Questions and Replies

Reply:

I have been informed by the Provincial Head of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development in the North-West, as follows:

a) The court proceedings were delayed where necessary in the first two weeks due to the postponement of cases, thereafter alternative accommodation was arranged for Court sittings.

b) Measures taken to restore the full functionality of the Court is that a contingency plan was compiled together with all the stakeholders at the Magistrates’ Court as follows:

1. Potchefstroom Magistrate engaged JB Marks Municipality to assist in identifying alternative accommodation. The Municipality made available the Town Hall and the Traffic Court. Security and cleaners were re-arranged accordingly, as well as parking for the Judiciary and stakeholders; and Two Mobile Court Recording Technology Machines, were arranged for the two alternative accommodation arrangements.
2. The Department of Arts and Culture vacated the second floor, and these are now being used by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development.
3. B and E District Courts were accommodated at the Town Hall for all cases where the accused persons are out on bail or warning.
4. Regional Court is accommodated at the Traffic Court for all cases where the accused persons are on bail or warning.
5. All Regional Court matters where the accused are in custody including sexual offences related matters are heard at the Regional Court.
6. All the cases whereby the accused persons are in custody including 1st appearance matters and bail applications are dealt with in the only available court room viz. Regional Court 3.
7. The Children`s court matters are dealt with in the Head of Court boardroom.
8. The rest of the family court matters (Domestic Violence and Protection from Harassment) including District Civil Court matters are dealt with in the dedicated Children`s Court.
9. Additional office space was made available on the 1st floor and the quasi- judicial functions (Small claims, Maintenance applications, Clerk of the Civil Court, Cash hall, Offices for the Magistrates Regional and District and Public Prosecutors have been accommodated there.
10. Separate transport have been made available to transport members of public, accused persons on bail/ warning and witness to the respective alternative accommodation.
11. Two buses are available to transport staff and witnesses. Some of the attorneys requested to use the bus, as according to them, parking was limited at the Town Hall.
12. The Department procured three (3) alternative recording devices for the Potchefstroom Court to assist the court in the prevention of postponements.
13. To ensure effective implementation of the contingency plan, daily meetings are held at 08:00 in the morning with all the JCPS stakeholders to discuss the circumstances prevailing.
14. On 22 February 2023, a meeting was held with DPWI National Office. The Supply Chain process is now in progress with regards to the replacement of the collapsed rooftop.

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:

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

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

a) Prevention and Control

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

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

b) Community Engagement

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

Awareness was raised about prevention through:

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

END.

Reply:

Various scientific institutions and groups have been involved in the collaborative work on the cure for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). All scientists agree that finding a cure is far more complex because no one has ever been cured of HIV and AIDS and as such correlates of protection are not known. There is some other work towards a cure that include people who go on structured treatment interruption after receiving some intervention and South Africa is involved in these studies. There is also an investigation of the use of Indigenous Knowledge System (IKS) or products derived from indigenous plants that have antiviral activities and claims to cure HIV. There is, further, an on-going work that is designing appropriate studies to investigate many claims of cure for HIV and AIDS, which will probably be structured treatment interruption based.

In the meantime, South Africa has participated in various HIV vaccine efficacy studies such as Phambili, Uhambo, Imbokodo, and Antibody Mediated Prevention (AMP). The outcomes of these studies have found that the vaccines that were tried are not effective against the virus. These trials were critical to our endeavor to find an effective HIV vaccine, hence their findings have led us to pursue two alternative pathways:

• A programme of experimental HIV vaccine trials to improve immunogenicity using an approach to iteratively develop and improve both bnAb and T-cell targeting vaccines and that.
• The next (5) five years the country will be assessing the role of utilizing broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibodies as part of HIV prevention strategy.

We are also evaluating these vaccine approached in HIV exposed uninfected infants to try and prevent breastmilk transmission.

It is critical to collaborate with international partners because the costs of these trials are prohibitive.

While these efforts are ongoing, everyone must be mobilized to support the Antiretroviral programme which has demonstrated achievement in viral suppression when and where there is a strong adherence to treatment.

END.

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:

(a)-(b) At Primary Health Care level, the department has an Ideal Health Facility tool that is used to determine the number of health facilities that have functional piped water and the number of health facilities that have emergency water supply.

