Questions and Replies

Reply:

(a)(i) The total number of inmates sentenced to life imprisonment since 01 January 2014 are as follows:

REGION	TOTAL
Eastern Cape	1 368
Gauteng	1 715
KwaZulu-Natal	1 747
Limpopo / Mpumalanga North West	2 085
Free State / Northern Cape	1 012
Western Cape	523
GRAND TOTAL	8 450

(a)(ii) None of the abovementioned were released as they have not reached the Minimum Detention Period at this point to qualify for consideration, however 04 were released on medical parole.

(b)(i) The average number of custodial years incarcerated in a correctional facility are as follows:

CATEGORIES OF LIFERS	VAN VUUREN JUDGMENT	VAN WYK JUDGMENT	PHAAHLA JUDGMENT	CURRENT PAROLE DISPENSATION
Sentence Date	Before 01 March 1994	From 01 March 1994 to 30 September 2004	Committed offences before 01 March 1994 and sentenced before 01 October 2004 (Van Vuuren) Committed offences before 01 October 2004 and sentenced after 01 October 2004 (Van Wyk)	Committed offences from 0 October 2004 and sentenced from 01 October 2004.
Minimum Detention Period	10 years but not to be placed on parole before serving minimum of 15 years	20 years minus credits (-6 years & 8months) = 13years and 4 months Minus 2005 amnesty (6months) 2012 (6 months) = 12 years and 4 months	Depending on applicable parole dispensation (Van Vuuren/ Van Wyk)	25 Years minus 2005 amnesty (6months) and 2012 (6 months) if benefitted.
Parole Period	03 years	Parole for life	Depending on applicable parole dispensation (Van Vuuren/ Van Wyk)	Parole for life

(b)(ii) A total of 53 prisoners are currently incarcerated for more than 25 years.

END

Reply:

(a) According to the KZN Province, Dr Shaheem Seedat who was employed at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital in eThekwini, KZN, was suspended and charged for allegedly negligence (causing the death of a motor vehicle accident patient).

On 18 March 2016 he was then charged and subsequently found not guilty.

On 25 February 2019, Dr Seedat issued summons (claim) against the Department of Health, KZN for reputational damage in the sum of R20 650 000.00. In his summons he alleged that during 2016 the MEC for Health made a statement to various media /news that he was suspended and being investigated for the charge of misconduct. According to him such newspaper or social media statements were wrongful and defamatory, causing reputational damage.

The Provincial Department of Health defended the case through the office of the state attorney. The Parties have exchange pleadings. The state attorney reports that the Plaintiff (Dr Seedat’s attorneys) wanted to amend their summons.

At this stage there is no date for the trial yet. The Plaintiff (Dr Seedat) will have to apply for it. The notice to amend is still awaited.

(b) The Department of Health, KZN (the employer) is obliged to investigate any alleged misconduct by its employees. The acquittal does not mean that misconduct did not occur. According to the Department of Health, KZN, the claim for damage in the sum of R20 650 000.00 by Dr Seedat is not justified and as such must be defended.

END.

Reply:

a) The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) entered into a 25 year contract with Bloemfontein Correctional Contracts (BCC) (Proprietary) Limited known as Mangaung Correctional Centre (MCC) on 24 March 2000. The contract with BCC was for the design, construction, operation, maintenance and finance of the correctional centre which consists of two thousand nine hundred and twenty eight (2 928) bed spaces. The BCC commenced with operation on 01 July 2001 and the contract will expire on 30 June 2026.

b) Department of Correctional Services entered into a contract with South African Custodial Services (SACS) (Louis Trichardt) (Propriety) Limited known as Kutama Sinthumule Correctional Centre (KSCC) on 11 August 2000, for also 25 years to design, construct, operate, maintain and finance the correctional facility of three thousand and twenty four (3024) bed spaces in Makhado, Limpopo province.

The KSCC commenced with operations on 16 February 2002 and the agreement will end on 15 February 2027.

The Department has commenced with the process of taking them over once the contracts come to an end.

END

Reply:

1. The current Acting Head of Justice College is Mr DM Mpholo who holds a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology, and has experience in the area of Human Resource Development and Training.

2. Mr Mpholo is a permanent employee of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, and was appointed as Chief Director in Human Resource Unit. Given the fact that the Department has commenced with a process of restructuring, and Justice College has been identified as a priority area, Mr Mpholo was then seconded to the position.

The post became vacant after the death of Adv. B Makhene-Gadini who was appointed as the Head of Justice College, hence Mr Mpholo started acting on the post from April 2021 to date.

Reply:

(1)(a)(i)

REGION	TOTAL
Eastern Cape	132
Gauteng	250
KwaZulu-Natal	389
Limpopo/Mpumalanga/North West	333
Free State/Northern Cape	272
Western Cape	268
GRAND TOTAL	1 644

(1)(a)(ii) Without the unique (Biometric) identification, we are unable to provide accurate records of those that re-offended.

(1)(b) Without the unique (Biometric) identification, we are unable to provide accurate records of those that re-offended.

(2)(a)(b) The Correctional Programme on sexual offences is crime specific and aims at assisting offenders to identity the possible causes of their deviant sexual behaviour and to empower them with information on the biological development and sexual development of human beings.

The target group is all sentenced offenders who have committed a sexual offence based on the needs and risks identified in the offenders Correctional Sentence Plan. (CSP).

The main outcomes of the Correctional Programme on Sexual Offences are:

• Provide information on the phases of human development.
• Understand and control their needs and gain insight into the sexual response cycle.
• Equip with an understanding of sexuality and related concepts within the context of cultural differences.
• Provided with problem-solving skills, coping strategies and the ability to identify triggers and possible causes to their sexual offending behaviour.
• Provided with knowledge on the physical, emotional and financial consequences of crime.
• Provided with the skills to prevent relapse.

END

Reply:

(1) Details pertaining to international trips are as follows with effect from 1 June 2019:

(aa)Former Minister Mchunu (period in office: 2019-05-30 to 2021-08-05)

MINISTER MCHUNU	(a)OFFICIAL TRIP TO ABU DABI 14-21/12/2019
(b) ITEM	AMOUNT
(i) ACCOMODATION	R 149 196,00
(ii) INTERNATIONAL AIR TRAVEL	R 239 767,86
(iii) DAILY ALLOWANCE	R 15 963,95
	R 404 927,81
MINISTER MCHUNU	(a) OFFICIAL TRIP TO ETHIOPIA 05-10/02/2020
(b)ITEM	AMOUNT
(i) ACCOMODATION	R 162 600,00
(ii)INTERNATIONAL AIR TRAVEL	R 36 152,93
(iii)DAILY ALLOWANCE	R 6 095,55
	R 204 848,48
MINISTER MCHUNU	(a) OFFICIAL TRIP TO ZIMBABWE 20-24/06/2021
(b) ITEM	AMOUNT
(ii)INTERNATIONAL AIR TRAVEL	R 24 289,88
(iii) FOOD &BEVERAGES	R 691,47
(iii)DAILY ALLOWANCE	R 6 271,20
	R 31 252,55

(aa)Former Minister Dlodlo (period in office: 2021-08-06 to 2022-04-04)

MINISTER DLODLO	(a) OFFICIAL TRIP TO WASHINGTON DC 09-17 OCTOBER 2021
(b) ITEM	AMOUNT
(i) ACCOMMODATION	R 86 840,85
(ii) INTERNATIONAL ROAD TRANSPORT	R 120 872,09
(ii) INTERNATIONAL AIR TRAVEL	R 140 541,44
(iii) INCIDENTAL EXPENDITURE	R 4 214,99
(iii) FOOD&BEVERAGES	R 6 487,45
(iii) DAILY ALLOWANCE	R 18 930,05
	R 377 886,87

(bb)Deputy Minister Pilane-Majake (period in office: 2021-08-06 to date)

DEPUTY MINISTER PILANE MAJAKE	(a) OFFICIAL TRIP TO DENMARK/PORTUGAL 09-17 OCTOBER 2022
(b) ITEM	AMOUNT
(i) ACCOMMODATION	R 70 800,00
(ii) INTERNATIONAL ROAD TRANSPORT	R 15 402,25
(ii)INTERNATIONAL AIR TRAVEL	R 186 912,40
(iii) DAILY ALLOWANCE	R 8 256,00
	R 281 370,65

(bb)Former Deputy Minister Chikunga (period in office:2019-06-01 to 2021-08-05)

DEPUTY MINISTER CHIKUNGA	(a) OFFICIAL TRIP TO EGYPT 02-06/12/2019
(b) ITEM	AMOUNT
(i) ACCOMODATION	R 99 155,00
(ii) INTERNATIONAL AIR TRAVEL	R 58 206,93
(iii) DAILY ALLOWANCE	R 7 614,26
	R 164 976,19

(2) The total cost incurred for domestic air travel for each (a) Minister and (b) Deputy Minister of his department since 1 June 2019 is as follows:

(a)

Minister Mchunu

Total Domestic Air travel: R423 804,86

Minister Dlodlo

Total Domestic Air travel: R 78 609,95

(b)

Deputy Minister Pilane- Majake

Total Domestic Air travel: R398 812, 55

Deputy Minister Chikunga

Total Domestic Air travel: R397 601, 14

End

Reply:

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) currently has delegations from the Accounting Officer to accept donations in-kind below R2 million. Where a donation is in cash, the normal regime of channelling funds through the National Treasury will apply. The NPA has to date not received any cash donations.

