements of Section 45(a) to (c) of the PFMA, which states that:

An official in a department, trading entity or constitutional institution—

(a) must ensure that the system of financial management and internal control established for that department, trading entity or constitutional institution is carried out within the area of responsibility of that official;

(b) is responsible for the effective, efficient, economical and transparent use of financial and other resources within that official’s area of responsibility;

(c) must take effective and appropriate steps to prevent, within that official’s area of responsibility, any unauthorised expenditure, irregular expenditure and fruitless and wasteful expenditure and any under collection of revenue due;

Reply:

(a) How has her department dealt with the challenge of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in order to promote sustainable tourism practices in the Republic,

I have been informed that the Department has a Tourism Environmental Implementation Plan 2020-2025, which was published for implementation on Gazette Number 45425, 05 November 2021 the department has developed and implemented the Tourism Resource Efficiency Training Programme.

The programme was initiated in the 2021/22 financial year whereby a concept was developed and approved to train 25 youth on Resource Efficiency and Cleaner Production Methodologies.

Simultaneously as part of the Tourism Environmental Implementation Plan 2023/2024 objectives, the department aims to implement and coordinate awareness campaigns that are aimed at raising environmental consciousness in the operations of tourism facilities.

The awareness campaigns also aim to provide a platform that will enable the showcasing of green initiatives that will be adapted within the tourism sector spectrum to reduce the dependence on greenhouse emitting products and practices.

In addition, the department has a continuous Tourism Adaptation Project (TAP) that seeks to build resilience and adaptive capacity within the tourism sector to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

To date, thirty-six (36) climate change risk and vulnerability assessments (RVA) have been completed in various tourism sites across the country, including major tourist attractions such as Table Mountain National Park, Robben Island, Kruger National Park, iSimangaliso Wetland Park and uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park.

Furthermore, the Department’s Green Tourism Incentive Programme (GTIP) aims to encourage private sector tourism enterprises to move towards more sustainable tourism practices through the offering financial support for the installation of solutions for the sustainable management and usage of electricity and water resources.

(b) What are the strategic measures employed to achieve the specified goal

Green Tourism Incentive Programme

Under the GTIP, eligible applicants are able to qualify for the full cost of a new energy and water efficiency audit or the review of an existing audit. Furthermore, eligible applicants are also able to apply and qualify for grant funding of between 50% and 90%, capped at a maximum of R1 million per applicant, on the cost of approved solutions that will improve the energy and water efficiency and reduce the costs of their tourism operations. The GTIP will not only help reduce pressure on electricity and water resources, but also contributes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, ensuring an uninterrupted visitor experience for tourists, reduce operational input cost for the qualifying enterprise.

(c) Green Tourism Incentive Programme in each province

1. The GTIP is available nationally for prospective applicants to apply regardless the province in which they are located. As such there are no specific or predetermined allocation per province.
2. Following from the response in (c)(i), the utilisation or uptake of the GTIP per province is a factor of the number of applications received from, and approved for a particular province.
3. Based on the latest available information, the majority of GTIP approvals are located in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Gauteng and Limpopo, followed by KwaZulu-Natal, North West, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape and Free State.

(d) What are the specific projects and their outcomes.

While it is not possible to provide information on specific GTIP projects under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), it is worth noting that solutions approved for each qualifying applicant varies depending on the specific needs identified during the energy and water efficiency audit. Typical solutions supported under the GTIP may include renewable energy generating systems (e.g. solar, wind, etc.), energy efficient equipment and lighting (e.g. solar water heaters, gas stoves, LED lighting, etc.), and water efficient appliances and systems (e.g. low-flow/ aerated taps, rainwater harvesting and greywater recycling systems).

In terms of outcomes of GTIP projects, it is worth noting that projected energy consumption savings for approved GTIP applicants range between 65% and 80%, while projected water saving for those that are installing water efficiency systems range between 30% and 50% on water consumption.

Province	Number of GTIP applications approved (excluding projects cancelled after approval)	Value of GTIP applications approved (excluding projects cancelled after approval)
EC	26	R19 080 788
FS	2	R1 726 567
GP	20	R12 913 859
KZN	11	R5 981 145
LP	15	R11 580 095
MP	5	R2 925 879
NC	6	R4 753 255
NW	11	R5 870 313
WC	32	R18 133 822
Total	128	R82 965 723

Reply:

The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs does not keep the records of vehicle licensing and fees. It is recommended that the honourable member redirect the question to Ministry of Transport who may obtain the required information from Provincial departments of Transports.

