Questions and Replies

Reply:

I have been advised by ICASA as follows:

1. Section 68 (1) (a) of the Electronic Communications Act (Act No. 36 of 2005) as amended (“the ECA”), enjoins the Authority to make regulations prescribing a numbering plan which must be amended and updated as the Authority considers necessary for efficient use and allocation of numbers. In this regard, the Authority is empowered to regulate the use of numbering resources. The Authority is not empowered to regulate the provision of SIM cards. Thus, compliance with registration of SIM cards and monitoring thereof fall outside the Authority’s jurisdiction. Although the Authority receives audits from licensees regarding active numbers in their networks, it does not receive information on unregistered SIMs.

The Department of Justice is responsible for the registration of SIM cards empowered through Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication‑Related Information Act (RICA) and therefore, the Department should be able to deal with issues pertaining to activation thereof.

2. Not Applicable

 

 

Thank You

 

 

 

 

PQ 4: Hon. V Zungula (ATM) to ask the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, NW4E

 

Reply:

a) There are 121 vacancies for Deputy Director-General positions based on available reports provided by individual departments up to 31 January 2023.

b) (i) Please note Annexure A (National status as at 31 January 2023) which provides the full detail of the vacancies.

(ii) Please note Annexure B (Provincial status as at 31 January 2023) which provides the full detail of the vacancies.

The above Annexures reflect information as reported by individual departments with respect to the vacancies they have at Deputy Director-General level.

End

Reply:

The uThukela District Municipality had originally committed to supporting the housing project through the provision of bulk infrastructure, which allowed the Provincial Department of Human Settlements to proceed with the implementation of the housing project.

During the 2020/2021 financial year, however the uThukela District Municipality indicated it was no longer be in a position to honour its commitment. The district further requested that the Provincial Department of Human Settlements fund the bulk infrastructure.

The Provincial Department of Human Settlements is currently implementing the required bulk infrastructure, which is part of the District’s function.

The Provincial Department will complete the houses for beneficiaries to occupy.

Reply:

a)  The delays in the completion of Phase 2 upgrade of James Kleynhans Water Treatment Works (WTW’s) are due to the following:

• The Covid 19 hard lockdown resulted in work stoppages and revised health and safety measures that needed to be implemented
• The lockdowns also brought about increases in costs of various materials and equipment for the project
• The contractor initially appointed experienced financial difficulties which slowed progress of activities and ultimately liquidation of the company which resulted in the contract being terminated.

• Procurement processes to appoint a new contractor were also delayed as the advertisement of the tender had to be repeated due to unresponsive bids during the first round.

The contractor was eventually appointed and the has been on site since January 2023.

b) The Department is closely monitoring the turnaround plan of the Amatola Water Board and the municipality convenes monthly progress meetings.

c) Any further delays in completing water infrastructure projects may result in water shortages in cities and towns as the ageing Water Treatment Works may eventually not be able to meet the increased demands for water.

d) An estimated amount of R88,4 million is required to complete Phase 2 of the project by December 2023.

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Reply:

1. The DBE engages with all Provincial Education Departments (PEDs) on a regular basis, to discuss with and assist PEDs that are not performing as expected.  Some of the reasons for poor performance by the two PEDs include, but not limited to the following -  :

• Project delays by business forums and community contestations;
• Procurement delays;
• System downtime ;
• Poor performance by Implementing Agents and contractors; and
• High staff turnover in the provincial infrastructure units.

2. (a) These provinces have developed and are implementing recovery plans to mitigate against their underperformance; and these are monitored by the DBE on a regular basis.  If there are cases of negligence that lead to the underperformance, these are investigated, and measures taken in line with applicable legislation and regulations.

(b) As indicated above, the DBE is already intervening and providing assistance to these provinces.  Matters relating to capacity and staff turnover, are dealt with in terms of the capacitation framework; and additional capacity has also been provided to these provinces.

Reply:

a) Provincial education departments have put in place the following measures to accommodate autistic learners: 

• Building schools to accommodate autistic learners;
• Accommodating them in existing special schools; and
• Introducing special classes in schools.

b) The Department of Basic Education does not have this data as it is the prerogative of Statistics South Africa. 

Reply:

The Higher Education Act (Act 101 Of 1997) as amended, does not give the Minister the authority to regulate procurement of private security services by public universities.

(a)The conduct of private security companies, including how they engage with student protesters, is regulated by the Private Security industry Regulatory Authority (PSIRA). Through the PSIRA Act of 2001, PSIRA is granted powers to "exercise effective control over the practice of the occupation of security service providers in the public and national interest", "promote a private security industry which is characterised by professionalism, transparency, accountability, equity and accessibility" as well as "promote high standards in the training of security service providers amongst others".

(b) PSIRA has developed a code of conduct and a complaints management process through which affected members of the public can lodge complaints against a security company.

Reply:

The college has received R30 000 000 to renovate hostels at Soshanguve to accommodate students from Soshanguve South and Soshanguve North. There are only three hundred (300) beds for the college therefore priority will be given to female students. The college is looking at other measures to brief security in the student residence.

Reply:

The table below reflect graduate numbers in electrical-related qualifications per year in each institution. The 2022 audited data will be available at the end of November 2023.

Year
Institution	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Cape Peninsula University of Technology	278	263	257	186	169	112	124
Central University	258	213	216	246	354	338	359
Durban University of Technology	315	369	360	363	424	458	452
Mangosuthu University of Technology	258	275	206	252	247	195	304
Nelson Mandela University	87	119	71	84	83	84	80
North-West University	74	65	44	49	57	49	67
Tshwane University of Technology	520	509	564	638	649	619	605
University of Cape Town	133	108	99	112	109	137	89
University of Johannesburg	320	338	299	374	425	286	248
University of Kwazulu-Natal	61	52	63	66	68	73	74
University of Pretoria	175	178	210	168	190	171	170
University South Africa	189	207	207	215	173	288	347
University Stellenbosch	142	145	149	175	185	170	173
University of the Witwatersrand	134	147	144	161	154	158	122
Vaal University of Technology	316	320	346	442	271	217	277
Walter Sisulu University	10	53	60	115	92	91	76
Grand Total	3269	3360	3293	3546	3647	3446	3566

Reply:

1) 90 255 

2) Yes, there is a dedicated programme for training teachers on specialised areas of inclusion. In addition, the collaborative partnership between Department of Basic Education and Department of Higher Education and Training has led to the development of specialised university qualifications in education of learners who are/have Deaf and hard of hearing (University of Witwatersrand); Visually impaired (University of Pretoria); and Neuro-developmental conditions (University of Western Cape and University of Johannesburg). 

Reply:

(1) (a) The uThukela District Municipality had originally committed to supporting the housing project through the provision of bulk infrastructure, which allowed the Provincial Department of Human Settlements to proceed with the implementation of the housing project.

During the 2020/2021 financial year, however the uThukela District Municipality indicated it was no longer in a position to honour its commitment. The district further requested that the Provincial Department of Human Settlements fund the bulk infrastructure.

1 (b) The Provincial Department of Human Settlements is currently implementing the required bulk infrastructure, which is part of the District’s function.

(2) There is no wasteful and fruitless expenditure – no one will be held accountable. The houses are structurally sound, and on completion of the bulk infrastructure, the Department will complete the houses for beneficiaries to occupy.

Reply:

The Ministerial Task Team (MTT) on the reconfiguration of the NSF completed its work in July 2023 and presented its report with recommendations to the Minister.

The recommendations in the report for the purpose of implementation are both medium and long term in nature.

Those of a long-term nature require the amendment of certain parts of the legislation (the Skills Development Act 1998).

The Director General of DHET appointed an NSF MTT Report Implementation Task Team which has started its work through the drafting of an Implementation Plan.

The Implementation Plan is driven by five (5) workstreams who in turn have compiled disaggregated activity plans around these five (5) workstreams through target setting activities. The workstreams are:

1. Governance workstream. (Primarily addresses issues of the NSF governance and legal structure).
2. Strategy and Innovation workstream. (Primarily address the NSF skills development strategy in line with other government's skills development priorities and plans).
3. Business model, operating model, and vale chain workstream. (Primarily addresses the flow of the NSF full value chain of skills development funding which combines the core and the support function of the NSF.
4. Human Resource workstream. (Primarily addresses the recruitment, development, and support of appropriately qualified personnel).
5. Change management workstream. (Addresses the theory of change aimed at instilling a new ethical culture and value system in the NSF).

The medium-term targets are meant to be achieved by the end of the 2023/24 financial year.

The long-term targets (legislative in nature) are meant to be achieved beyond the 2023/24 financial year.

Reply:

The Department intends to deal with overcrowding in schools through a programme called Special Intervention Programme on Overcrowding in Schools (SIPOS).  The proposal involves the supply of additional classrooms to affected schools at a reduced cost and time, than it would normally cost; and take when following conversional methods of procurement and appointing service providers to reduce overcrowding in schools.  This will be done through a strict direct transfer of funds by the Provincial Education Departments (PEDs) to schools, and self-built classrooms.  Discussions are at an advanced stage with National Treasury for funding.

In the short them, in collaboration with the PEDs, we are continuing with the supply of mobile classrooms in affected schools; and we are establishing satellite schools to accommodate unplaced learners. Some specialist rooms are temporarily used as classrooms to alleviate overcrowding until the self-built programme commences.

