Questions and Replies

Reply:

1. Unemployment Insurance Fund

a) (i) The Unemployment Insurance Fund is headed by a Commissioner. The position of the Commissioner is on a salary level 15, which is equivalent to a Deputy Director-General.

(ii) The Commissioner is supported by four Chief Directors who are appointed on a salary level 14.

b) The Commissioner and the Chief Directors do not receive payment for attending Unemployment Insurance Fund’s meetings.

2. Compensation Fund

a) (i) The Chief Executive Officer (Compensation Commissioner) of the Compensation Fund is equivalent to the Deputy Director-General salary, which is at salary level 15 and,

(ii) Top Executive positions which are Chief Directors in the Compensation Fund are equivalent to Chief Director salary, which is at salary level 14. For the financial year 2021/22 and 2022/23 there are 6 Chief Director positions.

b) Compensation Fund is a schedule 3A entity of the Department of Employment and Labour and the conditions of appointment including remuneration are derived from (or linked to) the salaries and conditions of service which apply to Senior Management positions (SMS) in the Public Service as per DPSA salary scales. The CF SMS members do not get paid to attend meetings.

3. National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC)

(a) In respect of Nedlac,

• For the 2021/22 financial year the annual salary for the (i) chief executive offer, called Executive Director was R 2 257 687,45.
• for the 2022/23 financial year, the annual salary for (i) the chief executive officer, called Executive Director is R 2 400 624,89.

(ii) The annual salary for the top executive positions for the:

• 2021/22 financial year was as follows:
  • CFO: R 1 917 900,00;
  • Executive Manager: Programmes: R 1 501 529,63;
  • Senior Manager: Corporate Services: R 1 049 271,47.
• 2022/23 financial year is as follows:
  • Chief Financial Officer: R 2 039 444, 42;
  • Executive Manager: Programmes: R 1 596 859,37l and
  • Senior Manager: Corporate Services: R 1 116 127,04.

(b) There is no payment for meeting attendance of executives.

4. ProductivitySA

The salary cost for Productivity SA is as follows:

a) (i) The Chief Executive Officer’s salary was as follows:

2021/22: R 1,773,770

2022/23: R 1,849,160

(b) (ii) The consolidated salary of Executive Managers was as follows:

2021/22: R 9,801,636 (7 Executive Managers)

2022/23: R 10,974,535 (8 Executive Managers)

c) The Chief Executive Officer and Executive Managers do not receive meeting attendance fees.

5. Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA)

Name of the Entity	Question (a) (i) What (a) is the salary of each (i) chief executive officer	Financial Year (2021/2022)	Financial Year (2022/2023)
CCMA	Chief Executive Officer( Director)	4 222 667.70	4 336 560.85
	CCMA Director (Acting)	45 160.38	N/A
	Question (a) (ii)	Financial Year (2021/2022)	Financial Year (2022/2023)
CCMA	National Senior Commissioner	2 896 550.92	1 013 660.36
	National Senior Commissioner (Acting)	66 050.24	172 976.12
	Executive Governance and Strategy	2 706 573.99	2 686 758.44
	Executive Governance and Strategy (Acting)	N/A	49 022.77
	Chief Financial Officer	2 706 706.85	1 481 078.23
	Chief Financial Officer (Acting)	N/A	126 920.02
	Chief Audit Executive	2 827 986.32	2 813 587.48
	Question (b) -total amount does each get paid to attend a meeting	Financial Year (2021/2022)	Financial Year (2022/2023)
CCMA	Chief Executive Officer( Director)	N/A	N/A
	CCMA Director (Acting)	N/A	N/A
	National Senior Commissioner	N/A	N/A
	National Senior Commissioner (Acting)	N/A	N/A
	Executive Governance and Strategy	N/A	N/A
	Executive Governance and Strategy (Acting)	The Chief Executive Officer and Executive Managers do not receive meeting attendance fees.
	Chief Financial Officer
	Chief Financial Officer (Acting)
	Chief Audit Executive

Reply:

The department through the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) is coordinating and collaborating with relevant stakeholders focusing on emergency preparedness to enable a state of readiness by relevant organs of state in anticipation of disasters. In case of the floods, the following key intervention measures were taken by my department: 

• Collaboration with the South African Weather Service (SAWS) in the further dissemination of early-warnings and advisories to relevant organs of state, stakeholders and organs of state for informed decision-making as well as ensuring that further damages and losses are avoided where possible;
• Activation of the National Joint Floods Coordination Committee (NJFCC) as well as facilitate activations of relevant structures across the spheres of government for the coordination of collaborative efforts by all relevant stakeholders regarding response and recovery efforts in affected provinces;
• FacilitateS the deployment of search and rescue teams from the Security Cluster for search and rescue missions in support of the affected provinces;
• Technical support to municipalities through the Municipal Infrastructure Agent (MISA) in addressing some of the critical infrastructure;
• Coordinate relevant national organs of state to mobilise resources and support to respective counterparts through existing sectoral arrangements and programmes;
• Ongoing monitoring of the conditions on the ground and providing support where required to prevent the situation from deteriorating further;
• Classification of the occurrence as a national disaster by the NDMC as per Section 23 of the Disaster Management Act, 57 of 2022 (DMA). This was with the primary objective of strengthening the coordination and management of the occurrence as well as the mobilisation of resources for intervention measures.   
• Declaration of a national state of disaster by the Minister of CoGTA as per Section 27 of the DMA. This was mainly to augment existing legislation and contingency arrangements of the affected organs of state as well as activate other extraordinary measures as and when required.
• Facilitated the development of Seasonal Contingency Plan for the Summer Season by organs of state to deal with seasonal climate and weather-related events based on the Weather Outlook issued by SAWS. The NDMC further developed the National Seasonal Contingency Plan for the Summer Season outlining the preparedness/readiness measures by respective organs of state to deal with flooding eventualities during the Summer Season.
• Furthermore, the National Seasonal Contingency Plan for the Summer Season provides details of the preparedness and response procedures and activation protocols to be followed at national level to respond to disasters. 

End.

Reply:

Question 1

What are the details of the (a) destination and (b) total costs for (i) accommodation, (ii) travel and (iii) any other costs incurred for international travel of each (aa) Minister and (bb) Deputy Minister of his department since 1 June 2019;

Minister

Office Minister	(a)) Destination	(b)Total cost	(i)International accommodation	(ii) travel Flight International	(iii)insurance & fees
Financial Year
2019-2020	Cuba (HAVANA) Côte Divoire (ABIDJAN) Switzerland (GENEVA) Brazil (BRASILIA) Switzerland (ZURICH) Cuba (HAVANA) Côte Divoire (ABIDJAN) France (PARIS (CDG))	R575 017.70		R 559 196.06	Fees: R15 758.64 Insurance: R 6 300.00
2020-2021	NIL	NIL	NIL	NIL	NIL
2021-2022	Switzerland (GENEVA) Côte Divoire (ABIDJAN) Côte Divoire (ABIDJAN) Botswana (KASANE)	R189 395.34	R87 372.34	R98 900.46	Fees: R3 116.14 Insurance: R640.00
2022-2023	Brazil (BRASILIA) Switzerland (GENEVA) Côte Divoire (ABIDJAN) Indonesia (DENPASAR-BALI) Indonesia (Jimbaran) Switzerland (GENEVA)	R481 813.53	R87 372.34	R385 738.00	Fees: R7 468.19 Insurance: R1 235.00
Total		R1, 246 226.57

Deputy Minister

Office Minister	(a) Destination	(b)Total cost	(i)International accommodation	(ii) travel Flight International	(iii)insurance, fees
Financial Year
2019-2020	NIL	NIL	NIL	NIL	NIL
2020-2021	NIL	NIL	NIL	NIL	NIL
2021-2022	NIL	NIL	NIL	NIL	NIL
2022-2023	Spain (BARCELONA) DRC (KINSHASA) Spain (MADRID)	R146 861.31		R142 870.58	Fees: R3 983:88 Insurance: R685
Total		R146 861.31

Question 2

(2) what is the total cost incurred for domestic air travel for each (a) Minister and (b) Deputy Minister of his department since 1 June 2019? NW189E

Minister	a) Total cost for Domestic air travel
Financial Year
2019-2020	R375 383.82
2020-2021	R30 875.68
2021-2022	R327 218.01
2022-2023	R369 300.90
Total	R1, 102 778.41

Deputy Minister

Deputy Minister Minister	a) Total cost for Domestic air travel
Financial Year
2019-2020	R73 623.84
2020-2021	R29 381.05
2021-2022	R109 480.94
2022-2023	R206 634.58
Total	R419 120.41

Reply:

The efficacy of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) deployment in the Cape Flats or anywhere else it is deployed is always under constant review as the situation  evolves, with force levels up scaling or downscaling, or even withdrawal of forces, as the  situation demands. The deployment of the SANDF on the Cape Flats must be regarded as part of the support provided to the South African Police Services as requested and mandated by the President of the Republic of South Africa.