Each health facility is required to have both functional piped water and emergency water supply kept in water tanks connected to the water reticulation system in the health facility. There is also further arrangement with municipalities that in case of the emergency water tankers running empty during drought seasons, the municipality brings water by means of water tanker trucks to fill up emergency water tanks at the health facility.

END.

Reply:

The National Development Plan remains the framework that guides planning within government. Government’s five-year plan, Medium Term Strategic Framework (MTSF) is based on the NDP which has been organized into 7 priorities namely:

• Priority 1: Building a capable, ethical and developmental state
• Priory 2: Economic transformation and job creation
• Priority 3: Education skills and health
• Priority 4: Consolidating the social wage through reliable and quality basic services
• Priority 5: Spatial integration, human settlements and local government
• Priority 6: Social Cohesion and safe communities
• Priority 7: A better Africa and world

The annual performance plans and strategies that are submitted to parliament by government departments seek to implement the MTSF based on the NDP. The department is responsible for monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the NDP and the MTSF in line with these priorities. Amongst others the department present two bi-annual reports to the Clusters, FOSAD and Cabinet on the state of performance of government departments and state entities. The reports are published on the website of the department for public consumption.

In performing its work, DPME also relies on data from Statistics South Africa which is critical in measuring performance against outcomes and impact. Government continues to place more emphasis on achieving outcomes which speaks to addressing the immediate needs and expectations of South Africans. As outlined in the State of Nation Address 2023 the economy remains a major focus of government. In this regard DPME has prioritized the evaluation of the Economic Recovery and Reconstruction Plan (ERRP) with a view to assess the impact of the plan on the citizens be they individuals, corporate and public entities. This work is done in partnership with the Development Bank of Southern Africa which has agreed to assist government.

NAME OF THE DRAFTER: Dr Kefiloe Masiteng

DESIGNATION : Secretary of Planning

CONTACT DETAILS 

SIGNATURE : ____________________________

______________________________

Dr Robert Nkuna

Director General - DPME

Date:

__________________________

Ms Maropene Ramokgopa, MP

Minister in the Presidency: Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation

Date:

Reply:

Out of a total number of 56 067 remand detainees as on 01 February 2023, 5 680
(10, 13%) of those remand detainees were detained with the option of bail, while 50 387 (89, 87%) were not granted bail. Furthermore, additional analysis conducted showed that on 31 January 2023, a total of 1 291 remand detainees were detained with an option of bail of R1000 and less.

Below is a breakdown of bail categories as at 31 January 2023. From the data depicted below, 63.1% of the remand detainees were granted bail of R1000 and less while 36.9% of the remanded detainees were detained bail above R1000 up to R4 million.

Bail Amount	EC	FSNC	GP	KZN	LMN	WC	Grand Total	%
R500 and below	139	46	149	101	49	179	663	32,40
>R500 to R1000.	27	21	166	104	52	258	628	30,69
>R1000 to R5000	7	16	294	116	77	156	666	32,55
>R5000 to R10 000	0	0	35	5	12	9	61	2,98
>R10 000 to R50 000	0	0	12	2	1	6	21	1,03
>R50 000 to R100 000	0	0	1	0	1	2	4	0,20
>R100 000 to R500 000.	0	0	2	0	0	0	2	0,10
R4million	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0,05
GRAND TOTAL	173	83	660	328	192	610	2 046	100

It should be noted that no information is available that explicitly confirms that the remand detainees granted bail are still in detention due to inability to pay bail.

END

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:

I would first like to set the record straight that as much as there are challenges in Health sector, it should be noted that the health sector has not collapsed.

a) I have been informed by the Gauteng Department of Health that it is unable to place junior doctors who are bursary holders due to budget constraints. However, there is a process underway to prioritize the human resources needs to place them in institutions across Gauteng.

b) Due to general budget cuts that affects the Cost of Employment (CoE) in the public health sector, there is a systematic process of approving funding and advertisements of posts by Accounting Officers in consultation with Provincial Treasuries supersedes filling of vacant posts to avoid exceeding Cost of Employment (COE) budgets. Therefore, the Department prioritised the filling of the critical and scarce skills within the available budget.

