Questions and Replies
19 May 2023 - NW1383
Cachalia, Mr G K to ask the Minister of Public Enterprises
(1)(a) What total volume of (i) ferrous and (ii) non-ferrous scrap metal in terms of (aa) type and grade and (bb) value and weight has been auctioned by Transnet in the period 1 January 2021 up to the latest specified date for which information is available and (b) to which companies and/or entities. (2)(a) what total volume of (i) ferrous and (ii) non-ferrous scrap metal in terms of: (aa) type and grade and (bb) value and weight has been sold privately and/or otherwise acquired from Transnet in the specified period up to the latest specified date for which information is available and (b) to which companies and/or entities?
Reply:
According to the information received from Transnet
(1)(a)&(b), the following two tables provide a summary of the ferrous and non-ferrous scrap sales by auction.
a) Table 1: Auctioned ferrous scrap by type, buyer, tonnage and value.
b) Table 2: Auctioned non-ferrous scrap by type, buyer, tonnage, and value.
(2) (a) and (b) table 3 below provides a summary of ferrous scrap sold to three contracted private companies (foundries), following a procurement process in February 2022.
(2)(c) Table 3: Ferrous scrap sold to the three contracted foundries, by types of material, tonnages, and value sold.
Remarks: Reply: Approved / Not Approved
Melanchton Makobe P J Gordhan, MP
Acting Director-General Minister of Public Enterprises
Date: Date:
19 May 2023 - NW1363
Masango, Ms B to ask the Minister of Social Development
(1)What (a) is the full breakdown of the total amount that was spent on the venue, catering and gifts for guests attending the Free State Regional Office of the SA Social Security Agency International Women’s Day event on 28 March 2023, (b) number of persons (i) were invited to the event and (ii) attended, (c) was the purpose of the event and (d) are the reasons that a government venue was not used for the event; (2)Whether there is a National Treasury instruction that allows for such events and buying of gifts for employees; (3)Whether she will furnish Ms B S Masango with a copy of the (a) National Treasury instruction; and if not, what legal instrument allows for the events and buying of gifts; if so, (b) concept document that established the Women’s Forum; if not, why not in each case; if so, what are the relevant details in each case?
Reply:
1. (a)The breakdown of the amount spent at the conference is as follows:
1. The amount for venue hire – R 185 483.50
2. Sound and PA system –R 43 412.50
3. Catering and refreshment – R 227 843.75
Total amount of the event including the service fee of R 31 971.78 from the travel agent amounts to R 488 711.53.
SASSA Free State did not procure gifts from the budget of the institution.
(b) (i) There were 250 officials who were invited to the event;(ii) and 214 officials attended the event.
(c) Please refer to the attached concept document.
(d) The biggest venues in a form of boardrooms in government departments that SASSA Free State normally uses are from Premier’s Department, Department of Health and National Department of Public Works. All these three government departments venues cannot accommodate 250 officials with round tables set up. For this reason, a private venue was procured.
2. SASSA Free State relied on paragraph (a) 4.15 and 4.30 of the National Treasury Instruction Note No.2 of 2016 / 2017. In that it allows for catering of officials on forums and hiring of venues.
The gifts were not procured by SASSA Free State.
3. (a) A copy of National Instruction Note No.2 of 2016/2017 is hereby provided.
(b) A concept document is attached.
19 May 2023 - NW1375
Essack, Mr F to ask the Minister of Public Enterprises
What total amount has (a)(i) Alexkor, (ii) Denel, (iii) Eskom, (iv) SA Forestry Company Limited, (v) SA Airways and (vi) Transnet paid in dividends to the Government over the past five years and (b) the Government paid in bailouts to each of the listed entities in the specified period?
Reply:
1. There is no reference in the final Annual Financial Statements for each of the financial years ended 31 March 2018 to 31 March 2021 of any dividend having been paid by Alexkor SOC Ltd. There is not a dividend declaration included in the currently unaudited Annual Financial Statements at 31 March 2022. Given that Alexkor SOC Ltd (nor its 51% owned joint venture PSJV) has not addressed maintenance backlogs and both fatal and non-fatal non-compliance with the Mine Health and Safety Act requirements for the past 6 years, it will not be possible, or financially prudent to pay a dividend at 31 March 2023.
2. There has been no government bailout in the specified period.
According to information received from DENEL
a) Denel has not paid any dividends to the Government over the past five years.
b) Denel received the following amounts from the Government
Year ended 2018/2019 -
2019/2020 1,800,000,000.00
2020/2021 576,000,000.00
2021/2022 3,068,886,261.73
2022/2023 3,582,700,000.00
9,027,586,261.73
According to information received from Eskom:
ESKOM HOLDINGS SOC LTD |
||
a) Dividends (Rand) |
b) Government support (R’ billion) |
|
FY2019 |
0 |
23 |
FY2020 |
0 |
49 |
FY2021 |
0 |
56 |
FY2022 |
0 |
31.7 |
FY2023 |
0 |
21.9 |
Total |
0 |
181.6 |
According to information received from SAFCOL:
Financial Year |
Dividend Amount |
Government Bailouts |
2022/23 |
R1 Million (declared at AGM of 2021/22). |
None |
2021/22 |
None |
None |
2020/21 |
None |
None |
2019/20 |
None |
None |
2018/19 |
None |
None |
According to information received from SAA
a) Dividends over the past five years:
b) Shareholding funding to SAA is as follows:
YEAR |
AMOUNT |
2018/19 |
R5.0bn to fund operations and working capital |
2019/20 |
R5.5bn to fund working capital and lender debt |
2020/21 |
R18.275bn to fund business rescue |
2021/22 |
R6.778bn (R4.078bn to fund legacy debt and R2.7 bn for subsidiaries |
2022/23 |
R1.583bn to fund legacy lender debt |
According to information received from Transnet
a) No dividends have been paid by Transnet to Government in the past five years.
b) Transnet received R5.837 billion in January 2023, with R2.937 billion representing disbursement for the repair of flood damages suffered by Transnet during April 2022 and R2.9 billion to accelerate the repair and maintenance of freight rail locomotives.
Remarks: Approved / Not Approved
Melanchton Makobe PJ Gordhan, MP
Acting Director-General Minister
Date: Date:
19 May 2023 - NW1280
Maotwe, Ms OMC to ask the Minister of Public Enterprises
Whether (b) any of his entities reporting to him have any current contracts with the security company G4S; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what (i) are the relevant details of the specified contracts and (ii) is the monetary value of each contract?
Reply:
According to information received from, Alexkor; Denel; Eskom; Safcol, SAA and Transnet
ENTITY |
RESPONSE |
DPE |
(a)The Department of Public Enterprise does not have any current contracts with the security company G4S. (i)(ii) Not applicable |
Alexkor |
(b) Alexkor SOC Ltd does not have any contracts with the security company G4S. (i)(ii) Not applicable |
Denel |
(b) Denel has not procured any services from the said companies since the 2018-19 financial year. (i)(ii) Not applicable |
Eskom |
(b) G4S is not a security service provider to Eskom or any of its subsidiaries. (i)(ii) Not applicable |
SAFCOL |
(b) The SA Forestry Company (SAFCOL) Ltd and its subsidiaries have not signed contracts with the security firm G4S. (i)(ii) Not applicable |
SAA |
(b) SAA does not have any contract with G4S (i)(ii) Not applicable |
The following table provides details of the current contract with the security company G4S in Transnet.
(b) (i) & (ii)
Transaction Advisor/s (Supplier Name) |
Operating Division (OD) |
Contract Description |
Contract Expiry Assessment |
Contract Start End |
Contract End Date |
The monetary value of contract |
G4S Secure Solutions (SA) |
Transnet Port Terminals |
Supply and installation and commissioning of Embedded Application Biometric Readers (EABR) |
Contract Expires in 31 - 60 Days |
Friday, February 3, 2023 |
Wednesday, May 31, 2023 |
R 758,825.22 |
Remarks: Approved / Not Approved
Melanchton Makobe PJ Gordhan, MP
Acting Director-General Minister
Date: Date:
19 May 2023 - NW43
Bodlani, Ms T to ask the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies
(1) Whether, with reference to her reply to question 4482 on 21 December 2022, the process of capturing transactions manually when post offices are load shed and later on the system when power is restored delays any other operations at the SAPost Office; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details; (2) what procedures have been put in place to ensure that criminal activity does not take place when transactions are processed manually? NW43E
Reply:
(1) In case of loadshedding or any other offline situation the SA Post Office has procedures in place that all manual transactions must be captured within 24 hours on an online platform. It will not interrupt normal operations.
(2) It is procedural for branch managers to conduct end of day balancing. Daily reports are generated from Finance and IT of any branch that did not capture an end of day and forward to regional operations for correction. Quality and oversight audits are conducted to ensure procedures and processes and adhered to. Receipt book are used to verify capturing.
Thank You.
19 May 2023 - NW1210
Kohler-Barnard, Ms D to ask the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies
With reference to the reply of the former Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Ms K P S Ntshavheni, to question 2364 on 21 July 2022, what (a) are the reasons that his department has chosen to redesign the Digitech website that was launched on 17 May 2022 (b) progress has been made in redesigning the Digitech website (c) features and improvements are included in the redesign, (d) will be the total cost of the redesign? (e) is the date on which the redesign is expected to be completed? NW1351E
Reply:
I have been advised by the Department as follows:-
a) The old Digitech website did not meet DCDT specifications.
b) The site has been redesigned and is now live on www.digitech.gov.za
c) The security of the new Digitech site has been enhanced and new design has been implemented.
d) R 743 644.95
e) The redesign was concluded on 30 March 2023 and the site has now live.
Thank You.
19 May 2023 - NW905
Bodlani, Ms T to ask the Minister of Communication and Digital Technologies
1. What total amount did the three-day SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) sales conference at Sun City cost? 2. Whether he will furnish Ms T Bodlani with a full breakdown of the cost of the conference; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? 3. Whether the conference was a trade exchange with Sun City as the client; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, (a) for what period will the trade exchange last and (b) what total amount were the hard costs? 4. Whether there are any confirmed new commitments to spend by clients who attended the SABC sales conference at Sun city; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what is the Rand value of the potential new revenue? NW1011E
Reply:
1. Hosting clients is a standard practice in any commercial environment. The SABC has not had a sales conference in years. The total cost was R1 448 085. The original booking was made on 22-24 August 2022, but the event was postponed to February 2023 to ensure that the right attendees attend.
2. Conferencing: R628 975
Accommodation: R589 811
Transport: R43 554
Merchandise: R150 000
3. This was not a trade exchange transaction.
4. This was a combined Marketing and Sales event to optimise costs and maximise benefits. The clients that attended the conference already spend more than R2,5bn annually across SABC platforms. The event showcased the SABC’s capabilities and transformational efforts with the objective to protect the current revenue as well as to increase the revenue spend. Clients responded very favourably and were very excited about the SABC’s plans, which enabled them to plan better.
Thank You.
19 May 2023 - NW1331
Clarke, Ms M to ask the Minister of Health
(1)What is the average waiting time at public (a) clinics and (b) hospitals for primary healthcare services (i) nationally and (ii) in each province; (2) what is the average waiting time for surgeries at public healthcare facilities in the Republic (a) nationally and (b) in each province; (3) what (a) is the current surgeries backlog and (b) procedures have a backlog (i) nationally and (ii) in each province?
Reply:
1. (a) (i) and (ii)
The Ideal Health Facility Framework measures the average time that a patient spends in a Primary Health Care (PHC) facility. It is recommended that patients should not wait longer than 3 hours in the 8-hour facilities. The table below shows percentages for the provinces in terms of PHC facilities that have waiting times less than 3 hours.
PROVINCE |
CLINICS |
COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTRES |
Eastern Cape |
75% |
74% |
Free State |
82% |
70% |
Gauteng |
99% |
95% |
KwaZulu-Natal |
94% |
80% |
Limpopo |
91% |
96% |
Mpumalanga |
94% |
86% |
Northern Cape |
78% |
75% |
Northwest |
69% |
68% |
Western Cape |
88% |
77% |
National Average |
86% |
80% |
The average for PHC facilities (Clinics and Community Health Centers) and hospitals for the country:
- An average of eighty six percent (86%) of all clinics have an average waiting time not longer than 3 hours, ranging from 69% in the Northwest Province to 99% in Gauteng.
- Eighty percent (80%) of all CHC’s have an average waiting time not longer than 3 hours, ranging from 68% in Northwest to 96% in Limpopo province.
(b) The average waiting time for all District and Regional hospitals in all the nine (9) Provinces ranges between 60 to 120 minutes.
(2) The information on the average waiting time for surgeries at public healthcare facilities in the Republic (a) nationally and (b) in each province changes daily as new cases arise. Provincial departments of health continuously strive to reduce surgical backlogs.
(3) The information on current backlogs and procedures with backlogs is not readily available. Provinces have been requested for an update and this will be provided on receipt.
Table 2 below provides information received as at end of October 2022 and the situation may be different currently.
Table 2: information on surgical backlogs provided by provinces as of 15 September and end of October 2022.
Province |
Total number of backlogs on surgeries July to September as reported on the 15 September 2022 (PQ 2474) |
Total number of backlogs on surgeries as at end of October 2022 |
Eastern Cape |
5373 |
Information not submitted |
Free State |
2947 |
6885 |
Gauteng |
13433 |
32017 |
KwaZulu Natal |
17906 |
18906 |
Limpopo |
45690 |
12373 |
Mpumalanga |
3005 |
4286 |
Northwest |
5531 |
7922 |
Northern Cape |
4000 |
3937 |
Western Cape |
77139 |
77139 (Same figure submitted as at July 2022 -Not updated) |
Table 3 below provides information received from provinces regarding steps taken to address specified surgical backlogs as of October 2022.