The NPA is currently in the final stages of approving an amended NPA Donor Funding Policy which will be aligned to the National Treasury Donor Funding guidelines and regulations. This will create internal control systems for dealing with all donations in line with relevant policies, prescripts and confidentiality requirements. The NPA engages with all partners fully cognisant of the importance of protecting its independence and perceptions of any potential interference. The NPA is committed to delivering on its mandate without fear, favour or prejudice, and all partnerships are implemented with this imperative in mind.

The in-kind donations received in the current financial year to date amount to R28.8 million and can be grouped into four (4) broad categories:

1. Employee development and capacitation: in-kind support was received from local donors, including non-profit organisations and businesses to below R5.9 million. This support came in the form of training and skills development as well as workshops and conference attendance by NPA employees. Of this, approximately R4 million emanated from the law society and other local non-profits and individual businesses.
2. Professional services: In-kind support was received from local legal practitioners in the form of pro bono services and corporate support services to the value of R7.8 million. This support focused largely on accommodation for the co-location of the NPA-led Task Force on the State Capture.
3. Thuthuzela Care Centres (TCCs): In-kind support to the value of R10.1 million was received for gender-based violence programmes from local retail businesses.
4. Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA): The NPA signed a formal partnership agreement with BLSA to provide tailored support for the rebuilding project of the NPA to the value of R2.9 million. This in-kind support focused on specialised consultancy services, project management support and capacity development for NPA colleagues working on complex state capture matters. This partnership was mentioned by the President as a positive development in the government’s formal response to the Zondo Commission findings.
5. A total of R2 million was received from various international bodies to which the NPA affiliates for workshops and conferences. The donations were in respect of travel and accommodation.

Details of each of the donations are disclosed in the quarterly financials and will be disclosed in full in the Annual Financial Statements.

Reply:

I wish to inform the Honourable Member that the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DoJ&CD) is working very hard to minimize the impact of load-shedding on the functioning of the courts and other service delivery points.

To ensure that disruptions to court activities resulting from load-shedding are kept to a minimum, DoJ&CD has registered a project to install eighty (80) generators with Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) at various service points. The project is at different phases of implementation at the provinces.

All other capital, upgrading and refurbishment projects registered with DPWI include the provision of generators or alternative power supply to ensure that service points are always functional. The DoJ&CD has also embarked on a pilot programme to install inverters/solar power at various service points through the new minor works delegation received from DPWI in October 2022.

The Office of the Chief Justice (OCJ) works closely with the DoJ&CD and the DPWI to procure generators for all Superior Courts. Several Superior Courts were provided with the generators to mitigate the risks of power failures and/or load shedding.

The following 8 (eight) Superior Courts are currently without a generator:

• KwaZulu-Natal Division of the High Court: Pietermaritzburg;
• Labour and Labour Appeal Court: Durban;
• Gauteng Division of the High Court: Palace of Justice, Pretoria;
• Mpumalanga Division of the High Court: Middelburg;
• Limpopo Division of the High Court: Thohoyandou;
• Western Cape Division of the High Court: Cape Town;
• The Labour and Labour Appeal Court: Cape Town; and
• Eastern Cape Division of the High Court: Bisho.

The processes to procure generators for these Superior Courts have already commenced.

Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) systems were provided to all server rooms in all Superior Courts to prevent data loss and ensure business continuity to the ICT networks. UPS units are however required for the Court Recording Technology (CRT) machines in all these Courts to prevent data loss and minimise interruptions.

Furthermore, I have written to the Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs as well as the Minister of Public Enterprise requesting that DoJ&CD service points be red-flagged and not to put the power-off during the times in which the courts and other service delivery points need to function.

Courts with generators will now take part in the transversal contract on the provision of diesel so that courts can operate without disruptions. In addition, DPWI has advised that they are engaging a term-contractor for maintenance of the existing generators. Emergency lights have been procured for cells and all dark areas in the courthouses.

The court personnel continue to serve the public during load-shedding, focussing on administrative processes which can be done manually. These processes are then captured on ICMS, MojaPay and other IT systems once electricity is back.

Reply:

What (a) is the salary of each (i) chief executive officer

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
JOB TITLE	ANNUAL SALARY
CEF GROUP	R5,295,000.00
SFF	R4,991,770.03
AEMFC	R3,997,500.00
PETROSA GROUP CEO(ACTING)	R4,371,900.00
PASA	R3 083 748.00
CGS	R4,042,419.96
MHSC	R2,233,480.56
MINTEK	R4,282,704.00
NECSA GROUP	R3,200,000.00
NTP	R2,910,000.00
PELCHEM	R2,191,300.00
NERSA	R2,349,821.21
NNR	R2,888,695.00
NRWDI	R2,306,915.00
SADPMR	R2,595,996.61
SANEDI	R2,611,452,00
SDT	R2,149,994.00

(ii) Top executive position in each state-owned entity reporting to him and

CEF SOC EXECUTIVES
JOB TITLE	ANNUAL SALARY
GROUP CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER	R3,610,342.80
GROUP CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER	R3,285,273.00
GROUP STRATEGY AND SUBSIDIARY MANAGER	R2,929,356.92
GROUP CHIEF AUDIT	R1,867,817.65
GROUP COMPLIANCE OFFICER	R2,647,500.00
GROUP CORPORATE SERVICES	R2,887,683.32
GROUP COMPANY SECRETARY	R1,974,266.17

AEMFC EXECUTIVES
JOB TITLE	ANNUAL SALARY
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER	R2,460,000.00
GM: TECHNICAL SERVICES	R2,049,999.96
GM: CORPORATE SERVICES	R2,586,075.00
GM: MINING OPERATIONS	R2,767,500.00
GM: STRATEGY AND PLANNING	R1,845,000.00
COMPANY SECTERARY	R1,200,000.00

SFF EXECUTIVES
JOB TITLE	ANNUAL SALARY
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER	R2,544,328.28
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER	R2,687,500.00
GM: CORPORATE AFFAIRS	R2,078,473.54
GM: OPERATIONS	R2,000,000.00
HR EXECUTIVE	R2,078,473.54
EXECUTIVE CAPITAL PROJECTS	R2,593,704.42
EXECUTIVE E&P	R2,848,750.00

PETROSA EXECUTIVES
JOB TITLE	ANNUAL SALARY
GROUP CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER	R4,167,807.00
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER (ACTING)	R3,768,000.00
COMPANY SECRETARY	R2,074,050.00
EXECUTIVE: HUMAN CAPITAL	R2,561,355.00
EXECUTIVE: BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT	R2,774,769.00
EXECUTIVE: TRADING	R2,774,769.00

PASA EXECUTIVES
JOB TITLE	ANNUAL SALARY
CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER (COO)	R2 753 920.00
COMPANY SECRETARY / LEGAL COUNSEL	R1 941 633.00
MANAGER: LICENSING & REGULATION	R1 941 633.00
MANAGER: COMMUNICATIONS & STAKEHOLDER RELATIONS	R1 999 201.00
MANAGER: HUMAN RESOURCES	R1 941 633.00
CGS EXECUTIVES
JOB TITLE	ANNUAL SALARY
CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER (COO)	R2,849,622.84
EXECUTIVE MANAGER OFFICE OF THE CEO	R2,300,000.00
EXECUTIVE MANAGER GEOSCIENNTIFIC SERVICES	R2,155,413,60
EXECUTIVE INTEGRATED GEOSIENCE DEVELOPMENT	R2,155,423,60
EXECUTIVE CORPORATE SERVICES	R2,155,413.66

MHSC EXECUTIVES
JOB TITLE	ANNUAL SALARY
CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER (COO)	R2,459,026.56
EXECUTIVE MANAGER OFFICE OF THE CEO	R1,550,000.00

MINTEK EXECUTIVES
JOB TITLE	ANNUAL SALARY
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER	R2,861,217.00
GENERAL EXECUTIVE: MINING, MATERIALS AND AUTOMATION	R2,360,670.00
GENERAL EXECUTIVE: MINERAL PROCESSING	R2,314,778.00

