Questions and Replies

Reply:

According to the information received from Eskom:

(1)(a)

There were adverse weather conditions, storms and lighting in the area since October 2022, which resulted in various faults on that 22kV network. These MV faults included poles and cross-arms being hit by lightning and the failure of insulators.

In January 2023, a decision was taken by Eskom’s Aliwal North Technical Team to patrol that section of the line and conduct a line inspection in order to consolidate the number of defects caused by these storms.

(2)(a) and (b)

After completion of the line patrol and inspections, the following outage and maintenance plan to

upgrade the inline 22kV DOT-1 was put in place:

• 14 – 16 February 2023: Eskom’s Live Work Teams carried out defect clearance on the affected section.
• 28 February 2023: Another update work was carried out on the affected section of the 22kV line by Eskom’s construction teams.
• The outage was successful as Eskom managed to clear 80% of the defects on the accessible areas.
• The continuity of electricity supply in the area has since improved since the work that was executed between 14 – 18 February 2023.
• The plan is to get Eskom’s Live Work and Construction Teams back to clear the rest of the defects.

 

Remarks: Approved / Not Approved

Jacky Molisane PJ Gordhan, MP

Acting Director-General Minister

Date: Date:

Reply:

(a), (b) and (c) Section 81(1) of the PFMA states that an accounting officer for a department or a constitutional institution commits an act of financial misconduct if that accounting officer willfully or negligently (a) fails to comply with a requirement of section 38, 39, 40, 41 or 42 or (b) makes or permits an unauthorised expenditure, an irregular expenditure or a fruitless and wasteful expenditure.

Section 85(1)(a) of the PFMA provides that, the Minister must make regulations prescribing the manner, form and circumstances in which allegations and disciplinary and criminal charges of financial misconduct must be reported to the National Treasury, the relevant provincial treasury and the Auditor-General including (i) particulars of the alleged financial misconduct; and (ii) the steps taken in connection with such financial misconduct.

Treasury Regulation 4.1.3 states that, if an accounting officer is alleged to have committed financial misconduct, the relevant treasury, as soon as it becomes aware of the alleged misconduct, must ensure that the relevant executive authority initiates an investigation into the matter and if the allegations are confirmed, holds disciplinary hearing in accordance with the prescripts appliable and agreement applicable in the public service. The relevant treasury may also direct that (a) an official other than the employee of the department conducts the investigation or (b) issues reasonable requirement regarding the way in which the investigation should be performed as provided in Treasury Regulations 4.1.4.

Information related to investigations conducted against accounting officers and disciplinary action instituted in departments can be found in the annual reports of those departments. In addition, the Frameworks issued by the National Treasury on unauthorised, irregular and fruitless and wasteful expenditure prescribes the process and requirements that should be followed by departments, constitutional institutions, trading entities and public entities when dealing with matters of financial misconduct linked to these expenditures. The Frameworks can be found on the National Treasury website at the following link:

https://www.treasury.gov.za/legislation/pfma/TreasuryInstruction/Annexure%20A%20%20PFMA%20Compliance%20and%20Reporting%20Framework%20Instruction%20No%204%20of%20202223.pdf

Reply:

State-owned entity	(i)(a) Chief Executive Officer	(ii)(a) Top Executive Position	(i)(b) Chief Executive Officer	(ii)(b) Top Executive Position
Accounting Standards Board (ASB)	R2 861 287	R2 139 230	The chief executive officer and top executives do not receive payment to attend meetings.
Co-operative Banks Development Agency (CBDA)	R594 000[1]	R1 214 000
Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA)	R8 061 383	R4 128 919
Financial and Fiscal Commission (FFC)	R1 759 809	R1 450 275
Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC)	R3 068 000	R2 073 000
Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA)	R4 166 667	R3 621 890
Government Pensions Administration Agency (GPAA)	R2 137 000	R1 304 000
Government Technical Advisory Centre (GTAC)	R1 466 778	R1 601 147
Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors (IRBA)	R3 303 398	R2 651 221
Land and Agricultural Development Bank of South Africa (Land Bank)	Vacant	R3 535 999
Office of the Ombud for Financial Services Providers (FAIS Ombud)	R2 385 313	R1 593 228
Office of the Pension Funds Adjudicator (OPFA)	R2 586 223	R1 807 125
Office of the Tax Ombud (OTO)	R2 697 684	R1 903 092
Public Investment Corporation SOC Limited (PIC)	R9 500 000	R7 563 600
South African Revenue Service (SARS)	R6 156 000	R3 023 000
South African Special Risks Insurance Association (SASRIA)	R4 100 000	R3 800 000

All the related information is available in the Annual Report of the Public Entities reporting to the Department.

The Managing Director of the CBDA’s contract ended on 30 September 2021. ↑

Reply:

As announced in the 2023 Budget, the planned increase on the health promotion levy on 01 April 2023 has been suspended for two years. Consultations with key stakeholders, like the health sector and sugar industry will take place after the publication of a discussion paper to extend the levy to pure fruit juices and lower the 4-gram threshold.

Reply:

(1)	(aa) Minister	(bb) Deputy Minister
(a) Destination	Dubai	Boston
	Egypt	Botswana
	Ethiopia	Dakar
	Germany	Egypt
	Ghana	Paris
	Indonesia	Senegal
	Japan	Swaziland
	London	Windhoek
	Morocco
	Niger
	Rwanda
	Singapore
	Switzerland
	Tanzania
	Washington
(b)(i) Accommodation	R1 022 286,58	R 68 232,47
(b)(ii) Travel	R1 808 642,36	R402 893,88
(b)(iii) Other costs	R 220 082,08	R 16 833.29

(2)	(a) Minister	(b) Deputy Minister
Total cost incurred for domestic air travel	R637 211,56	R783 050,91

Reply:

Generally, the causes of South Africa’s poor economic growth and development are complex and multi-faceted. It includes the impact of state capture, as outlined by the Zondo Commission findings published in 2022. The National Treasury provides a bi-annual update on the performance of the economy and the policy proposals to improve it in the annual Budget Review and in the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement.