Table:3 Steps have been taken to address the specific backlogs as at end of December 2022
Province |
What steps have been taken to address the specified backlog |
Eastern Cape |
Information not provided |
Free State |
|
Gauteng |
|
KwaZulu Natal |
|
Limpopo |
|
Mpumalanga |
Rob Ferreira Hospital:
Witbank Hospital:
Ermelo Hospital:
Mapulaneng Hospital:
|
Themba Hospital:
|
|
Northern Cape |
Information not provided |
Northwest |
|
Western Cape |
|
END.
19 May 2023 - NW746
Kohler-Barnard, Ms D to ask the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies
1) What total amount is the SA Post Office (SAPO) set to save annually from the (a) 40% pay cut to SAPO employees and (b) 6 000 retrenchments; (2) What total amount has been collected from the penalties that SAPO branches need to pay for not meeting service standards in the past four financial years? CW62E
Reply:
(1)
(a) 40% salary cut all employees R1 078 405 519 (annually)
(b) 6 000 employees R1 139 217 297 (annually)
(2) SASSA only started to charge penalties from the 2020/2021 FY. Penalties to the value of R75 624 598 have been imposed on the SA Post Office from 2020/21 FY to 2020/23 FY.
Find here: SASSA PENALTIES
19 May 2023 - NW1276
Shaik Emam, Mr AM to ask the Minister of Health
What additional measures is his department putting in place to ensure that food products such as energy drinks, fizzy drinks, confections and fast foods have reduced levels of sugar and less unhealthy ingredients, in order to move to a more preventative healthcare system, given the fact that the demand for healthcare services is increasing at an alarming rate whilst the current measures that are in place are inadequate?
Reply:
The Department has published the draft Regulations relating to the Labelling and Advertising of Foodstuffs for public comments in April 2023. These regulations include mandatory Front of Pack Labelling (FOPL) on the main panel of any foodstuff that has high levels of sugar, saturated fats and salt or contain artificial sweeteners. The closing date for public comments is Thursday, 20 July 2023.
Furthermore, the Department has updated the Strategy for the Prevention and Management of Obesity in South Africa 2023 – 2028. The sixth strategic objective intends to create an enabling policy and legislative environment to prevent and manage obesity. The activities include the extension of the Health Promotion Levy (HPL) to other unhealthy foods and developing a regulatory framework/instrument that restricts the marketing of unhealthy foods to children in South Africa.
END.
19 May 2023 - NW48
Horn, Mr W to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
Whether, in light of the Draft Backlog Reduction Framework announced in March 2022 when it was revealed that the percentage of sexual offences on the backlog roll rose from 52% in March 2021 to 81,4% on 31 December 2021, the Backlog Reduction Framework has been (a) finalised and (b) implemented; if not; what is the position in this regard; if so, what (i) are the relevant details and (ii) percentage of the sexual offences in the criminal court is currently on the backlog roll?
Reply:
I wish to inform the Honourable Member as follows:
a) The Backlog Reduction Framework has been finalised and approved on 7 April 2022.
b) The Framework has been partially implemented.
(i) The initial Phase was implemented with the establishment of the Departmental Backlogs Reduction Committee. At this stage, as part of the second phase of implementation and in order to establish a Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) Stakeholders’ Forum, the Department has developed a National Integrated Criminal Court Optimization (NICCO) Framework and Governance Structure that seeks to address challenges to the efficient running of our courts in an integrated criminal justice system manner with the participation of all relevant stakeholder JCPS departments and entities. We are currently seeking the approval of the JCPS Directors-General Cluster to implement this Framework and Governance Structure which seeks to report to the JCPS Directors-General Cluster to ensure the responsibility and accountability of all stakeholder departments and entities to optimize the efficiency of our criminal courts.
In the meantime, the Provincial Heads of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DoJ&CD) are meeting with the JCPS role-players at the provincial level, and attending meetings of the Judges President of the Provincial Efficiency Enhancement Committees (PEEC) to discuss and unblock any blockages encountered in court performance at provincial level. Meetings of the Regional Efficiency Enhancement Committees (REEC) chaired by the Regional Court Presidents of the Provinces, as well as District Efficiency Enhancement Committees (DEEC) chaired by the Chief Magistrates or Judicial Heads of Offices are further attended, where the matters concerned are addressed at the Court levels.
(ii) It should also be noted that the percentage of the sexual offences in the criminal court, which are currently on the backlog roll as at the end of February 2023, is at 36, 9%.
Furthermore, the DoJ&CD is committed to collaborate with all the relevant stakeholders in the JCPS Cluster as well as the Judiciary to reduce the relevant backlogs, and thus improving citizens access to speedy and efficient justice.
19 May 2023 - NW1286
Mashabela, Ms N to ask the Minister of Health
In light of the revelations that more than R700 million was spent irregularly each year on security contracts for Gauteng hospitals alone, what (a) is the status of hospitals in other provinces with regard to irregular monies spent on security contracts each year in each province and (b) are the reasons that he has not considered and/or implemented the recommendation to insource all cleaning and security services in hospitals and facilities in the public sector?
Reply:
(a) Limpopo, Free State, Western Cape, and Mpumalanga Provinces do not have irregular expenditure associated with provision of security services. Mpumalanga Department of Health does not have the budget nor expenditure incurred, the security contracts are centralised at Mpumalanga Department of Safety and security in the province.
Eastern Cape incurred R34.9 million irregular expenditure in 2019/20 Financial year (FY), R108.5 million in 2020/21 FY and in 2021/22 FY an amount of R76.1 million. In total for the past three years the Department incurred R219.6 million irregular expenditure on security contracts. There were delays in the appointment of a new service provider as were investigations for the previous contract, however, a new contract has been appointed in 2022/2023 financial year.
The Northern Cape committed R28.4 million irregular on security service in 2020/21 FY, R191.5 million in 2021/22 FY and R208 million in 2022/23 FY. The total expenditure incurred amount to R427.9 million for the past three years on security services due to month-to-month contracts and exceeded the allowed threshold for variation. The procurement process was interrupted by local business forum in several attempts to source new contractor.
North West spent R524.1 million in 2021/22 FY and R583.7 million in 2022/23 FY. The total irregular expenditure incurred on security services amount to R1.1 billion for the past two years, the irregular expenditure is in the process of condonations.
Kwazulu Natal Department of Health incurred R1.377 billion irregular expenditure on average on security services due to month to month contracts after the contracts expiry dates. There were appeals by the bidders hence the Department had to continue with month to month with service providers those contracts have expired.
(b) The National Department of Health has considered insourcing of cleaning and security services in health facilities through National Health Council however it remains the competency of Provincial Health Department to implement the operational services.
The Free State, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga insourced the cleaning services. Eastern Cape, and North West partially outsourced the cleaning services in some areas where there are budget pressures to insource.
The Eastern Cape has partially implemented insourcing as the feasibility of insourcing security services, is unaffordable in some areas. Once the financial position improves it will be reconsidered. The Limpopo, Northern Cape and North West outsourced the security services due budget constraints. The security contract in Mpumalanga Department of Health is centralised at the Mpumalanga Department of Safety and security in the province hence contracts are managed at that level.
KwaZulu-Natal outsourced the security and cleaning services, the insourcing of all services for the department is part of the strategic and operational plan, the implemantation is delayed by budget cuts by impacting negatively on compensation of employees economic classification. However, the provinces opted to implement insourcing in phases for various services.
END.
19 May 2023 - NW1310
Arries, Ms LH to ask the Minister of Social Development
(1)Whether she has been informed that the SA Social Security Agency offices in Limpopo recently closed their doors while beneficiaries and applicants had to wait until staff members returned from attending funerals; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, (2)Whether the specified practice is acceptable; if not, what consequence management actions have been instituted against each official; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
1. The SASSA Polokwane Local Office located at Schoeman Street, lost one of its officials through death. Guided by clause 6.2.4 of the SASSA Bereavement policy, a memorial service of the departed colleague was arranged by the local office staff with the permission of the family.
The memorial was scheduled for the 09 March 2023 at 12H00 in the Seshego Hospital Hall. The local office management prepared and submitted a request to the Regional management which was duly approved, to hold a memorial service and arrange that skeletal staff remain in the office.
Three (3) officials out of fourteen (14) staff members, were identified to ensure continued service delivery. It transpired that these officials upon seeing that there were no clients to be serviced at about 14H00, decided on their own accord to join the rest of the staff at the memorial service. The time of their departure was corroborated by the security guard who was on duty.
The Regional Manager did not inform the Minister and the CEO of this occurrence disciplinary measures were effected upon receipt of complaints from customers.
2. Leaving an office unattended is not acceptable and if this happens, it has to be under exceptional circumstances permitted by the Regional Executive Manager with the CEO sanctioning it. Since the behaviour of the three (3) officials were regarded as untoward, corrective disciplinary measures were taken and they were all served with written warning(s) for unauthorised closure of the office.
19 May 2023 - NW887
Kohler-Barnard, Ms D to ask the Minister of Communication and Digital Technologies
What was the reason for the (a) Postbank activation drive in Struisbaai and (b) date chosen which preceded the by-election that took place in Ward 5 of Cape Agulhas the following week? NW993E
Reply:
(a)&(b) Postbank has a pre-schedule annual marketing programme that include on the ground engagements with customers and prospective customers for the purposes of creating its brand visibility as well as products awareness. This is in addition to offering financial literacy programmes to the unbanked and under-banked in line with its founding mandate.
The marketing programme is annually pre-scheduled during the beginning of each financial year to access all provinces of the Republic of South Africa. In each province Postbank systematically identifies historically disadvantaged areas utilising publicly available market data which demonstrates the areas where the financially unserved and under-served are predominantly located. In addition, the periods of the activations are timed around significant national calendar events including public holidays and weekends to maximise their reach.
The Western Cape Province’s activations was timed in Postbank’s marketing programme calendar to coincide with the State of the Nation Address. Prior to this, it had anticipated announcements relating to the progress in relation to the Postbank corporatisation journey and developments in relation to the Postbank Amendment Bill. Similar activations in accordance with its annual calendar were also activated in other provinces including KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Free State, and the Eastern Cape. Langa Township, Gugulethu Township, Struisbaai, Grabouw (Taxi Rank), Hermanus (next to the local clinic) and Strand (Broadway square) were areas already scheduled for activation during in the period in question in Western Cape province.
Thank You.
19 May 2023 - NW1315
Siwisa, Ms AM to ask the Minister of Social Development
What (a) number of child-headed houses has her department assisted in the 2022-23 financial year, (b) is the target for the 2023-24 financial year and (c) plans does her department have in place to ensure that (i) child-headed houses do not struggle with assistance and (ii) the children remain together without being separated due to illegal acts by corrupt social workers who put children under foster care with certain people for self-enrichment of the individuals?
Reply:
Province |
a |
b |
c (i) |
c (ii) |
Western Cape |
During the 2022-23 financial year, there were 28 child-headed households in the Western Cape Province, with a total of 54 children living within those homes. |
Services will be sustained to the CHH, by WC DSD as the service is not target-driven. New identified CHH will also be provided with services and assistance. |
The Western Cape Department of Social Development funds designated child protection organisations to provide support to children in child-headed households. This support includes loss and grief support; nutritional support; individual and group counselling; referral to after-school programmes, assistance with school fees exemptions. |
The NGOs rendering servcies in the WC to CHH reports on a quarterly basis regarding the children and DSD to site visits to ensure the children are not separated or placed in Foster Care with indivudals who will self-enrich. |
Northern Cape |
(a) No child-headed households were reported to the DSD Northern Cape for the 2022/ 23 Financial year. |
(b) The plan is to continuously raise awareness and inform Districts and Stakeholders that all child-headed householders must be reported to DSD, for Social Workers to conduct an investigation and submit a report to the HOD to declare the family a child-headed householder in terms of the Childrens Act. |
(c)(i) If a child-headed household is reported, the case will be referred to the Social Worker for statutory intervention and support, which will be done through the Risiha Child and Youth Care workers and monitored from the Provincial Office. |
(c)(ii) The monitoring will be done from the Children’s Unit to ensure that the Children do not struggle and that Children are kept together as far as possible to avoid irregular placement. |
Eastern Cape |
|
(b) The provincial Target for 2023/24 is120 |
(c)(i) The department is funding 46 RISIHA Programme (19 RISIHA sites and 27 Drop-in Centres) in all 08 districts. It is a Community Based Prevention and Early Intervention programme delivering Core Package of services which is a service delivery strategy consisting of seven (07) interrelated areas aiming at holistically addressing the needs of vulnerable children, including children in Child headed households. This programme provides a safety net for children within their communities offering access to meals when nutrition within the family is uncertain, psychosocial support, educational support by nurturing the child’s educational performance and helping them to overcome barriers such as uniform, transport and poor or no parental support for education. It is also strengthening the economic foundation of households by facilitating access to social security grants, entrepreneurial resources and other activities that improve their financial wellbeing. |
(c)(ii) The province implement Community Based Prevention and Early Intervention programme which aimed at preserving families. It is designed to support and sustain families, and to prevent removal of children from their home environment and communities. |
Free State |
(a)During the 2022/23 financial year seven (7) families with a total of fifteen (15) children received services in the province. |
(b)The department does not put a target regarding child headed households as the ideal situation is that children should not be responsible to manage households. All reported cases will however be assessed and supported. |
(c)(i) Guidance and Support are provided at “Intake” level, cases are assessed, and referrals are done for application for Top -up Child Support Grant.
|
C(ii) Children in Child Headed households will only be put in foster care if it is assessed that they need care and protection and that it will be in their best interest to be placed in foster care. This will be done if it is found that the eldest sibling is not fit to take care of the younger siblings. Siblings are not separated from each other and are placed in foster care with the same family if needed. |
Mpumalanga |
No response |
|||
Kwazulu-Natal |
No response |
|||
North West |
No response |
|||
Limpopo |
No response |
|||
Gauteng |
No response |
19 May 2023 - NW1176
Arries, Ms LH to ask the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies
What is the total number of Post Offices that have alternative sources of energy to ensure that services to our elderly people continue irrespective of load shedding? NW 1317E
Reply:
The total number of standby generators at SA Post Office sites is 32 across all provinces. Post Office branches within shopping centres make use of the centre’s generators during loadshedding. Other standalone sites are not equipped with emergency generators.
