Questions and Replies

Reply:

(a)(i)(aa) Total received in the last 3 financial years from 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2023 is 28 289.

(b)(i)(aa) Total received from 1 April 2023 to 26 May 2023 is 5 474.

(a&b)(bb) Total combined issued outcomes: 33 763

(a&b)(ii) Countries of application: Nigeria, Pakistan, India, Kenya, Philippines, Egypt, China, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Mexico, Uganda, Congo, Saudi Arabia, Iran.

(a&b)(iii) Average turnaround time: 10 working days.

END

Reply:

The Department, collaborating with the Amatola Water Board, mobilised the operations team from Amatola Water to join the Makhanda team to investigate the reason for the non-functionality of the Waainek Water Treatment Plant. Investigations pointed to the inability of pumps to abstract water from the Howisons Poort Dam to Waainek Water Treatment Works in the western side of Makhanda. Specialist Divers were called in to investigate any blockages on valves on the dam wall and removed some debris that was found. The pump was taken off-site for further testing and found to be functional. Current investigations on the pipeline are ongoing and divers with specialist equipment are again hard at work to investigate and resolve the current water challenges. Furthermore, the following is being done to assist the municipality:

The Department, in consultation with provincial government is mobilising further resources to enable Amatola Water to start with critical emergency work within Makhanda. Amatola Water has already costed the works and its proposal has been submitted to Cogta and Office of the Premier for funding.

As part of its ongoing regulatory activities, the Department also engaged the Makhanda Municipality regarding non-compliance on loading drinking water monitoring data on the Integrated Regulatory Information System (IRIS)

The levels of E.coli levels have since been brought under control and the water supply is being closely monitored. In addition, the boil water notice was issued by the municipality.

Ongoing construction of the James Kleynhans (Phase 2), funded under the Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant (RBIG) to the upgrade the Water Treatment Works from a 10Mℓ/day to a 20Mℓ/day plant which supplies the town. Construction started on 18 January 2023 and the practical completion is planned for 15 December 2023. An additional 10Mℓ/day project to upgrade the existing system will commence by end of June 2023.

It should be noted that the Moeggesukkel community mentioned in the question could not be located nor is it known by the Makhanda Municipality, however reported leaks in the municipality are being addressed as an ongoing activity.

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Reply:

We currently have visa waiver agreements with 35 countries in the African continent including 16 SADC countries. The eVisa system has been rolled to 17 countries within Africa. They are Algeria, Comoros, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, Egypt, Cameroon, DRC, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda. This implementation is encouraging and supporting the movement in and out of SA and also boost tourism.

Further, South Africa is participating in the pilot for the SADC UNIVISA project. UNIVISA Legal Experts will be meeting from 8 – 9 June 2023 and the Department of Home Affairs will also be participating to consider the feasibility, modalities of this initiative.

The above is an indication of the department’s support and commitment towards attaining the goal of harmonising the visa regime across the African continent to make it easier for tourists to move from one country to another.

END

Reply:

1(a) 15 Mobile Solution Trucks are deployed in the Eastern Cape Province.

1(b) Region 1: O.R. Tambo and Alfred Nzo District: = 6

Region 2: Buffalo City Metro and Amathole District: =4

Region 3: Nelson Mandela Bay Metro and Sarah Baartman District: =2

Region 4: Chris Hani and Joe Qgabi District: =3

(1)(c) The Timely drawn Monthly Itineraries by local offices direct the Mobile Solution Trucks to areas envisaged by the communities to spend a day in each, or may have to return to the area, following an incidental breakdown of the network that would have led to being unable to provide the required service.

(2)(a&b) The Wesbank Transversal Account registered for Government under RT46 appoints Merchants to conduct repairs, as per footprint nationwide.

END

Reply:

(a)(b)(i)(ii)(aa)(bb)(iii) The Immigration Act, No. 13 of 2002 does not make provision for a nomad visa. As a result, there were no nomad visa applications rejected by the Department for the periods mentioned above.

END

Reply:

(a)(b)(i)(ii)(aa)(bb)(iii) The Immigration Act, No. 13 of 2002 does not make provision for a nomad visa. As a result, there were no nomad visas issued by the Department for the periods mentioned above.

END

Reply:

1. (a) In May 2022, the Minister issued a directive to Amatola Water in terms of Section 41 (1) and Section 63 (1) of the Water Services Act, to urgently intervene and address water shortages in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro Municipality (NMBMM) owing to the ongoing drought. The required scope of work for the intervention was to address the following:

• Governance of the water services function within Nelson Mandela Bay Metro Municipality.
• Represent the Minister in terms of Section 73 in fulfilling the Water Services Authority function for the duration of the Section 63 intervention.

• Assisting the municipality with the implementation of the Drought Alleviation Action Plan towards prevention of a “Dry Tap” scenario (especially in the western part of the Metro), through, amongst others: implementing and enforcing water restrictions; implementing a drought awareness communication plan; providing assistance with the water conservation and demand management strategy.

b) The outcomes of the intervention include:

• Accelerating the move of the Impofu barge which stretched available water on the Kromme system from 16 days to 375 days
• Working with the provincial Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) to ensure restrictions are developed and are reasonable while ensuring that the local dams are given the maximum opportunity to recover
• Furthering work towards transforming the water and sanitation business into a resilient professional and reliable service entity
• An improved drought communication strategy was rolled out in collaboration with NMBMM and Mandela Bay Development Agency
• Facilitating work done by non-governmental Organisations and private sector stakeholders like Coca-Cola Beverages SA on drilling boreholes at municipal owned properties around the municipality
• Eliminating the backlog of leaks in July 2022, and immediately attending to new ones
• Encouraging private sector support, such as the Business Chamber leak repairs and the Strategic Water Partnership Network Memorandum of Understanding
• Creating enabling conditions to accelerate municipal processes
• Supporting the downward trend of water demand
• Supporting water augmentation projects.
• Finalising the capacitation of key positions in the technical team

The Amatola Water Board's approach has been collaborative and initiating a partnership with the NMBM to identify and unblock challenges.  The experts have been using their experience and skills to amongst others; advice; share best practices; anticipate challenges and propose common solutions. Close collaboration with the Political Oversight Committee; City officials and organized business has contributed a great deal in moving Day Zero much further from becoming a reality.

2. a) Please refer to the response above in question 1 (b).

b) The total expenditure that was incurred by the Board in relation to the NMBMM water crisis is as follows:

Financial Year 2022	R305 338. 58
Financial Year 2023	R282 550. 74
Travel costs	R112 409. 78
Total costs:	R700 409. 10

3. The Department did not instruct any independent auditor and/or monitoring group to oversee the expenditure of Amatola Water Board. Board members are paid based on the DWS Policy on Board Practices and the remuneration of board members of entities reporting to the Minister of Water and Sanitation. According to this policy, Board Members are remunerated on an hourly rate basis for meetings attended. The maximum number of hours that may be remunerated per month for the Chairperson of the Board is 50 hours and Board Members is 40 hours. Any additional hours to be remunerated such as may arise in extraordinary circumstances, should be approved by the Minister prior.