From a local government perspective, interventions in terms of section 139 of the Constitution are being more actively pursued as a measure to address the lack of service delivery and poor financial management in municipalities. Where necessary, such interventions in terms of Section 139(5) are mandatory, and require a financial recovery plan to be imposed on the municipality. Monthly reporting on the recovery plan is a legislative requirement and creates the mechanism to monitor the performance of the municipality, including how funding is being utilised by the municipality, prioritization of service delivery and inclusion of programmes to enhance social and economic development. However, interventions are led by the relevant Provincial Executive Committee and the role of the National Treasury is limited in terms of the Constitution to the preparation of the financial recovery plan and overseeing the monthly reporting on progress.

For more details on some of the policy work done by the NT to enhance transparency of local government spending, please refer to Parliamentary Question 293.

Reply:

My department has established a Student Housing Infrastructure Programme (SHIP) which is aimed at addressing student housing backlog through the implementation of large student housing projects that deliver more than 1000 student beds each across universities and TVET Colleges. From the onset, SHIP was established to ensure that a minimum of 60% of the student beds it delivers are for campuses in rural and peri-urban areas. For the less urbanised spaces, under Phase 1 of the SHIP which commenced in 2019, R1.464 billion was allocated towards the development of 13005 student beds at University of Fort Hare (UFH) Alice Campus, North-West University (NWU) Mahikeng Campus, University of Limpopo (UL), University of Zululand (UNIZULU), King Hintsa TVET College, and Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU). To date 3165 beds have been completed, 5500 are currently under construction, and 4340 have been scheduled.

Under Phase 2 of the SHIP, R1.382 billion has been allocated towards the development of 6300 beds at Central University of Technology (CUT) Welkom Campus, Gert Sibande TVET College, Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) Ga-Rankuwa Campus, and Walter Sisulu University (WSU). In addition, R1.209 billion has been allocated to student housing projects that are not under the SHIP, and the projects are currently under construction. These projects are located at CUT Welkom Campus, TUT Ga-Rankuwa Campus, UL, UNIVEN, WSU and University of Zululand (UNIZULU). Furthermore, R1.261 billion was allocated for previous projects which have already been completed at CUT Welkom Campus, NWU Mahikeng Campus, SMU, UFH Alice Campus, UL, UNIVEN, UNIZULU, WSU, and University of the Free State (UFS) Qwa-Qwa Campus.

Reply:

I have not been informed about the Cap leading to students not being able to afford suitable accommodation. Men my department presented on readiness for the academic year, we reported that universities made provision for emergency accommodation for students where possible. On 20 March 2023, USAF too confirmed that emergency accommodation has been offered to students. Following my meeting with USAF on 3 March 2023, where on concerns with the R45000 Cap were raised by some Vice Chancellors, I established a task team consisting of affected universities, officials from the Department and NSFAS. Relevant data from all 26 public universities is being collected to establish how many students are affected and which accommodation categories they are allocated within. Once all the data is collated a workshop will be held with relevant stakeholders. In the interim, internal analysis has been conducted by the Department to analyse which universities will not cope financially with the Cap, and what adjustments need to be made to ensure they are supported. Recommendations will be submitted to the Department. NSFAS has also informed me that it plans to redirect NSFAS students to the more affordable accredited accommodation identified by its team of accreditors.

Reply:

The Department of Higher Education and Training has various strategies in place to improve retention of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college students. In respect of student admissions, the Department has developed the Policy Framework on Administration and Management of Student Admissions in TVET Colleges to facilitate access to young people, particularly from disadvantaged backgrounds to TVET college programme offerings. Furthermore, administration of the student selection and placement tests is compulsory in all colleges to ensure that students are appropriately enrolled in programmes aligned to their cognitive abilities. To promote student access, financially and academically deserving students may apply for the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) which covers tuition (inclusive of textbooks, consumables, and safety gear), personal care allowance, living allowance, and transport or accommodation.

Students who do not meet entry requirements for a particular programme as outlined in the college’s admission policy may be enrolled into the Pre-Vocational Learning Programme (PLP) which is a one-year academic programme intended to bridge the gap in students’ foundational knowledge in subjects such as English, Mathematics and Science, and over and above includes computer literacy and life skills. In respect of on-course support, the Department has developed the Academic Support Guidelines to assist colleges to develop their own academic support programmes and interventions for underperforming students in order to improve their retention and academic performance.

The physical, emotional, social health, and well-being of students have a bearing on their retention and academic performance. In this regard, the Department, in collaboration with Higher Health is offering health, wellness and psychosocial support to students with socio-economic challenges ranging from gender-based violence, substance abuse, health care, STD and HIV/AIDS screenings, and mental health to enable them to adapt to the demands of college life and their studies.

Reply:

1. The Saudi Arabia Ministry of Hajj and Umrah confirmed that it has a two-system approach, which can be defined as follows:

• A Pilgrims Affairs Office, which is an office that is official appointed by the country to facilitate Hajj on behalf of the said countries’ pilgrims. In this regard, SAHUC is considered a “Pilgrims’ Affairs Office.”

• Organisers, (Tour Operators and Travel Agents) who contract directly with the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah. This system (Organisers, tourist companies and Agencies) is the responsibility of a different section where they will have a different set of requirements and criteria as well as guarantees that would need to be completed and approved before the Organisers may operate.

2. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has indicated that no such classification exists and if such is made, it would be communicated through official channels.

3. Not applicable - South Africa is not registered as a Muslim country.

4. The Hajj protocols and agreements are signed by the head of the South African Hajj and Umrah Council (SAHUC) and the Government of Saudi Arabia.

5. This is not a mandate of DIRCO. The Constitution guarantees freedom of religion in Section 15. It is accepted in the philosophy of religious freedom that the role of the State must be neutral in States where religious freedom is guaranteed. In other words, the State should treat all religions equally and impartially.

This in effect means that the Department does not become involved in arrangements for the pilgrimage, nor in arrangements for religious pilgrimages or ceremonies for any other religion. However, as the pilgrims in questions are South African nationals, it is appropriate to provide them with consular services, as the case will be with any other South African national.

