Questions and Replies

Reply:

Yes, there was a discussion to lower the salary of the SAPO CEO during the process of appointment of the current CEO. The approved salary was lowered by R523 000 as compared to the salary of the previous CEO of SAPO due to the financial constraints of the organisation.

Thank You.

Reply:

DRAFT REPLY

The question relates to the performance of judicial functions, which falls under the purview of the Judiciary and the Chief Justice. It is advised that information relating to the performance of judicial functions, be directed to the Chief Justice.

Reply:

1. Yes, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) provided a list of matters that require the Board’s approval and the impact thereof. Hence the Ministry wrote to the Minister of Finance, requesting approval for the CEO to be designated as the Accounting Authority in the absence of the Board in terms of section 49(3) of the Public Finance Management Act. Thought the National Treasury granted the approval, the CEO declined to be designated as the Accounting Authority.
2. No, because the process of appointment of the SABC Board neither requires approval of, nor consultation with, Cabinet.

Thank You.

Reply:

a) No. The Department is finalising a research study that will serve as the basis for the Cost to Communication review model and/or plan for the 2022/2023 annual accounting period. The study will provide the required information for the construction of the review model and/or plan, which will be completed at the end of 2023/2024 financial year.

Thank You.

Reply:

a) The objectives and commitments of the Agriculture and Agro-processing Master Plan (AAMP) are implemented through two mechanisms, namely, the Commodity Value Chain Round Tables and Transformation Schemes. The two mechanisms ensure that implementation is at a commodity level focusing on both commercial and non-commercial (including tribal and land reform farms) farming areas. The Transformation Schemes are geared towards accelerating the empowerment and participation of previously marginalised groups in each agricultural commodity value chain. Since the signing of the AAMP in May 2022, the establishment of the Transformation Schemes in the mohair, cotton, citrus, and red meat industries are underway. Other industries to follow suit in 2023/24 year.

b) The main challenge is the availability of funding for off-farm infrastructure, particularly in rural and tribal areas where the Transformation Schemes are targeted. The enabling infrastructure such as rural roads, irrigation schemes, electricity supply, fresh produce markets, colleges, and processing or storage facilities are poorly developed. This affects the ability to attract private investments into these areas and impedes unlocking agricultural growth and jobs in rural and tribal areas.

c) Beyond the existing departmental funding that has been reprioritised to align with the AAMP interventions, the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) is working with the private sector to raise additional funding to finance both on-farm and off-farm infrastructure and other AAMP interventions through the mechanisms namely, Value Chain Round Tables and Transformation Schemes. Some of the catalytic infrastructure projects that are crucial for the development of agriculture have been submitted to the Infrastructure Office in the Presidency to solicit both domestic and international private funding.

The AAMP furthermore seeks to drive transformation through commodity corridors, where the value chains deep-dives of the AAMP are translated into a district-based value chain approach. These are aimed at linking market-led investments with strategically identified agricultural land. In other words, whereas the deep-dives identify what needs to be done nationally in each value chain, the district-based approach identifies where the high potential areas are to create the biggest impact with respect to inclusive growth and job creation.

Reply:

The question relates to the performance of judicial functions, which falls under the purview of the Judiciary and the Chief Justice. It is advised that information relating to the performance of judicial functions, be directed to the Chief Justice.

Reply:

Yes. The Department of Agriculture Land Reform and Rural Development (DALLRD) the LandCare programme which is a community-based programme focusing on optimizing productivity and the sustainable use of natural resources leading to greater productivity, food security and job creation through the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP). The key consideration is that there are circumstances which, based on soil mapping and analysis in order to improve soil fertility, soil organic carbon status and rectification of deficiency alternative measures, need to be considered which entail the use of fertilisers within prescribed measures.

a) The Department in collaboration with the provinces, implements the LandCare programme, wherein conservation measures are considered to support local farmers in creating a sustainable farming system that would maintain productivity while reducing land degradation.

b) Through demonstration projects in provinces communities participate in capacity building, wherein farmers are able to increase production yield and upgrade from small-scale to subsistence farming. These capacity-building initiatives include soil surveys and soil fertility testing. Furthermore, communities participate in exchange learning programmes inclusive of cultivation methods, weed control and related maintenance and calibration of conservation agriculture – no till planters.

c) The LandCare programme has job creation pillars within the EPWP, wherein project beneficiaries are provided with temporary jobs while implementing projects and skills to sustain the project afterwards towards the prevention of land degradation. It is envisaged that with continued farming system farmers are empowered to alternative usage of skills acquired.

Reply:

No.

a) The amount of R41 million is reported to have been paid to Ingonyama Holdings, a company of Ingonyama Trust, through two firms of attorneys as well as directly. The Board has to obtain an explanation from the directors of Ingonyama Holdings on what has been achieved as a consequence of this amount being transferred to Ingonyama Holdings. A new Board has just been appointed and I will ask them to look into this matter.

b) The KwaZulu-Natal Ingonyama Trust Act does not empower the Minister to have direct representatives in the Board hence there are no direct representatives. I have however been informed by the Head of the Secretariat of Ingonyama Trust that the directors of Ingonyama Holdings do not accept that they are accountable to the Board. Their view is that they are only accountable to the Trustee hence they resisted attempts by the Board to establish the deliverables associated with the R41 million. The Board had decided in February 2022 to have a dedicated discussion on the relationship between the Board and Ingonyama Holdings, however, the matter had not been attended to at the time the previous Board’s term of office came to an end, which probably could have been the reason the matter was not timeously brought to the attention of the Minister.

Reply:

(a)(i),(ii)(b)(i),(ii) The report has been finalised and will be released as soon as all logistical arrangements have been concluded. The Department has already started implementing the recommendations made by the task team.