However, the question of whether the deployment has reduced crime in the Cape Flats is best answered by the SAPS and through monitoring and evaluation, which fall outside the ambit of the defense establishment.

Reply:

• Hon. Marchesi, both Minister Nxesi and Deputy Minister Moloi were appointed to their portfolios on the 1st of June 2019.
• Former Minister and former Deputy Minister left the Department few weeks before the applicable date of 1st June 2019.
• Having stated the above, kindly find below information relevant to your question.

Office	Financial year	(a) Make	(b) Model	(c) Year Model	(d) Cost	(e) Purchase date
Minister	2019/ 2020	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
	2020/ 2021	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
	2021/ 2022	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
	2022/ 2023	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Deputy Minister	2019/2020	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
	2020/2021	Audi	Q5 TDI Quattro S Line	2020	R 748 353.50	18 October 2021
	2021/ 2022	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
	2022/ 2023	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Reply:

a) The relocation of Denel, the state-owned armaments manufacturing institution, necessitates the participation of the entire government, especially the Department of Public Enterprises, under which it falls, as well as National Treasury. The Ministry of Defence and Military Veterans cannot execute this process on their own; they must also be satisfied that there is due diligence prior to relocation. There will also be legal ramifications from the relocation.

b) The deadlines cannot yet be defined because they are dependent on the fulfillment of the conditions outlined in the preceding paragraph. (a).

Reply:

The DOD has a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) with Central Energy Fund (CEF) which was signed by the Sec Def (Accounting Officer) as the Head of the Department in 2019.

The DOD is in the process of concluding a new Service Level Agreement (SLA) with Petro SA, which is a subsidiary of CEF, for the supply and delivery of fuel.

Reply:

a) The ARMSCOR Board of Directors currently has three (3) vacant positions. The Ministry and ARMSCOR intend to ·fill these vacant positions as soon as possible, but no later than the conclusion of the first quarter of the current fiscal year, which begins  on April 1, 2023.

b) Following the completion and upgrading of the job profiles, the senior vacant positions in the Department of Defence, namely the Secretary for Defence and Chief Financial Officer (CFO), will be posted.

Other senior positions in the Department of Defence, including Chief Defence Material (C Def Mat), Chief Director(ate) International Affairs (COIA), Chief Director(ate) Legal Services (COLS), and Chief Audit Executive (GAE), were submitted to DPSA, but there was disagreement about rank levels. The Department of Defense is working with the DPSA on the topic.

Furthermore, the senior empty jobs in the Department of Military Veterans have been re-advertised because the period in which they were advertised had since lapsed without any acceptable candidates being selected .

Reply:

The 3898 schools on the SAFE programme have not been provided with appropriate sanitation facilities by 31 March 2022.

a) The Provincial Departments made several changes to the list.  This may be due to the rationalisation of small & unviable schools, or due to further detailed assessments. The initial number of school assessed to be dependent on BASIC pit toilets, was 3 898.  This number has been amended as more detailed information became available.  Some schools were removed from the list, and other schools were added to the list.  Even in 2022 and 2023, new schools were added to the SAFE Initiative.  After revision, the current number of schools on the SAFE programme is 3 397.

b) Of these 3 397 schools, sanitation projects at 2 489 schools have already progressed to Practical Completion with either water-borne or dry sanitation solutions; resulting in 908 schools remaining in the SAFE programme.

c) A list of the 908 schools can be made available.

d) The outstanding 908 sanitation projects are scheduled for completion during the 2023/24 financial year.

e) All the schools that were part of the 3 397 schools, that were part of the SAFE programme, had BASIC PIT TOILETS.  As stated above, some of these schools received flush toilets (where there is sustainable water supply), and dry sanitation solution |(where there is water scarcity).

(i) Among the remaining 908 SAFE projects, schools with sustainable water supply, may receive flush toilets; and schools without a sustainable water supply, will in general receive VENTILATED IMPROVED PIT TOILETS, that conform to the requirements of SANS 10400 Q.  We are working with the Water Research Commission to pilot other innovative technologies, which included closed-circuit flush toilets.

(ii) Average construction cost per school, is in the order of R2.4 million, including VAT, the demolition of basic pit toilets, all earthworks, building works, and the construction of walkways and retaining walls.

Reply:

I have been informed that neither the Department nor the SA Tourism has had any communication or engagements with the Airports Company (ACSA) or the various airlines to limit the price increases.

The issue of pricing lies solely with the airlines, in conjunction with ACSA.

Reply:

The total number of George Local Municipality workers who have gone through disciplinary proceedings, quit their jobs, or been fired since Dr. Michelle Gratz's appointment is not known to the department.

End.

Reply:

I am currently seeking legal advice on matters relating to the South African Tourism Board, which includes all appointments and the processes that were followed.

 

Reply:

(a) I have been informed that the previous Tourism Transformation Council of South Africa (TTCSA) expired on 30 June 2022.

(b)

This process ensued before I took office.

However, I have been informed that after the closing date, the Department embarked on process to capture the nominations and to recommend a selection committee to make recommendations on the suitability of candidates for appointment.

It then came to light that some nominations may have not been successfully delivered to the Department because the email system of the Department went down during the period when the call for nomination was open.

The failure of the email system on the process for the submission of nomination was investigated. It was found that the GroupWise database of the Department got corrupted and prevented the delivery of some emails to the Department.

The email outages towards the closing date of the nominations and subsequent loss of emails was found to have impacted negatively on the nomination process for new members of the TTCSA.

It was evident some nominations could not have reached the Department which would then render the nominations process unfair, unless nominations were opened again to remedy the situation.

Approval to start a new process to call for nominations was granted on 9 September 2022.

(c)

Following approval to re-advertise calls for the nominations of new TTCSA members, the Department of Tourism sent adverts in the main newspapers with national coverage detailing the requirements, and the closing date for nominations was 30 November 2022.

The matter was not concluded by the previous Minister. I have not been consulted by the Department on the new process

(d)

I am informed that before the end of the previous Council’s term in June 2022, the TTCSA, in partnership with the Department of Tourism, appointed a service provider to conduct an annual survey to measure the extent of transformation in the tourism sector across all the three tourism sub-subsectors, namely (1) Accommodation; (2) Travel and (3) Hospitality as well as covering all nine provinces.

The Department established the Tourism B-BBEE Sector Transformation Directorate, which also serves as a Secretariat to the TTCSA. The directorate continued with the research work to gauge transformation levels in the sector.

(e)

I have been informed that the Department conducted policy advocacy presentations on the Amended Tourism B-BBEE Sector Code to various tourism stakeholders in various provinces to create and broaden awareness.

Reply:

The Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs convened a meeting with the City of Ekurhuleni on the 2nd September 2022, to engage the Executive and Senior management on petitions, amongst which the matter of refuse removal was discussed. The Metro indicated their constraints (financial and tools of trade) towards sufficiently servicing communities on refuse removal, amongst other services. In response, a medium to long-term mitigation plan was tabled to remedy the situation, which would have been shared with the Portfolio committee.

Based on the details provided in the foregoing engagement, the nature and extent of these challenges generally, particularly refuse removal, there is no trigger for a Constitutional “intervention”. However, further to the mitigation plan that the City tabled, both National and provincial governments continue to implement the provisions of Section 154 of the Constitution, in the form of a Gauteng ‘Local Government Support Framework’ anchored around Multi-Disciplinary Regional Support Teams (inclusive of Sector Departments) and implementation of Regional Support Plans. This plan is monitored on an ongoing basis and reported to Cabinet as part of the State of Local Government report (SOLG) and the Portfolio Committee. End.

Reply:

The coronation of a King or Queen is the competence of the Royal Family concerned and government participates based on the invitation from the relevant Royal Family. At this point, the Department has not been informed of the coronation that the Honourable Member is referring to nor do we have any further details to that effect.

End

Reply:

1. Yes, the South African government participates annually in the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) through representation by the Departments of Traditional Affairs and International Relations and Cooperation respectively. The implementation of the United Nations Declaration on Indigenous Peoples is a standing agenda item at the UN Permanent Forum which takes place every year. South Africa played a central role in the establishment of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) which came into existence on 28 July 2000, and a leading role in the negotiations of the United Nations Declaration on Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), a process that took 27 years and that culminated in the adoption of the Declaration in 2007.

The UNDRIP is considered the most comprehensive international instrument on the rights of indigenous peoples. It establishes a universal framework of minimum standards for the survival, dignity, and well-being of indigenous peoples. It further elaborates on existing human rights instruments and clarifies how they apply to the specific situations of indigenous peoples. However, the Declaration is a non-binding text, meaning that the Member States of the United Nations are not obligated to implement the declaration. Nonetheless, South Africa as a democratic State observes, protects, and promotes the rights of all the citizens including the Khoi and San.

