Questions and Replies

Reply:

(1) (a) The Department of Transport exercises oversight and monitoring of CAPEX for Transnet National at the Ports Consultative Committee (PCC) as regulated by the National Ports Act. The relevant Shareholder Minister in this regard is the Minister of Public Enterprises.

(b) The question must be directed to Department of Public Enterprises (DPE).

(2) The Department does not budget for port development and infrastructure. DoT is a Policy Department.

Reply:

1. No, my department is not aware of any complaints pertaining to dangerous mining chemicals polluting a water stream and the environment in the Wonderfontein Catchment Area. However, there are various platforms available to report such incidents through the DWS Hotline 0800 200 200 or via email: [email protected] or directly to officials (whose contact details are also on the internet webpage under customer care www.dws.gov.za responsible for the catchment area). Specific details pertaining to this question will be appreciated and investigated once received.

2. No, my department is not aware of any allegations that some government officials and politicians are colluding with mining bosses to pollute waterways. However, should there be such allegations, they must be reported to enable the department to investigate.

3. No, there is currently no official of my departmental being investigated regarding allegations of collusion with mining bosses.

4. Current routine monitoring results do not indicate any pollution incidents in this area. Anomalies detected in water quality would normally also be relayed to the local municipality so that the information is publicised through local radio stations and newspapers if necessary.

The JB Marks Local Municipality (under which the towns of Potchefstroom and Ventersdorp falls) implements a Water Safety Plan, which is aimed at identification and prioritisation of risks associated with water supply. In line with this plan, the municipality identifies risks associated and encountered at the catchment, treatment and distribution network and employ mitigation measures to ensure water supplied is safe for human consumption. The municipality has reported that it has not detected any irregularities in the catchment.

Areas under the jurisdiction of JB Marks Local Municipality receive treated water with a microbiological compliance for the year to date at 94.5% (when measured against SANS241 limits).

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Reply:

There is currently no partnership between Sunshine Cinema and the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD) and the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) on this initiative.

Notwithstanding the above, the NYDA has been requested to consider this initiative as part of its partnerships plan.

Reply:

(1) I have been informed by the Department that the Constitutional Court’s decision of the 8th of February 2023 relates to another application against the Minister of Tourism concerning the Tourism Relief Fund (TRF) and not the Tourism Equity Fund (TEF).

However, on 26 April 2021 the High Court of South Africa, in Pretoria, ordered that the Respondents, including the Minister of Tourism, are interdicted and restrained from processing any application and/or making any payments pursuant to any application for funding from the Tourism Equity Fund (TEF) pending the determination and finalisation Part B (main application) of the application. This litigation is still ongoing.

(2) N/A

(3) (a) N/A

(b) N/A

Reply:

(1) The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) does not have any Dentist appointed on a permanent basis. In ensuring the availability of dental care services to inmates, a service level agreement or contract is entered into with the Provincial Department of Health and/or with individual private dentist(s) on an annual basis. Inmates at Pollsmoor Correctional Centre had access to dental services provided through a visiting sessional dentist on a weekly basis and when the services of the visiting dentist were not available during the COVID-19 pandemic period, inmates that were requiring those services were referred to the Provincial Department of Health’s local facilities i.e. the Department of Health’s facilities in the same district as the correctional facility.

Other correctional facilities in the region where service level agreements or contracts could not be entered into with individual private Dentists, the local Department of Health facilities are utilised for referring inmates requiring dental services in addressing their respective dental care needs. This arrangement is facilitating the humane treatment of inmates by ensuring accessibility of continual dental health care services.

(2) The DCS does not employ dentists on a permanent basis as this category of health professionals are specialists and are not available or catered for in the DCS organisational structure. In facilitating that the inmate population has continual access to dental care services, the following measures have been put in place to ensure that the health of the inmate population is not compromised:

DCS Regions have entered into various service level agreements or contracts with either the Provincial Departments of Health for the delivery of dental health care services to the inmates on sessional basis depending on the identified needs, or where capacity in the Department of Health is limited, service level agreements have been entered into with individual private dentists to render.

END

Reply:

	a) Make	b) Model	c) Year Manufactured	d) Price	e) Date purchased
i) Minister	No vehicle was procured for the Minister since the period of 01 June 2019 to date.
ii) Former Minister	No vehicle was procured for former Minister since the period of 01 June 2019.
iii) Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development	Toyota Lexus	Lexus IS300 Hybrid	2020	R643 889.60	20 March 2020
	Toyota Lexus	Lexus ES250 EX	2022	R680 702.25	27 September 2022
iv) Former Deputy Minister	No vehicle was procured for former Deputy Minister since the period of 01 June 2019.

Reply:

1. (a) What total number of Tourism Monitors have been placed in each

I have been informed by the Department that the Tourism Monitors contracts are for a period of 12 months.

a) Province	b) Airport (please add if they are at other airports not listed)
Eastern Cape	200	East London / Port Elizabeth	0
Free State	100	Bram Fischer	0
Gauteng	230	OR Tambo / Lanseria	80
KwaZulu-Natal	460	King Shaka	0
Limpopo	0	Hoedspruit / Polokwane	0
Mpumalanga	288	Nelspruit / Kruger Mpumalanga	0
Northern Cape	100	Kimberley / Upington	0
North West	100	Mafikeng	0
Western Cape	330(Includes the airport monitors)	Cape Town / George	25

NB: All the Tourism Monitors are placed at attractions for a period of twelve (12) months

2. What total number of Tourism Monitors will be placed in the 2023-24 financial year in each

(a) Province	(b) Airport (please add if they are at other airports not listed)
Eastern Cape	100	East London / Port Elizabeth
Free State	100	Bram Fischer
Gauteng	200	OR Tambo / Lanseria
KwaZulu-Natal	170	King Shaka
Limpopo	60	Hoedspruit / Polokwane
Mpumalanga	200	Nelspruit / Kruger Mpumalanga
Northern Cape	70	Kimberley / Upington
North West	100	Mafikeng
Western Cape	230	Cape Town
ISimangaliso Wetlands	200
Ezemvelo	150
SANBI	130
ACSA	135 ACSA still to allocate the numbers are per their strategic airports with the bulk of those reserved for ORT, CTIA & Ushaka in Durban
TOTAL	1845

I am reviewing the programme and training of the Tourism Monitors.

Reply:

I have been informed that:

(a) (i) Mr. Enver Duminy resigned on 1 February 2023, while Mr. Ravi Nadasen and Ms. Rosemary Anderson resigned on 2 February 2023.

– 2 February 2023

(ii) and (b) (i) and (ii)

On Friday 18 April, via a Government Gazette, I will dissolve the SA Tourism Board.

In the same Gazette, I will appoint three Interim Board members in terms of Section 16 (3) (b) of the Tourism Act with experience in Finance, Governance and Tourism.

These three members will have full decision-making powers until such time that the Board is officially appointed.

Reply:

a)  To address governance challenges among Water Boards and enhance the role that these entities will be playing to enhance service delivery at local government level; the Department has reviewed the Water Boards in terms of financial sustainability, governance matters and extending services to areas that are not currently serviced. The review and reconfiguration of Water Boards is intended to achieve the following:

• Better economies of scale
• Enhance market capitalisation for infrastructure projects
• Increase water access to un-serviced rural areas
• Enable better cross-subsidisation and increased financial sustainability
• Facilitate differential service delivery levels and tariff modelling across the province
• Enable better working relationships with provincial governments - there has been a general effort to align water boards boundaries with provincial boundaries
• Enable Water Boards to better support Water Services Authorities (WSAs).

b) It should also be noted that non-payment of Water Boards by municipalities threatens financial viability of Water Boards. To address this, the Department of Water and Sanitation in collaboration with National Treasury has put in place the following measures to strengthen billing and revenue collection and address the escalating debt of municipalities to water entities:

• The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) will collaborate with National Treasury to ensure that equitable share allocations are withheld from non-paying municipalities.
• DWS will ensure that standardised credit control and debt recovery processes is in place across all the water boards. This includes consistent enforcement of water limitations/restrictions on non-paying municipalities and legal processes to attach municipal bank accounts where necessary.
• Bulk prepaid meters will be installed by water boards in municipalities with a poor payment record.
• The Minister is further consulting the 144 Water Services Authorities on the outcome of the above-mentioned workshop.