Reply:

Yes. The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT) has developed the draft Digital Economy Framework and Strategy and it is currently undergoing final internal consideration and comments, before being submitted to the new Minister for his consideration and Cabinet for approval and publishing in the Government gazette for public comments and consultation with the broader South African society and industry.

The relevant details will only be shared after Cabinet approval.

Thank You.

Reply:

1. The Department has developed a response to the NSP on GBV and it is being implemented in partnership with the State-Owned Entities and stakeholders.

2. The department has developed a framework for women, youth and persons with disabilities to participate in the Information and Communication Technology sector and it will be implemented by March 2024

Thank You.

Reply:

The 450 farmers for commercialisation were identified across all nine provinces, with each province contributing and supporting at least 50 farmers towards being commercially self-reliant. The Commercialization Strategy was a response to the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme [CASP] Evaluation Report of 2015 which recommended that CASP commercialise 30% of producers. A commercial producer that we are referring to is a producer who produces with the intention to supply markets – both locally and internationally, is able to pay his overheads (breaks even or is profitable) and with a minimum turnover above R500 000 per annum.

Of the 450 producers targeted, a total of 350 have been commercialised. The table below outlines progress per province. These farmers were supported with infrastructure, production inputs, training, food safety and accreditation (where applicable) as well as mechanization through the CASP and Ilima/Letsema conditional grants.

The responses / details on these farmers / producers per province is attached.

Province	Targeted	Supported / commercial black farmers as at 30 March 2023.	Variance
Eastern Cape	50	44	6
Free State	50	91	+41
Gauteng	50	17	33
Kwa-Zulu Natal	50	33	17
Limpopo	50	36	14
Mpumalanga	50	33	17
Northern Cape	50	29	21
North West	50	17	33
Western Cape	50	50	0
Total	450	350	100

Reply:

I have been advised by the Department as follows:- 

Cybercrime is the mandate of law enforcement agencies with the Cybercrimes Act 19 of 2020 being the primary and most recent piece of legislation in this regard. The Department has a peripheral role with regards to cybercrime in that acts of cybercrime reported to the Department are routed to law enforcement agencies.

With respect to cybersecurity, the Department has established in 2016 and subsequently operationalised a national Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT), namely the Cybersecurity Hub, as per the National Cybersecurity Policy Framework (NCPF) of 2015. The Cybersecurity Hub under the department has a specific mandate to act as the national CSIRT responsible for the private sector and citizens. The Cybersecurity Hub delivers various services including inter alia incident coordination, cybersecurity assessment and advisory services, cybersecurity awareness building and collaboration with private sector industry bodies tasked with issues of cybersecurity.

With respect to promoting cybersecurity the following specific initiatives were and are being undertaken: simulation exercises that improve the coordination of incident response capability at a national level; development of a cybersecurity toolkit for small, medium and micro-enterprises (SMMEs), which is freely available; and development of a cybersecurity schools toolkit for teachers, parents and learners which is freely available.

Thank You.

Reply:

No, the Department does not have any collaboration in the provision of financial management skills to rural farmworkers. The Department has support programmes for farm dwellers and labour tenants under the Extension of Security of Tenure Act [No. 62 of 1997] ESTA. There is no special programme to support farm workers. If farm workers have farming practices outside their employ, they would apply for support like any other farmer supported by the Department.

Reply:

1. The Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development did not mislead Parliament but was reporting the status as it was at that point in time. The Commission’s business process is complex and can be delayed by multiple factors some internal and others external. the Payment of financial compensation to claimants in phases has been identified as a risk for fraud and possible double payment and as a result, the Policy was amended to discontinue the practice. This meant that instead of paying this claim in phases village by village the Commission in the Eastern Cape had to conduct verification and screening to include all the villages so that the payment can occur at the same time. This automatically meant that there would be a delay, which was communicated to the claimant community.

(2)(a) The claim is targeted for settlement in the Third Quarter of 2023/24 financial year on condition that none of the beneficiaries who have adopted the verification interdict the process because of some disagreement of the payment to be made.

(b)(i) Once the settlement process has been finalized and verification adopted and all the payment lists have been prepared, all beneficiaries having submitted all the relevant documents. Then the Commission will commence with the payment process and the payment will be affected within 90 working days after the signing of the distribution agreement with the individual households.

(ii) The total monetary value of the claim will be based on the financial compensation policy, which allows for payment based on the of Standard Settlement Offer, which is R405 776, per house for the loss of the right in land and improvement.

END

Reply:

a) There is a time lag of almost a year in the publication of the Annual Agricultural Survey, which depicts statistical information on the general performance in the agricultural sector. Statistics on the 2022 performance will only be available towards the end of the year 2023, once the survey is completed and the results are made available.

(b),(i),(ii),(iii) The table below indicates the performance of the different categories of farmers for 2021. Performance is depicted in terms of income received across different agricultural business activities.

Activity	(b)(i) Large >R 30 million Turn over	(ii) Medium R18 million < Turnover <=R30 million	(b)(iii) Small R3 million< Turnover<= R18 million	Micro Turnover<= R3 million Turn over	Total
	R’000
Growing crops, market gardening; horticulture	130 641 686	12 915 431	29 660 855	11 071 701	184 289 673
Farming of animals	126 343 423	6 503 854	15 078 457	6 703 286	154 629 020
Growing of crops combined with farming of animals(mixed farming)	17 169 993	9 691 581	26 127 474	9 563 642	62 552 690
Agriculture and animal husbandry services, except veterinary services	7 522 709	568 956	3 655 981	1 656 365	13 404 011
Activity	Large >R 30 million Turn over	Medium R18 million < Turnover <=R30 million	Small R3 million< Turnover<= R18 million	Micro Turnover<= R3 million Turn over	Total
	R’000
Hunting, trapping and game propagation including related services	670 662	107 353	853 611	577 495	2 209 121
Total	282 348 473	29 787 175	75 376 378	29 572 489	417 084 515

Reply:

The revised South Africa Connect Phase 2 model focuses on the following three pillars:

• Community and Household connectivity by Broadband Infraco (BBI), Sentech and Internet Service Providers (ISPs);
• Universal Service Obligations to connect schools, health facilities and traditional authorities by Mobile Network Operators; and
• Government connectivity to connect government facilities by the State Information Technology Agency (SITA).