Reply:

Yes, the Department has together with the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) facilitated partnerships with stakeholders in the private sector. This was not only with regards to prefabricated modular housing in the programme upgrading informal settlements but with regards to different types of innovative technology housing solutions such as light steel, heavy steel, hybrid material and water-wise devices in all types of settlements. This was done to fulfill the research and policy agenda with the ultimate objective of ensuring the inclusion of sustainable innovative technologies in housing and human settlements policies and programmes.

The partnership has been done in many ways including amongst others; allowing the private sector to showcase their technologies at Eric Molobi Innovation Hub in Soshanguve and creating an enabling environment for the NHBRC to undertake the testing of innovative building technologies. The Department has through these partnerships hosted several stakeholder engagements with the private sector role players, and institutions of higher learning such as the University of Free State and the University of Johannesburg who have shown keen interest in sustainable innovative building technology to develop accredited training programmes. The Department working with these role-players agreed to establish an Innovation Building Technology Task Team comprised of both private and public sector players and even advised the private sector players to form an Innovative Building Technologies (IBT) Association.

These partnership engagements focused on creating an information-sharing platform to improve knowledge and understanding regarding the advantages, disadvantages, cost implications; demand, and supply elements of various technologies that are available.

The engagements yielded inputs into the policy guidelines on IBTs, revision of norms and standards, and the development of a Dynamic IBT Database which currently has more than 40 approved IBT Systems Developers. These partnerships also contributed to streamlined processes between the NHBRC and Agrément South Africa where roles and responsibilities are solidified in a form of a memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to be signed between the NHBRC and Agrément South Africa.

More partnership engagements are still required with the private sector and the National Treasury. The Department plans to continuously engage stakeholders regarding supply chain processes and competitive bidding processes so there could be a clear understanding of business processes, policies, institutional arrangements, and interventions for the ease of doing business and there would be seamless processes of registering innovative technologies that could be used by Provinces and municipalities in the housing subsidy programme.

Additional Information

• The partnerships are not in written form
• IBT System Developers who are Agrément South Africa South Africa certified would be registered with the NHBRC.
• Provinces and Municipalities must follow supply chain processes in procuring suitable private sector companies that would construct subsidy houses.
• The process of procurement becomes difficult because the technologies are nit the same which makes the competitive bidding process flawed .
• The NHBRC has assisted various Municipalities and Provinces to build affordable housing and by advising on the technical standards, guidelines as well as training. This is also reflected on NHBRC’s previous Annual Reports.
• The following service providers were part of IBT discussions at different periods. The list is not exhaustive.
  • Moladi Construction
  • 3d Build Tech Building System ;
  • Ilima Digital Foundary;
  • Lokissa Lighting Solutions;
  • Bubbles Precast Construction System (BPCS),
  • PTW Connect;
  • David Lieberman Architects;
  • XY Innovative Housing & Communities
  • Solutionist Multiserve (Pty) Ltd;
  • Habitat Modular;
  • Agri-Village Housing Projects,
  • Isedeleke Company;
  • AV Light Steel
  • Block Solutions OY in Finland.
• Over and above these engagements the Department in collaboration with the Department of Science and Innovation developed an innovative strategy road map and launched in the past.
• This strategy entailed proposals for partnership with the Private Sector on capacity development initiatives among others prefabricated modular housing in IBT.
• The stakeholders engagements amongst other include the Black Business Council ( BBC) which made proposals on training and development and setting up knowledge hubs for Built Environment professionals.
• BBC also proposed the establishment of 34 assembly and distribution centers as part of youth entrepreneurship development.
• BBC also made a proposals for Manufacturing development Plan and Construction Development Plan which covers training and licensing of contractors
• The Department has tasked the NHBRC to play a more prominent role in piloting IBTs in the subsidized housing sector for low-income persons in terms of the Housing Consumers Protection Measures Act, as amended (No. 95 of 1998) and contribute towards finding solutions for performance issues.
• The role of NHBRC in IBT is to quality assure enforce compliance with National Building Regulation requirements by the home builders in the home building industry.
• NHBRC has established a database of companies that are manufacturing housing products that satisfy the National Building Regulations excluding those covered in the SANS Codes of Practice.
• The process is that the NHBRC assesses whether the companies product meets necessary technical requirements in four stages namely: Submission, Technical Evaluation, Practical Evaluation, Agrément Certificate and NHBRC company Registration.

Reply:

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) received the Early Childhood Development (ECD) function 'as is' from the Department of Social Development (DSD). In the manner in which the function had been set up, which currently obtains.  There had been no ECD centres that had been built specifically for children with disabilities.  The 2021 ECD Census found that there are 42,420 ECD programmes in South Africa. Therefore, following the principle of inclusive education, it is expected that all these ECD centres should accommodate children with developmental delays, or physical disabilities. The improvements the DBE is making in this area are, the development of a screening tool for developmental delays or disabilities for use by ECD practitioners, to enable the early identification of delays or disabilities. The DBE also continues to train ECD practitioners in inclusive practices through Uhambo Foundation. The DBE will further be working with the Department of Health in developing referral networks to ensure that children with delays or disabilities receive early intervention and support. 

Reply:

The filling of posts within a department is the responsibility of the relevant Executive Authority in terms of Section 3(7) of the Public Service Act, 1994. The practice of recruitment is therefore decentralised to the relevant Executive Authority.

The Minister for the Public Service and Administration and the DPSA support departments through policy and setting of norms and standards in order to efficiently fill vacancies within the parameters of the legislative framework. The responsibility to fill such vacancies resides with the relevant Executive Authority. The questions on the selection process for the filling of the post should therefore be directed to the relevant Department.

End

Reply:

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has drilled a total number of 4 boreholes during the 2018/19 financial year funded by Water Services Infrastructure Grant (WSIG) as indicated below:

• Steenbok 1
• Mangweni 1
• Boschfontein 1
• Gomora 1

The DWS provided financial support through the WSIG to the Nkomazi Municipality for water reticulation projects to the areas of Madadeni and Magogeni in the municipality.

The DWS is also providing financial support to the municipality through the Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant (RBIG) for the implementation of the Sibange and the Driekoppies Regional Water Supply projects to improve water supply in the Nkomazi Municipality.

Reply:

a) I convened a Sector-wide Strategic Planning Session on 19 and 20 October 2021, where it was agreed among others that unblocking of incomplete projects will be amongst my apex priorities. The Department has commenced working in earnest with all relevant sector stakeholders to develop and implement a three-year programme to unblock all projects from 2022/2023 to 2024/2025 financial years.

All Provincial Departments have put in place plans to activate all the blocked projects as agreed in the Diagnostic Report. A total of 320 projects will be unblocked in the 2023/2024 financial year followed by 299 projects in the 2024/2025 financial year, as contained in the Business Plans.

b) Human Settlements is a concurrent function. Provinces and Municipalities, as implementing agents, are tasked with the responsibility of planning, appointment of service providers, approval and allocation of beneficiaries and have the responsibility to make sure that human settlements projects are secured. It is responsibility of these spheres of government to make sure that housing projects are not vandalised and as a national department, we allocate funds for this on our grant funding.

Reply:

The Department) has been working towards finding mechanisms to address the scourge of violence on campuses and residences. Following several engagements with the sector the Department undertook to develop a programme of engagement with all relevant stakeholders with the aim of developing strategic partnerships across the sector to address issues of violence and violent cultures on university campuses. This work was progressed through engagements with Universities South Africa (USAf), South African Police Service (SAPS) and Campus Protection Society of Southern Africa (CAMPROSA. The aim is to assess and understand the different threats experienced by universities and identify urgent matters that need to be addressed at institutions, including the need to improve the capacity of institutions to maintain peace and keep campuses safe and secure.

The training of security officers placed on campuses and student residences was identified as one of the areas that should be prioritised. USAf committed to work closely with SAPS and CAMPROSA to ensure that universities security officers are well trained. A training manual will be developed to ensure that training of security officers across universities is standardised. In terms of monitoring the Department has committed to meet with universities through CAMPROSA to discuss progress on training of security officers.

All universities were requested to provide some basic information to the Department detailing immediate plans to address safety and security matters, and highlighting areas that require urgent intervention to improve safety and security, including infrastructure-related projects to be prioritized. This information was scrutinized to identify projects that could be urgently funded through earmarked grants. Funds were made available to universities through the Infrastructure and Efficiency Grant towards safety and security projects over six distinct cycles. To date an amount of R519.344 million has been allocated to universities for projects aimed at improving security at universities.

The Department is also supporting the Historically Disadvantaged Institutions (HDIs) to improve institutional infrastructure and facilities including enhancing security fixtures on campuses and residences. The programme is implemented in five-year cycles, accompanied by an annual allocation of the Sibusiso Bengu Development Grant. An amount of R240 355 836 has been allocated to HDIs over a five-year period to implement the approved projects aimed at enhancing overall campus and residence safety at universities.

The projects approved under the two earmarked grants include, but not limited to, upgrading of CCTV surveillance system on various campuses and residences, improving access control technology to enable advanced access control management, installation of perimeter fencing and enhancement of lighting in certain areas of residences and campuses.