It has been noted that the Department did play a role in facilitating consultations within the South African Muslim community concerning the problems that were experienced with the Hajj. It is our opinion that such a role is perfectly compatible with the Department’s mission as it assists in managing bilateral relations with a foreign State and does not intend to favour one religion over another.

The Chairperson of the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities has also formally responded that South Africa is a secular state and that the Department of International Relations and Cooperation is not obliged, constitutionally, to co-ordinate the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimage.

Reply:

There are many considerations when determining the rate of any tax. The National Treasury has undertaken an alcohol taxation review process and will soon publish a discussion paper for public consultation. The discussion paper will consider all the developments and relevant issues pertaining to the overall alcohol industry and the taxation of alcoholic beverages since the last review was performed in 2014. The excise duty regime for wine will also be specifically considered in relation to the industry and the excise duty regime for other alcoholic beverages.

Reply:

As announced in the 2023 Budget, the planned increase on the health promotion levy on 01 April 2023 has been suspended for two years. This has been done to enable stakeholders in the sugar industry to restructure or diversify, given the challenges on jobs and farmers from greater regional competitive pressures and the effect of recent floods and public violence.

No consultations generally take place before any tax announcement but is done after such an announcement as part of the legislative process that follows.

Government does, however, consult on policy proposals as explained in the 2022 and 2023 Budget. Government will also soon publish a discussion paper on the levy for consultation on proposals to extend the levy to pure fruit juices and lower the 4-gram threshold. Consultations on the proposals will take place after written comments on the discussion document have been received.

Reply:

According to information received from Eskom:

1. Mr Makwana is currently serving as an Independent Non-executive Director at Nedbank Group Ltd since November 2011. He previously served as Lead Independent Director and Acting Chairperson at Nedbank Group Ltd and was later appointed Chairperson of the Board at Nedbank Group Ltd on 2 December 2021.

2. In terms of section 75 of the Companies Act and Eskom Conflict of Interest Policy, non-executive directors are required to disclose or declare any interests they have. Where a conflict exists, such conflict should be managed. One of the mechanisms to manage a conflict of interest, is to request the director not to participate in decision making relating to that interest, including excusing him/herself from meetings where such interest is discussed.

 

Remarks: Approved / Not Approved

Jacky Molisane PJ Gordhan, MP

Acting Director-General Minister

Date: Date:

Reply:

(a)

The Ciskeian Civil Servants Pension Fund (CCSPF) of the former Ciskei was administered by the former Ciskei Government until 1993 when Sanlam took over the administration. The GEPF took over from Sanlam in 1999. The Ciskeian Civil Servants Pension Fund was, together with certain other pension funds as specified in the Government Employees Pension Law, 1996 (GEP Law), amalgamated into the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF).

Any member of the CCSPF whose pensionable service data was received from the CCSPF correctly, was transferred to the GEPF as part of the amalgamation. Such a member’s GEPF pensionable service includes his/her CCSPF pensionable service for which such a member was not already paid and is recognised as a continuous pensionable service record.

Members who exited the CCSPF prior to amalgamation, would have been paid their pension benefits through the then administrator being Sanlam.

Any member who was amalgamated into the GEPF as explained above, has his/her CCSPF pensionable service recognized as part of their GEPF pensionable service. When such a member exits the GEPF the full pensionable service (inclusive of the CCSPF) is considered to determine the pension benefits.

There is accordingly no knowledge of “thousands of pensioners” who were not paid what is due to them as any such member whose data was correctly transferred and who was not paid any benefit under the CCSPF, has their pensionable service for such period recognized as part of their GEPF pensionable service. The GEPF investigates any individual case where it is submitted that a member’s pensionable service record differs and assesses such in respect of each individual case.

(b)

Accordingly, the Fund is not aware of any delays in the payment of pensions for former CCSPF members.

Reply:

Since 2007, when the NC(V) programmes were first introduced, the NC(V): Mechatronics programme has been offered supported by workshops and equipment that enables the development of relevant skills needed by industry. Many of these workshops match those at some Universities of Technology used by first year students.

Over the past 5 years various components of the NC(V): Mechatronics programme have been reviewed and updated. These include Practical Assessment Tasks (PATs) and Integrated Summative Assessment Tasks (ISATs) for the following subjects:

Vocational Subject reviewed	Implementation date of the reviewed subject
Mechatronics Systems L2	2020
Electro-technology L3	2023
Stored Programme Systems L3	2023
Machine Manufacturing L3	2023
Mechatronic Systems L3	2023
Electro-technology L4	2017
Stored Programme Systems L4	2017
Computer Integrated Manufacturing L4	2017
Mechatronic Systems L4	2017

From 2019 – 2022, the DHET developed an additional stream in the NC(V): IT & Computer Science programme which focuses on Robotics. This Robotics programme is implemented in 10 TVET colleges from January 2023, including Capricorn TVET College.

In preparation for the implementation of the Robotics programme (which is an integration of Mechatronics and Software Programming), TVET colleges had to upgrade their Mechatronics workshops so that they can accommodate equipment to facilitate learning in both Mechatronics and Robotics. These workshops were then earmarked for use by both the Mechatronics and Robotics programmes.

The assertion that the curriculum of the NC(V): Mechatronics programme is irrelevant / outdated is incorrect. The curriculum does not specify the brand or version of equipment to be used in teaching. A standard resource list is provided to colleges providing minimum requirements for facilitating learning in a programme. The curriculum states the specific learning outcomes that have to be achieved and which will be assessed across all colleges offering the programme, irrespective of the choice of equipment they are using.

An illustration of this aspect of national curriculum development is that, for an example: in the Computer Practice and Computer Literacy curricula there would not be mention made of Microsoft Office. The learning outcomes will describe what students need to achieve / learn e.g. how to compile and edit documents, to capture and process data and statistics, do presentations, etc without prescribing the specific software package.

The DHET endeavours to continue supporting TVET colleges in aligning their Programmes and Qualifications Mix (PQMs) with the needs of industry. Linking programme offerings with priority skills needs reflected in national and local initiatives such as Local Development Plans, Occupations in High Demand (OIHD), the South African Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan, and the National Digital Skills Strategy.