Governance structures involving key stakeholders have been established to guide and monitor the implementation of the programme. The governance structures include the Project Steering Committee and Project Team. The Project Steering Committee is chaired by the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies and include the leadership from the DCDT and implementing entities (BBI, Sentech, SITA, Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa (USAASA). The Project Team is comprised of senior managers and technical teams from the DCDT and implementing entities.

The DCDT has engaged various stakeholders at National, Provincial and Local Government levels to discuss the project and solicit input in terms of sites that require connectivity.

Community and Household Connectivity

BBI and Sentech are responsible for rolling out infrastructure using various technologies (fibre, wireless and satellite). The local SMMEs, ISPs and Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) will lease capacity from BBI while Sentech will provide connectivity to those households and 33 000 community Wi-Fi hot spots with the applicable metering and support.

The Department applied for funding to National Treasury (NT) through the Budget Facility for Infrastructure (BFI) process. National Treasury has since approved R3 billion capital expenditure funds to implement the programme over the MTEF. Engagements are underway with National Treasury regarding the availability of funds to enable the project team to finalise the implementation plan. Relevant details are as follows:

• High level core and access network technical designs for the fibre, Transmission and Internet Protocol (IP) network components are completed for all 9 provinces. Procurement processes to appoint equipment suppliers, installers (SMMEs) have commenced. Owners of key third party sites that are essential to deploy infrastructure have been identified.
• Engagements with ISPs have commenced to understand their broadband delivery model and how they can effectively participate in the SA Connect programme to support the overall objectives of connecting communities and households.

USAASA has funded the rollout of 412 sites in the Northern Cape (NC) and Eastern Cape (EC), i.e. Pixley Ka Seme (112) and OR Tambo districts (300) respectively. 110 sites have been connected with the required infrastructure (45 in NC and 65 in EC). Work is underway to connect the remaining 302 in the 2023/24 financial year.

Connectivity to Government Facilities

SITA to connect at a minimum of 10Mbps (total of 14 742 government sites) utilising existing budgets from line departments for maintenance and the extension of services provided by SITA. To date 3767 government facilities in the Eastern Cape, Gauteng and Western Cape provinces facilities are connected and there are ongoing engagements with other provincial departments.

Universal Service Obligations (USO)

ICASA has imposed USOs on Mobile Network Operators (spectrum licensees) who were recently assigned International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) spectrum through an auction as per the Invitation to Apply (ITA) i.e. 18 520 schools; 1764 hospitals; 3967 clinics; 567 libraries and Thusong centers and 8241 traditional and tribal authority Centres.

Engagements are underway to finalise site lists with traditional authorities. ICASA is engaging with spectrum licensees to finalise the allocation of the social obligations connectivity. The licensees will develop roll-out plans after the conclusion of ICASA’s engagements.

Thank You.

Reply:

The SIU Investigation report was commissioned by the President via a Proclamation. The Presidency is, therefore, the owner of the SIU Investigation Report. The Member of Parliament is advised to formally write a letter to the President on this matter.

Thank You.

Reply:

a) The Department of Agriculture Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) has been engaging with Mr. Ntonga, who is the Chairperson of the members of Loto Greens farms on possible relocation because of wetlands affecting their farm. The wetland situation is also affecting other farms in the area of Cedarville including other lessees on this area.

b) The farm was bought for R 9 000 000 from the original owner and allocated to four farmers.

c) None.

Reply:

a) The report has been finalised and its recommendations are currently being implemented.

b) The Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development will release the findings and recommendations of the report as soon as all logistical and arrangements have been finalized and confirmed.

Reply:

1. The SA Post Office financial position has been dire as expenses have continued to exceed revenue resulting in unfunded losses. SA Post Office has continued to manage its expenses prudently resulting in the loss position not worsening. Staff costs is the primary cost driver at 69% of total expenses with revenue unable to cover the total staff cost. The monthly salaries have been prioritised, however, cash flow has been insufficient to pay medical and other statutory expenses in full.

2. The funding and implementation of the Post Office of Tomorrow strategy will improve operational and financial performance.

3. Partial payment of medical aid contributions commenced April 2020. A total amount of R561,667,106 is currently owed to Medipos. This amount is historical debt, there is no current amount outstanding, SAPO is up to date with Medipos payments.

Medical aid benefits for Medipos were suspended from 1 October 2022 to 13 October 2022, and then reinstated on 14 October 2022. The other medical aid schemes (Bonitas, Discovery and Sizwe) were suspended in November 2022 due to non-payment of October 2022 contributions. The suspension was lifted after payment was made in January 2023 for the outstanding three months, October to December 2022.

Medical aid benefits were suspended once more in February 2023 due to non-payment of January and February 2023 contribution. These contributions were paid 8 March 2023. The number of employees affected differs on a month-to-month basis depending on membership numbers, at approximately 10,975 active employees + 1,740 pensioners = 12,715 principal members.

Thank You.

Reply:

1. The Postbank has been on a countrywide drive to promote its service offerings as it gets ready to play the role of a State Bank. Additional to the support provided to the Postbank at Struisbaai, the former Minister conducted oversight monitoring of the distribution of decoders by SAPO and installation thereof by Sentech to registered households towards fulfilling ConCourt judgement of June 2022.

a) Decoders were distributed to qualifying registered households and five (5) 32 Inch Integrated Television sets were donated to deserving poor households.

b) The cost of the IDTV is estimated at R3500.