Across all provinces, both clinical and non-clinical posts are continuously identified and vacancies are filled through block adverts and recruitment throughout the year in response to the service demands.

END.

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:

(a) The Department conducts investigations and inquiries, and the following measures are implemented where non-compliance is revealed:

1. Shutting down of respective operations pending the implementation of any determined remedial steps,
2. Suspension of legal appointments of managers and supervisors in charge of working areas with poor health and safety conditions,
3. Recommendation for criminal prosecution to the National Prosecuting Authority for all those who the findings of the inquiry proves that they may have been liable of serious violation of the law or have been found to be grossly negligent in their acts leading to an injury or fatal accident at a mine.

(b) No case of collusion has been reported to the Department by any person at this stage.

Reply:

1. The DPSA has already appointed a service provider to identify and pilot appropriate Integrity Psychometric Assessment tools to be included in the existing SMS assessment battery. This project has already commenced and will be concluded on the second quarter of 2023/24 Financial year. This project is mainly for SMS members and does not include all public servants for now. Lessons learnt from the pilot will guide and inform the way forward in as far as other public servants, outside the SMS, are concern.

2. The Integrity Psychometric Assessment tools will serve as a vehicle for advancing the notion of an ethical state and also as a tool towards professionalising recruitment and may be a permanent feature of the public service going forward and not subjected to specific timelines.

End

Reply:

The DPSA is assisting the Public Service Commission (PSC) by referring reports of fraud, where reported to the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) and the Public Administration Ethics, Integrity and Disciplinary Technical Assistance Unit (PAEIDTAU), directly to the PSC. Where direct assistance is required, the DPSA support the PSC.

The PAEDTAU is mandated in terms of the Public Administration Management Act, 2016 to provide technical assistance regarding ethics, integrity, conduct and discipline management. It is also mandated to set norms and standards on ethics, integrity, conduct and discipline, as well as to improve and strengthen oversight, and to promote good governance. Part of the mandate of the PAEIDTAU is to work with other institutions, such as the PSC, to be able to fulfil its mandate. Findings of the PSC therefore influence policy development, the adoption of norms and standards to address the PSC findings and the development of Guides and Manuals to address implementation of policy directives.

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:

a) There has been minimal disruption to the delivery of health care services in all flood affected provinces within the public sector. However one private hospital in Komani, Eastern Cape was severely affected by flooding where our public sector Emergency Medical Services assisted with transferring of in-patients to nearby healthcare facilities.

The rendering of Primary Health Care services continued unaffected and assistance was also provided to the displaced community members in temporary shelters where necessary. Temporary shelters were inspected daily to monitor for water-borne diseases. No outbreaks or cases of food borne illness directly attributable to the floods were reported. Medication distribution was also not affected.

b) The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) through the Disaster Management Act of 2002 is responsible for disaster management however the Department of Health has also put several health measures in place at national, provincial and district levels to mitigate for the impact of floods as follows:

i) Governance

• The National Department of Health(NDOH) participates in the inter-sectoral national structures, the National Disaster Management Centres (NDMC); linking with the provincial Departments of Health for national oversight and support.

• The provincial Departments of Health are represented at Provincial Joint Operation Centres (ProvJOC), Provincial Disaster Management Centres (PDMC) and/or local Disaster Management Centres, as activated within the respective provinces for effective and efficient response.

• EMS is placed on high alert to provide emergency response as and when required. EMS from unaffected provinces gets mobilized to assist affected provinces when needed and this is facilitated by NDOH.
• Urban search and rescue teams are on standby to assist affected provinces with rescue and medical personnel.

ii) Hospital Services

iii) Both public and private hospitals are alerted to receive patients in all affected areas in case of diversions as and when needed. If necessary, inpatients will be transferred to unaffected hospitals.

iv) Primary Health Care(PHC) Services If a PHC facility is affected, patients will be directed to an unaffected PHC facility, or mobile clinics will be utilized. PHC services may also be provided in temporary shelters.

v) Environmental Health Services (EHS)

National and Provincial EHS officials provide oversight and support. The respective local government EHS will undertake water quality monitoring and ensure appropriate sanitation measures are adhered to. Temporary shelters, if established, will be inspected by teams from the Environmental Health Units daily.

vi) Communicable Disease Control, COVID-19, Malaria and Zoonotic Diseases

• The respective Outbreak Response Teams at district, provincial and national, are placed on high alert to monitor affected areas and are on standby to respond to any water borne / communicable disease that may arise.

