Questions and Replies

Reply:

a) Announced at the 2023 Budget Vote of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), South Africa has representation through 116 diplomatic missions in 102 countries.

b) In terms of the above DIRCO missions, the dtic has 31 missions allocated for the transfer of officials to serve as Foreign Economic Representatives (FERs), fulfilling the roles associated with trade attachés or commissioners

-END-

Reply:

Based on SARS provisional data, the top 10 countries from which SA imported goods in the period 1 January to 31 March 2023 are:

1. China

2. Germany

3. USA

4. India

5. UAE

6. Thailand

7. Nigeria

8. Saudi Arabia

9. Japan

10. Oman.

Based on SARS provisional data, the top 10 countries to whose markets SA exported goods in the period 1 January to 31 March 2023 are:

1. China

2. USA

3. Germany

4. Japan

5. India

6. UK

7. Netherlands

8. Belgium

9. Botswana

10. UAE

South Africa’s import suppliers (Rand values)

		Total (January to March 2023)
	World	R485 259 081 939
1	China	R99 146 820 610
2	Germany	R39 723 451 934
3	United States	R36 334 678 519
4	India	R32 626 305 702
5	UAE	R19 055 926 925
6	Thailand	R15 515 425 690
7	Nigeria	R13 003 529 551
8	Saudi Arabia	R12 835 399 393
9	Japan	R11 345 815 628
10	Oman	R10 959 640 838

Data source: SARS, adjusted for transit trade

(2)(a) and (b):

South Africa’s export destinations (Rand values)

		Total (January to March 2023)
	World	R455 061 074 141
1	China	R54 887 839 800
2	United States	R36 896 513 669
3	Germany	R31 268 892 040
4	Japan	R28 613 650 186
5	India	R22 963 598 797
6	United Kingdom	R21 062 612 635
7	Netherlands	R20 751 577 401
8	Belgium	R15 869 295 095
9	Botswana	R15 319 831 767
10	UAE	R12 369 444 500

Data source: SARS, adjusted for transit trade and errors in export data.

The Department also considers revisions in SARS data, as well as data from trading partners to build a more accurate picture. The latter data is not fully available for all countries yet.

-END-

Reply:

According to information received from the Eskom

(1)(a)

Eskom is buying diesel at the wholesale list price published by the Department of Energy on a monthly basis. Eskom then pays the wholesale list price less the negotiated discount.

(1)(b)

Delivered price: Wholesale list price less discounts.

(2)(a)

Eskom obtains negotiated discounts below the wholesale price list that varies across the suppliers.

• Astron
• BP
• Engen
• Shell
• PetroSA

(2)(b)

The discounts are contractual between Eskom and Service Providers and not for public consumption. In addition, there is a new tender currently undergoing internal approval process hence the sensitivity of sharing discount rates.

(3)(a)

All contractors have been contracted for 5 years: 01 October 2019 to 30 September 2024.

(3)(b)

Price follows monthly fluctuation as per the price list issued by the Department of Energy.

Remarks: Approved / Not Approved

Jacky Molisane Pravin Gordhan, MP

Acting Director-General Minister

Date: Date:

Reply:

a) SASSA currently pays all social grants into the bank accounts of clients. This is inclusive of the payments made at Pay Points and SAPO branches which are first paid into bank accounts.

SASSA has already in-sourced the payment function since 2018.

Whether or not SASSA should become a bank or provide a full or partial banking service to its clients is a matter being considered. However, the SASSA’s mandate and scope of SASSA’s capabilities are based on the Social Assistance Act, 2004 as amended.

b) The holding of SASSA cards, or any bank card, is illegal. SASSA works with the National Credit Regulator (NCR) and law enforcement agencies in this regard. During May 2023, in the Province of the Eastern Cape, a multi-disciplinary team comprising of stakeholders focusing on loan sharks, led by the National Credit Regulator, involving SASSA, Department of Home Affairs (DHA) and South African Police Services (SAPS) conducted an operation targeting loan sharks, with the sole aim of preventing illegal withholding of banking cards and identity documents. The operation led to the arrest of 17 suspects and the seizing of 106 SASSA cards with cash of R401 800.00. Similar operations will be conducted nationally.

Reply:

(a)(i)-(iv) read with (b)(ii)(aa)(bb) and (cc)

a SASSA does not have records of previous beneficiaries who have exited from the system due to age but remain in the school system, and therefore is not able to answer the question in the current form.

Table 1 below reflects the number of Child Support Grants (CSG) that lapsed due to the child turning 18 during the 2022/23 financial year.

TABLE: 1 TOTAL NUMBER OF YOUNG ADULTS WHO AGED OUT OF THE CHILD SUPPORT GRANT IN THE FY2022/23
Region	Female	Male	Grand Total
EC	56393	56661	113054
FS	20320	20437	40757
GP	53093	52030	105123
KZN	84149	83401	167550
LIM	48162	47783	95945
MP	31782	31771	63553
NC	8704	8716	17420
NW	24286	23995	48281
WC	27139	25966	53105
Grand Total	354028	350760	704788

a(i) Table 2, shows the number of CSG beneficiaries whose CSG lapsed, thereafter applied for COVID-19 SRD during the 2022/23 financial year.

TABLE: 2 TOTAL NUMBER OF YOUNG ADULTS WHO AGED OUT OF THE CHILD SUPPORT GRANT AND APPLIED FOR COVID-19 SRD
Province	Female	Male	Grand Total
EC	30002	28408	58410
FS	12236	11865	24101
GP	40731	34222	74953
KZN	53196	54586	107782
LIM	36403	34346	70749
MP	24056	23367	47423
NC	4674	4277	8951
NW	15213	14509	29722
WC	17055	13106	30161
Grand Total	233566	218686	452252

a(i&ii) Table 3 indicates the number of young adults who aged out of the CSG, applied and were approved for COVID-19 SRD during the 2022/23 financial year.

