Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure

(1)

(a) Attached please see progress update report made on the implementation of the recommendation by BDO

(b) The DPWI provided the fire damage report to the HAWKS as an input into the investigation into the Parliament Fire – DPWI awaits for the outcome of the independent investigation and apply consequences upon the outcome of the investigation for all the areas of uncertainty.

(2) Yes a follow up report was provided by BDO in February 2022, please see the attached report

(3) Please see the attached report

Reply:

Find here: Reply

Reply:

1. (i) National departments: R 92 564 557
2. Provincial departments: R 346 382 610
3. State-owned entities: R 76 313 507

1. The Mangaung Intervention Team has taken the following steps to facilitate payment of municipal accounts from departments and state owed entities:

• Meetings were held with different departments to discuss the payment of municipal debts;
• Letters of demand have been issued to the different departments;
• Services have already been disconnected from provincial government. They were reconnected only after payment of R 50 million as well as commitment to make a payment arrangement for the remaining outstanding amount. Government has been given until 30 June 2023 to provide a formal payment arrangement. Should there be a failure to submit, they will be disconnected again.
• Re-allocations or reconciliation of accounts with credit balances and accounts with debt balances is in progress.

End.

Reply:

1. (b) (c) (d) No, the Department of Health has not commissioned any studies and or live monitoring to assess the current extent of electromagnetic pollution in urban and rural areas.

1. -(ii) The South African Products and Regulatory Authority (SAPHRA), which is an entity of the National Department of Health is responsible, from the viewpoint of human health, for regulating electronic products producing non-ionising electromagnetic fields (EMF), i.e. where the frequency of such EMF is less than 300 GHz. In carrying out this responsibility, SAPHRA has been utilising the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International EMF Project (www.who.int/peh-emf/en/) as its primary source of information and guidance with respect to the health effects of EMF. The International EMF Project was established by the WHO in 1996 to (i) assess the scientific evidence for possible adverse health effects of non-ionising electromagnetic fields on an on-going basis, (ii) initiate and coordinate new research in this regard, and (iii) compile health risk assessments for different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. The Department of Health has been a member of the International Advisory Committee of the International EMF Project since 1998.

In June 2005 the International EMF Project hosted a workshop that was specifically aimed at considering the possible health consequences of the emissions from cellular base stations and wireless networks. The findings of this workshop were summarised in a 2-page Fact Sheet (http://www.who.int/peh-emf/publications/facts/fs304/en/). The following extract from this Fact Sheet is still considered by the WHO as a summary of the findings to date, i.e. “Considering the very low exposure levels and research results collected to date, there is no convincing scientific evidence that the weak RF signals from base stations and wireless networks cause adverse health effects.”

Another WHO Fact Sheet was published in June 2011 and reviewed in October 2014, i.e. Electromagnetic fields and public health: mobile phones. This Fact Sheet can be found at http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs193/en/) and the conclusion is stated as follows: “A large number of studies have been performed over the last two decades to assess whether mobile phones pose a potential health risk. To date, no adverse health effects have been established as being caused by mobile phone use.”

The WHO recommends utilising internationally recognised exposure guidelines such as those published in 1998 by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) and reconfirmed in 2009 for the frequency range 100 kHz – 300 GHz (i.e. including all the frequencies employed by the cellular industry). The Department of Health likewise recommends the use of these ICNIRP guidelines to protect people against the known adverse health effects of EMF.

The numerous measurement surveys, which have been conducted around the world and in South Africa, have shown that the actual levels of public exposure as a result of base station emissions invariably are only a fraction of the ICNIRP guidelines, even in instances where members of the public have been really concerned about their exposure to these emissions. At present there is no confirmed scientific evidence that points to any health hazard associated with the very low levels of exposure that the general public would typically experience in the vicinity of a cellular base station. The Department is therefore satisfied that the health of the general public is not being compromised by their exposure to the microwave emissions of cellular base stations. This also means that local and other authorities, in considering the environmental impact of any particular base station, do not need to and should not attempt, from a public health point of view, to set any restrictions with respect to parameters such as distance to the mast, duration of exposure, height of the mast, etc.

The Department of Health is not able to make any pronouncements about the specific levels of EMF that a member of the public would experience at any particular base station site when it is in operation. However, generally-speaking unless a person would climb to the top of a mast (or other structure supporting an antenna) and position him/herself not more than a few meters away right in front of the active antenna, such a person would have no real possibility of being exposed to even anywhere near the afore-mentioned ICNIRP guideline limits. Since these base stations are typically cordoned off by means of barbed wire fencing and locked gates/doors in order to protect the sensitive and expensive technology, getting to a mast and actually climbing it despite the afore-mentioned security measures would certainly not be considered responsible behaviour. Even then the only real threat to the health of the person would be falling at any height from the structure in question. Based on the results of numerous global and local surveys, the experience has been that the exposure to base station EMF at ground level is typically in the range of between 0.001 – 1.0 % of the afore-mentioned ICNIRP guideline limits. Against this background of available data, there would be no scientific grounds to support any allegation that adverse health effects might be suffered by a responsible member of the public due to the EMF emitted by a base station.

Although the Department of Health currently neither prescribes nor enforces any compulsory exposure limits for electromagnetic fields, the Department does advise all concerned (whether they be a government department, the industry or the public) that voluntary compliance with the afore-mentioned ICNIRP exposure guidelines is the recommended and science-based way to deal with any situation involving human exposure to the non-ionising electromagnetic fields emitted by cellular base stations and handsets.