Universities submit to the Department audited progress reports of projects funded through the earmarked grants annually. It is required that each report should be accompanied by a financial and narrative report indicating the progress in implementing the funded projects. In addition, the Department also conducts institutional oversight visits to verify the information submitted to the Department, discuss the implementation progress of each project approved and funded and assist where there are blockages in implementing the projects.

The Minister has also commissioned research through the University of Zululand to assess the state of safety and security at universities in South Africa, what security measures exist on campuses, and what university management has done to promote safety and security. Amongst others, the methodological approach used was the review of universities security policies and procedures and undertaking physical audit of security infrastructure.

There is also a Ministerial commitment to establish a National Task Force on safety and security in PSET institutions. The development of the Terms of Reference for this work is underway. The Department and Heads of security of universities have also agreed to meet every quarter to assess progress with developing common security standards and norms, so as to develop a security blue print similar to that established for the TVET sector, as well as improving lighting at campuses.

Reply:

The Department of Water and Sanitation has encountered challenges with business forums that demand 30% of funds allocated for Regional Bulk infrastructure Grant (RBIG) and Water Services Infrastructure Grant (WSIG) projects be allocated to them.

The DWS through project steering committees, engages business forums to find amicable solutions to address contract management matters. This is spearheaded by different implementing agents and supported by the Ministry, and senior officials of the Department. Where necessary, the Department will request police protection for its staff, and/or provide private security protection.

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Reply:

The Matjhabeng Local Municipality (LM) has challenges of aged and dilapidated infrastructure leading to frequent pipe bursts which contribute to high water losses and reduced pressure in the reticulation system. The municipality is estimated to be losing more than 56% of clean water due to the frequent pipe bursts and aged infrastructure. The municipality is further challenged by a high percentage of non-revenue water which contributes to financial losses for the municipality.

To deal with the challenges indicated above, the Matjhabeng LM has compiled a business plan for replacement of old asbestos and old galvanized pipes with an estimated cost of R1,4billion. The plan was submitted to the Infrastructure South Africa (ISA). However, the municipality was also advised to submit a business plan to the Department of Water and Sanitation for implementation of water conservation and water demand management while awaiting the response from ISA. Should funding for the business plan be secured, implementation of this business plan would reduce the high water losses and improve water supply to the consumers.

To further remedy the challenges relating to water losses and non-revenue water the following interventions are being implemented by the municipality:

• Procurement of over six thousand (6,000) water meters in the 2022/2023 FY to start addressing the issue of unmetered consumers and to improve on revenue collection.
• Appointment of qualified Civil Engineers, Technologists, Technicians and thirty (30) qualified artisan plumbers and
• Purchasing of four (4) new heavy equipment vehicles (TLBs) to assist in water network maintenance and pipe bursts.
• In the 2023/2024 FY, the technical service will run the following water business programmes:
  • Pressure management to reduce pipe bursts and water losses
  • Non-Revenue Water Management to reduce water loses and improve revenue collection
  • Installation of the SCADA System to measure and monitor water losses in the reticulation system
  • Active leak detections to locate invisible pipe bursts
• The municipality will also appoint a suitable Professional Services Provider (PSP) to develop a Water Demand and Water Conservation Management (WDWCM) Strategy as a fundamental step in promoting water use efficiency and to be compliant with both the Water Services Act and the National Water Act, Act 36 0f 1998, which together emphasizes effective management of water resources and supply services.

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Reply:

1. Total number of students accommodated by universities are approximately 367 047.
2. Total number of students accommodated by private student residences are approximately 335 387.

CAPE PENINSULA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY	University owned	Private Owned
Not Private	23 641
Private		4 034
UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN
Not Private	12 177
Private		1 920
UNIVERSITY OF STELLENBOSCH
Not Private	6 208
Private		4 892
UNIVERSITY OF THE WESTERN CAPE
Not Private	4 970
Private		7 920
GAUTENG PROVINCE
TSHWANE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
Not Private	41 395
Private		31 137
UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG
Not Private	6 511
Private		61 149
UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA
Not Private	7 603
Private		28 595
UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND
Not Private	8 559
Private		18 238
SEFAKO MAKGATHO HEALTH SCIENCES UNIVERSITY
Not Private	-
Private		5 193
VAAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
Not Private	6 325
Private		18 956
FREE STATE PROVINCE
CENTRAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
Not Private	1 026
Private		21 244
UNIVERSITY OF FREE STATE
Not Private	3 662
Private		46 330
KWAZULU-NATAL PROVINCE
DURBAN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
Not Private	34 372
Private		2 773
MANGOSUTHU UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
Not Private	23 888
Private		-
UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU NATAL
Not Private	35 399
Private		4 762
UNIVERSITY OF ZULULAND
Not Private	1 260
Private		8 340
EASTERN CAPE PROVINCE
NELSON MANDELA METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY
Not Private	17 402
Private		18 296
RHODES UNIVERSITY
Not Private	6 983
Private		3 225
UNIVERSITY OF FORT HARE
Not Private	16 267
Private		5 806
WALTER SISULU UNIVERSITY
Not Private	38 455
Private		-
NORTH-WEST PROVINCE
NORTH-WEST UNIVERSITY
Not Private	13 928
Private		31 079
NORTHERN CAPE PROVINCE
SOL PLAATJE UNIVERSITY
Not Private	4 336
Private		1 242
LIMPOPO PROVINCE
UNIVERSITY OF LIMPOPO
Not Private	31 786
Private		-
UNIVERSITY OF VENDA
Not Private	10 166
Private		9 816
MPUMALANGA PROVINCE
UNIVERSITY OF MPUMALANGA
Not Private	10 728
Private		440

3. Government is unable to address the student housing shortage on its own. The student accommodation deficit requires us to partner with Emerging/Small Private Student Accommodation Providers, Established/Large Student Accommodation Providers, Development Finance Institutions, and Commercial Banks. This is why in 2016, the Department established the Student Housing Infrastructure Programme (SHIP) which aims to converge these stakeholders in order to leverage on their resources and expertise for the purpose of addressing the student housing shortage. Considering the above, there are no plans to reduce private student accommodation. Instead, plans are underway to strengthen the regulation of the student accommodation market by reviewing the 2015 Policy on Minimum Norms and Standards for Student Housing.

Reply:

a) The role of the Department of Cooperative Governance (DCOG), like all other provincial and national departments, is to support and strengthen municipalities to perform their functions in accordance with section 154 of the Constitution. In situations where municipalities fail to perform their functions, despite the support mentioned above, the provincial executive in local government may intervene by taking any appropriate steps in terms of section 139 of the Constitution. If a provincial executive does not adequately perform the functions, the national executive must intervene in terms of section 139 (7) of the Constitution.

The Theewaterskloof Local Municipality (TLM) will only start planning for the sustainable provision of basic services to the communities occupying land on Knoflokskraal, that is earmarked for forestry plantations and not human settlement, after a response expected by 19 May 2023 by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) on whether continued occupation will be allowed. The commitment by DPWI to provide the response emanated from a community meeting that was held on 25 March 2023 on the occupied land on Knoflokskraal.

b) DCOG is leading on the implementation of the District Development Model (DDM) to ensure alignment of all of government plans, budgeting and implementation of programmes and projects. The DDM ensures that the planning undertaken by a municipality for provision of municipal services, among other issues, is aligned with the development plans of other organs of state as provided for on Section 24(1) of the Municipal Systems Act, No. 32 of 2000 and to give effect to the principles of co-operative government contained in section 41 of the Constitution.

End.

Reply:

The Department makes every effort to ensure that the subsidies are paid to NPOs on time so that they can deliver their essential services to the communities they operate. In the past there were significant delays with the processing of payments due to various reasons from the Department, the NPOs and budget cuts which impact on service delivery. However, for the current financial year Provinces paid the NPOs on time.

Where there were delays it is due to non-submission of documents, and non-compliance by the NPOs. As per February 2023, the status of funding NPOs is as follows:

PROVINCE	NPOs RECOMMENDED	PAID	% PAID
Eastern Cape	1 234	1 234	100 %
Free State	757	634	84 %
Gauteng	1 924	1 852	96 %
KwaZulu-Natal	1 070	1 030	96 %
Limpopo	798	770	97 %
Mpumalanga	638	607	95 %
Northern Cape	442	401	91 %
North-West	372	281	76 %
Western Cape	1 149	1 132	99 %
TOTAL	8 384	7 941	95 %

The Department is currently developing an NPO System that will automate the various stages of funding processes and this will contribute to improving the payment of transfers.

Reply:

1. (a) According to PERSAL data as at 31 December 2022, the total number of funded posts that are currently vacant in the Public Service stood at 166 365.

b) The breakdown of the specified number of vacant funded posts nationally and in each provincial department is presented (as at 31 December 2022) in the attached Annexure A.

National	38 151
Provinces
Eastern Cape	31 062
Free State	2 849
Gauteng	23 687
KwaZulu-Natal	22 267
Limpopo	13 226
Mpumalanga	6 336
North West	10 564
Northern Cape	5 186
Western Cape	13 037

2.(a) Departments have in the past reported the following causes and challenges that cause delays in the filling of vacancies:

(i) Managing the prioritisation of posts to be filled due to budget constraints or reprioritization of funds.

