Questions and Replies
01 June 2023 - NW1867
Van Dyk, Ms V to ask the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture
(1). What number of musicians (a) did the (i) KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra and (ii) Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra have when each was established and (b) are still on the payroll of each orchestra; (2). whether the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra which had between 65 and 70 musicians have now had their figure cut to 20 musicians; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details; (3). whether the musicians of the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra and Mzansi National Philharmonic Orchestra are permanent; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details
Reply:
(1). The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) does not administer provincial and city orchestras; these orchestras do not report to DSAC and do not fall within the ambit of DSAC. Therefore, DSAC is not able to answer your questions regarding operational matters of provincial and city orchestras.
(2). The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) does not administer provincial and city orchestras; these orchestras do not report to DSAC and do not fall within the ambit of DSAC. Therefore, DSAC is not able to answer your questions regarding operational matters of provincial and city orchestras.
(3). The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) does not administer provincial and city orchestras: these orchestras do not report to DSAC and do not fall within the ambit of DSAC. Therefore, DSAC is not able to answer your questions regarding operational matters of provincial and city orchestras.
As stated before, the National Orchestra does not employ permanent musicians but draws on the best available musicians from multiple provinces throughout the country.
01 June 2023 - NW1709
Ngcobo, Mr S to ask the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture
Whether he will furnish Mr. S Ngcobo with a comprehensive breakdown of the procurement allocation of (a) his department and (b) every entity reporting to him in terms of the percentages allocated to (i) small-, medium- and micro-enterprises, (ii) cooperatives, (iii) township enterprises and (iv) rural enterprises with a view to evaluating the effectiveness of the set-aside policy of the Government in fostering an inclusive and diverse economic landscape (details furnished) in the (aa) 2021-22 financial year and (bb) since 1 April 2023?
Reply:
Breakdown of procurement allocation of the National Department of Sport, Arts and Culture.
(aa). 2021-2022 financial year: -
2021/22 financial year (1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022)
(i) EME (Exempt micro enterprise) – 72.73%
GEN (Generic) – 7.85%
QSE (Qualified small enterprise) – 19.42%
(ii) Cooperatives – 0%
(iii) Township enterprises – 7.02%
(iv) Rural enterprises – 4.55%
(bb). 2022/23 financial year (1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023)
(i). EME (Exempt micro enterprise) – 74.85%
GEN (Generic) – 8.28%
QSE (Qualified small enterprise) – 16.86%
(ii). Cooperatives – 0%
(iii). Township enterprises – 6.2%
(iv). Rural enterprises – 4.14%
2023/24 financial year (1 April 2023 to 12 May 2023)
(i) EME (Exempt micro enterprise) – 76.79%
GEN (Generic) – 3.57%
QSE (Qualified small enterprise) – 19.64%
(ii) Cooperatives – 0%
(iii) Township enterprises – 3.57%
(iv) Rural enterprises – 1.79%
(b). Information from Entities reporting to my department is as per attached spreadsheet below.
01 June 2023 - NW1866
Van Dyk, Ms V to ask the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture
What (a) number of (i) musicians are on the permanent structure and payroll of the (aa) Mzansi National Philharmonic Orchestra, (bb) Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra and (cc) KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra and (ii) administrative staff do each of the specified orchestras have and (b) amount of money is budgeted for administrative costs in relation to the rest of the budget?
Reply:
(a). (bb) and (cc); (b).
The National Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) does not administer provincial and city orchestras; these orchestras do not report to DSAC and do not fall within the ambit of DSAC. Therefore, DSAC is not able to answer your questions regarding operational matters of provincial and city orchestras.
(aa). With regards to Mzansi National Philharmonic Orchestra (MPNO), the National Orchestra does not hire permanent staff and musicians. Just like in a national sports team where the sportsmen and sportswomen are drawn from regional teams, the National Orchestra draws its artists from multiple provinces throughout South Africa, as per each programme’s needs.
However, we commend Mzansi National Philharmonic Orchestra for providing 1012 (one thousand and twelve) job opportunities in 2022 for orchestral players and choir members who hail from multiple provinces of South Africa.
(b). In terms of the split between artistic and operational costs, as per the National Arts Council (NAC) Act and the contract between DSAC and the NAC, 75% of the budget of the National Orchestra must be spent on artistic and production-related endeavours. And up to 25% on operations, including corporate marketing, administrative and other indirect costs. I am glad to report to the House, that in 2022, the Mzansi Philharmonic overachieved in this regard. And spent 77,2% on artistic-related endeavours, including R20 million grants programme which entailed allocations to more than 38 provincial, city and youth orchestras and education and community music programmes throughout South Africa.
In addition to the major urban areas of Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town, these grants also benefited provinces such as the Northern Cape, North-West, Mpumalanga, Eastern Cape, and the Free State.
Therefore, Mzansi National Philharmonic Orchestra is achieving one of its important objectives which is to broaden the orchestral experience of South Africa. The balance of the budget or 22,8% of the budget was spent on operational costs, well below the allowed ceiling of 25%.
01 June 2023 - NW1764
Madlingozi, Mr BS to ask the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture
What (a) is the status of the Cultural and Creative Industries Master Plan that his department was finalising in December 2021 and (b)(i) were the reasons and (ii) was put in place of it, if it was cancelled?
Reply:
(a). The Cultural and Creative Industries Masterplan was approved in parliament in August 2022. Consultation on the Master Plan with the sector and the provinces has taken place. A funding framework to integrate the Annual Performance Plan (APP) with the Masterplan Key Action Priorities is currently in progress. A funding framework is being consolidated by the South African Cultural Observatory (SACO) to assist with a funding mechanism for the sector.
(b)(i) &(ii). Falls off or no longer necessary based on response to (a) above.
01 June 2023 - NW1656
Mphithi, Mr L to ask the Minister of Human Settlements
What (a) progress has been reported to her on the investigation on the Khomga Commonage housing project and (b) What steps has her department taken with regard to the specified project since the scandal broke?
Reply:
a) According to the Eastern Cape Department of Human Settlements, no investigation has been conducted, safe to indicate that the name of the project is known as Komga Zone 10 Phase 1 housing project.
b) The Department is not aware of any scandal regarding the specified project.
01 June 2023 - NW1765
Madlingozi, Mr BS to ask the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture
Whether the amalgamation of the National Arts Council and the National Film and Video Foundation into one entity was aborted; if not, what is the status of the amalgamation; if so, what (a) were the reasons that the amalgamation was aborted and (c) plans were put in its place?NW2020
Reply:
The Feasibility Study on the Amalgamation of public entities recommended that the National Arts Council and the National Film and Video Foundation be merged to one entity which will be responsible for funding across the sector. This process has not been aborted and a task team has been assembled to manage the process of amalgamation of these two entities and others as recommended by the feasibility study report. It will start its work in the current financial year.
01 June 2023 - NW1861
Mhlongo, Mr TW to ask the MINISTER OF SPORT, ARTS AND CULTURE
(1). Whether a certain person (name and details furnished), declared during his interview at netball sa, that he worked for boxing sa; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, (2). whether the specified person declared his reasons for resigning from boxing sa during his interview with netball sa; if not, (3). whether netball sa followed all the necessary human resource processes before appointing the specified person; if not, why not; if so, what (a) steps were taken and (b) are the further relevant details?
Reply:
Netball South Africa has indicated that all these questions are not relevant to them as they do not have a Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
01 June 2023 - NW1684
Van Dyk, Ms V to ask the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture
Whether, with reference to the general reprimand of the Speaker in the National Assembly on 8 March 2023 against members of the Executive for not answering questions, the Rules of the National Assembly that provide for a question for written reply to be answered within 10 working days and the fact that the reply to question 1223 has now been outstanding for 26 working days, he will now furnish Mrs. V van Dyk with the information as requested by question 1223 without delay; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
The response has been processed for tabling as attached.
01 June 2023 - NW1860
Mhlongo, Mr TW to ask the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture
(1). What is the explanation of Netball SA regarding the credit card saga in which a certain person (Mr. Thabang Moses) was implicated. (2). whether Netball SA advertised the position of Chief Financial Officer (CFO); if not, why not; if so, on what date. (3).on what date was the CFO appointed to the vacant position at Netball SA, (b) what was the person’s position in Netball SA before assuming the position as acting CFO, (c) on what date was the interview for acting CFO held and (d) what criteria were used to appoint the person?
Reply:
Netball South Africa has indicated that all these questions are not relevant to them as they do not have a Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
01 June 2023 - NW1799
Chirwa-Mpungose, Ms NN to ask the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture (a)
(a). Which recent steps of intervention has he taken to provide artists with (i) mental health support and (ii) support in respect of the demands of the industry at different levels such as community-based, academic, and mainstream media and (b)(i) what programmes have been created by his department specifically to address the peculiar health needs of artists, (ii) how accessible are the programmes and (iii) what is he doing to ensure that plans are devised to make the programmes accessible?
Reply:
(a)(i)(ii). After piloting the Wellness Program for 3 years; the Department has through a tender process appointed a service provider to implement this piloted Wellness Support Programme for Artists and Athletes. The Wellness Support Programme includes the following deliverables:
- Selection of participants and placement of services (for National Accessibility)
- 24-hour Psychosocial Wellbeing Support Programme Counselling (for 24-hour access and counselling)
- Individual Wellbeing Audit and Capacity Assessment (for individual GAP assessment)
- Wellbeing Support Programme Marketing and Communication (for Awareness and Mobilisation of Participants and Stakeholders)
- Artists and Stakeholder Engagement (for Industry-wise-counsel demands)
- Health Risk Assessment (for Medical Health)
- Close Support Interventions (to close the identified Gaps and a sustainable Support Network)
(a)(i)(ii)(iii). The reference to the deliverables encompasses the integration of the holistic well-being of the participants, according to the recognised and trademarked wellbeing model. The programme will be rolled out nationally into all nine provinces to ensure accessibility. This will be done through a data-free enabled mobile application that will be available to participants.
There will also be in-person engagements with the service provider promoting the programme at selected sites.
01 June 2023 - NW1671
Mhlongo, Mr TW to ask the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture
With reference to his reply to question 785 on 29 March 2023, by what date will the information be available? NW1912E
Reply:
The response to 785 was submitted for tabling as attached:
01 June 2023 - NW1800
Chirwa-Mpungose, Ms NN to ask the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture
What (a) steps has he taken to ensure that equal pay becomes a reality for men and women national teams as women’s compensation in the sports industry continues to be one that undermines the tenets of our constitutional democracy and (b) measures has his department taken to actively build support and offer resources to build and accommodate women in the various sports codes?
Reply:
(a). The pay gap between male and female professional athletes is a challenge that requires all role players within the Sport and Recreation fraternity to actively address. The Department is leading discussions in this critical space through the development of the Women in Sport Policy. This policy is designed to ensure equality within the Sport and Recreation sector across the various spheres of the industry, e.g., administration, coaching, salaries of professional athletes, etc. The South African Cabinet has approved that the above-mentioned policy be gazetted for public comments.