Post Office branches are able to continue providing services in an offline situation during loadshedding. They are able to process transactions on a manual basis and capture these as soon as power is restored and the branch goes online again. Mail delivery and acceptance can also continue during loadshedding.
Thank You.
19 May 2023 - NW1385
Winkler, Ms HS to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
Whether Schedule 1 of the Meat Safety Act, Act 40 of 2000, which states that the specified Act also applies to all other species of animals not mentioned above, including birds, fish and reptiles that may be slaughtered as food for human and animal consumption, also includes lions and leopards; if not, why not; if so, what has she found to be the reasons of listing animals in Schedule 1, but then stating that in fact the meat safety Act applies to all species of animals?
Reply:
Yes, the schedule includes animals that may be listed as threatened species in accordance with conservation provisions, and therefore, their slaughter for human and animal consumption must be in line with the relevant conservation provisions and this covers lions and leopards. See attached draft amendment and the clarificatory notice.
The Schedule that Honourable Winkler is referring to was a draft amendment to the current Schedule 1, which was gazetted for public consultation. The process was not concluded due to a need to conduct further consultations and possible investigations before amending the Schedule.
19 May 2023 - NW792
Horn, Mr W to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
With reference to his reply to oral question 55 on 1 March 2023, what number of the 15 605 sexual offences cases he reported to have been on the criminal case backlog roll as at 31 December 2021 were (a) withdrawn and (b) finalised with a guilty verdict?
Reply:
As indicated in the oral reply question 55 given on 01 March 2023, the number of sexual offences backlog cases have declined since 31 December 2021 and thus the number of sexual offences backlog cases as at 31 December 2022 is significantly lower than the year before.
With regards to the number of sexual offences backlog cases as at 31 December 2021 (a) 2844 charges were withdrawn,
(b) of the 2797 cases finalized with a verdict, 1844 cases were finalized with a guilty verdict.
We remain concerned about the high rates of charges withdrawal and attrition in cases sexual offences. However, it must be noted that the December 2021 period fell within the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic when the restrictions of COVID-19 regulations were still operational. This inevitably led to a decline in the number of witnesses and accused persons who came to court and this unfortunately contributed to a higher figure of withdrawn charges. However, it should be noted that some cases are subsequently reinstated on the court roll as soon as the challenges that led to the withdrawal of the charges had been resolved.
END
19 May 2023 - NW1295
Ceza, Mr K to ask the Minister of Employment and Labour
What (a) local economic activities have recently been developed in rural municipalities such as the (i) Dr J S Moroka Local Municipality, (ii) Ngqushwa Local Municipality, (iii) Victor Khanye Local Municipality, (iv) Emakhazeni Local Municipality, (v) City of Matlosana Local Municipality, (vi) Maluti-a-Phofung Local Municipality and (vii) Nkomazi Local Municipality to discourage the influx of job seekers into urban areas and (b) is the time frame in this regard?
Reply:
PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT SERVICES
Public Employment Services (PES) is established by Section 5 of the Employment Service Act of 2014.
- The Department of Employment and Labour must render the following services free of charge to members of the public:
- Register work seekers on ESSA (Employment Services System of South Africa).
- Register learning or work opportunities received from employers.
- Match work seekers to opportunities and produce qualifying work seekers as per criteria requested by employers.
- Facilitate the placement of the work seekers into opportunities.
- Provide career counselling, life skills, psychometric assessments, and employability enhancements.
- Regulate private employment agencies
- Make recommendations to DHA before work visas are issued.
2 Labour centres in the Free State fall under Maluti-a- Phofung Local municipality. For the 2022/2023 financial year, their performance on registration of work and learning opportunities is as displayed below:
From the opportunities registered in 2022/2023 financial year. The 2 Labour centres placed work seekers into work and learning opportunities as displayed below:
LABOUR ACTIVATION PROGRAMME:
- 2 Companies were assisted for BUSINESS TURN AROUND AND RE-ENGINEERING: MALUTI- A- PHOFUNG LOCAL MUNICIPALITY
- ENTRAKO(PTY) LTD: 75 Jobs were Preserved and 14 new employees were appointed. Overall 89 jobs were preserved.
- ENTRAWOOD CC: 115 Jobs were preserved and 4 were created. Overall 119 jobs were preserved.
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
- The PES embarks to build upon a partnership strategy involving prospective actors in the labour market with the common objective to reduce unemployment, poverty and inequality in South Africa.
- This Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aims to create a partnering- relationship between The Department of Employment and Labour through its Public Employment Services branch and stakeholders in order to promote co-operation and achieve employment objectives
- In 2022/2023 financial year, the department of Employment and Labour has entered into Memorandum of understanding with two stakeholders in the Maluti-a- Phofung Local municipality:
- MALUTI TVET COLLEGE
- MALUTI –A – PHOFUNG LOCAL MUNICIPALITY
Eastern Cape
It is very important to note that the Department of Employment and Labour does not create employment opportunities or develop Local Economic activities for job seekers but creates an enabling environment for a labour market that is conducive to investment, economic growth, employment creation and decent work. This is done by partnering with other Government Departments, Local Government, Government Entities including Institutions of Higher Learning and Private Sector in support of initiatives that assist in bringing in investment, economic growth, employment creation and decent work in the labour market and that is done through the main services as provided by the Department’s Public Employment Services (PES) as follows:
• Work seeker registration – Registration of work seeker in the Employment Services South Africa (ESSA) database
• Employment Counselling – Empowerment of work seekers with job hunting and job readiness counselling programmes
• Recruitment and Selection – Registration of employment and learning opportunities received from employers with the purpose of recruiting suitable candidates from the ESSA databased based on the selection criteria specified by the employer
• Placement – Placement of suitable candidates into registered job or learning opportunities based on the employers’ selection preference using the ESSA system.
• Labour Activation Programme (LAP) – UIF funded programme aimed at funding labour activation initiatives for training and placement of UIF beneficiaries back into the labour market.
(a) In Ngqushwa Local Municipality, through the Labour Activation Programme funding was awarded to Walter University, 50 young people have been skilled in Animal Production and New Venture Creation with the purpose of encouraging self-sustainability and self-employment with potential to develop into entrepreneurship and employment of other young people. The 50 young people were recruited from the villages of Ngqushwa Local Municipality.
For this financial year 2023/2024, Ngqushwa Local Municipality, through its Local Economic Development Unit, is going to partner with the Department in recruitment, selection and placement of young people in their approved planned projects as per their IDP which are as follows:
• Bee keeping and honey processing
• Livestock movement project with feedlot and abattoir
• Training of young people in Traffic related opportunities
• Life guards for the 42km coastal area
These young people from all the villages of Ngqushwa Local Municipality will be encouraged to register in the ESSA database so that they can be recruited and placed in these opportunities. The ESSA database ensures that only people from that particular municipality are recruited according to the specification of the employer. The selected young people will also be provided with work ethics training and other life skills training such as financial management skills.
The Department continuously engages with other social partners to ensure more opportunities are marketed to local young people ensuring that they benefit from opportunities in their regions thus avoiding their influx into urban areas.
(b) The identified project and partnership is for this current financial year i.e. 2023/2034
City of Matlosana Local Municipality
The Department of Employment and Labour through its Labour Activation Programme (LAP) implement various projects to enhance the employability of the unemployed, to enable entrepreneurship and preserve jobs by integrating the unemployed people back to the labour market. This is achieved through entering into partnerships with both private and public sector entities to implement job creation initiatives and training of the unemployed and underemployed for the purpose of re-integrating them with labour market and economic transformation.
In the City of Matlosana, the LAP has implemented the following interventions since 2021:
Sector |
Intervention |
No. of Learners |
Area of Training |
Employer |
Project Status |
MICT SETA |
Learnership |
27 |
Film and TV Production |
Platinum NW TV |
Completed in 2021 |
MICT SETA |
Learnership |
3 |
System Support |
52 Benji |
Completed in 2021 |
MICT SETA |
Learnership |
1 |
System Support |
Sediko Primary School |
Completed in 2021 |
MICT SETA |
Learnership |
1 |
System Support |
Hotspot Café Internet and Business Solution |
Completed in 2021 |
MICT SETA |
Learnership |
1 |
System Support |
REX Building |
Completed in 2021 |
THENSA(Technological Higher Education Network South Africa) |
Learnership |
9 |
Environmental Practice |
A & P Scrap Metal Paper and Waste |
Project put on hold in 2021 due to contractual issues. To resume in 2023 |
TOTAL |
42 |
The following interventions are in the pipeline for implementation during 2023/2024 financial year
Sector |
Area |
No. Learners |
Project Status |
Media |
Matlosana |
300 |
Submission on route for DG approval |
Agriculture |
Matlosana |
7000 |
Submission on route for DG approval |
Hospitality, Sports, Media, Health, Textile |
Matlosana |
1000 |
Submission on route for DG approval |
Total |
|
8300 |
In addition, the DEL through Public Employment Services (PES), plays a significant role in coordinating programmes that contribute towards the reduction of unemployment, poverty and inequality across four districts in the North West Province. For the City of Matlosana, 1770 work seekers have been placed on various opportunities through the PES Programme since 2017:
Placement Opportunity Type |
Sector |
Area |
No. Workseekers |
Formal Job |
Various |
Matlosana |
588 |
Internship |
Various |
Matlosana |
46 |
Learnership |
Various |
Matlosana |
243 |
Projects |
Various |
Matlosana |
867 |
Total |
|
1770 |
19 May 2023 - NW1335
Wilson, Ms ER to ask the Minister of Health
(1)What is the (a) total number of ambulances in each province, (b) short fall and (c) number available for a buffer; number available for a buffer; (2) what total number of ambulances are currently not in use in each province due to being involved in (a) accidents and (b)(i) repairs and (ii) maintenance; (3) what is the average waiting time for ambulances to transport patients in each province; (4) what is the ambulance to population ratio (a) nationally and (b) in each province?
Reply:
1. Table 1 below indicates (a) total number of ambulances in each province based on the ratio of 1 ambulance per 10 000 people, (b) short fall and (c) number available for a buffer is as follows:
Table 1:
Province |
(a) Total of No. ambulances |
(b) Short fall |
(c) Buffer |
Eastern Cape |
448 |
222 |
30 |
Free State |
138 |
152 |
42 |
Gauteng |
1 600 |
942 |
60 |
KwaZulu-Natal |
432 |
742 |
0 |
Limpopo |
262 |
348 |
0 |
Mpumalanga |
168 |
230 |
70 |
Northwest |
72 |
298 |
0 |
Northern Cape |
110 |
40 |
0 |
Western Cape |
120 |
460 |
0 |
2.The number of ambulances not in use, those due to accidents and those due repairs and maintenance per province as at week starting 24 April 2023 are as per table below. These numbers fluctuate daily.
Province |
(a) No. not in use due to accidents |
(b)(i) No. not in use due to repairs |
(b)(ii) No. not in use due to maintenance |
Eastern Cape |
15 |
136 |
52 |
Free State |
9 |
43 |
38 |
Gauteng |
12 |
64 |
89 |
KwaZulu-Natal |
15 |
10 |
25 |
Limpopo |
15 |
102 |
31 |
Mpumalanga |
12 |
25 |
24 |
Northwest |
8 |
57 |
42 |
Northern Cape |
5 |
35 |
61 |
Western Cape |
24 |
13 |
22 |
3. The average waiting time for ambulances to transport patients in each province assuming an immediate scene turnaround time is as follows:
PROVINCE |
AVERAGE WAITING TIME |
|
URBAN < 30 MINUTES |
RURAL < 60 MINUTES |
|
Eastern Cape |
41% |
69% |
Free State |
47% |
81% |
Gauteng |
55% |
85% |
KwaZulu-Natal |
43% |
52% |
Limpopo |
49% |
39% |
Mpumalanga |
65% |
69% |
North West |
81% |
73% |
Northern Cape |
78% |
74% |
Western Cape |
53% |
77% |
National Average |
56% |
67% |
(4) The ratio is currently being used (a) nationally and (b) in all provinces is 1 ambulance per 10 000 people.
END.
19 May 2023 - NW321
Madokwe, Ms P to ask the Minister of Public Enterprises
(b) who has been held accountable if a mistake was made in how a certain company (Econ Oil) was handled compared to admitted fraudsters from another certain company (Swiss company ABB) that the State is still doing business with and (c) what disciplinary action has been taken in this regard?
Reply:
According to the information received from Eskom
Eskom is of the view that the approach related to Econ Oil and ABB was carried out fairly, within the prescripts of the law and to protect Eskom’s financial and reputational interests as is required by the Public Finance Management Amendment Act (PFMA). Eskom is of the view that there was no mistake in the of supplier discipline process and the correlating sanction imposed on Econ Oil and its director.
Ms Madokwe focuses on just two companies, being Econ Oil and ABB. Eskom is currently working through a backlog of ~230 supplier disciplinary matters and has, within the past two months, initiated ~50 supplier disciplinary actions. All may not translate into a deregistration from Eskom’s supplier database, however various sanctions including deregistration, may be levied once the disciplinary process for each supplier is finalised.