(ii) Competition with private sector with regard to appointment of registered OSD professionals and technicians. It was mentioned that it is not easy to recruit and attract some of those skills due to scarcity in the job market in line with the inherent job requirements. Current serving staff under this category are not keen to register, which further hampers existing staff mobility and utilization in higher level posts.

(iii) The departments have previously raised the matter of internal and external administrative challenges, which ultimately delay the finalisation of appointments. The prescribed pre-employment verifications were also raised. However, departments did not provide substantive proof of such delays.

(iv) There has been a process of settling down following the determinations issued regarding merged departments impacted by the National Macro-Organisation of Government. The affected departments were required to develop macro-structures and finalise placements as per Resolution 1 of 2019.

(b) In terms of Regulation 65(7) of the Public Service Regulations,2016 a funded vacant post shall be advertised within six (6) months after becoming vacant and be filled within twelve months after becoming vacant.

End

Reply:

During February 2022, Interpol South Africa issued a Red Notice pertaining to Messrs Gupta. The Red Notice was forwarded to the UAE via the official police channel.

The Department was informed that Mr Atul Kumar Gupta and Mr Rajesh Kumar Gupta were arrested by the authorities of UAE during June 2022. The exact date of arrest is unknown to the Department.

On 6 June 2022, the UAE Ministry of the Interior’s Directorate General for the Federal Criminal Police in Abu Dhabi informed the National Criminal Bureau, Interpol Pretoria, that abovementioned suspects were arrested in the UAE. The authorities in the UAE followed this up with a Note Verbale dated 6 June 2022, informing the Minister that the suspects have been arrested and requesting the Department, as Central Authority to forward the official extradition request to the UAE.

The Department was not granted access to the Gupta brothers and was not furnished with mug shots of them.

Reply:

Regulation 7(6) of the Social Assistance Regulations of 2022 places an obligation on the caregiver to ensure that a child between the ages of 7 and 18 is enrolled and attends school or an educational institution. Such proof has to be provided to SASSA upon approval of the Child Support Grant. However, the Department has observed that the enforcement of this provision is not feasible.

To close this gap, the Department has developed a draft policy on integration of children’s grants with services amongst others, education, health and early childhood development. The draft policy emphasises the need of building linkages between children’s grants and other developmental services for children. The approval of the policy and amendment of the legislation will enable the Department to share data with the Department of Basic Education (DBE) amongst others. In this manner, the Department will be empowered to monitor and track school attendance in compliance with the regulations. Consultations on the draft policy will be concluded by the end of the 2023/24 financial year and processes to seek Cabinet approval of the draft policy will be initiated in the next financial year (2023/2024).

Reply:

(1) PetroSA has indicated that the rand value of prepayments are as follows:

(a)(i) R4,083,366,060.00

(ii) None

(iii) None

(b) Volume of diesel

(2) See attached table

(a) The main discrepancy in shipping diesel or petroleum products is due to allowance for temperature differentials, undischargeable product, product remaining in the ship’s lines and the potential for apparent losses due to evaporation.

(b) Yes, if there are any product shortfalls or over delivery the balance is recovered or reimbursed.

Reply:

a) The provincial DSD Heads of Departments in all nine provinces were sent invitation letters to participate in the Development of the Victim Support Services Regulations Workshop. Furthermore, as part of the criteria, the Department invited stakeholders from the Justice Crime Prevention Security (JCPS) cluster, the Social Protection Community and Human Development (SPCHD) cluster, and the National Civil Society Organisation operating in the Sector;

b) The DSD is in possession of the names of persons who participated in the consultations on the development of the Draft Victim Support Services (VSS) Regulations however, (i) all the departmental consultation workshops must comply with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). Hence names of persons who were in attendance cannot be shared, (ii) National Organisations that were in attendance from Civil Society were Child Line South Africa, National Shelter Movement and National Institute Community Development and Management (NICDAM). The Government Departments were, National Prosecution Authority (NPA) and the South African Police Services (SAPS).

c) Below are Provincial DSD teams who were in attendance:

• Gauteng
• North West
• Free State
• Eastern Cape
• Western Cape
• Northern Cape
• Mpumalanga

The Free State and Limpopo Province could not attend or even connect virtually. (Most of the provinces joined the session virtually via the zoom platform).

d) The purpose of consultation workshop was the development of the Draft VSS Regulations. This is an ongoing process pending the finalization of the VSS Bill. The Draft VSS Regulations document is in place for further consultations and the second round of the consultation workshops will extend to Provincial CSOs and Local CSOs in the next financial year, 2023/24.

Reply:

a) The current status of the project per province is as follows:

Province	Local Office	Current Status
Eastern Cape	East London	100% Complete - System Live
	Queenstown	90% Complete - QMS equipment delivered, installed and configured
Free State	Bloemfontein	70% Complete - Supplier of QMS equipment appointed
	Qwaqwa	70% Complete - Supplier of QMS equipment appointed
Gauteng	Roodepoort	100% Complete System Live
	Johannesburg	100% Complete System Live
Kwazulu-Natal	Durban	70% Complete - Supplier of QMS equipment appointed
	Osizweni	70% Complete - Supplier of QMS equipment appointed
Limpopo	Seshego	70% Complete - Supplier of QMS equipment appointed
	Giyani	70% Complete - Supplier of QMS equipment appointed
Mpumalanga	Mbombela	80% Complete- Awaiting delivery of QMS equipment
	Emalahleni	80% Complete Awaiting delivery of QMS equipment
Northern Cape	Tlhokomelo	100% Complete System Live
	Upington	100% Complete System Live
North-West	Mahikeng	90% Complete - Equipment delivered and Installed
	Rustenburg	90% Complete - Equipment delivered and Installed
Western Cape	Gugulethu	60% Complete- Finalization of Procurement
	Athlone	60% Complete - Finalization of Procurement

(b) The names and addresses of the two local offices in each province where the system was piloted are as follows:

Province	Local Office	Physical Address
Eastern Cape	East London	34 Argyle Street, East London CBD
	Queenstown	Sanlam Building, 10 Hexagon Street, Komani
Free State	Bloemfontein	Cnr. Aliwal and Saint Andrews Street, Bloemfontein
	Qwaqwa	Old Post Office Building, De Beeld Road, QwaQwa
Gauteng	Roodepoort	40 Hoofde Street, Roodepoort, JHB
	Johannesburg	1 De Villiers Street, JHB CBD
Kwazulu-Natal	Durban	65 Masabalala Yengwa Avenue, Durban, PRASA Building
	Osizweni	4181 Ob31 St, Osizweni A,
Limpopo	Seshego	7946 Stand St, Seshego A,Seshego,0751 Coordinates: S23.854040, E29.39481
	Giyani	387 Giy A 3 St,Giyani Unit A,Giyani,0826 Coordinates: S23.31658 E30.72114
Mpumalanga	Mbombela	10 Paul Kruger, Nelspruit
	Emalahleni	Gerry Mann Building, Athlone street, Emalahleni CBD
Northern Cape	Tlhokomelo	776 Corner Letsholo & Matanzima Street. Mankuruwane. Kimberly
	Upington	38 Schroder Street. Upington.
North-West	Mahikeng	7 First Street, Industrial Site, Mafikeng
	Rustenburg	18 Heystek Street, Rustenburg
Western Cape	Gugulethu	Social Development Building Cnr NY3 and Steve Biko Streets Gugulethu GPS: -33.987025, 18.567991
	Athlone	Melofin Center 94 Old Klipfontein Road Athlone GPS: -33,960645, 18,502246

(c) No service provider was appointed to develop the new QMS system. The system was developed in-house by SASSA.

(d) The expenditure for the set-up of the pilot project in each office is as follows:

Province	Local Office	Detailed Expenditure
Eastern Cape	East London	R 171 918.91
	Queenstown	R 80 580.50
Free State	Bloemfontein	R 52 250.00
	Qwaqwa	R 62 200.00
Gauteng	Roodepoort	R 147 257.50
	Johannesburg	R 210 266.00
Kwazulu-Natal	Durban	R 229 792.39
	Osizweni	R 202 726.24
Limpopo	Seshego	R 184 587.39
	Giyani	R 184 587.39
Mpumalanga	Mbombela	R 276 008.89 for both offices
	Emalahleni
Northern Cape	Tlhokomelo	R 98 802.45
	Upington	R 95 589.00
North-West	Mahikeng	R 243 900.00 - for both offices
	Rustenburg
Western Cape	Gugulethu	To be confirmed once the procurement process is finalised
	Athlone	To be confirmed once the procurement process is finalised
Total		R 2 180 879.41

Reply:

a) SASSA is up to date with all assessments and payments for the COVID-19 SRD. There are, however, a number of clients that could not be paid due to challenges with their payment method. These include:

• No payment method details were added to the application / provided by the client. The client is required to upload payment details.
• Payment method failed verification.  This could be due to incorrect account details or due to the fact that the account does not belong directly to the client. This requires the client to either correct their details or supply a new payment method.
• The largest area of failed verifications are those who selected payments to their mobile number.

(i) There is currently a challenge with the cash send verification process as the contract for this has expired and SASSA is in the process of following a formal procurement process. However, since the vast majority of these assessments fail due to the cell phone numbers provided not being RICA’d, clients are advised to use a different payment channel such as providing their banking details. Those who have been previously approved and paid through this specific mobile payment channel will continue to be paid.

