Questions and Replies

Reply:

a) Please refer to Annexure A for a list of every South Africa Post Office (SAPO) payment point that will be closed

b) Please refer to Annexure A for a list of every South Africa Post Office (SAPO) payment point closure dates

c) Please refer to Annexure B for the number of SASSA grant recipients serviced at each SAPO/Postbank

d) (i) and (ii) Please refer to Annexure C - for alternative payment points to each of the closed or will be closed SAPO branches and related kms

 

Reply:

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Reply:

1. The Department has developed a Backlog Eradication Plan and the Plan was presented to the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs. The Plan includes amongst other additional capacity to complement the current Immigration Services’ team. An additional 117 officials coming from Head Office and Provinces have been put together to deal with the Backlog Eradication Plan.

The Department through Operation Vulindlela has sought the support of the private sector to speed up verification of documents as verifications contribute to delays in the processing of visas.

2. To establish the legitimacy of any spousal relationship for a visa application, the adjudication process requires that such relationships should be verified for authenticity. This includes the notarial agreements that are submitted in support of such applications. In most cases the contact number of the purported South African spouse is not provided, making it difficult to confirm with certainty that the South African citizen is indeed party to the relationship.

END.

Reply:

1. The average number of persons detained is 9595.
2. The total budget spent: R35 443 197-41 in 2022/23 financial year.
3. The total number of detainees released, because they had not been deported in time at the Lindela Repatriation Centre for the 2022-23 financial year is 53 .

END.

Reply:

1. (a) As stated in my reply to Parliamentary Question 4207, SASSA works closely with the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) on data validation and conducts monthly checks to confirm the life status of clients before a payment file is generated. SASSA does not knowingly pays social grants to deceased beneficiaries.

(i)(ii)(b) Please refer to my reply to Question 4207

2. It is important for the Honourable Member to note that all social grants, with the exception of Foster Child Grant, which is court issued, are means tested for eligibility. If a government employee decides to foster a child an apply for a Foster Child Grant and the court grant foster care place, the employee will be eligible for the Foster Care Grant.

It is also important for the Honourable Member to note some categories of government employees such as those recruited through the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) and internship programmes, most of whom are the groups appearing on the government database. These individuals would qualify to receive social grants, should they satisfy the eligibility criteria.

(b) The breakdown of grant types is as follows:

Grant Type	Number
Care dependency grant	61
Child Support Grant	3773
Disability Grant	3579
Older Person’s Grant	52 655
Grand Total	60 068

All of the above beneficiaries were identified through the AGSA audit process and they were subjected to a review process by SASSA. It was found that some of the employees receive social grants on behalf of someone in their care.

Reply:

(i) Minister

(a) Isuzu MUX, (b) 3.0 DDI MU-X LSE A/T (c) 2023, (d) 15 November 2023 (e) R800 000.00 inclusive of VAT

(ii) Deputy Minister

(a) BMW (b) 520d (c) 2019 (d) 19 December 2019 (e) R668 000.00 inclusive of VAT

END.

Reply:

(a) (b) (c) (i) (ii) (iii) (aa) (bb) (cc) None

Reply:

No sponsorships, donations, or financial transfers have been provided for lawfare and or any other purposes to me, the Department, or any official in the Department by any Qatari, Iranian, or Russian organ of state/organisation since 1 January 2021 to date. The Department and I would not know whether any sponsorship, donation, or financial transfer for lawfare and or any other purpose was made by any Qatari, Iranian, or Russian organ of state /organisation to any resident from 1 January 2021 to date.

END.

Reply:

(a)(i) Applications lodged for Late Registration of Birth (LRB) for the category - 31 days to 15 years = 77 179

(a)(ii) Applications lodged for LRB applications for the category 15 years and above = 10 097

(b)(i) Applications finalised for the category - 31 days to 15 years = 70 651

(b)(ii) Applications finalised for LRB applications for the category 15 years and above = 6 714

c) Percentage of DNA Testing = Data in respect of DNA testing is not captured on the department’s Track & Trace system. Each birth registration would need to be extracted and analysed to determine if DNA testing was conducted.

d) Published turnaround time for LRB is 180 days. The average processing time of LRB is 3 months to 6 months. Processing times differ for each application, either due to investigations or verification of information obtained during the interview.

END.