2. (a) Through this activation, the Postbank generated 429 leads (individuals who provided their contact information for marketing/ solution purposes). The leads are being analysed and engaged for conversion by the acquisition team.

b) This was exclusively a Postbank initiative from an execution standpoint. The campaign was part of Postbank’s ongoing brand and product awareness efforts and to also promote financial literacy and education as part of Postbank founding mission.

Thank You.

Reply:

a) [1]The General Household Survey (GHS) 2021 data from Statistics South Africa illustrates that 77,5% of South African households had at least one person who had access to or utilised the internet in places such as their homes, places of employment, places of study, internet cafés, or public hot spots.

b) [2]According to the Research ICT Africa Policy Brief, South Africa's data prices are excessively high in comparison to other African nations. South Africa offers has the most expensive mobile data in the region and ranked 34th out of 47 countries in the Research ICT Africa Mobile Pricing (RAMP) Index for 2021 Quarter 3.

Thank You.

1. STATISTICAL RELEASE P0318 General Household Survey 2021 ↑

2. Research ICT Africa Policy Brief f [3] [December] [2021] ↑

Reply:

1. (a) A total amount of R561,667,106 is currently owed to Medipos.

(b)This amount is historical debt, there is no current amount outstanding, SAPO is up to date with Medipos payments.

2. (a) No amounts have been written off by SAPO. SAPO has previously requested the Medipos members to consider writing off the historical debt owed.

(b) No decision to write off any amounts has been taken. Currently Medipos has been placed under curatorship.

Thank You.

Reply:

1. Yes

a) Three (3) and the fourth one is underway.

b) (i) Nil (0)

c) (ii) Nil (0)

2. Individuals are subjected to a disciplinary hearing.

Thank You.

Reply:

1. The Executive Committee of the Department met with the Minister on 7 March 2023 (a day after changes were made to the National Executive) to brief the Minister on the work of the department. The Minister has since been engaging with key stakeholders in the sector.
2. Ministerial Performance Agreements (MPA) are based on the commitments in the State of the Nation Address and selected priority actions from the 2019 - 24 Medium Term Strategic Framework. Each MPA contains a set of specific targets backed by measurable performance indicators to be achieved over the 5- year electoral period, the purpose of which is to put the country on a positive path towards our national development goals and objectives.

Thank You.

Reply:

(1) (a) Yes. Since October 2020, the released state land was assessed to determine the status of each farm. Start-up packages were developed according to the categories/sizes of the farming operations, commodities and required activities to ensure optimum functionality of such farms. The activities on these farms ranged from infrastructure, production inputs and capacity development in respect of both livestock farming and crop farming. The 700 000 hectares of state land identified for redistribution was advertised in October 2020. The process of considering submissions for allocations was completed during 2021.

(b) (i) A total of 895 farms were identified for lease agreements. To date 213 farms have been issued with full leases; seventy-two (72) farms are partially leased; seventeen (17) farms in process; and five hundred and ninety three (593) farms have not been leased but were allocated in terms of the Land Reform: Provision of Land and Assistance Act 126 of 1993 as follows: -

• Communities: 210 farms;
• Donations: 277 farms;
• Land claims: 68 farms (Since these farms are under claim, they will be allocated to claimants in terms of the Restitution of Land Rights Act 22 of 1994);
• Withdrawn:19 farms because of the legal challenge by the communities residing on those farms; and
• Long-term occupiers:19 farms found to have lawful occupiers in terms of Extension of Security of Tenure Act 62 of 1997.

The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) is currently working on legislation to enable government to transfer communal land to communities.

(b)(ii) Infrastructure development was identified as a key requirement to enable farmers to improve their production. A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was signed with the Development Bank of Southern Africa for 5 years to assist with the infrastructure development on these farms. The infrastructure development will include fencing, water reticulation, irrigation systems, storage sheds, etc. The Department will be handing over the list of projects for infrastructure development to DBSA to commence with the implementation processes.

2. Yes. The Department conducted farm assessment to determine the status of the farms and the level of support required. It has been identified that most of these are under production at various levels. Given that the production levels at these farms is still not at optimum level, it is envisaged that production inputs, in addition to the envisaged infrastructure will be provided to kickstart agri-business unit(s) on various commodities.

Reply:

The entities have advised as follows:

1) South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC)

a) The salaries of the Chief Executive Officer and the top Executives in the Corporation are outlined in the table below.

	Position	Total Package
(i)	Group Chief Executive Officer	R 5 735 155.92
(ii)	Chief Operating Officer	R 3 512 790.00
	Chief Financial Officer	R 3 348 730.44
	Group Executive: Radio	R 2 900 000.04
	Group Executive: News & Current Affairs	R 2 801 848.56
	Group Executive: Legal Governance & Regulatory	R 2 484 216.72
	Group Executive: Video Entertainment	R 2 430 831.48
	Group Executive: Sales	R 2 534 839.44
	Chief Digital Officer	R 2 787 956.52
	Group Executive: Human Resources	R 2 534 839.44
	Chief Audit Executive	R 1 500 675.00

b)  None of the Executives are paid to attend any meetings where they represent the SABC.

2) South African Post Office (SAPO)

• a) The below table reflects the total annual remuneration for the Chief Executive Officer and the respective Executives.

	Position	Total Package
(i)	Chief Executive Officer	R 3,950,000
(ii)	Chief Financial Officer and Acting COO for part for the year	R 3,824,906

• b) Executives at the SA Post Office are not paid to attend meetings.

3. South African Postbank (Postbank)

a_ The salaries of the Chief Executive Officer and the top Executives in the Corporation are outlined in the table below.