TABLE: 3 TOTAL NUMBER OF YOUNG ADULTS WHO AGED OUT OF THE CHILD SUPPORT GRANT AND WERE APPROVED FOR COVID-19 SRD
Province	Female	Male	Grand Total
EC	22,029	21,759	43,788
FS	9,203	9,238	18,441
GP	26,915	24,362	51,277
KZN	38,154	39,987	78,141
LIM	23,741	24,391	48,132
MP	16,249	16,871	33,120
NC	3,265	3,168	6,433
NW	11,219	11,219	22,438
WC	10,794	9,118	19,912
Grand Total	161,569	160,113	321,682

a(iii) Table 4 highlights the number of young adults who aged out of the CSG, applied and were approved for COVID-19 SRD during the 2022/23 financial year and, declined and appeal status for the COVID-19 SRD during the 2022/23 financial year.

TABLE 4 TOTAL NUMBER OF YOUNG ADULTS WHO AGED OUT OF THE CHILD SUPPORT GRANT AND WERE DECLINED FOR COVID-19 SRD
Province	Female	Male	Grand Total
EC	4,715	3,563	8,278
FS	1,563	1,273	2,836
GP	7,969	5,503	13,472
KZN	8,052	6,918	14,970
LIM	6,705	5,144	11,849
MP	4,431	3,634	8,065
NC	833	624	1,457
NW	2,105	1,655	3,760
WC	4,041	2,586	6,627
Grand Total	40,414	30,900	71,314

a(iv) Table 5 portrays the number of young adults who aged out of the CSG, appealed after being declined for COVID-19 SRD during the 2022/23 financial year and their appeals are still pending.

 

TABLE: 5 TOTAL NUMBER OF YOUNG ADULTS WHO AGED OUT OF THE CHILD SUPPORT GRANT AND ARE PENDING APPEAL FOR COVID-19 SRD
Province	Female	Male	Grand Total
EC	722	411	1,133
FS	264	190	454
GP	1,301	890	2,191
KZN	1,168	841	2,009
LIM	1,284	1,019	2,303
MP	851	677	1,528
NC	77	77	154
NW	358	261	619
WC	497	264	761
Grand Total	6,522	4,630	11,152

(b)(i) Due to the vastly different criteria between the COVID-19 SRD and the CSG, there is no direct link between the two provisions. Thus, a new application needs to be taken for the COVID-19 SRD following the lapsing of the CSG. However, the provision, is one of the easiest to apply for.

The Department and SASSA continue to engage in media campaigns from time-to-time to inform beneficiaries and the public about the application processes including eligibility requirements to promote the provision.

Reply:

Department of Public Enterprises

(aa) PROCUREMENT ALLOCATION FOR PUBLIC ENTERPRISES 2021-2022

CATEGORY OF BUSINESSES	TOTAL RFQ AND BIDS	ALLOCATION NUMBER	ALLOCATION PERCENTAGE
(i) SMME’s/EME	60	55	91.67
(ii) Cooperatives	0	0	0
(iii) Township Enterprises	0	0	0
(iv) Rural Enterprises	0	0	0

(bb) PROCUREMENT ALLOCATION FOR PUBLIC ENTERPRISES SINCE 1 APRIL 2023

CATEGORY OF BUSINESSES	TOTAL RFQ AND BIDS	ALLOCATION NUMBER	ALLOCATION PERCENTAGE
(i) SMME’s/EME	3	3	100
(ii) Cooperatives	0	0	0
(iii) Township Enterprises	0	0	0
(iv) Rural Enterprises	0	0	0

 

According to the information received from all SOCs

(b) - (i – iv). SOCs are currently reporting Specifically on activities relating to Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment and development of Small- Medium- and Micro-Enterprises. Although SOCs may have supported cooperatives, township enterprises and rural enterprises such as in the case of Safcol that has supported close to 30 cooperatives, 24 township enterprises and 63 rural enterprises the information on % spend is not available due to SOC systems only capturing Exempted Micro-Enterprises and Qualifying Small Enterprises.

Tables 1 and 2 provide a detail procurement spend related to transformation.

Table 1: 2021-22 SOCs measured procurement and transformation spend.

% Allocated	Alexkor	Denel	Eskom	SAA	Safcol	Transnet	Total	Total on transformational initiatives
Total Measured Procurement Spend	-	R636m	R177bn	-	R575m	R23bn	R201bn	R129bn
Small- Medium- and Micro-Enterprises	-	20%	30%	0.3%	-	28%	R59bn	64%
Qualifying Small Enterprises (QSE)	-	6%	15%	-	10%	10%	R24bn
Exempted Micro-Enterprises (EME)	-	2%	15%	-	15%	18%	R25bn
Black Youth Owned	-	2%	2%	0.3%	11%	6%	R1bn
Black People with Disabilities (BPD)	-	1%	1%	-	2%	0.3%	R341m
Black-owned enterprises (BOE)	-	15%	3%	0.6%	68%	43%	R10bn
Black women owned (BWO)	-	8%	9%	0.5%	27%	25%	R6bn
Cooperatives	-	-	-	-	-	-
Township Enterprises	-	-	-	-	-	18%	R4bn
Rural Enterprises	-	-	-	0	-

 

The above table provides an indication of the Total Measured Procurement Spend per SOC with the percentage of total procurement on each transformation initiatives. For the Financial year 2021/22 SOCs within the Department portfolio reported a total spent of R129 Billion on Transformation initiatives. Of the R129 Billion, 45% was on procurement from SMMEs, 18% on Qualifying Small Enterprises (QSE), 19% on Exempted Micro-Enterprises (EME), 8% on Black women owned (BOE), 5% on Black women owned (BWO), 1% on Youth owned Enterprises and Black People with Disabilities (BPD), while spent on Rural and Township Enterprises was 3%.