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Reply:

The Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD) has developed a Women’s Financial Inclusion Framework (WFIF) aimed at accelerating the participation of women in the mainstream economy.

The framework serves as a guideline for the development of intervention strategies to enhance the economic empowerment and participation of women in South Africa for institutions both within government and the private sector to tailor, monitor and evaluate the following inclusive objectives in all their plans, policies, and programmes viz:

a) Promote an all-inclusive approach to women’s financial inclusion;

b) Facilitate an enabling operating environment for mainstreaming women’s financial inclusion in government and private sector institutions;

c) Promote financial inclusivity through equitable access to ownership and control of all economic activities for women;

d) Lobby the private sector, non-government organisations and international organisations to incorporate the inclusion of women in their policies, programmes, projects and products;

e) Mobilise resources to support campaigns and programmes that promote the inclusion of women in the economy;

f) Coordinate, collect and disseminate information on best practices relating to the inclusion of women across all sectors of our economy;

g) Strengthen the capacity of women in leadership, management, control and entrepreneurship;

h) Share best practices relating to the economic emancipation of women.

Following the approval of the WFIF, the DWYPD was instrumental in founding the Women’s Economic Assembly (WECONA), which is a coordination platform for the public and private sectors, civil society, business associations and women in business.

WECONA is a national programme actioning an enabling procurement environment by activating public and private sector supply value chains toward a coherent and collaborative approach to achieve women’s economic empowerment. This programme also hinges on outcome 5.1 of the National Strategic Plan on Gender Based Violence and Femicide (NSP on GBVF), Pillar 5 – Economic Power which aims to accelerate initiatives that address women’s unequal economic and social position, through enabling access to government and private sector procurement, employment, housing, access to land, financial resources and other income generating initiatives.

Reply:

South Africa is the second largest exporter of citrus fruits globally. Our exports of citrus fruits represent 11.2% of world exports for this product.

The measures introduced by the European Union, both in respect of citrus black spot and false coddling moth are inappropriate, unjustified and not consistent with the EU’s international obligations.

South Africa requested consultations with the EU on 22 July 2022 in World Trade Organisation (WTO). The consultations were held on 15-16 September 2022.

The objective of consultations is to achieve a mutually agreed solution. Both South Africa and the EU saw value in exploring options for settlement of the dispute (before proceeding to the formal dispute through panel proceedings).

South Africa is exploring all its options, including proceeding to the Panel and is also assessing options for a mutually acceptable outcome. In this regard, Minister Didiza and I have held meetings with EU policy-makers outside the WTO framework, including over the past three months.

This process of engaging the EU is still on-going with Government using every opportunity to seek a solution that can support the industry during the current season. We are considering requesting a WTO Panel though it should be noted that the panel process can be lengthy and on average takes approximately 18 months. In addition, there is no functioning appellate body in place at the WTO.

-END-

Reply:

1. (a) Yes, such a plan and policy statement exists as part of departmental policy framework in instances of fraud and corruption which remain a constant threat to public trust and confidence;

(b) The policy plan and whistle-blowing statement are indeed part of the policy implementation process wherein once developed, they get reviewed to keep with developments in government programmes and legislation from time to time. Dates of adoption and endorsement vary at operational level, for instance endorsement at the National Department was approved on 11 February 2022.

2. Each province has its own policies based on national policy statements as adopted, and vary on dates as developed, reviewed and adopted, according to the existing risk management and prevention as an integral part of strategic management of each province, and are available for scrutiny when so needed.

3. The National Department of Health is currently working with other stakeholders to conduct risk assessment that will determine whether there is need for whistle-blower protection or to strengthen the current exiting measures and mechanisms in Government. Thereafter the outcome will determine the way forward.

4. There are a number of strategies that exist based on national laws and policy frameworks, which get considered when policies are developed and reviewed when necessary and such will vary from time to time, such as the current collaboration the National Department of Health is involved in to enhance the current processes through assessment of risk.

5. It is common practice that upon finalizing any collaborative assignment, it is incumbent and becomes essential that the National Department of Health and its stakeholders share the good practice through available mechanisms by adopting a comprehensive approach to benefit the public and interested parties.

END.

Reply:

Civil engineering designs for water storage infrastructure i.e. Dam Walls, are designed for a safety evaluation flood (SCF) of 1:10 000 year flood conditions to ensure that the structural integrity of the wall would not be compromised by forces anticipated to be associated with such conditions. In addition, the Department is also prohibiting the erection of permanent structures within the 1:100 flood line adjacent to the full supply level of a dam and rivers as a means to safeguard life and livelihood. Wherever water conveyance structures (i.e. large pipe-lines and canals) are elevated and exposed at stream or river crossings, the bridge structure is designed to withstand 1:100 year flood conditions.

The Department takes note of the impact the intense flooding had on trenched pipe-lines during the 2022 floods and will work with research institutions to consider an amendment to engineering design factors, as influenced by climate change.

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Reply:

I did not receive a handover on which processes were followed in appointing the three Board members by my predecessor.

On Friday 18 April, via a Government Gazette, I will dissolve the SA Tourism Board.

In the same Gazette, I will appoint three Interim Board members in terms of Section 16 (3) (b) of the Tourism Act with experience in Finance, Governance and Tourism.

These three members will have full decision-making powers until such time that the Board is officially appointed.

Reply:

(a) I have been informed by SA Tourism that all three members attended the Board meeting on 27 January 2023 where the Tottenham Hotspur proposal was first tabled for approval.

(b) I have been informed by SA Tourism that one board member attended the meeting and formed part of the quorum. The other two board members tendered their apologies and did not form part of the quorum.

(c) I have been informed by SA Tourism that one board member attended and recorded her dissent with regard to approval of the proposal. Another member, who tendered an apology for the meeting, formally submitted his disagreement and dissent in a letter to the Chairperson.

Reply:

(a) I have been informed that the delegation departed on the 12th January 2023 and returned on the 16th January 2023 (except for Dr A Mhlongo and Mr T Khumalo whom I am now informed that they departed from South Africa on 11 January 2023).

.(b) and (c) The following Board Members and Officials travelled with their designations indicated

SA Tourism Board

Dr Aubrey Mhlongo (Board Chairperson),

Mr Odwa Mtati (Deputy Chairperson),

Ms Nandipha Mbulawa (Human Capital and Remuneration Committee Chairperson),

Ms Nomahlubi Mazwai (Marketing and Commercial Committee Chairperson)

SA Tourism staff

Mr Themba Khumalo (Acting CEO),

Mr Monde Mateza (Acting General Manager Brand and Marketing),

Ms Avril Pillay (Manager - office of the CEO and also acting as Board support) and

Ms Lethiwe Hlongwane (Personal Assistant – Office of the CEO).

(d) What were the reasons for being part of the delegation in each case.

I am informed by the Board that the delegation was relevant to the purpose of the trip and two staff members were there to provide logistical support to the Board and Executive Management.

(e) (i) I am informed by the Board that the budget was made available by repurposing from other areas to make provision for the trip.

(e)(ii) and (f)(ii) What total amount was spent for each delegate undertaking the trip.

The total amount spent on the trip was R1 150 793.63, for details please refer to f(i) below.

(f) (i) What are the budgeted line items.