In addition, the National Environmental Management Regulations, 2014, as amended, published under the National Environmental Management Act 1998 (Act 107 of 1998), is the national legislation prescribing requirements for Environmental Impact Assessment to be conducted for various activities, prior to their commencement, depending on their scale and their potential to result in environmental and health impacts. The installation and use electromagnetic of Internet Wi-Fi [5G], Low Earth Orbit satellites, mobile phone towers and Internet fibre cables have not been identified as activities with a potential to result in significant pollution to the environment and therefore do not require an EIA to be conducted.

END.

Reply:

The public hospitals and forensic pathology mortuaries have continuous backup generator capacity. This helps mitigate the potential of mortal remains decomposing. There are continuous discussions with ESKOM to exempt public hospitals and Forensic pathology mortuaries from loadshedding. Most of the decomposed bodies are received by forensic pathology mortuaries mostly due to these bodies being discovered in public spaces after a longtime.

1. Measures taken to trace families for both public hospitals and forensic pathology mortuaries.

• In relation to Forensic Pathology Mortuaries, all unclaimed bodies are managed according to (i) the regulations for rendering Forensic Pathology Services (No R341 of 2005) – Section 43, 44, and 45 and (ii) the National Code of Guidelines for Forensic Pathology Practice in South Africa – Chapter 13 Section 460 to 464.
• It is the mandate of the South African Police Service (SAPS) to manage all unidentified cases from both the public hospitals and Forensic Pathology Service facilities. The SAPS has the competency of identification and tracing of families.

(b) Steps taken by the Department of Health to trace the families of the deceased?

The Department of Health collaborates with the SAPS, Department of Home Affairs (for finger prints), Department of Social Development (for tracing of families) and local municipalities (for paupers’ burial where families are not successfully traced).

The steps are as follows:

• In case of an unclaimed body where there are addresses provided, their next of kin are contacted.
• Tracing is also done by the social worker using details provided by the hospital.
• Community development/health workers are also used in tracing at last address that was given on the deceased patient’s file.
• The unclaimed deceased details and photos also get published through public media outlets.
• Should the tracing not be successful, the deceased’s DNA is extracted and sent to the SAPS Forensic Science Laboratory for storage in the database for future reference. It is only at this stage that the Department of Health makes an application to the Municipality for a Pauper burial.  

END.

Reply:

(1) The following local municipalities are currently under intervention as provided for in section 139 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996:

 

Name of Municipality	Type of intervention
Enoch Mgijima LM	S139(7) National intervention in the stead of the provincial executive in terms of section 139(5)(a) and (c)
Amathole LM	S139(5) of the Constitution
Makana LM	S139(5) of the Constitution
Mafube LM	S139(5)(a)&(c) of the Constitution
Tokologo LM	S139(5)(a)&(c) of the Constitution
Emfuleni LM	S139(5) of the Constitution
Merafong LM	S139(5) of the Constitution
Mpofana LM	S139(1)(b) of the Constitution
Inkosi Langalibalele LM	S139(1)(b) of the Constitution
Mtubatuba LM	S139(1)(b) of the Constitution
Msunduzi LM	S139(1)(b) of the Constitution
Emalahleni LM	S139(5) of the Constitution
Govan Mbeki LM	S139(5) of the Constitution
Msukaligwa LM	S139(5) of the Constitution
Thaba Chweu LM	S139(5) of the Constitution
Lekwa LM	S139(7) National intervention in the stead of the provincial executive in terms of section 139(5)(a) and (c)
Phokwane LM	S139(5) of the Constitution
Renosterberg LM	S139(5) of the Constitution
Madibeng LM	S139(5) of the Constitution
Tswaing LM	S139(5) of the Constitution
Kgetleng Rivier LM	S139(5) of the Constitution
Mahikeng LM	S139(5) of the Constitution
Ramotshere LM	S139(5) of the Constitution
Naledi LM	S139(5) of the Constitution
Kagisano-Molopo LM	S139(1)(b) of the Constitution
Beaufort West LM	S139(5)(a) of the Constitution

(2) The National Treasury is the custodian of Municipal Finances and all information related to the finances and expenditure of municipalities resides with the National Treasury.

End.

Reply:

1. There was no emergency procurement undertaken during the state of disaster gazetted on 09 February 2023.

 

1. (i)-(ii), (bb), (cc) (dd) Notwithstanding work done by Eskom for risk mitigation, there was no emergency procurement done since the establishment of the National Energy Crisis Committee.

 

Reply:

Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs did not provide reply to question 1835 on 15 June 2022. The abovemention question was responded to By Minister of Water and Sanitation. It is recommended that honourable member transfer PQ 2378 to Ministry of Water and Sanitation to provided replies accordingly.

End.

 

Reply:

1. No.

1. The mandate holder for the JETIP belongs to the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment, we advise that you accordingly direct the matter to their office.

Reply:

1.The requested information resides with the Provincial Education Departments (PEDs); PEDs are best placed to respond as they are custodians of educational facilities (schools) in provinces. 

2a. School Based Support Teams (SBSTs) provide first level support and in addition to that, the districts provide psycho-social support to learners and staff. Furthermore, the Department collaborates with the sister Government Departments including Social Development, as well as, other relevant Non-Profit Organisations and stakeholder to provide support to learners, educators and other staff members at schools.