• A small number of clients are on “referred status”. These are approved applications that cannot be paid due to a challenge with identity verification i.e. ID number has been confirmed to have been used in fraudulent matters such as Identity theft. The clients have been advised and a process has been put in place for clients to confirm their identity through a biometric verification process.
• There are about half a million clients who have not yet complied with FICA requirements on their Postbank accounts. Clients are required to finalise this FICA process or to upload alternative banking details, to enable payments.

b) As these challenges (in most part) require action on the part of the client, it is not possible to provide a date on when all clients will be paid. Once the client’s payment method is corrected by the client, and verified, SASSA will be able to effect payment to the client.

Reply:

1. No. The department does not determine to councilors and/or municipalities where they should hold their meetings.

The response below was provided by Matatiele Local Municipality:

2. Yes

a) Garden Court Umhlanga

b) R1, 177, 895. 20

End.

Reply:

a) The NDA, through the Department of Social Development (DSD), was allocated R95 million from the Department of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Criminal Asset Recovery Account (CARA) fund to fund 312 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to support victims of GBVF in communities across all 9 provinces. To date, a total of 297 CSOs have received funding for implementation of the project of supporting victims of GBVF. Each CSO received funding up to R300 000 depending on the experience and capacity to implement the GBVF support programme. During the assessment of CSOs capacities, seventy-eight (78) of these CSOs were found to be lacking capacity in governance, financial management and project management. These CSOs have been put on a mentoring and coaching programme to build their capacity on these areas. Special effort by the NDA and CSOs have been made to ensure that the GBVF hotspots Districts are all covered by the interventions provided by the CSOs.

The CSOs approved were through request for proposals (RFP) nationally, without a condition that they must be operating in hotspots identified by the SAPS. However, some of the CSOs who responded to the RFP were based in some of the hotspots identified by SAPS. The funding was based on preventative programmes which includes, awareness, workshops, home visits, referrals, shelters, paralegal support, abuse of grant recipients, counselling, therapy, child violence and court cases. To date, a total of 913 952 victims of gender-based violence have been reached through the Programme.

The table below indicates the number of funded CSOs and the number of GBVF victims supported by the programme per Province:

Activities	KwaZulu Natal	Limpopo	Free State	Gauteng	Eastern Cape	Northern Cape	Mpumalanga	Western Cape	Total
Awareness/Advocacy	27290	15747	73	792548	1825	3341	8464	1370	850 658
Child Victims	1069	614	50	171	316	23	61	37	3781
Therapy	2335	521	34	291	16	15	20	549	3422
Counselling	3630	1664	247	1015	761	167	1582	139	9205
Referrals	964	1703	167	221	423	167	321	75	4041
Home Visits	1536	2500	58	618	1329	20	1531	30	7622
Workshops	619	533	28	686	97	28	1890	1192	5073
Ex-combatants	0	13	0	0	0	0	0	0	13
Shelter	89	1298	12	101	48	21	42	17	1998
Paralegal	2	592	107	44	61	14	0	317	1137
Trauma	1244	609	30	8	93	21	53	170	2228
Emotional Abuse	1441	799	99	340	282	7	196	268	3432
Financial/Grant Abuse	146	341	0	199	141	0	67	10	904
Physical Abuse	685	1019	138	180	216	6	176	130	2188
Substance Abuse	1537	285	0	68	238	4	56	10	2188
Sexual Abuse	571	333	62	64	376	28	159	17	1610
Economic Programme	301	88	0	284	30	0	45	10	758
Domestic Violence	33	57	91		35	45	64	12	337
Conflict & Mediation	7	35	47		67	33	101		189
Uncontrollable Child			4			171			175
Social Media						12983			12983
Nutrition						171			171
Total	43 499	28 751	1 247	796 838	6 354	17 265	14 828	4 353	913 952

The NDA appointed VPK Business Venture (Pty) and Makhophila Training service providers through SCM process to render mentorship and coaching to CSOs identified and funded in the programme.

The table below indicates the number of approved CSOs per Province and the rand value of the funding by Province:

Province	No. of CSOs approved by Board for funding	Total value of approved funding
Gauteng	60	17 200 000
*Eastern Cape	67	15 900 000
Western Cape	23	6 900 000
Mpumalanga	37	10 500 000
Free State	20	5 700 000
Northern Cape	13	3 400 000
North West	9	2 300 000
Limpopo	57	16 200 000
KZN	26	7 500 000
	312	85 600 000
* Adjusted approval	85 700 000

 

An additional 36 CSOs have been verified and recommended for funding to provide additional support for GBVF. These will be funded from the balance from the funding that the NDA received from DSD for this project. The 36 CSOs will commence with the implementation of the project in April 2023.

The additional 36 CSOs recommended for funding comes from all nine provinces and are listed in the table below:

 

Province	No of CSOs
Gauteng	6
Eastern Cape	6
Western Cape	3
Mpumalanga	5
Free State	3
Northern Cape	4
North West	2
Limpopo	1
KwaZulu Natal	6
Total	36

b) The NDA undertook an evaluation of the programme in the current financial year to evaluate all the aspects of the programme, a draft report was submitted at the end of February 2023, we are currently finalising the report which will be concluded by the end of March 2023. The recommendations of this report will be used as lessons to improve and enhance the quality of services to GBVF victims as we continue with this programme. In addition, the Department of Social Development has integrated the implementation of the National Strategic Plan on Gender Based Violence and Femicide into its Annual Performance Plans and Operational Plans which allocated the budget accordingly. We are in the process of engaging the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development to request for another CARA funding to sustain the funded Civil Society Organisations for provision of GBVF services has commenced. Furthermore, DSD is engaging more donors and private businesses to fund Gender Based Violence and Femicide related projects in line with National Strategic Plan on Gender Based Violence and Femicide. Donors such as the European Commission and First Rand Foundation have responded positively to this call and the process of finalising the funding agreements are underway.

Reply:

The response below was provided by the provincial departments of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs from the various provinces. Out of the 9 provinces, 7 provinces have submitted responses. We are still awaiting responses from KwaZulu Natal and North West provinces. A total of 35 municipalities have been issued with Section 106 notices since 1 January 2019. The details are provided below:

Province	Total no of municipalities.	Service provider appointed to investigate.	Total cost paid to service provider.
Eastern Cape	15	15 Section 106 notices issued since 2019. Out of the 15, 14 of the investigations were conducted internally. Service provider appointed  was Integrated Forensic Accounting Firm (Buffalo City Metro).	R750 000.00
Free State	5	5 Section 106 notices issued. All investigations were done internally, as such no service provider was appointed.	N/A
Gauteng	2	2 Section 106 notices issued since 2019. Service provider appointed for both was Adv. William Mokhare SC, assisted by two Junior Advocates. (i)   Sedibeng DM; and (ii) Rand West LM.	R 4 869 362.06.
KwaZulu Natal	Still awaiting response from the province.	N/A	N/A
Limpopo	6	6 Section 106 notices issued since 2019. All investigations were done internally, as such no service provider was appointed.	N/A
Mpumalanga	7	7 Section 106 notices issued since 2019, conducted by service providers listed below: (i) AGNOWIZ (Dr JS Moroka LM); (ii) TMN Kgomo & Associates Inc ( Pixley Ka Isaka Seme LM); (iii) Motlatsiseleke Inc (Govan Mbeki LM); (iv) SAMBA Solutions (Dipaleseng LM); (v) Motlatsiseleke Inc (Nkomazi LM); (vi) Analytical Forensic Investigation Services (Emalahleni LM); and (vii) RCA & Company (Bushbuckridge LM)	(i) AGNOWIZ (R456 205.00) (ii) TMN Kgomo & Associates Inc (R495 650.00) (iii)Motlatsiseleke Inc (R498 950.00) (iv) SAMBA Solutions (R953 748.00) (v) Motlatsiseleke Inc (R498 950.00) (vi) Analytical Forensic Investigation Services (R787 228.00) (vii) RCA & Company (R885 753.00).
North West	Still awaiting response from the province.	N/A	N/A
Northern Cape	No Section 106 notices issued since 2019.	N/A	N/A
Western Cape	5	6 Section 106 notices issued since 2019, conducted by service providers (persons designated) listed below: (i) Ms Annelita Mentoor & Mr Anthony Botha; and Adv Etienne Vermaak, Ms Annelita Mentoor & Mr Pieter Van Hansen (George LM); (ii) Ms Carmelita Beerwinkel & Mr Marius Pretorius (Central Karoo DM); (iii) Ms Deirdre Viljoen & Mr Marc Diergaardt (Kannaland LM); (iv) Adv Charl Strydom & Ms Estelle Mynhardt (Matzikama LM); and (v) Mr Charl Gerber & Ms Nimerah Singh (Beaufort West LM)	(i) Ms Annelita Mentoor & Mr Anthony Botha (R1 479 356.20); and Adv Etienne Vermaak, Ms Annelita Mentoor & Mr Pieter Van Hansen (R1 833 050.00). (ii) Ms Carmelita Beerwinkel & Mr Marius Pretorius (R908 050.00); (iii) Ms Deirdre Viljoen & Mr Marc Diergaardt (R714 999.00); (iv) Adv Charl Strydom & Ms Estelle Mynhardt (R1 203 585.00); and (v) Mr Charl Gerber & Ms Nimerah Singh (R1 110 500.00)

 End.