	Position	Total Package
(i)	Interim Chief Executive Officer	R 5 049 993
(ii)	Chief Risk Officer	R 3 258 439
	Chief Human Resources Officer	R 3 000 000
	Acting Chief Financial Officer	R 1 702 974
	Acting Chief Commercial Officer	R 1 080 603
	Acting Chief Information Officer	R 1 096 146 (6 months)
	Acting Chief Audit Officer	R 1 869 732

b) The Postbank Chief Executive Officer and Executives are not remunerated to attend meetings.

4. Sentech

a) The below table reflects the total annual remuneration for the Chief Executive Officer and the respective Executives.

	Position	Total Package
(i)	Chief Executive Officer	R 3 329 513.42
(ii)	Chief Financial Officer	R 3 000 000.00
	Chief Operating Officer	R 3 072 799.55

b) The CEO and top executives do not receive any payment for attending meetings.

5. Broadband Infraco (BBI)

a) The below table reflects the total annual remuneration for the Chief Executive Officer and the respective Executives.

	Position	Total Package
(i)	Acting Chief Executive officer	R 2 997 978,91
(ii)	Executive: Compliance Risk and Audit	R 1 676 462,66
	Acting Chief Technical Officer	R 1 534 819,71
	Acting Chief Marketing and Sales Officer	R 1 484 077,52
	Acting Executive Human Resources	R 1 099 639,93

b) The Chief Executive Officer and Executives are not remunerated to attend meetings.

6. State Information Technology Agency (SITA)

a) The below table reflects the total annual remuneration for the Chief Executive Officer and the respective Executives.

	Position	Total Package
(i)	Interim Managing Director (Chief Executive Officer)	R 3 823 465.36
(ii)	Chief Financial Officer	R 2 575 000.00
	Executive: Application Development and Maintenance	R2 252 334,53
	Executive: Corporate and Digital Strategy	R2 000 000,00
	Executive: Human Capital Management	R2 000 000,00
	Executive: National Consulting	R2 987 192,00
	Executive: Service Management	R2 080 000,00
	Executive: Supply Chain Management	R2 152 800,00
	Executive: Internal Audit	R2 434 367,03
	Executive: IT Infrastructure Services	R2 825 680,00
	Executive: Governance, Risk, Compliance and Integrity	R2 117 075,05

Note:

(i) The Interim Managing Director (Chief Executive Officer) contract ended on the 27th of July 2022 and an Acting Managing Director (Acting CEO) was appointed from then onward. The Interim Managing Director (Chief Executive Officer) salary was R 3 823 465.36.

b) No additional payments for attendance of meetings.

7. National Electronic Media Institute of South Africa (NEMISA)

a) The below table reflects the total annual remuneration for the Chief Executive Officer and the respective Executives.

	Position	Total Package
(i)	Chief Executive officer	R 1 739 785.11
(ii)	Acting Chief Financial Officer	R 1 221 273.60

(b) NEMISA does not pay any of the employees mentioned above (CEO and Acting CFO) for attending meetings.

8. Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa (USAASA)

a) The below table reflects the total annual remuneration for the Chief Executive Officer and the respective Executives.

	Position	Total Package
(i)	Acting Chief Executive Officer	R 1 768 713
(ii)	Acting Chief Financial Officer	R 1 308 051
	Acting Executive Manager: Corporate Services	R 1 308 051
	Acting Executive Manager: Operations	R 1 308 051
	Executive Manager: Strategic Planning and Performance Management	R 1 518 069

b) The Executives do not get paid for any meetings.

9) Films and Publications Board (FPB)

a) The below table reflects the total annual remuneration for the Chief Executive Officer and the respective Executives.

	Position	Total Package
(i)	Chief Executive Officer	R 1 919 662
(ii)	Chief Financial Officer	R 1 771 664
	Executive: Corporate Services	R 1553 000
	Executive: Regulatory Development & Enforcement	R 1 806 262
	Executive: Technology Support & Platform Monitoring	R 1 878 519

b) The Film and Publication Board’s (FPB) Executives have no additional remuneration offered when attending meetings as they are employed full-time.

10) ZA Domain Name Authority NPC (.zaDNA)

a) (i) The chief executive officer (CEO) of ZADNA earns a total cost to company package of R1,838,575.

(ii) Other than the CEO position, ZADNA does not have any other top executive positions.

b) The CEO of ZADNA does not receive any additional remuneration for attending internal stakeholder engagement sessions.

11) Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA)

a) The below table reflects the total annual remuneration for the Chief Executive Officer and the respective Executives.

	Position	Total Package
(i)	Chief Executive officer	R 2,667,343.00
(ii)	Executive: Licensing and Compliance	R 1,891,777.00
	Executive: Engineering and Technology	R 1,891,777.00
	Executive: Policy Research and Analysis	R 2,029,548.12
	Executive: Regions and Consumer Affairs	R 2,020,195.32
	Executive: Corporate Services	R 1,891,777.00
	Executive: Legal and CCC	R 1,891,777.00

b) Not applicable, as these executives are appointment on a five-year contract.

Thank You.

Reply:

The question relates to the performance of judicial functions, which falls under the purview of the Judiciary and the Chief Justice. It is advised that information relating to the performance of judicial functions, be directed to the Chief Justice.

Reply:

Yes. The Department has allocated R87 million to the OBP and R100 million to the ARC respectively to ensure the sustained availability of FMD vaccine. The Department has also assisted the KwaZulu-Natal Province with R18,2 million towards control of the Foot and Mouth outbreak.

Reply:

DRAFT REPLY

The question relates to the performance of judicial functions, which falls under the purview of the Judiciary and the Chief Justice. It is advised that information relating to the performance of judicial functions, be directed to the Chief Justice.