2b. Schools effectively implement the School Access Control Policy.  All schools are linked to their local police station (SAPS), as part of the MOU between National SAPS and DBE, this includes visits to schools by SAPS officials who conduct random searches and seizures.

Reply:

The Department tracks provincial expenditure through monthly reports that are required in terms of the Division of Revenue Act. Under-spending is often an indication of delayed payments.

The provinces are also required to provide reasons for under-spending. Where there are challenges, the DBE intervenes through forums such as Budget Standards, Inter-provincial meetings as well as direct engagements with provinces,  

Reply:

The use of consultants is regulated in the Municipal Cost Containment Regulations issued by the National Treasury.

End.

Reply:

Amalgamation of underfunded municipalities will not resolve challenges experienced in the local government. The Department of Cooperative Governance, National Treasury and the South African Local Government Association are in a process of looking at the possibility of revising the current equitable share formula to address the issue of underfunded municipalities.

End.

Reply:

1. Total number of visa applications
2. Received: 15 935
3. Rejected: 2 084

1. The most common reason for rejection were for invalid return flight tickets or no proof of reservation thereof.

1. The nationalities of the persons:
2. Successfully applied: Attached as Annexure A
3. Rejected: Attached as Annexure B

END

Reply:

Enclosed find a list (Annexure A) of project with the projects with expenditure reported in 2021/22 and 2022/23. Note the 2022/23 municpal financial year ends at the end of June 2023 and the list provides information as at April 2023.

Futher information and follow-up may be directed to National Treasury as they oversee overall MIG performance and spending.

End.

Reply:

 

1. The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) conducts Blue Drop assessments for all Water Services Authorities (WSAs) in the Republic by measuring all aspects contributing to a sustainable Water Services Business, and provision of safe water to citizens.

Water Services Authorities (WSAs) are obliged to ensure that their residents have access to safe drinking water that is compliant with the required standards of SANS 241. The Department is strengthening its role as the regulator of water services, by developing more comprehensive and more stringent norms and standards for water service and standardising its regulatory processes so that it is more consistent with its regulatory actions. It is also intensifying its support and intervention in municipalities. In addition, DWS is drafting amendments to the Water Services Act to separate the roles of Water Services Authorities more clearly (ensure that water services are provided to required standards) and Water Services Providers (provide the services) and to enable the Minister to intervene more effectively as the Regulator.

(2) The Department is intensifying monitoring of drinking water as well as water resources across the country in order to detect any failures and alert WSAs to implement recommendations or instructions.

(3) The Department is in collaboration with the World Health Organisation, and the Departments of Government Communication and Information Systems (GCIS), Basic Education (DBE), and local councillors executing health promotion programmes in the Hammanskraal area and across the Republic. During the release of the Green Drop and Watch Reports, and the media briefing on Hammanskraal, the emphasis was also placed on preventive measures of good hygiene practices and sourcing safe water.

(4) The Department is strengthening its support and regulatory intervention at municipal level based on actual data which ensures that interventions are proactive, consistent, and systematic in their approach.

The DWS funds certain refurbishment and upgrading projects that meet the criteria of the Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant (RBIG) and Water Services Infrastructure Grant (WSIG), depending on availability of funds. WSAs, through their Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) allocation for water and sanitation, also have funding allocated for refurbishment of water systems.

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Reply:

​​(1) – (4)

 

It is important to note that law enforcement in South Africa is primarily the responsibility of the South African Police Service (“the SAPS”). SAPS is responsible for investigating crime and security throughout the country. The police service is crucial for the safety of South Africa's citizens and was established in accordance with the provisions of Section 205 of the Constitution. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, also states that the police’s responsibilities are to prevent, combat and investigate crime; maintain and protect the public, their property and the overall security and safety of the Republic; uphold and enforce the law. Sometimes this function, which is a preserve of the police, is entrusted to other entities in terms of section 334 of the CPA. This is to assist the police in the primary function of keeping law and order.

Such appointment only confers police powers to appointees to enforce police functions where police are assisted in their mandate by additional resources. Appointment does not make appointees police officials as stipulated in the South African Police Service Act, 1995, (Act No. 68 of 1995) (“the Police Act”). An enabling provision in law should guide appointment of law enforcement officers as peace officers. This would be followed by a formal process of appointment requiring a formal request and approval of the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, in consultation with the Minister of Police before permission can be granted and subsequently published in the Gazette. Only then will the appointees be regarded as peace officers. The Department of Justice is not aware of any formal request or application to declare CPWs as peace officers.

Municipal Police

Metropolitan municipalities can apply to the Member of Executive Council responsible for safety and security to and establish their own municipal police units, which are tasked mainly with traffic policing and the enforcement of municipal bylaws. Municipal police have fewer powers than the South African Police Service, and do not investigate major crimes. They work in co-operation with the South African Police Service to prevent crime and maintain public order.

Section 206 of the Constitution provides that national legislation must provide a framework for the establishment, powers, functions, and control of municipal police services. The procedure for establishing a municipal police service is laid down in the South African Police Service Amendment Act of 1998. This law allows municipalities to apply to the government of the relevant province for permission to establish a municipal police service. The Minister of Police may approve the application, after consultation with the National Commissioner of the South African Police Service.

Do crime prevention wardens qualify as peace officers?

The question whether crime prevention wardens recently appointed by Gauteng Provincial Government qualify as peace officers as stipulated by section 334 of the CPA or not is as follows:

As stated in the foregoing paragraphs, the Department has not received any formal request in this regard and thus it is our submission that for an appointment to be made there must have been compliance with the requirements laid down in section 334 of the CPA. Until that process is adhered to, such personnel would not qualify as peace officers.