• The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) heightens surveillance for COVID-19, malaria and zoonotic diseases in the affected areas.

vii) Health Promotion & Nutrition

Awareness on water safety and communicable diseases is initiated within the communities as needed. Small scale water purification, safe food handling and keeping and monitoring of food is also done to ensure prevention of food poisoning and communicable diseases.

viii) Food Control

• Food Control makes food safety Information Education and Communication(IEC) material available to respective EHS and Health Promotion teams to create awareness as needed.

• EHS gets also support in terms of inspection of donated foodstuffs to ensure safety, and record keeping as and when required.

ix) Forensic Pathology Services (FPS)

FPS function is to remove bodies of flood victims in close collaboration with SAPS in affected areas.

x) Pharmaceuticals

Medication distribution will be monitored for disruptions and alternate distribution methods are applied.

xi) Risk Communication and Community Engagement

Media releases are undertaken on all platforms as and when required. Monitoring of local media clips, news and social platforms is also ongoing.

Additional technical expertise is also available and gets deployed where needed.

END.

Reply:

a) The National Department of Health has conducted few studies focusing on the condition assessments of the health facilities in line with the requirements of the Government Immovable Asset Management Act. The studies also covered few recommendations. Firstly, the study recommended that a certain portion of the capital budget for be hospitals must be set aside for the routine maintenance. Secondly, the study recommended that a certain portion of the capital budget for the hospitals should be set aside for the urgent redress of the major (and often dangerous) poor conditions of the identified hospitals. Thirdly, the study recommended that a certain portion of the capital budget should be set aside for the new infrastructure for the Primary Health Care; Level 1; Level 2 and Level 3 capacity and infrastructure for specialities.

b) Based on the recommendations mentioned above, a ten-year infrastructure plan of the health facilities for 2015 – 2025 was developed and signed off at the beginning of 2015 by the National Department of Health. The ten-year infrastructure plan covers the following areas:

1. priority sites that requires the access improvement;
2. condition of existing infrastructure;
3. illustrate relative capital (replacement) value;
4. maintenance estimate;
5. refurbishment estimate;
6. technology value estimate; and
7. timelines for the maintenance activities and refurbishment work.

The total budget implication over ten years was estimated to be in the order of R31bn. The breakdown of the recommended projects for hospital bed capacity improvement:

• Build Value R23,86bn
• Refurbish Value R2,57bn
• Technology Estimate R4,6bn
• Total R31bn

END.

Reply:

In terms of section 30 of the Public Service Act, 1994 (PSA), public service employees (including senior managers and heads of departments) are allowed to perform other remunerative work outside their employment with the written permission of the executive authority of the department. This would also apply to the 379 senior managers identified in the Public Service Commission Report to be performing other remunerative work.

Regulation 24 of the Public Service Regulations, 2016 (PSR), established a formal process that employees must follow to apply for permission to perform other remunerative work. This process includes the criteria listed in Section 30 of the PSA for executive authorities to consider when approving an application.

Therefore, if permission was received to perform other remunerative work by completing the prescribed form, and the application was approved by the executive authority or delegated authority, the employee concerned will be allowed to perform other remunerative work for 12 months, after which the permission will expire and the employee will have to request for new approval.

If successful, the employee will be provided with a certificate of approval that is valid for twelve calendar months. This certificate of approval is attached when the employee concerned completes his/her financial disclosures on the eDisclosure system, and serves as proof of permission to perform other remunerative work. This certificate is verified during the lifestyle review process to determine if approval was sought and serves as a measure to detect employees performing other remunerative work without permission and those conducting business with the State.

The procedure that allows employees to perform other remunerative work (as per Regulation 24 of the PSR) does not in any way permit public service employees to request permission to conduct business with the State.