Table 2: 2022-23 SOCs measured procurement and transformation spend.

% Allocated	Alexkor	Denel	Eskom	SAA	Safcol	Transnet	Total	Total on transformational initiatives
Total Measured Procurement Spend	-	R889m	R206bn	R1.0 bn	R644m	R30bn	R239bn	R191bn
Small- Medium- and Micro-Enterprises	-	36%	30%	0.6%	-	31%	R70bn	80%
Qualifying Small Enterprises	-	-	15%	0.1%	22%	13%	R31bn
Exempted Micro-Enterprises	-	-	15%	0.1%	50%	18%	R30bn
Black Youth Owned (BYO)	-	3%	2%	0.2%	10%	8%	R6bn
Black People with Disabilities (BPD)	-	0.8%	1%	0	1%	0.2%	R2bn
Black-owned enterprises	-	33%	16%	0.3%	71%	43%	R35bn
Black women owned (BWO)	-	15%	7%	0.2%	29%	34%	R17bn
Cooperatives	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Township Enterprises	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Rural Enterprises	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

The above table provides an indication of the Total Measured Procurement Spend per SOC with the percentage of total procurement on each transformation initiatives for the financial year 2022/23.

For the 2022/23 financial year SOCs within the Department portfolio reported a total measurable procurement spent of R239 Billion. Of the R239 Billion, R191 Billion was spent on Transformation initiatives. Of the R191 Billion, 37% was on procurement from SMMEs, 17% on Qualifying Small Enterprises (QSE), 16% on Exempted Micro-Enterprises (EME), 18% on Black-owned enterprises (BOE), 8% on Black women owned (BWO), 3% on Youth owned Enterprises and Black People with Disabilities (BPD), while spent on Rural and Township Enterprises was not reported.

(aa) and (bb). The set-aside policy has been discontinued by the National Treasury as from 16 January 2023 following a legal challenge. It is, thus, no longer applicable. The new Public Procurement Bill will seek to address this policy gap.

Remarks: Approved / Not Approved

Jacky Molisane PJ Gordhan, MP

Acting Director-General Minister

Date: Date:

Reply:

The Department of Social Development (DSD) in partnership with the Department of Health and Basic Education implements the Integrated School Health Programme (ISHP) and this programme advocates for an integrated multi-sectoral approach in addressing teenage pregnancy.

As part of the implementation of ISHP DSD provides social behaviour and change programmes to build the capacity of young people through life skills, teaching sexual and reproductive health, empowering young people to make right choices and lifelong decisions about their lives, preventing risky behaviours that would lead to teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections and teenage pregnancy. DSD also provides Community Based Prevention and Early Intervention Programme (RISIHA) to vulnerable children, moving these children from vulnerability to resilience. These programmes are part of the 365 days child protection programme of action. The departmental approach is to focus on prevention measures but also empowerment of a family as a primary institution to socialise its members on values and morals. The department is therefore also implementing parenting programmes in this regard.

Currently, DSD is conducting a Diagnostic Evaluation to Understand Government’s Response to Teenage Pregnancy. The purpose of the study is to assess the relevance and responsiveness of government interventions (both programmes and services) in addressing the direct determinants of teenage pregnancies, as well as the budgeting and costing elements. In addition, the study will provide empirical evidence on the different interventions, legislation, policies and guidelines to manage teenage pregnancy. The study will draw on a variety of evidence types (mixed methods) which includes quantitative and qualitative data.

The evaluation will be conducted in five (5) provinces namely: Gauteng, Northern Cape, KwaZulu Natal, Western Cape and Limpopo. The Steering Committee for the study will include officials from Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disability, Department of Health, Department of Basic Education, Development Partners (UNICEF and UNFPA) and stakeholders from Civil Society Organisations.

Benefits of study

Through the study the DSD and stakeholders will:

• Provide empirical evidence-based solutions for decision making, accountability and learning;

• Engage with a number of stakeholders including government from all three spheres of government, developmental partners and civil society;

• Understand the “As Is” Situation on Teenage Pregnancy;

• Identify common and unique teenage pregnancy programmes implemented across government;

• Conduct mapping exercise on available evidence on teenage pregnancy; and

• The findings and recommendations will be utilised to develop an Improvement plan to enhance services and policy areas with a number of stakeholders.

Reply:

Cell phone coverage in South Africa is one of the highest in the world, and smart phone coverage is estimated to be above 80%. Furthermore, the demographic for the COVID-19 SRD are working age people, who are actively seeking for employment, of which a cell phone is a key tool for such.

SASSA has also zero rated its application portal. Therefore, anyone can access it, even if they do not have data.

Lastly, application can be lodged on any person’s device (it does not need to be the applicant’s own device). It is estimated that there are more than 22 million people with smartphones in South Africa. Compared to approximately 400 local office where physical grant application can be lodged. It is easier to access a smartphone from a family member, friend or neighbour than a local office.

SASSA is however, considering installing kiosks at local offices in future, where applicants may also lodge an application.