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Reply:

Attempts were made to invite the applicant for the 9 and 10 May 2023 Late Registration of Birth (LRB) Committee sittings in Temba Local Office. However, his number went to voicemail. Contact was later made with the applicant through other means and the date of 15 June 2023 is scheduled to finalise the application. The applicant has committed his availability to attend on the said date.

END

Reply:

In August 2022, the Minister established a Regulatory Commission comprising of eleven (11) Commissioners who, as a collective panel of experts, possess various sets of economics, financial, social and technical qualifications and experience. The Commission was established in terms of Section 99 of the National Water Act and serves as the Minister’s advisors and provides a level of autonomy in improving the transparency and predictability in regulatory decision making.

The Minister is of the view that this regulatory model needs to be given a chance. Therefore, the required legislative provisions were made in the revised draft National Water Act to empower this Commission.

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Reply:

a) The department’s footprint is not adequate for the population of our country and I have taken a decision to move away from focusing on static bricks and mortar only offices but to increase the footprint of mobile offices that will go to the people instead of people going to the offices and I have personally led many outreach programmes to rural communities in Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga and Limpopo.

(b)(i) The department will be adding an additional 100 mobile units in the 2023/24 financial year to increase its mobile fleet to 227 units. This increase will ensure that under-served rural areas receive regular visits and quicker turnaround time in receiving their documents.

(b)(ii) The additional 100 units are expected in the fourth quarter of the current financial year.

END

Reply:

(a)(i) A total number of 1200 illegal foreigners were arrested during business inspections conducted in 2022/23

(a)(ii) A total number of 22436 illegal foreigners were deported during the financial year 2022/23

(a)(iii) Total amount of R215 500 in lieu of fines were issued to employers for employing illegal foreigners

(b) The sectors are as follows:

 

• Farms
• Retail stores / Wholesalers
• Freight & Logistics companies
• Mining industry
• Hair Salons
• Supermarkets/ Tuckshops
• Security
• Construction companies
• Religious Establishments
• Educational Establishments
• Massage Spas

END

Reply:

I have approved a waiver of visa requirements for diplomatic and official/service passport holders for Palestinian nationals. The drafting and finalisation of the Visa Waiver Agreement with the Palestinian Authority is at an advanced stage and I will make an announcement in due course.

As far as Palestinian ordinary passport holders are concerned, the Department intends to finalise waiver of visa requirements for this category by the end of June 2023.

END

Reply:

(1&2) Yes, customs duties were performed in the presence of members of the South African Police Service and officials of the Border Management Authority (BMA).

END

Reply:

The Minister of Home Affairs had at no stage given Mr Oscar Mabuyane, “the right to establish an international port of entry in an unused former homeland airport in Bisho”

Upon receipt of the request/application, the Minister acted in terms of section 9A of the Immigration Act 13 of 2002 to designate Bulembu Airport in (Bhisho) as a port of entry and exit.

The Minister took steps to comply with regulation 8 of the Immigration Act.

END

Reply:

Yes, all entry requirements were complied with – no exemptions were approved.

END

Reply:

Department of Home Affairs and Border Management Authority

a) No, the Department has not set aside any specific percentages of its procurement allocation to (i) Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs), (ii) cooperatives, (iii) township enterprises or (iv) rural enterprises in the (aa) 2021/22 financial year and (bb) since 1 April 2023. When issuing bids, the Department targets Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) Level 1 entities, Emerging Medium Enterprises (EME) or Qualifying Small Enterprises (QSE), 100% Black-owned entities with a preference for Black youth, Black women, or Black people with disability.

b) No, the Border Management Authority (BMA) has not set aside any specific percentages of its procurement allocations to (i) SMMEs, (ii) cooperatives, (iii) township enterprises or (iv) rural enterprises in the (aa) 2021/22 financial year and (bb) since 1 April 2023. When issuing bids, the BMA targets Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) Level 1 entities, Emerging Medium Enterprises (EME) or Qualifying Small Enterprises (QSE), 100% Black-owned entities with a preference for Black youth, Black women, or Black people with disability.

b) Government Printing Works

The departmental allocation for respective categories of businesses and applicable financial years is contained in the table below. In line with the below, the Exempted Micro Enterprises (EME) and Qualifying Small Enterprises (QSE) represent small, medium and micro enterprises.

Response	Classification	Total allocation	Percentage
(aa) 2021/2022 Financial Year
b(i)	SMMEs
	EME	R161 013 937,00	3,62%
	QSE	R477 725 670,00	12,57%
b(ii)	Cooperatives	R0,00	0%
b(iii)	Township	R6 426 068,00	0,14%
b(iv)	Rural	R107 183 843,00	2,41%
(bb) April 2023 to Date
b(i)	SMMEs
	EME	R13 647 717,50	0,63%
	QSE	R53 774 481,74	3,36%
b(ii)	Cooperatives	R0,00	0,00%
b(iii)	Township	R1 024 610,00	0,05%
b(iv)	Rural	R2 859 613,48	0,13%

c) Independent Electoral Commission

(aa) 2022-23 financial year

Before the introduction of the categorisation of enterprise types by Generic, Qualified Small Enterprises and Exempt Micro Enterprises, the industry norm was to report on SMMEs paying more focus on the number of full-time employees in the entities. The norm as per the current trend is to report on the enterprise types which mainly looks at the categorisation of companies in terms of annual turnover. The advantage of reporting on enterprise type is that information can be verified against Central Supplier Database.

The report below, therefore depicts awards on competitive bidding for the specified period based on the following:

• Generic Entities
• Qualified Entities (QSE)
• Exempt Micro Enterprises (EME)
• Ownership by Black People
• Ownership by Black Youth
• Ownership by Black Women
• Ownership by people living in townships
• BEE Status Levels
• BEE Ownership

It must be noted that the moratorium imposed on procurement in the last financial year as a result of the application of the Preferential Procurement Regulations, 2017 resulted in fewer procurement activities taking place during the period.