(b). It must however be noted that professionalization of Women’s Sport is key in addressing pay parity between females and males. To this end the Department with limited financial resources has been primarily providing support to Cricket SA, South African Football Association, Netball SA, and South African Rugby for the implementation of Women’s programmes with the aim of establishing professional leagues.
The success of these kind of initiatives is dependent on the corporate investment in Women Sport. The Private Sector (Corporate) is mainly driven by commercial interest hence it is imperative that commercially attractive and bankable products are developed. The best cases in point are that Women’s National Teams players and technical personnel in Cricket, Rugby and Netball are now contracted on a full-time basis and paid salaries. This is the first step towards the professionalization of Women’s Sport which lays a foundation for the realization of pay parity in our sport.
01 June 2023 - NW1802
Yako, Ms Y to ask the MINISTER OF SPORT, ARTS AND CULTURE
In light of the fact that public schools in township and rural areas continue being neglected when it pertains to diversifying sporting codes and ensuring participation, which subsequently leaves out a great margin of pupils, who are in the majority black pupils from participating, harnessing their skills and maximizing sporting opportunities, what (a) measures has he put in place to ensure more sporting codes are made available, (b) are the reasons that sporting grounds in rural and township areas are unkempt and (c) intervention has he implemented since he assumed office to turn the situation around?
Reply:
a). The school Sport is programme implemented jointly with the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and this partnership is formalised through the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The lower levels of participation, as contemplated in the MoU, is the responsibility of the Department of Basic Education. They are largely responsible for providing intra/inter School Competition including Cluster level School Sport opportunities. The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture provides funding to the Provinces through the Conditional Grant and 40% of the grant is dedicated for the provision of School Sport. The provinces have been able to provide the schools, mainly quintile 1 and 2 schools with Sport Equipment and Attire and have also helped them with training of teachers as coaches and managers and the employment of sport co-ordinators.
The Department further hosts the National School Sport Championships Provinces must ring-fence R8 million of the Conditional Grant School sport allocation to provide transport, accommodation, attire, and delivery of provincial teams to the National School Sport Championship.
b). The Sport infrastructure development and maintenance in schools is the responsibility of the Department of Basic Education. The norms and standards of schools makes provision for development of facilities.
c). We have been able to construct Multi-purpose Combi courts in schools using equitable share. As a legacy of the Netball World Cup in 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 financial year, in partnership with Netball SA, Netball legacy courts are being rolled out in provinces: 3 have already been completed and 6 more will be completed by end of June 2023.
The current MoU makes provision for the use of Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) to build facilities in Schools, however further discussions with COGTA are necessary to finalise this to enable this provision.
The Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture has already met with the Minister of Basic Education who indicated a commitment to roll out the Wednesday afternoon Sports Programmes.
01 June 2023 - NW1771
Mkhonto, Ms C N to ask the Minister of Human Settlements
(1) What is the name of the owner of the business entity that was awarded the tender for the multimillion-rand Khomga Commonage housing project with a R30 million water and sanitation infrastructure component: (2) Whether the specified company has any connection with a certain person (details furnished); if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details, (3) Whether the company is blacklisted; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details; (4) Whether she has conducted oversight of the specified housing project; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
1. The Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) prohibits the sharing of personal information without consent from the affected person(s). However, I am informed by the Eastern Cape Department of Human Settlements that Gaza Construction was appointed to build 550 housing units at Khomga Commonage as part of Phase One. The province further advises me that the supply of Water and Sanitation Infrastructure was a project implemented by Amathole District Municipality (ADM), not by the Eastern Cape Department of Human Settlements therefore, Amathole District Municipality would be better positioned to respond to this question.
(2) The Department is not privy to such information.
(3) As a rule, the state cannot conduct business with blacklisted companies. However, I am advised by the Eastern Cape Department of Human Settlenents that the Amathole District Municipality is in a better position to answer this question.
(4) Yes, Minister conducted an oversight visit at Khomga in August 2021.
01 June 2023 - NW1670
Mhlongo, Mr TW to ask the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture
(1). With reference to his reply to question 784 on 29 March 2023, who are the directors of Mveledzo Sports Facilities (Pty) Ltd that was appointed by the Netball World Cup 2023 Local Organising Committee to supply the wooden floors at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. (2). whether the specified company is (a) based in Lourie Park, Bloemfontein, 9301 and (b) registered with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission; if not, what is the position in each case; if so, what are the relevant details in each case. (3).whether the company sourced the wooden floors from abroad; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what is the name of the overseas company. (4).whether the supply of the wooden floors was put out to tender; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details, including the (a) date the tender was advertised and (b) media in which it was advertised?
Reply:
The following is the information provided by Netball World Cup Organizing Committee.
1. The Directors of Mveledzo Netball Coaching (Pty)Ltd trading as Mveledzo Sport Facilities is – 100% owned by Martha Selloane Masoahle
2 (a). The company is based at 8 Mary Place Valley View Estate, Midrand, Gauteng 1685
(b). The company is registered with CIPC, Enterprise Name: Mveledzo Netball Coaching (Pty)Ltd. Reg No:2013/028358/07 and was registered on the 19/02/2013.
3. Yes, the company sourced the wooden floors from abroad, from the following companies: (i). From USA through Australia (Australian Wooden Floors/Horner) and Italy (Adisport)
4. There was an invitation to tender that was issued on the NWC2023 website on the 07 September 2021, which closed on the 21 September 2021, according to our records.
01 June 2023 - NW1756
Madlingozi, Mr BS to ask the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture
(a) What (i) total number of theatres have been rendered non-functional and/or dysfunctional in each province in the past three financial years and (ii) are the reasons for each circumstance, (b) what measures has he taken to support (i) theatres and (ii) theatre practitioners in the past three financial years and (c) which public theatres have ongoing corruption investigations and/or allegations waged against the staff, management and/or service providers?
Reply:
The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture is responsible for six theatres, namely, The Playhouse Company, Artscape, South African State Theatre, The Market Theatre Foundation, Performing Arts Centre of the Free State and Mandela Bay Theatre Complex.
None of these theatres have been rendered non-functional and/or dysfunctional in the past three financial years.
(a). The financial allocation for the six Theatres in the past three financial years is as follows:
ENTITY |
2020/2021 |
2021/2022 |
2022/2023 |
Artscape |
65 269 |
65 849 |
67 478 |
Playhouse Company |
49 634 |
53 866 |
55 193 |
The Market Theatre Foundation |
48 709 |
51 216 |
52 561 |
South African State Theatre |
63 504 |
61 247 |
62 752 |
Performing Arts Centre of the Free State (Pacofs) |
46 883 |
48 823 |
50 024 |
Mandela Bay Theatre Complex |
N/A |
N/A |
|
(b). Performing Arts Centre of the Free State commissioned an investigation on allegations of nepotism, irregular suspension, and abuse of power by the former Chief Executive Officer. The report was completed in October 2020 and Council implemented the recommendations of the report. There are no ongoing investigations in the theatres mentioned above.
01 June 2023 - NW1720
Cebekhulu, Inkosi RN to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
(a) In what way has she found the delay in handing over the promised assistance in the form of fertilizer and/or funding to small-scale farmers in need of assistance impacts the specified farmers and (b) what number of small-scale farmers were scheduled to benefit from the R99 million?
Reply:
a) The delay could have negatively impacted on the timing for fertilization in some of the areas. However, farmers still could fertilise daily after the fertilizer was handed over.
b) The distribution of 116 415 bags of fertilizer will benefit 10 679 Small Scale Growers (SSGs) on 23 283 hectares of land. To date 103 451 bags of fertilizer were distributed to 6288 SSGs, applied to 13 803,55 hectares of land.
31 May 2023 - NW1640
Ismail, Ms H to ask the Minister of Tourism
Whether, with reference to the provincial distribution of incomplete tourism-related projects, for which the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) has been engaged to ensure their completion, she will furnish Ms H Ismail with (a) a comprehensive breakdown of the total number of such projects in each province, (b) the names of the original contractors assigned to each of the projects and (c) an explanation of the technical, financial and contractual factors that necessitated the involvement of the DBSA; if not, why not, in each case; if so, what are the relevant details in each case?
Reply:
Prov |
(a) A comprehensive breakdown of the total number of such projects in each province |
(b) Names of the original contractors assigned to each of the projects ** |
(c) An explanation of the technical, financial and contractual factors that necessitated the involvement of the DBSA |
|
EC |
1 |
Qatywa Lodge |
** |
Incomplete chalets, restaurant and conference centre due to budget depletion. |
2 |
Western Tembuland Lodge |
** |
Incomplete chalets, entrance guard house due to budget depletion |
|
3 |
Maluti Hiking and Horse Trail |
** |
Poor workmanship on the river crossing bridges |
|
4 |
Mthonsi Lodge |
** |
Incomplete chalets, restaurant and conference centre due to budget depletion. |
|
5 |
Nyandeni |
** |
Chalets completed however not furnished. Lack of maintenance over time. |
|
FS |
1 |
Qwa Qwa Guest House |
** |
Incomplete chalets due to budget depletion. |
2 |
Vredefort Dome Interpretation Centre |
** |
Interpretation Centre completed however there were structural defects due to geotechnical instability. |
|
3 |
Monontsha Access Road |
** |
Incomplete access road due to budget depletion. |
|
KZN |
1 |
Muzi Pan |
** |
Chalets completed however with some defects/poor workmanship. |
2 |
Isibhubhu |
** |
The project was completed however could not be handed over without occupation certificate. |
|
LP |
1 |
Phiphidi Waterfall |
** |
Incomplete chalets due to contractual disputes with the Implementing Agent whose contract lapsed. |
2 |
The Oaks |
** |
Incomplete chalets due to contractual disputes with the Implementing Agent whose contract lapsed. |
|
3 |
Ngove |
** |
Some chalets not completed due to budget depletion |
|
4 |
Tisane |
** |
Incomplete chalets due to budget depletion |
|
5 |
VhaTsonga |
** |
Incomplete rondavels due to budget depletion and poor workmanship |
|
NC |
1 |
Kamiesburg |
** |
Incomplete ablution facilities, campsite and chalets due to budget depletion |
2 |
Platfontein |
** |
Chalets and kitchen completed. Structural defects post completion due in part to geotechnical issues and drainage. |
|
NW |
1 |
Manyane Lodge |
** |
Incomplete restaurant. Conference centre not done. Damages to the completed chalets from fire and vandalism. Budget depletion. |
2 |
Lehurutshe Bird and Trophy Hunting |
** |
Completed and not ready for however not ready be handed due to lack of Occupation certificate. |
I have met with DBSA to discuss the poor performance and advised the Department to establish a project management unit to conduct oversight.
** Application of the POPI Act
Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013
31 May 2023 - NW1909
Matumba, Mr A to ask the Minister of Tourism
(a) On what date is it envisaged that she will finalise the appointment of the new SA Tourism Board and (b) what time frames have been put in place in this regard?