End.

Reply:

a) Section 12 of the Municipal Structures Act provides the legal framework for the establishment of municipalities by MECs responsible for local government in the respective provinces. If there are therefore any changes required to the governance structure of a municipality to address matters of instability, the changes will have to be initiated and effected by the relevant MEC and not the Minister. 

(b) Falls away.

End.

Reply:

a) Twelve staff members

(b)

NAME	SURNAME	DESIGNATION	NOTCH
Kgosietso David	Ramokgopa	Minister	R 2 473 682.00
Sarel Jacobs	De La Rouviere	Special Advisor	R 2 158 533.00
Silas Mzingeli	Zimu	Special Advisor	R 2 158 533.00
Subesh	Pillay	Chief of Staff	R 1 371 558.00
Nhlamulo Corinth	Sewela	Parliament and Cabinet Support	R 1 162 200.00
Boitumelo Albertina	Mthimunye	Private and Appointment Secretary (Secondment)	R 1 162 200.00
Kgothatso Fortune	Mathabathe	Community Outreach Officer	R 811 560.00
Kutlwano Joas	Huma	Parliament and Cabinet Support	R 811 560.00
Ndanduleni Jacqueline	Kwinda	Assistant Appointment Secretary	R 424 104.00
Penelope Nomacala	Mahlangu	Receptionist	R 202 233.00
Joseph	Mofokeng	Messenger/driver	R 171 537.00
Lebohang Reginah	Mogotsi	Household Aide	R 147 036.00
Elizabeth Selaelo	Mosebedi	Food Service Aide	R125 373.00

c) KD Ramokgopa

Date	Gross
2023/04/15	R 178 311.24
2023/05/15	R 178 311.24

 

Reply:

An Energy Safety and Security Priority Committee was established to address ESKOM-related crime on an inter-departmental, multi-disciplinary basis to address the objectives of Work Stream Six of the National Energy Crisis Committee (NECOM).

A total of 1952 Eskom-related cases were reported to the SA Police Service between 1 April 2022 and 29 May 2023, with 1405 cases still under investigation, and 126 arrests have been made.

Whilst much remains, these interventions are beginning to turn the situation around, and there are indications that operational measures implemented have clearly disrupted the activities of criminal syndicates.

Reply:

The information required by honourable member is administered by the National Treasury.

End.

Reply:

I have been informed by South African Tourism that these funds were directed to marketing campaigns and activities. In this case, the funds were allocated and used for the planned localisation of the global advocacy campaign in the USA, which is a priority source market for South Africa.

Reply:

I have been informed by the Department that the projects started in 2012 and that the responsible Deputy Director-General at the time of the project, retired from public service in July 2020.

The DDG, relied on monitoring visits that were conducted by officials charged with project management responsibilities in the Programme. Project progress was assessed through monthly financial and project reports submitted by the Implementing Agents.

A review of the Working for Tourism Programme was undertaken around 2017. The Programme is now aligned to the Framework for Infrastructure Delivery and Procurement Management (FIDPM).

The Department further contracted with the Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA) in November 2020 which has built environment professional capacity to manage infrastructure projects.

This happened before my time but what I have since started work to build infrastructure capacity.

The Department is also in the process of acquiring built environment professionals to support internal infrastructure programme management and is also finalising discussions with Infrastructure South Africa in this regard.

The matter has been reported to the police for investigation in September 2020.

Reply:

The Ministry had conversations with the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Gauteng Provincial governments, the Cape Town, Buffalo City, Johannesburg and Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality regarding their individual energy needs. In addition, the Ministry is scheduling fresh visits to each of the 9 Provincial Executive Councils, the leadership of Metropolitan Municipality and secondary Cities during June/July 2023 on the Energy Action Plan (EAP) and the interventions being undertaken to improve generation and reduce demand. These conversations will include the impact of revenue for municipalities and challenges regarding wheeling frameworks and feeding tariffs.

 

Reply:

The recommendations and implementation of 2022 Greendrop Report are led and championed by Department of Water and Sanitation.

End.