Reply:

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

The Sterkwater WWTW was operational even though there were some issues owing to poor maintenance of the plant. In July 2022 it was discovered that the WWTW is in a dilapidated state. DWS then conducted detailed investigations and found that theft of electrical cables has rendered the core process units of the WWTW non-operational. Following this initial investigation, a non-compliance letter dated 03 October 2022 was issued to the municipality. The Municipality did not respond to the non-compliance letter with an action plan to address the problems.

DWS conducted routine inspections at the WWTW again in January 2023, which found that the WWTW was still non-operational and the sewage from the inlet works was being diverted to the stormwater channel. DWS sent follow up correspondence in March 2023 regarding the poor conditions of the Sterkwater WWTW.

The DWS will proceed with administrative enforcement, thereby issuing a Notice for intention to issue a directive in June 2023, following the Mangaung Municipality’s failure to respond to the non-compliance letters issued. Although the municipality has not responded officially in writing to DWS letters, municipal officials indicated that Mangaung received a Special Grant from National Treasury to address the Sterkwater WWTW challenges, and the following measures are in place to restore its functionality:

• The municipality has stripped the electric motors and other electric and mechanical equipment that need repairs to determine the work to be done for restoration of the equipment.
• Electric cables have been ordered.
• The security company has been appointed to render armed response to protect the new cables to be installed.
• The plant should be running in the next three months.

 

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Reply:

PRASA is currently offering commuter rail services in four regions namely KZN, Gauteng, Western Cape and Eastern Cape in the following lines:

• KZN: Durban – Umlazi, Durban – Kwamashu, Durban – Tongaat, Durban – Catoridge;
• Eastern Cape: East London to Berlin;
• Gauteng: Pretoria – Pienaarspoort, Pretoria – Saulsville, De Wildt – Hercules, Pretoria – Mabopane, Pretoria – Centurion, Johannesburg – Naledi and Vereeniging – Germiston;
• Western Cape: Cape Town – Simonstown, Cape Town – Retreat, Cape Town – Bellville (via Goodwood and Monte Vista), Cape Town – Wellington, Cape Town – Malmesbury, Bellville – Eersterivier, Cape Town – Langa (via Mutual and Pinelands) and Cape Town – Bellville (via Sarepta).

PRASA has also targeted to refurbish infrastructure on the following lines with the intention to restore passenger rail services in the 2023/2024 FY:

• KZN: Crossmore-Durban, Durban-Stanger, Pinetown-Durban, Wests-Durban.
• Eastern Cape: Port Elizabeth-Uitenhage.
• Gauteng: Daveyton-Dunswart-Germiston, Vereeninging-George Goch (via Midway), Kwesine-Germiston, Springs-Johannesburg, Randfontein-Johannesburg, Nigel-Springs, Johannesburg-Oberholzer, Germiston-New Canada (Booysen), Mabopane-Pienaarspoort (via Capital Park).
• Western Cape: Cape Town-Khayelitsha, Cape Town-Kapteinsklip, Cape Town-Kraaifontein, Cape Town-Worcester, Eerste Rivier-Muldersvlei.

Reply:

Between November 2022 to February 2023 and in February and March 2023 Eastern Cape Province was again hit hard by torrential rains with OR Tambo District hit by both two events, resulting in severe damages to roads infrastructure. Damages includes roads surface wash-away, bridges including approaches, stormwater drainage blockages with debris and logs, and serious mudslides rendering roads unusable.

a). For the 6 District, about 6023 km of roads plus 77 bridges of damages were recorded. Due to limited resources to deal with most of the provincial roads affected, the Department resolved to restore trafficability by blading most roads and regravelling critical areas in severely damaged roads. In recent months persistent rains in the province affected the repair work and to date about 23 kilometers of roads and 7 bridges has been repaired, and work is still underway to repair most of the roads including 3 bridges due for completion soon.

b). For national roads floods damages were experienced on road works and bridges notably in the Port St Johns and King Dalinyebo Sabata (KSD) local municipalities during the March 2023 floods.

Temporary deviations/bypasses were constructed at 100% of locations to provide access to facilities and dwellings on the other side of the road slope failures and damaged bridge approaches. Emergency procurement processes are underway, and it is expected to have contractors on site for permanent repairs in June 2023.

Reply:

The matter was referred to the Free State Department of Community Safety, Roads and Transport, since this road falls under their area of jurisdiction, who have indicated that:

a) Delays were experienced for immediate repairs due a lack of resources

b) The planned intervention is the inclusion of the road on the Departmental Business Plan over the 2023/24 MTEF. Specifications have already been drafted and will be presented to relevant structures by end of May 2023, in an effort to kick-start the process of advertising for a contractor to fix and repair the two separate roads: i.e. Senekal – Rosendal and Rosendal – Ficksburg.

Reply:

The matter was referred to Free State Department of Community Safety, Roads and Transport, since this road falls under their area of jurisdiction and have indicated that roads in the Province are prioritized based on the outcome of optimal resource allocation. For that purpose, procurement processes have already commenced for parts of this request.

a) The province would like to address the concerns regarding the maintenance backlog on the Verkeerdevlei to Thaba Nchu (N8-N1) road. We understand the importance of maintaining our roads to ensure safe and efficient travel for all citizens.

The province acknowledges the potholes on this section of the road, as it forms part of the provincial departmental Potholes Repair Programme under Provincial Road Maintenance Grant (PRMG) funds. The Motheo region has a weekly target of pothole patching in line with the Departmental Annual Performance Plans (APPs). This is aimed at ensuring the road is safe for road users at all time, while the Department is planning to perform rehabilitation for the entire road later in the year because it has reached its life span.

b) The advert for the section between Excelsior and Tweespruit closed in 31 January 2023 and is currently undergoing evaluation with an allocated budget of R25 million for the 2023/24 financial year and a provisional R45 million for the 2024/25 financial year. The budget will be adjusted based on bids received and approved. The anticipation date appointment of a contractor is expected by end of June 2023.