Reply:
(a) On what date is it envisaged that she will finalise the appointment of the new SA Tourism Board.
We are targeting no later than end of October 2023.
(b) What time frames have been put in place in this regard.
It is not possible to state the exact time frames but the process is envisaged to take up to 160 days for finalisation of the appointment of the board.
30 days are dedicated to placing the advert for Nominations of new members to serve on the Board of SA Tourism in the government gazette and two national newspapers in terms of the Tourism Act, Act 3 of 2014.
30 days are allocated to the evaluation of candidature and verifying qualifications;
30-60 days for vetting by SSA;
30 days are set aside for the Cabinet processes, which entails the Cabinet Committee making recommendations to Cabinet for concurrence;
And 15 days for appointment and subsequent publication of the names and term of office of the Board in two national newspapers and Gazette.
31 May 2023 - NW1630
Masipa, Mr NP to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
With reference to her reply to question 142 on 23 March 2022, what total number of African horse sickness vaccines (a) were produced between January 2022 and February 2023 as promised by her and (b) are currently in stock; (2) whether the specified stock is sufficient for the next vaccination cycle; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details; (3) whether Onderstepoort Biological Products is prepared to supply the necessary attenuated strains and serotypes to a private production entity to further develop alternative production as quickly as possible; if not, (a) why not and (b) how does she intend to solve the shortage of vaccines challenges; if so, by what date does she envisage this will happen?
Reply:
(1)(a) 49000 doses of the African Horse Sickness (AHS) vaccine were produced by Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP) between January 2022 and March 2023.
b) As of 17 May 2023, 15000 doses of the AHS vaccine are available in stock at OBP, with more vaccine doses still in quality check test.
2. No. The current available AHS doses are not sufficient for the next vaccination cycle. However, OBP is working diligently enough in preparation for making sufficient vaccines available for the upcoming vaccination season.
3. OBP is not prepared to supply its attenuated strains and serotypes to a private production entity for further development.
a) OBP’s attenuated strains and serotypes are intellectual property and a tangible asset for the OBP, the juristic person.
b) A plan/strategy to resolve shortages is currently being worked on by the OBP and will remain a priority for the entity. The objective is to ensure that vaccines are always available during vaccination season.
31 May 2023 - NW1852
Bryant, Mr D W to ask the Minister of Water and Sanitation
(1) What (a) is the relevant financial legislation on which the conducting of the audits for the authorized package plants from 2009 to 2023 relied and (b) are the relevant legal obligations, set out in the specified legislation, on which his department did not rely to ensure that audits were conducted. (2) (a) what is the total number of licensed wastewater treatment plants in accordance to the National Water Act, Act 36 of 1998, in (i) each province and (ii) the Republic, (b) of those licensed wastewater treatment plants, what percentage was (i) inspected and (ii) audited correctly in each year since 2009 until the latest date of which information is available in 2023, (c) how does his department assess the environmental damage that has resulted from non-compliance and (d) what actions have been taken in cases where wastewater treatment plants were found to be noncompliant with their licensing conditions
Reply:
1. (a) Compliance monitoring audits are non-financial performance audits conducted to determine conformity by municipalities with the National Water Act, Act 36 of 1998. There is no direct financial legislation applicable.
(b) There were no relevant financial legal obligations involved in conducting compliance audits.
(2) (a) (i) and (ii)
Province |
License |
Permit |
General authorisation |
Exemption |
Total |
Western Cape |
33 |
11 |
37 |
3 |
84 |
Limpopo |
21 |
0 |
11 |
0 |
32 |
North-West |
20 |
1 |
1 |
8 |
30 |
Mpumalanga |
25 |
1 |
6 |
6 |
38 |
Gauteng |
44 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
51 |
Free State |
21 |
5 |
11 |
38 |
75 |
Northern Cape |
10 |
10 |
1 |
19 |
40 |
Eastern Cape |
16 |
10 |
58 |
36 |
120 |
Kwazulu-Natal |
13 |
27 |
9 |
20 |
69 |
Total |
203 |
65 |
135 |
136 |
539 |
(b) (i) and (ii) All municipal wastewater treatment plants were audited in the period between 2009-2023.
(c) Authorisations issued to the wastewater treatment plants have conditions prescribing how much waste and concentrations can be released into the environment. The teams that conduct compliance audits are trained Environmental Management Inspectors (EMIs) capable of determining whether the conditions have been breached or not. In cases of non-compliance resulting in pollution of the environment, such pollution can be quantified in terms of its impact on the environment. This involves sampling the polluted medium, analysis of the samples, and interpretation thereof.
(d) In instances where a water user fails to comply with any of the license conditions, the Department first exercises administrative enforcement actions which are in the form of Notices and Directives to afford the water users an opportunity to rectify any non-compliance. When users are non-responsive, the Department proceeds with either or both criminal and civil enforcement actions.
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31 May 2023 - NW1572
Msane, Ms TP to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
What is the status at the Ingonyama Trust regarding longterm leases applications dating back to 2021 which have not been responded to?
Reply:
There are only 11 residential lease applications that were received since 2021, where responses have not been sent to the applicants. These applications were put on hold because of ongoing litigation regarding residential leases.
31 May 2023 - NW1634
De Freitas, Mr MS to ask the Minister of Home Affairs
With reference to tourism visa (a) applications and (b) repeat applications (i) in the past three financial years and (ii) from 1 April 2023 to date, (aa) what total number of applications were (aaa) received and/or (bbb) issued in each month, (bb) from which countries were applications received in each month and (cc) what is the average time taken between an application received and a visa being issued in each month?
Reply:
(a&b) Tourism visas applied for within the country are considered repeat applications as holders of such visas would ordinarily be extending a tourist visa already issued abroad. The visa volumes mentioned below are per calendar year (not financial year). They are as follows:
Year |
Application count |
2020 |
4562 |
2021 |
11482 |
2022 |
14615 |
(aa) From 1 April 2023 to 11 May 2023, there were 1648 applications received. Applications finalised during the same period were 1545.
(bb) The table below shows from which countries were applications received. The data could not be separated per month.
Tourist visas issued per country
Country |
Count of Sticker Number |
China |
198 |
Pakistan |
197 |
India |
143 |
United States |
92 |
Germany |
83 |
Saudi Arabia |
78 |
United Kingdom |
63 |
Nigeria |
60 |
Russian Federation |
53 |
France |
48 |
Netherlands |
39 |
Turkey |
38 |
Bangladesh |
36 |
Thailand |
36 |
Angola |
35 |
Dem. Rep. of the Congo |
29 |
Zimbabwe |
25 |
Switzerland |
24 |
Canada |
21 |
Namibia |
17 |
Israel |
17 |
Brazil |
16 |
Australia |
14 |
Italy |
14 |
Kenya |
13 |
Belgium |
12 |
Gabon |
11 |
Republic of South Korea |
11 |
Egypt |
10 |
Poland |
9 |
Philippines |
9 |
Hungary |
9 |
Ireland |
9 |
Mauritius |
9 |
United Rep of Tanzania |
8 |
Sweden |
8 |
Botswana |
8 |
Spain |
7 |
Zambia |
7 |
Cameroon |
6 |
Japan |
6 |
Ghana |
6 |
Malaysia |
6 |
Uganda |
6 |
New Zealand |
5 |
Yemen |
5 |
Jordan |
4 |
Liberia |
4 |
Madagascar |
4 |
Austria |
4 |
Cuba |
4 |
Portugal |
4 |
Lebanon |
4 |
Islamic Republic of Iran |
4 |
Malawi |
3 |
Vietnam |
3 |
Ukraine |
3 |
Mexico |
3 |
Libya |
3 |
Ethiopia |
3 |
Denmark |
3 |
Colombia |
2 |
Algeria |
2 |
Cote D'Ivoire |
2 |
Somalia |
2 |
Luxembourg |
2 |
Malta |
2 |
Mozambique |
2 |
Guyana |
1 |
Burkina Faso |
1 |
Eritrea |
1 |
Argentina |
1 |
Morocco |
1 |
Cape Verde |
1 |
Chile |
1 |
Greece |
1 |
Belarus |
1 |
Indonesia |
1 |
Peru |
1 |
Mali |
1 |
Czech Republic |
1 |
Senegal |
1 |
Myanmar |
1 |
Singapore |
1 |
Nepal |
1 |
Chad |
1 |
Venezuela |
1 |
Dem. People's Rep. of Korea |
1 |
Iraq |
1 |
Sudan |
1 |
Congo |
1 |
Afghanistan |
1 |
Mongolia |
1 |
Grand Total |
1648 |
(cc) 14 applications of April 2023 were adjudicated as at 15 May 2023. The average time taken was 17 days.
END
31 May 2023 - NW1785
Matiase, Mr NS to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
What are the relevant details of land reform programmes that she has undertaken recently to (a) increase the current levels of agricultural production and (b) alleviate poverty in rural areas through agriculture?
Reply:
(a),(b) The Department is implementing a three-pronged land reform programme. These are:
- Land Redistribution using the Provision of Land and Assistance Act, Act 126 of 1993. To give effect to this Act, the Proactive Land Acquisition Strategy and the Beneficiary Selection and Land Allocation policy are implemented to acquire and redistribute land;
- Land Tenure Reform programme implemented under the Extension of Security of Tenure Act, Act 62 of 1997 (ESTA); and
- Land Restitution programme implemented by the Commission on Restitution of Land Rights using the Restitution of Land Rights Act, Act 22 of 1994.
These land reform programmes are supported by various agrarian reform instruments to address both the financial and technical support for different categories of producers to maintain and improve agricultural productivity and poverty alleviation. These instruments are as follows:
- Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme and Ilima/Letsema which are aimed at resourcing and equipping producers towards increased food production and other value chain activities;
- Land Development Support which supports land reform farms with infrastructure; farm machinery and equipment, production development/inputs, and technical support including mentorship provided through commodity organisations;
- Blended Finance Scheme which supports the commercialisation process;
- SA-GAP Certification Programme which assists farmers to meet minimum food safety and quality requirements and thus eases access to markets;
- Collaborations with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), wherein the Department implements the Smallholder Horticulture Empowerment and Promotion (SHEP) approach, and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) for the implementation of the Farmer Field Schools. Both interventions enhance the provision of extension services for small-scale farmers towards attaining sustainable food production and market access;
- In our endeavour to reduce the ratio between farmers and extension officers for more extension and advisory services to farmers, the Department continues to recruit extension personnel. Over 4 500 Assistant Agricultural Practitioners were recruited to provide technical support to farmers;
- Skills assessment and mitigation strategy is implemented to attain sustainable growth and equitable participation in the sector. As part of the comprehensive farmer support, the Department provides capacity development interventions that are focused on capacitating producers with requisite skills and mentorship based on their needs at a farm level. This capacity building assists farmers to optimize both production and marketing operations;
- Presidential Employment Stimulus providing production inputs for the most vulnerable producers for household food security and self-employment;
- Farmer Production Support Units provide a centralised service centre for producers to get production inputs, mechanisation, and technical support;
- Land Care Programme to protect and preserve natural resources and create employment at a rural level;
- Animal and Veld Management Programme to provide animal husbandry-related infrastructure like fencing, handling and dipping facilities, and livestock water including boreholes;
- River Valley Catalytic Programme designed to revitalise irrigation schemes in our former homelands;
- Micro Agricultural Finance Institute of South Africa provides affordable loans for producers; and
- National Rural Youth Service Corps (NARYSEC) Programme targeting unemployed rural youth for skills and capacity building for sustainable opportunities in the agricultural sector.