Reply:

The Department was informed that the extradition proceedings in the UAE have not been concluded.

The National Prosecuting Authority indicated that they will await the final decision by the Government of the UAE on the extradition application and only then decide what appropriate legal actions, if any, will be taken further.

Reply:

1.(a) The total assessment backlog picture inclusive of all the provinces, stands at 2 818 as of 18 March 2023.

CLIENTS AWAITING ASSESSMENTS
Region	Awaiting  Assessments	Awaiting ≥ 30 days (Backlogs)
Eastern Cape	2464	30
Free State	2212	32
Gauteng	5084	238
Kwa Zulu-Natal	6246	470
Limpopo	3608	67
Mpumalanga	2956	77
Northern Cape	2521	4
North West	2040	207
Western Cape	7297	1693
TOTAL	34428	2818

(b) A total of 232 505 Temporary Disability Grants has lapsed between April 2022 and February 2023.

Number of Temporary disability grants lapsed between April 2022 and February 2023
Region	Number of TDGs per month of lapsing
	Apr 22	May 22	June 22	July 22	Aug 22	Sept22	Oct 22	Nov 22	Dec 22	Jan 23	Feb 23	Total
EC		1 237	1 261	1 010	506	418	1976	1713	1153	1351	1079	11 704
FS	1 599	1 387	1 231	1 553	1 680	1600	1750	1160	1448	2082	2299	17 789
GP	3 372	2 348	1 946	2 656	3 118	2867	3254	2460	2853	4023	5254	34 151
KZN		3 766	2 858	4 335	4 245	3880	4663	3499	4045	5209	5259	41 759
LP	767	1 467	1 692	1 975	2 007	1835	1863	1303	2348	3555	3950	22 762
MP		1 330	1 330	1 409	1 599	1260	1308	984	1154	1712	2206	14 292
NC	1 877	1 754	1 574	2 052	2 288	1969	2064	1819	1478	2369	2516	21 760
NW	1 330	1 159	1 159	1 270	1 278	1113	1138	952	1075	1383	1309	13 166
WC	6 481	5 328	3 879	4 755	4 635	4282	4974	4531	3713	5467	7083	55 128
Total	15 426	19 776	16 924	21 015	21 356	19224	22990	18421	19267	27151	30955	232 505

(c) SASSA has contracted a total of 315 doctors across the country, however, it should be noted that for the Western Cape Region, assessments are largely conducted through Service Level Agreements held with the Districts Health Care System. In the WC Tertiary, Secondary and Districts Hospitals also undertake assessments to in-patients clients deemed to be meeting the eligibility criteria prior to their discharge. Regional Distribution of doctors as below:

Number of Assessment Doctors Per Region
Region	No. of doctors
Eastern Cape	30
Free State	32
Gauteng	49
KwaZulu-Natal	74
Limpopo	49
Mpumalanga	25
Northern Cape	26
North West	19
Western Cape	11
TOTAL	315

(d ) A total of 3 502 appointments were made through the Online platform from April 2022 until February 2023 and the system has been highly efficient where clients elected to utilize it to make assessment bookings.

(e ) SASSA has an institutionalized backlog Strategy that is activated upon realization of risk of backlog build up, this may include:

• Booking System (EMAST) red-flagging clients that are booked in a backlog fashion at point of booking (Pro-active flagging of clients wherein the difference between the booking and scheduled assessment dates is more than 30 days defined as a backlog);
• Ferrying assessors from far flung areas into backlog prone areas to undertake assessments;
• Increasing assessment seating frequencies and number of assessors per seating;
• Increasing the number of assessments an assessor may conduct per assessment seating (This requires a prior approval from the GM for Grants Administration in Regions); and  
• As a last resort the Agency has endorsed paper-based assessments in certain parts of the Western Cape in instances wherein there is sufficient/ adequate clinical information for such format of an assessment to take place (Prior Approval for this format of assessment is required from the GM for Grants Administration).
• Recruitment of additional doctors through the publication of Tender Bids, especially in the Western Cape Region. The region is currently exploring placing another Tender Bid subsequent to a poor response to the previous Bid;
• Engaging the Western Cape Public Health System/ clinicians on the eligibility criteria so as to empower them on conducting of social assistance assessments and lobbying them to undertake assessments on inpatients prior to discharge instead of referring clients to seek assessments bookings on their own subsequent to discharge (Clinician initiated Assessments in clients with a high likelihood of qualification and the Tag Strategy is “Why Refer When you can Assess”.    

Reply:

a) The lease agreement for the Pretoria local office as requested is attached as Annexure A.

b) The rates per square metre are within market related prices.

Office Name	Square Meter	Price per square meter
Pretoria Local Office Centprop Properties	Office Space: 878 Parking bays 10	Office Space: R102.81/m2 Parking: R628.09

c) Directors and/or members of Centpret Properties

Company Name	Directors	Position
i) Centprop Properties	Jeffrey Percy	Wapnick	Director
	Elize	Greeff	Company Secretary
	Anabela	Vieira	Director

 

Reply:

On 6 June 2022, the UAE Ministry of the Interior’s Directorate General for the Federal Criminal Police in Abu Dhabi informed the National Criminal Bureau, Interpol Pretoria, that Mr Atul Kumar Gupta and Mr Rajesh Kumar Gupta were arrested in the UAE. The authorities in the UAE followed this up with a Note Verbale dated 6 June 2022, informing the Minister that the suspects have been arrested.

The Department was further informed during an official visit to the Central Authority of the UAE that the Gupta brothers remain incarcerated in prison, but the exact details were not disclosed, as this is not standard practice in the UAE to disclose this information.

Reply:

a) SASSA has commenced planning for the rolling out of alternative power supply country wide. The first phase will start at the beginning of the 2023/24 financial year and the second phase at the third quarter of the same financial year.

During the first phase, an appropriate alternative power supply will be considered for each local office, e.g., generator, solar, backup power, etc. For implementation of the phase, SASSA has identified ninety (90) critical local offices country wide (ten per region). However, in the medium term, SASSA plans to develop a strategy to roll out alternative power supply in all local offices across the country.

It is anticipated that the procurement processes for the first phase will be finalised by the end of the second quarter (30 September 2023). The second phase which involves the initial rollout will commence by 01 October 2023. This process will be completed before end of the 2023/24 financial year.

Due to the emerging national crisis, a task team has been established to focus on priorities and develop a strategy for implementation of alternative power supply roll out for 2024/25 financial year. This will ensure that scaling up is in line with the strategy and also allow for sufficient funds to be secured for this project.

b) An amount of R44 million is budgeted for in 2023/24 financial year. R29 million of the funds will be utilised to secure alternative power supply and R14 million will be used for local office improvements which will include, physical accessibility, branding, provision of dignity services and network connectivity for 54 offices.

It is important to note the needs of each office are unique therefore assessments must be done for all offices to ensure specifications are accurate before the supply chain processes begin.

The strategy will inform the second phase (2024/25) of the roll out which will also determine the allocation and availability of funds.

Reply:

a) On 6 June 2022, the UAE Ministry of the Interior’s Directorate General for the Federal Criminal Police in Abu Dhabi informed the National Criminal Bureau, Interpol Pretoria, that abovementioned suspects were arrested in the UAE. The authorities in the UAE followed this up with a Note Verbale dated 6 June 2022, informing the Minister that the suspects have been arrested and requesting the Department, as Central Authority to forward the official extradition request to the UAE as soon as possible.

b) The formal extradition request was delivered by South Africa to the authorities in the UAE on 25 July 2022.

c) The Director-General of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, in his capacity as the Central Authority, wrote to His Excellency Addullah bin Sultan bin Awad Al Nuaimi, the Minister of Justice in the UAE, in September 2022 as a follow up to the request.

d) During October 2022, the Central Authority travelled to the UAE to meet with Judge Al Balushi, and other representatives from the UAE Central Authority, including the prosecutor who is attending to the extradition request in Dubai. Judge Al Balushi was requested to keep the South African Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Department abreast of developments.

e) As directed by the Central Authority, on 16 January 2023, the South African Embassy in Abu Dhabi directed a Note Verbale to the Ministry of Justice requesting to be informed regarding the current status of the extradition request. The Embassy has indicated that they are waiting for a formal response from the Ministry of Justice in the UAE.

f) On 20 February 2023, the Central Authority addressed a further letter to His Excellency Addullah bin Sultan bin Awad Al Nuaimi, referring to his previous correspondence and again requesting a written update on the extradition proceedings of Mr Rajesh Gupta and Mr Atul Gupta.

g) The Department has not yet been favoured with a response by the authorities in the UAE, and the issue is being pursued via the diplomatic route, where DIRCO has been requested to arrange a meeting with His Excellency Ambassador Mahash Saeed Alhameli, the UAE Ambassador to South Africa in order to discuss the Gupta matter.

 

Reply:

a) Botshabelo Local Office is accommodated in Reahola Complex, which is shared with other private businesses. The lease agreement for the Local Office was signed by National Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) on behalf of the Agency. The landlord (Basfour 3324 (PTY) LTD) procures electricity from Centlec and supplies all the business units in the complex, including the SASSA office. The landlord has installed separate meters for each business site and bills tenants including DPWI (to recover usage costs for the SASSA Office). DPWI in turn recovers the paid electricity costs from SASSA.