BEE or Non-BEE Status
Type	Contract Value	Contract %
BEE	R97 713 187	51%
Non-BEE	R92 638 492	49%
Total	190 351 679	100%
Tenders Awarded by Enterprise Type
Type	Contract Value	Contract %
Generic	100 067 915	53%
QSE	7 794 593	4%
EME	82 489 171	43%
Total	R190 351 679	100%
Tenders Awarded by BEE Contributor Status Level
B-BBEE Contracts	Contract Value	% Contract Value
Status Level 1	R111 510 789,36	59%
Status Level 2	R 31 099 606	16%
Status Level 3	R 0	0%
Status Level 4	R45 437 108,29	24%
Status Level 5	2 304 175,00	1%
Status Level 6	R 0	0%
Status Level 7	R 0	0%
Status Level 8	R 0	0%
BEE Non-Compliant	R 0	0%
Total	R 190 351 679	100%
Black Ownership
B-BBEE Contracts	Contract Value
Black People	R 144 914 570
Black Youth	R 51 286 544
Black Women	R 100 860 862
Black with Disability	R 0
Ownership by people living in rural or underdeveloped areas	R 0
Ownership by people living in townships	R 8 894 424

(bb) 1 April 2023 -12 May 2023

END

Reply:

1. The Council of Traditional Leaders as contemplated in section 212(2)(b) of the Constitution, 1996, was established under the Council of Traditional Leaders Act, 1997 (Act No. 10 of 1997). However, this Act was repealed by the National House of Traditional Leaders Act, 2009 (Act No. 22 of 2009) which Act established the National House of Traditional Leaders in accordance with the provisions of section 212(2)(a) of the Constitution. This 2009-Act was subsequently repealed by the Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Act, 2019 (Act No. 3 of 2019) (TKLA). The TKLA provides for the National House of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders. There is thus, currently no Council of Traditional Leaders as contemplated in section 212(2)(b) of the Constitution and referred to by the Honourable Member.

(a) to (c): Fall away.

2. The Honourable Member should note that the information on costs and expenditure related to the operations of traditional leadership institutions and support provided to traditional leaders resides with the relevant provinces. However, from the information that the Department received from four provinces (Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu Natal and Limpopo) the costs of staff salaries, offices (office construction and rentals) printing and stationery is as follows:

ITEMS	EASTERN CAPE	GAUTENG	KZN	LIMPOPO
Staff salaries	R 6 089 280	R260 000	R6 332 000	R95 383 788
Offices: office construction and rentals (once off costs)	R6 010 920	R410 000	R575 000	R600 000
Office furniture (once off costs)	R190 000	R0	R0	R1 912 000
Printing	R0	R0	R22 000	R2 580 000
Stationery	R263 750	R50 000	R0	R501 600
Other administration and support services costs	R19 180 124	R250 000	R3 979 000	R29 958 194
TOTAL	R31 714 074	R970 000	R10 908 000	R130 933 582

 

Accordingly, we have approached provincial governments to provide the information as per the Honourable Member’s request and as soon as the information from the provinces is received, the Department will share it with the Honourable Member.

3. Section 7(1)(a) of the Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Act (TKLA) makes provision for the following traditional leadership positions: King or queen, principal traditional leader, senior traditional leader and headman or headwoman. These positions apply throughout the country since the TKLA is a national law that prevails in the case of conflict with a provincial law dealing with the same matter. The Honourable Member should note that the majority of traditional leadership positions are hereditary in nature. It is only in some instances where the position of a headman or headwoman is an elected position in which case the provisions of section 8(2)(b) of the TKLA must be complied with.

End.

Reply:

a) The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) awarded tenders in terms of the Preferential Procurement Regulations (PPR), 2017 to designated groups in terms of percentages to:

(i) Small -, Medium- and Micro-enterprises for:

(aa) 2021-22 Financial Year as per the table below:

DESIGNATED GROUPS - MAIN CONTRACTOR	COUNT OF AWARDS	VALUE OF AWARDS	% Awarded Count to the Designated Group	% Awarded Value to the Designated Group
Contractor Category of SMME? (EME/ QSE/ NON_EME/QSE)
EME	154	723 374 143	57%	23%
QSE	54	797 058 548	20%	26%
Non_EME/QSE	58	1 604 705 898	22%	51%

 

(bb) 2022-23 Financial Year as per the table below:

DESIGNATED GROUP - Main Contractor	COUNT OF AWARDS	VALUE OF AWARDS	% Awarded Count to the Designated Group	% Awarded Value to the Designated Group
Contractor Category of SMME? (EME/ QSE/ NON_EME/QSE)
EME	183	1 334 210 574	76%	56%
QSE	31	338 383 610	13%	14%
Non_EME/QSE	25	707 957 842	10%	30%

​ii) Cooperatives for

(aa) 2021-22 Financial Year as per the table below:

DESIGNATED GROUP - Main Contractor	COUNT OF AWARDS	VALUE OF AWARDS	% Awarded Count to the Designated Group	% Awarded Value to the Designated Group
Contractor Cooperative Majority Black Owned?	0	0	0%	0%

(bb) 2022-23 Financial Year as per the table below:

DESIGNATED GROUP - Main Contractor	COUNT OF AWARDS	VALUE OF AWARDS	% Awarded Count to the Designated Group	% Awarded Value to the Designated Group
Contractor Cooperative Majority Black Owned?	0	0	0%	0%

​(iii) Township Enterprises for

(aa) 2021-22 Financial Year as per the table below:

DESIGNATED GROUP - Main Contractor	COUNT OF AWARDS	VALUE OF AWARDS	% Awarded Count to the Designated Group	% Awarded Value to the Designated Group
Contractor Rural/ Underdeveloped/ Township Enterprise Majority Owned?	76	538 609 269	28%	17%

(bb) 2022-23 Financial Year as per the table below:

DESIGNATED GROUP - Main Contractor	COUNT OF AWARDS	VALUE OF AWARDS	% Awarded Count to the Designated Group	% Awarded Value to the Designated Group
Contractor Rural/ Underdeveloped/ Township Enterprise Majority Owned? (YES/NO)	113	1 183 731 654	47%	50%

​iv) Rural Enterprises

In terms of the PPR, 2017 the Rural Enterprises were provided for under one designated group, namely: Rural/Underdeveloped/Township Enterprises category. Information pertaining to the rural enterprises is therefore contained in the aforementioned category of designated groups as per the PPR, 2017 and cannot be disaggregated.

ENTITIES INPUT

In respect of the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB):

Awardees of “set-aside” procurement allocation	Percentage allocated (aa) 2021/22	Percentage allocated (aa) 2022/23	Percentage allocated (bb) since 01 April 2023
((i) small, medium and micro-enterprises (SMMEs)	N/A	N/A	20%
(ii) cooperatives	N/A	N/A
(iii) township enterprises	N/A	N/A
(iv) rural enterprises	N/A	N/A

2021/2022 and 2022/2023 – cidb’s targeted spend was based on BBBEE Levels in line with Regulation 04 of National Treasury PPPFA 2017. The cidb targets were not set based on the procurement allocations in the table above.

For 2023/2024 cidb has drafted a policy, pending cidb Board approval to implement percent spend for targeted procurement. The cidb has set procurement targets based on the Human Development Index (HDI) to achieve the goals. These targets are:

• 50% of procurement spend to be directed to HDI-owned or controlled businesses.
• 20% of procurement spend to be directed to women-owned or controlled businesses.
• 5% of procurement spend to be directed to businesses owned or controlled by people with disabilities.
• 20% of procurement spend to be directed to locally owned businesses.