2. Yes, South Africa participated in the high-level plenary meeting of the General Assembly known as the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples held in 2014, which was attended by the Heads of State and government ministers. The main agreement was for States to take concrete action to achieve the ends of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

End

Reply:

Curriculum reform and review, by its very nature is dynamic and cyclical. The Department has a long history of reviewing and amending curriculum based on the needs, independent research and monitoring and evaluation findings to ensure relevance and improved learning outcomes. The Departmental approach to curriculum review is ongoing and needs based. For example, since the implementation of the CAPS curriculum in 2012, the DBE has introduced new subjects, such as 9 new technology subjects and Marine Sciences. We are currently also piloting 13 new vocationally and/or occupationally orientated subjects in the GET phase ( Grade 8 and 9)  as part of our ongoing review of curriculum in order to improve learning outcomes. The Three Stream Model, that we are currently implementing, is also a result of ongoing monitoring and efforts to improve the quality of learning outcomes. The additional learning pathways will ensure that we provide our learners with multiple opportunities to transition successfully from school to life after school. 

In keeping with the pursuit of improving the quality learning outcomes, the Department of Basic Education is in the process of reviewing and strengthening the curriculum, to equip learners with skills and competencies for the future. These efforts will continue to focus on the improvement of learning as the end result of schooling. To achieve this lofty goal, the DBE is reviewing the current curriculum, to strengthen it and align it to realise the full implementation of the Three-Stream Curriculum Model. 

The key levers of the review, will  focus on the curriculum;  teaching; assessment; learning and teaching support materials (LTSM), and the learning environment. Due to the centrality of curriculum to ignite the other key levers, the DBE is focusing on strengthening the curriculum at this stage, with a focus on -

• Infusing competencies in the curriculum; 
• Review and modernise existing curriculum content; and 
• Subject modernisation

To realise the curriculum strengthening, the DBE is currently developing the South African Competency Framework, which will prioritise the key competencies (knowledge, skills, attitudes and values) to develop in our learners to equip them with skills for the future. As part of this review, the DBE will also develop a curriculum review policy framework, to ensure regular and faster curriculum renewal. The strengthened curriculum will include in its design, opportunities for continuous automatic renewal to stay abreast with the fast changing world. 

At the same time, work is continuing in the areas of reviewing our assessment practices, teacher development and LTSM to ensure we improve learning outcomes sustainably. 

Reply:

Yes. If the Minister receives concerns about the appointment of municipal officials, section 106 of the Municipal Systems Act, 2000, as amended, (the Act) empowers the Minister to refer the concerns to the MEC for local government under whose jurisdiction the municipality falls for investigation and to make appropriate recommendations to the relevant municipal council.

a) nNotwithstanding the above, section 57A of the Act empowers the Minister to maintain a record of all staff members dismissed for misconduct and to make such record available to municipalities before they finalise their recruitment and selection proceses. Candidates shortlisted by municipalities are screened against the record kept by the Minister.

Sections 54A(8) and 56(6) of the Act prescribe that if a person is appointed as municipal manager or manager directly accountable to municipal manager in contravention of the Act, the MEC must within 14 days of receiving the appointment report take appropriate steps to enforce compliance by the municipal council with the Act, which steps may include an application to a court for a declaratory order on the validity of the contract, or any other legal action against the municipal council.The Act empowers the Minister upon becoming aware to take such appropriate steps if the MEC fails to take appropriate steps.

b) N/A.

End.

Reply:

(1) and (2)

I have discussed the matter with the Minister in the Presidency responsible for BrandSA.

It appears that there was no Cabinet decision on the matter as it had never served in Cabinet.

Furthermore, consultations with affected and interested parties had not been concluded.

 

Reply:

Following the adoption of the District Development Model (DDM), the Department of Traditional Affairs developed a guideline on the participation of Local Houses of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders in the DDM. The Department continues to use the guideline to support and promote the role of traditional leaders in the DDM. Secondly, the Department of Traditional Affairs and the National House of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders (NHTKL) are finalizing a Memorandum of Understanding with the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) which will assist in strengthening and harmonizing relations between traditional leadership and municipalities. This is one of the resolutions taken at the Local Government Summit that was held last year.

Furthermore, Section 81 of the Municipal Structures Act has been amended to provide greater clarity on the participation of traditional leaders in municipal governance. Before the amendment, concerns were raised, among others, about the lack of specific provisions that would guide provinces to ensure effective implementation. Finally, the Department has also put in place Guidelines on the participation of traditional leadership in municipal lntegrated Development Planning) IDP processes, and these provide a simplified uniform approach for involving traditional councils in the planning processes of municipalities.

End.

Reply:

(a) I have been informed by the Department that the total number of small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) that were supported by the Department to exhibit in Meetings Africa 2023 were Eighteen (18).

(b) Participation and exhibition cost of R1 065 552,95 has been paid by the Department.

The Department is awaiting final invoices for the approved flights and accommodation of supported enterprises, as well as outstanding claims from some of the supported enterprises for costs incurred on ground transport and shuttle services.

Thus the total estimated cost of support for the 18 enterprises that participated at Meetings Africa 2023 is not finalised.

 

Reply:

(b) I have been informed that the organisation has an annual budget for all Board expenses, inclusive of Board Fees and Travel and Accommodation expenditure. Budgets are not allocated per meeting. The breakdown of responses for questions (a), (c) and (d) are tabulated, below.

(i) 2020-2021

(a) What are the dates on which the board meetings of SA Tourism Boards were held	(c) What was the expenditure for each board meeting	(d) What are the details of each expenditure item for each board meeting that was held:
		Board remuneration/Board Fees	Travel and Accommodation
15 April 2020	R27 888.00	R27 888.00	N/A – Virtual Meeting
20 April 2020	R25 269.00	R25 269.00	N/A – Virtual Meeting
21 April 2020	R30 507.00	R30 507.00	N/A – Virtual Meeting
24 April 2020	R20 031.00	R20 031.00	N/A – Virtual Meeting
28 April 2020	R17 412.00	R17 412.00	N/A – Virtual Meeting
30 April 2020	R30 507.00	R30 507.00	N/A – Virtual Meeting
05 May 2020	R27 888.00	R27 888.00	N/A – Virtual Meeting
07 May 2020	R30 507.00	R30 507.00	N/A – Virtual Meeting
14 May 2020	R27 888.00	R27 888.00	N/A – Virtual Meeting
26/30 June 2020	R30 507.00	R30 507.00	N/A – Virtual Meeting
08 July 2020	R30 507.00	R30 507.00	N/A – Virtual Meeting
06 August 2020	R30 507.00	R30 507.00	N/A – Virtual Meeting
19 August 2020	R25 269.00	R25 269.00	N/A – Virtual Meeting
22 September 2020	R25 269.00	R25 269.00	N/A – Virtual Meeting
30 September 2020	R22 650.00	R22 650.00	N/A – Virtual Meeting
22/23 October 2020	R30 507.00	R30 507.00	N/A – Virtual Meeting
7 December 2020	R27 888.00	R27 888.00	N/A – Virtual Meeting
29 January 2021	R25 269.00	R25 269.00	N/A – Virtual Meeting
02 February 2021	R22 650.00	R22 650.00	N/A – Virtual Meeting
31 March 2021	R30 507.00	R30 507.00	N/A – Virtual Meeting

(i) 2021-2022

(a) What are the dates on which the board meetings of SA Tourism Boards were held	(c) What was the expenditure for each board meeting	(d) What are the details of each expenditure item for each board meeting that was held:
		Board remuneration/Board Fees	Travel and Accommodation
29 April 2021	R34 824.00	R34 824.00	N/A – Virtual Meeting
28 May 2021	R29 586.00	R29 586.00	N/A – Virtual Meeting
29 July 2021	R30 507.00	R30 507.00	N/A – Virtual Meeting
19 August 2021	R27 888.00	R27 888.00	N/A – Virtual Meeting
03 September 2021	R17 412.00	R17 412.00	N/A – Virtual Meeting
15 September 2021	R27 888.00	R27 888.00	N/A – Virtual Meeting
22 September 2021	R25 269.00	R25 269.00	N/A – Virtual Meeting
04 October 2021	R33 126.00	R33 126.00	N/A – Virtual Meeting
22 &23 October 2021	R77 694.8	R53157	R24 537.80
28 October 2021	R27 888.00	R27 888.00	N/A – Virtual Meeting
10 November 2021	R27 888.00	R27 888.00	N/A – Virtual Meeting
22 November 2021	R25 269.00	R25 269.00	N/A – Virtual Meeting
27 November 2021	R27 888.00	R27 888.00	N/A – Virtual Meeting
14 December 2021	R20 031.00	R20 031.00	N/A – Virtual Meeting
27 January 2022	R81018,95	R30507.00	R50 511. 95