Reply:

1.1 Progress is being made within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to facilitate free movement of people and goods in the region. The SADC Protocol on Facilitation of Movement of Persons, which was signed on 18 August 2005 by nine Member States, has only been ratified and domesticated by seven countries, including South Africa. This means that it is not yet in force. In the meantime, SADC Member States grant visa exemptions to each other’s citizens on a bilateral basis. In the spirit and letter of this Protocol, South Africa has already exempted 13 SADC Member States ordinary citizens entry and residence for a period of 90 days per annum without visas.

1.2 Regarding the movement of goods, it should be noted that SADC has developed the SADC Protocol on Trade which was signed in 1996 and entered into force in 2008. So far, it has been ratified by 13 out of 16 Member States, including South Africa. The Protocol serves as a framework for the establishment of the SADC Free Trade Area (FTA). Since the establishment of the FTA, intra-regional trade has increased 20% among participating Member States.

Reply:

a) Government contributed R1.7 billion to NSFAS following a due diligence exercise that was undertaken in 2018 towards historic debt owed to universities by continuing or returning NSFAS qualifying students, registered in 2018. The allocation targets students who were subject to the R122 000 family income threshold and the NSFAS funding cap, and covers students registered in 2019, 2020 and 2021. Students must meet the academic progression criteria for the years being claimed for and had to sign an acknowledgment of debt with their institutions. This project is work in progress as it is subject to an audit process required by NSFAS and is yet to be finalised.

Secondly, as for the 2022 academic year, NSFAS applied the household income threshold of R350,000 to all students who applied for financial aid for the 2022 academic year and beyond. This means continuing students who were subjected to the R122 000 threshold and NSFAS cap, qualified for the full cost of study and thus would not incur debt.

Thirdly, there have been yearly compacts between my Ministry and the councils of universities to ensure fees remain affordable for poor and working-class students as well as missing middle students. In 2022 a compact was reached with universities to increase tuition fees and accommodation fees to a maximum of CPI at 4.23% for tuition fees and CPI+2 to a maximum of 6.23% for accommodation fees.

b) The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) allocation for the 2023 academic year for universities is R38.674 617 billion covering an estimated 62% of the undergraduate population studying towards an approved qualification at an institution, and who meet the qualifying criteria. The Minister has also approved the 10% increase in allowances, institutions have started to load registration data inclusive of this confirmed increase.

Reply:

Since African economies are at different stages of development, there is a risk that smaller economies might not reap equal benefits of the AfCFTA as compared to the more advanced and diversified economies. It is for this reason that the AfCFTA provides provision for the asymmetric reduction of tariffs depending on the size of the economy of each State Party. In this regard, the AfCFTA makes provision for the less advanced countries or least developed countries (LDCs) to eliminate their tariffs over 10 years for the first 90% of products as compared to five years that is allocated to the more developed economies, such as South Africa. The remaining 7% of tariff lines which are designated as sensitive will be eliminated over a longer time frame- the developing African countries will do this over 10 years whilst the LDCs are given 13 years. These provisions were specifically made to cushion and provide policy space for smaller African economies against the shocks that may come with trade liberalisation.

South Africa views the AfCFTA as a catalyst for economic growth and development for the entire Continent. Furthermore, South Africa actively encourages investment in the development of Regional Value Chains (RVC) across the Continent. South Africa has and continues to actively participate in the ongoing work of the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA), the Presidential Infrastructure Championship initiative (PICI), chaired by South Africa, and the Specialised Technical Committee (STC) on Trade, Industry, Tourism and Mineral Resources, which deals with industrialisation and development of RVCs on the continent.

Reply:

According to the information received from Eskom

1. The Enon area in Sundays River Valley Local Municipality has reliable Eskom electricity networks, but they are frequently negatively affected by acts of theft and vandalism. There were no major faults affecting the area during the said period of December 2022. Eskom has, however been dealing with an increase in vandalism, stolen power cables, stolen airdac cables and stolen reclosers in the area. Eskom has identified that there is a high number of stolen airdac cables on the Sunday’s River and Greater Kirkwood areas of Moses Mabhida, Msengeni, Enon and Beshiba.

(2)(a) Eskom started by replacing airdac cables on the Moses Mabhida and Msengeni area on 15 February 2023 and that project is now completed. The observation is that in these areas, the customer airdac cables are being repeatedly stolen as soon as they are being replaced.

The focus of replacing airdac cables in now on Enon and Beshiba areas where there has been a spate of cable theft. The stealing of airdacs is an on-going issue which Eskom has been dealing with for a long time now.

(2)(b) Eskom Distribution Eastern Cape has been mitigating the theft of power and airdac cables by:

• Replacing all copper airdac and power cables with aluminium cables.
• Embarking on community mobilisation and co-operation (a plan is now being finalised to launch a community co-operatives programme with Sundays River Valley Local Municipality).
• Strengthening of security initiatives.

Prioritisation of faults considers the circumstances around a particular fault; and the channel used does not have any influence on how a fault is handled. Customers are encouraged to continue using Eskom’s digital platforms. The two cases highlighted in paragraph 2(b) are being investigated and resources will be assigned to ensure that they are attended to should it be found that the customers are still without supply.

 

Remarks: Approved / Not Approved

Jacky Molisane PJ Gordhan, MP

Acting Director-General Minister

Date: Date:

Reply:

The Department of Higher Education and Training has embraced the digital transformation journey and has prioritised utilising technology to improve the quality of teaching and learning which will ultimately improve institutional efficiency and student success.