NECSA EXECUTIVES
JOB TITLE	ANNUAL SALARY
GROUP EXECUTIVE: FINANCIAL CAPITAL	R2,750,000.00
GROUP EXECUTIVE: HUMAN CAPITAL	R2,500,000.00
GROUP EXECUTIVE: STRATEGY & BUSINESS ENABLEMENT	R2,303,400.00
GROUP EXECUTIVE: RESEARCH & INNOVATION	R2,191,300.00
GROUP EXECUTIVE: NUCLEAR OPERATIONS & ADVANCED MANUFACTURING	R2,650,000.00
MANAGING DIRECTOR OF NTP	R2,910,000.00
MANAGING DIRECTOR OF PELCHEM	R2,191,300.00
GROUP EXECUTIVE: POWER & INDUSTRY (RESIGNED IN JAN 2023)	R2,400,000.00
EXECUTIVE IN THE OFFICE OF THE GROUP CEO	R1,850,000.00
HEAD OF INTEGRATED ASSURANCE	R1,700,000.00
COMPANY SECRETARY	R1,546,410.00

NERSA EXECUTIVES
JOB TITLE	ANNUAL SALARY
(a)(i) FULL TIME REGULATOR MEMBERS (FRTM)
FRTM: PIPED GAS	R2,150,430.76
FRTM: PETROLEUM PIPELINES	R2,150,430.76
FRTM: ELECTRICITY	R2,150,430.76
(a)(ii) EXECUTIVE AND SENIOR MANAGEMENT
EM: PIPED GAS REGULATION	R2,090,164.32
EM: PETROLEUM PIPELINES	R1,774,099.56
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER	R2,304,770.04
EM: ELECTRICITY REGULATION	R2,187,484.80
CHIEF HUMAN CAPITAL OFFICER	R2,410,897.68
EM: CORPORATE SERVICES (Acting)	R2,217,151.52
SRNM: CEO OFFICE	R1,731,038.85
CHIEF AUDIT EXECUTIVE	R1,972,610.04
SENIOR MAN REGULATORY ANALYSIS AND RESEARCH	R1,721,088.36
SNRM: REGULATORY SUPPORT	R1,812,368.64
SNR MANAGER: STRATEGIC PLANNING AND MONITORING	R1,578,257.64
CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER	R1,607,346.84
NNR EXECUTIVES
JOB TITLE	ANNUAL SALARY
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER	R2,115,429.00
EXECUTIVE: NPP	R2,200,897.00
EXECUTIVE: CSS	R2,063,166.00
EXECUTIVE: RITS	R1,991,111.00
EXECUTIVE: NTN	R1,991 113.00

NRWDI EXECUTIVES
JOB TITLE	ANNUAL SALARY
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER (CFO)	R1,793,520.00
CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER	R1,961,664.00
CHIEF OPERATIONS MANAGER	R1,905,612.00
EXECUTIVE MANAGER CORPORATE SERVICES	R1,849,572,00
SADPMR EXECUTIVES
JOB TITLE	ANNUAL SALARY
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER (CFO)	R1,907,351. 28
GM: REGULATORY COMPLIANCE	R1,907,351. 28
GM: DIAMOND TRADE	R1,949,131. 44
GM: CORPORATE SERVICES	R1,945,403. 40
GM LEGAL AND GOVERNANCE	R1,907,351. 28

SANEDI EXECUTIVES
JOB TITLE	ANNUAL SALARY
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER	R1,445,110.58
GENERAL MANAGER: ENERGY EFFICIENCY	R1,400,000.00
GENERAL MANAGER: APPLIED ENERGY R& D INNOVATION	R1,800,000.00
HEAD: DSI ENERGY SECRETARIAT	R1,736,340.00
CORPORATE PLANNER	R1,105,226.28
HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER	R1,105,226.28
COMPANY SECRETARY	R1,400,000.00
ICT MANAGER	R1,536,752.12

SDT EXECUTIVES
JOB TITLE	ANNUAL SALARY
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER (CFO)	R1,475,385.00
OPERATIONS MANAGER	R1,637,387.00
COMPANY SECTERARY	R1,184,813.00

(b) Chief executive officers and top executives do not get paid to attend meetings.

Reply:

On 27 February 2020, the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) handed over the site to the contractor to carry out planned maintenance to the entire building of the Magistrate’s Court. However, COVID-19 lockdown regulations disrupted the project, as soon as the restrictions were lifted and the contractor came back on site, access to the building was an issue, the local business forum intimidated the workers which added to the delays. The contractor returned fully on site with effect from 1 August 2022, following SAPS intervention.

The rubble from the collapsed roof has been cleared and removed from site. An assessment has been conducted by the Structural Engineer on 23 September 2022 on the entire roof of the Potchefstroom Magistrate’s Court. The Structural Engineer’s report recommended that the whole roof trusses and tiles be replaced.

A submission was sent by DPWI Mmabatho Regional Office on 22 November 2022 to DPWI National Office requesting funding for the replacement of the roof trusses and roof tiles as an emergency, as this was not forming part of the original project scope of works. The DPWI Variation Order Committee has been dissolved and Variation Orders cannot be approved. The Variation Order Committee is expected to be established by the end of February 2023.

Once the DPWI Variation Order Committee is established, DPWI will provide the DoJ&CD with the Project Execution Plan. The contractor is still on site attending to the project as per the original scope of works.

END

Reply:

The National Prosecuting Authority has informed me as follows:

1. The matter of the State v Ilunga Kalasa (Congolese Citizen) was heard in the Kimberley Magistrates Court for the first time on 17 August 2022 after he had been arrested the day before.
2. The matter was postponed for a formal bail application on 22 August 2022 where it was postponed on three different occasions (24 August 2022, 29 August 2022 and 02 September 2022) to hear further evidence on the bail application.
3. On 05 September 2022 the bail hearing was concluded, and bail was denied. The accused’s case was then postponed to 26 September 2022.
4. The charges against the accused, at the time of the bail application, were as follows:

       (a) Rape; and

       (b) Sexual Assault.

5.  On 26 September 2022, the following charges were added to the charge sheet:

a) Contravention of section 49 of the Immigration Act, 13 of 2002; and

b) Contravention of section 17(1)(a) of the Health Professions Act 65 of 1974.

6. The matter was postponed several times for further investigations and instructions from the Director of Public Prosecutions, Northern Cape Division. The accused remained in custody.

7. The local prosecution submitted a formal request that the DNA results should be prioritised regarding the rape allegations against the accused.

8. The matter eventually appeared before court on 13 January 2023 when the prosecution requested another remand for the Director’s instruction and to obtain the outstanding investigations that would include the DNA results.

9. The court refused to grant a further postponement and noted that a further remand would not be in the interest of justice, and the court proceeded to strike the matter from the roll. The accused, who had been in custody, was released because of the court’s decision.

10. On the same date, the Senior Public Prosecutor informed the Director’s office that the matter had been struck off the roll and the Director’s office immediately made arrangements for a warrant of arrest (J50) to be issued. The accused has been red flagged at the South African borders.

11.In the meantime, the Director’s office is closely monitoring the ongoing investigations in order to have the matter re-enrolled as soon as the suspect is re-arrested on the J50 warrant.

END

Reply:

a) All Legal Aid South Africa’s practitioners are allocated a supervisor. The ratio of practitioners per supervisor is set at five (5) CLPs to a supervisor and nine (9) LPs to a supervisor. This ratio is reviewed on a continuous basis.

Legal Aid SA covers courts using a practitioner per court model, i.e. all practitioner are allocated to a specific court. Court coverage plans and staff deployment plans ensure that every practitioner can be accounted for at any given moment in time. The court coverage model makes it possible for the management team to obtain feedback directly from court stakeholders, on the performance of the practitioner allocated to each court.

All legal practitioners employed by Legal Aid SA have to conclude performance agreements annually, and their performance is reviewed formally, every six (6) months. The delivery of quality legal services to clients forms an important part of the performance agreement between the organisation and its legal practitioners.

Practitioners have to account for the work they performed on any given day, by completing a Matter Activity Report (MAR), which is captured on the case management system called eLAA (Electronic Legal Aid Administration system). The MAR will have details of all the cases dealt with by the practitioner on a given day, with the time spent on each activity.

The rate at which practitioners finalise matters is carefully monitored, as is their pending caseloads. This ensures that practitioners do not build up a backlog of cases, that may potentially compromise the quality of the services delivered.

Legal Aid SA has established a Legal Quality assurance unit that operates independently of the Criminal and Civil Legal services delivery departments. The unit falls under the Internal Audit Department and reports directly to the Board of Legal Aid SA on the quality of the legal services that they audit at each office as per the Legal Quality Assurance Unit Audit Plan. Only five (5) candidate LPs and three (3) legal practitioners failed to meet their quality targets in the last financial year (2021/2022).

Qualified legal practitioners are required to complete between 12 and 18 hours of training per year, depending on the level of support required by them.

Legal Aid SA offers a number of mechanisms through which clients can register complaints against a practitioner, and these complaints are fully investigated. In addition to the traditional methods, complaints can be lodged by e-mail, through the website, or using various social media platforms.