(i) 2022-2023

(a) What are the dates on which the board meetings of SA Tourism Boards were held	(c) What was the expenditure for each board meeting	(d) What are the details of each expenditure item for each board meeting that was held:
		Board remuneration/Board Fees	Travel and Accommodation
25 April 2022	R30 507.00	R30 507.00	Virtual meeting
27 May 2022	R30 507.00	R30 507.00	Virtual Meeting
29 July 2022	R0	R0	No Board (ACEO appointed as the Accounting Authority)
13-16 September 2022	R190633,51	R45300	R145333,51
21 September 2022	R22650	R22650	Virtual meeting
23 September 2022	R25269	R25269	Virtual Meeting
26-28 September 2022	R337757,66	R50538	R287 219.66
3 October 2022	R17412	R17412	Virtual Meeting
27 October 2022	R73453,81	R27888.00	R45 565.81
04 November 2022	R58 661.74	R27888.00	R30 773.74
19-20 November 2022	R176 094.00	R61014	R115 080.00
25 November 2022	R23809	R23809	Virtual Meeting
01 December 2022	R47902,85	R27888.00	R20014.85
03 December 2022	R27888.00	R27888.00	Virtual Meeting
22 December 2022	R20 031.00	R20 031.00	Virtual Meeting

(ii) Since 1 January 2023

(a) What are the dates on which the board meetings of SA Tourism Boards were held	(c) What was the expenditure for each board meeting	(d) What are the details of each expenditure item for each board meeting that was held:
		Board remuneration/Board Fees	Travel and Accommodation
16 January 2023	R20031	R20031	Virtual Meeting
27 January 2023	R94167	R43656	R50 511.95
31 January 2023	R24526	R24526	Virtual meeting
4 February 2023	R32620	R32620	Hybrid – No travelling members
5 February 2023	R32620	R32620	Hybrid – No travelling members
10 February 2023	R32620	R32620	Hybrid – No travelling members
16 February 2023	R32620	R32620	Hybrid – No travelling members
26 February 2023	R23332	R23332	Virtual Meeting
1 March 2023	R79158,32	R26030	R53128.32

Reply:

Through the office of the Deputy Minister which played a significant role in encouraging and supporting families to report to the South African Police Services (SAPS) to open criminal cases against Izincibi and Amakhankatha who have kidnapped and taken the under-age children to Initiation school without parental concert and permission.

According to the information at the disposal of the Department, received from the Provinces by the National House of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders (NHTKL), through the South African Police Services (SAPS) and the National Prosecution Authority (NPA) from the year 2012 to 2018, there were two hundred and forty (240) arrests in relation to initiation related casualties.

The Honourable member is requested to note that according to section 31(1) of the Customary Initiation Act, 2021 (Act No. 2 of 2021) principals of initiation schools concerned are responsible for reporting the deaths of initiates.

In this regard, section 31 of the Act provides that if an initiate dies while attending an initiation school, the principal of such school must immediately inform among others, the South African Police Service.

End

 

Reply:

(a) I have been informed that the Department’s Green Tourism Incentive Programme assists in mitigating the impact of loadshedding on the tourism industry. The main objective of the GTIP is to encourage tourism establishments to adopt more energy and water efficient operational practices to ensure long term sustainability.

(b) The Department is not mandated to deal with the fuel shortage, but does engage with the industry as and when needed. The issue of fuel shortages is dealt with by relevant institutions i.e. Airports Company South Africa, Department of Transport and Airlines Association of Southern Africa. It is recommended that the member refer the above question to the above institutions.

(c) The Department’s Tourism and Climate Change Response Programme and Action Plan, developed in 2011, addresses both climate change mitigation and adaptation measures within the tourism sector.

The Response Programme and Action Plan were designed to deliver on the following five (5) outcomes:

• Improved understanding of the vulnerabilities of tourism to the physical impacts of climate change in order to build resilience and adaptive capacity of the industry;
• Reduced Tourism-related greenhouse gas emissions;
• A fully informed tourism industry through consistent and effective industry outreach and communications;
• A nationally consistent, inclusive and cooperative approach to implementation; and
• Maintain effective climate change messaging and positioning in our key markets.

Reply:

1. The response to parliamentary question 2091 that which was provided on 17 June 2022 indicated a total vacancy posts of 27 137 for doctors, nurses and emergency medical services personnel in the Republic. As of 28 February 2023, there were 18 804 vacant posts of doctors, nurses and medical care personnel. This demonstrates a 31% achievement rate in the filling of vacant posts.

a) The main reason for the recorded vacant posts is general budget cuts introduced by National Treasury. These cuts also affect Compensation of Employment (CoE) negatively resulting in not all posts being filled simultaneously.

b) As demonstrated above in order to reduce the vacancy rate by 31%, the Department introduced several interventions which amongst others, include:

• (i) Prioritisation of the posts in the Annual Recruitment Plan – where funding permits;
• (ii) Prioritisation of the posts for conditional grant funding;
• (iii) Filling of replacement posts considered and approved weekly;
• (v) Advertisements published National wide through print media.

c) Filling of these vacant posts will be prioritised in all provinces as per above method to ensure that there is no over expenditure of Compensation of Employment (CoE).

d) Posts are prioritised according to the availability of funding and the Annual Recruitment Plan as informed by the service delivery model.

2. (a) The Department working together with Provincial Departments of Health and National Treasury has put in place mechanisms to ensure that all eligible South African Citizens and Permanent Residents are allocated to accredited medical internship positions within the Cycle that applicants qualify for. This is evident by the conclusion of allocating 2 505 medical interns applicants in the January Annual Cycle 2023.

Only 55 applicants are still to be allocated as they were not eligible due to various reasons e.g., applicants declining the posts and preferring to wait for the next cycle.

(b) All eligible applicants will again be given an opportunity during the Midyear Cycle which will start on the 1 July 2023.  

3. (a) The Department working together with Provincial Departments of Health and National Treasury has put in place methods to ensure that all eligible South African Citizens and Permanent Residents are allocated to medical community service positions within the Cycle applicants qualify in. This is evident by the conclusion of allocating 2 509 medical community service applicants in the January Annual Cycle 2023.

(b) All other eligible applicants, who met the allocation requirements later, will again be given an opportunity during the Midyear Cycle which will start on the 1 July 2023.  

(4)   Registration of foreign qualified medical applicants with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) is a multi-layered process. The HPCSA has to satisfy itself that applicants studied in legally recognized Institutions, by both the health and regulatory authorities of the countries of training. Applicants are required to submit several documents that will assist the HPCSA to establish their competency, including the hours that they would have spent in training and the domain training completed. As most of them study in non-English speaking countries, for example China, Russia and Turkey, documents have to be translated into English and notarized before the HPCSA  can submit them to relevant committees of the board to make a determination about the equivalence of their training to that provided in South Africa. Any delays in one of the steps in this process ordinarily lengths the processing of applications.

END.

Reply:

1. The Health Sector Anti-Corruption Forum (HSACF) has convened its meetings on Nine (09) occasions since 2018, below is the details of the meetings:

#	Date of Meeting
1.	23 August 2018
2.	20 November 2018
3.	27 November 2019
4.	21 May 2019
5.	30 June 2020
6.	02 December 2020
7.	29 June 2021
8.	30 March 2022
9.	21 September 2022

 

In addition, the HSACF has established the Steering Committee that has been mandated to assess all health-related corruption allegations that have been reported. The Steering Committee serves as an operational structure of HSACF and meets more frequently or as and when there are new allegations that has been reported, which requires to go through assessment process.

2. (a) Number of allegations of corruption have (i) been referred to the forum and (ii) resulted in investigations by the HSACF in each year since 2018.

• A total number of eleven (11) allegations were reported to the HSACF in 2018/19/20. All allegations were referred to the relevant entities who are part of the HSACF for formal investigations as per their legislative mandate.

• A total number of twelve (12) allegations were reported to the HSACF in 2020/21. All allegations were referred to the relevant entities who are part of the HSACF for formal investigations as per their legislative mandate.

• A total number of five (05) allegations were reported to the HSACF in 2021/22. All allegations were referred to the relevant entities who are part of the HSACF for formal investigations as per their legislative mandate.

• One (01) allegation was reported to the HSACF in 2022/23. The allegation was referred to the relevant entity who is part of the HSACF for formal investigations as per their legislative mandate.

