Questions and Replies

Reply:

a) Below is the total amount of funds returned to the National Treasury, which were originally intended to fund non-profit organisations (NPOs) in the past five years.

PROV	2017/18	2018/19	2019/20	2020/21	2021/22
EC
FS	R 1 184 935	R 7 394 312	R 7 231 186	R 46 172 865	R 20 322 839
GP
KZN
LP	R 1 028 000	R 20 027 000	R 4 082 000	R 70 919 000	R 64 265 000

PROV	2017/18	2018/19	2019/20	2020/21	2021/22
MP	R 6 896 000	R 76 000 000	R 12 605 000	R 45 448 000	R 37 830 000
NW
NC
WC	R 380 067	R 1 054 841	R 3 222.00	R 5 067 000	R 10 290 527

At the time of submission, the above Provinces have only responded.

b) Refer to NAPQ 3228.

Reply:

In line with international standards, South Africa’s Constitution states that everyone has a human right to access to social security.

The Department is proposing a Basic Income Support (BIS) for adults aged 18- 59 as part of the social wage guarantee. This is viewed as key to alleviate poverty and promote development. The grant is likely to start small in value and will need to be complemented by programmes to create growth and jobs, as well as other parts of the social protection package. Ongoing consultations are being held on the draft policy options on Basic Income Support (BIS) with key stakeholders. Among others, these include social grant beneficiaries, DSD and SASSA, International Labour Organisation (ILO), civil society organisations, non-governmental organisations, research institutions, government departments such as Department of Home Affairs (DHA), the National Treasury, and the Presidency.

This proposed programme builds on the highly successful Covid-19 R350 SRD grant. Research findings show that households receiving support enable

individuals to actively seek for work opportunities. Additionally, the research revealed that 93% of beneficiaries use the grant for food. 80% reported that even though the grant was small, it made a positive difference in their lives as well as their households. Therefore, the main idea is that government should continue with the BIS policy is being finalised.

Government is also refining the green paper on comprehensive social security and retirement reform, which would provide income security for individuals, both formal and informal sector workers, in old age inclusive of survivors’ benefits. A comprehensive social security system is critical in ensuring that non- contributory and contributory measures are available to provide cover to members and beneficiaries against life cycle risks.

Reply:

The Honourable Member is requested to indicate the levels of the positions she is referring to. The manner in which the question is phrased is very broad as there are many categories and levels.

END.

Reply:

The department of Health, in collaboration with the Department of Basic Education provides integrated school health program (ISHP) to learners in schools, to among others prevent barriers to teaching and learning. Some of the service include provision of spectacles to learners who are visually impaired. The service provided through this programme include visual assessment which may result in referral of the learner to the next level of care for possible provision of spectables.

(a) the number of learners who have been provided with glasses through the specified programmes and

The actual number of learners who were provided with spectacles are in provinces and Districts as the programme implementerand are reflected here below:

 

Province	Data Element	Apr 2020 to Mar 2021	Apr 2021 to Mar 2022	Apr 2021 to Sep 2022	Totals to date
Eastern Cape	Spectacles issued to child - total	160	362	264	366
Free State	Spectacles issued to child - total	33	401	23	142
Gauteng	Spectacles issued to child - total	1 284	3 405	2 109	3 091
KwaZulu-Natal	Spectacles issued to child - total	3 374	4 620	3 466	3 912
Limpopo	Spectacles issued to child - total	329	494	590	732
Mpumalanga	Spectacles issued to child - total	213	659	469	703
Northern Cape	Spectacles issued to child - total	28	56	27	36
North West	Spectacles issued to child - total	21	188	127	218
Western Cape	Spectacles issued to child - total	384	3 511	1 702	3 184
South Africa	Spectacles issued to child - total	5 826	13 696	8 777	12 384

 

(b) The programme is a school health-based intervention, which is tailor-made for the learners only, due to limited number of school health nurses, hence the modality is delivered for specific grades and not all learners in a school. Citizens can still visit their nearest health care facilitities, where they can be screened for vision and referred to Optometrist for further diagnosis and provision of spectacles if indicated.

 

END.