There is a dedicated independent ethics hotline, where all incidents of unethical or unprofessional conduct can be reported.

b) The Board of Legal Aid SA, on an annual basis, approves and follows a programme that stipulates the dates of the meetings throughout the calendar year and also identifies what projects of the organisation would be prioritised at each meeting.

The Board has established Board Committees to which it delegates some of its responsibilities, namely:

i) Governance and Nominations Committee – focuses on the governance, nominations, strategic, risk governance, sustainability, cybersecurity and environmental issues impacting on Legal Aid SA.

ii) Legal Services Committee – focuses on the core business of Legal Aid SA, i.e. legal services delivery.

iii) Remuneration Social and Ethics Committee – focuses on the Social, Ethics, as well as the people issues at Legal Aid SA.

iv) Audit Committee – focuses on integrated reporting process, the system of internal control, the audit process, and Legal Aid South Africa’s process for monitoring compliance with laws, regulations, voluntary codes, best practices and the code of conduct.

In terms of the Legal Aid SA Act No. 39 of 2014, the Board consists of fourteen (14) voting members, of which one (1) of them is the Shareholder Representative or Minister of Justice and Correctional Services’ Representative on the Board. His presence on the Board brings additional oversight for the Minister on Board activities.

In 2021/2022, the Board witnessed intra-Board disputes whereby Board members lodged complaints against one another. The Board resolved to enlist the services of an Independent Counsel (or law firm) to investigate the complaints. A law firm was appointed in April 2022 and a report was presented to the Board in July 2022.

The Board was able to implement the recommendations as per the report. The report was also shared with the Executive Authority.

Notwithstanding the above, the Board was able to perform its fiduciary responsibilities and continually appraise the Executive Authority on the strategic direction, financial position, the operations, the performance as well as the risk exposure of Legal Aid SA.

Reply:

a) The total number of inmates in South African prisons who are detained on drug-related charges are as follows:

REGION	REMAND	SENTENCED	TOTAL
EC	145	210	355
FSNC	63	84	147
GP	632	261	893
KZN	346	126	472
LMN	116	206	322
WC	783	699	1 482
GRAND TOTAL	2 085	1 586	3 671

(b) Correctional Programmes aim to empower offenders with relevant information, to raise awareness about relevant issues on the topic of the specific Correctional Programme and assist offenders to gain insight into the negative effects of substance abuse and to develop life skills to cope inside the Correctional Facility and in their communities upon release.

The Substance Abuse Correctional Programme is in place for offenders who have drug related offences or have a need to undergo the programme. The target group is all sentenced offenders (serving sentences of longer than 24 months) with substance related offences and problems, based on the needs and risks identified in the offender’s Correctional Sentence Plan.

The main outcomes of the programme are to equip offenders with knowledge of the signs and symptoms of substance addiction and create a better understanding of himself/herself. Other outcomes are to equip offenders with information on how to restore the broken relationships due to substance abuse. The development of coping skills in relation to substance abuse and the addiction process are also outcomes of the programme.

END

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure

WITH RESPECT TO CAPE TOWN RESIDENCES:

1. The total amount of public funds that have been spent on paying for water and electricity bills at state owned official residences since 1 June 2019 is the following:

a) The total figure for Ministers and Deputy Ministers electricity expenditure is as follows:

1. 2019/2020 R 5 119 892,04
2. 2020/2021 R 5 116 075,75
3. 2021/2022 R 4 895 002,44
4. 2022/2023 R 3 206 048,54

b) The total figure for Ministers and Deputy Ministers water expenditure is as follows:

• 1. 2019/2020 R 2 278 388,48
  2. 2020/2021 R 2 124 544,29
  3. 2021/2022 R 2 398 891,46
  4. 2022/2023 R 690 950,91

2. The total amount of public funds that have been spent on procuring and installing (a) alternative power supply systems and (b) alternative water supply systems in the state owned official residences since 1 June 2019 is the following

(a) Cape Town: Alternative power supply - None for Ministers

(b) Cape Town: Alternative water supply - None for Ministers

(i) Cape Town: Alternative power supply - None for Deputy Ministers

(ii) Cape Town: Alternative water supply - None for Deputy Ministers

3. The total costs spent on security, including security upgrades at the state owned official residences since 1 June 2019 are the following:

1. Cape Town: None for Ministers
2. Cape Town: None for Deputy Ministers

WITH RESPECT TO PRETORIA RESIDENCES:

1. The total amount of public funds that have been spent on paying for water and electricity bills at state owned official residences since 1 June 2019 is the following:

a) Ministers: R5, 753,334.18

b) Deputy Ministers: R16, 325, 144.45

2. The total amount of public funds that have been spent on procuring and installing (a) alternative power supply systems and (b) alternative water supply systems in the state owned official residences since 1 June 2019 is the following

a) The total for procuring and installing alternative power supply for Ministers amount to R2 000 000.00.

b) No alternative water supply to Ministers

(i) The total for procuring and installing alternative power supply for Deputy Ministers amount to R5 040 000.000.

(ii) No alternative water supply to Deputy Ministers

3. The total costs spent on security, including security upgrades at the state owned official residences since 1 June 2019 are the following:

a) The total for Ministers amounts to R1 319 319.10

b) The total for Deputy Ministers amounts to R2 081 283.05

___________________________

MR. S ZIKALALA, MP

MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS AND INFRASTRUCTURE

DATE:

Reply:

The foreign travel and domestic air travel cost incurred for DSBD Ministers and Deputy Ministers since 1 June 2019 are indicated on tables below:

1)

Minister	(a) Destination	(b)(i)Accommodation	(b)(ii)&(iii)	Total
			Air travel	Car rental	Shuttle services	Daily allowance
Zulu L	USA-NY	120 135.25	-	-	-	-	120 135.25
	India	-	-	56 550.08	-	-	56 550.08
	Total	120 135.25	-	56 550.08	-	-	176 685.33
Ntshavheni K	London	74 648.18	109 635.82	-	-	12 904.41	197 188.41
	Ethiopia	-	-	-	-	4 914.09	4 914.09
	Total	74 648.18	109 635.82	-	-	17 818.50	202 102.50

Minister	(a) Destination	(b)(i)Accommodation	(b)(ii)&(iii)	Total
			Air travel	Car rental	Shuttle services	Daily allowance
Ndabeni-Abrahams S	Tanzania	65 256.40	53 336.75	-	-	2 777.57	121 370.72
	Saudi Arabia	-	91 169.75	13 443.95	-	7 332.27	111 945.97
	USA -NY	-	114 072.40	-	-	14 133.82	128 206.22
	Total	65 256.40	258 578.90	-	-	24 243.66	361 522.91
Deputy Minister	Destination	(b)(i)Accommodation	(b)(ii)&(iii)	Total
			Air travel	Car rental	Shuttle services	Daily allowance
Thabethe E (26 November to 02 December 2016)[1]	USA-NY	-	-	105 809.29	-	-	105 809.29
Mathale C	Italy	-	-	-	81 419.79	-	81 419.79
Capa R	China	110 698.93	84 355.93	34 617.74	-	11 395.28	241 067,88
	Total	110 698.93	84 355.93	140 427.03	81 419.79	11 395.28	428 296.96

(2)

Domestic air travel cost incurred since 01 June 2019
Ministers
Zulu L	15 422.94
Ntshavheni K	281 827.12
Ndabeni-Abrahams S	653 188.78
Total	950 438.84
Deputy ministers
Mathale C	21 454.97
Capa R	374 659.55
Dlamini S	250 352.32
Total	646 466.84

STELLA NDABENI-ABRAHAMS

MINISTER: DEPARTMENT OF SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

1. Claim submitted late from DIRCO and expenditure is cumulative from 01 June 2019 up to 21 February 2023 ↑

Reply:

(1) The Department of Small Business Development (DSBD) provided workshops to 241 co-operatives as part of non–financial support to co-operatives during the first three quarters of 2022/23 financial year. The workshops focused on the Co-operatives Development Support Programme (CDSP), particularly on the programme guidelines, as well as the application and disbursement process as well co-operatives principles. Working with the Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda) and the German Cooperative and Raiffeisen Confederation (DGRV), co-operatives assessment were conducted in order to determine the training needs of the co-operatives. Once the training needs have been determined, relevant, customised and sector specific support will be provided to co-operatives. It is important to note that the DSBD also involved the local and district municipalities in support of the District Development Model. There was no financial support provided during the last three quarters due to applications that do not meet the stipulated requirements.

(2) The business development support services provided were not sector specific, as per section (1) above. Below, is the breakdown from the CDSP workshops.