3. The HSACF has registered quite a significant investigations outcomes or successes in twelve (12) matters that were reported to the Forum and formally investigated by member entities. The below table highlight some of the successes in terms of criminal prosecution, civil recoveries, and medical aid sanctions:

#	Entity Investigated	Investigation Outcomes
1	Health Professional Council of South Africa	Presidential report submitted in May 2022 DC referrals 19 NPA referrals 21 SARS referrals 2 OHSC referral 1
2	Provision of Aero Medical & Patient Transport – NW	Freezing order of former HOD pension to the value of R2 125 113,58 R30 000 000 civil proceeding have been instituted. HOD has been referred for disciplinary and has been dismissed on 13 January 2020 NPA criminal referral for 2 officials (Thapelo Buthelezi & CFO Mr Lekalakala) Disciplinary referral made for CFO who facilitated the irregular payments to Buthelezi EMS Civil proceedings underway to the value of R204 million are being instituted against Buthelezi EMS
3	Provision of Aero Medical & Patient Transport – FS	10 disciplinary referrals. 8 referrals for administrative action. 5 referrals to the NPA
4	National Health Laboratory Services	8x Disciplinary Referrals 11x NPA Referrals 8x finalised investigations 1 x Civil referral: Review application against 8 companies: R172 million. Preservation order obtained
5	Council for Medical Schemes	13 x disciplinary referrals relating to 2 individuals. 1 x criminal referral relating to 18 individuals. 4 x systemic recommendations 53 x investigations concluded (lifestyles, complaints, procurement, regulatory reviews)
6	Office of the State Attorney	Focus Area 1: Maladministration in connection with the affairs of the office of the State Attorney in relation to― (a) legal services that were provided, or procured, by the office of the State Attorney in the performance of its functions as contemplated in section 3 of the State Attorney Act, 1957 (Act No. 56 of 1957), on behalf of― (i) the Gauteng Department of Health and the Eastern Cape Department of Health in respect of claims based on medical negligence; Legal Practitioners Civil litigation instituted to the value of R82 994 347 for potential cash and/or assets recovered. R 217 000 Acknowledgement of Debt - AoD signed 8x disciplinary referrals 15x administration actions referrals 12x criminal referrals Medical negligence cases in Court. Civil litigation instituted to the value of R412 549 298 for potential cash and/or assets recovered. Rand value of potential loss prevented to the amount of R412 549 298 14x disciplinary referrals made. 13x administrative action referrals 7x criminal prosecution referrals Rand value of matters in respect of which evidence was referred for the institution or defence/opposition of civil proceedings to the value of R412 549 298 Focus Area 2: Maladministration in connection with the affairs of the office of the State Attorney in relation to ― the South African Police Service in respect of claims based on wrongful arrest or detention, assault, or malicious prosecution. Rand value of potential cash and/or assets to be recovered to the value of R1 600 000.00 Rand value of potential loss prevented to the amount of R25 747 581 1x disciplinary referral made. Focus Area 3: The procurement of legal services, as contemplated in paragraph 2(a) of this Schedule, by the office of the State Attorney, or payments which were made in respect thereof, in a manner that was― (a) not fair, competitive, transparent, equitable or cost-effective; or (b) contrary to manuals, policies, procedures, prescripts, instructions or practices of, or applicable to the office of the State Attorney, and any related unauthorised, irregular or fruitless and wasteful expenditure which the Department or the State incurred as a result thereof. Rand value of potential cash and/or assets to be recovered to the value of R4 146 476 079. Rand value of actual cash and/or assets recovered to the value of R2 228 773.44 2x disciplinary referrals 5x criminal prosecution referrals Focus Area 4: Irregular conduct by— (a) employees or officials of the office of the State Attorney; or (b) any other person or entity, relating to the allegations referred to in paragraphs 2 or 3 of this Schedule." 27 criminal prosecution referrals 33 Administrative action referrals 28 disciplinary referrals 1x SARS referral 12x systemic recommendations made.
7	South African Health Product Regulatory Authority	5x criminal referral letters have been for referred to NPA to institute criminal prosecutions for fraud in respect of 5 officials who caused the issuing of irregular licenses. 5x disciplinary action referral letters (DCs) have been referred to the South African Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) so that they can be disciplined in line with their policies and the Public Service Act. The investigating team is busy drafting the Final Presidential Report.
8	National Department of Health Medico Legal Claims	18 legal practitioners are being investigated by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) that assisted the Office of the State Attorney in rendering legal services in respect of medical negligence claims on the Gauteng Department of Health and the Eastern Cape Department of Health. 17 claims of legal practitioners still need to be verified by Legal Tax Bill Consultants. The SIU is also busy litigating cases involving Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE) with acute profound & partially prolonged in courts costing more than R203 549 298. Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE) with acute profound & partially prolonged. Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE) with acute profound & partially prolonged. The SIU has investigated Janilite (PTY) Ltd which acted as intermediary in both ECDH & GDH and a settlement of R2 228 773.44 was agreed by the departments with the assistance of the SIU.
9	National Department of Health	The docket has been submitted to the State Prosecutor for decision, this matter relate to senior officials who defrauded the Department of Health millions in subsistence and travel irregularities.
10	Government Employee Medical Scheme (GEMS)	The docket is almost complete, the Investigator is working on concluding financial report based on financial statements. The docket will soon be submitted to State Prosecutor for decision
11	COVID-19 National Proclamation	The final report was submitted to the President in June 2022. The legal outcomes have been presented to Parliament oversight Committees
12	Pretoria Eye Institute	Acknowledgements of debts was signed on this matter with some of the medical schemes that are affected who were involved in claim irregularities.

4. Specified preventative and/or risk-management measures were implemented by the HSACF

1. A series of webinars were successfully rolled out in 2020/21FY under the banner of HSACF Corruption Prevention Program with the following objectives:

• To create public awareness about corruption in the health sector
• To profile the Health Sector Anti-Corruption Forum (HSACF)
• To raise awareness about whistleblowing and witness protection

Amongst the thematic areas in relation to health sector corruption that were discussed include the following:

• The corruption pandemic in South Africa’s health sector
• National Health Insurance (NHI) and its vulnerability to corruption
• Combatting corruption in the private health sector
• When corruption and Covid-19 intersect
• Unpacking whistleblowing protection in South Africa

2. Collaboration with UNODC to implement corruption prevention programs in South Africa’s health sector.

• The HSACF is collaborating with the UNODC to implement corruption prevention initiatives in the health sector, which include strengthening whistleblowing/reporting mechanism and corruption risk assessments. Two (2) health sector entities were identified to implement these projects.

• These entities include HPCSA where a pilot project will be implemented on strengthening their internal whistleblowing/reporting channels and National Department of Health where corruption risk assessments will be implemented in particular around procurement.

3. Corruption Risk Mitigation Plan for COVID-19 Vaccine Roll-Out

• The COVID-19 Corruption Risk Mitigation Plan (CRIMP) was initiated to supports the National Covid-19 Vaccine Roll-Out Plan, led by the Inter-Ministerial Committee, chaired by the Deputy President
• The key objective of CRIMP was to develop and implement a specific anti-corruption lens on the roll-out of the vaccine taking lessons from the PPE investigations.
• The development of the CRIMP was led by DPME, working closely Health Sector Anti-Corruption Forum, convened by the SIU under the ACTT Prog 4.

The specific purpose of CRIMP was to enhance and complement existing efforts by providing:

• Framework and template to assess COVID-19 Vaccine corruption risks.
• Consolidate and Assess (“hack”/stress test) the workstream plans into a single, living anti-corruption risk mitigation plan.
• Act as coordination interface between the IMC work streams and specialist anti-corruption capacity (such as ACTT and its Fusion Centre) where required.
• Act as coordination interface with civil society, business, and labour; and optimise the existing mechanisms (e.g., with the SIU led Health Sector Anti-Corruption Forum) on broadening the anti-corruption response.

END.

Reply:

(a),(b) Public Protector recommended that the matter be referred to court. The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development implemented Public Protector’s remedial actions by referring the matter to court under case number LCC15/2020.

 

END

Reply:

(1)(a) The current status of specified vaccines available is as follows:

VACCINES IN STOCK	AVAILABILITY (Y)/(N)	COMMENT
Anaplasmosis	Yes	N/A
Heartwater	Yes	N/A
Redwater Asiatic	Yes	N/A
Redwater African	Yes	N/A
Anthrax	Yes	N/A
Black Quarter	Yes	N/A
Pasteurella	Yes	N/A
Elephant Skin Disease	Yes	N/A
Tetanus	Yes	N/A
Bluetongue	Yes	Product available in stock but already invoiced to a client
African Horse Sickness	No	Product going into production on the week ending 17 March 2023 and available on the market the week ending 7 April 2023.
Lumpy Skin Disease	No	Product available end April 2023.
Pulpy Kidney Alum	No	Product available end April 2023
Brucella S19	No	Product available end May 2023.
Brucella Rev 1	No	Product available end May 2023.
Rift Valley Fever Live	Yes	Product available in stock – minimum quantities, in planned production
Rift Valley Fever Inactivated	Yes	Product available in stock more than 500 000doses
Botulism	No	Product available end April 2023.

(b)(i),(ii) List of vaccines in stock and not in stock. Please refer to the table below. Please refer to the table below.