The province assures that the Verkeerdevlei to Thaba Nchu road is not forgotten, and it will be prioritized in the next financial year. The province is aware of the urgency of the situation will work diligently to address the maintenance backlog on this road.

Reply:

a) The Department is aware of the water supply interruptions in Rustenburg Local Municipality. Seven urgent notices were issued by the municipality on between February and May 2023 informing consumers of the expected water shortages owing to load shedding and routine maintenance which resulted in Water Treatment Plants not operating optimally and water supply interruptions. The municipality had reported a 40% reduction at the Vaalkop system which has since recovered and is back at 100% supply. However, the Bospoort system is still operating at an average of 85-90% supply.

The supply of treated effluent from the Rustenburg Wastewater Treatment Works to Anglo American and Impala Platinum mines was authorised in the water use authorisations for the mines as a way of promoting the re-use of grey water. At no point is the treated effluent pumped to any water supply reservoirs.

b) The municipality began implementing a Water Demand Management Strategy in October 2022 as a mitigation measure. Based on the strategy, water supply is isolated and rotated to specific areas at a time and a schedule has been issued detailing the supply times for different areas.

The municipality has requested Eskom to exempt the Bospoort Water Treatment Works (WTW) from load shedding to mitigate water supply challenges, the request was approved for Stage 2 loadshedding.

In addition, a back-up generator has been leased by the municipality as a preliminary measure. The municipality has indicated that the long-term plan is to solution to water supply interruptions caused by loadshedding to isolate the transformer supplying electricity to the Bospoort WTW to exempt the plant from loadshedding.

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Reply:

For the 2023/24 financial the following lines will be opened.

• Leralla to Germiston
• Centurion to Kaalfontein
• Durban to Kwamashu/Bridge City
• Durban to Winkelspruit
• Germiston to Johannesburg
• Durban to Crossmoor
• Belle Ombre to Hercules to Capital Park
• Germiston to Kwesine
• Durban to Pinetown
• Johannesburg to Randfontein
• Johannesburg to Residensia
• Nyanga to Chris Hani
• Nyanga to Kapteinsklip
• Eerste River to Strand
• Eerste River to Muldersvlei

For the 2024/25 financial the following lines will be opened in the first quarter.

• Germiston to Daveyton
• Dunswart to Springs

Reply:

The Eastern Cape Department of Transport (ECDoT) is aware of the difficulty children in rural areas face when rivers are full and river crossings become impassable.

The National Department of Public Works & Infrastructure (DPWI) through BFI have secured funds with the purpose of constructing Welisizwe bridges aim at ensuring that access to schools, clinics, police stations are safe.

To this end the DPWI and ECDoT have entered into a memorandum of agreement for Welisizwe Bridges programme SIP No. 25. The following Departments are also involved in the rollout of this program:

• Department of Defence
• Department of Transport
• Department of Cooperative Governance & Traditional Affairs

The ECDoT after the recent floods have identified 49 bridges that will be constructed over the MTEF period. The following table confirms that:

MTEF Targets
2023/24	2024/25	2025/26
17	16	16

Reply:

As the honourable member may be aware, most of the South African road network has reached their twenty (20) years design life with the maintenance backlog estimated to be R197 billion. It is also important to note that insufficient budget for roads at both provincial and municipal levels continue to hinder the sector hence most of these roads are riddled with potholes.

Following Cabinet retreat of 31 May to 1 June 2022, whereby SANRAL was appointed as the implementing agent for the programme to support the Roads authorities with skills capacity and use of the maintenance technologies already available at SANRAL. All provinces developed and presented their respective plans on the six months rollout till end of 2022/23 financial year.

The programme “Operation Vala Zonke” rollout was then launched on 08 August 2022 in Gauteng with all other eight (8) provinces simultaneously launching their rollout programmes.

The rollout plan has both the short and long-term interventions that is presented to the National Treasury for funding support which includes amongst others.

1. Substantial budget increase to Provincial Road Maintenance Grant (PRMG) to be ringfenced for national intervention to allow SANRAL direct intervention where authorities fail to discharge their mandates.
2. Department issuing practice notes for provinces to sign MoA’s with municipalities for future collaboration and assistance of skills capacity to utilise the pothole reporting app.
3. Support for provinces and municipalities in uploading the roads data in the SANRAL Integrated Transport Information System.
4. SANRAL to remain central in coordinating all pothole fixing programme with both provinces and municipalities jointly working together.

The Department is in the process of establishing the “Operation Vala Zonke War Room” whereby all matters relating to pothole information will be centrally coordinated.

Following my meeting with His excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa in May 2023, I will be meeting with all the nine Premiers with effect from the 5th of June 2023 to address amongst others, challenges facing the province’s financial, technological and human resource capacity and also agree on how the rollout can be strengthened.

Reply:

1. The Department of Transport has developed a High-Speed Rail (HSR) Framework following the adoption of the National Rail Policy by Cabinet on 23 March 2022. Drawing its policy direction from the National Rail Policy, the HSR Framework provides the foundation for the prioritisation of HSR corridors in the country. The Framework identifies the objectives of HSR and the criteria to be used in prioritising and ranking potential HSR corridors in the country. Following approval of the HSR Framework by Cabinet and the securing of the required funding, feasibility studies will be conducted on prioritised HSR corridors.