1. The extent of online education has not been quantified by different institutions in the PSET sector. However, the Department has introduced multiple initiatives including amongst others:

(a) Investment in the development of a National Open Learning System (NOLS) that aims to:

• progressively harness open learning principles in all PSET institutions;
• provide students in the PSET system with an efficient open learning system with viable options for learning;
• use ICT as an enabler for teaching and learning in PSET; and
• make high quality, shared teaching and learning resources increasingly available as Open Educational Resources (OER).

b) Commissioned a research project with an international partner (GIZ — German Agency for International Cooperation) on the current use of technology in South African TVET colleges.

c) Funded the South African National Research Network (SANReN) which was mandated to connect all 50 TVET Colleges with more than 300 sites covering the length and breadth of the entire country (TCCP) including rural institutions. 90% of TVET students are from poor homes. The project is 80% complete. Learning sites that were connected have provided very positive feedback, with high-speed connectivity achieved across vast and deep rural and mountainous regions of the country

2. On the question of building capacity to expand access through online education is work in progress, the DHET has developed a National Guideline on using technology to enhance teaching and learning. All Colleges were capacitated on the use of the National Guidelines during 2021/2022.

The Department further initiated a project on blended learning which aims to build lecturer and tutor capacity in blended learning of mathematics and statistics education, tutoring and support. Currently, there is no formalized programme to capacitate lecturers and tutors for blended tuition. The objective of the project is to conduct workshops and work with Inter-university and Faculty communities of practice that consist of lecturers and tutors who will focus on sharing best practices and creating new knowledge to advance their ability to educate optimally will be established.

Reply:

The Department has considered the use of redundant buildings to house satellite campuses for PSET institutions in general and Community Learning Centres in particular.

The exercise has been managed at the regional and institutional level because many of the redundant buildings are schools owned by Provincial Departments of Public Works. However, the Department has started a process establishing a schedule of all redundant buildings that can be used as satellite campuses. The exercise is scheduled to be completed by the end of 30 March 2023.

Reply:

The NSFAS relied on the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation report, existing NSFAS data for accommodation claimed historically across all institutions, both universities and TVET colleges, recommendations from the MTT report and available market data which looked at the generic student housing market.

Reply:

We acknowledge the importance of the agricultural sector and its potential to generate low-skilled jobs needed to address unemployment in South Africa, however, the Honourable Member’s question is not clear, as we do not necessarily agree on the underlying causes and potential impact of the reasons he has stated in his question for example we are not in agreement with his assumption that an increase in taxes is a factor responsible for the major economic setback to the agricultural sector. The Honourable Member may kindly provide more details on the economic setback in agriculture referred to.

The fiscal support for agricultural sector is determined through the budget allocations to the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, as articulated in the Estimate of National Expenditure (ENE) - Vote 29 and to provinces though the Division Revenue Act, and this information is available in various provincial budgets.

Reply:

1. The Department of International Relations and Cooperation does not deal with any regulatory bodies to correlate tourism and oversee pilgrims during pilgrimage to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. DIRCO only provides consular assistance to South African pilgrims visiting the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

2. The Department of International Relations and Cooperation recently appointed a Ministerial Committee on the Efficient Management of the Annual Hajj and Umrah Pilgrimages. The mandate and role of the Ministerial Committee is to provide strategic direction to support the efficient management of the annual Hajj and Umrah Pilgrimages and to ensure that the South African pilgrims may enjoy a well-organised pilgrimage by an appropriate system under the auspices of the relevant Ministry of Hajj and Umrah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. As a result of several complaints regarding arrangements made by many travel agencies facilitating travel services for South African pilgrims at that time, the Saudi Arabian Government, in 1994, approached the Members of Parliament of the South African National Assembly to address the matter. It was therefore deemed necessary for one entity to manage the entire Hajj process. The then Department of Foreign Affairs, through the then Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Aziz Pahad, facilitated meetings for engagements among Non-Governmental Organisations representing the interests of Muslim Communities as well as political parties representing Muslim constituencies with the view to establishing a single entity to manage the Hajj process. As a result of these engagements, a Management Committee was formed, which led to the formation of the South African Hajj and Umrah Council (SAHUC) and the Government of Saudi Arabia was informed of SAHUC’s formation and its objective to facilitate the Hajj pilgrimage for South African pilgrims.

3. The formation of SAHUC was done through multi-stakeholder engagements with entities representing the interests of Muslim Communities. The Government of Saudi Arabia was informed of the formation of SAHUC to facilitate Hajj pilgrimages for South African pilgrims.

4. The entire Hajj process for South African pilgrims is facilitated through SAHUC, in its capacity as the Pilgrims Affairs Office according to the procedures set by the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which includes the annually set quota, therefore it is not issued to the South African Government. The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah implements two systems for the purpose of organising pilgrimages, i.e., that of a Pilgrims Affairs Office or that of Organisers. SAHUC resorts under the category of a Pilgrims Affairs Office and administers the distribution of visas.

Reply:

The provisions of section 121 of the Municipal Finance Management Act, Act 56 of 2003 (MFMA) together with section 127(2) – (3)(b) of the Municipal Finance Management Act, Act 56 of 2003 (MFMA) states that the mayor of a municipality must, within seven months after the end of a financial year, table in the municipal council the Annual Report of the municipality and of any municipal entity under the municipality's sole or shared control. Should the mayor, for any reason, be unable to table the Annual Report of the municipality or any municipal entity under the sole or shared control within 7 (seven) months after the end of the financial year to which the report relates, the mayor must: (a) promptly submit to the council a written explanation referred to in section 133(I)(a) setting out the reasons for the delay, together with any components of the Annual Report listed in section 121(3) or (4) that are ready and (b) submit to the council the outstanding Annual Report or the outstanding components of the Annual Report as soon as may be possible.

The responsibility to discharge this requirement in terms of the MFMA, vests with the respective municipality.

I have been advised from a report to the National Treasury, that Annexure A lists the municipalities that did not table their Annual Reports to Council by 31 January 2023 based on information received by the National Treasury. I am further advised however, the updating of such information for monitoring compliance, is ongoing.