31 May 2023 - NW1809
Mohlala, Ms MR to ask the Minister of Water and Sanitation
(a) How is his department addressing instances where municipalities are failing in their duties in water services provision and (b) what are the details of the legal framework being utilised where municipalities fail in their mandate to ensure compliance in terms of wastewater and effluent spillages?
Reply:
a) The Department of Water and Sanitation (the Department) works together with the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) and the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) to ensure that municipalities receive the necessary support and grant funding to refurbish and maintain water and sanitation assets. Water Service Authorities (WSAs), through their Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG), allocate funding for refurbishment of some of Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTW). Depending on availability of funds, the Department also funds WWTW refurbishment and upgrade projects that meet the criteria of the Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant (RBIG) and Water Services Infrastructure Grant (WSIG).
b) The Department ensures protection of water resources, which can be achieved by initiating rectification measures against the identified non-complaint water users and polluters. When municipalities fail in their mandate to ensure compliance in terms of wastewater and effluent spillages, various legal frameworks can be initiated to address the contraventions.
In instances where a water user fails to comply with any of the license conditions, the Department first exercises administrative enforcement actions in the form of Notices and Directives in accordance with the National Water Act. This is meant to afford the water users an opportunity to rectify non-compliances within certain timeframes.
When users are non-responsive, the Department proceeds with either or both criminal and civil enforcement actions. Criminal sanctions can also be instituted against the municipalities guided by Criminal Procedure Act on violations related to wastewater and effluent spillages. Section 151 of the National Water Act provides legal basis for laying of criminal charges against the municipalities that are intentionally or negligently pollute water resources or engage in unlawful water usage. Offenses under Section 151 of the National Water Act can be used to address pollution of water resources, making it a criminal offense to discharge pollutants into water resources without the necessary authorisation.
---00O00---
31 May 2023 - NW1987
Montwedi, Mr Mk to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
Considering that it seems clear that sooner or later the Republic will experience a grid collapse that will create serious problems for the agricultural sector, which is already struggling due to the continued load shedding, (a) what (i) contingency plans has her department put in place to deal with the current load shedding crisis and (ii) informed such plans and (b) which stakeholders in the specified sector have contributed to such measures?
Reply:
a) (i) The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development established a Sector Energy Crisis Task Team comprised of government, industry, research institutions and sector entities. The work of the Task Team, engaging with Eskom looked at immediate, short and long term contingency plans to protect the sector against the negative impact of load shedding. The interventions will cover the sector at large including all categories of farmers. The interventions are also being aligned to the pronouncements delivered by the Minister of Finance during his budget speech statement.
The proposed interventions are:
- Customers with dedicated supply infrastructure should apply for load curtailment.
- Customers supplied by the same feeder/ substation can group together and apply for load curtailment.
- Review the schedule (duration and or time) where possible, to accommodate the needs of majority of customers (the criteria will be based on impact/number of commercial customers).
- Customers in municipal supply area where switching is done by Eskom and where possible, to exempt/curtail, municipalities to be allowed to do own switching to accommodate customers.
- Reconfigure the network to allow possible isolation where possible.
- Install micro grids, PV’s and battery containers for critical loads especially during critical times such as harvesting, irrigation and refrigeration- this will require customers to identify the essential load.
As announced during my Budget Speech, the Department is establishing the Agro-Energy Fund at the Land Bank. This is a blended finance instrument where the state will provide a grant on a sliding scale per producer category combined with a loan from the Land Bank.
The focus of the Agro-Energy Fund is on energy intensive agricultural activities. These include irrigation, intensive agricultural production systems, and on-farm cold chain related activities. The blended thresholds and caps per category of producer are as follows:
- a large-scale producer will receive 30% grant funding to be matched with a 70% loan portion, where the grant amount is capped at the maximum of R1.5 million;
- a medium-scale producer will receive a 50% grant to be matched with a 50% loan portion, where the grant is capped at the maximum of R1 million; and
- a smallholder producer will be supported by a grant portion of 70% to be matched with a 30% loan. For this category, the maximum grant funding is capped at the maximum of R500 000.
Table 1: Grant Limits
Farmer Categorization |
Large Scale Farmer |
Medium Scale Farmer |
Small Scale Farmer |
Turnover |
>R10m <R50m |
>R1m-R10m |
>R50k -R1m |
% Grant of the Cost (valid Quotation) |
30% |
50% |
70% |
Land Bank Loan Component |
70% |
50% |
30% |
Grant Caps |
R1.5m |
R1m |
R500 000 |
(ii) The Grant caps will be according to Table 1 above; however, the cost of the infrastructure needed by the farmer will be informed by the farmer’s farm energy requirement assessment based on the kilowatts. The pre-assessment by a competent expert registered with the South African Photovoltaic Industry Association (SAPVIA) will be key so that the correct fit for purpose system is installed.
The Blended Agro-Energy facility will be used by qualifying producers for the purchase of capital equipment and infrastructure (CAPEX) for alternative energy sources directly linked to energy-intensive farming operations.
Table 2: Common high energy consuming activities at the farm level
Dairy Farming |
Piggery |
Poultry |
Field Cropping |
Horticulture including (Greenhouse) |
Milk cooling machinery |
Heating |
Lighting |
Cold Storage |
Cold Storage |
Lighting |
Ventilation |
Feeding machinery |
Tilling |
Irrigation |
Milking machinery |
Lighting |
Ventilation |
Irrigation |
Ventilation |
Feeding machinery |
Feeding machinery |
Heating |
Lighting |
NB: the list is not exhaustive
b) DALRRD consulted sector stakeholders and continues to do so. The stakeholders consulted include the CEOs of industry, commodity organisations, research fraternity, farmers organisations and government entities including Eskom.
31 May 2023 - NW1827
Ismail, Ms H to ask the Minister of Tourism
(a) To what extent has she found that the Working for Tourism Programme contributed to employment generation in the tourism sector in the Republic during the period 1 January 2019 to date and (b) what is the full, comprehensive analysis of the total number of work opportunities (i) created in each specified financial year and (ii) stratified by (aa) region and (bb) type of employment?
Reply:
a) I have been informed that the Working for Tourism Programme has created short-term or temporary work opportunities in line with the principles of the Expanded Public Works Programme from 1 January 2019 to date.
a) Financial Year |
|
b) (i) Total number of Work Opportunities (WO) created in each specified financial year |
|
2019/2020 |
7459 Work Opportunities |
2020/2021 |
2772 Work Opportunities |
2021/2022 |
5961Work Opportunities |
2022/2023 |
5081 Work Opportunities |
Total Number of Work Opportunities 2019/2020 |
7 459 |
|
(ii) (aa) Province/Region |
(ii) (bb) Type of Temporary Work Opportunity |
Work Opportunities (Number) |
Eastern Cape |
Tourism Monitors |
137 |
Eastern Cape |
Data Collectors Project |
74 |
Eastern Cape |
Hospitality Youth Training Programme |
180 |
Eastern Cape |
Security Services |
15 |
Eastern Cape |
Tourism Green Coast Programme |
119 |
Free State |
Tourism Monitors |
100 |
Gauteng |
Wine Service |
380 |
Gauteng |
Hospitality Youth Training - Fast Food |
499 |
Gauteng |
Security Services |
6 |
Gauteng |
Safety Monitors |
189 |
Gauteng |
Tourism Monitors |
96 |
Gauteng |
National Youth Chefs Training Programme |
694 |
KwaZulu Natal |
Hospitality Youth Training fast food |
736 |
KwaZulu Natal |
Tourism Monitors |
367 |
Limpopo |
Security Services |
37 |
Limpopo |
Cleaning Services |
9 |
Limpopo |
Hospitality Youth Training - Fast Food |
564 |
Limpopo |
Security Services |
26 |
Limpopo |
Cleaning Services |
10 |
Limpopo |
Construction |
41 |
Limpopo |
Tourism Monitors |
177 |
Mpumalanga |
Hospitality Youth Training Programme |
397 |
Mpumalanga |
Hospitality Youth Training Programme |
319 |
Mpumalanga |
Tourism Monitors |
234 |
Northern Cape |
Hospitality Youth Training - Fast Food |
193 |
Northern Cape and Free State |
Data Collectors |
104 |
Northern Cape |
Tourism Monitors Programme |
48 |
North West |
Hospitality Youth Training - Fast Food |
412 |
North West |
Cleaning Services |
18 |
North West |
Tourism Monitors |
98 |
National Parks |
Tourism Monitors |
264 |
Western Cape |
Hospitality Youth Training |
438 |
Western Cape |
Hospitality Youth Training |
378 |
Western Cape |
Tourism Monitors Programme |
100 |
Total Number of Work Opportunities 2020/2021 |
2 772 |
|
(ii) (aa) Province/Region |
(ii) (bb) Type of Temporary Work Opportunity |
Work Opportunities (Number) |
Eastern Cape |
Data Collectors |
9 |
Eastern Cape |
Security Services |
45 |
Eastern Cape |
Tourism Green Coast Programme |
14 |
Eastern Cape |
Construction |
105 |
Free State |
Construction |
66 |
Free State |
Security Service |
20 |
Free State |
Tourism Monitors |
100 |
Gauteng |
Security Services |
11 |
Gauteng |
Data Collectors |
108 |
Gauteng |
Tourism Monitors |
98 |
Gauteng |
Tourism Monitors Programme |
166 |
Kwa-Zulu Natal |
Tourism Blue Flag Programme |
97 |
Kwa-Zulu Natal |
Tourism Monitors |
1 |
Kwa-Zulu Natal |
Skills Development Project |
48 |
Kwa-Zulu Natal |
Security Services |
18 |
Limpopo |
Hospitality Youth Training - Fast Food- |
17 |
Limpopo |
Cleaning Services |
9 |
Mpumalanga |
Infrastructure Maintenance |
563 |
Mpumalanga |
Data Collectors |
82 |
Mpumalanga |
Skills Development Project |
479 |
Northern Cape |
Hospitality Youth Training - Fast Food |
150 |
Northern Cape and Free State |
Data Collectors |
93 |
North West |
Hospitality Youth Training - Fast Food |