2. See response in (1) above.

Reply:

a) The Department of Transport has developed a High Speed Rail (HSR) Framework following the adoption of the White Paper on National Rail Policy by Cabinet on 23 March 2022. Drawing its policy direction from the National Rail Policy, the draft HSR Framework provides the foundation for the prioritisation of HSR corridors in the country. Following approval of the draft HSR Framework by Cabinet and the securing of the required funding, feasibility studies will be undertaken on prioritised HSR corridors. The outcome of feasibility studies on priority corridors will determine the estimated cost of implementing HSR on a specific priority corridor.

b) See response in (a).

Reply:

The sixth administration of the ANC led government identified the turnaround of the RAF as one of its priorities. At the core of this turnaround is claimant centricity and expeditious finalisation of claims. There was a backlog of more than 300 000 claims (including supplier claims).

The target is to settle claims within 120 days as per the legislative mandate. This is against a background where claims took an average of 5 years to settle.

The RAF embarked on a project to settle old claims that were older than 3 years. An audit then indicated that 93% of all these claims were not compliant with the minimum requirements; i.e., the forms were not filled with “all particulars” as envisaged in Section 24 (4) of the RAF Act.

The claims were deemed to be valid in terms of Section 24(5) of the RAF Act which deems claims valid “in law in all respects” as the RAF did not object within 60 days of receiving the claim.

The former Minister of Transport, Minister Mbalula gazetted the Minimum requirements and the RAF has amended the RAF Form 1 to include all these changes.

A pre–assessment process has been implemented at various regional offices and most of these non–complaint claims are rejected immediately on lodgement in line with Section 24(4) of the RAF Act.

All RAF claims are now paid within 180 days after settlement in line with the court order granted by the North Gauteng High Court.

The challenge continues to be in represented claims, where attorneys receive monies and do not pay over to the claimants and Section 19(c) of the RAF Act which makes direct claims unlawful if RAF initiates the claim on behalf of the claimant.

Organisational structure review and process re-engineering

A new Operating Model was introduced with re-engineered claims processes focusing on simplifying the processing of valid claims to improve processing turnaround times.

In order to ensure that the correct claimants are paid timeously, the RAF moved from outsourcing of actuarial services to calculate the quatum of the claims, and accident investigators as it was costly and time consuming and appointed permanent employees for the investigation and assessment of claims to be managed in a shorter period and in a mre cost effective manner.

The claims administration units focus on matters capable of settlement by engaging with the claimants and/or their representatives to settle these matters before they are taken to court.

Furthermore, the RAF has also strengthened and improved controls linked to payments, with various validations, including the utilisation of the Home Affairs National Identification System (HANIS), are undertaken to verify and confirm the identity and mortality of claimants and dependants. Bank information is externally validated to ensure payments are made into the correct bank account. The RAF also checks tax compliance and any contingency fee agreement's validity before payment.

Reply:

Yes. My Department has through the years taken several steps to (a) work with the SA Police Service to identify and/or apprehend individuals and/or syndicates responsible for the massive corruption at Driving Licence Testing Centers (DLTCs). The South African Police Service (SAPS) is a member of all the Department’s national legislation forums, where procedures and legislation are tabled to combat crime not only in the areas of DLTCs but in the road traffic environment as a whole.

Further to that, my Department is also a member of the National and Provincial Vehicle Crime Forums of the SAPS. In addition, my Department’s Directorate Compliance works closely with the SAPS and provides inputs and supplies evidence and expert witness statements in major SAPS operations if and when requested.

Both my Department and the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), a Corporation of my Department, are therefore actively pursuing investigations into allegations of irregularities and bringing such cases with supporting evidence to the attention of the SAPS. Several such investigations are ongoing throughout the country. The RTMC reported that the National Traffic Anti-Corruption Unit investigated 247 cases of fraud and corruption in the past financial year and made 96 arrests in collaboration with the South African Police Services.

The Inspectorate for Driving Licence Testing Centres is appointed by the Minister. The purpose of this Inspectorate is to ensure that testing centres comply with the legislative requirements and non-compliance is reported to the Provincial Departments to act upon to, amongst others reduce crime.

The Department is also engaging with the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) to establish a link between the National Traffic Information System (NaTIS) and DHA systems to further secure the environment by ensuring that we only transact with citizens or people who are legally in the country. Biometric verification is used to authenticate users on login. The biometric verification is currently deployed in the Smart Enrolment Units and will be deployed for the revised Computerised Learner’s Licence Testing (CLLT) within this financial year. The functionality will be extended to high-risk transactions when the applicant must be present.

The Online booking system is currently used at all DLTCs in Gauteng and 2 Metropolitan Municipalities in Eastern Cape to address collusion and fraudulent practices with bookings for tests. The solution is being rolled out in Free State.

Also with regards to part (b) my Department is working closely with DLCA to deal with the current backlog on processing licences;

The current backlog is however not a result of irregular activity at the DLTCs but as a result of maintenance on the card production machine that is taking longer than expected. The card production machine has been in operation since 1998 thus it’s obsolete and thus prone to constant breakdown. These breakdowns result in driving licence backlogs which the Department has been able to address once the machine is repaired and is in operation. A permanent solution to the problem is the replacement of this old machine with a new modern one, this is underway as part of the rolling out of the new driving licence card which was approved by Cabinet in August 2022.

Reply:

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) currently has numerous interventions being implemented across the various municipalities within the Mpumalanga Province. The table below provides information in interventions for the municipalities including Emalahleni Local Municipality, Emakhazeni Local Municipality, Dr J S Moroka Local Municipality, Victor Khanye Local Municipality, Lekwa Local Municipality, Dipaliseng Local Municipality, and the Steve Tshwete Local Municipality.