As relates to the action taken against Econ Oil, Eskom is dealing with a highly litigious company which is exercising its legal rights through “forum shopping” by initiating action in multiple judicial fora tying up Eskom in spurious litigation. Eskom acknowledges that Econ Oil has the constitutional right to seek just and equitable legal remedy and is accordingly dealing with these matters (despite the time and cost) as they arise.
The ABB matter is distinguishable from Econ Oil in a number of respects. ABB was awarded the contract for the supply and installation of the Control and Instrumentation Systems at Kusile Power Station (the Project).
ABB made a voluntary disclosure in respect of conduct relating to the Project and is cooperating in all relevant criminal investigations related thereto, which has been facilitative of criminal charges being brought against implicated Eskom officials, including Mr Matshela Koko, Eskom’s former Chief Executive Officer. In addition, in December 2020, ABB repaid approximately R1.56 billion to Eskom. In December 2022, ABB agreed to repay an additional R2.5 billion to the NPA. The ABB matter is also distinguishable as ABB was midway through performing an existing Scope of Work as related to the Project, which Eskom requires ABB to compete.
Nevertheless, ABB is flagged on the Eskom supplier database and is unable to bid for future contracts. As such, ABB is effectively in the same position as Econ Oil and cannot be awarded future contracts. Once all relevant processes have been completed in respect of ABB, ABB will be taken through Eskom’s supplier disciplinary process and the consequent time period of its removal from the Eskom Supplier Database will be determined.
Remarks: Reply: Approved / Not Approved
Jacky Molisane PJ. Gordhan, MP
Acting Director-General Minister
Date: Date:
19 May 2023 - NW1301
Motsepe, Ms CCS to ask the Minister of Health
What are the reasons that his department is phasing out temporarily-employed nurses in clinics and hospitals in light of the huge shortages of nurses who are qualified to do the work across the Republic?
Reply:
The Provincial Departments of Health are required to phase out or terminate contracts of the temporarily employed nurses in clinics and hospitals funded through the Covid-19 Grant. National Treasury has since terminated the Covid-19 Grant with effect from 1 April 2023 amounting to R1.9 Billion. The National Department of Health is continuously engaging National Treasury to consider the prolongation of funding some or all of these terminated contracted employees (including the nurses) during this current financial year (i.e. 2023/2024). The discussions are continuing in this regard.
The Provincial Departments of Health are the employers of nurses’ categories and continuation of employment of permanent or temporary is based on service delivery needs. Due to budget constraints, Provincial Departments of Health had opted to continue to maintain and fund temporary employment of nurses who manage periodical campaigns (e.g. Immunization campaigns amongst others) through voted funds in the provinces.
END.
19 May 2023 - NW1304
Tafeni, Ms N to ask the Minister of Health
What steps of intervention has he taken in response to the security crisis facing healthcare facilities in the Republic beyond the usual tendering for security services that fail to avoid the security crises and (b) action has he taken in response to the St Georges Hospital case where a woman was gunned down inside the specified premises?
Reply:
a) The Minster of Health has appointed a Ministerial Task Team for safety and security in all public health facilities. The purpose of the task team was to assess the effectiveness of security measures and make recommendations. The task team has conducted security assessments at all public health facilities. Subsequently reports were drafted with the following recommendations:
- Improve security infrastructure like perimeter fencing and security guard rooms.
- Installation of security technology like CCTV cameras system, access control and alarm systems.
- Development of standardised security framework.
- Effective security contract management to hold Service Providers accountable.
- Regular security patrols at public health facilities by SAPS especially in hotspot facilities.
- Deployment of police reservists at hotspot public health facilities.
- Implementation of intelligence driven security measures at hotspot facilities
- Escort of EMS by SAPS to hotspot communities.
In this regard, memorandum of understanding was entered into between SAPS and NDoH to ensure regular patrols and deployment of police reservists.
Ministerial task team meet on regular basis to monitor the implementations of the recommendations and to assist provinces with any required security intervention.
b) St Georges Hospital is a private hospital under Life Healthcare group at Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape. The matter has not been reported to the National Department of Health for intervention. However, the National Department of Health keeps advising hospitals to improve security measures and to report the matter to their local police.
END.
19 May 2023 - NW1312
Thembekwayo, Dr S to ask the Minister of Health
What measures of intervention has he put in place in the Cape Winelands clinics in the Western Cape, that still request HIV patients to raise their clinic cards in front of other patients, exposing their status and thus making them vulnerable?
Reply:
The Western Cape Department of Health reports that it only has one visit card for all patients in all facilities. The information on the visit card will be the name, surname, contact number and address and the date of next appointment. No diagnosis is written on the visit card. Confidentiality is a priority to ensure person-centred care.
The only other card that patients carry with them is the card for TB patients enrolled in directly observed treatment short course (DOTS) and who receive medication at the facility. These patients do not queue at registration but report directly to the consulting room as a measure to fast-track their visit.
END.
19 May 2023 - NW926
Breytenbach, Adv G to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
Whether there are any outstanding and/or additional documents that the United Arab Emirates has asked for with regard to the extradition of the Guptas as at 1 February 2023; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, how has the specified request impacted either the hearing and/or the start thereof?
Reply:
1. The formal extradition request, together with the Arabic translation thereof, was delivered by South Africa to the authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on 25 July 2022.
2. No additional documentation was requested by the UAE authorities relating to the extradition request as at 1 February 2023. All documentation was submitted in the initial extradition request.
19 May 2023 - NW1339
Masipa, Mr NP to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
What measures has the Government put in place to minimise the introduction of invasive animal species within the agricultural food chain, which is part of the risks to animal biosecurity safety and threatens the health of domestic animals, wildlife, and humans?
Reply:
The control of invasive animal species primarily resides under the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment. The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development will only get involved if such animals pose an animal health risk. The Meat Safety Act, 2000 (Act No. 40 of 2000) only applies to animals listed under schedule 1 of the Act, and therefore animals that are not listed under the schedule, including invasive animal species, are not covered under the laws administered by DALRRD, and therefore the meat thereof cannot enter the commercial food chain.
19 May 2023 - NW1334
Wilson, Ms ER to ask the Minister of Health
What (a) portion of the budget received from sugar tax is levied towards health awareness and health services and (b) diseases are prioritised with the above-mentioned allocation from the sugar tax?
Reply:
a) During the 2022/2023 financial year 100% of the total allocation was assigned to health awareness and education on common risk factors as well as access to screening and linkage to care. However only 51.7% of the budget was spent due to lack of human resources. The Department plans to put out a call for proposals to NGOs in the health promotion and non-communicable diseases areas to scale up the health promotion and disease prevention activities.
b) The chronic disease prevention and health promotion levy (sugar tax) is presently allocated toward addressing non-communicable diseases including hypertension, diabetes, cancer, obesity, and mental health.
END.
19 May 2023 - NW902
Ismail, Ms H to ask the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies
(a) What are the reasons that the Post Office in Actonville closed down, (b) what total number of staff have been laid-off from work, (c) on what date will the specified post office reopen and (d) how have the post office box holders been accommodated since the sudden closure of the post office?
Reply:
I was advised by SAPO as follows:
(a) The Post Office branch was loss making and was identified as part of the postal network optimisation programme and amalgamated with the Benoni Post Office.
(b) There were three employees – 2x Tellers opted for a voluntary severance package at end of March 2023 and 1x was transferred to the Dunswart Post Office.
(c) The branch has been permanently closed.
(d) The box holders will be reallocated post boxes at the Benoni Post Office. There is also a street delivery in the area.
Thank You.
19 May 2023 - NW1035
Kohler-Barnard, Ms D to ask the Minister of Communication and Digital Technologies
Whether his department has implemented a rationalisation plan for state-owned entities that report to him; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW1145E
Reply:
Yes, the rationalisation project has been undertaken by the Department, with the initial phase involving the acquisition of Broadband Infraco (BBI) by Sentech. This will entail the transfer of the 74% shareholding in BBI by the State to Sentech, whilst the 26% will remain with the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC). Sentech has since concluded and submitted a due diligence report and turnaround plan to the Department, which together with the Sale Share Agreement are still under consideration by the Department.
The Department is also working on the repurposing of the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) so that it can timely and adequately respond to its clients whilst leading the digitalisation of Government and other related deliverables. In this regard the Department will employ the expertise of an external service provider to conduct a deep study of the SITA business model, with the aim to improve Government services to Departments and the citizens. This aim is to conclude this work by end of FY2023/24.
The Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa (USAASA) is also in the process of being dissolved due to duplication of roles. On 30 November 2022 the Cabinet approved the:-
a) commencement of the process to disestablish the Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa (USAASA);
b) transfer of the USAASA functions to the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies and relevant entities under the portfolio
c) transfer of the management of the Universal Service and Access Fund (USAF), temporarily to the Department while formalizing the corporatization of the South African Postbank SOC Limited.
Thank You.
19 May 2023 - NW1336
Wilson, Ms ER to ask the Minister of Health
(1)(a) What total number of mortuaries in the Republic are adequately equipped to deal with load shedding to prevent bodies from decomposing and (b) what are the details of how they are equipped to deal with load shedding; (2) whether all bodies at each mortuary in the Republic are refrigerated; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details; (3) whether any of the mortuaries in the Republic experience problems with regard to space and/or refrigeration facilities; if so, in each case, what is the (a) name of the mortuary and (b)(i) province and (ii) town and/or city in which the specified mortuary is situated; (4) what (a) are the names of the mortuaries that experience shortages of (i) generators and (ii) fuel supply and (b) is the (i) province and (ii) town and/or city in which each specified mortuary is situated?
Reply:
1. (a) All mortuaries, Forensic and hospitals are adequately equipped to deal with loadshedding to prevent bodies from decomposing.
b) All Forensic mortuaries have a backup generator capacity and hospital mortuaries are linked also to the generator capacity of the hospital.
(2) Yes all bodies at both mortuaries are refrigerated.
(3) Table 1 below responds to Forensic pathology mortuaries with space and/or refrigeration challenges.
Table 1:
(i) Province |
(3)(a) Names of mortuaries that have specific issues with space and/or refrigeration facilities |
(2)(b)(ii) In which town/city |
Eastern Cape |
7 Mortuaries; Mthatha, Lusikisiki, Mount Frere, Bizana, New Brighton, Mount Road and Gelvandale potential to experience space issues related to unclaimed bodies. |
Mthatha FPS is in Mthata Lusikisiki is in Lusikisiki Mount Frere is in Mount Frere Bizana is in Bizana New Brighton is in Port Elizabeth Mount Road is in Port Elizabeth Gelvandale is in Port Elizabeth |
Free State |
None |
Not applicable |
KwaZulu-Natal |
10 Mortuaries: Port Shepstone, Harding, Estcourt, Newcastle, Madadeni, Nongoma, Vryheid, New Hanover, Richmond and Ladysmith have potential refrigerator challenges related to unclaimed bodies. Ladysmith has also space challenge |
Port Shepstone FPS is in Port Shepstone Harding FPS is in Harding New Hanover FPS is in New Hanover Vryheid FPS is in Vryheid Richmond FPS is in Richmond Ladysmith FPS is in Ladysmith Madadeni FPS is in Madadeni Nongoma FPS is in Nongoma Estcourt FPS is in Estcourt |
Gauteng |
3 Mortuaries: Roodepoort, Diepkloof and Johannesburg and have a potential space challenge due to increased intake. 4 Mortuaries: Heidelberg, Sebokeng, Springs and Pretoria have a potential refrigerator challenge due to increased intake. |
Roodepoort FPS is in Roodepoort Diepkloof FPS is in Diepkloof Johannesburg FPS is in Hillbrow. Heidelberg FPs is in Heidelberg Sebokeng FPS is in Sebokeng Springs FPS is in Springs Pretoria FPS is in Pretoria. |
Limpopo |
2 Mortuaries: Tshilidzini and Mokopane have space challenge due to unclaimed bodies. |
Tshilidzi FPS is in Thohoyandou. Mokopane FPS is in Mokopane |
Mpumalanga |
5 Mortuaries: Themba, Ermelo, Kwa Mhlanga, Lydenburg and Tintswalo have refrigerator challenges. |
Themba FPS is in Nelspruit Ermelo FPS is in Ermelo Kwa Mhlanga FPS is in Kwa Mhlanga Lydenburg FPS is in Lydenburg Tintswalo is in Acornhoek |
Northern Cape |
4 Mortuaries: De Aar, Portmansburg, Hartswater, Douglas FPS have challenges with refrigerators due to loadshedding surges. This led to Kimberley FPS reaching its maximum capacity in terms of storage space |
De Aar FPS is in De Aar Hartswater FPS is in Hartswater Douglas FPS is in Douglas Postmansburg FPS is in Postmansburg Kimberley FPS is in Kimberley |
Northwest |
2 Mortuaries: Mafikeng and Lichtenburg have space challenge due to inadequate infrastructure. |
Mafikeng FPS is in Mafikeng Lichtenburg FPS is in Lichtenburg |
Western Cape |
2 Mortuaries: Laingsburg has a space challenge. Ceres has a refrigerator challenge |
Laingsburg FPS is in Laingsburg Ceres FPS is in Ceres town |
(4) Table 2 below responds to Forensic pathology mortuaries with generators and fuel supply challenges.