Line Items	Board	SA Tourism
Flights	R 303 334.94	R 330 070.35
Accommodation	R 154 673.55	R 174 939.25
Visa	R 27 421.30	R 90 517.46
Insurance	R 1 080.00	R 1 125.00
Transfers	R 6 785.00 *	-
S&T	R 29 980.18	R 30 866.60
Total	R 523 274.97	R 627 518.66
Grand Total	R1 150 793.63

*Notes: The transfer costs of R6 785 covers 5 people and the breakdown is indicated at the individual costs table in question (ii) below.

(ii) What is the actual expenditure for each line item for each delegate.

Board	Title	Accommodation	Visa	Transfers	Flights	Insurance	S&T	Total per delegate
Dr Aubrey Mhlongo	Board Chairperson	R 42 103.05	R 27 421.30	R 973.75	R 71 326.97	R 270.00	R 7 747.18	R 149 842.25
Mr Odwa Mtati	Deputy Board Chairperson	R 40 187.75	The pax already had a Visa therefore no Visa processing fees were incurred.	R 973.75	R 83 598.02	R 270.00	R 7 891.90	R 132 921.42
Ms Nandipha Mbulawa	HC Remco Chair	R 40 187.75	The pax already had a Visa therefore no Visa processing fees were incurred.	-	R 75 690.95	R 270.00	R 7 616.02	R 123 764.72
Ms Nomahlubi Mazwai	Marcom Chair	R 32 195.00	The pax already had a Visa therefore no Visa processing fees were incurred.	R 2 890.00	R 72 719.00	R 270.00	R 6 725.08	R 114 799.08
Total	R 154 673.55	R 27 421.30	*R 4 837.50	R 303 334.94	R 1 080.00	R29 980.18	*R 521 327.47

SAT	Title	Accommodation	Visa	Transfers	Flights	Insurance	S&T	Total per delegate
Mr Themba Khumalo	ACEO	R 54 376.00	R 27 421.30	-	R 106 000.45	R 315.00	R 8 633.60	R 196 746.35
Ms Avril Pillay	Manager: OCEO	R 40 187.75	The pax already had a Visa therefore no Visa processing fees were incurred.	R 973.75	R 65 209.00	R 270.00	R 7 308.49	R 113 948.99
Mr Monde Mateza	Acting GM: Brand & Marketing	R 40 187.75	R 31 548.08	R 973.75	R 74 018.45	R 270.00	R 7 308.49	R 154 306.52
Ms Lethiwe Hlongwane	Executive Secretary	R 40 187.75	R 31 548.08	-	R 84 842.45	R 270.00	R 7 616.02	R 164 464.30
Total	R 174 939.25	R 90 517.46	*R1 947.50	R 330 070.35	R1 125.00	R30 866.60	*R 629 466.16

*Notes on highlighted items: The total amounts for both board and staff are different to the table in question (i) above due to the transfer costs breakdown per delegate line item

Reply:

(1) and (2) According to SA Tourism, the reason for the proposed sponsorship was to market South Africa as a tourist destination, abroad.

Since receiving the report, I sought legal advice and on 22 March, I issued a letter to the Chairperson of the SA Tourism Board, requesting details of the proposed deal with Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. That letter is attached as an annexure. The Board responded on the specified deadline of 29 March, that it will no longer proceed with the transaction, nor will it seek the concomitant requisite approvals for the proposed transaction. The SAT response is attached as an annexure.

Reply:

(a) The law is clear that invoices must be paid within 30 days. SO, this is a compliance issue.

(b) Monthly reporting to the Executive Authority monitoring will be conducted and consequence management will be introduced.

(c) (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv)

See above

 

Reply:

1. The Honourable member is requested to direct this question to the relevant authority, namely the South African Revenue Services.

2. The relevant law enforcement authorities did not request the Department to flag Mr Hazim Mustafa’s passport, consequently, the Department is not in a legal position to flag his passport.

END

Reply:

a) The total number of parolees who violated their parole conditions annually since 01 January 2020 are follows:

Region	2020.01.01 to 2020.03.31	2020.04.01 to 2021.03.31	2021.04.01 to 2022.03.31	2022.04.01 to 2023.01.31	TOTAL
EC	941	2013	2142	2576	7 672
FSNC	277	765	1130	1185	3 357
GP	0	1555	2113	1871	5 539
KZN	810	2380	2125	2950	8 265
LMN	189	435	545	437	1 606
WC	766	2380	2125	2950	8 221
GRAND TOTAL	2 983	9 528	10 180	11 969	34 660

(b)(i) Total number of parolees re-arrested and/or taken back to jail are as follows:

Region	2020.01.01 to 2020.03.31	2020.04.01 to 2021.03.31	2021.04.01 to 2022.03.31	2022.04.01 to 2023.01.31	TOTAL
EC	215	419	531	57	1 222
FSNC	234	520	801	797	2 352
GP	0	566	945	917	2 428
KZN	84	265	458	555	1 362
LMN	179	405	525	407	1 516
WC	640	1 888	2 129	2 020	6 677
GRAND TOTAL	1 352	4 063	5 389	4 753	15 557

(b)(ii) Total number of parolees who remain out of jail are as follows:

Region	2020.01.01 to 2020.03.31	2020.04.01 to 2021.03.31	2021.04.01 to 2022.03.31	2022.04.01 to 2023.01.31	TOTAL
EC	2 481	2 451	3 473	3 882	12 287
FSNC	43	202	271	323	839
GP	0	989	1 168	954	3 111
KZN	2 650	4 120	3 525	5 004	15 299
LMN	4 649	4 639	4 502	4 323	18 113
WC	126	550	645	670	1 991
NATIONAL	9 949	12 951	13 584	15 156	51 640

(c) The percentage of absconders who remain on the run for certain Schedule 8 offences are as follows:

Region	Percentage as at 02 March 2023
EC	30,9%
FSNC	35,77%
GP	50,98%
KZN	41,36%
LMN	3,4%
WC	75.79%
GRAND TOTAL	45%

END

Reply:

(1) (a) I have been informed by the Department that the percentage of payments paid to service providers and suppliers are tabled below:

(i) 30 days of invoicing

2020-2021	2021-2022	2022-2023
95,54%	99,98%	To be audited

(ii) 60 days of invoicing

2020-2021	2021-2022	2022-2023
0,020%	1,98%	To be audited

(iii) 90 days of invoicing

2020-2021	2021-2022	2022-2023
0,000%	1,001%	To be audited

(iv) 120 days of invoicing

2020-2021	2021-2022	2022-2023
0,000%	0,78%	To be audited

 

(b) Percentage of payments paid to service providers and suppliers by her department above 120 days of invoicing in each month:

(i) – (iii) Payments above 120 days of invoicing for financial years 2020-21 and 2021-22 were at zero percent (0%).

(b)(ii) Payments for 2022 – 2023 financial year are still to be audited.

(2) (a) Processes, procedures and mechanisms are in place to improve the total number of days it takes to pay invoices:

The Department is working on introducing automation for submission and tracking of invoices, so that all invoices are paid within 30 days as required by law.

(b) How will her department measure the improvement.

Monthly monitoring will be conducted and consequence management will be introduced.

Reply:

(1)(a) The department strives to conclude all asylum applications with immediate effect. However, each case is informed by its complexities, the need to conduct research, consult other institutions or further investigations do affect finalization.

(1(b) Same as above.

(2) Same as question 1(a) response.

(3)(a) According to the NIIS which is the system used by the department to record refugees, there are 129 325 refugees ever registered in the system, whilst there are 66 601 of them who are active and 9 363 refugee statuses withdrawn.

(3)(b) The majority of the refugees come from the following countries; Somalia, DRC, Ethiopia, Burundi, Rwanda, Eritrea, Uganda and Zimbabweans.

(4)(a) There are no backlogs in finalising asylum cases at the level of refugee status determination, which is the first instance by adjudication officers. The backlogs usually spoken about are cases already rejected at the first instance and are at the level of appeals which the department is working with UNHCR to address.