In respect of the Independent Development Trust (IDT)

Awardees of “set-aside” procurement allocation	Percentage allocated (aa) 2021/22	Percentage allocated (bb) since 01 April 2023
((i) small, medium and micro-enterprises (SMMEs)	The percentage of BBBEE expenditure stood at 44 per cent against a target of 70 per cent expenditure (R999,0713 million).	In the 2022/23 financial year, the IDT recruited 96 contractors into the CDP. Of these 44 (46%) are women (out of a target of 40 women contractors) and 37 (39%) are youth (out of an annual target of 30 youth contractors). The next stage is to ensure that these contractors are allocated enough contracts to enable them to grow and move up the next level according to the CIDB grading. BBBEE Expenditure: the IDT spent 45 per cent of programme expenditure on BBBEE-compliant entities. A sizable percentage of the contractors are women. Expanded Public Works Programme: A total of 109,871 work opportunities were created through the EPWP NSS Programme against an annual target of 64 000 work opportunities. Seventy-one per cent (71%) of the participants were women, 55 percent were youth, and one per cent being people with disabilities.
(ii) cooperatives	0.00%	0.00%
(iii) township enterprises	0.00%	0.00%
(iv) rural enterprises	0.00%	0.00%

In respect of the Council for the Built Environment (CBE)

Awardees of “set-aside” procurement allocation	Percentage allocated (aa) 2021/22	Percentage allocated 2022/23*	Percentage allocated (bb) since 01 April 2023
((i) small, medium and micro-enterprises (SMMEs)	82.25%	89.00%	100%*
(ii) cooperatives	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
(iii) township enterprises	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
(iv) rural enterprises	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%

*Information not asked for in the Parliamentary question, but provided for context.

In respect of Agrément South Africa (ASA):

Awardees of “set-aside” procurement allocation	Percentage allocated (aa) 2021/22	Percentage allocated (aa) 2022/23*	Percentage allocated (bb) since 01 April 2023
((i) small, medium and micro-enterprises (SMMEs)	51%	23%	23%
(ii) cooperatives	0%	0%
(iii) township enterprises	0%	0%
(iv) rural enterprises	0%	0%

*Information not asked for in the Parliamentary question, but provided for context.

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY: QUESTION NO. 1706 (Written Reply) Ms K L Khakhau (DA) asked the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

The draft reply to Parliamentary Question No. 1706 (Written Reply) is submitted for your consideration.

The input has been provided by the Supply Chain Management and all Entities reporting to the Department, processed by the Inter-Governmental Relations Business Unit.

I hereby attest that the information provided in response to NA PQ No. 1706 is true and correct, to the best of my knowledge.

_________________________

MR. I TLHASEDI

CHIEF DIRECTOR: SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

DATE:

I hereby attest that the information provided in response to NA PQ No. 1706 is true and correct, as informed.

________________________

MR. A MTHOMBENI

DEPUTY DIRECTOR GENERAL: INTER-GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS

DATE:

Draft reply supported / not supported/ comments

________________________

MS. N MAKHUBELE

ACTING-DIRECTOR GENERAL

 

Reply:

The Department of Human Settlements is qualified to provide the information requested by the honorable member.

End.

Reply:

a) The construction of the Nogqala Bridge in Ward 19, Engcobo, in the Eastern Cape Province is being funded by the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) that is administered by the Department of Cooperative Governance (DCOG). There was no additional amount granted for the construction of the Nogqala Bridge project.

The initial amount of R12 977 495.30 inclusive of VAT that was approved on 5 November 2021 is the only amount granted to-date. The total expenditure to-date for both professional services and construction is R 9 697 930.02 inclusive of VAT. The project budget of R12 977 495.30 is therefore not yet fully spent.

The contractor that was appointed for the project was terminated for failing to implement the project in terms of the conditions of the contract and abandoning site. Engcobo Local Municipality is currently in the process of procuring a replacement contractor. The bids are currently going through the Bid Evaluation and Bid Adjudication process.

The Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent professional engineers are providing technical support to Engcobo Local Municipality throughout the project life cycle from planning, design development, preparation of terms of reference for procurement and construction monitoring.

b) Should the Auditor General of South Africa (AG) declare wasteful and fruitless expenditure on this project, or anywhere in the Audit Report, the AG or the Accounting Officer will determine who is liable in accordance with the Municipal Finance Management Act and all applicable pieces of legislation and Treasury prescripts.

End.

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

(1)

(a) The number of completed structures were not recorded on 29 September 2022. However, they were recorded during a count carried out by the Sheriff of the Court in August 2022 as 4880.

(b) No further demolitions were carried since February 2022.

(c) The number of structures were not recorded at the end of the security company’s contract. However, they were recorded in August 2022 as 4880.

(2)

(a) The number of completed structures were not recorded when the security took over.

(b) There were no further demolition of structures since February 2022.

(c) The number of completed structures were not recorded on 29 November 2022.However, they were recorded during a count carried out by the Sheriff of the Court in August 2022 as 4880.

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY: QUESTION NO. 1831 (Written Reply) Mrs C Phillips (DA) asked the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

The draft reply to Parliamentary Question No. 1831 (Written Reply) is submitted for your consideration.

The input has been provided by the Cape Town Regional office and Real Estate Management Services Business Unit.

I hereby attest that the information provided in response to NA PQ No. 1831 is true and correct, to the best of my knowledge.

_________________________

MS. P PENXA

REGIONAL MANAGER: CAPE TOWN

DATE:

I hereby attest that the information provided in response to NA PQ No. 1831 is true and correct, to the best of my knowledge.

_________________________

MR. M. MABINJA

ACTING DEPUTY-DIRECTOR-GENERAL: REAL ESTATE MANAGEMENT SERVICES

DATE:

Draft reply supported / not supported/ comments

________________________

MS. N MAKHUBELE

ACTING-DIRECTOR GENERAL

DATE:

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY: QUESTION NO. 1831 (Written Reply) Mrs C Phillips (DA) asked the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

Draft reply supported / not supported/ comments

_____________________

MS. B SWARTS, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS AND INFRASTRUCTURE

DATE:

Draft reply approved / not approved/ comments

__________________________

MR. S ZIKALALA, MP

MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS AND INFRASTRUCTURE

DATE:

 

Reply:

(a)(i) The Minister has no legal authority to compel businesses who are owing municipalities debt to pay that debt to municipalities. Chapter 9 of the Municipal Systems Act and section 28 of the Municipal Property Rates Act have provisions which municipalities can utilise to collect revenue, including debt.

Section 97(1)(g) of the Municipal Systems Act states that a municipality’s credit control and debt collection policy must provide for “termination of services or the restriction of the provision of services when payments are in arrears.”

Section 102 of the Municipal Systems Act allows a municipality to consolidate any separate accounts of persons liable for payments to the municipality; credit a payment by such a person against any account of that person; and implement any of the debt collection and credit control measures provided for (in Chapter 9) in relation to any arrears on any of the accounts of such a person. The application of the word “person” in law goes beyond a natural person.