	Local Municipality	Intervention	Objective	Anticipated date of completion
a	Emalahleni	DWS has Infrastructure Development Management (IDM) relating to Water Conservation Demand Management (WCDM)	Water Conservation and Demand Management	Ongoing
b	Emakhazeni	DWS provided financial assistance for the construction of sewer outfall, upgrading and refurbishment of Madala Sewer Main Line and Emgwenya WasteWater Treatment Works	To improve the quality of treated effluent discharged into the water resource (Inkomati catchment for Mngwenya & Olifants catchment for Belfast) and prevent the associated environmental pollution.	Two projects are expected to be completed on 31 July 2023
c	Dr J S Moroka	DWS has Infrastructure Development Management (IDM) relates to Water Conservation Demand Management (WCDM) not water quality	Water Conservation and Demand Management	Ongoing
d	Victor Khanye	Upgrading of the Delmas Wastewater Treatment Works from 4.5ML/d to 12ML/d	To improve the quality of treated effluent discharged into the water resource (Olifants catchment) to prevent the associated environmental pollution	13 May 2024
e	Lekwa	Various projects relating to management of effluent in areas including Rooikopen, Sakhile and Standerton town	Eliminating sewer spillages within households. Project entails replacement of sewer reticulation network, refurbishment / upgrading of pump stations, unblocking of sewer lines and repairs of water reticulation including water conservation and demand management.	June 2024
f	Dipaliseng	Upgrading of Balfour WTW’s from 6.5ML/d to 19.5ML/d Construction of bulk pipeline from Fortuna to Grooitvlei including storage facilities	To supplement water supply to Balfour, Siyathemba, Grooitvlei / Nthorwane and Greylingstad.	Upgrading of WTW’s is due for completion in August 2023. Bulk pipeline due to be completed in March 2024.
g	Steve Tshwete	Assisting the municipality to refurbish and upgrade the Vaalbank Water Treatment Works which supplies water to Middelburg and Mhluzi areas	To improve process performance and reduction of sulphate to ensure acceptable drinking water quality.	December 2023

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Reply:

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) engaged the Thembisile Local Municipality and they confirmed that the pipeline supplying Zakheni village was damaged by the floods for a period of three (3) to four (4) months which affected water supply. The status is reported as follows:

• The contractor was appointed, and repairs to the damaged pipeline were completed on 30 April 2023.
• Water has been restored in the area and is supplied on rationing scheduling.
• Other areas still receive water through the water tanks to augment the unconnected or unserved areas.
• The municipality is building a new reticulation pipeline.

• The long-term water supply plans for the area are as follows:The Thembisile Hani Local Municipality is supplied by Rand Water and the City of Tshwane based on agreed contracts as it does not have a dedicated water source to supply water to the residents of the municipality. The water supply contracts with Tshwane and Rand Water are under review to increase the current water supply.
• The community of KwaMhlanga and Zakheni will also benefit from the Loskop Bulk water supply scheme once it is completed. The anticipated completion of the project is planned for November 2024.

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Reply:

The following lines in Cape Town are projected to be operational during the 2023/24 financial year, as follows:

• Nyanga to Chris Hani – 30 November 2023
• Nyanga to Kapteinsklip – 30 November 2023
• Eerste River to Strand – 30 August 2023
• Eerste River to Muldersvlei – 31 August 2023

Reply:

I am advised as follows:

The Small Enterprise Finance Agency (sefa) takes fraud and corruption seriously. There are various mechanisms and strategies developed by (sefa) to inwardly address potential risk of fraudulent activities. One of these is the anti-fraud hotline at sefa with contact number 0800 000 663. Instances where corruption and fraud has been reported Sefa has instituted investigations and will act on the recommendations where our officials might have been involved.

Reply:

1. The department acknowledges the impact of load shedding across country which has led to some SMMEs closing down their operations while others decline in performance. The Small Enterprise Agency (sefa) conducted a dipstick survey on SMME’s it has funded to try and understand the impact of loadshedding on their operations. From the results of the survey, there was no client that indicated that they closed their doors permanently due to loadshedding. However, businesses showed that they experienced adverse effect of loadshedding on their businesses. Many clients, especially those in the manufacturing sector indicated that they are losing production while others have lost revenue.

2. The standard procedure followed when designing funding instruments is to conduct research to understand what else is offered in the market for an example, in designing the latest loadshedding relief scheme (Power Purchase Products), offerings from the Department of Trade Industry and Competition (the dtic) – through the National Empowerment Fund (NEF), Department of Mineral

3. Resources (DMRE), Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), and National Treasury were consulted. Furthermore, the relevant industry bodies and/or business formations such as Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) were consulted in order to design products that are needs based. The meetings normally take place virtually, so the recordings of these meetings are kept as evidence of these consultations.

Generally for other instruments the Department does conduct site visits to engage with the affected enterprises for example when the provinces of KwaZulu Natal and Eastern Cape were affected by loadshedding as the Minister together with officials we visited the SMMEs to see and also find out directly from them what kind of support they require for them to recover and get back to operation. Also the Provincial Roadshows which we hosted across the country in the last financial year played a very critical role in relooking at the existing instruments and adjusting them to fit with the needs of small enterprises. The Roadshows reports were recorded and are kept in the Department.

Reply:

I am advised follows:

The Department of Small Business Development (DSBD) has put together a loadshedding relief package called the Power Purchase Product (PPP) to be implemented through its agency Small Enterprise Finance Agency (sefa). The PPP is financial package which aims to assist small and medium enterprises across South Africa who have been severely impacted by loadshedding. The programme will support these enterprises with a blended loan facility of up to R1 million. An amount of R 490 million is allocated inclusive of Seda support to product markets. The blended facility will be utilised for the acquisition of alternative energy sources as well as related working capital.