Province	District Municipality	Local Municipality	Rural/ Urban	Number of Co -operative	Number of Co -operative members	Number of attendees	Female attendees	Male attendees	Youth attendees	PWD attendees	Date
Limpopo	Sekhukhune	Makhuduthamaga	Rural	82	119	184	143	41	20	3	30 August, 08 and 09 September 2022
Limpopo	Sekhukhune	Ephraim Mogale	Rural	21	25	40	27	13	11	1	31 August 2022
Limpopo	Sekhukhune	Fetakgomo	Rural	9	12	21	15	6	3	0	01 September 2022
Limpopo	Sekhukhune	Elias Motsoaledi	Rural	39	51	67	44	23	18	1	02 September 2022
Limpopo	Capricorn	Molemole	Rural	9	26	37	26	11	7	0	20 September 2022
Limpopo	Waterberg	Thabazimbi	Rural	9	21	33	28	5	3	0	22 and 23 September 2022
Limpopo	Mopani	Ba-Phalaborwa	Rural	13	20	34	28	6	0	0	27 September 2022
Gauteng	Tshwane	Tshwane	Urban	31	50	50	35	15	3	0	30 August 2022
North West & Northern Cape	Dr. Ruth Segomotsi Mompati & Frances Baard	Greater Taung, Naledi, Kgosi Molopo, Sol Plaatjie and Phokwane local Municipalities	Rural and Urban	28	28	37	7	21	4	0	20 October 2022
TOTAL				241	352	503	353	141	69	5

(3) The Department started with the workshops in the Limpopo province in quarter 2 (2022/23). The DSBD further went to North-West province in quarter 3 (2022/23), where also two Co-operatives from the Northern Cape were in attendance; and currently in quarter 4 (2022/23) the DSBD is conducting workshops in KwaZulu-Natal province. The plan is to cover all provinces, to popularise the programme and include other training like governance.

STELLA NDABENI-ABRAHAMS

MINISTER: DEPARTMENT OF SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Reply:

The question was referred to the entities and they responded as follows:

Electoral Commission.

(a)(i) Annual Salary of the Chief Electoral Officer: R2 251 892, 50

(a)(ii) Not applicable

(b) Not applicable

Government Printing Works

(a)(i) Chief Executive Officer – R 2 068 458.00 (Total Cost per annum)

(a)(ii) Not applicable

(b) Not applicable

END

Reply:

(1)(a) There are two offices situated in the Walter Sisulu Local Municipality, one in Burgersdorp and the other one in Maletswai.

(1)(b) There is one office situated at Sterkspruit in the Senqu Local Municipality.

(2) The offices are:

- Burgersdorp DHA Local Office Small

- Aliwal North DHA Local Office Medium

- Sterkspruit DHA Local Office Medium

(3) Yes, a mobile itinerary to visit areas with no DHA footprint is drafted monthly.

(4) For now, one mobile unit stationed at Sterkspruit is responsible for both Local Municipalities.

(5) The attached monthly itinerary (Annexure A) shows areas to be visited.

END

Reply:

• The South African Council for Educator (SACE) is not responsible for the provisioning of professional development of educators, but for monitoring and managing the Continuous Professional Teacher Development (CPTD) system, in terms of endorsing the professional development programmes, and activities and approving professional development providers as part of its quality management function.  Therefore, teachers will benefit from quality and fit-for-purpose SACE endorsed programmes that are provided by the SACE approved providers in the professional development provisioning system.
•  
• The Department of Basic Education has put systems in place to address professional development of educators, to ensure that they meet quality standards, which include amongst others - the Master Plan for CPTD programmes, the Professional Development for Digital Learning Framework, which intended for the development of the digital skills programmes for educators; and the provincial three-year plans as well as the CPTD online platform . All CPTD captured by all these plans, are SACE accredited and endorsed.  The DBE monitors the roll-out of these national programmes, and report quarterly.  Some of these programmes are also delivered in collaboration with the National Education Collaboration Trust (NECT), VVOB, British Council and the Educators’ Unions through Teacher Union Collaboration.  These programmes focus on the development of the Skills for the Changing World.  The Department has also developed tools to measure impact of these programmes from 2023.

Reply:

(1) (a) (aa) Minister

For the details of the destination and total costs related to my international travel for the period 1 June 2019 to 28 February 2023, please see annexure A. Please note I did not undertake any international trips in the 2020/21 and 2021/22 financial years.

(1) (a) (bb) Deputy Minister

For the details of the destination and total costs related to the international travel for Deputy Minister Nzuza, MP for the period 1 June 2019 to 28 February 2023, please see annexure B. Please note that Deputy Minister Nzuza, MP did not undertake any international trips in the 2020/21 and 2021/22 financial years.

(2) (a)

Total cost domestic air travel – Minister for the period 1 June 2019 to 28 February 2023 = R795 212.12

(2) (b)

Total cost domestic air travel – Deputy Minister for the period 1 June 2019 to 28 February 2023 = R1 907580.65

END

Reply:

The Teneo On-Line school is an independent school that has written the National Senior Certificate examinations, administered by the South African Comprehensive Assessment Institute (SACAI - an independent examination board that is accredited with Umalusi.  In order to assist the learner, the matter has been referred to Umalusi, the Quality Assurance Council, and to SACAI.  The Department of Basic Education will follow up with these two institutions to ensure that the candidate's results are finalised.  

Reply:

(1)(a),(b),(c),(d) Please refer to Annexure A.

(2)(a) Only three Colleges made donations during the 2021/22 financial and to date as follows:

• Fort Cox donated one (1) heifer to the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and no cattle were donated in the current financial year;
• Tsolo donated three (3) cattle in the 2021-22 financial year. The donation was for catering in the graduation of the college’s students to minimise the catering costs that would have been incurred by appointing a service provider; and
• Cedara - One cow was donated to students for Heritage Day function

The rest of the Colleges did not donate any cattle during the 2021/22.

(b)(i) No donations during first quarter of the current financial year.

(b)(ii),(iii) Falls away.

3. No.

ANNEXURE A OF NA-QUES 409 OF 2023

Province	Name of College	Question (1)(a),(b),(c),(d)
		(a) cattle disposed off by auction and/or donation	(b) how it decided that cattle will be donated to an individual or institution rather than being auctioned	(c) how a person is selected for such a donation	(d) requirements to qualify for such a donation
Eastern Cape	Fort Cox	Unproductive stocks (stock that out of production) and surplus are disposed of through a public auction	Requests for donations are received by management and forwarded to the council for approval	There has not been a person who requested a donation from the Institute	The Institute has not recieved any request for donation from any person. Request for donation of livestock from Institutions are received by management, assessed and recommendations are forwarded to the Council for approval
	Tsolo	When the cattle do not meet the norms and set standards e.g. challenges with breeding, production genetics or there is an overpopulation leading to over grazing because of new additional cattle, the animals are culled	The primary disposal method is an auction but when there is a request for a donation and there is culled stock due for disposal, that donation is considered	There is no selection done, its as per the request	The donation should be proved to have a contribution to service delivery or minimising of any additional costs that might be incurred without the donation
KwaZulu Natal	Cedara & Owen Sitole	The KZN Agricultural Colleges only keep cattle for the purposes of teaching, however by the nature of cattle and due to the teaching practices being undertaken in the colleges, normal commercial cattle farming activities still form a vital part of the management of the herd. Moreover, cattle reproduction systems form an integral part of the students’ syllabus as much so does cattle nutrition, field management, markets as well as animal selection, genetics and ultimately reduction strategies in line with the markets and disposals. The Department of Agriculture & Rural Development has the management of livestock under qualified Animal Health Technicians, Livestock Scientists or Agricultural Lecturers, who are all professionals in their fields.	The Head of Department receives ad hoc requests for the donation of cattle from members of the public or social or religious organisations or other departments who requests the assistance of the Department in the form of a donation of cattle. As the Department does not donate cattle from the breeding stock but draws from those cattle already identified for disposal, the availability of surplus or disposal cattle will need to be ascertained prior to donation decisions being considered. Once availablity of cattle is ascertained, the Head of Department then assesses whether, by donating the cattle, the department would be demonstrating gratitude, displaying sympathy or enhancing professional and ethical business relationship with the organisation, department or individual through the donation. This assessment would guide his decision whether to donate the cattle or not	The person is not selected for such a donation, but rather ad hoc applications are made and motivated to the Head of Department from time to time for the donation of cattle. These type of applications are usually associated with some major religious, social, political or departmental event.	There would have to be some religious, social, political or departmental event that the cattle would be needed for in order for an application for donation to be considered. The Head of Department would not consider members of the public merely writing to request the donation of cattle as they would like to start farming. In this instants this would not constitute a reason for a donation but the individual may be referred to the district management in terms of applying for agricultural support through the departments service delivery mandated programmes.
North West	Potchefstroom & Taung	Culled animals are disposed by auctioning to the emerging farmers.	The process is performed by the committee appointed by the HOD	The colleges do not donate any cattle	Competitive bidding is utilised for disposing culled animals
		Culled animals are disposed by auctioning to the emerging farmers.	The process is performed by the committee appointed by the HOD	The colleges do not donate any cattle	Competitive bidding is utilised for disposing culled animals

Reply:

(1)(a) The total number of visa and/or permit applications that were processed in total in the period 1 November 2022 to 31 January 2023 is 17 093.