(i) Province |
(4)(a)(i)(ii) names of the mortuaries that have generators, and fuel supply |
(4)(b)(ii) in which town and/or city and province is each specified mortuary located? |
Eastern Cape |
None |
Not applicable |
Free State |
Phuthaditjhaba FPS Mortuary problems with electricity supply and vandalisms, using adjacent hospitals (Phekolong and Dihlabeng) for storage |
Phuthaditjhaba FPS is in Phuthaditjhaba |
KwaZulu Natal |
Pinetown FPS needs generator that will supply power to the whole facility. Phoenix, Port Shepstone, Pietermaritzburg, Ladysmith, Dundee and Kokstad facilities experience fuel shortages sometime |
Pinetown FPS is in Pinetown Phoenix FPS is in Phoenix Port Shepstone FPS is in Port Shepstone Pietermaritzburg FPS is in Pietermaritzburg Ladysmith FPS is in Ladysmith Dundee FPS is in Dundee Kokstad FPS is in Kokstad |
Gauteng |
None |
Not applicable |
Limpopo |
None |
Not applicable |
Mpumalanga |
None |
Not applicable |
Northern Cape |
None |
Not applicable |
Northwest |
None |
Not applicable |
Western Cape |
None |
Not applicable |
END.
19 May 2023 - NW1211
Khakhau, Ms KL to ask the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies
a) What are the reasons that the Lansdowne Post Office in Cape Town has been closed; and b) What arrangements have been made to ensure residents receive their (i) municipal bills and (ii) other postal items?
Reply:
(a) The Lansdowne Post Office is fully operational and has not been closed. During loadshedding, the Post Office is closed as it does not have a standby generator. It is also unable to operate manually owing to its location with limited lighting being available during the hours of loadshedding.
b) No alternative arrangements are required for residents to receive their (i) municipal bills and (ii) other postal items - as neither the Lansdowne Post Office nor the Mail Delivery Depot have been closed.
Thank You.
19 May 2023 - NW1333
Clarke, Ms M to ask the Minister of Health
(1)Whether, with reference to the Draft Regulations on the Surveillance and the Control of Notifiable Medical Conditions (NMCs) that were published in the Government Gazette on or about 15 March 2022, and the subsequent publishing of the Health Regulations Relating to the surveillance and control of NMCs on or about 4 May 2022, following his department’s repeal of Regulations 16A through 16C of the Health Regulations, his department will also withdraw the Draft Regulations in their entirety; if not, why not; if so, on what date (2) what are the reasons for his department’s decision not to repeal the listing of COVID-19 as an NMC in accordance with clause 3 of the Health Regulations, given his letter to various MECs, dated 20 June 2022, stating that the weak sub variants now circulating failed to produce a significant fifth wave; (3) what are his department’s reasons for not amending Regulation 20 of the existing regulations, which make a contravention of the regulations a crime punishable by up to 10 years’ imprisonment? ;
Reply:
(1) No. The draft Regulations published on 15 March 2022 will not be withdrawn. These draft Regulations do not deal only with Covid-19 but also with other notifiable medical conditions. The comments from the public are still being processed and will be considered for any decision/amendments to be made regarding the published draft Regulations. The draft Regulations also mean to address pandemic situations as the 2017 Regulations do not address the outbreak of pandemics.
(2) Notifiable Medical Conditions are diseases that are of public health importance because they pose significant public health risks that can result in disease outbreaks or epidemics with high case fatality rates both nationally and internationally. Covid-19 is such a condition and will therefore remain a NMC. COVID-19 is not listed specifically as it resorts amongst the respiratory diseases caused by a novel respiratory pathogen - NMC 20).
(3) The National Department of Health still believes contraventions of these Regulations has serious health implications and as such must remain an offence.
END.
19 May 2023 - NW1400
Mahlaule, Mr MG to ask the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy
Considering that the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) of 2019 will be reviewed in its entirety, including specifically to update electricity demand forecast up to 2050, and that the revised IRP of 2023 will be submitted to Cabinet for approval by the end of the 2023-24 financial year, (a) what are the preferred energy generation technologies identified in the revised IRP 2023 and (b) how will the preferred energy generation technologies address the short- to long-term energy challenges that the Republic faces on least-costly electricity as well as the supply and demand balance?
Reply:
a) The process of developing the IRP is mainly a technical modelling activity of the power system. Inputs assumptions into the model consider all commercially viable and proven generation technology options. The output of modelling is the proposed energy generation technologies are a function of cost, environmental impact and lead time. The output is also a function of energy availability factor of the existing generation plant including the decommissioning plan.
b) At the Policy level the output of the technical model should take into account energy security and energy sovereignty and the needs of South Africa as a developing country. The preferred plan should therefore consider the impact on the economy as a whole. It therefore must not be only about least technology cost but about the least cost to the economy.
19 May 2023 - NW1306
Chirwa-Mpungose, Ms NN to ask the Minister of Health
(1)(a) What number of public healthcare facilities will be rated green (details furnished) and (b) by what date will each public hospital reach the specified milestone; (2) whether there are any intentional plans by his department to ensure that all public healthcare facilities reach the green rating level; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
(1) (a)-(b) Existing facilities with Green Rating Cards
Capital Projects in the pipeline for the Green Rating Cards:
(2) Aging public health facilities remains a challenge and growing concern for the Department of Health. The short-, medium- and long-term focus is thus more on restoring many of these facilities to an acceptable state of operability. This does not imply that the Department is not considering environmental sustainability. To the contrary, challenges with electricity and water supply at many of our facilities calls for a more concerted effort towards greater sustainability with less carbon footprint and such thus come into play in the design and refurbishment of these projects. The National Department of Health with the CSIR is currently busy with an investigation into how to become more green in future and will include the outcome of the study into our Infrastructure Strategy.
END.
19 May 2023 - NW964
Majozi, Ms Z to ask the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies
With reference to the recent Cabinet reshuffle during which his department’s leadership has changes, and considering that he was shifted from an Office with a vastly different mandate , what are the details of the plans that his department had in place to ensure that the change in Ministers did not cause instability in the rest of the department. NW1012E
Reply:
The Department and its Entities presented to Minister, Programmes of Action (PoA) being undertaken and executed in collaboration with the sector. The Minister was satisfied with the PoA and called for the acceleration, so that digital transformation enables efficiency in service delivery; and that digital communication services are affordable and accessible.
In this regard, the Minister has negotiated his PA with the President which include the PoA.
There was no disruptions or instability as the Department and its entities continues to implement his PoA which support the MTSF.
Thank You.
19 May 2023 - NW1406
Msimang, Prof CT to ask the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy
Considering the fact that it was noted at the recent Mining Indaba held from 6 to 9 February 2023 that there cannot be an energy transition without the mining sector (details furnished), what sustainable plan and/or strategy has his department put in place to ensure that mining outputs has unhindered access to ports now and in future?
Reply:
Rail and port operations are the responsibility of Transnet which reports to the Department of Public Enterprises. The Department continues to raise the issue of port and rail constraints with relevant parties.
19 May 2023 - NW1311
Arries, Ms LH to ask the Minister of Social Development
Considering the fact that the SA Post Office has been placed under provisional liquidation, what measures of intervention have been put in place to ensure that beneficiaries receive their grant payments on time?
Reply:
Due to liquidity concerns, the contract between SAPO and SASSA for the payment of social grants was ceded to the Postbank in October 2022.
This was probably done just in time as SAPO is currently facing liquidation. The ceding of the contract, means that the liquidation – from a contractual perspective – will not impact the service agreement of clients, as a new entity (Postbank), which is solvent has taken responsibility for the contract.
However, Postbank was only given 3 months to prepare themselves for taking over the contract, and remains heavily reliant on SAPO for services – which are failing at present.
This over reliance on SAPO remains a concern for DSD and SASSA and we’ve been in constant engagement with the Postbank around alternatives to mitigate this challenge. These include:
- Postbank developing their own infrastructure, in particular, ATM infrastructure in strategic locations.
- Postbank partnering with other stakeholders to reduce their reliance on SAPO. These include larger merchants (which has been implemented to date) as well as smaller merchants such as SPAZA shops.
- Postbank introducing a cardless solution. This will limit the need for clients to interact at branches. This has already been rolled out successfully with the COVID SRD grant and has alleviated the congestion seen at Post Offices during the COVID period. This should have a similar impact when rolled out to the other grants.
Beneficiaries also have a choice to receive their social grants payment directly into own commercial bank account. More than 50% of SASSA clients utilise this option.
These options cover approximately 98.5% of our clients. The remaining 1.5% who live in far flung areas remains a challenge, and are still reliant on the cash pay point services provided by Postbank. Discussion are being held across government, led by the Presidency on a possible government wide solution to service these communities. In the meantime, the Postbank will continue running the cash paypoints that were previously run by SAPO.
19 May 2023 - NW1332
Clarke, Ms M to ask the Minister of Health
(1)What (a) is the total amount budgeted for National Health Insurance (NHI) grants annually since 2017, (b) amount of each grant was spent, (c) items was the specified amount spent on and (d) amount was returned to the National Treasury; (2) Regarding the NHI pilot projects what (a) amount was budgeted for each project, (b) is the breakdown of each project and (c) amount has been spent annually on each project since they were launched, (3) what were the (a) outcomes of each NHI project; (4) whether the outcomes were successfully achieved; if not, why not; if so, (a) how were they evaluated and (b) what are the further relevant details?
Reply:
1. The following grants have been established:
(i) NHI Schedule 5 Direct Grant
(ii) NHI Schedule 6 Indirect Grant which consists of:
- Health Facility Revitalisation Component (In Kind Grant)
- Personal services component
- Non-personal services component
(a)-(b) The overall budget and expenditure of the NHI Grant has been as follows:
For the 2017/18 and 2018/19 financial years, it was only the NHI Indirect grant allocation and from 2019/20 it was funded from both direct and indirect grant allocations as follows:
(c) The items that the specified amount were spent on and (d) the amount returned to the National Treasury are as follows:
2. (a) NHI Pilot Projects were conducted from 2012/13 to 2015/16. The breakdown of the amounts that were budget for during this period are outlined in the Table below:
National Health Insurance Direct Grant |
|
|||||
|
2012/13 |
2013/14 |
2014/15 |
2015/16 |
2016/17 |
Total |
NHI Direct Grant |
150000,000 |
48000,000 |
72000,000 |
72000,000 |
|
342000 |
Eastern Cape |
11,500 |
4,850 |
7,000 |
7,204 |
|
30,554 |
Free State |
11,500 |
4,850 |
7,000 |
7,204 |
|
30,554 |
Gauteng |
31,500 |
4,850 |
7,000 |
7,204 |
|
50,554 |
KwaZulu-Natal |
33,000 |
9,700 |
14,000 |
14,408 |
|
71,108 |
Limpopo |
11,500 |
4,850 |
7,000 |
7,204 |
|
30,554 |
Mpumalanga |
11,500 |
4,850 |
7,000 |
7,204 |
|
30,554 |
Northern Cape |
11,500 |
4,850 |
7,000 |
7,204 |
|
30,554 |
North West |
11,500 |
4,850 |
7,000 |
7,204 |
|
30,554 |
Western Cape |
11,500 |
4,850 |
7,000 |
7,204 |
|
30,554 |
(b) The breakdown of the projects that were funded through the direct NHI Conditional Grant were as follows:
The NHI project was undertaken in 11 pilot districts across the country namely:
- OR Tambo (Eastern Cape)
- Thabo Mofutsanyana (Free State)
- City of Tshwane (Gauteng)
- Amajuba District (KwaZulu-Natal)
- Umzinyathi (KwaZulu-Natal)
- uMgungundlovu (KwaZulu-Natal)
- Vhembe (Limpopo)
- Gert Sibande (Mpumalanga)
- Dr Kenneth Kaunda (North West)
- Pixley ka Seme (Northern Cape)
- Eden (Western Cape)
The following interventions were undertaken in the aforesaid pilot districts:
- Ward-based Primary Healthcare Outreach Teams (WBPHCOTs), which were responsible for the provision of promotive and preventative healthcare to households;
- the Integrated School Health Programme (ISHP), which aimed to provide a range of health promotion and preventive services to school-going children at their places of learning;
- General Practitioner (GP) contracting, which aimed to increase the number of GPs at PHC facilities to improve the quality and acceptability of care;
- the Ideal Clinic Realisation and Maintenance (ICRM) model, which aimed to increase the quality of services through the establishment of minimum standards;
- District Clinical Specialist Teams (DCSTs), which were responsible for supporting clinical governance and undertaking clinical work, research and training;
- The Centralised Chronic Medicine Dispensing and Distribution (CCMDD) system, which aimed to improve the distribution of medicines to patients through the provision of chronic medication at designated pick-up points (PUPs) closer to the communities in the pilot districts;
- The Health Patient Registration System (HPRS), which has the ultimate goal of a fully electronic patient record-keeping system but commenced with the capturing of patient data and the generation of electronic files;
- The Stock Visibility System (SVS), which aimed to improve the oversight of stock through an electronic stock monitoring system, thereby reducing stockouts by allowing for appropriate and timely ordering;
- Infrastructure projects, which were implemented to improve health infrastructure and thereby ensure increased access and quality of care;
- Workload Indicator for Staffing Need (WISN), which are a World Health Organization (WHO) planning tool implemented to help facility managers make more efficient staffing decisions.
(3) (a) Some of the core outcomes of the project are outlined below per district:
Amajuba (KwaZulu-Natal): This district recorded a mixed set of results when it comes to key indicators that were being tracked as part of the NHI interventions – antenatal first visit before 20 weeks and HIV positive on IPT. There was a noticeable improvement in 2015, then followed by a decrease in both indictors over 2016 and 2017.
uMzinyathi (KwaZulu-Natal): There was a marked improvement in the immunization rate for children under the age of one, with a further indication that directed efforts needed to be implemented to prioritize mother and child health interventions;
uMgungundlovu (KwaZulu-Natal): The district has recorded an improvement in the immunization rate, specifically for the uptake of the measles second dose. However, indicators also pointed to the need to improve the roll-out and capacity of the Ward-Based Outreach Teams.