It is also worth noting that it falls outside my mandate to state that the appointees form part of the municipality police or are traffic wardens or are appointed as law enforcement officers. I am unaware whether there was consultation of the Member of Executive Council with the Commissioner of Police in terms of section 64A(2)(a) of the Police Act or not, for permission for such appointment. This falls within the mandate of the Minister of Police.

Reply:

1. Integrated Public Transport Networks are operational in 8 municipalities, four metropolitan and four local municipalities. The effectiveness of the IPTN systems is measured based on the following operational indicators: operational hours, peak and off-peak frequencies, number of average weekday passengers’ trips, and number and percentage of municipal households within 500 meters walk to an IPTN station or stop.

The above indicators will differ per city. Generally, cities are operating services ranging from 15 to 19 hours per day, with peak frequencies of 5- 20 minutes and off-peak frequencies of 20-30 minutes. In 2022/23 a cumulative total of 555 990 average weekday passenger trips, compared to 399 260 in the previous year across all municipalities. All systems are designed to achieve 500-meter walk to an IPTN station or stop. In addition, these services are universally accessible to all passengers.

1. Members of the public rely on Integrated Public Transport Network systems that include Bus Rapid Transit as well as Quality Bus services, as well as additional public transport services such as rail, bus and taxis, and walking and cycling in their areas.

Reply:

 

The Department published the White Paper on National Public Transport Policy, 2021 which commits that all forms of transport services will become “accessible to all”, (i.e universally accessible); including people with disabilities, all over the country. (Page 4).

The White Paper applies to all forms of transport services; road-based public transport, cycling and walking, rail, aviation and maritime. The implementation of this part of the White Paper requires coordination across the provinces and the State-owned Entities of the Department. The Transport Sector Transformation Forum meets quarterly, and progress on universally accessible transport is reported in this forum.

In road-based public transport services specifically, since 2010, ten municipalities have developed a universal design access plan (UDAP) to implement universally accessible transport systems in Integrated Public Transport Networks (IPTNS), using the Public Transport Network Grant (PTNG). In these ten municipalities new public transport vehicles have to be universally designed, to accommodate wheelchairs, people with other disabilities, passengers accompanying children, elderly people and women.

All ten municipalities report annually on the implementation of their UDAP, which includes all aspects of the travel chain, not vehicles alone. The implementation of the UDAP is part of the operational plan of the new public transport system within an IPTN. Where any form of transport in an IPTN is not accessible, passengers are able to register a complaint. Under the National Land Transport Act section 18(5) this complaint must be remedied.

Reply:

The use of consultants is regulated in the Municipal Cost Containment Regulations issued by the National Treasury.

End.

Reply:

 

MINISTER OF WATER AND SANITATION

1. The Department has built 10 new dams since 1995.

1. Details pertaining to the new dams are summarized in Table 1 below:

No	Name of the dam	Completion	Location	Nearest Town	(ii) Capacity (m3)	(iii) Cost (ZAR)*
1.	De Hoop Dam	2006	Lat: 24º 54’ 33,7”	Steelpoort	347 400 000	3,4 Billion
			Long: 19º 3’22,2”
2.	Berg River Dam	2007	Lat: 24º 57’ 26,9”	Franshoek	130 000 000	1,5 Billion
			Long: 29º 57’ 24,5”
3.	Spring Groove Dam	2013	Lat: 29º 19’ 8,4”	Rosetta	139 500 000	582 million
			Long: 29º 57’ 56,6”
4.	Qedusizi Dam	1998	Lat: 28º 32’ 31”	Ladysmith	0	273,5 million
			Long: 29º 44’ 41”
5.	Injaka Dam	2001	Lat: 24º 53’ 5,9”	Hazyview	125 027 000	635 million
			Long: 31º 5’ 2,5”
6.	Nandoni Dam	2005	Lat: 22º 58’ 50”	Thohoyandou	164 000 000	813 million
			Long: 30º 35’ 52”
7.	Ludeke Dam	2014	Lat: 30º 44’ 37,6”	Bizana	14 500 000	191,6 million
			Long: 29º 44’ 46,6”
8.	Bizana Dam	1997	Lat: 24º 54’ 33,7”	Bizana	95 000	7,5 million
			Long: 19º 3’ 22,2”
9.	Modjadi Dam	1997	Lat: 23º 35’ 8”	Musina	1 860 000	67,5 million
			Long: 30º 20’ 59”
10.	Botterkloof Dam	2002	Lat: 29º 19’ 8,4”	Clarens	600 000	15,9 million
			Long: 29º 57’ 56,6”

* Figures are rounded off

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Reply:

 

The water crisis in Cradock does not emanate from a source problem. The Fish River has an average flow of 26m³/s which consists of water being transferred via the Orange Fish transfer scheme.

The challenges experienced in Cradock are attributable mainly to a lack of functionality of water and sanitation services infrastructure, which is further exacerbated by load shedding. During long loadshedding, not enough raw water can be pumped to the Water Treatment Works (WTWs). Chris Hani District Municipality as Water Services Authority has put mitigations in place to respond to the challenges. The table below summarises challenges within Cradock and interventions/ mitigations in place to address them:

Table1: Water and Sanitation challenges

Challenges	Mitigations
Frequent sewer spillages Pipe burst and water leaks Water interruptions Meter leaks	Use of backup generator Water carting to supply water Water rationing Construction of inline screen in Lingelihle Deployed jetting machine to unblock sewer mains Funding approved to address sewer spillages Funding is approved for consultant to develop Cradock Bulk Water Infrastructure Upgrade Plan.