(1)(b) The number of visa and/or permit applications that were rejected based on missing documents is 333.

(1)(c) In the Visa Adjudicating System when certain documents are not attached by the applicant, the Adjudicator will give a rejection that states missing documents. This does not mean the document was lost between VFS and Home Affairs.

(2)(a-b) The total number of marriage certificate applications rejected because no proof of marriage was attached and the marriage certificate was missing from the application is 70.

(3)(a) The copy of the checklist can be given to the applicant upon request. Providing the copy of the checklist to the applicant is not part of the application process.

(3)(b) In terms of PAJA, applicants have a right to appeal any negative decision issued by the Department. The appeal process is a legislated procedure.

END

Reply:

a) The ability to read well, and with comprehension, is a result of a number of factors, and what happens at school level, is but a part of that.  The other factors, which are equally important, are linked to the environment outside of school, which is the home and the greater society.  With regard to what happens at school level, there are challenges that we are trying to address, and these include the competencies of some of our teachers to teach reading for meaning, particularly in the lower grades; teacher support; access to exciting reading resources, particularly in the home languages of the learners; ensuring that schools have environments conducive to successful reading development; and the general readiness of our children when they start school.

b The Department of Basic Education's (DBE's) response is multi-pronged, to allow for the implementation of fit-for-purpose reading interventions. These interventions are being implemented across provinces as part of the National Reading Sector Plan and Provincial Education Departments’ (PEDs’) reading strategies:

• Strengthening the competencies of teachers begins with what happens during initial teacher education. To reinforce this area, we work closely with universities, who have begun to develop pre-service programmes which focus on teaching reading as part of their undergraduate programmes.
• In terms of continuing professional teacher development, we have designed reading methodology programmes which are aimed at strengthening the capacity of our teachers to teach reading for meaning, in Home Languages and in English First Additional Language (EFAL). Some of these programmes are:
  • The Primary School Reading Improvement Programme (PSRIP) in Home Languages and EFAL, and the Early Grade Reading Study (EGRS), which are structured learning programmes complemented by the provision of resources such as lesson plans, readers, reading texts, videos etc.; training in methodology, pedagogy and the use of the resources; as well as implementation support through training subject advisors and School Management Teams.
  • Early Grade Reading Assessment
  • Development of Reading Benchmarks for early grades
  • Foundation Phase Home Languages Literacy Lesson Plans
  • Language across the curriculum
  • Comprehension across the curriculum
  • Annual Teaching Plan guides to norm reading activities
  • Provision of Workbooks in Home Languages and EFAL to every child
  • Monitoring PEDs to ensure availability of readers, especially in early grades.
• In regard to creating a culture of reading in- and outside school, the focus is on the following:
  • Implementing the Read to Lead Campaign, which allows us to interface with families and communities to amplify our message about the importance of collaborating to promote reading
  • Deploying more than 70 000 young people as Reading Champions to support schools in the creation of conducive reading spaces and provision of general support for teachers
  • Mobilising a wide range of partners, which include the National Reading Coalition to support DBE's reading promotion and resource provisioning efforts.
• DBE is also focusing its efforts on increasing access to quality early learning and development opportunities for children aged 0-5, as this stage is critical for early literacy development and school readiness.

Reply:

Find here: Reply

Reply:

(1)(a),(i) Please refer to table 1 below for colleges that keep minimal number of cattle for teaching purposes.

It should be noted that the Glen, Elsenburg and Madzivhandila Colleges do not keep any cattle for training purpose, the students have access to departmental cattle for teaching purposes which are mostly housed within the reserach unit of the department.

Table 1

Question (1)(a),(i)
Name of College	Number of Cattle
Grootfontein	150 cattle
Fort Cox	95 beef cattle and 30 dairy cows
Tsolo	100 beef cattle (Nguni) and 10 dairy cows
Cedara	50 breeding cows, 2 bulls and 10 replacement heifers
Owen Sitole	15 cattle (55 auctioned on 8th March 2023)
Tompi Seleka	38 Dairy cattle and 37 Beef cattle
Taung	15 cattle
Potchefstroom	90 cattle of which 34 are for dairy

(ii),(aa),(bb) None.

(b) Falls away.

(2)(a)(b) Falls away.

(3) No.

Reply:

Yes. The majority of fresh produce markets are still competencies of municipalities. There are three categories of such markets and are outlined as follows:

Markets are operational and municipality owned:

No.	Fresh Produce Market	Municipality
1	Tshwane	City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality
2	Sol Plaatjie	Sol Plaatjie Local Municipality
3	Gqeberha	Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality
4	East London	Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality
5	Durban	EThekwini Metropolitan Municipality
6	Mangaung	Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality
7	Pietermaritzburg	Msunduzi Local Municipality
8	Matjhabeng	Matjhabeng Local Municipality
9	Matlosana	Matlosana Local Municipality
10	Springs	City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality
11	Vereeniging	Emfuleni Local Municipality
12	eMalahleni	eMalahleni Local Municipality

 

Markets that are corporatised municipal entities:

No.	Fresh Produce Market	Municipality
1	Johannesburg	City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality
2	Kei	King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality

One market that is municipally owned but privately operated

No.	Fresh Produce Market	Municipality
1	Cape Town	City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality

Reply:

1. The question on load shedding should be addressed to ESKOM the Department of Minerals and Energy, as well as the Department Public Enterprises.

2. There seems to be almost 500 public schools with back-up generators.

3. More than 1 000 schools have solar panels for power generation.

Reply:

The responsibility of the Minister is to determine the Admission Policy and play, an oversight monitoring role to ensure its implementation.  Placement of learners in schools, is the competency of the Provincial Education Department. In exercising the oversight responsibility in Provincial Education Departments (PEDs), and in Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) in particular, the Minister has held several meetings with the GDE to analyse its intervention plans, to ensure that learners were placed in schools in the midst of increased number of applications.  The GDE was assisted in meeting with affected School Governing Bodies and affected communities, to jointly find solutions to the challenges at hand, including the:

a) allocation of of funds to schools to build classrooms;

b) supply of mobile classrooms;

c) increase of capacity in affected school and creating;

d) establishment of satellites schools linked to overcrowded schools; and

e) temporary use of specialist rooms as classrooms.

Learners have since been placed in Gauteng.

Reply:

Due to budget constraints, the Sector is unable to employ social workers per school.  Provincial Education Departments (PEDs) employ a limited number of social workers, psychologists and school counsellors per District to respond to the social, emotional, and psychological barriers to learning, which may impact learner performance, achievement and retention.  In addition, the PEDs employ learner support agents (LSAs) in selected schools to facilitate access to services.  The Department provides capacity building on psychosocial support to the LSAs, in order to strengthen support to learners.   

Reply:

a) The bid for the appointment of a transaction adviser for the visa and permit facilitation process that closed on 25 February 2022 was awarded on 24 May 2022 and a service provider was appointed. The bid was subsequently cancelled after discovering that the owner and director was convicted of money laundering in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court.

b) The timeline of the bidding process is as follows:

• the bid closed on 25 February 2022 at 11:00 am,
• the bid evaluation was held between 22 March 2022 and 18 April 2022,
• the bid adjudication was held on 08 April 2022 and 18 May 2022,
• the appointment letter was issued on 24 May 2022,
• the contract was cancelled on 1 August 2022.

(i) Kelotlhoko Consulting Services.

(ii) (aa) R 8 400 000.00

(ii) (bb) Three (3) years

END

Reply:

Honourable Roos is referred to my response to Parliamentary Question No:31 which answers all of the above.

END

Reply:

There can be no comparison made between the National Senior Certificate examinations administered by the Independent Examinations Board (IEB), and that administered by the Department of Basic Education (DBE).  In 2022, the IEB administered the NSC exams to not more than 13 000 candidates; while the DBE administered the NSC exams to 920 634 full-time and part-time candidates.

The IEB examination is taken by independent schools that, in the main, cater for a select group of parents and learners, who are endowed with the best resources relating to teaching and learning; while the State system accommodates learners from the different South African socio-economic environments, ranging from deep rural to the township, to the urban schools.  Hence, the 80.1% pass rate attained by the public schooling system, needs to be applauded and celebrated; and not compared to the 98.42% attained the independent schools. 

Reply:

The Government of the Republic of South Africa, through the SADC and AU Heads of Mission, continues to encourage all political parties and other role-players in Zimbabwe to adhere to the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections and to create conducive conditions for holding credible, inclusive, transparent, and peaceful elections.