Reply:

The AGSA made the following recommendations to address the material irregularity findings, which SASSA intends to comply with:

1. Reasonable steps should be taken to implement internal controls to prevent and detect payments to ineligible beneficiaries and these should include verifying the applicants against the latest available databases, maintaining an audit trail of verifications that were performed and cancellation of further payments to ineligible beneficiaries.

a) SASSA has already implemented this at the time the material irregularity was issued. It was also found that a fair amount of the AGSA data was incorrect; thus further pointing to the reliance only on database to be insufficient.

b) As it is not possible to have every single database in the country and noting that these databases are not perfect – a further verification step was implemented in April 2022; whereby SASSA also checks funds in bank accounts against a predetermined threshold. While these have risks as well, they do provide a more reliable, real time data source than the other databases.

2. Appropriate action should be taken to recover payments made to ineligible beneficiaries that were working for the state at the time of applying for the grant. The recovery process should not be unduly delayed.

1. SASSA has written to the all the departments who have public servants that may have unduly benefited from the COVID SRD grant requesting them to verify the employment of the officials in their department; and to assist SASSA with debt recovery if employment is confirmed.
2. Many of the departments have acknowledged receipt of the request and are eager to assist.
3. The Public Service Commission will also assist the department with following up with the government departments; especially those that do not assist.

3. Appropriate action should be taken to obtain legal advice on the process to be followed to recover monies paid to ineligible beneficiaries who are not employed by the state. Based on the legal advice, the feasibility and cost effectiveness of recovering the money should be determined and if it is determined that such recovery is feasible and cost effective then such money should be recovered from the ineligible beneficiaries who are not employed by the state.

a) SASSA will undertake the investigation into determining the feasibility of recovering debt from the non-public servants.

Over and above the AGSA’s recommendations, SASSA is also working with the fusion centre as well as law enforcement agencies to investigate the criminal aspect of defrauding the state. To date, criminal referrals against these public servants is at 887. More cases will be referred during the current and next quarters respectively.

Reply:

a) The opportunities that the Department will roll out include investing in the capacities of our people and the support of the sustainable livelihood’s interventions in all nine provinces. In celebrating social development Month in October, the department promote procurement from community-based entities especially from women and youth that can participate in the value chain of delivering social development services, e.g. SRD uniforms for kids are sourced from the local cooperatives) These are used as part of empowerment and providing them with opportunities to ensure that they access economic empowerment. All these creates a market for the local producing cooperatives and SMMEs, thereby fostering local economic development through the income generated from the departmental funding.

The department also create opportunities through developing appropriate interventions at Individual, Household and Community level, as support for them through

• • Further education and training particularly for youth and women
  • Linkage with Public employment programs (CWP/EPWP)/Private.

• • Facilitating the establishment of Co-operatives and SMME (small &medium enterprises).

b) The department through provinces partners with several stakeholders and NPOs to provide sustainable livelihoods to vulnerable and poor individuals and households.

Over the next 3 years the social development portfolio, DSD, SASSA and NDA will be partnering with local NPOs, FINMARK Trust, that has received donor funds from one of the world largest development agencies, BRAC, to pilot the linking of child support grant caregivers to sustainable livelihoods.

The pilots will be conducted in three provinces, KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and the Free State. This will give a good break down of rural, peri-urban and urban sites.

The pilot phase is lengthy, however the goal is to not only determine feasibility of the project, but to attempt to produce a sustainable programme that is adequately quantified and that can be considered for scaling up.

Two sites have been identified in each province, with a SASSA local office being the focal point. Engagements were held with the local leadership in most of the provinces and the project has been well received. Project managers have been appointed and are expected to assume duty soon. The appointment of firms to do market and livelihood assessments are also in an advance stage.

In addition, the Department is entering into a partnership with the UNDP on the following:

• • To establish, support and strengthen an integrated Social Entrepreneurship Ecosystem in South Africa
  • To support government to provide a robust, coherent and harmonised enabling environment for social enterprises to thrive, including strengthening coordination, partnership, policy, research, advocacy and resource mobilization; and
  • To promote a culture of social entrepreneurship through capacity development

It is planned that through this partnership we will further the objective of linking beneficiaries of grants with sustainable opportunities to sustain their livelihoods.

Reply:

The Department of Health provides bursaries that are administered by Provinces for students in the medical field to ensure supply of these professionals for the sector. In addition, funding of undergraduate training in the health sciences is subsidized by the Department of Higher Education through allocations to higher education institutions.

Admission to an undergraduate medical training programme is the prerogative of a medical school where the student has applied. Each provincial Department of Health would then evaluate its ability to support such students. The Minister encourages the provincial Departments of Health to provide funding assistance to undergraduate students in the medical field as much as possible.