Extended water interruption or shortages in Cradock due to non-functional or damaged water processing units are mainly affecting Hillside and Bersig areas. Measures to address this include the upgrade of Cradock bulk water infrastructure, funded through Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG). Consultants have been appointed to plan for this upgrade. A service provider has also been appointed to repair the raw water pump at Geelbooi and install a required protection control panel at Cradock WTW.

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Reply:

1. The employment of the 10 000 unemployed young graduates is in Three Phases. In the first phase we earmark to recruit 2000 unemployed youth, however 1045 were recruited and we are planning to fill the outstanding during the second phase.

The advert for the 2nd 4000 cohort closed on the 03 March 2023 and there were 45028 applications received. The third phase will conclude the recruitment of the last cohort which will be an additional 4000.

Preparations of records for digitisation in provinces has begun with detailed indexing and condition assessing of records. The records digitisation only commenced in Gauteng at back office (BVR) during June 2023 where the initial system set up and testing is in progress and over 35 000 records were digitised by 23 June 2023. To date, the Department has received 12 of the 20 high volume scanners that were procured. Each scanner is capable of scanning 300 pages per minute and can be operated by 6 persons. It is estimated that each scanner will be able to scan at least 108 thousand pages a day.

1. Based on the current planning information it is expected that the digitisation of records will be completed by Jan 2026, in line with project deadlines. The last equipment was delivered on 18 June 2023 and the process to complete the digitisation hubs is on track with the physical building being prepared in line with the end to end process of the project.

END

Reply:

 

1. What number of properties does PRASA own:

N/A

1. Which properties have been

1. Purchased

In the period in question PRASA has not acquired any Properties however in pursued of the Secondary Mandate for Revenue Generation, we acquired mainly Commercial Properties out of our Development Leases.

1. Sold in each month

It is not PRASA’s strategy to sell property and only one property (vacant land) has been sold in the period in question, February 2023 for an amount of R18m, known as Remainder of Erf 79204 And Erf 79208 Diep River, Cape Town

This was a portion of land next to Diepriver station that will be developed into upmarket residential units by a 3rd party, Itakane Developers and as the scheme is based on sectional title sales of the unit, the sale of the property was approve in terms of PRASA Asset Disposal Policy and approval in terms of Section 54 of the PFMA.

1. What was the value of each property purchased

In the context of the Properties, there is no value attached as nothing has been purchased over the past years.

1. What was the sale price of each property

In the context of the Properties, there is only one property sold at R18m

1. Which properties were upgraded, maintained and/or renovated in each month

There were no Residential Units that were Maintained, upgraded or Renovated over the last three years safe for the property situated at No 18 Mill Street, Newlands, Cape Town (Guest House).

The property was upgraded for a specialised purpose of Generating Revenue

1. Who resides in the specified properties

The commercial components of both portfolios are occupied by private tenants on commercial basis mainly as retail activities being conducted and for office usage.

The Residential Component of the portfolio (378 leases) are mainly occupied by private residents and about 43 residential properties by PRASA staff with relationships strictly on commercial terms.

We have herewith attached a separate Listing of the occupiers of the Residential Properties that are active in our Property Management System. See the Excel Sheet attached.

1. What are the lease arrangements and terms and conditions with regard to each property

The Residential Leases are all completed individually in terms of our leasing procedures with each respective tenant using the Residential, Lease Contract Template.

 

The lease arrangements on all the occupiers of the PRASA’s portfolios are on commercial terms.

This comprises of the description of the Property and its Extent including the Area as well as any pertinent components of the property like the tenure of the contract.

The agreement also describes the Tenants being charged Market Related Rentals and Escalations.

Rentals valuations are conducted by appointed qualified Real Estate Valuers to determine the applicable market rates.

Monthly Rentals are charged on all approved tenants in occupation of the PRASA properties.

Recoveries are also charged as additional billings in respect to the Electricity and water usages where meters are installed.

Conditions of the Properties are listed in the contract after every pre-occupation and pre-vacation assessment processes.

The Tenants Obligations as well as PRASA Obligations in terms of the Maintenance of the Property will also be clearly indicated in the lease agreements.

Reply:

Find reply here

Reply:

Section 49 of the National Road Traffic Act, 1996 deals with the duties of the operator and provides as follows:

49 Duties of operator

The operator of a motor vehicle shall­

1. notify the registering authority concerned within seven days of any change in the circumstances in relation to his or her registration as the operator of such vehicle and return the operator card in respect of that motor vehicle to that registering authority;
2. keep safe and protect from theft an operator card issued to him or her and, if any such card is lost, stolen or destroyed, he or she shall notify the nearest police station within 24 hours and the registering authority within whose area the holder is ordinarily resident within seven days after having become aware of such loss, theft or destruction or after it could reasonably be expected that he or she should have been aware of such loss, theft or destruction, whichever event occurred first;
3. exercise proper control over the driver of such motor vehicle to ensure the compliance by such driver with all the relevant provisions of this Act, in particular the provisions regarding­
   1. the requirements in respect of the professional driving permit referred to in section 32; and
   2. the loading of such vehicle as prescribed by or under this Act;
4. ensure that such motor vehicle complies with the fitness requirements contemplated in Chapter V;
5. conduct his or her operations with due care to the safety of the public;
6. if dangerous goods or substances are conveyed, ensure that all requirements for the conveyance of such goods or substances, as prescribed in­
   1. any other law in relation to such goods or substances; and
   2. this Act, are complied with; and
7. take all reasonable measures to ensure that such motor vehicle is operated on a public road in compliance with the provisions for the loading and transportation of goods as prescribed by or under this Act. (my emphasis)

When traffic officials issue citations for transgressions of the above they are also expected to issue one for the operator.