Section 8 of the Public Administration Management Act, 2014 criminalizes the act of public service employees conducting business with the State, as the contravention of this section is a criminal offence. Any person found guilty of the offence is liable to a fine or imprisonment for a period not exceeding 5 years or both such fine and imprisonment. It also constitutes serious misconduct.

To strengthen the implementation of Section 8, the Department of Public Service and Administration monitors the Central Supplier Database (CSD) on a monthly basis. This database (hosted by National Treasury) contains the information of all individuals seeking to tender business with government. The information on this system is compared with information on the Personnel Salary System (PERSAL) to identify public service employees attempting to register on the CSD. As soon as the DPSA detects employees on the CSD list, their departments are informed to take disciplinary steps and if guilty of conducting business with the State, to open a criminal case with the South African Police Service (SAPS). The DPSA follow up with the affected departments monthly to establish progress made. The DPSA, SAPS and National Prosecuting Authority also formed a Task Team that assists departments with the investigation process and to fast track cases for prosecution.

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 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:

1. According to the information received from our Provincial Departments of Health, no medico-legal cases have been referred to the Health Sector Anti-Corruption Forum (HSACF) since it was established in 2018.

2. Not applicable.

END.

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:

I am aware that there were concerns raised by communities regarding provision of ambulances services around Botshabelo and Mangaung in 2022 in Free State. I am also aware that the MEC of Health in the Free State has also responded to some of the communities and have acceded to some of these challenges in this regard.

Pertaining to this particular incident in the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality where an ambulance did not arrive to collect a patient when an emergency call was made to the Emergency Communication Centre, I was not informed of this. The lack of details on this particular matter makes it difficult to make an enquiry.

I have however been informed by the province that the Public Emergency Medical Services in Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality currently operates with 26 ambulances distributed as follow:

• Bloemfontein 11
• Botshabelo 6
• Thaba Nchu 5
• Wepener 1
• Dewetsdorp 2
• Soutpan 1

The public also has an opportunity to report the matter through the Free State Department of Health’s complaints system.

END.

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:

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:

No, I was not aware of any refusal by the Witbank TB Specialised Hospital to treat newly diagnosed TB patients and directing them to Bongani Regional Hospital.

The Mpumalanga Province has been reorganising the service platform, due to demands in the Province. This has resulted in the repurposing of Witbank TB Specialised Hospital to be the internal medicine unit to support Witbank Provincial hospital. The repurposing of the hospitals means that Bongani Hospital is the new DR-TB referral site to take over the clinical management of complicated DR-TB patients for the entire province. All district hospitals are still responsible for the management of the DS-TB patients.

END.

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:

An evaluation was conducted and finalised in August 2019, just prior to COVID-19.

The report found that:

“The evaluation findings suggest that the Central Chronic Medicines Dispensing and Distribution (CCMDD) is overwhelmingly believed to be the National Department of Health’s (NDoH’s) most successful intervention implemented during NHI Phase 1. This has been identified as a flagship programme, and for this reason, there are numerous valuable lessons to be learned from its implementation. These lessons will only apply to the continuation of the CCMDD programme but can be useful for the continued implementation of other interventions. Specifically, lessons around the issues of contracting private service providers, which has been communicated by the NDoH to be a key component of NHI Phase 2.”

“On balance, it is evident that CCMDD has indeed achieved its immediate aims of decongesting facilities, which helps improve the availability of Health Care Practitioners’ time and, as a result, improve health outcomes. The success is largely reflected in the successful scale-up of the programme beyond the pilot districts and beyond the expectations of NHI Phase 1 implementation plans.”

“Stakeholders also observed this intervention was well integrated with other interventions, and this integration was evidenced by information sharing between the CCMDD programme and the WBPHCOTs.”

Like any other programme, funding is critical to the success of CCMDD. While the programme had limited donor funding initially it is now funded mostly from a portion of the NHI conditional grant.

During COVID-19 patients were able to collect their chronic medication from CCMDD Pick-up-Points (PUPs) outside of health facilities without undue exposure to the virus. During that time script periods were extended and patients were required to return less frequently to collect their medicines. This lesson has been adopted as current practice to extend the capacity of the CCMDD and to improve access to medicines for patients.

END.