In its interaction with municipalities, the Department reminds municipalities to implement their credit control and debt collection policies and terminate or restrict services to the property in question and the account be handed over for collection where necessary.

It is also recommended that municipalities issue notices in terms of section 28 of the Municipal Property Rates Act to recover outstanding amounts from the property owners through the attachement of rentals from the tenants of the owing properties.

(a)(ii) Similar to the response to (a)(i) above, the Minister has no legal authority to compel government departments who are owing municipalities debt to pay that debt to municipalities. Municipalities can, where appropriate, use similar measures mentioned in (a)(i) above to compel government departments that are owing debt to municipalities to pay that debt to municipalities.

Government departments are encouraged to service their municipal debt and where disputes and /or discrepancies arise, make use of the inter-governmental debt forums to resolve those. In the event that government departments continue to not service their debt and there is no justifiable reason, municipalities should implement credit control and debt collection policies.

(b) Based on the response to (a) above, there are no envisaged time frame that can be provided.

End

Reply:

In accordance with the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act (SPLUMA), municipalities choose which areas become residential areas. The Councilors Code of Conduct establishes guidelines for councilor behavior. Sadly, the honorable member's query does not specify which municipality's people would have been denied access to residential areas because of council members' greed.

End.

Reply:

For the purpose of providing RDP homes, the municipalities collaborate closely with the department of Human Settlement. It is advised that the Ministry of Human Settlement receive this inquiry in order to receive appropriate answers.

End.

Reply:

The Department of Traditional Affairs does not have at its disposal the information that the Honourable Member is requesting as the remuneration of traditional leaders is a competency of Provincial Governments.

End

 

Reply:

When there is a death in the family, and the family is unable to bury their loved one, the municipality always liaises with the affected family through the ward councillor. The provincial department of Social Development is also engaged to assist with burial expenses, as it (the department), is budgeting for such. The municipality carries the expenses for burial services of paupers, and this is budget for by the municipality.

End.

Reply:

No, neither the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs nor the Department of Cooperative Governance (DCOG) is responsible for the flushing toilets installed in rural areas. The provision of sanitation to households in general, and of flushing toilets in rural areas, as well as operational and maintenance of the sewer systems is the responsibility of the municipalities that have been designated Water Services Authorities (WSAs) in terms of the Water Services Act 108 of 1997.

DCOG provides support and strengthens the capacity of WSAs in accordance with section 154 of Constitution by deploying technical support through the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent (MISA). When a WSA fails to fulfil its obligations in terms of the Constitution, and the provincial executive has also failed to intervene, the national executive may intervene in terms of section 139 (7) of the Constitution.

(a) and (b) Not applicable.

End

Reply:

The criminal component of cable theft and damage is dealt with by the South African Police Service.

End.

Reply:

a) The contracts of the Implementing Agents (IA)were not terminated, they expired as per Service Level Agreement with the department. The department is finalising the contracting of site staff (it should be noted that some of the implementing agents did not terminate the contracts of the site staff upon IA contract expiration and this led to delays in finalising the site staff contracting. Communication of delay in April payments was sent to the participants via sms. The participant payments for April are currently sitting at 99.9% as at 15May 2023. The 0.1% relates to errors in Timesheets which have been referred back to sites for correction. The department has augmented capacity in Payment unit and are already receiving training and this will expedite the payment process.

b) The department has contracted Provincial Managers, District Managers and Site Managers who are supervising the programme. Furthermore, there is provincial and national COGTA capacity (Chief Directors and Directors for each province) who are playing an oversight role. The Local Reference Committees are also in existence to provide support in terms of CWP implementation at ward level.

End.

Reply:

1. Four (4) people were seconded from private organisations in the past three years.

2.Two (2) of the personnel were each appointed on five-year contracts, following the IDT recruitment processes.

With regard to the 2 other personnel that were not appointed:

(a) the secondment period for one was for eight (8) months (01 April 2022- 30 November 2023) and

(b) the other was seconded for one (1) month (1 – 31 October 2023)

3. No project managers from the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) were appointed at the IDT.

4. As, no project managers were appointed, therefore there was no appointment processes to be followed.

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY: QUESTION NO. 1843 (Written Reply) Ms S J Graham (DA) asked the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

The draft reply to Parliamentary Question No. 1843 (Written Reply) is submitted for your consideration.

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

I hereby attest that the information provided in response to NA PQ 1843 is true and correct, to the best of my knowledge.

________________________

MR. A MTHOMBENI

DEPUTY DIRECTOR GENERAL: IGR

DATE:

Draft reply supported / not supported/ comments

________________________

MS N MAKHUBELE

ACTING-DIRECTOR GENERAL

DATE:

Draft reply supported / not supported/ comments

_____________________

MS. B SWARTS, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS AND INFRASTRUCTURE

DATE:

Draft reply approved / not approved/ comments

__________________________

MR. S ZIKALALA, MP

MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS AND INFRASTRUCTURE

DATE:

 

 

Reply:

 

1. The municipalities and areas at risk are prioritised by government on the dissemination of early warnings and advisories as issued by the South African Weather Service (SAWS) for informed decision-making by responsible organs of state including communities. The department through the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) has been working together with relevant organs of state and the province to coordinate efforts in the implementation of sustainable interventions such as finding suitable land for rebuilding and settlement of communities for building back better, to promote resilience, prevent or minimise the impacts of flooding incidents.  

Furthermore, the department through the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent (MISA) is assisting municipalities in developing or reviewing the Spatial Development Frameworks (SDFs) and Land Use Plans which incorporates the review of the high flood lines and prohibiting future construction of infrastructure in flood prone areas, and wetlands. This minimises the risks of flood damage to infrastructure. 

MISA is assisting municipalities in design standards and upgrading of flood prone infrastructure by reviewing, among other things, design return periods (useful in calculating the riskiness of the structure) to take into account the new maximum probable flood trends due to climate change. Municipalities are further being assisted with reviewing by-laws and building scheme controls. These measures aim to prohibit building in high-risk flood zones as well as reducing the damage that floods may cause for example through enhancing flood attenuation measures such as discouraging paving surfaces unnecessarily and enforcement of the by-law provisions. MISA also advises municipalities to develop yearly Summer Season Flood Mitigation plans that includes activities such as road stormwater drainage systems cleaning.

2. The information from the Provincial Disaster Management Centre in KwaZulu-Natal province indicates that alternate temporary shelters are identified by municipalities concerned. In most cases, nearby community halls are identified as alternative shelter. In some instances, available churches identified for support. There is currently no active shelters accommodating affected communities in the province.    

End.          

Reply:

1. Hon. Cardo, fortunately we no longer have the racist apartheid government that use to establish the racial benchmarks. Secondly, there is no Employment Equity Amendment Bill [B14 – 2020] that is currently deliberated in Parliament.
2. Given what is outlined in (1) above, the second part of your question falls off!