As part of their Road Safety programme, the RAF has embarked on a Road Safety Wellness programme where attention is directed towards the safety of long-distance drivers, i.e. busses, taxis and trucks. They have a bus in which a nurse and an optometrist on board assist in checking for vitals like blood pressure and if there is a medical problem with the driver the nurse will prepare a letter referring them to the nearest clinic whereas, in the case of eyesight, the optometrist will prescribe glasses at no charge.

Reply:

 

To date, 26 out of 37 appointments of contractors have been concluded by the Implementing Agent of the project, the Mopani District Municipality. Progress is indicated in the table below:

ITEM	VILLAGE NAME - PROJECT	PROGRESS
1	Bambeni Reticulation – Pipeline D	75%
2	Homu 14A Reticulation – Pipeline B	47%
3	Ngove Reticulation Contract B – Pipeline D	43%
4	Skhunyani Reticulation Contract B – Pipeline D2	05%
5	Bode Reticulation Contract B – Pipeline D2	06%
6	Makoxa Reticulation Contract A – Pipeline F1	35%
7	Maswanganyi Reticulation Contract A – Pipeline D2	02%
8	Kamninginisi Block 2 Reticulation – Pipeline F2	05%
9	Muyexe Reticulation – Pipeline F2	24%
10	Dzingidzingi Reticulation – Pipeline D2	05%
11	Xikukwane Reticulation Contract C – Pipeline F1	Site establishment
12	Mhlaba Willem Reticulation – Pipeline F2	25%
13	Risinga View Reticulation Contract A – Pipeline F1	05%
14	Nwakhuwani Reticulation – Pipeline B	05%
15	Makoxa Reticulation Contract B – Pipeline F1	05%
16	Gawula Reticulation – Pipeline A	05%
17	Vuhehli Reticulation – Pipeline B	04%
18	Homu 14 B – Pipeline B	03%
19	Muyexe Reticulation Contract B – Pipeline F2	05%
20	Mageva Reticulation Contract A -Pipeline D	05%
21	Mahlathi Reticulation – Pipeline A	04%
22	Mapayeni Contract A – Pipeline B	03%
23	Maswanganyi Contract B – Pipeline D2	Site establishment
24	Xikukwani Contract A – Pipeline F1	04%
25	Risinga View Contract B – Pipeline 1	Site establishment
26	Xikukwani Contract B – Pipeline F1	Site establishment

*

Reply:

(a) The current Minister of Home Affairs has not appointed the Immigration Board in terms of Section 4 and 5 of the Immigration Act.

(b) The reason for not doing so is because the Department of Home Affairs is developing new Immigration, Refugee Protection and Citizenship Policy framework which is enroute to Cabinet.

(c) Please refer to answer above.

(d) Please refer to answer above.

(e) Please refer to answer above.

END

Reply:

1. The first cohort of the youth has been posted in the following provinces:

Name of Province

Eastern Cape

Free State

Kwazulu-Natal

Limpopo Province

Mpumalanga

Northern Cape

North West

Western Cape

Gauteng

1. The breakdown of youth deployment is as follows:

Eastern Cape	102
Free State	32
Kwazulu-Natal	136
Limpopo Province	171
Mpumalanga	55
Northern Cape	4
North West	53
Western Cape	11
Gauteng	503
Head Office	60
Total	1167

1. The first phase of the digitisation process is the preparation of records. This work has started in earnest in the provinces through detailed indexing and condition assessment of records. The second phase will include the full scanning which will only commence in Gauteng at a DHA storage facility during June 2023 where the initial system set-up and testing is in progress. To date, the Department has received 12 of the 20 high volume scanners that were procured. Each scanner is capable of scanning 300 pages per minute and can be operated by 6 persons. The first scanner that was installed at BVR for a test run on the 31st March 2023 was able to scan over 10 000 records in 3 hours.

END

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NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

QUESTION NO 2461

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 15 JUNE 2023

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO. 24)

2461. Ms A M M Weber (DA) to ask the Minister of Water and Sanitation:

(1) Whether his department received the application for a Water Use Licence General Authorisation (WULGA) for the Kusile Wetland Offset Plan from Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what is the date of the specified application;

(2) Whether he will furnish Ms A M M Weber with the details of whether Eskom Holdings Pty (Ltd) has received the WULGA license for the Kusile Wetland Offset plan; if not, why not; if so what are the relevant details?

NW2802E

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MINISTER OF WATER AND SANITATION

1. Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd lodged a water use licence application for the rehabilitation of wetlands identified in Kusile Wetland offset plan (Ref No. WU8831) on 24 July 2018 which was closed and re-opened 3 times on eWULAAS between December 2018 and November 2020, due to non-submission of technical information by the Applicant. Phase 3 of the application process was re-opened again on 01 December 2020 on eWULAAS and the Applicant submitted the technical information on 08 March 2021.