10 |
North West |
Tourism Monitors |
98 |
Western Cape |
Hospitality Youth Training |
271 |
Western Cape |
Tourism Monitors Programme |
94 |
Total Number of Work Opportunities 2021/2022 |
5 961 |
|
(ii) (aa) Province/Region |
(ii) (bb) Type of Temporary Work Opportunity |
Work Opportunities (Number) |
Eastern Cape |
Construction |
35 |
Eastern Cape |
Security Services |
15 |
Eastern Cape |
Tourism Monitors |
186 |
Eastern Cape |
Construction |
55 |
Free State |
Tourism Monitors |
98 |
(ii) (aa) Province/Region |
(ii) (bb) Type of Temporary Work Opportunity |
Work Opportunities (Number) |
Free State |
Construction |
72 |
Gauteng |
Tourism Monitors |
242 |
Gauteng |
Food Safety Quality Assurers |
152 |
Gauteng and North West |
Data Collectors |
103 |
Gauteng (SANBI sites) |
Tourism Monitors Programme |
98 |
Mpumalanga |
Tourism Monitors |
290 |
Northern Cape, Eastern Cape and Western Cape |
Food and Beverage |
213 |
Kwazulu Natal |
Construction |
13 |
Kwazulu Natal |
Tourism Blue Flag Programme |
116 |
Kwazulu Natal |
Tourism Monitors |
234 |
Kwazulu Natal |
Data Collectors |
101 |
Kwazulu Natal |
Security Services |
9 |
Kwazulu Natal and Western Cape |
Wine Making Training |
216 |
Kwazulu Natal |
Construction |
74 |
Kwazulu Natal |
Tourism Monitors |
470 |
Mpumalanga and Limpopo |
Data Collectors |
102 |
Mpumalanga |
Skills Development |
391 |
Mpumalanga |
Infrastructure Maintenance (National Parks) |
1 313 |
National Parks |
Tourism Monitors |
315 |
Northern Cape |
Tourism Monitors |
104 |
Northern Cape |
Chefs Training Programme |
53 |
Northern Cape and Free State |
Data Collectors |
21 |
North West |
Cleaning Services |
10 |
North West |
Security Services |
10 |
North West |
Tourism Monitors |
106 |
Western Cape |
Chefs Training |
116 |
Western Cape |
Data Collectors Project |
62 |
Western Cape |
Food Safety Quality Assurers Programme |
218 |
Western Cape |
Tourism Monitors |
48 |
Total Number of Work Opportunities 2022/2023 |
*5 081 |
|
(ii) (aa) Province/Region |
(ii) (bb) Type of Temporary Work Opportunity |
Work Opportunities (Number)* |
Kwazulu Natal |
Construction |
15 |
(ii) (aa) Province/Region |
(ii) (bb) Type of Temporary Work Opportunity |
Work Opportunities (Number)* |
Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and Western Cape |
Food and Beverage |
278 |
Eastern Cape |
Tourism Monitors |
189 |
Eastern Cape |
Construction |
12 |
Free State |
Construction |
31 |
Free State |
Chef Training Programme |
114 |
Free State |
Hospitality Youth Training Programme (Fast Food) |
232 |
Free State |
Tourism Monitors |
98 |
Gauteng |
Construction |
17 |
Gauteng |
Food Safety Quality Assurers |
138 |
Gauteng |
Tourism Monitors |
222 |
Isimangaliso |
Tourism Monitors |
222 |
Kwazulu Natal |
Tourism Blue Flag Programme |
99 |
Kwazulu Natal |
Data Collectors |
69 |
Kwazulu Natal |
Tourism Monitors |
468 |
Kwazulu Natal |
Construction |
25 |
Kwazulu Natal and Western Cape |
Wine Making Training Programme |
235 |
Limpopo |
Construction |
17 |
Limpopo |
Construction |
21 |
Limpopo |
Construction |
12 |
Mpumalanga |
Infrastructure Maintenance |
1 135 |
Mpumalanga |
Tourism Monitors |
301 |
National Parks |
Tourism Monitors |
316 |
Northern Cape |
Chef Training Programme |
50 |
Northern Cape |
Tourism Monitors |
104 |
North West |
Tourism Monitors |
100 |
Western Cape |
Construction |
78 |
Western Cape |
Data collector |
16 |
Western Cape |
Food Safety Quality Assurers |
119 |
Western Cape |
Tourism Monitors Programme |
348 |
*Total Number of Work Opportunities 2022/2023 must still be audited
31 May 2023 - NW1751
Matumba, Mr A to ask the Minister of Tourism
(a) How are the new Preferential Procurement Regulations different from the previous dispensation, (b) what issues have been flagged by the Internal Audit Committee on departmental performance thus far and (c) what engagements has her department had with the Office of the Auditor-General to minimise negative findings at the end of the financial year?
Reply:
(a) How are the new Preferential Procurement Regulations different from the previous dispensation?
I have been informed by the Department that the previous PPPFA regulations required the calculation of points to be based on the 80/20 principle for which 80 points were for price, 20 points for preferential points as prescribed by National Treasury.
The current PPPFA regulation calculation of points is still based on 80/20 principle however with the new regulations 80 points are still for price but 20 points will be the prerogative of the department to allocate points.
The department reviewed the SCM policy effective from 16 January 2023 to align with the new PPPFA.
The department amended the SCM policy based on the new PPPFA regulations that were issued in November 2022. The changes in the policy were done on the 80/20 principle for bids below R50m and 90/10 principle for bids above R50m respectively to align with the new regulations.
(b) What issues have been flagged by the Internal Audit Committee on departmental performance thus far?
The Q2 and Q3 performance reports were presented to the newly appointed Audit Committee on the 27 March 2023 and the matters that Internal Audit flagged related to:
- Payment of compliant invoices within 30 days.
- Impact of Technical Indicator Description related to the expenditure on women owned businesses which had intended transversal contracts.
- Impact of SCM processes and participants’ conduct on Service Delivery
- The links between changes at executive leadership level and performance on areas of work that require Executive Authority input e.g. Public Policy
(c) What engagements has her department had with the Office of the Auditor-General to minimise negative findings at the end of the financial year?
- Engagement to input in the audit implementation plan.
- Engagements on the audit strategy.
- Engagement on audit findings,
- Engagements on planning matters prior to the conclusion of Annual Performance Plan for 2023/24.
31 May 2023 - NW1825
Ismail, Ms H to ask the Minister of Tourism
Whether, in order to better understand the financial implications and underlying reasons for the non-completion of the tourism projects, she will (a) furnish Ms H Ismail with a detailed analysis of the initial financial allocations to each contractor, (b) disclose the specific reasons behind the failure to complete each specified project within the original scope, budget and timeline, (c) specify the additional funds allocated to the Development Bank of Southern Africa for the completion of each project and (d) outline any measures taken to mitigate such issues in future tourism-related contracts; if not, why not, in each case; if so, what are the relevant details in each case?
Reply:
Prov |
Project Name |
(a) Initial allocation to each contractor |
(b) Reasons behind the failure to complete each project within the original scope, budget and timeline |
(c) Additional funds allocated to the DBSA for completion of each project (construction value) |
|
EC |
1 |
Qatywa Lodge |
Budget: R 23,750,000 Exp: R 23,288,668 |
Incomplete chalets, restaurant and conference centre due to budget depletion. |
R 32,802,163.00 |
2 |
Western Tembuland Lodge |
Budget: R 10,449,156 Exp: R 10,382,358 |
Incomplete chalets, entrance guard house due to budget depletion |
R 23,437,638.25 |
|
3 |
Maluti Hiking and Horse Trail |
Budget: R 4,750,000 Exp: R 4,749,987 |
Poor workmanship on the river crossing bridges |
R 18,160,388.15 |
|
4 |
Mthonsi Lodge |
Budget: R 28,215,000 Exp: R 27,531,883 |
Incomplete chalets, restaurant and conference centre due to budget depletion. |
R 31,072,567.60 |
|
5 |
Nyandeni |
Budget: R 7,600,000 Exp: R 7,546,800 |
Chalets completed however not furnished. Lack of maintenance over time. |
R19,023,014.80 |
|
FS |
1 |
Qwa Qwa Guest House |
Budget: R 34,234,974 Exp: R 34,001,662 |
Incomplete chalets due to budget depletion. |
R21,120,795.06 |
2 |
Vredefort Dome Interpretation Centre |
Budget: R 3,009,453 Exp: R 2,927,652 |
Interpretation Centre completed however there were structural defects due to geotechnical instability. |
R24,160,892.96 |
|
3 |
Monontsha Access Road |
Budget: R 12,629,500 Exp: R 12,548,922 |
Incomplete access road due to budget budget depletion. |
R6,726,894.01 |
|
KZN |
1 |
Muzi Pan |
Budget: R 12,447,480 Exp: R 11,887,690 |
Chalets completed however with some defects/ poor workmanship. |
Contractor not yet appointed |
2 |
Isibhubhu |
Budget: R 15,000,000 Exp: R 14,889,708 |
The project was completed however it could not be handed over without occupation certificate. |
R29,918,570.53 |
|
LP |
1 |
Phiphidi Waterfall |
Budget: R 29,477,099 Exp: R 23,264,771.67 |
Incomplete chalets. Contractual disputes with the Implementing Agent whose contract lapsed. |
Contractor not yet appointed |
2 |
The Oaks |
Budget: R 26,550,216 Exp: R 25,483,869 |
Incomplete chalets and restaurant due to Contractual disputes with the Implementing Agent whose contract lapsed. |
R25,807,207.29 |
|
3 |
Ngove |
Budget: R 20,133,951 Exp: R 19,993,013 |
Some chalets not completed due to budget depletion. |
R29,988,483.30 |
|
4 |
Tisane |
Budget: R 18,810,000 Exp: R 18,299,799 |
Incomplete chalets due to budget depletion |
R27,463,083.70 |
|
5 |
VhaTsonga |
Budget: R 9,185,000 Exp: R 9,068,064 |
Incomplete rondavels and poor workmanship and budget depletion. |
Contractor not yet appointed |
|
NC |
1 |
Kamiesburg |
Budget: R 5,100,000 Exp: R 4,815,074 |
Incomplete ablution facilities, campsite and chalets due to budget depletion. |
Contractor not yet appointed |
2 |
Platfontein |
Budget: R 32,206,320 Exp: R 32,072,057
|
Chalets and kitchen completed. Structural defects post completion due in part to geotechnical issues and drainage. |
Contractor not yet appointed |
|
NW |
1 |
Manyane Lodge |
Budget: R 48,465,113 Exp: R 47,884,114 |
Incomplete restaurant. Conference centre not done. Damages on the completed chalets from a fire and vandalism. And budget depletion. |
Contractor not yet appointed |
2 |
Lehurutshe Bird and Trophy Hunting |
Budget: R 2,827,500 Exp: R 2,809,808 |
Completed, not ready to be handed over due to lack of Occupation Certificate . |
Contractor not yet appointed |
(d) Measures taken to mitigate such issues in future tourism related contracts
I have been informed that the Department has aligned its processes to the Framework for Infrastructure Delivery and Procurement Management (FIPDM), and also partnered with the Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA) which has requisite built environment capacity and is assisting the Department with the following:
a) Provision of infrastructure delivery, including planning, design and construction through a multi-disciplinary team of professionals and technical specialists and
b) Exercising effective project controls, monitoring and reporting in line with applicable norms and standards.
c) I have met with DBSA to discuss the poor performance and advised the Department to establish a project management unit to conduct oversight.