Reply:

I sincerely have no details of the Bill that I have no knowledge off. In the Department we are currently busy looking as some gaps that may be there in some of our labour laws. These have not reached Parliament yet. As they are busy deliberated at NEDLAC level. Once those deliberations are accordingly processed, I have no doubt in my mind that they will reach Parliament and at that stage you will once again have an opportunity of adding your voice Hon. Cardo. When it comes to Employment Equity Amendment Bill [B14 – 202…]

there is none that is currently debate in Parliament or anywhere for that matter and therefore, I am not clear what you are referring to.

 

Reply:

a) The total number of municipalities with infrastructure maintenance plans in place per province is as follows:

Province	Number of municipalities with infrastructure maintenance plans
1	Eastern Cape	34
2	Free State	15
3	Gauteng	10
4	KwaZulu Natal	34
5	Limpopo	11
6	Mpumalanga	20
7	North West	1
8	Northern Cape	31
9	Western Cape	15

b) The total number of municipalities in each province that have implemented infrastructure plans either fully or partly are as follows:

Province	Number of municipalities with infrastructure maintenance plans
	Total	(i)That implemented fully	(ii)That implemented partly
1	Eastern Cape	34	14	20
2	Free State	15	0	15
3	Gauteng	10	0	10
4	KwaZulu Natal	34	1	33
5	Limpopo	11	1	10
6	Mpumalanga	20	0	20
7	North West	1	0	1
8	Northern Cape	31	2	29
9	Western Cape	15	0	15

End.

Reply:

The the Municipal Manager of Chris Hani District Municipality provided the following table which represents the age analysis of the Chris Hani District Municipality as at 31 March 2023:

A. The municipality is owed by the consumers of its services an amount of R2,3 billion as at 31 March 2023 and of which the majority of the consumers that owe the municipality are domestic, businesses, indigents, municipalities and government departments.

There are notable slight decreases on businesses, government departments, municipalities, indigents, non-profits organisation, except the domestic consumers.

1. The municipality has capacity in the Budget and Treasury Office, where there is a Revenue Unit which still has vacancies that are yet to be filled at the latest June 2023.
2. The Municipality introduced a debt rehabilitation program that has been running for almost two years ending on the 30 June 2023. This is intended to assist the consumers with long outstanding debts. This was taken to the roadshows and the maximum assist is up to 50% write off for qualifying consumers.
3. Indigent consumers of R98 million have been approved and the write-off was effected in April 2023. The reduction will be reflected in the May 2023 In-Year Monitoring Report.
4. The Municipality has sourced a solution such as SMART Metering Water Meters that will be a phase approach that will focus more on businesses, government departments, schools, municipal areas and effluent areas etc. This solution will resume in beginning of May 2023.
5. On the SMART Metering Water Meters Project, the focus will be more on the pre-paid solution in order to recoup the water revenues.
6. Despite the strides of the municipality in trying to collect, there is a culture of non-payment including the government department.

1. The municipality is issuing 14 days disconnection notices to all consumers except the households due to Constitutional imperative related to Human Rights. However, businesses, government departments (but not all, like clinics), are disconnected where there is non-payment.

1. Payment arrangements are entered into, with all consumers, who responds to the disconnection notices and actual disconnections.

1. Employees and Councillors, payment arrangements are revisited and are increased, and further disciplinary processes and code of conduct are implemented.

B) Chris Hani District Municipality total outstanding Debt as at 31 March 2023 an amount of R2,3 billion.

C) Businesses total outstanding Debt as at 31 March 2023 an amount of R135 million.

D) Remaining Total outstanding except the above, B and C.

End

Reply:

1. (a) The process started last year (2022) however due to challenges with bid committee sitting the tender lapsed. The process will be started this current financial 2023/2024

(b) The items that have been procured already are the following:

(i) Chairs;

(ii) Tables;

(iii) Sound system;

(iv) Air conditioning;

(v) Mobile toilets;

(c) R1 629 388.82

2. (a) The procurement has commenced.

(b) The award is expected to take place on the month of September 2023

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY: QUESTION NO. 1314 (Written Reply) Ms A M Siwisa (EFF) asked the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

The draft reply to Parliamentary Question No. 1314 (Written Reply) is submitted for your consideration.

The input has been provided by the Prestige Business Unit.

I hereby attest that the information provided in response to NA PQ 1314 is true and correct, to the best of my knowledge.

________________________

MR. M SAZONA

CHIEF DIRECTOR: PRESTIGE

DATE:

Draft reply supported / not supported/ comments

________________________

MS. N MAKHUBELE

ACTING-DIRECTOR GENERAL

DATE:

Draft reply supported / not supported/ comments

_____________________

MS. B SWARTS, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS AND INFRASTRUCTURE

DATE:

Draft reply approved / not approved/ comments

__________________________

MR. S ZIKALALA, MP

MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS AND INFRASTRUCTURE

DATE:

MINISTRY

PUBLIC WORKS AND INFRASTRUCTURE

REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA

Department of Public Works l Central Government Offices l 256 Madiba Street l Pretoria l Contact: +27 (0)12 406 1627 l Fax: +27 (0)12 323 7573

Private Bag X9155 l CAPE TOWN, 8001 l RSA 4th Floor Parliament Building l 120 Plein Street l CAPE TOWN l Tel: +27 21 402 2219 Fax: +27 21 462 4592

www.publicworks.gov.za

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

WRITTEN REPLY

QUESTION NUMBER: 1314 [NW1479E]

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO.: 13 of 2023

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 21 APRIL 2023

DATE OF REPLY: APRIL 2023

1314. Ms A M Siwisa (EFF) asked the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

(1) (a) How far is the process of procuring own material that will be utilised during State funerals in order to avoid acquiring the services of external service providers, (b) what items have been purchased so far and (c) what amount did the specified items cost;

(2) whether the procurement process has started yet, if not, (a) what are the reasons for the delay and (b) by what date will the matter be resolved; if so, what are the relevant details? NW1479E

REPLY:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure

(a) The process started last year (2022) however due to challenges with bid committee sitting the tender lapsed. The process will be started this current financial 2023/2024

(b) The items that have been procured already are the following:

(i) Chairs;

(ii) Tables;

(iii) Sound system;

(iv) Air conditioning;

(v) Mobile toilets;

(c) R1 629 388.82

(a) The procurement has commenced.

(b) The award is expected to take place on the month of September 2023

__________________________

MR. S ZIKALALA, MP

MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS AND INFRASTRUCTURE

DATE:

Reply:

According to the information received from the Province of the Eastern Cape:

1. There is no intention by the Executive Council of the provincial government to place Matatiele LM under administration.
2. There is no intention to place any other municipality in the Eastern Cape under administration – it must be noted that the department and provincial government have a constitutional mandate to provide support to municipalities so that they can deliver services to their communities.

It is acknowledged that there is a plethora of challenges that municipalities are confronted with which have a negative bearing on the delivery of services to communities, such circumstances warrant that provincial government provides support to municipalities.