END.

Reply:

The figure of 761 is not the number of officials but it is the number of financial misconduct cases. These cases are not related to fraudulent activities, but to the following

• failure to prevent occurrence of irregular expenditure;
• fruitless and wasteful expenditure;
• damages and losses within SASSA.

In addressing these cases, SASSA has implemented the following disciplinary corrective actions: :

a) Disciplinary corrective measures were completed were completed against two hundred and twenty-one (221) officials . The outcomes were used to support submissions of condonation to National Treasury for irregular expenditure cases. It is a requirement that before any condonation is granted the Agency should have completed disciplinary corrective measures.

Consequence measures finalised in relation to employees are reflected in the table below:

Financial Misconduct Cases	No employees	No of cases
Damages and Losses	105	129
Fruitless and Wasteful	15	35
Irregular expenditure	101	597
	221	761

b) Recovery is largely pursued in cases of fruitless and wasteful expenditure or damages and losses.

c) R92 826.39 has been recovered to date based on the payment/recovery agreement with a particular debtor (recovery at times is based on monthly payments).

Reply:

The pandemic and the consequent lock-down exacerbated the loss of household income and increased hunger, which heightened the demand for the Department to provide food relief and Social Relief of Distress (SRD). As a result, the Department, in consultation with the Presidency, National Treasury and other relevant stakeholders, developed and implemented a social relief package for a period of six (6) months which was inclusive of the COVID-19 SRD (cSRD) and social grant top-ups.

However, most of the relief packages came to an end in October 2020 with an exception of the cSRD. It should be noted that the cSRD was initially extended by 3 months to January 2021, then by a further 3 months to April 2021. In July 2022, it was further extended to March 2022, after which it was extended for a full financial year from April 2022 to March 2023 under the Social Assistance Regulations. At its peak, the SRD grant was able to support 10.9 million beneficiaries in March 2022, but this has declined to 8.1 million people as at mid-November, due to stricter qualification criteria. The majority of beneficiaries have confirmed that they used the money primarily for food, followed by electricity and masks for personal protection during the pandemic.

The Minister of Finance in his Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement has announced a further extension of the cSRD until the end of the 2023/24 financial year, which is welcomed by the Department.

The extension of the provision until 2023/24 financial year will provide some assistance to cushion the effects of poverty, food insecurity and the high inflation rate amongst the poor, particularly the working-age population, who have been hardest hit by the pandemic, whilst a sustainable permanent intervention is being explored. Further engagement is ongoing with the National Treasury regarding longer term interventions, including other complementary measures linked to labour activation measures.

The Department also implements the Household Food and Nutrition security programme throughout nine Provinces. Vulnerable and poor individuals aged 19 -59 years are provided with cooked meals served at 282 Community Nutrition and Development Centres (CNDCs) that are spread in the most remote areas of the country.

Reply:

(1) (a) The National Health Insurance (NHI) will fund health care for 60m people. The Fund will be established once the Bill is enacted. The current spending on healthcare in the country is R554bn, which is split as follows:
 

FY21/22
Rand (bn)	%
Total public sector health	265 844	48,9%
Total private sector health	277 402	51,1%
543 246

Donors contribute R11 095bn, bringing total spend to R554 341bn

The NHI Bill provides that the bulk of the public sector health spend will be allocated to the NHI Fund by the normal appropriation route through Parliament.

(b) There is a provision in section 49 of the Bill for progressive introduction of taxes to move voluntary contributions into the Fund. In 2021/22 financial terms around R500bn is the equivalent funding of the present health system and it is these funds that will constitute the resource available to the NHI. This is in the order of 8,5% of GDP. Funds for non-personal health services, and capital for infrastructure development, will remain with the provincial departments.

(2) (a) The sources of funds that are presently spent in the health care system are as follows:

GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT AND ENTITY	R (millions)
National Department of Health core	12 947
National Department of Health Indirect Conditional Grants	85
National Department of Health Direct Conditional Grants	60 000
Provincial Departments of Health Provincial Equitable Share	175 892
Defence (SAMHS)	5 474
Correctional Services	1 216
Local government (own revenue)	5 138
Workmen's Compensation contributions	* 3 502
Road Accident Fund levies	** 1 675
Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases (COIDA)	***?????
Medical schemes (Employer contribution public service)	230 618
Medical schemes (Employer contribution private employer)
Medical schemes (Employee contribution)
Out of pocket	38 653
Medical insurance	5 501
Employer private (including Occupational Health)	2 630
Donors	11 95