Reply:

The Public Administration Management Amendment Bill and the Public Service Amendment Bill have both been drafted, consulted publicly and processed in terms of the requisite internal and statutory processes. The Bills are being processed to Cabinet for approval to table to Parliament by 31 March 2023.

End

Reply:

Adverse Events Following Immunisation (AEFI) and safety concerns in terms of contraindications, special precautions and warnings are reviewed and included in the product Information leaflet. All potential risk factors are outlined in the product information leaflet and the clinician/health care provider prescribing the vaccine is thereby informed. If there are critical concerns/risks, the product will not be registered and will not be made available to public.

The responsibility for pharmacovigilance and surveillance is ultimately with the regulator, SAHPRA. All clinicians and the public themselves have been encouraged to report both side effects and adverse events. There is ongoing assessment of safety of all medicines and vaccines. This information is shared globally so that all countries can combine their experiences and determine actions where appropriate.

In the case of the Covid-19 vaccines in use in the country there is a great deal of information available, it is included in the product information. There are known rare adverse events, just as rare side effects are known for all medicines. The evidence is that no elements of the two Covid-19 vaccines may put the lives of persons at risk any more that another medicine. There is however evidence that the vaccines improve immunity and protect the vaccinees from severe infection.

END.

Reply:

The shortages of human resources for health are a global phenomenon and South Africa has not been spared from this challenge. The human resources challenge was particularly glaring as the country grappled to manage and contain the Covid-19 pandemic.

The human resource for health shortfall is well recognized by the country’s 2030 Human Resources for Health (HRH) Strategy which makes a strong case for significant additional investment in the health workforce to improve health services access, quality, and equity.

In increasing the pool, the HRH Strategy provides some insights into the additional numbers of health workers needed Hence a case is also made for aligning health workforce education and training with the health system’s needs.

Specific to a pool of nurses, a baseline audit to quantify gaps between existing supply and existing needs for all categories of nurses including nurse specialists has been concluded. This will guide areas of training required to increase the pool.

In order to enhance services in the overstretched public health sector, particularly with regard to South Africa’s response to the Covid-19 Pandemic, the department appreciated the introduction of the Covid-19 Grant and was able to inject an additional 6 688 health care workers (that included 3 460 nurses and 409 doctors) into the System on a contract basis

A further 7 583 (with 2 605 Nurses and 2060 Doctors) health professionals were allocated to do community service in health facilities to commence duty from 1 January 2023.

END.

Reply:

Child abuse, neglect or ill-treatment of children as well as the abandonment of children are all offences that are regarded in a very serious light by the National Prosecuting Authority. As such, these cases are heard by the Regional courts and are also prioritised due to the impact of the offence on the children.

The reasons that the court consider in imposing any specific sentence depend on multiple factors which the presiding officer in his/her discretion takes into account. These factors include, inter alia, the circumstances of the offence, the seriousness of the ill-treatment or neglect or injury as well as the age of the victim, the psychological and medical impact or consequences of the offence on the child, etc.

Furthermore, it must be noted that not all of these cases are heard in the Criminal courts, but some are diverted to the Children’s courts where enquiries are then carried out by the presiding officials in line with the procedures in Chapter 4 of the Children’s Act (38 of 2005).

The National Prosecuting Authority is not able to verify the figures that are provided in the question. Our information, from the Electronic Case Management System, indicates a total of 270 cases being disposed between April 2022 and February 2023. From the 270 disposed cases, 92 resulted in convictions and sentences and 19 resulted in acquittals. These cases were dealt with by the Regional courts whilst only 16 less serious cases were sentenced in the District courts over the same period.

END

Reply:

a). The total number of courts that have alternative energy sources to enable the courts to continue functioning during load shedding is one hundred and thirty nine (139) courts.

b). The total number of courts which are rendered dysfunctional due to load shedding is four hundred and seventeen (417) courts.

Below is a summary table of all the courts per province.

NO.	PROVINCE	FUNCTIONAL COURTS DURING LOADSHEDDING	DYSFUNCTIONAL COURTS DURING LOAD SHEDDING
1	Eastern Cape	25	65
2	Free State	8	79
3	Gauteng	41	19
4	Kwa-Zulu Natal	19	83
5	Limpopo	10	36
6	Mpumalanga	2	41
7	Northern Cape	17	22
8	North West	7	27
9	Western Cape	10	45
	TOTAL	139	417

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. DOJ&CD has also embarked on a pilot programme to install inverters/ solar power to the service points through the new minor works delegation received from DPWI in October 2022.