Reply:

1.The information is tabulated hereunder: -

(1)	Financial year	Revenue collected by VFS for visa applications
(a)	2019-20	R44 393 680.00
(b)	2020-21	R19 932 830.00
(c)	2021-22	R31 969 065.00
(d)	2022-23	R33 754 185.00
(e)	2023-24 (as at 31 January 2024, unaudited)	R32 126 493.75

2. The visa facilitation services contract between VFS Global and Home Affairs is based on the user-pay model and not on a revenue-sharing model. VFS collects the prescribed visa and permit fee on behalf of Home Affairs and pays it over to the Department. This constitutes the revenue collected in the table above. VFS Global adds a service charge, also called a service fee, on each transaction. It is a fee collected to pay for services that relate to a product or service that is being purchased. In other words, a service charge is an additional charge for the service provided with the submission of a visa or permit application, product, or other auxiliary service. The service fee is approved by the Department. VFS Global does not get any share of the visa or permit fees (revenue) that are due to the Department.

END.

Reply:

(a) 617 active cases are still at the first instance adjudication phase as at 31 December 2023.

(b) Refugee Appeals Authority:

(i) Failed asylum seekers who lodged Notices of Appeal – 113 698

(ii) Failed asylum seekers booked for hearing – 2 710

(c) Reviews at SCRA awaiting decisions as at 19/02/2024: 6 774

(d) Refugees awaiting decisions on permanent residence applications: 2 924.

(e) Foreign nationals awaiting permanent residence applications: 44 488.

END

Reply:

(a) The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) will be utilising five buildings to digitise the 340 million records.

(b)(i) As per my reply in Parliamentary Question 2220, the recruitment of the 10,000 youth graduates is being rolled out in three phases. The advert for the first 1st 2000 cohort of unemployed graduates was published in the 2022/23 financial year, leading to the initial employment of 1405 graduates. This number has been decreasing due to youth finding better opportunities elsewhere. As of 31 January 2024, a total of 1142 youth were still in the employ of the Department and have been posted at various locations, in all provinces. The advert for the 2nd cohort closed on 03 March 2023 and yielded 2951 qualifying candidates out of the 439k applications received. In December 2023, the Department issued 2550 appointment letters to qualifying applicants. This brings the total number of young graduates employed for the digitisation project close to 3,700. The 3rd and last cohort of youth will be recruited in the 2024/25 financial year.

(b)(ii) As of 29 February 2024, the Department had digitised 31 419 990 images which translates to 714 016 records. Records consist of paper records and microfilms.

END.

Reply:

1. Road Safety Audits

The Department is highly concerned about the continuous increase in road traffic crashes due to poor condition of roads and to this end, my department developed the Road Safety Strategy that seeks to address rod crashes and fatalities with safer roads being one of the Road safety pillars. The Department of Transport developed the Road Safety Audit Manual that provides guidance to various Roads Authorities on actions to be adopted in keeping the roads safe for all road users.

2. Routine Road Maintenance (RRM

In addition to the Road Safety Manual, the South African National Roads Agency (SOC) Limited developed the Routine Road Maintenance Program to ensure that the newly built are regularly maintained to ensure longevity.

3. Provincial Road Maintenance Transversal Indicators

In addition to the above and in making sure that Provinces are well supported, the Department of Transport has established a set of four (4) performance indicators that are consistently executed by all Provinces and monitored on quarterly basis. These Transversal Indicators are:

• Number of kilometres of surfaced roads visually assessed as per the applicable Technical Methods for Highways (TMH) manual,
• Number of kilometres of gravel roads visually assessed as per the applicable TMH Manual,
• Number of road safety audits conducted,
• Number of designs for transport infrastructure

4. Road Maintenance Grant

The Department has budgeted R42.6 billion for construction, maintenance and upgrade of the road infrastructure network, For the current reporting period the Department of Transport.

Reply:

1. (a) As stated in my reply to Parliamentary Question 4207, SASSA works closely with the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) on data validation and conducts monthly checks to confirm the life status of clients before a payment file is generated on a monthly basis.

b) The life status (proof of life) confirmation is sourced from DHA on the day that the payment file is generated. If proof of life is confirmed, payment is included in the payment file and effected for that month. Using February 2024 payment as an illustration, the process is as follows:

Step 1: On the third weekend of the month payment file is extracted (26-28 January 2024) – It must be noted that due to the controls and volumes of the payment file, the payment file is done over the weekend when there is no production work being processed.

Step 2: The payment file is quality assured and approved on Monday (29 January 2024)

Step 3: Tuesday (30 January 2024), SASSA sends payment file to Bankserv – Bankserv requires the payment file 2 days before payment date

Step 4: Thursday (1 February 2024) – is reserved for National Treasury administrative processes

Step 5: From Friday (2-5 February 2024) – Payment starts. If the 1st day of payment falls on a Monday, payment is moved to Tuesday to enable retailers and banks to ensure sufficient cash circulation within the industry. The 5-step process is necessary to ensure the right person is paid. It must be noted that the above will still not resolve the challenge of late death notifications by families to Home Affairs, which implications for SASSA.

Reply:

Honourable Member, I wish to refer you to two reports presented on 05 March 2024 to the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs.