The Applicant was subsequently requested to submit outstanding technical information on 22 March 2022 (see letter attached hereto) then opted to withdraw the water use licence application on 02 April 2022 (Withdrawal notification attached hereto).

1. Eskom Holdings Pty (Ltd) withdrew the water use licence application on 02 April 2022 as indicated above.

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Reply:

 

 

(1)(a) There are currently no new dams under construction. Current projects such as the raising of Tzaneen and Clanwilliam dams, are upgrades of existing dams.

(2)(a) The following 8 new dams that are being planned for construction in the foreseeable future:

1. Nwamitwa Dam
2. Lusikisiki Regional Water Supply Scheme - Zalu Dam
3. Coerney Dam
4. Foxwood Dam
5. Mzimvubu Water Project (Stage 2) - Ntabelanga Dam
6. uMkhomazi Water Project Phase 1 - Dam at Smithfield
7. Cwabeni Off-Channel Storage Dam
8. Stephen Dlamini Dam

(2)(b) The details pertaining to the planned dams are as follows:

Name of Dam	Location	Capacity
Nwamitwa Dam	Limpopo Province	87 million m3
Lusikisiki Regional Water Supply Scheme - Zalu Dam	Eastern Cape Province	17.3 million m3
Coerney Dam	Eastern Cape Province	4.69 million m3
Foxwood Dam	Eastern Cape Province	55 million m3
Mzimvubu Water Project (Stage 2) - Ntabelanga Dam	Eastern Cape Province	490 million m3
uMkhomazi Water Project Phase 1 - Dam at Smithfield	KwaZulu-Natal Province	251.4 million m3
Cwabeni Off-Channel Storage Dam	KwaZulu-Natal Province	15.5 million m3
Stephen Dlamini Dam	KwaZulu-Natal Province	9.78 million m3

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Reply:

I have started the process by requesting the transcript/recordings of the said meeting.

Once received, I will engage the services of legal advice to start the process.

 

Reply:

(1)

1. None

1. None

1. None

1. (i) and (ii) None

(2) The Auditor-General South Africa audits Departmental projects on an annual basis, and the audit report gets included in the Annual Report, which gets tabled in Parliament.

(3) Not applicable

Reply:

The Honourable Member is advised that this Question is a repeat of the Honourable Member’s Question 2046 on the same matter, which we have already responded to. The Honourable Member is referred to that response accordingly.

END.

Reply:

(a) Wage negotiations and agreements take place within the Institutional Bargaining Forum, and the Minister may not intervene in wage negotiations. The University under the leadership of the Council must resolve the current deadlock using the various mechanisms available to them, including dispute resolution.

Section 34 (1) and (3) of the Higher Education Act 101 of 1997 (ACT), as amended which state the following:

(1) The council of a public higher education institution must appoint the employees of the public higher education institution.

(3) The council must determine the conditions of service, disciplinary provisions, privileges and functions of the employees of the public higher education institution, subject to the applicable labour law

(b) The ACT does not permit Minister to concede to the demands of staff at universities.

Reply:

(a) According to the report from the North West Provincial Department of Health, there are 5 staff members who were involved in the incident where newborn babies were placed in cardboard boxes.

(b) The consequence management process is under way and the steps to be taken will be determined after the completion of the investigation.

END.

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Reply:

I have been informed that the Department of Tourism has established an Inter-Departmental Tourism Statistics Technical and a Steering Committee to ensure continuous collaboration in improving key national tourism statistics.

The committees consist of members from the Department of Tourism, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), Department of Home Affairs (DHA), South African Tourism (SAT) and the tourism private sector is represented by the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA).

Other stakeholders are invited when there is a need.

Senior officials are members of the Inter-Departmental Tourism Statistics Technical Committee and Directors-General and CEOs are members of the Steering Committee, chaired by the Director-General of the Department of Tourism.

The Department works closely with Stats SA and DHA to ensure the availability and reporting of tourist arrivals data.

Stats SA uses migration data collected by DHA to produce amongst others, tourist arrivals data which is released monthly through the Tourism and Migration Report.

The Department also receives tourist arrivals data from Stats SA on a monthly basis.

The Department further works with Stats SA on tourist-related statistics, including the Domestic Tourism Household Survey, the Tourism Satellite Account and the Accommodation Survey.

 

Reply:

I have been informed that the Department has established a Provincial Tourism Statistics Committee to work closely with provinces, to improve the quality and availability of tourism statistics at provincial level, noting that tourism is a concurrent function in South Africa.

Furthermore, the Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) for South Africa is compiled annually by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) according to the internationally-agreed standard Tourism Satellite Account: Recommended Methodological Framework [TSA: RMF], developed by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

The TSA is a standard statistical framework and the main tool for the economic measurement of tourism.

The TSA provides macro-economic aggregates that describe the size and the direct economic contribution of tourism, such as tourism direct gross value added (TDGVA), tourism direct gross domestic product (TDGDP) and tourism direct employment, consistent with similar aggregates for the total economy, and for other productive economic activities and functional areas of interest.

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Reply:

1. Table 1 below indicates the current status of overcapacity in state mortuaries, as provided by provinces.

 

Table 1:

Province	Total number of State Mortuaries with over capacity
KwaZulu Natal	None
Limpopo	3
Mpumalanga	None
Northern Cape	1
Northwest	None

 

1. Even though all facilities in provinces have a back-up generator capacity, there are however, there increased expenditure costs due to diesel and maintenance of generators and this has an impact somewhat.