It is important to note that the complex did not have electricity for three (3) working days starting from Thursday, 09 February 2023 to Monday, 13 February due to a technical failure of an electrical cable which Centlec has since repaired and services were restored on Monday, 13 February 2023.

The same applies with Mangaung Metro and there are no amounts due by SASSA.

There are no outstanding debts to settle.

Reply:

1. A total of 6,225 mothers and fathers under the age of 18 years have received the Child Support Grant in the past five (5) years for one child, that is, from 2018/19 financial year to end of February 2023. A provincial breakdown is depicted in the table below:

b) A total of 221 mothers and fathers under the age of 18 years have received the Child Support Grant for more than one child, during the past five years. A provincial breakdown is depicted in the table below:

2. The following programmes are rendered to teen parents:

• Active Parenting of Teenagers- The main aim is to improve communication between parents and teenagers, a lack of which has a potential of breaking up relationships and creating unnecessary tension between parents and their teenagers, which often leads to delinquent behavior.
• Sinovuyo Teen Parent Programme- The purpose is to improve caregiver-teen relationship through active social learning, improving mental health through social support and improving communication about risky situations for teens in the community.
• Teenage Parents Programme- The aim is to explore the challenges around this area, support systems and the kind of support social workers can render to teenage parents through group work initiatives to enable them to be effective parents to their children.

In addition the following Frameworks have been developed to guide implementation of parenting programmes:

• Integrated Parenting Framework- The Framework was designed to address the issue of lack of effective parenting within families which could lead to the abuse and the neglect of children
• Fatherhood strategy- The Strategy was designed to revive and promote the role of fathers as protectors and providers within families because parenting is the role of both parents.

Reply:

(i) The department has taken the following steps to put a stop to social media pages, such as Facebook where persons are selling children, thereby bypassing legal adoption processes are as follows:

(a) Continuous education and awareness-raising programmes in a form of webinars, radio talk shows, twitter space discussions in order to increase understanding of online use, advantages and risks as well as abuse taking place on online platforms, violating the rights of children. These awareness and education programmes target the general public, including children, child ambassadors and caregivers.

(b) The department closely monitors and analyse social media platforms identifying and addressing complaints and matters of concern for the department, responding and referring to relevant programmes for intervention.

(c) The department collaborates and partners with government departments, non-governmental organizations, Domestic Internet Service Providers, law enforcement, privacy experts, and technology companies who assists to develop realistic mandatory regulations for filtering and formal reporting mechanisms within online platforms, including social media and instant messaging platforms. The department recently celebrated Safer Internet Day in Gqeberha in collaboration with UNICEF, Films and Publications Board, SAPS, Department of Basic Education, Communications and Digital Technology, as well as MTN.

There is also strengthened integrated response by the multi-stakeholders who are empowered with current updated knowledge and skills to recognise risky online situations and to effectively deal with challenging situations when confronted with cases of online violation of children. The partnership with helplines and hotlines facilitates reporting and response for appropriate services.

(d) The department also undertakes training and capacity building of relevant stakeholders in government and non-governmental organizations on legislation relevant to adoption services, trafficking of children and online safety of children as well as roles and responsibilities with regard to identification, reporting, referral and rendering of appropriate services in order to address online violation of children, trafficking or illegal adoption.

(e) Training on the provision of the Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Person and the Children’s Act interfaces with the legal processes of adoption, illegal methods used in trafficking and online violation of children. The specific roles and responsibilities of respective government departments and non-governmental organizations are outlined in the Guidelines for the Prevention of and response to Child Exploitation according to legislative mandates.

(f) The department is in a process of establishing the Coordinating Structure for online safety comprising of government departments, non-governmental organizations, Internet Service Providers, law enforcement, privacy experts, and technology companies.

(g) UNICEF is providing technical support to the department through appointment of secondment to DSD, to support the development and implementation of the Model of National Response for protection of children on and offline platforms, as well as the implementation of the recommendations of the Disrupting Harm Study.

Reply:

No, the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs has not been informed that the residents of the Ugu District Municipality (UDM) have been without clean water for a period of over five years. The Minister is aware of intermittent supply of water to certain areas every now and then, but not for the entire Ugu District municipal area not to have clean water for a period of over five years.

The following interventions have been taken to support Ugu District Municipality to attend to intermittent water supply to communities:

• A Municipal Infrastructure Support Intervention Plan (MSIP) for UDM was developed after Cabinet considered a State of Local Government (SOLG) report in 2021 that highlighted that UDM was deemed dysfunctional. The implementation of the MSIP, and monitoring thereof led by DCOG, has led to improvement of water supply and service delivery protests have been minimized.
• KZN COGTA seconded a Project Management Unit (PMU) comprising of Engineers and Project Managers in May 2022 to support and strengthen UDM to fast-track implementation of grant funded projects. KZN CoGTA also availed funding for strategic infrastructure projects related to provision of basic services to accelerated water provision, and for repairs and maintenance of aged infrastructure through the Accelerated Infrastructure Renewal Programme in the 2022/23 financial year.
• UDM developed a turnaround plan in June 2022 for addressing water challenges and established a Water War Room that sits every fortnight to monitor the implementation of the Water Services Turnaround Plan. The multi stakeholder Water War Room includes representatives from DCOG through the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent (MISA), the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), the provincial Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (KZN COGTA).
• MISA funded and drilled 2 boreholes completing the project in March 2023 in the uMdoni Local Municipality area benefitting 44 households. MISA has also deployed a professionally registered Civil Engineer as well as two Civil Engineering Young Graduates to support and strengthen UDM.

End.

Reply:

1. (a) and (b)

SASSA Western Cape (WC) has an Service Level Agreement (SLA) with the Consolidated Health Districts- Garden Route and Central Karoo, but it only provides for Health Practitioner initiated assessments, access to records and use of Health facilities.

SASSA WC therefore must employ its own doctors where assessments initiate from the SASSA local offices. These contracted doctors must service the Garden Route and other parts of the Central Karoo. During the current financial year, SASSA WC contracted 4 doctors to the following Garden Route areas:

Service Area	No. of Servicing Dr/s
i) George	1
ii) Pacaltsdorp	1
iii) Mossel Bay	1
iv) Plettenberg Bay/ Knysna	1

2. (a) The 2 contracted doctors in George and Pacaltsdorp visit and complete assessments once a week while the 2 contracted doctors visit and complete asessments in Mosselbay and Knysna/ Plettenberg Bay once a month.

(b) The SLA with the contracted doctors are aligned to the Disability Management Policy permitting each doctor to complete 40 physical assessments per day

3. The Norms and standards applied by the SASSA stipulate that an assessment should be completed within 30 days of booking a client. Any assessment to be completed beyond 30 days is considered a backlog. Currently, there are backlogs in the following areas:

Service Area	Backlogs	Number of Days
i) George	95	>30days
ii) Pacaltsdorp	70	>30days
iii) Mossel Bay	305	>60 days

The Region has gone out on tender for the appointment of contracted doctors and could only secure the services of seven doctors to perform assessments. Four of the contracted doctors have been allocated to the Garden route areas as indicated above. Approval has been received from the Regional Executive Manager for the direct sourcing of additional doctors to address the need and to deal with backlog cases.

Furthermore, approval was also provided in line with applicable legislation, for paper based assessments to be conducted. This approval will allow the doctors to complete assessments to a maximum of 60 per day

Reply:

(a)(i) (aa) Total number of inverters procured: 59.

(a)(i) (bb) Total number of generators procured: 66.