The said reports clearly outline progress with timeframes and figures on

(a) Lubisi Report and

(b) Government Printing Works’ Ministerial Report.

They are very detailed and will provide you with all you need to know.

END

Reply:

(a) The total amount of office hours lost in all Provincial Offices across the country due to load shedding, office closures, water outages, system downtime and no online verification scanners at health facilities in quarter 3 of the 2023-24 financial year is as follows:

(i) 6 106 hours (load shedding);

(ii) 34 hours (office closures);

(iii) 682 hours (water outages);

(iv) 8 645 hours (system downtime);

(v) 780 hours (no online verification scanners at health facilities).

(b) The DHA/SITA SLA covering all offices reflects as follows:

Month	Reachability (Network)	Availability (power)
October 2023	92.71%	95.07%
November 2023	88.75%	90.95%
December 2023	92.34%	94.17%

END.

Reply:

a) As the Honourable Member is aware, social grants appeals are handled by the Independent Tribunal for Social Assistance Appeals. For the period in question, the Tribunal received a total of 23 939 400 appeals for the SRD Grant.

b) The above number is inclusive of 15 343 533 appeals received for the period 1 April 2022 – 31 March 2023 and 8 595 867 appeals received during the period 1 April 2023 – 31 December 2023. To date, the Tribunal has adjudicated and finalised a total of 23 298 222 SRD Grant appeals.

Reply:

(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(i)(ii) I refer the Honourable Member to my previous reply question (Question 94). Neither myself nor the Deputy Minister have purchased any new vehicles since the reply to Question 94.

Reply:

1. Yes. The first draft of the Animal Welfare Bill is currently being drafted and will be completed in March 2024.

2. (a) No. No public stakeholder consultation has taken place as yet.

(b)(i),(ii) It is not possible to determine the exact time frames due to the various processes that must be engaged prior to the introduction of a Bill to Parliament. As indicated in the reply to question 3435 on 22 November 2023, the first draft is expected to be completed by March 2024 and the Bill will follow the normal legislation-making process including:

- processing through the relevant Directors-General Cluster System;

- conducting a Socio-Economic Impact Assessment;

- constitutional certification by the Office of the Chief State Law Advisor; and

- obtaining Cabinet approval to gazette for public comments.

Once the comments have been considered, the Bill will be amended accordingly and will be submitted to Cabinet for approval to table in Parliament.

Reply:

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Reply:

The Department has measures in place to deal with a principal or SGB that conducts theft, fraud or extortion that are linked to a school. Should there be a school(s) that is/are alleged to have been involved in such and not dealt with, the Department requests for names of such and the related allegation(s).

Reply:

I have been advised that:

1. According to the records of received sponsorships, donations and gifts, the Department of Small Business Development (DSBD) can confirm that no sponsorships, (b) donations and (c) financial transfers for lawfare and/or any other purposes were received from any (aa) Qatari, (bb) Iranian and/or (cc) Russian organ of state, organisation and/or resident since 1 January 2021 up to 23 February 2024 by the (i) Minister of Small Business Development, (ii) her department and (iii) officials of her department.

Reply:

 

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Reply:

a) The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) does not have information on the cost of waste perishable exports resulting from port challenges and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. However, there doesn’t appear to be any significant post export losses, judging by non-conformity reports we receive regularly from the European Union and other export destinations.

b) The role of DALRRD and its assignee, the Perishable Products Export Control Board (PPECB) is inter alia to ensure that farmers’ produce are harvested on time, appropriately packed and sent to ports for final export procedures where the PEPCB ensures that produce is correctly loaded, and vessels certified. Availability of port space and port efficiency as well as related logistics at the ports is the responsibility of the Department of Transport (Transnet).

 

Reply:

I have been advised that:

(a)&(b)The Entrepreneurship in Schools programme is a partnership that involves a lot of private sector stakeholders. The owner and custodian are PrimeStars, the Corporate Social Investment (CSI) arm of Prime Media. Other partners include the following: SAPPI, the Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda), EOH, Allan and Gill Gray Philanthropies, Omnia, 3M, AECI, Safripol, Mulilo, BTE Renewables, Richfield, University of Johannesburg, Raizcorp, Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), Allan Gray Orbis Foundation, Zutari, Women’s Development Business, Buhle Waste, Proudly SA, Uber, Tourvest Travel Services, Protea Hotel Marriot, Sizwe IT, Versapak, Airlink, Nando’s and Lift.