OR Tambo (Eastern Cape): As a result of various interventions, the district recorded a year-on-year improvement in cervical cancer screening for women over 30. This improvement also showed a marked increase in the ranking of the district as compared to other pilot and non-pilot districts. The same can be reported Diarrhea with dehydration under five.
Gert Sibande (Mpumalanga): This district recorded the highest rate of improvement in immunization uptake for those under five for all the pilot districts. This was specifically for the 2016 to 2017 period. The main challenge they experienced was around having well-capacitated Ward-Based Outreach Teams, and the ability to recruit and retain adequately skilled team members.
Vhembe (Limpopo): The district recorded an improvement in the reported number of cases with diarrhea and dehydration under five. Vhembe showed a sharp decrease in performance for this indicator. The qualitative information revealed a lack of functional DCSTs, with speculation that they need to be dismantled and a new solution found. This is potentially problematic because, with poor immunization coverage, there is a higher risk for poor child health. The DCSTs will then be critical to ensuring that child mortality does not increase.
Dr Kenneth Kaunda (North West): The district also recorded a year-on-year improvement in cervical cancer screening for women over 30. This improvement also showed a marked increase in the ranking of the district as compared to other pilot and non-pilot districts. It ranked second only to OR Tambo District.
Eden (Western Cape): A key achievement for the district was that it consistently reported the lowest levels of drug stock-outs amongst all the pilot districts.
Thabo Mofutsanyana (Free State): The district recorded a significant improvement in the number of diarrheal cases with dehydration over the period 2013 to 2017. They also achieved significant improvements in the number of school learners screened for eyesight, hearing and related conditions.
Pixley ka Seme (Northern Cape): The district recorded significant improvements and was consistently the lowest performer among the NHI pilot districts for the HIV positive with IPT and the BCG dose coverage indicators respectively.
City of Tshwane (Gauteng): This district was amongst the lowest performers of the districts included in the NHI project for the indicator on Antenatal visit before 20 weeks. However, it still recorded significant improvements in the indicator on diarrheal cases with dehydration over the period 2013 to 2017.
More generally, it must be noted that majority of the NHI districts recorded significant achievements in the establishment and roll-out of the Ward-Based Primary Health Care Outreach Teams (WBPHCOTs). The WBPHCOT intervention is currently underpinned by the Policy Framework and Strategy for Ward-based Primary Healthcare Outreach Teams 2018/2019 – 2023/2024 and aims to ensure the successful implementation of the teams and the overall success of NHI implementation in South Africa. As far back as September 2017, a reported 3,519 WBPHCOTs were covering 12 816 152 households. At the end of 2017/2018 financial year, there were a total of 3,323 WBPHCOTs providing basic health services to children and adults across the country, not just in the NHI districts.
(4) (a)-(b) The evaluation of the various interventions implemented as part of NHI is based on a number of interrelated processes, including regular monitoring and evaluation of progress through the Annual Performance Plans at the National and Provincial Departments of Health. It also included undertaking a rigorous evaluation exercises and the prepartion of technical reports detailing the various interventions implemented over time and the impact that these selected interventions have had on key indicators such as antenatal visits, incidence of diarrhea cases as well as establsihment of key teams such as PHC outreach teams. The Evaluation Report is attached as Annexure 1. The implementation of various interventions resulted in a number of interellated achievements, some of which include:
1. The successful roll-out of the Ward-Based Primary Health Care Outreach Teams (WBPHCOTs) intervention aimed at ensuring the successful implementation of the PHC teams and the overall success of NHI implementation in South Africa. As far back as September 2017, a reported 3,519 WBPHCOTs were covering 12 816 152 households. At the end of 2017/2018 financial year, there were a total of 3,323 WBPHCOTs providing basic health services to children and adults across the country, not just in the NHI districts.
2. The rollout of the Integrated School Health Programme (ISHP). The aim of the ISHP intervention is to provide a range of health promotion and preventive services to school-going children with a particular focus on the screening of health-related barriers to learning such as vision, hearing, cognitive and related developmental impairments (National Department of Health, 2017). The programme is underpinned by the Integrated School Health Policy, which outlines the complementary roles of each government department responsible for addressing the needs of learners with the aim of ensuring that strong school health services operate according to clear and uniform standards across the country (National Department of Health, 2013). This intervention was implemented by the NDoH in collaboration with the DBE and holds important lessons with regard to inter-departmental collaboration and coordination during implementation. National stakeholders expressed the belief that, overall, there was good collaboration between the national departments in implementing ISHP.
3. Contracting of Health Practitioners (“GP Contracting”): Recognising that Human Resources for Health (HRH) are a key component of a well-functioning health system, and that the inequitable distribution of human resources within the dual health system in South Africa has been an ongoing challenge. Historically, GPs have not been part of the staffing composition at public PHC facilities. Furthermore, the lack of GPs in the public sector has impacted the system in a number of ways. Notably, this has impacted patients’ perceptions of the quality of care received at PHC facilities. This intervention was implemented to improve quality of care and access to needed health care services at the local facility level, especially in targeted clinics through the introduction of different contracting mechanisms with the aim of improving access and quality services to vulnerable communities.
The contracting of GPs was introduced in 2012 as part of NHI Phase 1 implementation, and at the end of 2017/2018, 330 GPs had been contracted. GP contracting was identified by stakeholders as one of the most important interventions to ensure health system strengthening (HSS). The intended aims and objectives of contracting GPs are evidently clear and well understood among stakeholders. The key objectives of GP contracting were to reduce the over-utilisation of hospitals and to improve quality of care (and perceptions thereof) of public healthcare facilities.
4. Ideal Clinic Realisation and Maintenace (ICRM): ICRM was introduced in response to existing insufficiencies in the quality of PHC services and to lay the foundation for NHI implementation. This intervention was introduced in South African facilities in July 2013 with the aim of improving quality of care after a baseline audit commissioned by the NDoH in 2011 discovered that only one facility in the country met the required standards of a health facility. An ideal clinic is defined as a clinic with good infrastructure, adequate staff, adequate medicine and supplies, good administrative processes and sufficient adequate bulk supplies. It uses appropriate clinical policies, protocols and guidelines, and it harnesses partner and stakeholder support to ensure the provision of quality health services at PHC level to communities. There are 10 components of the ICRM programme, all of which contain subcomponents that specify the initiatives under each component.
The evaluation findings suggest that ICRM is an intervention that achieved considerable scale and reach during NHI Phase 1. At the end of 2017/2018, 3 434 facilities had been assessed, and of these, 1 507 had attained ideal clinic status. Of the facility managers surveyed, 51 of 60 (86%) reported that ICRM was being implemented in their facility.
Moreover, the intervention is commonly understood to have significantly contributed to HSS over the previous five years of implementation as a result of its initial large scale-up across the country.
5. Establishment of District Clinical Specialist Teams (DCSTs): The DCSTs were envisioned to comprise highly specialised HCPs, including an obstetrician and gynaecologist, a paediatrician, a family physician, an anaesthetist, a midwife and a professional nurse, and it was expected that they would spend 70% of their time supporting clinical governance, 20% on clinical work and 10% on research and training. Clinical governance encompasses the maintenance and improvement of standards for patient care at facilities. The various activities of clinical governance have been implemented to different extents in PHC facilities. The four major components of clinical governance are role identification, improving care, improving patients’ experiences and identifying good practice. The DCSTs are responsible for driving these components of clinical governance at district level and are an extension of the district management team and report directly to the district manager as well as the provincial DCST coordinator.
6. Centralised Chronic Medication Dispensing and Distribution (CCMDD): This is a unique model of medicine dispensing and distribution that has been adopted in South, which is led and implemented by the NDoH. CCMDD was introduced in 2012 to improve the successful distribution of medication to patients. This intervention is made up of two components: CCMDD and Pick-Up Points (PUPs); These two components were envisioned (a) to improve the quality of care of patients as chronic patients will be accessing their medication from a private service provider rather than going into facilities, thus decreasing congestion at facilities, making more staff time available and improving the staff’s ability to provide quality services and (b) to increase access for patients and decrease patient waiting times as there will be no need for patients to go to pick up their medication at congested facilities. During the implementation of NHI Phase 1, CCMDD was heavily focused on the provision of antiretrovirals, fixed-dose combinations in particular, to stable HIV patients receiving antiretroviral treatment (ART).
The evaluation findings suggest that CCMDD is overwhelmingly believed to be the NDoH’s most successful intervention implemented during NHI Phase 1. This has been identified as a flagship programme, and for this reason, there are numerous valuable lessons to be learned from its implementation. These lessons will only apply to the continuation of the CCMDD programme but can be useful for the continued implementation of other interventions.
Specifically, lessons around the issues of contracting private service providers, which has been communicated by the NDoH to be a key component of NHI Phase 2. At the end of 2017/2018, there were 2 182 422 patients enrolled in the CCMDD programme who were collecting their medicines from over 855 PUPs across the country (National Department of Health, 2018). On balance, it is evident that CCMDD has indeed achieved its immediate aims of decongesting facilities, which helps improve the availability of HCPs’ time and, as a result, improve health outcomes. The success is largely reflected in the successful scale-up of the programme beyond the pilot districts and beyond the expectations of NHI Phase 1 implementation plans.
7. e-Health interventions: e-Health interventions are those that employ digital solutions to assist health workers and PHC facilities to operate more efficiently, with the ultimate aim of contributing to improved access to and improved quality healthcare.
a) As part of the preparatory work for the phased implementation of NHI, the Department has successfully rolled-out the Health Patient Registration System (HPRS). The HPRS serves as an online registry of all patients using healthcare services in South Africa that can be accessed at any facility to provide health workers with patients’ demographic information and their most up-to-date health records. Patients are registered with a unique identification number (for example, their national identity number or passport number) and assigned to a host facility, which is the facility that they attend most frequently. The HPRS is thus the entry point for patients into the formal health system. The HPRS is expected to lead to more efficient patient registration and record-keeping, which is in turn expected to contribute to better decision-making, to facilitate easier access to patient data and to lead to a better referral system. Overall, the implementation of the HPRS during NHI Phase 1 can be understood to have presented both successes and challenges. At the end of 2017/2018, 2968 PHC facilities were using the HPRS, and there were 20 million people registered on the system (National Department of Health, 2018). Moreover, IT hardware for an additional 918 PHC facilities in 13 health districts was purchased, totalling 4862 computers in total (National Department of Health, 2018). However, challenges have hindered the intervention’s ability to contribute to improved decision-making and referrals thus far. It should be noted, however, that the first stage of implementation was focused largely on setting up user profiles and is not expected to contribute greatly to decision-making as yet. As the implementation of NHI continues and the HPRS becomes more widely used, it will need to be further populated with routine and referral information to improve patient tracking and, in turn, contribute to improved decision-making.
b) Another intervention in the e-Health space is MomConnect. MomConnect is an SMS-based initiative that “aims to support maternal health through the use of cell phone-based technologies integrated into maternal and child health services” (National Department of Health, 2018). The purpose of MomConnect is ultimately to prevent maternal and child deaths through targeted health promotion messages to pregnant women to improve their health and that of their infants (National Department of Health, 2018). At the end of 2017/2018, the number of pregnant women and mothers registered on MomConnect was 1 888 918, which had doubled from the previous financial year. Moreover, a total of 818 688 pregnant women and mothers were receiving health-promotion messages at the end of 2017/2018.
c) There is also the Stock Visibility System (SVS) which is an application designed to address the challenge of drug and related stock-outs and ensure that all South Africans have access to the medicines they need. It is a mobile application used in PHC clinics to monitor and report on stock availability levels for essential medicines like anti-retrovirals, TB medication and vaccines. The purpose of the SVS is to enable more informed decision-making and proactive stock management at PHC facility level. Using the SVS application, clinic staff are able to capture information on the availability of essential medicines at PHC facilities, which is then uploaded to a central online repository. The data from this repository is consolidated in real time to improve oversight of stock availability and, consequently, improve the accuracy and efficiency of stock distribution based on demand.
The SVS is able to detect reported stock-outs at clinic level and automatically send early warning alerts to managers at each point in the supply chain when stock-outs are predicted, from clinic through to national level. In a similar vein, the system also alerts managers to over-stocking, which is necessary to avoid situations where stock is lost due to expiry. These types of alerts thus enable managers to more proactively manage stock levels and avoid stock-outs as well as stock losses. At the end of 2017/2018, the SVS was being implemented in 3167 clinics and CHCs, which equated to 92% coverage (National Department of Health, 2018). The findings of the evaluation indicate that, where it has been implemented as planned, the implementation of the SVS has largely been a success, leading to a reduction in stock-outs and pressure at facilities where it was being implemented.
Over and above all these targeted interventions, the National and Provincial Departments of Health continue to implement a number of interventions directed at maintaining existing infrastructure (clinics, hospitals, CHCs, etc.); refurbishments as well as the commissioning of new ones to address quality and related challenges. Poor infrastructure limits the extent of health services that can be provided to communities. Therefore, since the 2013/14 financial year, more than R1.9 billion has been spent on infrastructure projects in the NHI pilot districts.
END.
19 May 2023 - NW1254
Breytenbach, Adv G to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
What (a) total number of reported cases of rape were (i) heard in courts in the (aa) 2018-19, (bb) 2019-20, (cc) 2020-21 and (dd) 2021-22 financial years and (ii) successfully prosecuted in each financial year and (b) were the primary reasons for each unsuccessful prosecution of each reported rape case in each financial year?
Reply:
a) (i) The records of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development reflects that the following number of rape cases were heard in courts during the financial years requested:
FINANCIAL YEAR |
REGIONAL COURT |
2018/2019 |
5 720 |
2019/2020 |
5 616 |
2020/2021 |
3 863 |
2021/2022 |
3 640 |
(ii) The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) extracted information from the
Electronic Case Management System (ECMS).