Upon the invitation of the Government of the Republic of Zimbabwe, South Africa will observe the 2023 elections as a member of the SADC Electoral Observer Mission to Zimbabwe. South Africa will also form part of the SADC Electoral Advisory Council (SEAC) to assess the country’s readiness to hold the elections and to also evaluate the implementation of SEAC recommendations made after the 2018 elections.

Reply:

Through the Department of Small Business Development’s entity, Small Enterprise Finance Agency (sefa), mentorship is offered where clients who do not have all the required skills, are able to access these skills from sefa appointed mentors. There may be instances where the entrepreneurs have the technical skills to run the operations of their businesses, however they lack other skills that are critical to the sustainability of the business which include finance, marketing, and business management. Another DSBD’s entity, Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda), also offers many clients access to these skills to assist with operational requirements of their businesses.

In terms of digital skills and innovation, the Small Business Development Portfolio (DSBD, Seda and sefa) via Seda, has identified digital skills and innovation as key sector of focus where SMMEs are capacitated with both technical and business skills to develop their businesses using both digitisation and innovation as a catalyst. Seda currently has four of these incubators nationally and work is currently being done to add more to the portfolio.

In addition to the above:

• Seda Northern Cape entered a partnership with Cimla Consulting which seek to train 50 youth between the ages of 21 and 35 in Accredited New Venture Creation and non-accredited cyber security The intention is also to introduce the youth to entrepreneurship and help them register their enterprises. This took place in September 2022 in Kuruman where 42 people received on a non-accredited cyber security training.

•

• Mafikeng Digital Innovation Hub (MDIHub) together with North West Regional Innovation Support platform (NWRISP) and Seda NW have hosted a Youth Month Innovation Pitching session on 26 July 2022 where 13 people were trained. The theme of the programme was “Developing an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in a Digital Age - Pitching to solve Covid-19 related issues”.

• In collaboration with the Seda Free State, the Basic Business Skills training in partnership with Department of Agriculture, Land and Rural Development was held on 28-30 September 2021 where 22 people were trained. Furthermore, in collaboration with partners such as the Xhariep District Municipality, Mohokare Local Municipality and FDC held a digital marketing workshop on 9-10 December 2021 in Zastron where 29 people were trained.

Seda, has provided 20 233 skills development and other business development support interventions for SMMEs and Co-operatives which also include interventions such as Financial Management training, Point of Sale Training, Access to funding, Basic Business skills training, Information and Business Advice, Business Plans, Training and Mentoring etc.

Seda through its Learning Academy has also developed different training programmes. These programmes are credit bearing and accredited by the Services Seta. Quality training aims to assist organisations of all types to implement and operate the Quality Management System (QMS) to increase effectiveness, consistency, and customer satisfaction, explain the benefits of implementing QMS and understand the quality, management principles. Whilst Food safety introduces Food Safety, Understand Pre-Requisite programme, HACCP (Hazard Analysis, Critical, Control, Point) system and HACCP principles and Implementing a Food Safety Management System (SANS 22000:2019.).

Seda has an Entrepreneurship in Schools Programme that encourages learners to consider entrepreneurship as an alternative career to employment. The main objective of the programme is:

• To influence the mind set of learners by encouraging them to become job creators instead of job seekers once they leave the schooling system.
• To equip learners with entrepreneurial knowledge and skills needed to start and manage their businesses; and
• To improve entrepreneurial activity amongst the learners and educators.

Seda is also in partnership with the United Nations Conference on Trade & Development’s (UNCTAD)

Division of Investment and Enterprise United Nation’s Empretec training Programme.

• Empretec is a 6 Day programme aimed based on a unique Harvard University methodology focusing on behavioural approach to entrepreneurship.
• The programme is interactive, experience and self-assessment based and takes 25-30 participants per workshop. Participants learn by doing.
• Participants on this programme receive an UNCTAD endorsed certificate.
• Programme develops Personal Entrepreneurial Competencies (PECs) such as Opportunity Seeking, Persistence, Goal setting, risk taking, fulfilling commitments, planning etc. for participants.

Seda has a dedicated programme, The Basic Entrepreneurship Skills Development (BESD) which was jointly developed by Seda and German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development via Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) since 2012. GIZ left the programme in December 2016 and since then the programme is funded by the National Skills Fund for an amount of R84 million. The BESD approach utilises coaching as an innovative methodology to facilitate and reinforce learning and development support to emerging entrepreneurs. A total of 260 undergraduates and 1998 Emerging Entrepreneurs successfully completed the training initiative.

Seda has an Export Orientation Course (EOC) which focuses on Export Development. These courses focus on the business with the aim of helping the business assess its export readiness. The training targets SMMEs that have the intention and the potential to enter the export business or those already involved in exports but wanted to strengthen their knowledge in this field of business.

The SheTrades programme is a partnership between the International Trade Centre (ITC), DSBD and Seda to promote Women’s Entrepreneurship. ITC SheTrades has set up a Hub in South Africa in order to help South African women entrepreneurs increase their international competitiveness and connect to national, regional and global markets through the SheTradesZA Hub. The primary objective of the Hub is to connect at least 10 000 women owned businesses to markets by 2024. This is part of South Africa’s contribution to ITC's goal of connecting three million women entrepreneurs to markets by 2023. A total of 2999 women have registered as at the end of December 2022. Through the programme, women-owned businesses will be able to:

• Connect to potential buyers, investors, suppliers, business support organizations and SheTrades partners.
• Learn skills to boost business potential through free e-learning courses, on-site workshops and webinars.
• Receive support to attend national, regional, and international trade fairs.
• Get chances to participate in B2B meetings.
• Access to investment opportunities.
• Increased visibility and larger network in international markets.

STELLA NDABENI-ABRAHAMS

MINISTER: DEPARTMENT OF SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

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(a),(b) Please refer to the table below

Province	Name of College	Question (a),(b)
		(a) number of cattle culled during last quarter of 2022	(b) reasons for culling in each college
Eastern Cape	Grootfontein	26	Surplus
	Fort Cox	1	Severe injuries from car accident.
	Tsolo	0	Falls away.
Free State	Glen	0	Falls away.
KwaZulu Natal	Cedara	0	Falls away.
	Owen Sithole	55	poor production; infertility; old age; and inbreeding.
Limpopo	Madzivhandila	0	Falls away.
	Tompi Seleka	0	Falls away.
North West	Potchefstroom	22	old age; unproductive; and not needed for breeding purposes.
	Taung
Western Cape	Elsenburg	0	Falls away.

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The co-operatives development support model that we use has been moderately successful in the creation of jobs. Through the Co-operatives Incentives Scheme (CIS) that was implemented with guidance and leadership of the sixth (6th) administration from July 2019 until end of 2021/22 financial year, the Department of Small Business Development (DSBD) supported 128 co-operatives to the tune of R123.1 million which resulted in the creation and/or retention of 686 jobs. It is important to note that this performance was anchored on the principles and pillars espoused in the government’s Integrated Strategy on the Development and Promotion of Co-operatives (the Co-operatives Strategy). The Co-operatives Strategy sets out an implementation framework for the Co-operatives Development Policy of 2004 and the Co-operatives Act, No. 14 of 2005, as amended. It also ensures that government, through the utilisation of various partnership models, engages in joint initiatives with all relevant stakeholders, to promote strong, viable, self-reliant, autonomous, and self-sustaining the co-operatives movement in the country.

Our two implementing agencies; namely, the Small Enterprise Finance Agency (sefa) and Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda) played a pivotal role in the development of co-operatives in the country. The agencies’ interventions are also based on the pillars of the abovementioned Co-operatives Strategy.

During 2019/20 (July) – end of 2021/22 financial year, Seda has assisted 4 493 Co-operatives. Those cooperatives created 236 jobs and sustained 1 369 jobs.

Table 1: Seda support to co-operatives

Financial Year	No of Co-ops assisted	Jobs created by Co-ops assisted	Jobs sustained by Co-ops assisted
2019/20 (From July 2019)	297	40	389
2020/21	1 758	113	519
2021/22	2 438	83	461
Total	4 493	236	1 369

In respect of funding support, sefa supported 34 co-operatives to the value of R13 million, which resulted in the creation and retention of 268 jobs. This performance relates to the period 1 July 2019 to 31 March 2022.

While the Co-operatives Strategy has made a marked contribution to the growth and development of co-operatives in the country, it is apparent that additional measures must be taken to improve the aforesaid contribution. Key amongst these measures is the intensification of market access efforts for co-operatives products and services in both the public and private sectors. This will ensure that co-operatives are able to increase their assets base as well as have healthier income statements and balance sheets.

Table 2: Total value of CIS support for the period July 2019 to March 2022

STELLA NDABENI-ABRAHAMS

MINISTER: DEPARMENT OF SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

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Different universities have different security needs which depend on the threats they are experiencing. The Department convened a meeting with the Heads of Security to understand and assess the different needs and threats experienced by universities and there was unanimous support for peace-keeping training. It was identified that training of security officers should be prioritised. Universities should create working relationships with law enforcement agencies including the Public Order Policing Unit of the South African Police Service.