On the basis of what has been outlined, there is therefore no intention to place municipalities under administration but to provide the necessary support to that will unblock bottlenecks and enhance service delivery.

End

Reply:

The response below was provided by the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs in the Eastern Cape province. Accordingly, I have been advised as follows:

(a) The MEC established a team to investigate the allegations at Dr AB Xuma Local Municipality. The team visited the municipality to conduct an investigation from 11 to 15 July 2022, and conducted interviews with relevant officials; analysed documentation and obtained evidence. A report was thereafter prepared for consideration by the MEC.

(b) Limitations in terms of the scope of the investigation caused delays in the investigation. Due to the fact that most of those implicated are no longer with the municipality, the office of the MEC referred the matter to the South African Police Service (SAPS), to allow SAPS to deal with the matter.

End.

Reply:

The departmental of Cooperative Governance did not have a specific procurement any specific procurement goal and specific allocation for small, medium and micro-enterprises, cooperatives, township enterprises and rural enterprises as the process then was aligned to Preferential Procurement Regulations of 2017.

(aa) 2021/22

The Department has however spent R124, 700 030.00 (R124,7.million) on BBBEE scorecard as per Preferential Procurement Regulations of 2017.

In terms of the BBBEE scorecard:

• 76% was spent on Black People amounting to R110, 076, 246.00
• 37% was spent on Black Women amounting to R11, 862, 775.00
• 24% was spent on Youth amounting to R2, 761, 009.00

(bb) 01 April 2023

For the month of April 2023, the department of Cooperative Governance spent R706 601,50 on specific goals as per the Preferential Procurement Regulations of 2022.

In terms of the specific goals:

• 80% was spent on Black People amounting to R619 689
• 20% was spent on Black Women amounting to R77 222.50
• 40% was spent on Youth amounting to R9 690.

The Department is committed towards economic growth of the country by empowering the Small Medium and Macro Enterprises (SMMEs) particularly in rural areas and township. and the department has directed its preference in terms of specific goals to Blacks, Women, Youth and business owned by people living with disabilities as guided by the Preferential Procurement Regulations, 2022.

Our records for period under review (2023/24 FY) reveal that the new score card is in line with the Prefential Procorement Regulations 2022.

End.

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

1. As one of the Lead Sector Departments of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and the Environmental Affairs (DFFE) is entrusted with a crucial legislative mandate to ensure all citizens within the Republic of South Africa live in a clean and healthy environment and use its resources in a sustainable manner for the benefit of current and future generations. Over the years, the DFFE has developed legislation for the implementation of such greening and cleaning programmes.

Historically, the implementation of environmental programmes similar to the Cleaning and Greening launched in Gauteng Province has been achieved by forging collaborations with stakeholders operating within the environmental sector, other government institutions and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) amongst others. In this regard, the Department of Public Works (DPWI) has also been long implementing such similar projects through the Facilities Management Unit using the Departmental line function budgets.

In line with the findings of the DFEE which states that waste services access remains highly skewed in favor of more affluent and urban communities, I will encourage and engage other relevant stakeholders to implement the Cleaning and Greening projects at scale in all provinces whilst also establishing ways to upscale the DPWI implemented projects focusing on cleaning.

2. As the Minister responsible for the overall coordination of the EPWP in South Africa, I am not aware of any link between the launch of the Gauteng Province Greening project with the upcoming 2024 elections. It should be noted that initiatives of this nature are aimed at promoting a clean South Africa free of waste and illegal dumping. This kind of programme's major goal is to alter people's attitudes and behaviours around waste and its management as well as encourage them to start taking control of and responsibility for keeping their neighbourhood clean. It has become clear that while many existing awareness campaigns temporarily make places look cleaner, they do not promote long-term habits that discourage littering and unlawful dumping. This programme aims to fill that gap by promoting sustainable practices that do just that. Furthermore, it should be noted that recruitment of participants in EPWP is guided by the Recruitment Guidelines which are premised on principles of fairness, transparency and equity focusing on all poor and unemployed people of South Africa.

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY: QUESTION NO. 1887 (Written Reply) Mr S S Zondo (IFP) asked the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:

The draft reply to Parliamentary Question No. 1887 (Written Reply) is submitted for your consideration.

The input has been provided by the Expanded Public Works Programme Business Unit.

I hereby attest that the information provided in response to NA PQ No. 1887 is true and correct, to the best of my knowledge.

_________________________

MS. CJ ABRAHAMS

DEPUTY DIRECTOR GENERAL: EXPANDED PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMME

DATE:

Draft reply supported / not supported/ comments

________________________

MS. N MAKHUBELE

ACTING-DIRECTOR GENERAL

DATE:

Draft reply supported / not supported/ comments

_____________________

MS. B SWARTS, MP

DEPUTY MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS AND INFRASTRUCTURE

DATE:

Draft reply approved / not approved/ comments

__________________________

MR. S ZIKALALA, MP

MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS AND INFRASTRUCTURE

DATE:

 

 

Reply:

For the provision of water, the municipalities collaborate closely with the department of Water and Sanitation.

End.

Reply:

1. The Dr Beyers Naudé Local Municipality Council's 25 January 2023 decision to name Dr. Edward Rankwana as the Municipal Manager has not been shared with the Minister..
2. The Dr Beyers Naudé Local Municipality has not requested that the Minister waive Dr. Rankwana's retirement age in accordance with regulation 41(2) of the Regulations on appointment and conditions of employment of senior managers.
3. I am unable to decide at this time what course of action should be followed.

End

Reply:

Provision and demarcation of stands to build houses is competencies of municipalities applying Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act (SPLUMA).

End.

Reply:

No, municipalities does not provide the department with a breakdown of outstanding debt owed and the collection rates. The information required by honourable member is monitored by the National Treasury in terms of Section 41 of Municipal Finance Management Act.

It is recommended that the question be redirected to Minister of Finance to provide responses accordingly.

End.

Reply:

Dr M J Cardo, currently there is not Employment Equity Amendment Bill that is before Parliament, none whatsoever!

Secondly, Dr M J Cardo, kindly find within yourself the ability to understand that this current democratic government is formulating laws having been instructed by the Constitution of the Republic. These are the laws that are all aimed to correct all that was wrong in our terrible and horrible past, before our democratic breakthrough. Our Constitution instructs us to redress the imbalances of the past.

Lastly, once again I state Employment Equity Amendment Bill all Members of Parliament deliberated on, including yourself Dr M J Cardo aims at ensuring the reflection of South African demographics in all societal facets including at the workplace. Reason being, the apartheid racist South Africa empowered only a single racial group, and the current government has the task of developing, uplifting, empowering and heartening all who live in this country.

Reply:

There is no Employment Equity Amendment Bill [2020] be that as it may, our laws do contain checks and balances of different nature. In some instances, they may not be the one that some people desire, but they would certainly be the ones that will ensure that we are consistent with our beloved Constitution which was adopted by the Constitutional Assembly of the Republic of South Africa on 8th of May 1996 and signed by the first President of our Democratic South Africa, His Excellent Nelson Rholihlahla Mandela in Sharpville on the 10 December 1996.