Province	(a)(ii)(aa) The total number of inverters procured by SASSA per province.	(a)(ii)(aa) The total number of generators procured by SASSA in per province.	(a)(ii)(bb) The number of inverters procured per office (name of the office).	(a)(ii)(bb) The number of generators procured per office (name of the office).	(a)(ii)(b) The price of each specified inverter procured by SASSA in region (Unit price per item).	(a)(ii)(b) The price of each specified generator procured by SASSA in regions (Unit price per item).
KwaZulu Natal	0	25	N/A	Pungashe Local Office	N/A	R14,000.00
				Ingwavuma Local Office Jozini (Ulundi)	N/A	R19,950.00
				Dukuza Local Office	N/A	R19,950.00
				Ulundi District Office	N/A	R19,950.00
				Ubombo Local Office Mkhuze (Ulundi)	N/A	R19,950.00
				Underburg	N/A	R14,000.00
				Kzn Regional Office	N/A	R19,950.00
				Nqutu Local Office	N/A	R14,000.00
				Harding Local Office	N/A	R19,950.00
				Kwamsane Local Office	N/A	R14,000.00
				Umbumbulu Local Office	N/A	R14,000.00
				Impendle Local Office	N/A	R14,000.00
				Ndwedwe Local Office	N/A	R14,000.00
				Weenen Local Office	N/A	R19,950.00
				Kwangwanase Local Office	N/A	R111,777.00
				Ulundi District Office	N/A	R19,950.00
				Richardsbay Local Office (Ulundi)	N/A	R19,950.00
				Ndwedwe Local Office	N/A	R14,000.00
				Prophet Isiah Shembe Local Office	N/A	R14,000.00
				Weenen Local Office	N/A	R14,000.00
				Mahlabathini Local Office	N/A	R19,950.00
				Ezakheni Local Office	N/A	R19,950.00
				Richmond	N/A	R14,000.00
				Hlabisa Local Office	N/A	R132,981.00
				Riverside Local Office	N/A	R132,270.78
Gauteng	0	1	0	Orlando West	0	R 44 850.00
	1	0	Dobsonville		R 43 000.00
Free State	0	0	0	0	N/A	N/A
Western Cape	0	0	0	0	N/A	N/A
North West	19	6	1. Bojanala (Rustenburg) District Office 2. Kgetleng Local Office 3. Madibeng Local Office 4. Mogwase Local Office 5. Moretele Local Office 6. Rustenburg Local Office 7. Dr. Kenneth Kaunda District/Matlosana x 2 8. Jouberton Local Office 9. Maquassi Hills Local Office 10. Tlokwe Local Office 11. Ventersdorp Local Office 12. Naledi LO 13. Kagisano Local Office 14. Lekwa-Teemane Local Office 15. Taung Local Office 16. Ditsobotla Local Office 17. Mafikeng Local Office 18. Ramotshere Moiloa Local Office 19. Tswaing Local Office	1. Dryharts Local Office 2. Tlokwe Local Office 3. Madikwe Local Office 4. Mabeskraal Local Office 5. Moretele Local Office 6. Mantserre SP	All the inverters/UPS procured for each office at cost R30 000.00	Dryharts LO = R156 000.00 Tlokwe LO = R260 000.00 Madikwe LO = R156 000.00 Mabeskraal LO = R156 000.00 Moretele LO = R156 000.00 Mantserre SP = R68 00.00
Northern Cape	4	0	2 inverters for Tlhokomelo Local Office 1 inverter for Jan Kempsdorp Local Office 1 inverter for Dithakong Local Office	N/A	R214 565,11 (vat incl)	N/A
Mpumalanga	0	0	0	0	N/A	N/A
Eastern Cape	0	34	N/A	Amathole Local Office	N/A	R 20,500.00
				Butterworth Local Office		R 69,474.65
				Kieskammahoek		R 20,500.00
				Stutterheim Local Office		R 69,474.65
				Idutywa Local Office		R 20,500.00
				Alice Local Office		R 20,500.00
				Nqamakwe Local Office		R 78,000.00
				Middle Drift Local Office		R 78,000.00
				Centane Local Office		R 20,500.00
				Elliotdale Local Office		R 20,500.00
				Fort Beaufort Local Office		R 69,474.65
				Mdantsane 1 Local Office		R 20,500.00
				Peddie Local Office		R 20,500.00
				Adelaide Local Office		R 20,500.00
				Willowvale Local Office		R 69,474.65
				Chris Hani Local Office		R 233,000.00
				Lady Frere Local Office		R 147,685.15
				Tsomo Local Office		R 7,500.00
				Whittlesea Local Office		R 62,790.00
				Engcobo Local Office		R 62,790.00
				Burgersdorp Local Office		R 25,415.00
				Maclear Local Office		R 31,395.00
				Mount Fletcher		R 31,395.00
				Sterkspruit Local Office		R 44,166.38
				District Office		R 177,270.00
				Flagstaff Local Office		R 23,493.50
				Libode Local Office		R 26,131.00
				Lusikisiki Local Office		R 163,789.00
				Ngqeleni Local Office		R 76,490.00
Limpopo	35	0	Mopani District Office	Nil	R238 968. 97	Nil
		0	Giyani Local Office	Nil	R238 968. 97	Nil
		0	Namakgale Local Office	Nil	R238 968. 97	Nil
		0	Maruleng Local Office	Nil	R238 968. 97	Nil
		0	Kgapane Local Office	Nil	R238 968. 97	Nil
		0	Bahananoa Local Office	Nil	R238 968. 97	Nil
		0	Ceres Local Office	Nil	R238 968. 97	Nil
		0	Mankweng Local Office	Nil	R238 968. 97	Nil
		0	Molemole Local Office	Nil	R238 968. 97	Nil
		0	Senwabarwana Local Office	Nil	R238 968. 97	Nil
		0	Seshego Local Office	Nil	R238 968. 97	Nil
		0	Zebediela Local Office	Nil	R238 968. 97	Nil
		0	Dr CN Phatudi Local Office	Nil	R238 968. 97	Nil
		0	Apel Local Office	Nil	R238 968. 97	Nil
		0	Leeuwfontein Local Office	Nil	R238 968. 97	Nil
		0	Luckau Local Office	Nil	R238 968. 97	Nil
		0	Manganeng Local Office	Nil	R238 968. 97	Nil
		0	Praktiseer Local Office	0	R238 968. 97	0
		0	Schoonord Local Office	0	R238 968. 97	0
		0	Sekhukhune District Office	0	R238 968. 97	0
		0	Musina Local Office	0	R238 968. 97	0
		0	Mutale Local Office	0	R238 968. 97	0
		0	Rabali Local Office	0	R238 968. 97	0
		0	Makwarela Local Office	0	R238 968. 97	0
		0	Tshaulu Local Office	0	R238 968. 97	0
		0	Hlanganani Local Office	0	R238 968. 97	0
		0	Vhembe District Office	0	R238 968. 97	0
		0	Bela-Bela Local Office	0	R238 968. 97	0
		0	Thabaleshoba Local Office	0	R238 968. 97	0
		0	Lephalale Local Office	0	R238 968. 97	0
		0	Thabazimbi Local Office	0	R238 968. 97	0
		0	Witpoort Local Office	0	R238 968. 97	0
		0	Bakenberg Local Office	0	R238 968. 97	0
		0	Mokopane Local Office	0	R238 968. 97	0

 

Reply:

After being informed on 6 June 2022, that Mr Atul Kumar Gupta and Mr Rajesh Kumar Gupta have been arrested by the police in Dubai, the Department travelled to the UAE on three separate occasions to meet with the Central Authority in the UAE. The Department has received both official and unofficial updates from the UAE Central Authority on the extradition proceedings in the UAE.

The Department is of the view that the names of the team responsible for the extradition application should not be disclosed. The team members from the Investigating Directorate and Department of Justice and Constitutional Development have remained the same.

Reply:

The Department was informed by the Central Authority in the UAE that extradition hearings in the UAE takes place in a closed court and that only the accused, their legal representatives and the prosecution team are allowed in court. This is in terms of Article 19 of Federal Law 39 of 2006 of the UAE, the domestic legislation in the UAE that govern International Judicial Co-Operation.

Extradition proceedings in the UAE are further guided by the Guide to International Judicial Cooperation in Criminal Matters (Surrender of Persons and Things – Judicial Assistance), Ministry of Justice, 1444 Hijri – 2022 A.D.

The Department liaises with the UAE Central Authority via diplomatic channels as per Article 2(2) of the Extradition Treaty between the two countries. The South African Embassy in Abu Dhabi assist the Department in this regard.

Reply:

South African Social Security Agency (SASSA)

1. (a)) SASSA does not owe any amount of money to Walter Sisulu Local Municipality and (ii) Senqu Local Municipality as reflected in the table below:

A (i) Municipality	(ii) Amounts owed	(b) Age analysis
Walter Sisulu Local Municipality	R0 (nil)	n/a
Senqu Local Municipality	R0 (nil)	n/a

(b) Not applicable as displayed in the table above.

(2)

(a) Not applicable based on response in 1(a) above.

(b) The buildings are used to provide administration of social grants.

(3) Not applicable based on the response in 1(a) above.

Department of Social Development Eastern Cape

1. (a)(i) Walter Sisulu District Municipality

R 1,401,887.73

(ii) Senqu Local Municipality R 250 000

2. (b)(i) Walter Sisulu District Municipality

(90days)

(ii) Senqu Local Municipality (90days)

The table below reflects details and use offices and residential institution

Town	Street	Erf numbers	Type /Use	Municipalities
Barkly East	23 De Villiers Street	1482	Service office	Senqu
Barkly East	8 Stuart Street	1485	Community Development Centre	Senqu
Lady Grey	29 Baduza Street	29	Service office	Senqu
Aliwal North	1521 Robison Rd (Ambulance base)	1521	Community Development Centre	Walter Sisulu local
Burgersdorp	3515 Tembisa,Mzamomhle (Burgersdorp	3515	Laluma Futshane Child and Youth Care Centre	Walter Sisulu local

There are four offices and one residential institution for kids that are in conflict with the law.

3. The Eastern Cape Provincial Department is sourcing funds within on SCOA items that are slow spenders and is planning to settle outstanding debts in April 2023.The accruals exert pressure on the 2023/24 financial budget.

Reply:

The R415 from Matatiele to Qachasnek was only gazetted as a National Road under SANRAL’s jurisdiction on 5 August 2022. SANRAL immediately commenced with routine road maintenance on the route and also obtained SANRAL Board Approval in December 2022 for Project R.415-010-2024/1 for the Improvement (Surfacing) of R415, Section 1, from Matatiele (km 0) to Qachasnek (km 23.6). The tenders for consultant appointment for detail design, environmental approval and the construction tender documentation for the improvement project above will be issued during the 2023/24 financial year.