 

Reply:

1. No. This information is not available at the moment. It should be noted that the changes to the Cabinet announcement was made on 6 March 2023 and staff appointed per term of office of the incumbent executive authority or Deputy Minister will only terminate at the end of the first month after the month in which the term of that executive authority or Deputy Minister terminates for any reason. (Regulation 66 of the Public Service Regulations, 2016)

2. This information will be available after 1 May 2023 when appointments in the office of the Minister have been finalized.

Thank You.

Reply:

No, the Department does not receive claims. As the honourable member may be aware the Department through South African National Road Agency Limited (SANRAL) maintain National roads while the provinces maintain the provincial roads through Provincial Road Maintenance Grant.

The honourable member should note that all road damage claims are submitted to SANRAL, provinces and municipalities.

Reply:

(a)(b)(i) The Western Cape Provincial Department advised the National Department of Human Settlements that Oudtshoorn Municipality has recently appointed an implementing agent that will be responsible for the upgrading of Black Joint and GG Camp informal settlements. The Municipality is finalising land ownership issues which have in the past stalled the upgrading of the two informal settlements up until now. In addition, the municipality will also complete a Project Feasibility Report for approval to the Provincial Department of Infrastructure. The project is expected to be implemented in the 2024/25 financial year.

(ii) Once the Municipality has resolved all the outstanding land issues related to the project and submitted its Project Feasibility Report, the upgrading of Black Joint and GG Camp is envisaged to commence in the 2024/25 financial year. This will allow the Municipality also to apply for the necessary funding to provide electricity and other requisite infrastructure to the two informal settlements.

Reply:

(a) her department and/or No

(b) any of the entities reporting to her have any current contracts with the security company G4S; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what None

(i) are the relevant details of the specified contracts and No

(ii) is the monetary value of each contract?    None         

Reply:

(a) The National Commissioner was informed on 22 March 2023.

(b)(i) The notification was received from the DCS, Director: Contract Management.

(b)(ii) The notification was received by means of a written investigation report on the escape of the mentioned offender.

END

Reply:

The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) is currently exploring several options relating to the takeover from the Contractor (G4S) and all of these options require Costing of the daily operations of the Correctional Centre, which amongst others include salaries of the employees as well as the maintenance of the Centre as a whole.

The current plan includes amongst others, a process whereby DCS will be working directly with the Contractor (G4S) 12 months prior to the end of the Contract to assist its employees to acclimatise and accustom themselves to the Centre as it is operating differently from DCS run Correctional Facilities. This will facilitate for smooth transition from G4S to DCS.

DCS does not intend to move offenders out of the PPP facility as it will continue to serve as part of the available accommodation, as such there will be no overcrowding impact on any other centre as a result of the take over of the Mangaung Correctional Centre.

END

Reply:

1. Mr Dumisani Hlophe was appointed as the acting DDG: Negotiations, Labour Relations and Remuneration Management in accordance with Section 32(2)(b) of the Public Service Act, 1994.

2. Mr Hlophe’s acting appointment as DDG: Negotiations, Labour Relations and Remuneration Management was effected in terms of Regulation 63(2) of the Public Service Regulations, 2016 which states that an employee directed to act in another post in terms of section 32(2) should have the necessary competency for the post to which he or she is appointed to act.

(a) Mr Hlophe was previously employed as a Deputy Director-General in the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport which included experience in Labour Relations as head of corporate service. He is an established political scientist and strategist who has led strategic negotiations, planning and management; and

(b) He has a BA (LAW), BA Honours in Political Science and a Master’s Degree (in Political Science/Studies), all obtained at the University of Natal.

(3)(a) The post of DDG: Negotiations, Labour Relations and Remuneration Management has been vacant since 1 December 2020.

(3)(b) The post was advertised twice since it was vacated and the processes were unsuccessful in finding a suitable candidate. It is the department’s intention to initiate the recruitment process to fill the relevant post in the 2023/2024 financial year.

End

Reply:

The Department is currently assessing available evidence, including evidence led in the disciplinary matter ultimately leading to the dismissal of Mr Kobese and will refer any evidence pointing to the commission of a crime to the relevant law enforcement agencies, in due course. It is envisaged that this analysis will be completed by the end of April 2023, and the necessary referral, if any, be made.

END

Reply:

a) Since January 2021 to date, a total of eighty-three (83) directives have been issued by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) against municipalities that have failed to manage sewage and causing pollution.

b) (i) The table below depicts a breakdown of the directives issued per province.

Enforcement Actions taken against non-compliant Municipalities *since January 2021 to date
Responsible Regional Office	*NWA Notices Issued	NWA Directives Issued
Eastern Cape	10	8
Free State	6	7
Gauteng	20	18
KwaZulu Natal	21	1
Limpopo	11	13
Mpumalanga	39	22
North-West	5	5
Northern Cape	30	8
Western Cape	12	1
Total	154	83

(ii) The consequences of DWS’ enforcement actions are indicated below:

• Five criminal charges laid against municipalities because of non-compliance with the Directives issued.
• Two (2) criminal charges were laid and finalised against Randfontein and Thaba Chweu Local Municipality whereby both municipalities pleaded guilty of all the charges. Both municipalities were subsequently fined by the courts for their failure to adhere to the provisions of NWA, among other violations.
• Three cases were referred to National Persecuting Authority for a decision. The Department has initiated three court interdict applications against the non-compliant municipalities, seeking Court Orders from the courts.

(iii) The DWS conducted forty-nine follow-up inspections whereby compliance with the provisions of the Notices and Directives is established.

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Reply:

1. (a) Delays in implementation of Stage 2 to 4 of the project were due to funding constraints. Consequently, the Department explored alternative options for implementation through an RFI process. Prior to the finalisation of this process, engagements between the Department and National Treasury resulted in a decision to fund the project through direct funding from the fiscus as this was a more feasible option. The project has also been streamlined to make it more affordable.