(4)(b) The total number of asylum applications turned down annually are in the table below:

Year:	Rejection Numbers	Rejection % per cases finalised
2022	8 948	91%
2021	No new comers	0% (numbers affected by Covid)
2020	1 916	86% (numbers affected by Covid)
2019	22 083	92%
2018	16 510	91%
2017	25 713	92%

(4)(c) The failed asylum seekers are handed over to the Immigration Officers stationed within the Inspectorate at the Refugee Reception Office (RRO) for processing in terms of the Immigration Act 13 of 2002, for deportation purposes. Upon arrest they are detained at the police station with jurisdiction of the RRO.

(4)(d) The total number of deportations that have taken place in each of the past 10 years is as follows:

Year	Total
2012/13	105 392
2013/14	131 907
2014/15	54 169
2015/16	33 399
2016/17	23 004
2017/18	15 033
2018/19	24 266
2019/20	29 376
2020/21	14 859
2021/22	20 093

(5) Additional human resources will improve law enforcement in immigration, and serve to detect and deport not only failed asylum seekers, but illegal immigrants who entered the country unlawfully with no record as well.

When failed asylum seekers are arrested due to the final rejection of their asylum applications, or abandoning the process by not ensuring they receive the outcome and/or their appeals to the Refugee Appeal Board not succeeding, they must be given the opportunity to apply to the High Court for a Judicial Review of the negative decision. The backlog in the caseload leads to further abuse of the asylum seeker regime, as upon arrest and failed asylum seekers disclosing their intention to take the administrative decision to court, they have to be released and the turnaround time for their court hearing cannot be estimated.

 

END

Reply:

a) The Department has put in place internal control processes to continuously curb underspending including:

• Increased focus on forecast controls over expenditure commitments for projects in year and over the Medium Term Expenditure Framework to mitigate risks of under expenditure.
• Stringent expenditure controls for sound financial management principles, ensuring that public resources are utilized efficiently; incurred obligations are cleared in a timely manner; and abuse/misappropriation of public money is prevented.
• Collaborative service delivery implementation plans with capacity building initiatives are also being implemented with diverse stakeholders within the water sector including Water Boards, Municipalities, Provincial Governments, Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs and National Treasury.
• Regular monitoring of progress and management of areas of underperformance to proactively redirect funds to projects with capacity to absorb additional budgets.
• The Department is implementing the Infrastructure Procurement Strategy and Policies.

b) The following have been identified as root causes of underspending:

• Lack of financial governance skills amongst Water Service Authorities
• Inadequate project management capacity by Implementing Agents resulting in under-expenditure
• Court Judgement issued on 25 February 2022, which prohibited advertising of new bids for goods and services and impacted on capital expenditure for major and mega projects
• Complex public procurement system that contributed to delays in the procurement of goods and services

Implementation of these interventions by the Department has resulted in significant improvements from the last financial year expenditure to the year-to-date expenditure.

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Reply:

a) The total number of cellphones that were confiscated in the 2022-23 financial year are as follows:

Name of Region	Total Number of cell phones confiscated
KwaZulu-Natal	7 628
Eastern Cape	4 501
Western Cape	6 161
Free State & Northern Cape	3 548
Limpopo, Mpumalanga & North West	5 167
Gauteng	10 238
Grand Total	37 243

b) The following measures have been in place to ensure that access to cell phones does not reoccur:

• Intensified searching (including surprise searches) is conducted on daily bases at Correctional Facilities and access control points. Searching is conducted on vehicles, personnel, visitors and service providers. It is conducted as per section 27 of CSA 111 of 1998 and Security Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

• The DCS has implemented policies on “Bagless Society” and Cell-phone free Society”. These policies reflect that officials are not permitted to enter facilities with bags or packets other than their personal items and meals. Females to utilise clear plastic bags.

• Regions have embarked on security awareness sessions on the prevention of smuggling of contrabands.

• Guidelines are in place on how confiscated cell-phones must be disposed of to prevent re-circulation.

• Trained sniffer dogs are utilised for cell phone detection.

• Disciplinary measures and swift consequence management are applied to all officials, visitors, service providers and inmates involved in any form of smuggling of contraband including amongst others, cellular devices.

(c)(i) The total number of correctional officials that were found to have been involved in such cases are as follows:

Name of Region	Number of Officials were caught smuggling cell phones
KwaZulu-Natal	09
Eastern Cape	0
Western Cape	04
Free State & Northern Cape	03
Limpopo, Mpumalanga & North West	01
Gauteng	07
National Total	24

c)(ii) Actions that have been taken against the specified correctional officials are as follows:

Name of Region	Disciplinary steps taken
KwaZulu-Natal	02 Officials received written warnings 06 Officials dismissed (01 Official appealed) 01 case under investigation.
Western Cape	01 official received verbal warning 01 official received written warning 01 case has been withdrawn 01 case under investigation.
Free State & Northern Cape	01 official received written warning 01 official is suspended 01 case under investigation
Limpopo, Mpumalanga & North West	01 official has been dismissed
Gauteng	01 official resigned 01 official dismissed 01 official is on 03 months suspension 01 official is on 02 months suspension 01 official received final written warning 02 officials disciplinary process underway

END.

Reply:

a) The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DoJ&CD) has appointed Datacentrix (Pty) Ltd on a twelve (12) months contract to maintain and support the existing Court Recording Technology (CRT) solution. However, the twelve (12) months contract with Datacentrix has ended on 25 March 2023.

Therefore, to circumvent the risk of not having CRT maintenance and support in place, the contract with Datacentrix that ended on 25 March 2023 has been extended for a further period of three (3) months ending in June 2023.

This extension is allowing the procurement of a long term maintenance and support contract by the State Information Technology Agency (SITA). SITA has published the bid, with Reference Number RFB 2713-2022, with a closing date of 31 March 2023.

b) Some CRT spare parts have been procured through the Request for Quotation (RFQ) process. The table below provides details of the spare parts:

SPARES	QUANTITY
ACR Boundary Microphones	200
ACR Cardioid Microphones	100
SOS Cable	150
20mm Coaxial cabling with XLR Connectors	80
15mm Coaxial cabling with XLR Connectors	210
10mm Coaxial cabling with XLR Connectors	105
Recording Indicator LED Light	10

The extended contract includes the provision of spares and IMACD (Installation, Moves, Additions, Changes and Decommission) to respond to any further breakdowns that may occur.

Reply:

a) In all instances of deaths where there is doubt that the causes of death cannot be determined/ are unknown or foul play is suspected, such deaths are immediately reported in terms of prescribed lines of communication. The South African Police Services (SAPS) are immediately informed for further investigation in terms of the Inquests Act, 1959 (Act No. 58 of 1959), and performing the relevant medico-legal post-mortem.

b) Immediately when an unnatural death has occurred, the SAPS are informed to facilitate performance of the required medico-legal post-mortem as a prerequisite for all unnatural deaths. The Department of Correctional Services depends entirely on the SAPS (Forensic Unit) for the conducting of autopsies on inmates that expire due to unnatural causes. Follow-up is made with the relevant SAPS Units to ensure that the relevant feedback is provided. After receipt of the report, confirmation of the exact cause of death is affirmed and that cause of death is recorded in the respective established Death Registers.

END

Reply:

the dtic has been mandated by the Presidency to support supply of energy through the Energy One-Stop-Shop (EOSS), that will be housed at the dtic Campus. It is envisaged that the EOSS Phase 1 will be operational by end May 2023 and will thereafter expand its capacity.

The EOSS core team is currently creating a single window process for Energy Project Developers to access assistance in fast-tracking their applications to the appropriate Departments.

Internal resources have been prioritised and technical expertise are being recruited to engage with Energy Project Developers and applicants.

InvestSA is available to engage with developers, applicants and the Energy Technical Working Group.