IMPLEMENTATION APPROACH

Since the inception of the programme, the Seda has supported seventy-six thousand nine hundred and ninety-one (76 991) beneficiaries with a budget spent of R3 million as per table below:

NO	FINANCIAL YEAR	NO OF BENEFICIARIES	BUDGET SPENT
1.	2019-2020	12,030	500,000
2.	2021-2022	11,513	500,000
3.	2022-2023	13,218	500,000
5.	2023 -2024	13,109	500,000
	TOTAL	76,991	3,000,000

The programme makes use of the cinema infrastructure to expose Grade 9 to 12 learners and Educators to entrepreneurship through an entrepreneurial education movie aimed at empowering and entertaining secondary school youth about entrepreneurship and starting their own businesses. The theme changes every year, but the focus is always on encouraging business ideas that will solve existing social, environmental and health problems.

The programme has two main components: creating awareness about entrepreneurship and financial literacy (hence the big number at the beginning) and the competition which culminates into a bootcamp at the end of the year.

The total number of schools that benefited from the programme over the six-year period are six hundred and twenty six (626). The role of Seda is as follows:

• Assists with the running and judging of the final competition as “investor pitching” including master classes on “technology and innovation” and “pitch preparation”.
• Provide top three winners with access to relevant Seda support. These potential entrepreneurs would have much more refined ideas, stronger business cases, knowledge, and experience, to work with, to be guided through the process of setting up a business, if necessary, with partners over 18 years of age, in a schedule that does not jeopardise their schooling.
• Seda is committed to assist all the beneficiaries of the programme and they are encouraged to visit Seda branches to turn their ideas into businesses.

STATUS OF THE PROGRAMME TO DATE FOR 2023/2024 FINANCIAL YEAR

• Thirteen thousand one hundred and nine (13 109) learners and two hundred and five (205) educators were exposed to entrepreneurial education film.
• 98% of the beneficiaries were Africans and the gender representation was as follows: 57% of females benefited from the programme whereas males were 43%.
• Learners were encouraged to enter the competition and adjudication of the entries took place. Ten (10) teams were selected and participated in a boot camp that took place on the 8-11 December 2023. The dragon’s den was hosted on 11 December 2023 at Protea Hotel, Wanderers in Johannesburg to choose the three viable business ideas.
• The Step-Up 2 A Green Start-Up National Youth Entrepreneurship Awards ceremony was hosted on 12 December 2023 at Nedbank Rivonia in Sandton. The Minister of Small Business Development, Ms. Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, graced the event with her presence and delivered the keynote address.
• The finalists comprising of twenty-eight (28) learners and nine (9) educators were awarded with over R4 million in prizes which included bursaries, incubation, entrepreneurial programmes, shopping voucher, application development, seed funding and tablets. These came from the different sponsors of the programme that are listed above. The finalists represented Gauteng, KwaZulu Natal, Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga and Northern Cape.
• A team of three learners from Leap Science and Maths in Alexandra, Gauteng were announced as overall winners of the 2023 Step Up 2A Green Start Up National Youth Entrepreneurship Awards for their business solution of producing of eco-brick which was made from recyclable materials such as plastic, paper or glass brought together by a little cement. Those eco bricks will be used to build houses for those in need and address the challenges related to inadequate housing, pollution, unemployment and poverty within their community and the country as whole.
• The second winner was from Mehlwana Secondary School in Ogies, Mpumalanga. They introduced a way of collecting waste through smart bins. These bins are paired with a mobile app that automatically alerts service provider when the bins reach the full capacity and ready to be collected.
• The third winner was from Sir Pierre Van Ryneveld High School in Kempton Park, Gauteng, their business idea centered on sustainable construction for those in need by using repurpose recyclable materials into wall panels to build houses.

UPDATES ON 2022 WINNERS

• The first-place winner was Sibusisiwe Comp Tech High School from Umbumbulu in KwaZulu-Natal. The idea was to create an affordable source of energy using eco-friendly coal sourced from marula nuts. The Eco Trio received R20 000 from the Youth Start Foundation to start a business. They started a business of nut processing in January 2023, this entails converting marula nut into coal.
• The second-place winner was Leap Science and Maths High School from Alexandra in Gauteng. The idea was to make use of the recycled paper to create “eco log bricks” as an alternative to coal used for fire. The eco log brick making business was not implemented as planned due to lack of resources. As both first and second place winners are still in grade 12 this year, after writing their exams, the Seda branches (eThekwini and Johannesburg) will train them on basic business skills and assist them to turn the idea into a business.
• The third-place winner was Buhlebezile Secondary School from Thokoza in Gauteng. The idea was to extract raw materials from electronic devices, reselling precious metals and repurposing the plastic waste into tar used for road construction. The team completed their matric in 2022 and each member received a degree bursary from Richfield Institute to the value of R112 000. Both students are studying at Richfield Institute and have applied to Johannesburg Business School of Entrepreneurship Development Programme to study further.