As at 31 March 2023, the extracted information indicates that the number of verdicts for the financial years requested, as well as convictions and acquittals during each of the financial years, is depicted in the Table below:
Financial Year |
No. of Convictions (Per Charge) |
No. of Verdicts (Per Case) |
No. of Convictions (Per Case) |
No. of Acquittals (Per Case) |
2018/19 |
3 055 |
4 215 |
2 820 |
1 395 |
2019/20 |
2 910 |
3 984 |
2 684 |
1 300 |
2020/21* |
777 |
1 045 |
724 |
321 |
2021/22 |
1 979 |
2 826 |
1 841 |
985 |
Total |
8 721 |
12 064 |
8 066 |
3 998 |
- The number of rape matters reported to the South African Police Service declined during the 2020/21 financial year due to the restricted movement during the COVID-19 pandemic. The details on the afore-mentioned numbers could be obtained from the South African Police Service (SAPS). Coupled with this, the courts were also limited in their operations as accused, witnesses and parties to proceedings had limited ability to travel or visit court proceedings.
Statistics of prosecuted cases regarding matters reported at the Thuthuzela Care Centres (TCCs) for the financial years as requested are reflected in the table below:
Financial Years |
Conviction rate and actual number of all TCC sexual offence cases prosecuted |
Number of Rape charges – conviction versus acquittal |
Percentage of rape charges in TCC sexual offence cases prosecuted |
2018/19 |
73.5% (1636 / 2225) |
1914 (1328 / 586) |
86% |
2019/20 |
74.9% (1408 / 1881) |
1628 (1156 / 472) |
86.5% |
2020/21* |
73.9% (734 / 993) |
858 (604 / 254) |
86.4% |
2021/22 |
76.7% (1033 / 1346) |
1080 (789 / 291) |
80.2% |
*The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in less court hours and less cases prosecuted due to Disaster Management Act restrictions which limited the courts in their operations. However, the 2021/22 financial year returned an increase of 35.5% in court performance compared to the previous year regarding the number of TCC-cases being finalised in court.
b) Various factors are taken into account collectively by the court and thus no list can be regarded as a finite list because the acquittal of cases depends on these various factors based on the impact and consideration by the court of the importance of each of such factors which can seldom if ever, be quantified.
c) On a broad level, below are the possible reasons that will result in an acquittal of these cases in court:
(i) Credibility of witnesses, that include cases where the court is unable to rely on the evidence presented; and
(ii) Furthermore, in most of these cases the State relies on a single witness and/or solely on circumstantial evidence, this present challenges in court which may lead to an acquittal. This will specifically be the position in the absence of any other substantial or corroborating evidence.
19 May 2023 - NW604
Bodlani, Ms T to ask the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies
(1) Whether she has found that she is on track to deploy 5G networks to 100% of South African cities; if not, what percentage has been achieved to date; if so, what are the relevant details. (2) Whether she has found that she is on track to deploy 5G networks to 70% of secondary cities; if not, what percentage has been achieved to date; if so, what are the relevant details. (3) Whether she has found that she is on track to deploy 5G networks to 50% of rural towns; if not, what percentage has been achieved to date; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
(1), (2), (3)
Find here: National 5G coverage
19 May 2023 - NW1305
Chirwa-Mpungose, Ms NN to ask the Minister of Health
What (a) action has he taken in relation to the recommendations by the Ombudsman at the Rahima Moosa Hospital that the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) should be released and a new CEO be placed at the specified hospital, (b) number of recommendations pertaining to the Rahima Moosa Hospital from the Ombudsman (i) has his department implemented and (ii) are still outstanding and (c) period was his department given by the Ombudsman to respond to the recommendations and concerns raised over the hospital?
Reply:
a) The Chief Executive Officer of Rahima Moosa hospital Dr Mkabayi has been transferred to the Provincial Department of Health for the duration of her contract. Dr Mkabayi is receiving professional support and training required and she is adapting very well in the new environment and her performance is good. There are no challenges experienced thus far as she has knowledge, skills and abilities required to execute her responsibilities at this office. She has also subjected herself to the Health Professions Council of South Africa(HPCSA) processes and the outcome of which is now the mandate of the HPCSA.
In a letter received on 15 May 2023 the Office of the Premier has advised that they have requested the SIU to conduct the respective investigations relating to some of the matters raised by the Ombuds.
The above encompass nine (9) of the Ombud’s recommendations specific to Dr Mkabayi.
b) (i)-(ii) Table 1 below represents a list of the other recommendations from the Ombudsman report and the status to date.
Table 1: (i) Ombudsman recommendation and status to date
RECOMMENDATION |
STATUS |
ACHIEVED |
|
Human Resources Related |
|||
1 |
Appointment of the new CEO for RMMCH is identified and appointed within 3 Months |
In progress |
|
2 |
The advertisement for the CEO position should be in line with standardised requirements for CEOs of regional and tertiary level hospitals to ensure any potential candidates meet all relevant criteria and are 'fit for purpose' |
Completed |
Post was advertised in the Sunday Times Newspaper of 23 April 2023 with a closing date of 5 May 2023. Post was also placed on the GPG Jobs Portal |
3 |
GDOH to consider using recommended CEO advert as outlined in the Ombuds report (pg 16 & 17) |
Completed |
Post was advertised in the Sunday Times Newspaper of 23 April 2023 with a closing date of 5 May 2023. The advert for the CEO is in line with the recommended KPAs. |
4 |
Only candidates with relevant and proven expertise and experience should be shortlisted with detailed records indicating the reasons for shortlisting or rejecting each candidate |
Not yet started |
Shortlisting will be conducted on 30 May 2023 |
5 |
An experienced CEO knowledgeable in management of regional level hospitals should be appointed. It would be critical that the new CEO is viewed as a leader who would have the ability to unite the health workforce with RMMCH |
Not yet started |
Advert closed on 5 May 2023 Shortlisting will be conducted on 30 May 2023 |
6 |
To ensure success, the GDOH should provide ongoing regular support to the new CEO, which should be documented on a monthly basis |
Ongoing |
|
7 |
The Gauteng HoD for Health and DDG: Corporate Services must urgently review the Provincial HR processes for the appointment of CEOs and other senior staff within six (6) months. The review should evaluate provincial HR processes with regards to the advertised requirements and competencies required for the position, pre-employment reference checks and vetting for senior positions, especially those of hospital CEOs |
In progress |
|
8 |
During the period of the investigation, it was noted that at least 2 Tertiary Hospital CEOs in Gauteng were suspended for maladministration and misappropriation of Funds (Tembisa & Kalafong Hospitals) raising questions about the calibre of individuals hired for these positions as well as HR processes followed |
N/A |
|
9 |
The Gauteng MEC of Health must urgently appoint an independent forensic and audit firm within two (2) months to conduct a competency, ‘fit for purpose’ assessment of the leadership and management staff at RMMCH |
In progress |
In a letter received on 15 May 2023 the Office of the Premier has advised that they have requested the SIU to conduct the respective investigations |
10 |
The Gauteng MEC of Health must urgently appoint an independent forensic and audit firm within two (2) months to assess the need to upskill all RMMCH managers / EXCO members to ensure they are able to perform their functions in line with the expectations of RMMCH service delivery. |
In progress |
In a letter received on 15 May 2023 the Office of the Premier has advised that they have requested the SIU to conduct the respective investigations |
11. |
The GDoH should prioritise the review of the RMMCH staff establishment and appoint staff in line with their skill sets in all departments to ensure compliance with Regulation 19 (2) (a) of the Norms and Standards Regulations. |
In progress |
This process forms part of the GDoH organizational structure review |
12 |
A review of the utilisation of nurses from Nursing Agencies is also recommended to reduce the strain on the goods and services budget. |
In progress |
R 48 million has been allocated to permanently appoint nurses to complement services that are normally provided for by nursing agencies. Nurses appointed under COVID-19 grant contracts have currently been prioritised. |
13 |
A report detailing progress on recommendations regarding the review of the RMMCH staff establishment should be sent to the Ombud within six (6) months. |
In progress |
The process of reviewing the organogram is at an advanced stage. The HR capacity challenges have been addressed in the new organogram; Over 800 new permanent posts will be created and filled in the current financial year. Rahima Moosa has been allocated 58 posts |
14 |
The staff allocated to the MoUs should include Advanced Midwives to ensure support |
Done |
Hillbrow CHC = 5 advanced midwives (one per shift and the 5th one is the manager responsible for maternity) Discoverers CHC also has 5 advanced midwives. (two are managers) |
15 |
The GDoH is to fast-track the establishment of a fully functional adult ICU at RMMCH within six (6) months. The ICU will ensure that patients are treated in a manner consistent with the nature and severity of their health condition as provided for in Regulation 5 (1) of the Norms and Standards Regulations and allow scheduled surgical procedures within the theatres to continue in an uninterrupted manner |
In progress |
Discussion initiated. Propose a phased approach - convert an existing H/C bed to an ICU bed with the added nursing and medical resources required |
16 |
The Gauteng Department of Health and RMMCH should institute a disciplinary inquiry within one (1) month following prevailing policy and compatible with the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995 against the following personnel: 4.1.1. Sr T Goduka for using an unauthorized self-concocted solution in the maternity operating theatres during August and September 2022 by doing so she put the lives of patients at risk and the reputation of GDoH at stake. Her actions led to several adverse events (post-operative wound sepsis) which necessitated eleven 'relook' surgeries in theatre in August and September 2022; Done RMMCH initiated a disciplinary process for Sr T Goduka. |
An independent advisory team completed and submitted recommendations to the Acting CEO. Progressive discipline was undertaken Disciplinary action taken and matter concluded - Official has been issued with a written warning |
|
Infrastructure related recommendations |
|||
14 |
The Premier should ensure that RMMCH is one of the first hospitals to be refurbished, within six (6) months |
In progress |
|
15 |
Consideration should be given based on the collapsing sewage system, leaking steam pipes, dilapidated buildings and unkept surrounding areas within the hospital perimeter |
In progress |
|
16. |
The GDoH should provide additional maternity capacity within the district, including but not limited to the construction / refurbishment / repurposing of buildings suitable for a Maternity Obstetric Unit (MOU) to cater for the delivery of low-risk maternity cases within the region, within twelve (12) months. This will further alleviate the overcrowding experienced at RMMCH. |
In progress |
Management has planned the following to increase the maternity beds in the JHB District: 1. Operationalization of Florida Clinic and convert into a CHC by 2023/24. 2. Conversion of Westbury Clinic into a CHC by 2024/25. The above plans however require availability of posts |
A suitable HR Plan that meets the needs of the health establishment in line with Regulation 19(1) and (2) (a) of the Norms and Standards Regulations must eb developed and implemented within one (1) month |
In progress |
Draft HR Plan completed by RMMCH. Central Office to take over this task - it is linked to the finalisation of other processes such as the Dept organogram, and the Tertiary Services status of the hospital. |
|
The HR department should be upskilled and capacitated to carry out the mandate of RMMCH within three (3) months |
In progress |
Audit completed. Initial training by GCRA commenced 8 May. GCRA committed to further analysis of HR skills. |
|
Finance and Audit Related |
|||
GDoH should prioritise and fast-track the gazetting of RMMCH as a Tertiary hospital which would ensure that RMMCH receives a tertiary grant, within eight (8) months. |
In progress |
|
|
In the interim, within two (2) months) GDoH should apply short-term interventions including the application of PFMA section 16A to ensure allocation of additional funds for RMMCH. |
|||
The Gauteng MEC of Health must urgently appoint an independent forensic and audit firm within two (2) months to review corporate governance at the hospital in line with appropriate and applicable King IV corporate governance principles to promote and improve a culture of good corporate governance |
In progress |
|
|
In the interim, within one (1) month, a larger “Smart Fridge” should be procured to ensure the storage of adequate quantities of emergency blood at RMMCH. |
Completed |
|
|
2017 Rahima Moosa Maternal Child Hospital Coovadia report related |
|||
The MEC and HoD for Health should revisit the 2017 RMMCH report with a view to implementing the recommendations as a matter of urgency. A comprehensive implementation plan is to be submitted to the Ombud within six (6) months including detailed realistic strategies, time frames, and names, designations and contact details of persons responsible for implementation. |
In progress |
|
|
Hospital Administration , Management and Governance related specific to RMMCH |
|||
17 |
The HoD’s office should be sufficiently strengthened to conduct comprehensive oversight of hospitals in Gauteng. A detailed implementation plan is to be shared with the Ombud within one (1) month. |
In progress |
It is proposed that the HOD establish a multidisciplinary Head of Department Advisory Committee (HODAC) tasked with oversight of hospitals |
18 |
GDoH is to prioritise the reclassification of Discoverers CHC to a district hospital within six (6) months, to alleviate the patient load within the region. It will also ensure compliance with Regulations 5(1) and 8(1) of the Norms and Standards Regulations |
In progress |
The National Department of Health in collaboration with the Gauteng Department have started the review The process of classification of health facilities and all hospitals is in progress. |
19 |
The GDoH should ensure that RMMCH, a specialist hospital, has Laboratory Services and Blood Bank |
In progress |
NHLS lab open on site during the day. After hours proposal to improve bloods turnaround time to be discussed. Blood bank obtained 2nd smart fridge for afterhours blood availability. |
The Gauteng MEC of Health is to diligently monitor that the appointed Hospital Board is adequately trained and able to discharge their functions to ensure compliance with Regulation 18 of the Norms and Standards Regulations. 12.2 This should be implemented with immediate effect. |
Done |
Board has been appointed and given training on their functions and responsibilities. |
|
The Acting CEO of RMMCH must ensure that the Hospital has a system in place to manage healthcare personnel in line with relevant legislation, policies and guidelines within one (1) month |
Carried out on an ongoing basis |
Policy updating and distribution to staff is ongoing. Staff also now requesting policy changes which are being considered. Registers in place and checked by HR personnel for compliance Ongoing rollout of policies - PMDS, Records, Absenteeism, Incapacity and Leave Management, R&S done. |
|
The Acting CEO of RMMCH should identify a suitable area to create a Discharge Lounge, within one (1) month. This will cater for discharged patients who are waiting to return to their homes. |
Completed |
Completed |
|
The Discharge Lounge should be allocated dedicated staff to ensure that patients are monitored until they leave the hospital premises |
Completed |
Completed |
|
The Acting of RMMCH and HoD must within one (1) month submit to the Ombud a security plan to protect users, health care personnel, and hospital property from security threats and risks and ensure that security staff is capacitated to deal with security incidents, threats and risks |
In progress |
Security cameras all upgraded and functional. SLA between facility and security company has been reviewed and given to company, which has failed to respond. The on-site security manager has implemented SLA and is monitoring compliance. Weekly reports will be sent to Central Office Security unit on their performance. Security plan has been finalised |
|
A clear plan is to be developed within one (1) month regarding the safety of healthcare staff over 24 hours, both within the hospital premises as well as within the immediate areas of the hospital periphery to ensure RMMCH complies with Regulation 17 (1) and (2) of the Norms and Standards Regulations |
In progress |
Security cameras all upgraded and functional. SLA between facility and security company has been reviewed and given to company, which has failed to respond. The on-site security manager has implemented SLA and is monitoring compliance. Weekly reports will be sent to Central Office Security unit on their performance. Security plan has been finalised |
(c ) The recommendations from the Ombudsman range from immediate to twelve(12) months.