Annexure A

Number	Name of Municipality	Province
1	Senqu	Eastern Cape
2	Emalahleni	Eastern Cape
3	Ngqhuza Hill	Eastern Cape
4	Koukamma	Eastern Cape
5	Kopanong	Free State
6	Mohokare	Free State
7	Masilonyana	Free State
8	Tokologo	Free State
9	Nketoana	Free State
10	Maluti-a-Phofung	Free State
11	Mantsopa	Free State
12	Mafube	Free State
13	City of Johannesburg	Gauteng
14	uMkhanyakude	KwaZulu Natal
15	Steve Tshwete	Mpumalanga
16	Richtersveld	Northern Cape
17	Ubuntu	Northern Cape
18	Magareng	Northern Cape
19	Renosterberg	Northern Cape
20	Sol Plaatje	Northern Cape
21	Thembelihle	Northern Cape
22	Siyathemba	Northern Cape
23	Tsantsabane	Northern Cape
24	Kgatelopele	Northern Cape
25	Phokwane	Northern Cape
26	JB Marks	North West
27	Naledi	North West
28	Mamusa	North West
29	Ditsobotla	North West
30	Ngaka Modiri Molema	North West
31	Cederberg	Western Cape

Reply:

The Competent Authority for regulation and Management of Water Resources is Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS).

Reply:

a) Illegal mining is regarded as a serious crime and cannot be equated to Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining. In 2021 the Department introduced the Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Strategy as a policy intervention to drive the development of Artisanal and Small-Scale miners and encourage the participation of Historically Disadvantaged South Africans.

b) Any person who wishes to participate in mining / prospecting activities is allowed to apply in terms of the Minerals and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) and the above policy guideline.

Reply:

The Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities is partnering with various stakeholders on developing a 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) Youth Skills and Employment Initiative. This Initiative seeks to equip the youth with digital skills, so that young people (including young women and youth with disabilities) can participate in the digital economy.

This Initiative is a solution which seeks to prepare the youth as the current and future workforce by training 4 000 young people in skills that are required now and in the future. It is envisaged that once trained, young people would be more employable or become entrepreneurs. The targeted beneficiaries for the 4IR Youth Skills and Employment Initiative are unemployed young people between the ages of 18–35 years. These youth will be equipped with technical training and will receive internationally recognised certificates upon completion.

It will provide training in the following areas:

a) Technical skills in Digital Literacy;

b) Information Technology Essentials;

c) Technical Support skills;

d) Web Development skills;

e) Cell phones and Computer Repair skills;

f) Information Technology Trainers skills;

g) Cybersecurity skills;

h) Entrepreneurship skills; and

i) Sales and Digital Marketing skills.

There have been consultations with the Economic Sectors, Investment, Employment and Infrastructure Development; the Governance, State Capacity and Institutional Development; and the Social Protection, Community and Human Development Directors-General Clusters on the initiative.

The DWYPD will coordinate the 4IR Youth Skills and Employment Initiative and ensure reporting. The implementing partners who have committed to be part of this Initiative are:

a) Department of Cooperative Governance;

b) National Electronic Media Institute of South Africa (NEMISA);

c) Digiconnect; and

d) CISCO.

Two Memoranda of Agreement have been signed between the DWYPD and the Department of Cooperative Governance and CISCO. The Memoranda of Agreement with the National Electronic Media Institute of South Africa (NEMISA) and Digiconnect have been finalised and are being processed for signature by both partners. The 4IR Youth Skills and Employment Initiative will be presented to Cabinet once all Memoranda of Agreement have been signed.

Reply:

According to the information received from Alexkor, Denel, Eskom, Safcol, SAA and Transnet

 

SOC	REPLIES
Alexkor	1. Alexkor SOC Limited has not sponsored any sport teams outside the Republic of South Africa in the past five years. 2. There were no teams sponsored.
Denel	1. Denel has never spent on sponsorships for teams outside the Republic of South Africa in the past five years. 2. N/A
Eskom	1. Eskom has not sponsored any sports teams outside or inside the Republic in the past five years. 2. Not applicable.
SAFCOL	1. SAFCOL has not sponsored any sports teams outside the Republic of SA. 2. N/A
SAA	1. South African Airways (SAA) has not sponsored any sporting teams within nor outside the Republic of South Africa in the past. 2. N/A
Transnet	(1) Transnet has not sponsored any sporting teams within nor outside the Republic of South Africa in the past. (2) N/A

Remarks: Reply: Approved / Not Approved

Jacky Molisane P J Gordhan, MP

Acting Director-General Minister

Date: Date:

Reply:

1. It has been estimated that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) will require around R1,7 billion of funding to be able to respond to the State Capture cases, and develop the required capacity needed to address the growing complexity of challenges facing the NPA. National Treasury allocated a total of R1.3 billion over the MTEF period towards the capacitation of the NPA to deal with State Capture and complex corruption as well as related matters. A total of R28,5 million support of donations in kind were raised from non-profits and business which were also used for capacitation project in the NPA.

2. The NPA included, in the Memorandum of Understanding with Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA), a pre-condition for vetting of resources offered from all private sector partners. Where BLSA is aware of potential conflict with the donor, such donors are not referred to the NPA. We can confirm that through this partnership and the NPA vetting process, no donor was red flagged and no protocols on donations were violated.

END

Reply:

ISSUE	2020-2021	2021-2022	2022-2023
(a) Who has been the representative at each board	Ms Nomzamo Bhengu Chief Director: Strategy & Systems	Ms Nomzamo Bhengu Chief Director: Strategy & Systems	Ms Nomzamo Bhengu tenure ended 31 May 2022 Ms Nonkqubela Silulwane Chief Director: Research and Knowledge Management. Appointed from 26 October 2022
(b) What processes were followed to appoint the representative in each case	A standard approach has been to identify a suitable employee at Chief Director level who possess the necessary skills and expertise and submit a recommendation to the Minister for her consideration. Upon receiving concurrence from the Minister, details of the employee are processed to Cabinet for consideration and approval, in accordance with the procedure for Board appointments.
(c) What are the functions of the representative on each Board	The functions of the representative are in terms of the section 10 (1) and (2) of the Tourism Act, 2014 as well as the sections of the PFMA applicable to Boards of public entities. The member is, however, a non-voting member and may not be appointed as chairperson or deputy chairperson of the Board.
(d) How does the representative report to her department	The representative of the department has not, in the past, reported to the department on any matters of the Board. However, this will be reviewed when the Department develops the Service Level Agreement with the Board in the first quarter of the 2023/24 Financial year.