1. Table 2 below indicates the current status of unclaimed bodies at state mortuaries as provided by provinces.

Table 2

Province	Total number of unclaimed bodies
KwaZulu Natal	1362
Limpopo	136
Mpumalanga	54
Northern Cape	51
Northwest	174

1. No. There is continuous are discussions between Forensic pathology service, local municipalities, South African Police service with regards to unclaimed bodies.

Responses are still awaited from the Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng and Western Cape Provinces. The updated information will be submitted as soon as it is received from these Provinces.

END.

Reply:

1. (a) and (b) The projects could not be awarded the preferred bidder status, the basis being Eskom the grid owner and operator confirmed to the department that grid capacity was exhausted in areas where the said projects locations were proposed. The grid that was available could only accommodate 1000MW of projects in their respective proposed locations.

1. (a) and (b), Eskom the grid owner and operator is the custodian of such information ( Eskom GCCA ) and it’s available to the public. (2) (c), Eskom as the custodian of the national grid, is best placed to address the actions that are being taken to resolve grid capacity constraints for future projects.

1. The REIPPPP Bid Window 6 has closed and cannot be re-opened, as this is not provided for in the Request for Proposals (RFP) and public procurement prescripts.

Reply:

Yes, due to the issuing of Permission to Occupy (PTOs) in KwaZulu-Natal being retained by the former Minister of Land Affairs, in accordance with the KwaZulu-Natal Land Affairs Act, 1992 (Act No. 11 of 1992), the former Minister delegated the function to the Provincial Government of KwaZulu-Natal in 1998 and the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development has since withdrawn the delegations.

The Ingonyama Trust Board (ITB) technically took over the function from the KwaZulu-Natal Government and stopped issuing PTOs in 2007; however, the litigation on this matter is not completed, and the application (appeal) by Ingonyama Trust is yet to be heard by the Supreme Court of Appeal.

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Reply:

1. What were the total expenses incurred per line item for each party in each case?

I have been informed that the table below outlines the expenditure for flights, accommodation and other expenses:

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

1. (i) and (ii) With reference to responses to Questions 2120 as tabled on 16 June, I have been informed by SA Tourism that there was no fruitless expenditure identified in relation to the proposed Tottenham Hotspur deal. As a result, there was no reimbursement requested.

The former Minister of Tourism approved the travel for the Board Chairperson. The Board Chairperson approved the travel for the Board members and the Acting Chief Executive Officer. This is in line with the travel approval process that was in place at the time. Thus, there was no fruitless expenditure in this regard.

The matter is, however, before Internal Audit for investigation.

(c)- (e) Not Applicable

Reply:

THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, LAND REFORM AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT:

1. Yes, the Communal Land Bill and the Communal Land Tenure Policy are being developed for public comment and they seek to provide for the transfer of communal land held in trust by the State, to communities and community members occupying such communal land; as well as to provide for the award of comparable redress; registration of communal land; land rights inquiries; the democratic administration of communal land; the establishment of communal land boards; dispute resolution mechanisms; and to amend and repeal certain laws.

1. Yes, the process to design a fit-for-purpose structure for the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) is in progress and the capacity constraints analysis was completed. The Land Tenure Unit has completed a proposed new structure to accommodate these functions and recommend a separate Directorate at national and provincial levels for communal tenure and the creation of District sub-directorates for communal tenure to accommodate this order. Currently, the existing capacity within DALRRD handles all matters related to communal land, working with Ingonyama Trust Board (ITB) secretariat. The new Board has also been appointed and DALRRD has seconded a well-qualified official to act as the Chief Financial Officer for the ITB.

Reply:

(1) What total number of

(a) Directors-General (DGs) - One

(b) Deputy Directors-General (DDGs)- Four

(c) Chief Executive Officer(s) (CEOs) - None

(d) Acting CEOs are in each section and/or entity of her department - One

(2) Whether there are any performance management criteria that they adhere to; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details.

I have been informed by the Department that all officials sign a performance agreement.

 

Position	Agreement is signed with
Director-General	Minister
DDGs	Director-General
CEO	SAT Board
Acting CEO	SAT Board

(3) What consequence management criteria are in place for such DGs, DDGs, CEOs and acting CEOs.

DG and DDGs career incidents are managed in accordance with the Public Service Act and its Regulations. The CEOs or ACEO’s career incidents are managed accordance with the Labor Relations Act.

(4) (a) What Total number of senior management vacancies are in her department

There are eight senior management vacancies in the department.

(b) What are the relevant details of the salaries attached to each

Department of Tourism

Rank	Number of posts	Cost per post per annum
Chief Director	4	R 1 371 558
Director	4	R 1 162 200

South Africa Tourism

Vacancy	Remuneration
Chief Executive Officer	R 2.5 m
Chief Financial Officer	R 2.1 m
Chief Strategy Officer	R 2.1 m
Chief Conventions Bureau Officer	R 2.1 m
Chief Marketing Officer	R 2.1 m

Reply:

(a)(i) The Department conducts monitoring and enforcement inspections on implementation of community development projects by mines as per the annual performance plan. 237 Social and Labour Plan inspections were conducted in the previous financial year (2022/2023) and directives were issued for various reasons of non-compliance.

(ii) Yes, but if the company continues not to implement SLP, the right can be suspended or cancelled and if they apply for renewal of the mining right, the application can be refused.

(b) See (a)(i) above