IMPACT OF THE PROGRAMME TO ALUMNI

• Gontse Selaocoe is the owner of All Day Jam based in Orange Farm in Johannesburg which employ 5 people. Mr Selaocoe took part in the programme in 2017 when he was in Grade 11 and made it to Top 10. He contacted Seda for assistance, he was assisted with product testing, marketing assistance and he participated on the art of pitch for funding competition. He was one of the winners of 2022 Seda National Pitch for Funding Champion in which he received the R500 000.
• Palesa Machaka is the owner of Coiggy (Pty) Ltd – Fintech company with 2 employees. Primestars supported her on her journey, offered resources to start her business and referred her to relevant network. Coiggy (Pty) Ltd is a fintech start-up company with the aim of fostering financial savviness amongst the youth in Southern Africa – by revolutionising the use of loyalty programmes and breaking stereotypes around saving and investing money. This company planned to redefine the financial ecosystem, making financial services more secure and inclusive for all, from a township to global scale.
• Brian Mlambo is a CEO of Akha Ventures. Akha Ventures is at the forefront of championing digital transformation in Africa. Rooted in a profound dedication to the empowerment of small and medium-sized enterprises, the company serves as an indispensable ally to SMEs, ensuring they are equipped with the pivotal tools and insights required to flourish in today's digital era. This unwavering commitment to transformation has borne tangible results, with Akha Ventures successfully aiding over 5,000 businesses in establishing their digital presence and organizing, more than 100 business-centric events, including insightful masterclasses and fireside chats which has enabled them to build a database of over 35,000 SMEs in South Africa in 5 years.

Reply:

1. The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) has embarked on a process of developing a policy guideline to address all Communal Property Associations’ (CPAs) challenges.

2. Yes.

(a)(i),(ii),(b),(aa),(bb) The policy guideline will address all CPA challenges.

3. DALRRD is currently hosting CPA investment imbizos in order to advance collaboration amongst CPAs and investment partners for the productive use of the land held by these entities.

Reply:

Following information received from the National Gambling Board (NGB) relating to this transaction, I have requested the Director-General to further engage the NGB on information required and processes followed and provide me with a Report. A supplementary reply will be provided once the information has been received.

-END-

Reply:

The recipients of the Land Restitution programme received land as an assets or Financial Compensation which enables the claimants to participate in the economy of the country thus breaking the cycles of poverty. More than 998 479 individuals benefited from financial compensation and more than 1 134 039 individuals benefited from land restoration.

END

Reply:

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Reply:

a) (i) Commercial Farmers: 40 122 (Source: Stats SA Commercial Census of Agriculture, 2017).

Statistics South Africa (Stats SA’s) definition of category of farmers:

• Micro Income <R1 million;
• Micro+ R1 million>Income<R2,25 million;
• Small R2.25 million>Income<R13,5 million;
• Medium R13,5 million>Income<R22,5 million; and
• Large >R22,5 million.

Information is not categorised according to race.

(ii) There are no reliable figures on black commercial farmers yet. The Producer/Farmer Register in 2021 registered 95 501 farmers. African farmers compared to other racial groups make up 89 975 of the registered number.

The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD’s) definition of category of farmers registered is as follows:

• Smallholder R50<R1 million form 59 282;
• Medium-scale(R1 million><R10 million) form 434;
• Large -scale(R10 million><R50 million) form 111; and
• Mega Farmer(>R50 million) form 67.

 

The Land Audit of 2017 reveals that out of the 181 532 individuals who own farms and agricultural holdings, 40 494 African individuals own land. Whites are the majority owners, forming 95 673 of the total. The report does not reveal the breakdown of turnover per race.

b) The Stats SA Commercial Census of Agriculture, 2017 reveals that there is 46,4 million hectares of land i.e. 36,5 million hectares of commercial grazing land and 7,7 million hectares of commercial arable land.

According to the Land Audit of 2017, Africans own 1 314 873 hectares out of the total of 37 078 289 hectares. White individuals have 26 663 144 hectares of land.

However, the information is not categorised by turnover and race on the same plane so that it can depict black commercial farmers.

Reply:

 

More than 998 479 individuals benefited from financial compensation and more than 1 134 039 individuals benefited from land restoration.

END

Reply:

 

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Reply:

5 Agri-Hubs. An Agri-Hub is a component of an Agri Park.; it is a nodal collection point of produce from farmers primarily supported at Farmer Production Support Units (FPSUs); it accommodates agro-processing, packaging, logistics, and distribution.