 

(i) VACCINES IN STOCK	(ii) VACCINES NOT IN STOCK
Anaplasmosis	Bluetongue
Heartwater	African Horse Sickness
Redwater Asiatic	Lumpy Skin Disease
Redwater African	Pulpy Kidney Alum
Anthrax	Brucella S19
Black Quarter	Brucella Rev 1
Elephant Skin Disease	Rift Valley Fever Live
Tetanus	Rift Valley Fever Inactivated
	Botulism

1. Expected date on which vaccines currently not in stock would be available: Please refer to the table below.

Vaccine	Expected Date of Delivery to the Market
Bluetongue	Product awaiting Quality Control results due the week ending 10 March 2023. Product to be distributed to the market week ending the 24 March 2023.
African Horse Sickness	Product going into production on the week ending 17 March 2023 and available on the market the week ending 7 April 2023.
Lumpy Skin Disease	Product expected delivery date end April 2023.
Pulpy Kidney Alum	Product expected delivery date end April 2023.
Brucella S19	Product expected delivery date end May 2023.
Brucella Rev 1	Product expected delivery date end May 2023.
Rift Valley Fever Live	Product awaiting packaging and will be available to the market the week ending 17 March 2023.
Rift Valley Fever Inactivated	Product awaiting packaging and will be available to the market the week ending 17 March 2023.
Botulism	Product expected delivery date end April 2023.

All vaccines above are scheduled for production in March 2023 and April 2023, and to undergo quality testing in April 2023 and May 2023.

2. The other vaccines that may replace unavailable vaccines are imported products of companies from other countries. Bluetongue, African Horse Sickness and probably Rift Valley Fever, as far as we know are only produced at OBP. Vaccines such as Brucella S19 may be replaced with vaccines from companies such as MSD Animal Health which makes available a vaccine known as RB 51 which has the advantage that it can be given to animals older than 8 months. A vaccine such as S19 normally has a restricted age of between 4 and 8 months. S19 provides much longer protection. Botulism may be available from combination vaccines from similar pharmaceutical companies. All other vaccines may have alternative products.

3. The Department is supporting the Entity in its three-pronged long-term strategy to satisfactorily meet market vaccine demands. The four-pronged strategy as approved by the entity includes:

• Implementing a sustainable planned and preventative maintenance programme;
• Seven-year critical equipment recapitalisation plan;
• Finding an alternative manufacturing site for its vaccines;
• Completing the Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) facility project; and
• To augment the Entity’s strategy, the Department will also be looking at ways of supporting the entity in its renewable energy initiative as well as infrastructure recapitalisation programme.

Reply:

Steps the department has taken to raise awareness amongst the public about the prevention and management of cholera.

After the WHO reported that the cholera outbreak had occurred in Malawi and Mozambique, and other countries in the SADC regions, the National Department of Health alerted all the provinces about the cholera outbreak. The provinces were requested to use the risk assessment and contingency plan tools to assess their capacity for preparedness and readiness for cholera outbreak. The National Department of Health met with the provinces to discuss the plans and actions required in preventing and controlling the spread of cholera. Steps that were taken to raise awareness amongst the public about the prevention and management of cholera are outlined below as follows:

a) Prevention and Control

The National Department of Health has activated the Multisectoral National Outbreak Response Teams (MNORT), which includes members from the National Department of Health, National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), provinces and the World Health Organization (WHO). The focus areas include surveillance; water, sanitation and hygiene; social mobilisation; Risk Communication and Community Engagement. The MNORT meetings are held on weekly basis (Fridays) to discuss the ongoing cholera outbreak in the country.

• A public announcement was made to inform and alert the public about the outbreak of cholera.
• All provinces received cholera guidelines and case investigation forms.

b) Surveillance

Disease surveillance, preparedness and outbreak response activities to detect outbreaks rapidly are ongoing in the provinces and at national level.

c) Water and sanitation interventions

The long-term solution for cholera control lies in access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation. Actions targeting environmental conditions including the implementation of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) solutions to ensure use of safe water, basic sanitation and good hygiene practices in cholera hotspots are being addressed. 

d) Community Engagement

Community engagements were conducted in all provinces, and distribution of Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) pamphlets and posters to teach the public about potential risks, symptoms of cholera, precautions to take to avoid cholera, when and where to report cases and to seek immediate treatment when symptoms appear continues to take place.

Awareness was raised about prevention through:

• Development and distribution of posters and flyers
• Giving health talks on community radio stations
• Cholera prevention and management messages were shared using departmental social media.
• Continuous health education is conducted in health facilities.

END.

Reply:

a) Not all hospitals have been exempted from the load-shedding. However, the National Department of Health has provided Eskom with a total of 213 hospitals to be considered for possible exclusion from loadshedding. About 67% of these hospitals are supplied by municipalities while Eskom supplies about 33% of the identified hospitals. Out of the 213 hospitals, 76 hospitals have been exempted of which 26 are directly supplied by Eskom and 50 by Municipalities. The number of hospitals exempted to date have doubled since the meeting held on 22 September 2022 between Eskom and National Department of Health. To date, there are 7 hospitals exempted in Eastern Cape, 9 in Limpopo, 15 in KZN, 4 in Mpumalanga, 4 in Western Cape, 2 in Northern Cape, 3 in North West, 14 in Free State, and 18 in Gauteng provinces. Should there be a need of hospitals names per province, a breakdown list of hospitals is available on request.

b) Load-shedding has a negative impact to the provision of health services at primary health facilities, hospitals, community health centres, clinics, EMS centres including the forensic laboratories. In order to reduce the impact of load-shedding, the National Department of Health is seeking for the financial support to assist with the effective delivery of the following areas:

(i) Additional funding support for fuel, oil including the servicing of generators. The hospitals have been forced to use its budget on fuel, oil and medical gas just to keep healthcare facilities running. With persistent stage 6 load-shedding, greater energy demand is placed on generator capability which requires increased fuel consumption and vast expenditure.

(ii) Additional funding support for the installation of dedicated lines for certain key hospitals that are deeply embedded within the Eskom’s or Municipal networks rendering exclusion impossible in their current state as bigger loads are to be exempted.

(iii) Additional funding support for the roll-out of the solar energy + battery storage as back-up supply to all the clinics, CHC’s, hospitals, EMS centres including the forensic laboratories.

END.

Reply:

1. The honourable member should note that nurses do not register with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), but with the South African Nursing Council (SANC).

(a)-(b) As per the information received from the SANC, the total number of nurses whose membership was terminated or their names removed due to their registration lapsing is 21 332 over the period of 2021 to 2022, as per the table below. The reasons are also reflected in the very table below.

Table 1.

	Reason for removal
Province	Deceased	Removed - Administratively	Removed - At own request	Removed - Disciplinary	Removed - Non-payment of annual fee	Grand Total
Eastern Cape	14	2	8	1	3020	3045
Free State			3		1086	1089
Gauteng	24	3	32	5	5257	5321
KwaZulu-Natal	39	5	27	0	4708	4779
Limpopo	16		2	3	1622	1643
Mpumalanga	2	2	1	0	929	934
North-West	8		5		1362	1375
Northern Cape	1		0	1	343	345
Outside RSA			4		84	88
Western Cape	7	6	21	0	2679	2713
Grand Total	111	18	103	10	21090	21332

2. In order to assist nurses with their lapsed registration, the Department has successfully signed Resolution 3 of 2019 at the Public Health and Social Development Sectoral Bargaining Council (PHSDSBC) which is an agreement on payment of annual statutory registration fees in respect of health and social development professionals (including Nurses)

The objective of the Resolution amongst others is to:

- Introduce mandatory deductions of professional registration fees from salary of employees by PERSAL as required by the respective statutory professional bodies in the Health and Social Development Departments.

- Assist in the monitoring of potential risks and compliance with registration requirement for appointment and practice as stipulated in the respective Statutory Professional bodies in the departments

END.

Reply:

a) It has come to the Department’s observation that there is a significant amount of research that needs to be conducted to ensure that the ultimate legislation is modern and is not misleading. With limited capacity within the Department and dependency on the Animal Welfare working group, comprising of veterinarians from the national and provincial departments, this has led to delays in finalising the bill.

b) The Animal Welfare working group has drafted the first version of the Bill, which is now being studied carefully for the purpose of benchmarking the draft against international best practices and the latest research publications on animal welfare. With such investigations being necessary the Department is considering placing the project on tender especially because time has elapsed since the completion of the draft.

Reply:

1. The Pandemic Treaty deliberation are still in the conceptualisation of a Zero Draft framework and negotiations have not yet commenced. South Africa participated in discussions focussing on the development of the Conceptual Draft Document which is a framework and outline of the envisaged pandemic instrument that looks at background, methodology and approach to be used during the development of the negotiation tool. South Africa was represented by our Health Attache to Geneva and the United Nations, Ms Lebogang Lebese, who is based in the South African Mission in Geneva.