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Reply:

In respect of (1)

The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy and the IPP Sector (primarily Project Companies and Lenders) engage with the matter pertaining to tariffs perceived to be high. It was resolve that a refinancing mechanism be introduced to facilitate the reduction of tariffs without affecting project viability.

To date 15 projects have successfully refinanced their debt thus saving consumers R 4 billion rands in tariffs over the term of the contracts. More refinancing applications are being processed.

In respect of (2)(a)(b)(c)

The said information could be provided upon receipt of a request. It should be noted that such information provision will be done in accordance with legislation such as the POPI Act.

Reply:

The Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD) through its Agency, the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), has in the first three quarters of the current financial year processed 251 grants to youth owned enterprises in the Eastern Cape Province. In addition, in the first three quarters of the current financial year created and sustained 827 jobs through supporting entrepreneurs and enterprises in the Eastern Cape Province.

Of the total beneficiaries that received grant funding 45% were young women and 17% were young people living with disabilities.

The Department through the NYDA also participates in the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention which is government’s plan to address youth unemployment through transitioning young people into the labour market to significantly reduce the high rate of youth unemployment. It is intended to coordinate, enhance, and scale up existing programmes across government and through close partnerships with the private sector. Bringing together a wide range of partners within and beyond government, it is the largest and most comprehensive plan to address youth employment in South Africa’s democratic history.

To pursue this objective and to unlock the energy and potential of young people, five priority actions will be implemented to catalyse long-term change:

1. Building a national Pathway Management Network for young work-seekers to view and access available learning and work opportunities and receive a range of support services and work readiness training to help them navigate into employment and other economic opportunities. Young people will receive a basic package of support in person, online and over the phone, complete online assessments and training and be matched to a wide range of opportunities.

2. Implementing agile, demand-led workforce development programmes that allow young people to develop the capabilities required to take up new opportunities in growth sectors such as global business services, digital and technology, tourism, agriculture, and social services over five years, and support those sectors to expand. This will be achieved through short learning interventions matched to real demand in the economy, in partnership with Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), Skills, Education and Training Authourities (SETAs), the National Skills Fund (NSF), sector bodies and the Public-Private Growth Initiative.

3. Supporting the township and rural economy by creating inclusive markets in opportunity areas such as the food economy, the green economy, health, and education. To enable self-employment and enterprise, focus will be placed on systemic enablers such as connectivity, public infrastructure and market access – in addition to the direct enterprise support and financing provided by DSBD and its agencies.

4. Providing opportunities for workplace experience through the Youth Employment Service and ensuring that every student enrolled in TVET colleges can access work-integrated learning to complete their qualifications and enter the workplace.

5. Revitalising the National Youth Service to create opportunities for young people to meaningfully contribute to their communities, develop critical skills required to participate effectively in the economy, build confidence and expand their networks and social capital.

The Presidential Youth Employment Intervention is also being implemented in the Eastern Cape Province.

Reply:

(a) The Comprehensive National Prevention Strategy on Gender Based Violence and Femicide was developed during the last quarter of 2021/22 financial year.

(b) The Department did not spend money to develop the strategy.

Reply:

1. (a) In 2019, the National Department of Health appointed Service Providers to conduct forensic investigations. One of the responsibilities has been to identify any fraudulent claims. The reports of these investigations are the basis of the current SIU investigations in all the Provinces in line with the Proclamation.

The following table reflects the details in this regard:

Province	Number of fraudulent claims paid out	Amount of money recouped	Top causes and/or reasons for medico-legal claims	Total number in each case
Eastern Cape	Nil	Nil	Obstetrics & Gynae related	1135
			Orthopaedic,	92
			Surgical	42
			ICU related	46
			Other	399
Free State	Nill	Nill	Cerebral Palsy	132
			Surgical complications	53
			Gynae & Obstetrics	84
			Wrong diagnosis/ medication	63
Gauteng	Nill	Nill	Prolonged labour	18
			Brain damage	93
			Genetics	2
			Injury or impairment	66
			Multiple prior pregnancies	18
			Unwanted pregnancy	5
			Respiratory distress syndrome	1
			Prior damage to uterus	25
			Foreign object found in birth canal	9
			Bacterial infection	26
Limpopo	Nill	Nill	-	-
Kwazulu-Natal			-	-
Mpumalanga	Nill	Nill	Cerebral Palsy	613
			Orthopaedics	391
North West	-	-	-	-
Northern Cape	Nil	Nil	Cerebral Palsy	33
			Surgery	9
Western Cape	Nill	Nill	Obstetric other mishaps	20%
			General surgical	10%
			Trauma	5%
			Neurosurgery	5%
			Orthopaedics	5%
			Ophthalmology	5%
			Paediatrics	5%
			Anaesthetics	5%
			Other	10%

2. According to Provinces, they use both manual and electronic tracking systems. Most of the Provinces have their inhouse electronic system.

3. According to the Provinces, there are those that are using their own electronic system. These include Eastern Cape Mpumalanga, Limpopo and Western Cape. Kwazulu-Natal, Free State, Gauteng, Northern Cape and North West are using the Case Management System.

END.

Reply:

a) The National Environmental Management Act, 107 of 1998 (NEMA) provides for regulation of activities which cannot be undertaken without an Environmental Authorisation, such listed activities includes mining and prospecting activities. If any person conducts a listed activity without an approved Environmental Authorisation they are committing an offense in terms of section 49A of NEMA and can be prosecuted following an investigation.

b) The Department is working with law enforcement authorities to deal with the scourge of illegal mining. There are several multi-disciplinary and intelligence led operations that have been successfully undertaken in Mpumalanga, Limpopo, North-West, Northern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and Free State in this financial year. The operations are at various stages of investigation as a result, details remain sub judice, however, additional information can be obtained from the South African Police Service and the National Prosecuting Authority.

c) It should also be noted, especially with recent experiences in illegal mining, that the scourge has become an organised crime often led by sophisticated crime syndicates. Further operations are being planned together with law enforcement authorities to respond to challenges caused by illegal mining activities in the country.

d) The South African Police Service has also set up the Economic Infrastructure Task Team (EITT) which role is to address the scourge of crimes within the non-ferrous metals, essential infrastructure, critical infrastructure, extortion, and illegal mining. The Department of Minerals and Energy is working together with the envisaged unit.