TABLE 1: DETAILED REPORT PER AGRI-HUB

NAME OF AGRI-HUB	INFRASTRUCTURE PROVIDED	IMPACT MADE
1. Springfontein Agri-Hub Free State Xhariep District Municipality Kopanong Local Municipality	Multi-Purpose warehouse, Bulk Services, Guard House, Mechanization Centre and fence	21 jobs created during construction. The Agri-Hub is meant to handle fresh produce from FPSU packhouses before sending them to the larger Market. That’s a value adding process to the Market. Farmers and community will benefit from Market access and job creation.
2. Thaba Nchu Agri-Hub Free State Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality	Fully equipped abattoir, Rendering Plant, Guard house, paving. Holding Pens, Palisade Fence	28 job opportunities created during construction. The Abattoir is where livestock will be received directly from farmers within the Thaba-Nchu area and neighbouring towns, Slaughtering and processing of the meat will be done at this Abattoir and graded before sent to larger Market. Market access will contribute to more job creation.
3. Mkhuze Agri-Hub KwaZulu Natal uMkhanyakude District Municipality Mkuze Local Municipality	Mkhuze Rail Siding (includes weighbridges, Spiller platforms, purchase of the Hilo, and specialized equipment).	25 jobs were created during construction.
4. Mkhuhlu Agri-Hub Mpumalanga Ehlanzeni District Municipality Bushbuckridge Local Municipality	Fresh Produce Market, Packhouse, Access Road, Storage Shed, Office Block, Training Facility and Veterinary Clinic	45 jobs created during construction A service provider was appointed by Provincial Agriculture to operate the Hub. The Agri-Hub is meant to handle pre-handled fresh produce from FPSU packhouses before sending them to the Market. Farmers will benefit from Market access.
5. Springbokpan Agri-Hub North West Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality Ditsobotla Local Municipality	Warehouse bulks services and paved dual access road-project, a guard house and 1,9KM fencing.	79 jobs created during construction. The project will support small- holder farmers through the provision of infrastructure, extension services, production inputs and mechanization input to improve grain production.

Reply:

a) The Department of Agriculture Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) has registered 666 Communal Property Associations for governance of the land restitution claims that were settled by the return of land to the claimants.

b) DALRRD has registered 319 Trusts for governance of the land restitution claims that were settled by the return of land to the claimants.

Reply:

(1)(a) Communal Properties Associations (CPAs) are supported to present annual reports and financial statements at the Annual General Meeting of its members.

In instances where allegations of financial mismanagement are reported investigations are done by the department and where necessary, the CPA can be put under administration.

(b) Proper training of all CPA members including their executive committee on governance, business development and financial accountability is necessary.

2. Firstly, engagement with CPAs across the country gave us a thorough appreciation of where challenges are in each of the CPAs (2022/23).

Following these engagements, a training program is duly developed to strengthen weaknesses.

Mediation is also central in austerity in the management of conflicts and look at possible actions in isolating disputes.

Timelines will differ based on each CPA and its challenges.

 

Reply:

I have been advised that:

1. At the time of consolidating the response to the Parliamentary question 4157, funding applications for 66 youth-owned businesses were approved and funding was disbursed to 42 youth-owned businesses. Since the data is captured on a live system, as of 19 February 2024 71 youth-owned businesses have been approved for funding to the tune of to the tune of R228 730 052,79, and 44 youth-owned businesses received funding to the tune of R152 597 677,84 as per the attached spreadsheet.

2. The fund is implemented by the Small Enterprise Finance Agency (sefa) on behalf of the Department of Small Business Development (DSBD), then sefa processes are followed to approve and disburse the funds to eligible applicants. The approval of applications takes place at the Credit Committee level, once approved, the contracting (legal process) takes place between sefa Officials and the client and then the loans are disbursed. After disbursements, the client’s file is handed over to the Post Investment Monitoring (PIM) Department. In the case of equipment or machinery purchase, when the supplier delivers, the Investment Officer (IO) or the PIM official are present at the client’s premises to verify that the goods are being delivered as per the paid invoice. Within thirty days post the disbursement, PIM conducts client visits to ensure that the business continues to function in line with what was agreed upon and approved by the Credit Committee. When the loan repayments are due, PIM raises instalments, through the Collections Department, and collects payments from clients’ accounts via the debit orders.

Reply:

I have been advised that:

1. Since its inception in the 2021/22 financial period, the Youth Challenge Fund (YCF) was allocated a budget of:

(a) R296 459 000,

(b) As at 19 February 2024, sefa had disbursed R152 597 678 to 44 Youth-owned businesses under the Youth Challenge Fund.

2. The YCF provides support to youth start-up businesses/enterprises that meet the following criteria:

• Are between the age of 18 to 35 years.
• Majority youth-owned with at least 51% youth shareholder/s.
• Registered with Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) and be prepared to register with the South African Revenue Service (SARS) and Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF).
• 100% South African owned.
• Are adequately involved in the day-to-day operation and management of the business, with at least one or more of the members being full-time employees of the business, especially the main applicant.
• Prepared to participate in Business Development Support (BDS) and mentorship (pre and post).
• Commercially viable, sustainable, and feasible business idea.