Progress has been made already with addressing challenges faced by users, as reported to the Portfolio Committee on Trade, Industry and Competition on 14 March 2023, involving a large industrial energy user in KwaDukuza in KZN.

-END-

Reply:

 

 

a)  There are no recent complaints regarding potable water quality that were received by the Department of Water and Sanitation from the Steve Tshwete Local Municipality. All previously reported cases were closed after the municipality implemented corrective measures to address the reported complaints.

b) The Department received complaints regarding poor water quality in Emalahleni Local Municipality and has initiated an investigation. The findings of the investigation were that some of the mines were discharging non-compliant water into the water streams or systems. The Department issued notices of intention to issue directives on 17th February 2023, through the provisions of Section 19 of National Water Act to the mines. These mining companies were given until the end of April 2023 to implement corrective measures. Failure to comply and submit these to the Department will result in the Department issuing a Directive.

(i) The Department has assisted the Steve Tshwete Local Municipality with funding under Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant (RBIG) for the refurbishment and upgrading of the Vaalbank Water Treatment Works to improve process performance and ensure acceptable drinking water quality. The construction of the 20Ml/d reverse osmosis plant and a filter system to reduce turbidity and sulphate concentration is underway. The project is due to be completed in November 2023.

Furthermore, it should be noted that the Department is currently conducting a feasibility study to investigate the provision of bulk water supply for the Emalahleni Local Municipality that is aimed at identifying and developing alternative solutions to address the bulk water supply infrastructure deficiencies. Construction is planned to commence in 2024.

(ii) In addition, the Department also rendered financial support for the two municipalities as indicated in the table below:

	2022/23	2023/24
	RBIG	WSIG	RBIG	WSIG
Steve Tshwete LM	R145 mil	R35 mil	R100 mil	R12 mil
Emalahleni LM	-	R15 mil	R1.5 mil	R15 mil

 

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Reply:

As the Department of Social Development (DSD) is mandated to provide social relief, intervention was coordinated through those departments in the respective provinces affected by the floods. The Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD), works with the Office on the Status of Women which is situated within the Office of the Premier in all provinces as an entry point for coordination and collaboration.

During the 2022 floods, the DWYPD through the Kwa-Zulu Natal DSD coordinated relief efforts to women, youth and persons with disabilities namely:

(i) 1 000 Sanitary Dignity Packages were distributed which comprised of 10 sanitary pads, wash cloth, toothbrush, toothpaste, roll-on and body lotion. These were donated by the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China;

(ii) 200 HappiMe sanitary pad packs were distributed;

(iii) 10 vouchers to the value of R1 000 donated by the One Africa Organisation;

Further, through support from the European Union, the DWYPD has placed technical monitors and data captures in the Offices of the Premier in KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape. Their work is mainly on monitoring Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) and the institutionalisation of the Gender-Responsive Planning, Budgeting, Monitoring and Evaluation and Auditing framework, among other matters which affect women.

Reply:

(i) Minster:

(a) Make : NA

(b) Model : NA

(c) Year of manufacturer : NA

(d) Cost : NA

(e) Purchase date : NA

ii) Former Minster:

(a) Make : Audi

(b) Model : Q5

(c) Year of manufacturer : 2022

(d) Cost : R 726 469-25

(e) Purchase date : 10/01/2022

(iii) Deputy Minster:

(a) Make : NA

(b) Model : NA

(c) Year of manufacturer : NA

(d) Cost : NA

(e) Purchase date : NA

(iv) Former Deputy Minster

(a) Make : BMW

(b) Model : Sedan 12 DC, G30, 520 D

(c) Year of manufacturer : 2021

(d) Cost : R 741 044, 54

(e) Purchase/invoice date : 27/07/2021

Thank You.

Reply:

a) Out of the 46 escapes that occurred from 01 April 2016 till 31 March 2023, only one (01) official was found to have aided in an escape and was dismissed. The Arbitration matter is pending at the General Public Sectorial Bargaining Council (GPSBC).

b) The following are measures currently in place to curb incidents of escapes which are outlined in the Department’s Security Operating Procedures (SOPs) which amongst others include:

• Some management areas have detection systems such as alarms and surveillance cameras. Advanced Operational System Technologies also assist in detecting potential breakouts and help prevent them;

• Escape Prevention Plans are in place at all Correctional Centres. These plans are reviewed annually and approved by Area Commissioners.

• These plans include regular monitoring and offender profiling to prevent escapes from Correctional Centres as well as from Courts and Hospitals.

• Heads of Correctional Centres ensure compliance, implementation and continuous monitoring of escape prevention plans;

• Security awareness is inculcated through processes such as morning parades, staff meetings and security committee meetings;

• Searching of cells, windows, inmates, officials, service providers and visitors is conducted daily and recorded in the relevant registers;

• Attending to complaints and requests of inmates and responses provided as per approved policies and procedures;

• Conducting of regular surprise searches and clean-up operations;

• Continuous training/orientation of officials on SOPs;

• Investigations are conducted regarding all security incidents including amongst others, escape incidents and swift consequence management is implemented;

• Review of incidents of escapes including analysing persons of interest and attempted escapees by Security Committees and information gathering at centre level to prevent future incidents;

• Profiling of inmates including gangs and placement in appropriate units including implementation of the Gang Combatting Strategy;

• Managing overcrowding by implementing the approved Overcrowding Reduction Strategy;

• Prevent idleness of inmates by subjecting them to sports, recreational programmes, social and physiological services;

• Protect whistle-blowers/ inmates that provide reliable information;

• Potential escape incidents are elevated to National Joint Operations and Intelligence Structures (NATJOINTS/ PROVJOINTS) and other law enforcement structures – to formulate more dynamic and integrated approaches.

• The DCS has adopted a holistic approach to enhance the Department's Security Operations and Posture in line with the six (6) pillars of security which includes amongst others, Physical Security.

• The designs for the replacement of outmoded and dysfunctional tower posts were approved during the 2021/22 financial year.

• The objective is to revive the use of tower posts by upgrading and replacing infrastructure that does not support operational requirements from an Occupation Health and Safety perspective. Various tower posts were upgraded at St Albans, Waterval, Rooigrond and Christiana. Other tower posts are currently under construction, which will meet the new design concept.

END

Reply:

a)  The Department carries out its regulatory function through its Dam Safety Office, which reported to Parliament that of the top 20 largest state dams, only 2 complied 100% with Dam Safety Regulations. The Department’s presentation to Parliament indicated that the shortcoming which was identified by the Dam Safety Office which prevented the other dams from being 100% compliant with the Dam Safety Regulations was that the required five- yearly dam safety evaluations were overdue.

Five-year Dam Safety Evaluations are required to be conducted by an Approved Professional Person (APP). These five-year evaluations are over and above the quarterly and annual inspections conducted by the Department’s operational engineering staff. There is a shortage of APPs in the Department, and this has led to the Department falling behind with its five- yearly dam safety evaluations.

The Department is in the process of finalising the appointment of a panel of Approved Professional Persons (APPs) which will assist to complete and review all required dam safety evaluation reports.

The department has prioritised 18 of the 20 largest dams to have compliant dam safety evaluation reports. with the intension to have the compliance issue resolved by the end of fourth quarter 2022/23 financial year. Unfortunately, contractual negotiations took longer than anticipated, implying that 25% of the largest 20 state dams will be achieved within this timeframe, and the remaining 75% by May 2023. With this additional professional engineering capacity, all outstanding and due dam safety evaluation reports will be completed within the next 18 months.

Even though there are inherent risks to not submitting 5 yearly dam safety evaluations reports on time, it does not necessarily equate to the dams being unsafe, since there are various systems and mechanisms in place to monitor the structural health and performance of our dams. These include routing inspections by dam operators and the monitoring of our dam’s behaviour by Dam Safety Surveillance through various instrumentations, some of which are communicating this data in real-time. All these measures are preventative in nature (serves as early warning) and are aimed at safeguarding our dam infrastructure as well as the public from potential harm.