Universities South Africa (USAf) committed to work closely with South African Police Service (SAPS) and Campus Protection Society of Southern Africa (CAMPROSA) to ensure that universities’ security officers are well trained, and training of security officers is standardized through the development of a training manual at national level. The Department has developed a blueprint for security personnel in the TVET sector and will oversee the process of the development of a similar framework within the next 6 months after conducting further assessments of the university security personnel.

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Safety and security at public universities has long been a matter of concern in South Africa. It is well-known that our universities are sometimes confronted by enormous challenges of violence which include brutal murder of female students in both universities and TVET colleges spaces.

Since 2019 the Department of Higher Education and Training has been engaging with universities, Universities South Africa, South African Police Services and Campus Protection Society of Southern Africa (CAMPROSA) to address safety concerns at universities. Protocols were developed for securing direct intervention by SAPS, including interdicts issued by courts.

The Department also committed to work with USAf and universities to improve the capacity of institutions to maintain peace and keep campuses safe and secure. Universities were requested to submit their plans to enhance safety and security on their campuses and residences including all safety-related initiatives. The aim was to identify urgent matters that need to be addressed at institutions including the need to improve the capacity of institutions to maintain peace and keep campuses safe and secure. The plans submitted were analysed. Funds have been made available in the Infrastructure Efficiency Grant (IEG) for safety and security projects submitted by universities to the Department.

The University Education Branch convened a meeting with the Heads of Security to understand and assess the different threats experienced by universities and collectively identify interventions that can be implemented immediately, as well as medium- and long-term. Amongst others, it was suggested that a Policy Framework which will serve as a guiding instrument for developing policies by universities should be developed. The framework will outline basic norms and standards that should be included in institutional policies.

A national security audit to ascertain the state of safety and security at universities is underway. The study seeks to determine the existence of security measures on campuses, what the university populace think of the current security situation, and what university management has done to promote safety and security.

In addition, following the series of callous murders at the University of Fort Hare a decision was made to establish a National Task Force (NTF) which will assist in the development of intervention strategies to assist with campus safety and other security measures.

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a) The Department of Higher Education and Training had various consultations with universities, the South African Union of Students as well as NSFAS to discuss the challenges and ongoing agreements with the sector to address the issue of financial exclusions and historic debt of academically deserving students. The Department has also embarked on oversight visits to all 26 universities over this period, to determine amongst others, plans that universities have put in place to assist unfunded students that are doing well academically and concessions that are in place to enable students with debt to be able to register.

Most universities have initiated processes and concessions to assist academically deserving students. These plans and concessions range from SRC-raised funds to academically deserving students by settling their historic debt; merit bursaries to academically performing students; missing middle campaigns; and fundraising initiatives to assist academically deserving students, including fundraising engagements with external sponsors; and the signing of acknowledgement of debt forms in line with universities’ financial concessions.

It should also be noted that the work to find a long-term solution to missing middle student funding needs is ongoing. One of the key recommendations of the Ministerial Task Team in their critical work to conceptualise a new student financial aid model for the South African higher education and training system is that as part of the long-term development of a new, comprehensive student funding policy, government should explore the establishment of a loan scheme to support “missing middle” students in accessing higher education and training. The MTT explored different loan models, including a direct lending model, wholesale lending model and credit guarantees. The MTT recommended that in the immediate short-term government should explore the possibility of a government guarantee for commercial bank loans. This would allow for the funding of missing middle students and test the take-up of such loans while other loan models are explored from 2023 onwards. The Department is currently engaging with the banking sector to explore the options for a credit guarantee model with the commercial banks and other financial service providers before an application for a credit guarantee can be submitted to National Treasury by the Minister. It is envisaged that the final model will be tabled before the Forum of South African Directors-General (DG cluster) before it is submitted to Cabinet within the next month or two.

b) This information will have to be collected directly from institutions, as the Department does not collect this information.

c) Engagements will continue with universities until the matter is resolved with all stakeholders.

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The sectors (Sports and Arts) were affected by COVID-19 global health pandemic significantly; The Culture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality, and Sport Sector Education and Training Authority (CATHSSETA) as one of the twenty-one (21) Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) is prioritizing, skilling and upskilling as critical enablers towards the reconstruction and recovery of these sectors, as also, amongst others identified in the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan.

(b) How is his department harnessing higher education in this regard?

The CATHSSETA is one of the twenty-one (21) Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) with limited revenue collected from levy payers. The CATHSSETA is responsible to facilitate skills development within the sector.

In the past three (3) years, the CATHSSETA has allocated R 29 460 483, 00 to support sports, arts, and culture training interventions. This allocation is broken down as referred to the table 1 below:

Table .1

FINANCIAL YEAR	AMOUNT
2020/21	R12 060 400. 00
2021/22	R9 701 025. 50
2022/23	R7 699 057. 50
Total	R29 460 483. 00

The CATHSSETA has also, amongst others, implemented the following programmes which have had a significant impact on the sectors:

Coaching: There has been an identification of a shortage of coaches at the junior level space in South Africa, therefore CATHSSETA has trained ten (10) coaches to increase the pool and ensure stability and continuation in that regard. Furthermore, the qualification is currently being reviewed to ensure that it is relevant and fit for purpose of the industry’s needs.

Talent Scout: The CATHSSETA has developed the talent scout programme which saw 20 learners attending and being qualified. The qualification is one of the first in South Africa, this programme aims to ensure that talent is identified, managed, and harnessed to ensure that the correct caliber of learners is placed in the right sporting codes.

Intellectual Property: The SETA is also looking into awarding providers to train the artists on intellectual property which will give them skills to manage their contracts and crafts in the 2023 fiscal year.

Volunteers Skills Programme: Training of five hundred (500) learners in preparation for the Netball World Cup to be hosted in South Africa from 28 July to 6 August 2023.

Life Skills Programme for Old and Active Artists and Sports Anchors: There’s a scary pattern that exists in the South African entertainment and sports industry particularly when black artists/celebrities pass on. Shortly after their passing on, it emerges that the artists were broke or in huge debt. It, therefore, cannot be right that artists and sports anchors work hard their whole life, and, in the end, they have nothing to show. The life skills programme will provide learners with the ability to manage their emotions, health, finances, and relationships.

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The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET)’s programme does not have any students who have not received stipend payments. The Stipend payment of the Department’s programme is being processed by the South African Mission in Russia and their stipends for February 2023 have been processed. The South African mission in Russia is currently processing the March stipends.

With regard to other scholarship programmes not administered by the DHET, there has been constant communication with the Provincial Government of Mpumalanga (the province) which has sponsored the 221 students in question with full scholarships at Russian universities and had previously faced stipend payment challenges. The Department has also had periodic joint meetings with the Province, The Department of International Relations and Corporation (DIRCO) and South African Mission in Russia to ensure that the scholarship awardees are assisted with scholarships related challenges. The purpose of these engagements was to put in measures that would expedite a solution for the affected students.

Mpumalanga Province has recently indicated to the Department that all accommodation, tuition, and stipend challenges that their scholarship awardees were facing have been resolved. Furthermore, the Province has indicated that it has approved diversions to approve support for students who have contravened the scholarship contract and those who have gone beyond their contract period.

At a meeting of 27th February 2023, the province indicated that it is reviewing an additional list of students who submitted a complaint through DHET of not receiving their funds. At the same meeting the province indicated that it is reviewing the submitted case as according to their records all student matters pertaining to stipend payments had been resolved.

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Most universities have safety and security policies in place that outline processes to be followed when dealing with protests and penalties imposed when security officers act contrary to policy prescriptions. In addition, universities deal with cases of breach of policy prescripts through their internal disciplinary processes and procedures. The Department committed to work with USAf and universities to improve the capacity of institutions to maintain peace and keep campuses safe and secure. It is also working very closely with SAPS and CAMPROSA in ensuring that recruitment and training of security officers is standardized through the development of a blueprint.

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The Department of Higher Education and Training (the Department) has received very few complaints alleging unfair practices in the accreditation of private student accommodation. In the previous cases, there was no proof or any tangible information provided which made it impractical for the Department to investigate the allegations.

Recently (late February 2023), the Department received a letter with a sequence of events of alleged discrimination, victimization, denial of work, refusal of payments, and misrepresentation of facts by a university in its process for the accreditation of private student accommodation. The Department is looking into these allegations and has already requested the University in question to provide a detailed report on issues raised. Once the report is received, the Department will investigate further and institute appropriate measures to address the allegations.

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The Minister still awaits the formal report on the matter from the Council of the University of Cape Town as well as the Report of the Panel. Upon receipt and analysis of the formal report from the Council, the Minister will determine the action to take within the prescripts of the Higher Education Act.