* Unclear what portion is for medical expenses as opposed to other benefits
** Unclear what portion is for medical expenses as opposed to other benefits
*** Unclear what portion is for medical expenses as opposed to other benefits

(b) The public health system will continue to receive the present budget allocation but once the NHI is established the route of funding will change from te current route of Provincial Equitable Shares (PES) via block allocations to provincial governments and managed by provincial treasuries, through the National Vote to the Fund (as the South African Medical Research Council, Council for Medial Schemes and other entities are funded presently). The Fund will pay for the benefits and services provided. The leverage of the monopsony will obviate the challenges of patients moving between provinces and will allow for national interventions to communities that are under-funded (through strategic purchasing). By setting prices nationally the Fund will be able to control excessive pricing and purchase more care with the same funds.

(c) The Fund will also purchase benefits (patient care) from private providers who are presently not accessible to people who do not have medical scheme cover. This will increase the footprint of available services and improve accessibility.

END.

Reply:

a) (i) The department’s call centre during the period April 2022 – October 2022 received a total number of 4148 calls average per month.

ii) Currently GBVCC does not have a system to identify prank callers, all cases are treated as real cases. It is only after many times and or months that a specific official will determine if it is a prank call. Their numbers will reflect as regular callers. Victims of GBVF can sometimes call and drop calls when facing threats, which makes it difficult to always determine prank callers. There are also regular callers who either give feedback, refer cases or need further assistance. This is an area for development.

iii) A total number of 2648 calls were received during the period April –October 2022 that are not related to issues of gender-based violence

Incident Type

Number of Calls Received: Non GBV Cases

	April	May	June	July	August	Septemb er	October	Total
Anger Management	2	3	2	2	3	2	7	21
Behavioural Problems	4	9	7	7	5	7	10	49
Child Adoption	1	4	3	0	0	1	0	9
Child Custody/Visitation	12	23	20	10	12	13	10	100
Child Maintenance	7	4	9	9	8	2	8	47
Counselling Death	1	0	1	1	3	0	0	6
Counselling Depression	7	14	17	13	21	8	5	85
Counselling Marriage & Relationships	22	44	32	18	47	35	35	233
COVID - 19	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1
Economic/Financial Abuse	0	0	0	0	5	1	2	8
Funding	0	2	1	1	1	1	2	8
Home Affairs Related	9	3	7	2	4	1	5	31
	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Labour Dispute	3	2	2	0	3	3	1	14
Legal Advice	6	11	7	2	12	14	5	57
Matric	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	2
Other type of Incident	241	270	218	231	384	213	232	1789
SASSA Grants	19	13	25	12	10	15	14	108
Substance Abuse	8	12	17	8	17	9	9	80
Xenophobia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	342	415	368	316	535	326	346	2648

iv) A total number of 1958 Gender-based violence cases were successfully attended to in each month through the call Centre during the period

Incident Type	Number of Calls Received: GBV Cases
	April	May	June	July	August	Septembe r	October	Total
Abandoned Children	2	3	2	0	0	0	0	7
Abduction/ Kidnapping	2	1	2	1	2	3	0	11
Assault	9	13	6	10	12	14	11	75
Bullying	2	2	3	2	6	2	4	21
Child Neglect	20	42	38	16	35	29	18	198
Child Pornography	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Elderly Neglect	2	5	1	7	8	4	6	33
Emotional Abuse	41	33	35	37	41	49	28	264
Forced Initiation	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Forced Prostitution	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Hate Speech	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
Human Trafficking	0	1	0	1	0	0	1	3
Incest	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	2
Indecent Assault	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Molestation	0	0	3	1	0	1	1	6
Physical Violence	155	175	113	122	158	137	125	985
Rape/Corrective Rape	16	34	29	15	23	27	22	166
Sexual Harassment	1	2	3	0	3	0	0	9
Stalking	0	2	0	2	2	2	1	9
Verbal Abuse or Intimidation	24	25	24	24	27	26	16	166
Total	276	339	259	238	317	294	235	1958

Reply:

(a) The expenditure that has been ascribed to National Health Insurance (NHI) money has been used to fund efforts to strengthen the health system’s performance in preparation for NHI and not on the actual functions of the NHI Fund. This funding has been allocated through the NHI Grant and has been used to develop and test provider payment mechanisms, expanding the national insurance beneficiary registry, and purchasing and providing a prioritised set of health services. The funding has also been allocated for quality improvement initiatives within the non-personal services component of the NHI indirect grant with the aim of helping facilities meet the envisaged standards required for NHI accreditation.