In addition to general maintenance, the Department also implements a Dam Safety Rehabilitation programme which was established in 2006 to ensure that the lifespan of dam structures is prolonged and to improve the safety of these structures. Since its inception, rehabilitation projects at 43 dams have been completed. Currently, there are 6 dam safety rehabilitation projects underway with 19 projects in the design phase.

(b) The Department is finalising dam safety evaluation reports per dam, and not in consolidated fashion, because the due dates for these reports are staggard and not all due on the same date.

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Reply:

1. The details for boreholes in the Dr Beyers Naudé Local Municipality are indicated in the table below:

 

Town	a) Total number of boreholes	Operational	(b) Non-operational boreholes and reasons thereof	(c) Plans in place	(d) Timeframe for repairs
Graaff-Reinet	42	39	3 - due to flooding – electrical damage:	To be replaced by municipality when budget is available	2023-24 financial year
Nieu-Bethesda	4	4	0	NA	NA
Aberdeen	13	13	0	NA	NA
Steytlerville	4	3	1 - Borehole motor needs repairs:	In process to be replaced when budget is available	4 months: Depending on budget availability.
Willowmore	13	10	3	testing of boreholes underway	Approximately 2 months for testing results
Jansenville	9	6	1 - borehole flooded resulting in electrical damage. 1 – borehole functionality has deteriorated 1 borehole not equipped	Awaiting disaster management funding Testing of borehole in new financial year.	2023-34 financial year
Klipplaat	3	1	2 - Lightning protection on boreholes is problematic	New financial year in line with	municipality fiscal year
Muller	2	2	0	NA	NA
Vondeling	1	1	0	NA	NA
Wolwefontein	1	1	0	NA	NA
Baviaanskloof	2	2	0	NA	NA
Waterford			0	NA	NA
Rietbron	3	3	0	NA	NA

2. The telemetry system is only functional in Graaff-Reinet. The municipality has plans in place to install / upgrade telemetry in all the other towns. The department has been informed that the plans to install or upgrade telemetry systems are dependent on budget availability in the 2023/24 financial year. Non-revenue water, is currently at 37% due to:

• non-payment by users for water
• incorrect metering
• no metering (unmetered connections),
• unforeseen pipe bursts, illegal connections
• real water losses.

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Reply:

According to the information received from Denel:

a) Mr. Ntsihlele was put on precautionary suspension with full pay as per Denel policy on 18 November 2022.

b) The cumulative salary paid from November 2022 to March 2023 is R 360 325.13.

c) Denel Dynamics is expected to conclude its disciplinary processes against Mr. Ntsihlele in May 2023.

I would like to emphasize that Denel's policy on precautionary suspension aligns with the Labour Relations Act, which mandates employees to be suspended with full pay while investigations into allegations against them are being conducted. Denel remains committed to ensuring that its disciplinary processes are carried out in a fair, transparent manner and in compliance with the law.

As the Minister of Public Enterprises, I will continue to closely monitor the situation and take appropriate action to address any concerns that may arise.

Remarks: Reply: Approved / Not approved

Jacky Molisane PJ Gordhan, MP

Acting Director-General Minister

Date: Date:

Reply:

(1)(a) The Commission on Restitution of Land Rights reports to the Land Claims Court (LCC) at six months intervals regarding the settlement of outstanding old order claims. This progress includes the backlog reduction strategy, the budget allocations and referral of cases to the LCC. The report does not include a specific date envisaged for finalisation of the outstanding claims as there are outstanding processes that require approval from dependencies which are outside the control of the Commission/Department.

(b) The total amount of R65bn will be required to settle old order claims.

2. Yes. Please refer to Annexure A.

Reply:

According to the information provided by Eskom, I can address your questions as follows:

a) Contractors: Eskom has conducted a search of their Vendor Master system and found no direct contracts between Eskom and Chancellor House. Please note that this search is limited to formal business relationships on record and does not include any informal relationships Chancellor House may have with any of Eskom's suppliers.

b) Contract: Not applicable, as there are no direct contracts between Eskom and Chancellor House according to the search conducted by Eskom.

c) Time: Not applicable, as there are no direct contracts between Eskom and Chancellor House according to the search conducted by Eskom.

d) Total amount: Not applicable, as there are no direct contracts between Eskom and Chancellor House according to the search conducted by Eskom.

Eskom has assured me that they follow proper procurement processes, in alignment with the principles of section 217 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. These processes are designed to ensure transparency and prevent potential conflicts of interest. If you have any concerns and evidence. Kindly make such evidence available to me about potential indirect connections between Chancellor House and Eskom's contractors, further investigation may be necessary to identify and address any such relationships.

Remarks: Approved / Not Approved

Jacky Molisane PJ Gordhan, MP

Acting Director-General Minister

Date: Date:

Reply:

According to the Information received from Eskom

a) Relevant details of the 56 MW nuclear project under the private or non-DMRE REIPPP programme.

This is an Eskom Holdings Steam Generator Replacement (SGR) project. The Grid Access Unit within Distribution processed an application received from Koeberg Nuclear Power Station (KNPS) to increase its power output.

The existing KNPS operating licence expires in 2024, and its continued operation thereafter depends on critical refurbishments which include among other things, the SGR project.

The conclusion of the project will add 20 operational years to the KNPS and increase its power output by approximately 56 MW.

(b) Reason that the project is a private REIPPPP project

All projects that are not participating in the government-regulated generation capacity procurement programme managed by the IPP Office in the DMRE, are considered private REIPPPP projects.

The IPP Office is the sole procurer of generation capacity required for the growth of the economy on behalf of the government.

Therefore, the Eskom nuclear project is not part of the regulated generation capacity procurement programme under the IPP Office.  

Remarks: Approved / Not Approved

Jacky Molisane PJ Gordhan, MP

Acting Director-General Minister

Date: Date:

Reply:

Province	Number of persons benefiting from psycho-social support
Kwa Zulu – Natal	27 200
Northern Cape	211
Limpopo	103
Mpumalanga	2478
Free State	59
Total

At the time of responding to this question, Western Cape, Gauteng, North West and Eastern Cape provinces had not yet responded.

Reply:

1. (a)(i) and (ii) A total of 315 doctors are contracted by SASSA. Regional distribution is provided on table 1 below. Due to the limited supply of doctors, SASSA contracts all the doctors who respond to the call for services and meet the requirements of the bid specifications.

TABLE 1: MEDICAL ASSESSMENT DOCTORS PER REGION

Region	Number of Doctors 2022/23	Assessments 2022/23	Number of Doctors 2023/24	Projected Assessments 2023/24	Number of Doctors 2024/25	Projected Assessments 2024/25
Eastern Cape	30	47,677	30	47,369	30	47,369
Free State	32	48,481	32	48,168	32	48,168
Gauteng	49	76,633	49	76,138	49	76,138
KwaZulu-Natal	74	135,325	74	134,450	74	134,450
Limpopo	49	57,257	49	56,887	49	56,887
Mpumalanga	25	44,747	25	44,458	25	44,458
Northern Cape	26	59,401	26	59,017	26	59,017
North West	19	39,877	19	39,619	19	39,619
Western Cape	11	104,570	18	103,894	22	103,894
TOTAL	315	613,968	322	610,000	326	610,000

 

In the Western Cape, assessments are also done by the Department of Health through Service Level Agreements held with the District Health Systems.

The increase in the number of directly contracted assessing doctors is specifically to deal with sporadic backlog development in the Eden/Karoo areas of the Western Cape.

1 (b) There are no vacancies as SASSA does not employ doctors within their staff establishment but contracts them for a period of 3 years as service providers to conduct assessments.