END.
19 May 2023 - NW1415
Lorimer, Mr JR to ask the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy
By what date does he envisage that he will table amending legislation in the National Assembly, as recommended by the Report of the Portfolio Committees on Mineral Resources and Energy, Home Affairs and Police on the Joint Oversight Visit on Illegal Mining to Five South African Provinces, dated 25 November 2022?
Reply:
Based on the Department’s assessment and the Report of the Portfolio Committees on Mineral Resources and Energy, Home Affairs and Police on the Joint Oversight Visit on Illegal Mining to Five South African Provinces, dated 25 November 2022, the department in consultation with interested and affected parties has begun work to identify gaps on the MPRDA and Precious Metals Act that may need to be amended. The intention is to submit these Bills for tabling in Cabinet during 2024/25 financial year. Work to amend the Diamond Act No. 56 of 1986 is underway and public consultation is planned for Quarter 2 this financial year.
19 May 2023 - NW1303
Tafeni, Ms N to ask the Minister of Health
(a) What number of hospitals have reported cable theft to date, (b) what is the name of each hospital that reported theft of cables, (c) what action has he taken to respond to the security concern raised over cable theft and its possible consequences, (d) by what date will he intervene on the matter and (e) what preventative measures will be put in place to avoid cable theft from happening in future?
Reply:
a) The National Department of Health is still waiting for the data from other provincial health departments. However, the Department has been informed by the Gauteng Department of Health about the stolen cables at Charlotte Maxeke, Steve Biko and Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospitals. To date, only 9 Hospitals were reported for cable theft in the Free State Province.
b) Hospitals that have been reported for cable theft are listed below:
- Bongani hospital (Welkom)
- Boitumelo hospital (Kroonstad)
- Thebe hospital (Harrismith)
- Mohumadi Manapo hospital (Qwa Qwa)
- Elizabeth Ross hospital (Qwa Qwa)
- National hospital (Bloemfontein)
- Universitas hospital (Bloemfontein)
- JS Maroka hospital (Thaba Nchu)
- Mohau hospital (Hoopstad)
c) All the cable theft incidents were reported to the nearest police stations and case numbers were issued accordingly. Mast lights have been installed at various facilities; Manned security was instructed to patrol areas that were identified as high-risk areas for cable theft.
d) All the affected facilities were attended to by replacing the stolen cables during 2022/23 financial year.
e) The Free State Department of Health is planning to employ more security personnel to facilities that are high risk areas. Key interventions also include installations of Clearview fencing and CCTV at health facilities.
END.
19 May 2023 - NW767
Graham-Maré, Ms SJ to ask the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies
(1) What number of staff are employed (a) full-time and (b) part-time at the Nieu-Bethesda Post Office; (2) whether all salaries and benefits of the specified staff are up-to-date; if not, will he furnish Ms S J Graham with the details of what payments are outstanding, including salaries and benefits for each staff member; if so, what are the relevant details; (3) whether the specified post office will continue to operate; if not, what provisions are being made for postal services to the residents of Nieu-Bethesda; if so, will he furnish Ms S J Graham with the details of the staffing structure for the post office? NW866E
Reply:
1. Nieu-Bethesda is a Retail Postal Agency (RPA) and the owner is Grace Nel.
(a) No Post Office staff are allocated to RPA
(b) No Part Time staff at RPA
2. The last payment loaded was for end of February 2023, an amount of R1500.
3. The Nieu-Bethesda RPA’s contract is still valid.
Thank You.
19 May 2023 - NW638
Maotwe, Ms OMC to ask the Minister of Public Enterprises
With reference to his response to the interview of Mr A M de Ruyter, whereby he remarked that Mr A M de Ruyter focused too much on renewables instead of fixing existing plants of Eskom to ensure a stable supply of energy, (a) on what date did he realise that the conduct of Mr A M de Ruyter was a threat to Eskom’s ability to provide a stable supply of energy to the Republic and (b) what steps did he take upon realising that Mr A M de Ruyter was derailing Eskom?
Reply:
a) The role of the Shareholder representative is to ensure that the Board of a State-Owned Company (SOC) is held accountable and the Board in turn holds the Executive accountable. In the case of Eskom, the shareholder was concerned about the devastating impact of loadshedding on the households, businesses and the South African economy. On 30 September 2022, a new Eskom Board was reconstituted with a task to reposition Eskom to play a key role in the energy sector. Furthermore, the new Board had to deal with immediate loadshedding issues, procurement, elimination of corruption and ensuring that there is reliability of energy supply in the medium to long term.
It is for that reason that the Board had to evaluate the tenure of the former Eskom Executive management including Mr Andre De Ruyter to account for his tenure as the Eskom Group CEO. Unfortunately, in the course of the process, Mr De Ruyter choose to resign before the Board evaluation process.
b0 That was not for the shareholder to determine as explained in the above response, that was for the Board to determine unfortunately, Mr De Ruyter chose to resign before that evaluation process by the Board could commence.
Nonetheless, there were many engagements with the Board, Management and CEO on the declining performance of generation and my concerns about the lack of improvement in output of generation plant.
Remarks: Approved / Not Approved
Melanchton Makobe PJ Gordhan, MP
Acting Director-General Minister
Date: Date:
19 May 2023 - NW1307
Chirwa-Mpungose, Ms NN to ask the Minister of Health
(a) How long has the stock shortage of surgical metal being experienced at the Livingstone Hospital in Gqeberha resulted in patients being turned away without assistance when seeking orthopaedic intervention, (b) what other hospitals are affected by the same issue and (c) what measures of intervention (i) will he take to resolve the crisis and (ii) are in place to prevent the shortage of such surgical metal?
Reply:
(a) According to the Eastern Cape province this issue was experienced in August 2021 and is attributable to a tender process that made it impossible to have the necessary range of products to choose from.
The key challenge with implants at Livingstone hospital and the whole EC province is the absence of a comprehensive transversal contract and gross budget limitations within the province. The hospital is the only referral hospital for implants in the Western area of the Eastern Cape resulting in massive backlogs.
(b) We are not aware nor informed of any other hospitals experiencing this issue;
(c) (i) To address the budgetary limits, there is a plan to source additional funding that can only be sourced from the Eastern Cape Provincial Treasury. Where possible, the National Department of Health may assist the province, however, it also depends on the availability of additional funding from the National Treasury.
To address the orthopaedic surgery problem that have an impact on Livingstone hospital the following interventions have been proposed to the Eastern Cape Province:
- Strengthening the General Surgical service provision to Uitenhage Provincial Hospital with the allocation of a designated theatre with needed staff support
- Increase Level 1 and 2 beds through the reclassification of PE Provincial Hospital (hybrid) to provide additional theatre access for general surgery.
- Fully establish the surgical disciplines at Dora Nginza Hospital.
- Establish the out-reach and in-reach (Cataract Surgery and General Surgery).These are both underway for Humansdorp and Settlers Hospitals.
- The above-mentioned measures will help address the backlog issues, theatre inefficiencies, remove level 1 cases from regional and tertiary hospitals.
(ii) To deal with the issue of the provision of adequate suppliers, there is also a plan to develop a transversal contract at National level that will also enhance services across other provinces facing similar challenges.
There has also been a discussion that the Eastern Cape should participate in the Western Cape contract to fast track the provision of surgical implants as an immediate intervention.
END.
18 May 2023 - NW1461
Marais, Ms P to ask the Minister of Water and Sanitation
Considering that the community of Pabalelo in the Northern Cape has had a pit latrine crisis for decades with no manifestation of promises from the Government on eradicating the bucket system in the specified community, (a) what are the reasons that the eradication of the bucket system had not been a reality in Pabalelo to date, (b) what steps will he take to ensure that promises to eradicate the bucket system will become a reality and (c) by what date will the bucket system in Pabalelo eventually be done away with?
Reply:
a) The Department through the Bucket Eradication Programme implemented 5 projects in David Kruiper Local Municipality from 2013 to 2017. These include
Area |
No. of toilets eradicated |
Pabalelo |
596 |
Kalksloot |
120 |
Rosedale |
1771 |
Louisvale |
600 |
Dakota Weg |
306 |
Total |
3393 |
b) Several areas or settlements are being formalised which still use the bucket toilet system and are considered “new” buckets. These cases occurred after the implementation of interventions aimed at reaching the target set in 2015, hence they have not yet been addressed.
c) The Department has noted the moving target however, an implementation plan will be developed to attend to the remaining bucket toilets including the required bulk services necessary for planning and budgeting purposes.
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18 May 2023 - NW1561
Horn, Mr W to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
What progress has been made with the roll-out of (a) caselines and (b) other online court filing systems following the completion of the pilot projects?
Reply:
The Office of the Chief Justice (OCJ) continues to embrace the advantages that technology present and leverages on it. The modernisation of court processes remain key priority areas for the OCJ to improve access to justice for all in accordance with section 34 of the Constitution.
The Court Online system has been rolled out to the Gauteng Division of the High Court in Pretoria and Johannesburg. The CaseLines evidence management platform, is an integral part of the total Court Online Solution, and is being utilised in the Gauteng Division of the High Court. The implementation of the total Court Online solution is subject to the litigation process which is underway in the courts.
END
18 May 2023 - NW1475
Mokgotho, Ms SM to ask the Minister of Water and Sanitation
What measures have been put in place to ensure that the community of Motlhabe village in North West receive adequate water supply as the taps that had been installed in their yards do not supply any water, and the specified community have lodged complaints with the Moses Kotane Local Municipality, but to no avail?
Reply:
There has been sporadic water supply especially in the high lying areas such as the Rampodi and Thabeng sections in the Motlhabe Village due to increased demand, unauthorised household connections in the area and ongoing loadshedding.
In the short-term, the Moses Kotane Local Municipality (LM) has made funds available for drilling and equipping of additional boreholes to augment the current water supply. It is envisaged that this work will be completed by end of June 2023. The municipality is providing water through water tankers in the affected areas, whilst exploring medium to long term interventions.
In addition, the municipality has resolved that all unauthorised household connections should be formalised and metered to ensure sustainability of water supply as most of these connections are on the main pipeline supplying the village.
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18 May 2023 - NW1473
Tafeni, Ms N to ask the Minister of Water and Sanitation
What form of assistance has his department provided to the residents of the Mbhashe Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape, who are currently facing water challenges?
Reply:
The Mbashe Local Municipality is supported by the Department of Water and Sanitation through the Water Services Infrastructure Grant (WSIG) and is implementing two water augmentation projects over a three-year period to address water supply challenges in the municipality. The table below provides details of the projects:
Project Name |
Number of people to benefit |
Budget |
Implementation year |
Equipping of boreholes in Mnquma and Mbhashe |
1 886 |
R37 599 984 |
2023 - 2026 |
Drilling and testing of boreholes in Mbhashe, Mnquma and Great Kei |
9 830 |
R21 881 418 |
2023 - 2026 |
The Xhora and Sundwana Bulk Water Schemes (BWS) currently being implemented by the Amathole District Municipality funded by DWS through the Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant (RBIG). The Sundwana Bulk Water Scheme is at an advanced stage of planning which is expected to be concluded in 2023/2024; whilst commencement of construction is planned for 2024/2025. Construction on the Xhora BWS which includes a dam, Wastewater Treatment Works, reservoirs, and bulk pipelines has been completed. Construction for additional pipelines and reservoirs is at 61% and planned for completion in September 2023. The summarised details for both projects are indicated in the table below.
Project Name |
Number of people to benefit |
Budget |
Implementation year |
Status |
Xhora BWS |
67 000 |
R494, 082, 388.00 |
2009 - 2020 |
Contracts 1-7 all 100% completed |
2020 - 2023 |
Contract 8 is at 61% anticipated to complete in September 2023 with pipelines and reservoirs. |
|||
Sundwana WSS |
126 782 |
R682 873 392 |
2024/25 |
Advanced stage of planning |
Areas affected by outages due to the electricity crisis are provided with water through water tankering. There are ongoing discussions between the municipality and Eskom for the exemption of water infrastructure from loadshedding.
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