I have written to the Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, and 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, focusing on administrative processes which can be done manually. These processes are then captured on ICMS, MojaPay and other IT systems once electricity is back.

END

Reply:

a) The development of an integrated portable Electronic Health Record (EHR) for Public Health Facilities will cost an estimate of R300 million per annum over the next five years. This solution will be available to all public and private health establishments and will result in a common portable health record for all users of the entire health system. The costs associated with the roll-out and implementation at scale inclusive of the ICT Infrastructure and change management for the users of the solution still need to be costed with the required detail. Based on industry practices it can be estimated that roll-out and implementation at scale, bare similar costs as the development of the HER software solution.

b) It will take approximate 5 years to develop the full solution and phased implementation, pending funding availability. The process will be governed through the National Health Information Systems Committee which is a multistakeholder sub-committee of the National Health Council.

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:

The recruitment and selection in the Public Service is regulated in terms of the Public Service Act, 1994 and Regulations 65 and 67 of the Public Service Regulations, 2016. Furthermore, the Executive Protocol provides principles and procedure for the employment of Heads of Department (HoDs) and DDGs at National government. The provincial governments are encouraged to follow the practice. This a merit-based recruitment and selection system that is applied in the Public Service. Therefore, cadre deployment is not used to fill the vacancies in the public service.

1. Section 9 of the Public Service Act, 1994 states that an executive authority may appoint any person in his or her department in accordance with this Act and in such a manner and on such conditions as may be prescribed.

2. Section 11(2) of the Act stipulates that in the making of any appointment in terms of section 9 in the Public Service-

a) All persons who applied and qualify for the appointment concerned shall be considered; and

b) The evaluation of persons shall be based on training, skills, competence, knowledge and the need to redress, in accordance with Employment Equity act, 1998.

3. Regulation 65 (1) of the Public Service Regulations, 2016 provides that an executive authority shall ensure that vacant posts in the department are advertised as efficiently and effectively as possible to reach the entire pool of potential applicants, including designated groups.

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:

(1) A comprehensive impact study was conducted and subsequently an Environmental Authorisation in terms of the National Environmental Management Act (Act No. 107 of 1998GN and 983 as amended), for the upgrade and expansion of the Burgersdorp Correctional Facility within the Walter Sisulu Local Municipality was approved by the Department of Environmental Affairs.

(1)(a) Confirmation of bulk water services availability for the upgrades and renovations to the Burgersdorp Correctional Facilities was obtained from Joe Gqabi District Municipality. The Water Use License (WUL) was approved in respect of a general authorisation in line with section 39 of the National Water Act, 1998 (Act 36 of 1998), by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWAS).

(1)(b) Confirmation of Electrical Services and Capacity availability for the upgrades and renovations to the Burgersdorp Correctional Facilities was obtained from the Walter Sisulu Local Municipality, confirming availability of adequate electrical supply

.

(2) Yes, a copy of specified impact Study is attached as Annexure A.

(3) The upgrade of the water reticulation infrastructure includes:

• New elevated water storage;
• New borehole top structure;
• New pump main from borehole to the proposed vegetable site;
• New portable reticulation ring main for existing correctional centre as well as the new development;
• New fire water reticulation ring main for the existing correctional centre as well as the new development.

(4) Confirmation of Electrical Services and Capacity availability for the upgrades and renovations to the Burgersdorp Correctional Facilities was obtained from the Walter Sisulu Local Municipality, stating that “the supply from the Municipality at the sub-station is indeed adequate for the required upgrade of the facility”.

It is worth noting that the design of the correctional facility incorporates more technological advanced technologies and building standards than in comparison with the current Correctional Centre, which will ultimately be more energy and water efficient. Advanced heating systems such as calorifiers, and the installation of energy saving lighting equipment will increase energy efficiency. The new Correctional facility will be equipped with adequate back-up power systems, which will enhance operational efficiency.

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:

• 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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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.