Reply:

The Department is in the process of implementing a number of long term strategies to reduce the length of queues at the labour centers. These are:

• The appointment of queue marshals to direct the clients efficiently to the correct service area
• The appointment of more than 2500 client service officers to deal with UIF applications and payments more effectively
• The upgrade of ICT-systems to enable clients to register as work seekers, be referred for employment and other income generating opportunities on-line
• The implementation of a UIF USSD and mobile application that allows all UIF clients to apply on-line and submit payment continuation forms, any other required documents and make enquiries online, thus finalising their claims, without having to visit the labour center at any time. This service is available at no cost to the clients

Reply:

No, SA Tourism does not have formal partnership(s) with Robben Island and other iconic destinations.

However, I have had a meeting with the Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture on Wednesday 31 May 2023.

We are, now, in the process of ensuring we Market Robben Island as a Heritage Site.

 

Reply:

(1) (a) I have been informed by the Department that the extent of financial allocations to the Tourism Infrastructure Maintenance Programme is as Tabled below.

 

Tourism Infrastructure Maintenance in Annual Performance Plan 2023/24
Province	Projects	Number of projects	Total Value
Eastern Cape	Thomas Baines Nature Reserve Baviaanskloof Nature Reserve Double Mouth Nature Reserve Oviston Nature Reserve Mpofu and Fordyce Nature Reserve Cwebe and Dwesa Nature Reserves	6	R23 155 555,45
Free State	Gariep Dam Resort Maria Moroka Resort Phillip Saunders Resort Sterkfontein Dam Nature Reserve	4	R19 812 088,34
Limpopo	Makapans Valley WH Nwanedi Nature Reserve Blouberg Nature Reserve Musina Nature Reserve Modjadji Nature Reserve	5	R15 581 126,15
Mpumalanga	Manyeleti Nature Reserve Andover Nature Reserve Songimvelo Nature Reserve SS Skosana Nature Reserve	4	R14 806 055,98
Western Cape	Khayelitsha Lookout Hill De Hoop Nature Reserve Wolvekloof Nature Reserve Cedarberg Wilderness Goukamma Nature Reserve Kogelberg Nature Reserve	6	R21 602 105,31

(b) How have the specified funds been utilised to improve tourism infrastructure in the Republic.

The funds have been utilised for infrastructure maintenance at the sites listed in the table above. These state owned provincial sites are tourism assets.

(2) (a) A comprehensive breakdown of the expenditure and its allocation to specific projects in each province

Province	Projects	Budget (Including maintenance and professional service provider fees)	Current Expenditure
Eastern Cape	1. Thomas Baines Nature Reserve	R3 846 954,33	R720 078,92
	2. Baviaanskloof Nature Reserve	R3 495 172,70	R967 795,03
	3. Double Mouth Nature Reserve	R3 495 172,70	R1 992 618,51
	4. Oviston Nature Reserve	R3 471 831,27	R1 501 562,87
	5. Mpofu and Fordyce Nature Reserve	R4 224 132,34	R160 629,65
	6. Cwebe and Dwesa Nature Reserves	R4224132,34	R54 183,61
Free State	7. Gariep Dam Resort	R4 953 022,08	R128 592,70
	8. Maria Moroka Resort	R4 953 022,08	R128 592,70
	9. Phillip Saunders Resort	R4 953 022,08	R328 736,18
	10. Sterkfontein Dam Nature Reserve	R4 953 022,08	R814 239,23
Limpopo	11. Makapans Valley WH	R3 116 225,23	R1 784 311,46
	12. Nwanedi Nature Reserve	R3 116 225,23	R1 993 254,48
	13. Blouberg Nature Reserve	R3 116 225,23	R2 150 442,00
	14. Musina Nature Reserve	R3 116 225,23	R1 864 144,17
	15. Modjadji Nature Reserve	R3 116 225,23	R2 142 211,68
Mpumalanga	16. Manyeleti Nature Reserve	R3 701 514,00	R2 302 675,88
	17. Andover Nature Reserve	R3 701 514,00	R2 305 689,40
	18. Songimvelo Nature Reserve	R3 701 514,00	R2 792 223,71
	19. SS Skosana Nature Reserve	R3 701 514,00	R2 475 707,10
Western Cape	20. Khayelitsha Lookout Hill	R3 600 350.89	R2 390 511,14
	21. De Hoop Nature Reserve	R3 600 350.89	R1 046 725,70
	22. Wolvekloof Nature Reserve	R3 600 350.89	R1 787 692,35
	23. Cedarberg Wilderness	R3 600 350.89	R1 466 089,98
	24. Goukamma Nature Reserve	R3 600 350.89	R1 828 543,97
	25 Kogelberg Nature Reserve	R3 600 350.89	R2 007 848,37

(b) An evaluation of the impact of the investments on the overall quality and accessibility of tourism infrastructure; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details

The maintenance projects serve to improve the condition of existing tourism infrastructure. Public infrastructure assets are critical for economic development, maintenance extends the life and efficiency of public infrastructure assets.

 

 

Reply:

Loadshedding in general causes damage to municipal electrical transformers and “damage to houses”. This is not necessarily the case. This has to be corrected and clarified upfront.

(a) Loadshedding in itself cannot reasonably cause damage to houses. Loadshedding itself cannot cause such damage, but there is a possibility that electrical power surges as a result of loadshedding, where voltage rises or falls above or below acceptable thresholds that may cause damage to equipment and / or appliances. Eskom’s customer agreements and conditions of service stipulate these possibilities for which the customers must take reasonable precautions such as, not leaving energised electric appliances unattended. 

The remedial action applicable, where negligence on the part of Eskom can be proven, is through the official Eskom claims process and customers may be compensated after a validated claim. In order for customers to plan around loadshedding, Eskom has published its schedules and the stage changes are also communicated as and when they are triggered.

(b) Switching transformers on and off as in the case of loadshedding, is a general Eskom Distribution network occurrence. However, for planned switching or maintenance activities, automatic clearing of network faults occurs via protection operations. The equipment is designed for such eventualities. 

Well-maintained networks and transformers should be able to withstand the burden of loadshedding, both on the Eskom network and the municipal networks, however failures can still occur. The Eskom and municipality tariffs also account for the required planned maintenance and /or upgrading and replacement or repairs of failed equipment and it is therefore up to the relevant supply authority such as Eskom or the municipality, to plan and budget for eventualities of such transformer maintenance, repairs and/ or failures. 

Eskom Distribution does have such “viable measures” in place in the form of network maintenance and refurbishment strategies and execution plans, as well as strategic transformer spares. Transformer repair contracts with reputable suppliers, internally and external to Eskom are also in place to repair damaged transformers that can be repaired.  Eskom Distribution cannot reasonably comment on measures taken by municipalities to deal with transformer failures.