(b) Stage 1 is scheduled for completion in June 2023 and construction of Stage 2 is scheduled to commence in the fourth quarter of the 2023/24 financial year.

(c) The Project Oversight Committees and the Project Liaison Committee have been established as part of social facilitation. The Community structures’ meetings are taking place as and when required. The workshops on the tendering process for local Small Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) was held on 13th and 14th July 2022.

2. (a) (i) The hydropower element of the project has been allocated to a later stage. DWS is currently negotiating with Eskom regarding Eskom’s possible involvement in the hydropower project.

(ii) 726 616 people will benefit from clean water

(b) An estimated 7070 direct and indirect employment opportunities per year will be created through the implementation of this project.

3. Inclement weather caused delays in the completion of Stage 1 of the project. Geographical and/or environmental challenges that may impact on Stage 2 of the project have not yet been determined.

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Reply:

a) The memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Government of Finland and Republic of South Africa was signed at the United Nations (UN) Water Summit in New York on 22 March 2023. The MoU focuses on water resource management with the following as agreed areas of cooperation:

• Adaptation and mitigation of climate change in water resources management.
• Transboundary water management.
• Water supply services covering supply, sanitation, reuse and policies.
• Governance management and technologies.
• Response in water-energy nexus for mutual benefit.
• Hydro informatics including monitoring, data transfer and platforms, modelling and assessment.
• Education and capacity building.
• Cooperation on other areas of mutual interest.

b) The renewed Memorandum of Agreement between the Government of the Netherlands and the Republic of South Africa, also on water resources management, was signed on 22 March 2023 in New York. The MoU focuses on water resource management with the following as agreed areas of cooperation: Strengthening water governance including strategies, planning and operations.

• Monitoring and information management.
• Climate change adaptation, water management and resilient.
• Water management in transboundary/river basins.
• Water efficiency, water re-use and use of alternative water resources in municipalities, agricultural and industry.
• Groundwater management.
• Wastewater treatment, agriculture, domestic and industrial.
• Sanitation and drinking water supply.
• Implementation of the Water and Sanitation Master Plan of South Africa.
• Capacity building and knowledge exchange in municipal water management and supply.

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Reply:

1.  The projections for capital requirement to address the water infrastructure backlogs over the next 10 years include (a) refurbishment and renewal of ageing infrastructure; (b) upgrades to serve increases in service levels and sustain effective service delivery; as well as (c) new infrastructure for growing human settlements and new economic nodes. The estimated cost requirement is R89,9 billion per annum over the next 10 years and is summarized below.

10 Year Infrastructure Cost (R billion)	New	Upgrade	Rehab	Total
Water	29,2	9,1	32,1	70,4
Sanitation	8,9	4,2	6,4	19,5
Total	38,1	13,3	38,5	89,9

2. (a) According to the 2021 data, about 1 349 797 000 kl/ annum (at an average of 3 698 074 kl/day per day) is lost as a result of infrastructure failure, overflows from reservoirs and other leakages from municipal distribution systems.

(b) The commercial losses (336 559 712 kl/annum) are estimated to be 20% of total water losses and include unauthorised connections, meter inaccuracies and data transfer errors. Illegal connections are is estimated to be about 6% (20 193 583 kl/annum) of commercial losses. The estimated average cost of supplying water per kl in South Africa is R 12,41/kl and therefore the cost related to unauthorised connections (theft) is R 250 602 365 per annum.

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Reply:

1.  The Department has been informed of the water supply challenges in Heidelberg and Ratanda areas. The City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) supplies electricity to the pumpstation which is operated by the Rand Water.). Rand Water and CoE are in discussion regarding efficient and sustainable electricity supply to this infrastructure. The options being explored include:

• Exemption of this water supply infrastructure from load shedding by the COE.
• Rand Water, with support from CoE, applying to Eskom for direct supply of electricity and thereafter be exempted from loadshedding as a critical facility.

2. A statement will be made once an agreement has been concluded.

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Reply:

(1) I have been informed by SA Tourism as follows:

Years	(a) Number of meetings held	(b) Number of meetings expected to have	(c) Reasons for having had more or fewer meetings
1 Jan – 31 Dec 2019	12	7	As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Board had to convene special Board meetings in response to the pandemic, establish new ways of working, drafting of sector recovery plans etc.
1 Jan – 31 Dec 2020	24	7	As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Board had to convene special Board meetings in response to the pandemic, establish new ways of working, drafting of sector recovery plans etc. The Board resorted to weekly working meetings
1 Jan – 31 Dec 2021	17	7	As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Board had to convene special Board meetings in response to the pandemic, establish new ways of working, drafting of sector recovery plans etc.
1 Jan – 31 Dec 2022	16	7	Period starting 1 January 2022 to 31 May 2022, 3 Board meetings were held. Period from 1 May 2022 to 1 August 2022, there was no Board. The ACEO was appointed as the Accounting Authority. 2 September 2022 to December 2022, 13 Board Meetings were held
1 Jan – 31 Mar 2023	15	1	The Board had to consider and approve the Tottenham Hotspur proposal and further deal with all the issues that arose from the proposal.

 

(2) Since the members resigned on 2 February 2023:

(a) The board had 13 meetings

(b) The following decisions were taken – Please see attached resolutions.

(3) Provision of registers and minutes of the meetings. – See attached Board resolutions.

 

 

Reply:

The Inter-governmental task team dealing with water challenges is lead by Department of Water and Sanitation. Moreover, Rand Water is accountable to DWS as Water Utility. It is therefore recommended that the question be redirectred to Ministry of Water and Sanitation to provide responses accordingly.

 

End.