As part of our medium to long term strategy, a separate request was submitted to the National Treasury to allow non-Banking Financial Institutions such as the Khula Credit Guarantee to participate in the Bounce Back Scheme so that funding support to enterprises can be maximised.

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:

I have been advised as follows:

That the interest rates between the Micro Finance Institutions (MFIs) and their clients are governed by the National Credit Act (NCA). All the Small Enterprise Finance Agency (sefa) funded MFIs charge interest rate that is within the rates prescribed by the NCA. However, both the clients and sefa acknowledge that the current rates are higher than what would be preferable, and sefa and its developmental clients are in the process of developing a sustainable way forward on rates and charges that bears in mind the MFIs’ need to be financially sustainable and the entrepreneurs’ need of finance at the best possible rates.

Reply:

I have been advised as follows:

a) As at 30 April 2023, the total outstanding Spaza Shops Support Programme (SSSP) beneficiaries who had not yet received the additional R7 000 grant were 504 nationally. During the month of May 2023, 426 beneficiaries of SSSP received their additional R7 000, and this has been confirmed with Nedbank. This means that to date only 78 beneficiaries are yet to receive their additional R7000 grant and the process to disburse these funds is underway.

b) Provincial breakdown of SSSP performance

Spaza Shop Support Programme Provincial budget allocation
Province	SPAZAS & General Dealers Per Province	Budget Rands	No . of approvals R3500	No . of approvals R10500	No. of top ups R7000	Amount committed to Spazas (R)	Budget balance (R)
Total EC	3 200	11 222 445	716	44	662	7 602 000	3 620 445
Total FS	1 430	5 015 030	232	107	205	3 370 500	1 644 530
Total GP	5 370	18 832 665	322	375	299	7 157 500	11 675 165
Total KZN	5 000	17 535 070	2473	269	2256	27 272 000	- 9 736 930
Total LP	2 690	9 433 868	1224	121	1125	13 429 500	- 3 995 632
Total MP	2 110	7 399 800	197	71	157	2 534 000	4 865 800
Total NC	840	2 945 892	72	48	70	1 246 000	1 699 892
Total NW	1 840	6 452 906	105	30	88	1 298 500	5 154 406
Total WC	2 470	8 662 325	99	55	74	1 442 000	7 220 325
TOTAL	24 950	87 500 000	5 440	1 120	4 936	65 352 000	22 148 000

It should be noted that the 426 beneficiaries that received the additional R7 000 in May 2023 are yet to be added to sefaLAS (sefa’s loan electronic system). The system periodically runs updates and the updated information should be available by mid-June 2023.

Reply:

The President appointed the Minister in the Presidency responsible for Electricity to focus on the following key priorities:

1. Reduce the severity and frequency of load shedding as a matter of urgency.
2. Oversee all aspects of the electricity crisis response, including the work of the National Energy Crisis Committee and implementation of the Energy Action Plan.
3. Facilitate the coordination of the numerous departments and entities involved in the crisis response, work with the Eskom leadership to turn around the performance of existing power stations, and accelerate the procurement of new generation capacity.

On 24 May 2023, I transferred to the Minister of Electricity all powers and functions contained in Section 34(1) of the Electricity Regulation Act, which were previously entrusted to the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy. I also transferred to the Minister of Electricity relevant powers and functions set out in Section 34(2) of the Electricity Regulation Act to the extent that the powers and functions relate to any purpose set out in Section 34(1).

The Presidency in consultation with National Treasury is in a process of finalising budget allocation to the Ministry in line with the assigned legislative mandate. Furthermore, coordination has been activated through intergovernmental relations to use available resources to respond effectively to the national energy crisis.

Reply:

I have been advised as follows:

1. The Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) is an agency under the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic). The department has not been apprised of Industrial Development Corporation’s motive to move into the SMME wholesale lending.
2. As indicated under (1) above, the motive for the move is not known to DSBD. However, sefa has been delivering on its mandate. To date, since its establishment in April 2012, sefa has disbursed R9.5 billion into the South African economy via the Wholesale Lending channel, supporting 629 971 SMMEs and Co-operatives, who in turn helped create and sustain 767 551 jobs.
3. The DSBD is currently undertaking a process of merging sefa and Co-operative Banks Development Agency (CBDA) into the Small Business Development Agency (Seda). The establishment of the new entity will give effect to a Cabinet decision to enable and provide for integrated government support (both financial and non-financial) to small enterprises, which are defined as including Co-operatives.

Reply:

(a) The total office hours lost in Quarter 4 (Q4) due to:

(i)	Load shedding as collated by Provinces is 6 268.
(ii)	Closure of offices: 1319.
(iii)	Water outages: 278.
(iv)	System downtime: 13 416.
(v)	Health facilities: 202.

(b) The total percentage uptime of the systems was 95%.

(c) The provincial screening committees are going to provide the details of the finalised LRB’s at the end of Quarter 1 of the current financial year.

END

Reply:

I have appointed an independent panel to enquire into the circumstances of the docking of the Russian vessel known as Lady R in Simonstown in December 2022. The enquiry was established because of the seriousness of the allegations, the extent of public interest and the impact of this matter on South Africa’s international relations.

The inquiry has 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.

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 investigation will ensure all aspects of the docking are comprehensively and independently dealt with and 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.

The panel has been given a specific timeframe to finish its work and barring any challenges that could delay its work it is expected that it will finalise its investigation within the specified timeframe and to submit its report to the President after concluding its work.

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:

(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:

(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:

(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) 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:

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:

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:

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:

(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:

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) 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 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:

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:

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.