3. Yes, there has been applications that were declined for funding for youth-owned businesses due to a number of specific reasons listed below:

• Incomplete applications.
• Adverse credit record.
• Application above the maximum funding threshold.
• Lack of off-take agreements.
• No identified market.
• Lack of financial statements for existing businesses.
• Commercial viability.
• Youth ownership not being clear.
• Non-compliance with industry regulatory requirements.

Letters of decline were sent to the applicants stating the reasons why their applications were declined or could not be processed further with some of the applications advised to contact the Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda) for business support. The applicants are advised to re-apply once all the issues listed above are sorted. Some of the applications have been reallocated to the Township Rural Economic Programme (TREP) as it was relevant to them.

Reply:

THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, LAND REFORM AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT:

1. South Africa (the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) and the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) continued with the consultation process at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in September 2022. This is a technical process where South Africa poses technical questions regarding the False Coding Moth (FCM) conditions to the European Union (EU). South Africa did not close dialogue with the EU and several engagements between South African and European counterparts continued throughout 2023 on technical as well as political levels up to the level of the Presidency.

2. Since no amicable resolutions were achieved, South Africa is considering to continue with the WTO dispute resolution process.

(3)(a) The government intends to lodge a dispute at the WTO. The consultation process and preparatory work has been done between government and the industry. The WTO case could not continue yet as the WTO's 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) had to first take place from 26 to 29 February 2024 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. After this meeting the relevant Departments will reflect back on the possible options to that take matter further.

(3)(b) DALRRD is in continuous discussions with the Citrus Growers Association (CGA) and the Fresh Produce Exporters' Forum (FPEF) who represent the majority of citrus export producers.

(4)(a)(b) The actual cost implications would be known by the Citrus Growers Association (CGA), as government does not have access to this information. The database that is being utilised by International Trade Promotion does not have the 2023 Trade data available.

Reply:

Find reply here

Reply:

We have requested the Provincial Department of Rural, Environment and Agricultural Development in North West Province to provide us with information in this regard.

Once the information is received, we will inform the Honourable Member.

Reply:

(a) As the Honourable Member is aware, the Special COVID-19 SRD Grant is a wholly digital and this exposes it to cybercrimes. To address this, SASSA has developed robust ICT capabilities to detect fraud and related activities. SASSA’s cyber-crime prevention and detection capacities include interfaces with other government departments and entities, including the Department of Home Affairs (National Population Register), PERSAL and the Government Employee Pension Fund (GEPF), SARS, Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) amongst others.

(b) Additional fraud detection and prevention measures include interfaces with banks who rely on the Financial Intelligence Centre for verification purposes. SASSA also uses the data of the South African Fraud Prevention Services (SAFPS) to stay abreast of those that have been identified as perpetrators of fraud or victims of fraud. These efforts strengthen SASSA’s ability to validate grant applications.

Reply:

There were no new vehicles purchased by the department for the Minister and Deputy Minister since 8 may 2019. The Deputy Minister vehicle was the last to be acquired on 13 December 2018, refer to the detail information below. 

 

What is the (a) make

        (i) Mrs AM Motshekga, MP Minister

1. BMW                                          
2. Mercedes Benz              

        (ii) Dr MR Mhaule MP Deputy Minister  

1. BMW                       
2. AUDI      

(b) Model

         (i) Mrs AM Motshekga, MP Minister

1. 535i                                                   
2. GLE 500                                             

(ii) Dr MR Mhaule MP Deputy Minister 

1. 530i                          
2. 3.0 Q7 TDI Quattro   

(c)  Year of Vehicle Manufacture                 

        (i) Mrs AM Motshekga, MP Minister

1. 2014          : BMW Sedan
2. 2016          : Mercedes-Benz

        (ii) Dr MR Mhaule MP Deputy Minister 

1. 2018          : BMW Sedan  
2. 2018          : AUDI Q7        

(d) Price              

       (i) Mrs AM Motshekga, MP Minister

1. BMW                      : R769,022.76                                     
2. Mercedes-Benz     : R849,900.00 

        (ii) Dr MR Mhaule MP Deputy Minister 

1. BMW                     : R833,488.41        
2. Audi                       : R1,015,702.05

(e) Vehicles purchase date     

       (i) Mrs AM Motshekga, MP Minister

1. BMW                     : 25 September 2014                                                 
2. Mercedes-Benz     : 26 October 2016                                                

        (ii) Dr MR Mhaule MP Deputy Minister 

1. BMW                     : 28 March 2018         
2. Audi                       :13 December 2018    

Reply:

(a) I have been informed that the Department is not responsible for the appointment of tourist guides. The appointment of tour guides is a provincial competency.

(b) Not applicable

Reply:

(1)(a) I have been informed that the Department of Tourism is not responsible for the appointment of tour guides. The appointment of tour guides is a provincial competency.