2. All doctors have been paid to date for claims submitted. Table below provides details per region:

TABLE 2: PAYMENT PROFILE OF DOCTORS PER REGION

Payment Profile of Doctors Per Region Whose Invoices have not been Paid
Region	Number of Doctors	Total Number of Doctor not Paid	Total Amount Owed to Doctors	Actions to ensure that Doctors Owed are paid
Eastern Cape	30	0	0	None
Free State	32	0	0	None
Gauteng	49	0	0	R 601,854.96 worth of services rendered but not yet invoiced by the medical practitioner.
KwaZulu-Natal	74	0	0	None
Limpopo	49	0	0	None
Mpumalanga	25	0		R401,293 worth of services rendered but not yet invoiced by the medical practitioner.
Northern Cape	26	0	0	None
North West	19	0	0	None
Western Cape	11	0	0	R183 489,30 worth of services rendered but not yet invoiced by the medical practitioner.
TOTAL	315

3. Doctors are contracted and remunerated per assessment and not per hour. The total cost of assessments as at 31 March 2023 per region is detailed below:

Region	Expenditure as at 31 March 2023
Eastern Cape	9,742,460.08
Free State	9,337,308.93
Gauteng	13,414,069.13
KwaZulu-Natal	26,061,820.41
Limpopo	10,615,727.60
Mpumalanga	8,281,485.36
Northern Cape	13,388,668.93
North West	8,263,634.98
Western Cape	19,508,799.61
TOTAL	118,613,975.03

 

Reply:

Yes. The Department is concerned that since the inception of the COVID-19 SRD (cSRD) the value of the grant has never increased resulting in the purchasing power of the grant diminishing and not keeping pace with inflation. Food inflation is likely to increase the vulnerability of the poor and further compounding the triple challenge of poverty, inequality and unemployment. The research and modelling work conducted by the Department in 2021 and 2022 supported a proposal to increase the value of the provision. Subsequently, the Department made a request to National Treasury for an inflationary increase to the value of the grant from R350 to R420 with the next iteration (2023/24), but the proposal was not approved by the National Treasury. The Department will continuously engage with the National Treasury to consider the inflationary increase to the cSRD grant.

It must be understood that DSD is implementing a decision of government as announced by the President during SONA in February 2023 based on the resources that have been allocated by NT.

Reply:

a) The allocated amount was R48 366 000 in 2022/23

b) R24 437 000 was spent in 2022/23.

c) (i)&(ii) The programme named Chronic Diseases Disabilities & Geriatrics spent R24 437 million on health promotion activities which aim to promote wellness, reduce the common risk factors underlying the priority Non-Communicable Diseases as well as to screen for these NCDs and link persons to care.

(iii) The following strides are made:

• In 2021 PRICELESS reported evidence-based gains from the Health Promotion Levy (HPL), including
  • The national urban household purchases of taxable beverages by volume fell by 51% (Kantar) with a 29 % decrease in sugar intake.

• • In a self-reported Langa survey of young adults ( 18- 39 y), on taxable beverages showed a 37% reduction by volume and 31% decrease in sugar intake.
• • In a Soweto Study of teenagers, young adults, and older adults, the frequency of Sugar Sweetened Beverages intake amongst heavy consumers fell from 10 beverages per week pre HPL to 4 beverages per week one year post HPL.
• In 2022, the Department approved the National Strategic Plan for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases 2022 – 2027 (NSP NCDs) which adopts an integrated person centered approach and is inclusive of population level interventions.

The NSP NCDs aims to promote wellness, reduce modifiable risk behaviour, enhance management and control of non-communicable diseases in particular hypertension and diabetes and empower communities, patients and their families.

• The 2022/23 Annual Performance Quarter 1 to Quarter 4 Reports confirm increased health seeking behaviour as the total screened for diabetes for Q1 was 2 550 479 which increased to 18 838 794 in Q4. Total screened for hypertension for Q1 was 2 654 572 which increased to 19 270 634 in Q4.
• The Health Promotion Levy was implemented in 2018. Strides in terms of health outcomes manifests in the long-term (at least 10 years), since long established behavioural practices that contribute to ill-health, takes time to reverse.

END.

Reply:

(1)(a) Decisions to conduct the vaccination campaigns are based on:

• Where positive locations are well managed; fenced-in properties;
• Where there is no direct contact with animals on neighbouring farms, only the animals on the positive properties are vaccinated; and
• Where positive locations are communal areas, that are not separated by fences from other animals, then cattle in the surrounding area are also vaccinated (either based on natural geographic boundaries or large roads or based on shared grazing/water sources or set distances).

(b)(i) The vaccine used in all cases is Aftovaxpur.

(ii) More than 600 000 animals were vaccinated i.e. one dose per animal.

(c) On well-fenced properties, 100% of cattle are vaccinated. In communal areas, vaccination coverage is difficult to determine, but in most cases 80% coverage is reached.

2. Where animals are intended for slaughter, only one vaccination was done. Where animals are intended to be kept long term, a second vaccination was done. If cattle are in a permanent FMD Protection Zone with vaccination, they are vaccinated 3 times a year on a continuous basis.

3. South African Territories (SAT) FMD viruses, which cause the outbreaks in the region, are generally stable viruses. The vaccine does not necessarily need to be matched every time before animals are vaccinated.

(a)(b) The different virus strains contained in the Aftovaxpur vaccine are ones that have been shown to cause a wide spectrum of protection against most SAT viruses circulating in the region, so the vaccine matching is good.

Reply:

a) (i) Causes of death are statistically derived from death certificates. Obesity will be one of the underlying causes of a health condition that does not appear on the death certificate and therefore a distinct number of deaths caused by obesity is not available. It was observed during the COVID-19 surges that there was link between obesity and deaths.

(ii) Obesity is one of the risk factors for diabetes and hypertension and statistics for these two conditions are provided below.

b) According to the DHIS report, the total number of persons who have been diagnosed with diabetes since 1 January to 28 February 2023 is 46 330.

c) Statistics for hypertension is not collected routinely. We make use of surveys to guide planning and decision making in this regard. According to the SA Demographic and Health Survey 2016, the prevalence for males 15 years and above is 44% and for females of the same age category is 46%.

END.

Reply:

1. The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) does not have record of the above-mentioned claim reference number. It would be appreciated if DALRRD can be provided with further details on the claim such as claimants details, claim name, property description etc.

(2)(a)(ii),(ii)(b)(i),(ii) Falls away

(3)(a),(b) Falls away.

END

 

Reply:

No remedial actions have been taken at this stage. The Public Protector’s Report 44 of 2018/2019 relating to allegations of maladministration by the Free State Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) and the former Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) involving the handling of an outbreak of brucellosis on the farm of Mrs Ronel Behrens (“the Report”) was found to contain serious irregularities and material errors of law and fact, which vitiated the investigation and remedial action which form the basis of the report.

The Report is under judicial review to be set aside with case number 82234/19. The required application documents were served on the Office of the Public Protector on 8 November 2019 and on the complainant (Mrs Behrens) on 19 November 2019.

In July 2021, the Office of the Public Protector requested a settlement with the newly formed Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) and DARD in the matter. On 15 June 2022, the Office of the Public Protector agreed that the Report be set aside and the original complaint remitted back to the office of the Public Protector for an investigation de novo. The settlement is enrolled to be made an order of court in May 2023.

The Report is effectively set aside, and DALRRD has been advised to await the outcome of the review process before implementing any remedial actions, if necessary.

Reply:

a) The Land and Agricultural Development Bank (Land Bank) of South Africa is not implementing any AgriBEE programme on behalf of the Department. The Land Bank was appointed as the fund manager of the AgriBEE Fund. In terms of the Memorandum of Agreement between the two parties, Land Bank performs the following functions on behalf of the Department:

• Manage and administer the Fund which includes receiving annual allocations in respect of the Fund and keeping them in a dedicated AgriBEE Fund account.
• Conduct due diligence assessments on suitable applications received from the Department and provide due diligence reports thereof to aid the Department in the appointment of qualifying applications according to the fund criteria.
• Disburse funds to approved applications on written instruction by the Director General of the Department.