31 May 2023 - NW1826
Ismail, Ms H to ask the Minister of Tourism
Whether, in order to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of the Development Bank of Southern Africa’s involvement in the completion of the tourism projects, she will furnish Ms H Ismail with (a) the relevant details of each contractor that was assigned to each specified project within the past two financial years, in each province, (b) the corresponding contract values of each project in each province and (c) an assessment of the impact of the completed projects on the (i) overall performance of the tourism industry and (ii) regional economies in the Republic; if not, why not, in each case; if so, what are the relevant details in each case?
Reply:
Prov |
Project Name |
(a) Details of the contractor allocated to the project within the past two financial years** |
(b)Corresponding contract values of each project in each province |
|
EC |
1 |
Qatywa Lodge |
** |
R32,802,163.00 |
2 |
Western Tembuland Lodge |
** |
R23,437,638.25 |
|
3 |
Maluti Hiking and Horse Trail |
** |
R18,160,388.15 |
|
4 |
Mthonsi Lodge |
** |
R31,072,567.60 |
|
5 |
Nyandeni |
** |
R19,023,014.80 |
|
FS |
1 |
Qwa Qwa Guest House |
** |
R21,120,795.06 |
2 |
Vredefort Dome Interpretation Centre |
** |
R24,160,892.96 |
|
3 |
Monontsha Access Road |
** |
R6,726,894.01 |
|
KZN |
1 |
Isibhubhu |
** |
R29,918,570.53 |
LP |
1 |
The Oaks |
** |
R25,807,207.29 |
2 |
Ngove |
** |
R29,988,483.30 |
|
3 |
Tisane |
** |
R27,463,083.70 |
** Based on the reply to Question 1640 regarding the reasons of not completing projects the POPIA Act is also applied in this case.
** Application of the POPI Act
Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013
(c) an assessment of the impact of the completed projects on the (i) overall performance of the tourism industry and (ii) regional economies in the Republic; if not, why not, in each case; if so, what are the relevant details in each case
I have been informed by the Department that the projects are in the construction stage, none of the above-mentioned projects are completed.
I have met with DBSA to discuss the poor performance and advised the Department to establish a project management unit to conduct oversight.
31 May 2023 - NW1629
Masipa, Mr NP to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
Whether she engaged the (a) Agricultural Research Council (ARC) and (b) Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP) as well as Industry, including the National Animal Health Forum, and instructed that measures be put in place to ensure continuity in vaccine production and availability; if not, why not, in each case; if so, what are the relevant details in each case; (2) whether she advised that there should be closer collaboration between the ARC’s Onderstepoort Veterinary Research and OBP; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details of the outcomes of those engagements, including the total amount of vaccines produced after the engagement compared to past production? NW1870E
Reply:
(1)(a),(b) Yes. The Minister engaged both the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) and Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP) as well as Industry, including the National Animal Health Forum and instructed that measures be put in place to ensure continuity in vaccine production and availability. The Minister further advised that there should be closer collaboration between the Agricultural Research Council’s Onderstepoort Veterinary Research and OBP.
2. Yes. ARC and OBP have an established collaboration governed by a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA). This MoA covers collaboration in the areas of:
- Research, technology transfer and any possible joint ventures between the two entities;
- Vaccine development and information and technical advice;
- Consultancy, diagnostic and analysis services;
- Commercialisation, training, and advisory services; and
- Human capital development and physical infrastructure sharing.
The ARC and the OBP also collaborate in the production of blood vaccines. The ARC produces blood vaccines that are bottled and marketed by OBP. The full list of vaccines produced by the ARC for OBP is African Red Water vaccine; Asiatic Red Water; Anaplasmosis vaccine; and Heartwater vaccines.
30 May 2023 - NW1727
Sithole, Mr KP to ask the Minister of Transport
Whether, with reference to the increase in the number of Easter weekend road fatalities in all provinces except Mpumalanga, North West and the Western Cape, and in view of the fact that out of the 225 fatalities that were recorded 44,4% were pedestrians, there are any programmes in place which her department will adopt to ensure safety intervention efforts to prevent the deaths of innocent pedestrians on our roads which seem to spike during the holidays; if not, why not; if so, what progress has been made in rolling out the 365-day road safety campaign that she referred to on 14 April 2023? NW1970E
Reply:
The department does have a plan to deal with pedestrian fatalities on the roads.
In terms of that plan - which is encapsulated in the 365 days road safety programme, the Road Traffic Management Corporation, as the national lead agency on road safety, and provincial departments of community safety and transport jointly identify high-risk areas for pedestrian safety.
The plan identifies behaviour that puts pedestrians at risk such as jaywalking, drunk walking, distracted walking, scholar safety as well as safe crossing of freeways and visibility.
The national and provincial teams then jointly deploy law enforcement and road safety operations in identified high-risk areas to discourage unsafe road usage by pedestrians.
The law enforcement and the road safety education and communication technical committees – comprised of the RTMC, traffic law enforcement authorities and road safety practitioners from all nine provinces – meet regularly to evaluate performance and decide on further required interventions.
The challenge with pedestrian crashes is that they take place within build-up areas where municipalities have jurisdiction. The mushrooming of informal settlements further exacerbates the situation as shops and transport orgonites generally lie on the opposite side of major freeways requiring pedestrians to cross freeways when it is not safe to do so. The road authorities put up pedestrian over-passes to separate pedestrian traffic from the vehicle traffic, thus creating a safer environment for co-existence.
In implementing the 365-plan road safety (on the ground) activations were implemented, in addition to the school programme activations. Other interventions planned for the year with the private sector include focusing on drunken walking, which is a serious issue during weekends and long weekends.
30 May 2023 - NW1716
Boshoff, Dr WJ to ask the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation
Considering the demand for radio silence over a great part of the Northern Cape for the purpose of radio astronomy, how will the radio silence be impacted by the global coverage of Starlink’s satellite-driven internet coverage?
Reply:
The proliferation of satellites launched into low earth orbit around the earth for internet coverage by companies such as Starlink, Oneweb, Amazon and others, is posing a threat globally to astronomical observations and not only just on the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope. South Africa together with the international astronomy community is working closely with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and the United Nations Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) to address the negative impacts Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites on dark and quiet skies.
Some companies have made efforts to mitigate these effects with the use of less-reflective material in satellite construction or changing the orientation of satellites in space. Furthermore, companies can provide astronomers with higher accuracy information about the location of satellites so that observatories can take this into account to decide when and where to point their telescopes. While these potential solutions show promise, they will require a coordinated effort between satellite industry, governments, and astronomy community. A cooperative approach involving all stakeholders is an effective way to reach a satisfactory balance between the need for the evolution of the LEO space economy and the need protect the science of astronomy which requires pristine skies.
Locally, the Department works closely with the Independent Communications Authority (ICASA) through a Memorandum of Agreement that ensures that any spectrum permit licenses that are issued to service providers do not impact negatively on the SKA telescope. Furthermore, the spirit of the Astronomy Geographic Advantage (AGA) Act of 2007 and its associated regulations, is such that it does not demand total radio silence but rather a harmonious co-existence of the telescope with other installations and services in the declared astronomy reserve in the Northern Cape.
30 May 2023 - NW1672
Tarabella - Marchesi, Ms NI to ask the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation
(1)Whether the National Advisory Council has advised him on research and development and the promotion of Mathematics, Natural Science and Technology; if not, why not; if so, what advice on the specified issues did the council give him in the past five years; 2) whether there were any discussions regarding the advice given; if not, why not; if so, what was the outcome of the specified discussions; (3) what has been the budget allocation of the council in the past five years?
Reply:
- Yes, the National Advisory Council on Innovation (NACI) conducted and submitted advice on the effectiveness of mathematics and science education initiatives in schools.
- there has not yet been a discussion between NACI and the Minister on the advice provided; and
- The budget allocation of the Advisory Council in the past five years is R90 million.
30 May 2023 - NW1491
Mathulelwa, Ms B to ask the Minister of Transport
(a) By what date will taxi ranks be built in the Eastern Cape as taxis in the townships are conducting their business on the streets which makes it dangerous for pedestrians and (b) what is the time frame in this regard?
Reply:
a) In terms of institutional arrangements for land transport as prescribed in the National Land Transport Act 5 of 2009, it is the responsibility of municipalities to plan, provide and manage public transport infrastructure in their areas, not the national sphere. As planning authorities, municipalities are responsible for preparing transport plans in their areas and ensuring the implementation thereof as per section 11(1)(c)(iv) of the Act. These plans must comply with minimum requirements as published in November 2014 (Government Gazette No. 38256), which requires the inclusion of a transport infrastructure strategy to deal with the development and maintenance of transport infrastructure, including public transport facilities. In terms of section 11(1)(c)(v) of the Act, municipalities are responsible for the financial planning with regard to land transport within or affecting its area, with particular reference to transport planning, infrastructure, operations, services, maintenance, monitoring and administration, with due focus on rehabilitation and maintenance of infrastructure.
b) See (a) above regarding institutional arrangements and responsibilities.
29 May 2023 - NW1693
Chetty, Mr M to ask the Minister of Employment and Labour
Whether he will furnish Mr M Chetty with a comprehensive breakdown of the procurement allocation of (a) his department and (b) every entity reporting to him in terms of the percentages allocated to (i) small-, medium- and micro-enterprises, (ii) cooperatives, (iii) township enterprises and (iv) rural enterprises with a view to evaluating the effectiveness of the set-aside policy of the Government in fostering an inclusive and diverse economic landscape (details furnished) in the (aa) 2021-22 financial year and (bb) since 1 April 2023?
Reply:
There was no spending/Allocation on (ii) cooperatives, (iii) township enterprises and (iv) rural enterprises during FY 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2023/24 (April 2023)
Below is a summary of spending on SMME’s:
2021/23 |
2022/23 |
2023//24 Current |
|
(i) small-, medium- and micro-enterprises |
32% |
2.3% |
0% |
In a drive to transformation, the department has amended and implemented in its policy and processes, the allocation of points through specific goals based on the new regulation (PPR 2022).
Goal |
Points |
Motivation |
Women |
5 |
In recent years, the President announced that Government allocated budget ought to be channel to women owned businesses. Allocating 5 points to all the Departmental procurement will address this requirement. |
SMMEs |
6 |
Promotion of businesses with an annual turnover of less than R10M |
HDI |
4 |
Promotion of companies that are owned by historically disadvantaged individuals |
Disability |
3 |
Granting opportunities to persons living with disability |
Locality |
2 |
The locals ought to be given the first preference on procurement of goods and services happening in their area. |
The table below depicts the allocation of specific goals where SMME`s have been allocated the highest points:
2. CCMA
The Commission for Conciliation, Mediation & Arbitration spent thirty-five (35) percent of the total supplier expenditure to SMMEs. There was no expenditure relating to cooperatives, township enterprises and rural enterprises. The organisation did not implement the set-aside policy, however implemented preferential procurement policy provisions.