(1)(b) and (2) and (3) Not Applicable

Reply:

Learners of parents who accepted placements as allocated by PEDs are in schools. Entry grades learners have been placed.

(a)(i) A majority of learners was placed during the school closing of 2023.  PEDs continued to place learners at the beginning of 2024 school year, especially those that were not part of the admitting province. (a)(ii)  The statistics of these learners are changing on a daily basis, as the learners get placed.  The actual data is managed by PEDs.

 (a)(iii)  Some learners followed their parents to areas that are economically viable.  Some parents refused placements, as they were not of their schools of choice, even though their schools of choice were full.

(b)(i)  Learners should be placed before the end of term. The DBE is monitoring progress closely and getting regular feedback from provinces.

Reply:

The DBE will work with PEDs to ensure the implementation of section 19 of SASA, which expects of the PEDs to have a programme to train SGBs.  Part of the training! will be on keeping schools safe for learners and teachers.

The DBE will ensure the implementation of section 18A of SASA, which expects of PEDs to have in place a Code of Conduct of the School Governing Body, aimed at establishing a disciplined and purposeful school environment, dedicated to the improvement and maintenance of a quality governance structure at a public school.

Furthermore, PEDs will be monitored that they have a programme to—

1. provide introductory training for newly elected governing bodies to enable them to perform their functions.  This training will include SGB roles and responsibilities and the importance of having a mission that is in line with the PED vision; and
2. provide continuing training to governing bodies to promote the effective performance of their functions or to enable them to assume additional functions. The training will amongst other areas cover policy development by SGBs.

The DBE will also support PEDs to take Representative Council of Learners to play a role in contributing to school safety and security.

Schools will be required to involve the parents in ensuring that schools are safe for learning and teaching.

Reply:

(a) What is the total number of inappropriate and unsafe ablution facilities?

1. In 2018, the Department of Basic Education launched the Sanitation Appropriate For Education (SAFE-2018) initiative. 
2. This programme initially identified 3 898 schools dependent on basic pit toilets.  Additional 809 were identified during the process of monitoring.
3. 867 schools did not proceed to implementation, after initial assessment, because they either had appropriate sanitation facilities, OR only needed maintenance; and therefore did not meet the SAFE criteria; OR were on Private land and could not be developed further; OR schools closed due to low learner enrolment.

(b) What progress has her department made in replacing such inappropriate and unsafe facilities?       

1. 3 379 schools proceeded to implementation, and 3 003 of these schools have been provided with appropriate sanitation.
2. DBE plans to complete the balance of the schools in the 2024/25 financial year due to National Treasury budget cuts during 2023/24 financial year. 

Reply:

(a)  All provinces have established QLTC structures, with the exception of the Western Cape Province.  Functionality is informed by programmes that are implemented in each province.  The DBE has shared programmes for implementation through the Provincial QLTC structures and the District QLTC Structures.  

The challenge is that where QLTCs have not been established, they have not been incorporated as part of the SGBs.  The DBE is taking advantage of the 2024 SGB elections to re-establish and strengthen QLTCs; and ensure that they are both functional and have programmes in place.  The number of functional QLTC structures in each province is provided on teh table below.

(b)

NAME OF PROVINCE	NUMBER OF SCHOOLS WITH QLTC STRUCTURED	NUMBER OF FUNCTIONAL QLTC STRUCTURES
Eastern Cape	5 283	2 030
Free State	1 026	718
Gauteng	2 400	326
KwaZulu-Natal	5 898	1 769
Limpopo	3 038	1 880
Mpumalanga	1607	769
North West	1 564	866
Northern Cape	289	104
Western Cape	0	0

Reply:

The structure of the Integrated National Electrification Programme (INEP) within the department requires municipalities to apply for funding to electrify their prioritised areas through Integrated Development Plans (IDP). In the 2021/22 financial year, the department received an application from Nkomazi Local Municipality to electrify Middleplaas area, which was successfully funded and implemented by the municipality. It is worth noting that Emoyeni was not part of the submitted application.

Therefore, should the municipality prioritise Emoyeni and applies for funding in future, the area will be considered for funding and implementation in line with INEP application processes.

Reply:

(i) Vehicle purchased for Minister Mantashe since 08 May 2019

1. Make: BMW X3 s Drive 20i
2. Model: GO1 X 3 s Drive 20i SAV (16DP)
3. Year of Manufacture: 2023
4. Date of purchase: 31 March 2023
5. Price: R768, 030.00

(ii) Vehicle purchased for the Deputy Minister Dr Nkabane since 08 May 2019

1. No vehicle purchased for the Deputy Minister to date March 2024
2. N/A
3. N/A
4. N/A
5. N/A