2. South Africa is championing the cause of access and equity in pandemic preparedness and response. Therefore, the technical input to the Conceptual Zero draft referred to above, was centred around strengthening of the framework in the areas of “operationalisation of the instrument and on achieving equity” with emphasis on seven types of equitable access on Tools; Essential Supplies (strengthening supply chains and shortening supply lines); Financing; Vaccines; Health Workforce; Disease Surveillance and detection of zoonotic and environmental risks; and Equitable ramping up and diversification of manufacturing.

3. The Pandemic instrument discussions have not yet reached the stage of discussing a second draft. South Africa participated in further discussion on developing the Conceptual Zero Draft framework and was represented by our Health Attache, who was also joined by our Ambassador Mr Mxolisi Nkosi, the South African Permanent Representative to the United Nations office in Geneva and other international organisations in Switzerland.

END.

Reply:

(1) The Department is taking the following epidemiological responses to contain measles outbreak:

a) Measles campaign vaccination

Nationwide mass measles vaccination campaign is conducted in all 52 districts to contain outbreak by administering additional measles dose to all children from 6 months to 15 years regardless of their previous history of measles vaccination.

b) Epidemiological and clinical management of cases and contacts.

• All confirmed measles outbreak cases are epidemiologically investigated through field visits, and support to the affected areas are provided by both provincial and national teams.
• All suspected measles outbreaks are confirmed by the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) to be due to measles virus infection.
• There is clinical management of cases including isolation, administration of Vitamin A, management of complications and follow-up of close contacts.

c) Intensified Measles surveillance

• Measles surveillance is intensified to actively seek additional cases both in public and private health facilities.
• Health workers are urged to be on the alert to detect, investigate and appropriately manage cases.
• There is an ongoing full investigations of possible outbreaks in non-affected districts and urgent measures to strengthen surveillance are implemented.

d) Enhanced communication

Various Risk Communication and Community Engagement platforms are used to raise awareness in the communities about the disease and its prevention - and alerted to report people with measles symptoms and to ensure that children are fully vaccinated according to the national schedule.

e) Establishment of Outbreak Response teams

Outbreak teams have been established at district, provincial and national levels. The following work streams have been established within the national outbreak response team:

• Case management (including contact tracing)
• Surveillance and reporting
• Risk Communication and Community Engagement
• Supplementary vaccination campaign planning and execution – includes vaccine procurement and data management sub-streams.

(b) Children from 6 months to 15 years are given an additional measles dose at Early Development Centres, Primary schools and High schools.

END.

Reply:

The service termination in the Public Service is administered through PERSAL system, which is the function that is decentralised to the Departments. Based on the available data on PERSAL as at 01 March 2023, the following information has been extracted in response to the parliamentary question:

(a)

(i) Resigned employees	60 896
(ii) Deceased employees	24 317
(iii) Transferred employees	4 549*
(iv) Normal retirement	54 395
(iv) Discharged from duty	8 548

* Transfer within the Public Service is not regarded as termination of service

(b) The available data on PERSAL does not provide any reasons for the normal retirement, death, transfer and discharge, but it provides reasons for resignations. The main reasons for resignations include better remuneration, resignation from position, other occupation, personal grievances and nature of work. The detailed list of reasons sourced from PERSAL is attached.

 

(c) (i) The table below reflects service terminations according to the age group

Age category	<=20	21-30	31-40	41-50	51-55	56-60	61-65	66+	TOTAL
Retirements	0	37*	19*	25	865	23511	29777	161	54395
Discharged	11	656	2136	2336	1816	1422	169	2	8548
Resignations	242	12733	18664	12380	5509	7477	3799	92	60896
Deceased	2	685	3192	7148	5970	5602	1694	24	24317
GRAND TOTAL	255	14111	24011	21889	14160	38012	35439	279	148156

*This is how it is captured op PERSAL.

(ii) The table below reflects service terminations as per race category.

Race Category	White	Asian	Coloured	African	Total
Discharged	847	301	1305	6095	8548
Retirements	6879	1638	4444	41433	54395
Resignation	7951	2064	7322	43559	60896
Deceased	998	410	1 735	21 174	24 317
Grand Total	16675	4413	14806	112261	148156

End

Reply:

1. (a) The total number of interns and learners appointed during (i) 2019/20 is 25 711, (ii) 2020/21 is 22 347 and (iii) 2021/22 is 22 303.

The breakdown per province and national is as follows:

Provincial/ National Departments	2019/20	2020/21	2021/22	Grand Total
Eastern Cape	4 441	4 654	2 555	11 650
Free State	0	1 430	895	2 325
Gauteng	1 888	3 079	2 122	7 089
KwaZulu-Natal	2 592	3 337	5 155	11 084
Limpopo	3 187	3 187	2 348	8 722
Mpumalanga	912	824	680	2 416
National	8 839	4 384	4 637	17 860
Northern Cape	689	689	629	2 007
North-West	693	593	526	1 812
Western Cape	2 470	170	2 756	5 396
Total	25 711	22 347	22 303	70 361

(b) Paragraph 6.2 of the Directive on Developmental programmes in the Public Service states “ in line with the principle of open competition for these opportunities ,an executive authority shall ensure that all opportunities for developmental programmes within his / her department are advertised openly as contemplated in Regulation 65 of the Public Service Regulations and the selection shall be in line with the principles pertaining to the selection process contained in Regulation 67 of the Public Service Regulations”.

2. Based on the above prescript (Paragraph 6: Recruitment of Candidates into Developmental Programmes) of the Directive on Development in the Public Service, which is aligned with the prescripts of the (a) Public Service Act of 1994 and/or (b) Public Service Regulations of 2016, it is expected that all Heads of Departments comply with the provisions of this Directive.

End

Reply:

As mentioned in the previous reply to parliamentary question 633 posed by Dr MM Gondwe (DA), 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 information on the filling of the post (in terms of the minimum requirements) can be obtained directly from the relevant Department.

End

Reply:

a) The vacancy rate in the Public Service is 12.12% as at 31 December 2022 which is the end of the 3rd quarter of the 2022/2023 financial year (source PERSAL).

b) The list of vacant posts per salary level in National and Provincial Departments is attached as Annexure A and B.

c) The filling of a post 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.

End

Reply:

a) state-owned entities do not account, and/or report to the Minister of Public Service and Administration.

b) The Minister of Public Service and Administration does not have powers pertaining to the appointments, remuneration and employment conditions of Chief Executive Officers and top executives of any state-owned entity. Therefore, this question should be addressed to the departments which play an oversight role against the state-owned entities, such as Public Enterprises, Minerals and Energy, etc.

End

Reply:

The Department of Water and Sanitation is aware of the allegations and referred the matter to the Internal Audit Unit for investigation.

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Reply:

a) The matter of the Director-General is managed by the Presidency.

1. Not applicable.
2. Not applicable.

b) There is no Chief Operations Officer post in the National Department of Human Settlements.

1. Not applicable.
2. Not applicable.

c) The erstwhile Chief Financial Officer left the employ of the National Department of Human Settlements when her contract came to an end on 28 February 2022.

1. Not applicable.
2. Not applicable.

Reply:

a) Steps taken to improve service delivery capacities.

Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent (MISA) has deployed built environment professionals to municipalities in accordance with the District Development Model (DDM) to provide technical support for infrastructure development throughout the product life cycle from inception, planning, design development, implementation, operations and maintenance. This aims to augment and build State Capacity. 103 Built environment professionals (86 of which are professionally registered with Statutory bodies as engineers and town planners). In the current financial year, 150 Young Graduates have been deployed to augment the technical capacity whilst pursuing professional registration. These technical professionals support municipalities to implement infrastructure grant programmes that include the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) administered by the Department of Cooperative Governance (DCOG), the Water Services Infrastructure Grant (WSIG) and the Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant (RBIG) which are both administered by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) as well as the Integrated National Electrification Programme (INEP) administered by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE). The budget allocations are published annually in the Division of Revenue Act (DORA). These technical professionals also support municipalities to employ and maximise labour intensive construction (LIC) methods where feasible, by incorporating the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) Guidelines during infrastructure development e.g. low volume roads, water, sanitation and electrification projects. The use of LIC methods during infrastructure development maximises the creation of job opportunities thereby alleviating unemployment. This will assist municipalities to meet the job opportunities target for the EPWP infrastructure sector administered by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI).

1. MISA is implementing capacity building programmes aimed at building the capacity of municipalities for infrastructure development. These capacity building programmes aim at the current cohort of municipal officials as well as unemployed youth by creating a skills pipeline.

• The municipal officials responsible for infrastructure development are trained through short courses for continuous professional development throughout the project life cycle as well as taking them through a Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) programme. MISA is providing training on short technical courses in collaboration with the South African Institute of Civil Engineers (SAICE) and aims to train 500 officials this financial year. The RPL programme involves assessment, training provisioning and attaining a qualification of those municipal officials who gained work experience but did not get formal qualifications. MISA aims to enrol 100 officials for RPL Programme.