Based on the above, evaluation and approval of applications for support through the AgriBEE Fund remains the responsibility of the Department and not that of the Land Bank.

b) Land Bank has never failed to implement AgriBEE programmes as it was never its responsibility to do so. With regard to the Blended Finance Scheme, the Land Bank has the responsibility to implement and the following has been done to ensure successful implementation:

• The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) and Land Bank agreed on the criteria and qualifications for the Blended Finance Scheme as well as the scorecard to ensure alignment by all branches of the bank to the blended finance scheme concept document.
• DALRRD has not imposed additional processes for approval by Land Bank to ensure applications are received, analysed, processed and approved by the Land Bank within reasonable and agreed timelines.
• DALRRD convened a workshop with Land Bank on 4 April 2023 to assess the norms and standards Land Bank uses to approve applications for Blended Finance; as these must be aligned to industry technical standards to avoid deserving applications being rejected by the Bank and the objectives of the scheme not being realised. The workshop was attended by DALRRD technical experts and bankers from all Land Bank’s branches across the country to ensure alignment with Land Bank officials to agreed processes and technical standards.
• A steering committee for Blended Finance has been established to oversee performance by all participating financial institutions (PFIs) and will monitor performance by the PFIs and unlock challenges that hamper implementation by these banks.
• The Land Bank has appointed a senior manager to oversee the partnership with DALRRD and DALRRD has likewise appointed a senior manager to oversee the successful implementation of the Blended Finance Scheme.

Reply:

a) No guarantees were used by SAA for lease of aircraft since 2 September 2021.

b) No guarantees were used by SAA for purchase of aircraft since 2 September 2021.

c) No guarantees were used by SAA to acquire aircraft since 2 September 2021.

The reason guarantees were not used for any of the above is because the conditions for recapitalization of SAA requires that all government guarantees to SAA should be cancelled upon disbursement of funds from government.

Remarks: Reply: Approved / Not Approved

Ms. Jacky Molisane PJ. Gordhan, MP

Acting Director-General Minister

Date: Date:

Reply:

1. Yes.

2. Yes. The contingency plan has been made available to provincial state veterinarians through the Provincial Directors.

3. The implementation of the plan differs across provinces and offices and is mainly influenced by the resources each office/province has allocated to veterinary services. The implementation of the contingency measures is also affected by the structure in the provinces where in some provinces the direct supervisors of animal health technicians have other priorities than disease control measures.

4. Yes, the process framework is already included in the general contingency plan.

(a) Chief Director: Animal Production and Health; Director: Animal Health; Provincial Directors concerned and State Veterinarian(s).

(b) Once an outbreak of national importance is notified and confirmed, the National Director: Animal Health and the Chief Director: Animal Production and Health, who is also the Chief Veterinary Officer, decide on appropriate control measure(s).

(c) In most cases, the advice given to farmers is:

• Only buy animals from confirmed healthy herds/flocks; avoid visiting and buying from auctions which have multiple unknown origin animals and therefore high risk;
• confine animals to avoid contact with other animals and possible infected material and improve biosecurity measures on the farm;
• avoid people/vehicles/equipment entering the farm as they may have been in contact with other animals or infectious material;
• for African Swine Fever: avoid feeding swill (leftovers or kitchen waste); if this is not possible ensure that the food is cooked thoroughly to inactivate the virus (the virus can remain infectious in meat for months); the added benefit is that you will be destroying other diseases with the cooking such as measles, Foot and Mouth Disease, Pseudorabies etc.

Reply:

(a)(b)(i)(ii) Public health facilities have not been routinely collecting data classified as crush injury and crush syndrome. However, the National Indicator Datasets(NIDS) started collecting information in 2020 on trauma. This data is classified as Accident and Emergency (Casualty) and Trauma unit headcount – Emergency; and Accident and Emergency (Casualty) unit headcount - non-Emergency.

Table1 below indicate overall data on Accidents and Emergency and Trauma Unit headcount for both -Emergency and Non-Emergency by Province

Table 1: Accident and Emergency (Casualty)and Trauma Unit headcount for both emergency and non-emergency from April 2020 to March 2023.

Province	Item	April 2020 to March 2021	April 2021 to March 2022	April 2022 to March 2023
Eastern Cape	Accident and Emergency (Casualty) and Trauma unit headcount - Emergency	268 810	305 553	299 033
Eastern Cape	Accident and Emergency (Casualty) unit headcount - non-Emergency	241 718	972 401	263 069
Free State	Accident and Emergency (Casualty) and Trauma unit headcount - Emergency	108 553	125 891	125 269
Free State	Accident and Emergency (Casualty) unit headcount - non-Emergency	207 144	211 880	200 482
Gauteng	Accident and Emergency (Casualty) and Trauma unit headcount - Emergency	512 255	610 102	583 984
Gauteng	Accident and Emergency (Casualty) unit headcount - non-Emergency	252 813	343 101	421 900
KwaZulu-Natal	Accident and Emergency (Casualty) and Trauma unit headcount - Emergency	381 960	405 307	409 092
KwaZulu-Natal	Accident and Emergency (Casualty) unit headcount - non-Emergency	492 142	607 715	637 989
Limpopo	Accident and Emergency (Casualty) and Trauma unit headcount - Emergency	244 131	291 818	280 911
Limpopo e	Accident and Emergency (Casualty) unit headcount - non-Emergency	241 488	277 484	235 426
Mpumalanga	Accident and Emergency (Casualty) and Trauma unit headcount - Emergency	211 346	244 998	243 611
Mpumalanga	Accident and Emergency (Casualty) unit headcount - non-Emergency	121 188	173 050	146 162
Northern Cape	Accident and Emergency (Casualty) and Trauma unit headcount - Emergency	65 657	69 208	65 665
Northern Cape	Accident and Emergency (Casualty) unit headcount - non-Emergency	102 883	111 587	115 623
Northwest	Accident and Emergency (Casualty) and Trauma unit headcount - Emergency	110 555	123 935	113 856
Northwest	Accident and Emergency (Casualty) unit headcount - non-Emergency	137 592	152 883	125 648
Western Cape	Accident and Emergency (Casualty) and Trauma unit headcount - Emergency	736 083	885 693	906 388
Western Cape	Accident and Emergency (Casualty) unit headcount - non-Emergency
National Total		4 436 318	5 912 606	5 174 108

Note: data for Western Cape for non -emergency not available

(a)(b)(i)(ii) Data has been requested from the private health care facilities and is not readily available. This will be made available to the honourable upon receipt.

The NIDS has been reviewed to start collecting data from 2023 classified as:

1. Sport related trauma – new
2. Pedestrian vehicle accident – new
3. Motor vehicle accident – new

However, the crush syndrome medically defined as “the systemic manifestations” resulting from crush injury, which can result in organ dysfunction (predominantly acute kidney injury, but multisystem organ injury can also occur), or death is not included in the NIDS.

END.

Reply:

a) Yes. Updated reports on Foot and Mouth (FMD) are released on a frequent basis, depending on the stability of the situation, and the latest report is dated 28 March 2023. In the most recent report, there are 183 FMD outbreaks that are open with the World Organization for Animal Health (founded as OIE), while 12 outbreaks have been resolved and closed. Please refer to Annexure A: 2021-2023 Report on Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak.

b) Biosecurity measures are applied in all cases of FMD outbreaks:

• Quarantine notices are placed on all affected premises as soon as the suspicion of FMD is notified.
• Biosecurity measures will differ, depending on the situation on the ground at a particular location, but always includes the prohibition of movement of FMD susceptible animals and unprocessed products from affected locations.