3. NEDLAC
2021/22:
i: 97%
ii: 0%
iii: 0%
Note: The remainder was awarded to entities larger than SMME.
2022/23:
i: 99%
ii: 0%
iii: 0%
Note: The remainder was awarded to entities larger than SMME.
2023/24 thus far:
i: 84%
ii: 0%
iii: 0%
Note: The remainder was awarded to entities larger than SMME.
4. SEE
Comprehensive breakdown of the procurement allocation for SEE entity in terms of the percentages allocated (2022/23 financial year):
- 62.06% business was awarded to small -enterprises
- 9.93% business was awarded to medium -enterprises
- 8.86% business was awarded to micro -enterprises
- 17.73% business was awarded to Cooperatives
- 1.42% business was awarded Township and Rural enterprises
Of the above categorises 1.42% business was awarded to people with disabilities.
Since 1 April 2023 till 19 May 2023:
- 83.33% business was awarded to small, medium and micro -enterprises
- 16.67% business was awarded to Cooperatives
- 0% business was awarded Township and Rural enterprises
Of the above categorises 2.78% business was awarded to people with disabilities.
Of the above categorises 58.33% business was awarded to Women.
Of the above categorises 13.89% business was awarded to youth.
5. PRODUCTIVITY SA
There were no spending on (ii) cooperatives, (iii) township enterprises and (iv) rural enterprises during 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2023/24 (April 2023)
Below is a summary of spending on SMME’s and other service provides: Detailed list is on excel.
2021/23 |
2022/23 |
2023//24 Current |
|
(i) small-, medium- and micro-enterprises |
3% |
9% |
6% |
Other |
97% |
91% |
94% |
6. UIF
i. Small-, Medium- and Micro-enterprises
(aa) (2021/ 22 Financial year)
- Procurement allocation to Small-, Medium- and Micro-enterprises is 100%.
- Unable to separate allocation percentage between Rural and Township due to system limitations.
(bb) 1 April 2023 until 31 April 2023
- The procurement allocation is 100%. However, we are unable to separate allocation between rural and township due to system limitations.
ii. Cooperatives
(aa) 2021/ 22 Financial year- procurement allocation is 0%.
(bb) 1 April 2023 until 31 April 2023- Procurement allocation is 0%.
iii. Township and Rural enterprises
(aa) (2021/ 22 Financial year)
- Unable to separate procurement allocation due to system limitations.
(bb) 1 April 2023 until 31 April 2023
- Unable to separate procurement allocation due to system limitations.
7. Compensation Fund
For the 2021/22 financial year, R767 million was allocated for the procurement of goods and services including capital assets. Whilst in April 2023 financial year a total of R13 million from the Fund’s operational budget was allocated for the procurement of goods and services including capital assets.
The Fund’s Procurement is done in terms of the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act. In terms of this Act for procurement less than R50 million, bids are scored at a maximum of 20 points for Historically Disadvantaged Individuals while for procurement more than R50 million at the maximum score is 10 points.
For Procurement less than R50 million the maximum 20 points are allocated as follows: Woman 8 points
Youth 6 points
People living with disability 1 points
Locality 5 points
For procurement above R50 million the maximum 10 points is allocated as follows:
Woman 4 points
Youth 3 points
People living with disability 1 points
Locality 2 points
29 May 2023 - NW1678
Roos, Mr AC to ask the Minister of Home Affairs
(1) Regarding the challenges with information and communication technologies (ICT) and online application systems for the acceptance and processing of visa applications, what (a) are the ICT systems and software that are currently being used to process online visa applications, (b) is the budget allocated for the specified ICT systems, (c) percentage of the specified budget was spent in each year since 2009, (d) challenges have been identified in terms of the ICT systems and software that is currently being used, (e) measures will his department take to address the specified issues and (f) what date is it envisaged that the challenges will be addressed by; (2) (a) what budget has been allocated for the improvement of the related ICT systems, (b) what does the specified budget aim to accomplish and (c) by what date will the ICT-improvement project be completed?
Reply:
(1)(a) The Department currently uses the ICT Systems mentioned below to process online visa applications
SYSTEM |
DEVELOPER |
DATE |
DHA eVisa |
SARS/BBD |
2019 |
VFS eVisa (Nigeria) |
VFS Global |
2022 |
DHA/VFS Online |
VFS Global |
2014 |
VAS (Adjudication) |
DHA IT |
2014 |
(1)(b) An amount of R5m is budgeted in the current financial year for the DHA eVisa support and maintenance. The VAS system has no dedicated budget except the time and material for the officials supporting the system. The other systems are supported by VFS with no financial implications for DHA.
(1)(c) The amount budgeted for DHA eVisa development in the 2019/20 financial was 100% spent and for 3 years after go live in production the support and maintenance for eVisa amounted to R 2 264 616.
(1)(d) There are no challenges on the DHA eVisa except normal bugs and fixes that are done in all applications for routine maintenance to improve performance. On the VAS system we are currently performing a user requirements review to enable us to improve functionality.
(1)(e) On completion of the user requirements review on VAS there will be system development and implementation of changes.
(1)(f) VAS changes will be implemented by 31 March 2024.
(2)(a) An amount of R875 173 000 is budgeted for improvement of other ICT systems, support and maintenance, licences, new projects and the breakdown is as follows:
Maintenance and Support |
R409 973 000 |
Licenses |
R126 700 000 |
Technology refresh |
R107 500 000 |
Projects |
R231 000 000 |
Total |
R875 173 000 |
(2)(b) The aim is to ensure systems stability and improved applications performance and IT infrastructure.
(2)(c) ICT systems require continuous support and maintenance hence every financial year we allocate budgets for information and communication technology and the related licenses.
END
29 May 2023 - NW1432
Shaik Emam, Mr AM to ask the Minister of Finance
Whether, given the fact that police officers in the Republic are poorly paid with limited benefits, low danger allowance, live in informal settlements and are at high risk, he will consider exempting all police officers from paying income tax; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, by what date?
Reply:
No, as the law does not allow for such exemptions in line with the principle that all residents earning an income, be they the President, a worker or a businessperson, are subject to our tax laws without exception. We recognise role played by the police is significant in ensuring public order, as well in ensuring the safety and security of citizens as a basic human right. The provision of safety and security as a public good that is funded by Government and such funds are raised through the levying of taxes.
The levying of taxation is a crucial mechanism utilised to generate revenue as part of country’s flagship fiscal policy. One of the linchpins of a good tax system is the principle of equity, which incorporates the concept of horizontal equity. Horizontal equity ensures that all taxpayers who receive employment or other income are taxed the same based on their ability to pay, irrespective of their vocation. Low-income taxpayers earning below R91 250 are also exempt from Personal Income Tax.
Based on the fact that the South African personal income tax system is progressive in nature, the exemption of a group of taxpayers based on their profession would be impractical and go against the principles of a good tax system. Marginal tax rates that increase with income and rebates that apply equally to all taxpayers, are the main tools to give expression to society’s preference to give relief for lower incomes through the tax system. Lastly, it will impede the fiscus, as it will negatively impact the ability to raise sufficient revenue to fund Government social programmes.
29 May 2023 - NW1606
van der Merwe, Ms LL to ask the Minister of Home Affairs
(1)What mechanisms are in place to ensure that once permits and/or visas expire, foreign nationals who are deemed illegal within the borders leave the Republic; (2) whether the process stops with the visa denial; if not, what are the reasons that no further steps are taken; if so, what are the full relevant details
Reply:
1. The following mechanisms are in place to ensure people with expired visas/permits leave the republic;
a) Immigration inspections/operations for detecting those without lawful documentation to be in South Africa;
b)Tracing of overstayers found on the movement control system
c) Overstay declaration and bans from re-entering the country from 1 to 5 years, depending on the length of overstay - Should a person with an expired visa/permit leave the country;
d) Inability to transact for services or work
2. If a person is denied a visa and exhausts all appeals relating to that visa they are given an order to leave and if they remain they will be doing so illegally.
END
29 May 2023 - NW1399
Shaik Emam, Mr AM to ask the Minister of Finance
Whether he will consider an exemption from pay-as-you-earn tax for all healthcare workers up to a certain level; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
No, as the law does not allow for such exemptions in line with the principle that all residents earning an income, be they the President, a worker or a businessperson, are subject to our tax laws without exception. We recognise the role played by healthcare officials is significant in ensuring provision of efficient and adequate healthcare to the public, as well in ensuring the provision healthcare as a basic human right. The provision of public healthcare services is a public good that is funded by Government and such funds are raised through the levying of taxes.
The levying of taxation is a crucial mechanism utilised to generate revenue as part of country’s flagship fiscal policy. One of the linchpins of a good tax system is the principle of equity, which incorporates the concept of horizontal equity. Horizontal equity ensures that all taxpayers who receive employment or other income are taxed the same based on their ability to pay, irrespective of their vocation. Low-income taxpayers earning below R91 250 are also exempt from Personal Income Tax.
Based on the fact that the South African personal income tax system is progressive in nature, the exemption of a group of taxpayers based on their profession would be impractical and go against the principles of a good tax system. Marginal tax rates that increase with income and rebates that apply equally to all taxpayers, are the main tools to give expression to society’s preference to give relief for lower incomes through the tax system. Lastly, it will impede the fiscus, as it will negatively impact the ability to raise sufficient revenue to fund Government social programmes.
26 May 2023 - NW1899
Maotwe, Ms OMC to ask the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy
What (a) is the current energy availability factor at Eskom and (b) measures has his department put in place to increase the energy availability factor to beyond 73% as presented by Eskom to avoid a total collapse of the grid that is predicted?
Reply:
Energy Availability Factor is currently around 50%. This is a dynamic number highly dependent on operations. Department of Public Enterprises who oversees Eskom operations could provide you with updates regularly on EAF and their respective plans to increase plant availability upon request. In line with the 2019 IRP, we are continuing with procurement of additional MW to augment energy generation capacity pursuant to security of supply.
26 May 2023 - NW1926
Thembekwayo, Dr S to ask the Minister of Basic Education to ask the Minister of Basic Education
With regard to the education crisis in KwaZulu-Natal where over 900 schools are to be closed due to low enrolment, violence and schools built on private land, what are the relevant details of her urgent intervention to accommodate the learners in the schools that are nearer to their place of residence, since the financial implications of transport would be dire for their parents and/or guardians?
Reply:
There are 967 small and unviable schools in KwaZulu-Natal. The province plans to have a phased-in approach to the rationalisation process over several years to mitigate the challenges of scholar transport in particular. The first stage will focus on small and mis-aligned schools, where transport will not be required. This will be followed by the targeted 255 of the 967 schools in the 2023/4 financial year. These are 185 small primary schools with less than 50 learners, and 70 secondary schools with less than 100 learners across the Province. No identified school where transport is required, will be closed or merged until all transport arrangements are finalised and therefore no parent will be financially affected.