• The capacity building programmes implemented that are targeting unemployed youth are the Apprenticeship Programme, the Experiential Learnership Programme, the Bursaries Programme and the Young Graduates Programme. The implementation is done in collaboration with the Local Government Sector Education and Training Authority (LGSETA). MISA aims to enrol a total of 420 youths for these skills programmes for this financial year. The respective targets are 100 for Apprenticeship Programme, 70 for the Experiential Learnership Programme, 100 for the Bursaries Programme and 150 for the Young Graduates Programme.

2. MISA has implemented other capacity building initiatives for municipalities to provide infrastructure development viz. the building of internal built environment design development capacity so that there is less reliance on outsourcing to Consultants, the development of Public Infrastructure Unit Cost Guidelines as well as collaboration with professional bodies and Institutions of Higher Learning.

• MISA has bought design software and is currently piloting the establishment of a design office at OR Tambo District Municipality where selected infrastructure projects that are prioritised and funded by the municipality are designed through the support of MISA procured design software and technical support personnel and not outsourced to Consultants.

• The Unit Cost Guidelines were developed in collaboration with the University of Cape Town. These Guidelines provide cost estimates of providing infrastructure as one source of truth for planning, budgeting and implementation monitoring. The Guidelines can be used by all interested and affected stakeholders including municipalities, communities, oversight structures and law enforcement agencies. The Guidelines assist in building communities’ confidence in government expenditure on infrastructure development. The Unit Cost Guidelines were used during the assessment of municipal infrastructure that was damaged by floods in April 2022.

• MISA has entered into a collaboration agreement with the University of Cape Town and Wits University and is finalizing a Memorandum of Agreement with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA). The collaborations with these institutions aim to use research to find innovative solutions to infrastructure development and service delivery challenges among other benefits.

3. MISA is also contributing towards the eradication of basic services backlogs through its meagre budget by funding and implementing 39 borehole projects in this financial year in low and medium capacity municipalities.

4. MISA, through DCOG, applied for the Presidential Employment Stimulus (PES) program that was aimed at addressing the devastating impact of COVID-19 on the economy to an amount of about R700 million. An amount of R284 million was approved for MISA to implement the PES through the Innovative Solid Waste Management Program that was piloted in 25 municipalities across the 9 provinces.

The project commenced in December 2021. To-date the programme has created employment opportunities as detailed below as the programme ensured removal of municipal waste:

Province	Number of municipalities benefitted	Number of jobs created	Amount spent
Eastern Cape	7	3 200	R51 252 295.00
Free State	4	1 996	R38 134 654. 50
Gauteng	4	1200	R20 488 113.15
KwaZulu Natal	9	4 400	R64 977 015.00
Limpopo	3	1 500	R21 854 087.7
Mpumalanga	2	1 038	R14 569 391.90
Northern Cape	5	1200	R23 458 589. 68
North West	4	1 200	R26 426 925.00
Western Cape	3	900	R22 496 929. 95
TOTAL	41	16 634	R 283 658 001.88

The participants were employed for a period of (16 weeks) 3 months and received a minimum stipend of R102 per day for general workers, and R150 per day for coordinators.

End.

Reply:

The Department of Environmental Affairs, Forestry and Fisheries, as the custodian of the legal and regulatory frameworks that control environmental issues, can answer to this question with the necessary specificity and rigor. In order to achieve the goals stated in section 27 (3) of the Disaster Management Act, 57 of 2002, the NDMC's job is to coordinate the necessary actions aimed at reducing the likelihood of a complete blackout.

End.

Reply:

Regarding the consolidation of state employment programs, no evaluation has been conducted. This is because the department only has one program for public work, the Community Works Program. Since the agency oversees a number of Public Employment Programs, the Parliamentary Question ought to be directed to the Minister of Public Works.

End.

Reply:

a) The majority of poor households are still not registered by municipalities, which is one of the main reasons of the Free Basic Service program's low uptake by poor households. The following are just a few of the many causes for this, among many others:

Most municipalities are using the self targeting approach, waiting on indigent beneficiaries to approach municipalities to declare their indigent status. Most of the indigent households are not aware of the programme due to lack of awareness raising campaigns and communication strategies in most municipalities.

Major challenges on treatment of informal settlements and backroom dwellings. No verification tools to check the authenticity of the municipal indigent registers. Indigent policies not costed and tabled and adopted in municipal councils.

b) The following are the steps that will be taken by the department to expedite the increase in the uptake of the Free Basic Service programme by indigent households:

Ongoing support will continue to be provided to municipalities to update their indigent registers. The department will continue to support municipalities in developing indigent policies that are in line with the National Indigent Policy Framework and the Implementation Guidelines. The department has included an indicator in the Non-Financial Census (NFC) questionnaire requesting municipalities to indicate whether the indigent policies have been tabled in the municipal council together with the budget for the respective financial year.

This will enable the department to intervene and support municipalities that are not tabling the municipal indigent policies in council. In its interactions with municipalities, the department will continue to communicate and encourage municipalities to undertake a comprehensive roll out of free basic services programme so as to address some of the critical root causes in the low uptake of the of the Free Basic Service programme.

The department will also be hosting quarterly forums with the provincial COGTAs to share best practices and strategize on the mechanisms to effectively and efficiently support municipalities in the roll out of the FBS programme.

End.

Reply:

1. No, the South African Hajj and Umrah Council (SAHUC) has not been mandated by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation to act on behalf of the Muslims in the Republic.

2. There is no agreement between the Department of International Relations and Cooperation and the SAHUC authorising SAHUC to act on behalf of Muslims.

3. The SAHUC has not received any mandate from the Department of International Relations and Cooperation.

4 Yes, the Department deals with SAHUC as part of its operations, insofar as the SAHUC as the Pilgrims’ Affairs Office of South Africa liaises with the South African Consulate-General in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, regarding Consular services such as deaths, injuries, and distressed pilgrims.

.

Reply:

This question can be responded to with the required detail and precision by the Department of Water and Sanitation, as the custodian of legislation and regulatory frameworks that govern provision of water. The role of the NDMC is to coordinate necessary activities aimed at mitigating the prospects of a total blackout, towards fulfilling the purpose outlined in section 27 (3) of the Disaster Management Act, 57 of 2002.

End.

Reply:

a) Direct interventions made by the Department to provide relief to the persons affected by the recent floods are made through the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) coordinated and collaborated with relevant stakeholders on disaster intervention measures as per its legislated mandate. The following are actions by the department:

• Facilitated the deployment of teams from the Security Cluster for search and rescue missions within the affected communities. Coordinated the evacuation missions and placement of affected households within emergency shelters. Mobilised humanitarian relief measures and the distribution by stakeholders within affected communities. Facilitated technical support to municipalities through the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent (MISA) in addressing some of the critical infrastructure damages for the restoration of services. Monitored conditions on the ground, further disseminated early warnings and advisories for informed decisions to prevent the conditions from deteriorating further within communities. Allocated disaster grant funding to affected municipalities for disaster interventions to address the damages incurred by municipalities and monitored implementation of interventions and provide support to municipalities to enhance the realisation of desired impacts from allocated funding.

b) The department continues to incorporate the lessons learnt within the disaster management function. The disaster grant frameworks were amended to factor in the lessons learned. Currently, the department is leading in the review of the Disaster Management system in consultation with relevant stakeholders to ensure collation of and implementation of lessons learnt to enhance the current system.

End.

Reply:

As the appointment and recognition of headmen/women is a provincial competence, we engaged with the Kwa-Zulu Natal CoGTA regarding the Honourable Member’s question. The provincial department has advised as follows: In anticipation of receipt of funding to pay iZinduna, the KwaZulu-Natal Executive Council resolved to conduct roadshows to eleven Districts to disseminate the information and to communicate the government decision to allocate R631 million for the back pay of iZinduna. The roadshows are led by Members of the Executive Council (MEC) and the central communication for these engagements is on the background and the plan in place (payment plan for current and terminated iZinduna) to pay the money to the qualifying iZinduna. An integral part of these sessions consists of financial counselling which incorporates elements of financial planning and management, investing in education, property and business to assist the beneficiaries to better manage the anticipated back pay monies. iZinduna have also been made aware of the significance of confidentiality in handling these anticipated funds.

End.

Reply:

Using SPLUMA provision 2.2, the Department of Agriculture Land Reform and Rural Development; the Department of Human Settlements is in charge of regulating the use of land and controls of land invasion and Municipal By-Laws, Spatial Development Frameworks and Land Use Schemes are used in conjunction with Planning Instruments to address irregular communities. Municipality is the authority of first instance. (Informal Settlements). Therefore, it is advised that it be moved or redirected to the Department of Human Settlements and the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform, and Rural Development.

End.