Reply:

(a)&(b) It should be emphasised that in respect of the Department of Small Business Development (DSBD) and its entities, the Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda) and the Small Enterprise Finance Agency (sefa), sharing personal information related to the businesses supported during 2022/23 financial year, meeting the requirements of the Protection of Personal Information Act No. 4 of 2013 is mandatory. A key objective of the Act is to protect people from harm by protecting their personal information. Also, it is to ensure that personal information is only allowed to be processed if the end-user consents to the processing, including the specific purposes for which the personal information is being collected. Therefore, the expectation is that Honourable J.N. de Villiers and the Questions Office in Parliament will handle the provided lists in a manner that is compliant with the Act.

The attached lists reflect details of the businesses supported in each province by the Department, through Seda and sefa during 2022/23 financial year.

Reply:

SAA sold the A340 aircraft, it owned, through a very competitive tender process. The first aircraft was delivered to the buyer and SAA will deliver the second A340 this month. The other A340s will follow as they complete their checks with SAA Technical (SAAT).

In March 2023, SAA returned three A319 aircrafts to the lessor as we had reached the end of the contract. The aircrafts were flown to their final destinations by SAA Pilots and SAA covered the costs of the SAA Pilots (accommodation, catering on the flight for the Pilots and their flight tickets back to Johannesburg) and overflying/landing rights. SAA also did normal preflight minor maintenance actions, before departure of each flight, which came at no additional cost to SAA.

SAA has refrained from providing commercially sensitive information in this response, as we operate in a highly competitive environment. It must be noted that while we are not at liberty to divulge commercially sensitive information in a public forum, our shareholder, the government, does have access to this information through the relevant department.

Remarks: Reply: Approved / Not Approved

Jacky Molisane P J Gordhan, MP

Acting Director-General Minister of Public Enterprises

Date: Date:

Reply:

I would like to confirm that South African Airways (SAA) has indeed (a) leased aircraft since 1 September 2021. No aircraft have been (b) purchased or (c) otherwise acquired during this period. The details of the leased aircraft are as follows:

SAA has leased a total of 6 aircraft, which include:

1. One (1) Airbus A330-300 (Wide body aircraft) from a reputable lessor:

(i) (aa) Description: Airbus A330-300

(cc) Type: Wide body aircraft

ii) Date received by SAA: 17 August 2021

iii) Lessor: [Lessor name withheld for confidentiality reasons]

iv) Lease cost: Power by the Hour agreement

v) Full terms of lease: [Cannot be disclosed due to confidentiality reasons]

2. Three (3) Airbus A319 aircraft (Narrow Body aircraft) from another well-established lessor:

(i) (aa) Description: Airbus A319

(cc) Type: Narrow body aircraft

ii) Dates each aircraft was received by SAA: 30 March 2022;

iii) Lessor: [Lessor name withheld for confidentiality reasons]

iv) Lease costs: Power by the Hour agreement

v) Full terms of each lease: [Cannot be disclosed due to confidentiality reasons]

3. Two (2) Airbus A320 aircraft from a third reputable lessor:

i) (aa) Description: Airbus A320

(cc) Type: Narrow body aircraft

ii) Dates each aircraft was received by SAA: July 2021

iii) Lessor: [Lessor name withheld for confidentiality reasons]

iv) Lease costs: Power by the Hour agreement

v) Full terms of each lease: [Cannot be disclosed due to confidentiality reasons]

While we understand the importance of transparency and the need to provide comprehensive information, the full terms of the lease agreements cannot be disclosed due to several reasons. The primary reason is the confidentiality and non-disclosure clauses present in the lease agreements signed between South African Airways (SAA) and the respective lessors. These clauses are standard in commercial agreements to protect the interests of both parties involved.

Moreover, the aviation industry is a highly competitive market, and disclosing detailed information on the lease agreements could potentially compromise SAA's negotiation power for future aircraft leases or acquisitions. Revealing such information may expose sensitive financial and strategic data, which could be used by competitors to gain an advantage in the market. By maintaining confidentiality, SAA aims to protect its commercial interests and maintain a competitive edge in the aviation industry.

Additionally, disclosing the full terms of the lease agreements may also inadvertently breach the privacy and proprietary rights of the lessors. Sharing such information could potentially damage the professional relationship between SAA and its lessors, hindering future negotiations and collaborations.

It is important to emphasize that parliamentary questions should not be used as an opportunity to compromise the interests and confidentiality of involved entities. In summary, the full terms of the lease agreements cannot be shared due to the confidentiality clauses in the contracts, the competitive nature of the aviation industry, and the need to protect both SAA's and the lessors' commercial interests. However, we assure you that all lease agreements have been entered into following due process and with the best interests of SAA and the South African public in mind.

Remarks: Reply: Approved / Not Approved

Jacky Molisane P J Gordhan, MP

Acting Director-General Minister of Public Enterprises

Date: Date:

Reply:

According to the information received from Denel

Please note that Armscor as the acquisition agency for the Department of Defence (DOD) will be in a position to provide the required information. Denel is not authorised to provide this information.

The contractual relations between Denel and Armscor is managed, among others, by commercial agreements which contain confidential information provisions. These provisions preclude Denel from disclosing such information. Therefore, Armscor as the acquisition agency for the Department of Defence (DOD) will be in a position to provide the required information. As per the existing commercial agreements, Denel is not authorised to provide this information.

However, we must emphasize that Denel is positioning itself to execute orders from and commitments to, both the SANDF and other customers. We must also point out that recovering from the damage caused by State Capture and the loss of skills is a challenging journey. Nevertheless, Denel is considered an important asset by government.

Remarks: Reply: Approved / Not Approved

Jacky Molisane P J Gordhan, MP

Acting Director-General Minister of Public Enterprises

Date: Date