Reply:

South Africa has not officially declared any minerals green. The Department is in the process of developing a strategy on critical minerals which will also reflect on minerals that are considered as green to support the country’s just energy transition.

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The Deputy Directors of Public Prosecutions cannot, by law, remove or strike matters from the court roll. Deputy Directors of Public Prosecutions may, however, authorise the withdrawal of cases in certain instances.

The standing operating procedure is that new cases are screened by either a Control Prosecutor, Senior Prosecutor or a dedicated team of prosecutors in larger offices, before enrolment thereof. Cases involving foreign nationals are not enrolled unless the affidavit, from an official delegated by the Department of Home Affairs regarding the status of the accused, is filed in the docket. This is only in respect of cases regarding a contravention of Section 49(1) of the Immigration Act 13 of 2002.

If the accused is charged with other offences, apart from a contravention of the Immigration Act, then the cases are enrolled in respect of those charges, even if the affidavit regarding the immigration status is not yet available.

In most of the cases, the affidavit is filed by the time the docket(s) arrive at court, however, there are a few occasions when this does not happen. Prosecutors will then wait for the outstanding affidavit to be filed in the docket, and then proceed to enroll the matter on the same day.

In rare instances, the immigration matters are not enrolled due to this problem. It is very seldom that cases are enrolled and then withdrawn due to the affidavit not being filed in the case docket.

In terms of the judgments by the Constitutional Court in the matters of Abore v Minister of Home Affairs and Another [2021] ZACC 50 and Ruta v Minister of Home Affairs [2018] ZACC 52, any illegal immigrant who expresses the intent to apply for asylum in terms of the provisions of Section 21 of the Refugees Act 130 of 1998, may not be detained and should first be afforded an opportunity to apply for asylum. This is in compliance with the international obligations of the Republic of South Africa pertaining to the principle of non-refoulment. Such immigrant may however be detained if he or she is charged with other offences, in addition to an alleged contravention of Section 49(1) of the Immigration Act 13 of 2002.

END

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1. All “135 mass care centres” have been closed and the households either moved to temporary residential units (TRUs) or to transitional emergency accommodation (TEA). The Province has reported that out of 1810 TRUs, 1755 have been erected and occupied and the balance are being erected. This Department has conducted oversight visits together with the Department of Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation to TRUs and TEA. The TRUs are built using alternative building technology and meets the norms and standards set in the Housing Code. The structures are approximately 30m², separate ablution facilities are provided for females and males, water standpipes are provided, and the units have been fitted with prepaid electricity meters. The Department have also interacted with beneficiaries who were extremely pleased with the TRU accommodation.

With regards to the transitional emergency accommodation, households have been housed in privately owned rented accommodation paid for by the State. The accommodation is of a good quality with all services for example water, ablution, cooking, and security facilities are provided. Interaction with beneficiaries revealed that they were extremely pleased with the accommodation. Further oversight visits are planned.

2. The Province has also reported that all land parcels are to be developed as a permanent solution with housing High-Density typology (3 Storey Walkups). The proposed development is to be aligned with the Municipal Land Use Controls and a shortened statutory process to be followed due to the urgency for a permanent solution. The Provincial Department together with the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality has a database of all households and would commence with the necessary screening process for the allocation of permanent housing.

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1. The Department is aware of illegal mining in Sundays River Valley in the Eastern Cape and has brought this matter to the law enforcement agencies as this is a criminal activity.

2. Refer to (1) above.

3. (a) The Department continues to seal off open shafts and rehabilitate the disused and derelict mines within the available budget. (b) The law enforcement agencies will ensure that perpetrators of illegal mining are brought to justice.

Reply:

The Department of Social Development (DSD) is the lead department in the provision of social protection services for vulnerable individuals, groups, and communities. This question may be directed to the Minister of Social Development.

Reply:

According to the information received from our Provincial Departments of Health, the table below reflects the details in this regard:

PROVINCE	Number of medico-legal claims filed	Number of claims paid out	Number claims paid by way of settlements	Number of claims been paid by way of court order	Number of claims awarded based on lost patient files	Number of duplicate claims filed	Total (b) amount spent on legal cost
Eastern Cape	1714	331	0	331	0	0	R 281 368 162
Free State	345	25	25	0	0	0	R 31 619 758.74
Gauteng	384	-	0	0	0	0	R 996 278 397.03
KwaZulu- Natal	833	148	0	148	0	0	R 417 603 116.00
Limpopo	1147	41	4	37	0	0	-
Mpumalanga	756	79	30	49	27	0	R 358 971 364, 00
Northern Cape	83	25	25	0	7	0	R 37 921 415.00
North West	351		16	10	0	0	R112 273 309.00
Western Cape	273	137	137	0	0	0	R71 161 000.00

Table 1.

END.

Reply:

a) The North West Department of Human Settlements has advised that in terms of the National Housing Code, the Moses Kotane Local Municipality is required to put forward its housing needs to the provincial sphere of government- To date the North-West Department of Human Settlements has not received any request to plan, budget and build houses in Straatdrift JP74 and Tshwaro.

b) The time frames can only be determined on receipt of a formal request from the Moses Kotane Local Municipality.

 

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

QUESTION FOR WITTEN REPLY

QUESTION NUMBER: PQ 646

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 3 MARCH 2023

T MOLOI

ACTING DEPUTY DIRECTOR-GENERAL: AFFORDABLE, RENTAL AND SOCIAL HOUSING

DATE:

_________________________________________________________

Recommended/Not recommended

S NGXONGO

ACTING DIRECTOR-GENERAL: HUMAN SETTLEMENTS

DATE:

_________________________________________________________

Approved/Not approved

Ms. M.T. KUBAYI, (MP)

MINISTER OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS

DATE:

Reply:

The Department is working with law enforcement authorities to deal with the scourge of illegal mining. There are several multi-disciplinary and intelligence led operations that have been successfully undertaken in Mpumalanga, Limpopo, North-West, Northern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and Free State in this financial year. The operations are at various stages of execution.