26 May 2023 - NW1940
Motsepe, Ms CCS to ask the Minister of Basic Education to ask the Minister of Basic Education
What are the relevant details of the steps she has taken to employ more teachers in KwaZuluNatal where there is a shortage?
Reply:
In terms of the Employment of Educators Act, 1998 the Member of Executive Council (MEC) responsible for Education is required, on an annual basis, to create educator posts based on available funds. The Head of Department is then required to distribute the posts created to schools using the post provisioning norms.
The Honourable Member is therefore, respectfully requested to direct the question to the MEC responsible for Education in Kwazulu-Natal.
26 May 2023 - NW1888
Ngcobo, Mr SL to ask the Minister of Basic Education to ask the Minister of Basic Education
(1) Whether she can give an update on the status of the National Reading Plan (NRP) that was announced by the President of the Republic, Mr M C Ramaphosa during his State of the Nation Address in 2019, which aimed to ensure that every 10-year-old will be able to read for meaning, in light of the fact that four years later provincial education departments’ progress reports for 2022-23 indicate that poor planning from the national department coupled with random, uncoordinated reading interventions by some of the provincial education departments and disorganised monitoring and evaluation of the interventions are all drivers of the country’s reading crisis; if not, why not; if so, (2) whether there is a set minimum standard budget for all the nine provinces to ensure that the NRP is a province-wide campaign and that it is not only concentrated in some parts of the province which might lead to uncoordinated activities; if not; what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details of the budget?
Reply:
(1) The Department of Basic Education, in collaboration with a team of reading experts from civil society organisations, academia, Provincial Education Departments (PEDs), and schools - developed the Integrated National Reading Sector Plan, whose aim was to contribute to the improvement of reading outcomes, especially for learners in primary schools. The Sector Plan was premised on the understanding that sustainable improvements in reading require a comprehensive response, which involves more than just classroom interventions. It was therefore, developed to provide a framework that would allow the Sector to implement comprehensive reading promotion activities. From this plan, provinces went on to develop and implement their contextualised plans, informed by the integrated National Reading Sector Plan.
In its quest to strengthen reading literacy, particularly in the face of the evidence of learning losses, the Department decided to review the Sector Plan as part of bolstering up its response to the current challenges. Further to the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the DBE carried out the Thrive by Five Index in Early Childhood Development (ECD), which revealed that a number of children start school not on track with their developmental outcomes; and thereby, not school ready. The review of the strategy therefore, takes into account that when the Sector Plan was conceptualised, ECD was still part of the Department of Social Development. The revised strategy will therefore, give a sharpened focus to improving the teaching and learning of African Home Languages reading literacy on a large scale, in both the emergent and early grade phases (ECD and Foundation Phase).
(2) On the matter pertaining to provincial budgets, the Honourable Member is requested to direct his question to the Members of Executive Council (MECs) as this matter rests within their purview.
26 May 2023 - NW1871
Hlengwa, Mr M to ask the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation
What are the full relevant details of (a) projects and/or programmes that the Republic hopes to initiate following on the discussions between the President of the Republic, Mr M C Ramaphosa, and the Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr L H Loong, on 16 May 2023 and (b) the projected number of job opportunities that will be created?
Reply:
a) During the visit of the Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr LH Loong, two Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) were signed between South Africa and Singapore namely: the MoU on Information and Communications Technology aims to exchange best practices in ICT, digital technologies and artificial intelligence and robotics and the MoU on Skills Development promotes exchange and training of best practices in the areas of digitalisation, leadership and governance, Women’s Empowerment, Youth Development and Education, Science and Innovation, Port Management and Trade and Economy.
b) The successful implementation of the MoUs would enhance competitiveness and develop skills in science and innovation. More than a 1000 South Africans have already been trained under the auspices of the Singapore Development Programme. Singapore has agreed to purchase more food products from South Africa while South Africa also requested market access for South African meat (including beef, lamb, pork and ostrich) products to the Singaporean Market.
26 May 2023 - NW1903
Tambo, Mr S to ask the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation
Considering the recent infringement by the United States (US) Ambassador who in essence accused the Republic of supplying arms in the war between Russia and Ukraine, what measures has her department taken beyond alleged apologies to ensure his immediate removal as the US ambassador to the Republic?
Reply:
On 12 May 2023, the Department dèmarched US Ambassador Reuben E. Brigety for a meeting with Minister Naledi Pandor, where the Minister expressed South Africa’s deep disappointment and outrage about the manner in which Ambassador Brigety had convened a press conference on 11 May 2023, and levelled allegations regarding the sale of ammunition by South Africa to Russia, via the US sanctioned Russian naval vessel, Lady R. The Minister strongly condemned the actions of the Ambassador, which were particularly distasteful, especially so soon after the visit to Washington by the Special Envoys appointed by President Ramaphosa. The envoys were well received by all US interlocutors and discussions were productive.
In this context, the press conference held by the US Ambassador was counter to the spirit of the engagement with senior officials and politicians in Washington DC.The Minister informed the US Ambassador that South Africa respects all conventions on arms sales through the provisions outlined in the National Conventional Arms Control Convention (NCACC), and if there was any violation of our laws, criminal charges would be laid if evidence is provided. Following the Minister’s address to Ambassador Brigety, he informed the senior officials that he would issue an unreserved public apology.
The President’s office reiterated that no concrete evidence has been provided to support the claims made by Ambassador Brigety, and that the investigation had been initiated before the Ambassador publicly announced his accusation. It was further indicated that the retired judge appointed to head the investigation, would use any evidence US intelligence officials could provide over the alleged sale of ammunition.
Following the meeting between Minister Pandor and US Ambassador Brigety and the telecon with Secretary of State Blinken, as well as the subsequent meeting between the ANC and Ambassador Brigety, wherein the latter reiterated his apology, it is not contemplated that any further steps will be taken with regard to his removal.
26 May 2023 - NW1921
Marais, Ms P to ask the Minister of Basic Education to ask the Minister of Basic Education
In light of the confidential agreement that came about after the former Head of the Provincial Department of Education in the Eastern Cape resigned from her position (name furnished), after being accused of, among other things, failing to deliver stationery to schools, failing to process payments to education assistants and underspending her department, which resulted in R205 million returned to the National Treasury by a province whose education system is hanging by a thread, (a) what are the reasons that her department is keeping the terms of the settlement confidential and (b) who has been held accountable for the egregious breach of duty when the public’s funds and resources were misused prior to the resignation and used as part of the settlement?
Reply:
The question posed by the Hon Member, falls under the Executive Authority of the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Education in the Eastern Cape, not the Minister of Basic Education. The MEC for Education in the Eastern Cape is best suited to respond to the question.
26 May 2023 - NW1889
Ngcobo, Mr SL to ask the Minister of Basic Education to ask the Minister of Basic Education
Whether there are steps that have been taken by her department to encourage pupils who have already left school to participate in the programmes aimed at giving pupils a second chance to enroll to rewrite their matric, in view of the gap that exist between pupils who need the services and those who actually enroll; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
The Department engages in a number of activities to raise awareness about the projects that impact youth in communities. These projects include Second Chance Matric Programme (SCMP), Presidential Youth Employment Initiative (PYEI), Funza Lushaka Bursary Scheme, Early Childhood Development (ECD) and Social Mobilization. The roadshows are sometime organized by the Department and in other cases are implemented in partnership with other government departments.
The awareness events are designed to target different learners and youth. The first approach is to reach out to learners who just wrote the matric exams in October/November of the previous year. After the announcement of matric results, the members of the public are made aware about the opportunities to rewrite, remark or recheck. The information is captured at the back of the statement of matric results.
The attached document is the copy of the Statement of Results that every learners receives. The document provides information regarding the readmission, combination of results as well as registration for learners who would like to rewrite the exams. The information entailed provides the dates and locations where learners may register rewrite.
The second approach is the public awareness campaigns that target the broader community members, especially youth. The campaigns include the Ministerial Roadshows, Career Weeks and events of other Departments:
1. Ministerial Roadshows
The Department hosts and organizes the Roadshows in Provinces in coloration with the Provincial Education Departments (PEDs). In most cases, the roadshows are led by the Minister or Deputy Minister and usually enjoy the support of the MECs of Education as well as municipal authorities. The roadshows have proven to be an effective campaign that receive a broader support from different structures that include unions, tribal authorities, non-governmental organisations.
At the roadshows, the Department invites organisations that include the Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs), National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), Khetha Career Centre, Funza Lushaka Bursary Programme, Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and universities to share information about opportunities available for young people.
Officials of the local government structures that include Mayors, counsellors are usually supportive and willing to invite youth in their constituencies to attend. More importantly, media houses at national, provincial and local levels tend to promote and publicize the events.
2. Career Weeks
Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) organizes National Career Weeks throughout the country where DBE presents the Second Chance Matric Programme (SCMP) at the events. The events are organized in all provinces and attracts a number of youth.
3. Events of other Government Departments
Occasionally, the DBE is invited by entities to share information about the SCMP. In some cases, events are organized by private organisations.
The third approach involves the sharing of information using different media platforms. The DBE uses Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/BasicEd/), Twitter (https://twitter.com/DBE_SA/) to share the information about the Programme. The Department also broadcast through radio and television to inform the public where to access the Programme. Through this website link: https://www.education.gov.za/Programmes/SecondChanceProgramme.aspx the Department reaches many young people who access to the Internet. Furthermore, the Department has a dedicated WhatsApp line (063 696 7246), where members of the public send through their queries concerning the Programme.
The Department has developed promotional material that include the Z-Cards, banners that are shared with many organisations. Z-Cards are foldable guide in a portable format that contain information about the SCMP.
In conclusion, the Department continues to reach out to members of the public about all its programmes, not just the SCMP.
26 May 2023 - NW1896
Msimang, Prof CT to ask the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy
Whether the incentive-based (R/MWh) demand response mechanism has been launched alongside the national campaign to introduce the set of actions to address load shedding and achieve energy security as announced by the President of the Republic ,Mr M C Ramaphosa in his address to the nation on 25 July 2022; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details surrounding the implementation of the campaigns?
Reply:
Yes, Eskom has launched a number of incentive-based demand side response mechanism customised for different market segments. This is over and above the long standing DMRE lead demand side tax incentive scheme pursuant to Income Tax Regulation12L. Department of Public Enterprises who oversees Eskom operations would be willing to provide you more information in respect of their programmes should you request.
26 May 2023 - NW1850
Nodada, Mr BB to ask the Minister of Basic Education to ask the Minister of Basic Education
What number of educators were rated by her department as (a) unacceptable, (b) acceptable, (c) good and (d) outstanding on the integrated quality management system and/or quality management system in each (i) post level, (ii) province and (iii) year since 1 January 2010?
Reply:
The appraisal of educators, in terms of the Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS) from 2010 and the Quality Management System (QMS) since 2021, is a provincial competency.
The question asked by the Honourable Member, falls within the Executive Authority of the Member of the Executive Council (MEC); and not the Minister of Basic Education. Therefore, the question should be directed to provinces.