(b) The breakdown of the NHI Grant allocation is based on both the Direct and Indirect Grants allocated as follows:

Find here: National Health Insurance Direct Grant

Reply:

What are the relevant details of her plans

a) For the employment of social workers who have been trained by the State, but remain unemployed.

• The Department has developed a draft sector strategy for the employment of social service professionals inclusive of social workers. This sector strategy addresses the employment of Social Service Professionals (SSPs) in Departments, Provinces, Agencies, Local Government, and the private sector.

     The plan looks at various opportunities to employ SSPs, but not limited to;

• Employment by Provinces
• Employment by Sector Departments
• Internship program targeting unemployed graduates
• Short-term contracts based on the availability of funds (Presidential Employment Stimulus)

• • • Employment through the Health & Welfare Sector, Education, and Training Agency

b) To have funds ring-fenced for the employment of Social Workers?

• • The Department is currently reviewing the request for funding bid for the employment of SSPs, to focus only on Provincial Departments for Social Development.
  • The funding bid will be submitted to National Treasury.
  • The Department is continuously engaging the provinces and other Departments such as Education, SAPS, and Defence to prioritize and fill vacant SSPs posts.

Reply:

The Department of Social Development has a National Drug Master Plan (NDMP) 2019-2024 which is a product of broad consultation with relevant stakeholders. NDMP has been endorsed by Parliament and is clarifies roles and responsibilities of different government departments and other stakeholders. The Central Drug Authority (CDA), established in terms of the Prevention of and Treatment for Substance Abuse Act (Act 70 of 2008) is responsible for the coordination and monitoring of the implementation of the NDMP. The implementation of the NDMP at Provincial and local levels is guided by the Provincial Substance Abuse Forums and Local Drug Action Committees established in terms of Act 70 of 2008. Annually CDA submits to Parliament Progress Report on the implementation of the NDMP. The following are the goals of the NDMP:

Goal 1: Demand reduction through prevention and treatment of drug use, misuse and abuse.

Goal 2: Supply reduction through multi-sectoral cooperation.

Goal 3: Ensuring availability of and access to controlled substances exclusively for medical and scientific purposes, while preventing their diversion.

Goal 4: Identify trends and control of new psychoactive substances.

Goal 5: Promote governance, leadership, and accountability for a coordinated multi- sectoral effective response, including economic development at community levels.

Goal 6: Strengthening data collection, monitoring, evaluation and research evidence for an evidence-based response.

Goal 7: Stimulate robust and sustainable economic growth aimed at reducing poverty, unemployment and inequalities.

Government developed an Integrated Anti-Drug and Alcohol Abuse Programme of Action aimed at addressing the Substance Use and Abuse at community level. The following are the Objectives of the Programme of Action:

To review and align liquor, Policy and legislations

To educate and create awareness on alcohol and substance abuse

To increase and strengthen the availability of services and resources to civil society organizations dealing with alcohol-related harm across South Africa

To review institutional mechanisms to prevent and manage alcohol and drug use in the country

Reply:

(1) The Department of Social Development is responsible for the hiring and bidding for funds for social workers. Since the 2018 Cabinet resolution allocations for the employment of social workers within the social development sector were as follows:

In Budget 2019, an average of R226.3 million per annum was shifted to provinces through the Provincial Equitable Share to sustain the employment of over 600 social worker graduates that were employed through the Social Worker Employment Conditional Grant.
In the 2019 Adjusted Budget the National Department of Social Development shifted R93.0 million from other programmes towards Social Crime Prevention and Victim Empowerment subprogramme for the employment of 200 social workers in areas of high prevalence of gender-based violence.
In Budget 2020, an average of R132.7 million per annum was shifted to provinces to sustain the employment of the 200 social workers in areas where they were most needed.
In the 2020 Supplementary Budget, the National Department of Social Development shifted R33.0 million from other programmes for the temporary employment of 1809 social workers.
In the 2020 Adjusted Budget, the Department received a further R92.5 million as unforeseeable and unavoidable expenditure to sustain employment of these social workers.
Most recently, in the 2021 Adjusted Budget, R120 million was added to the Provincial Equitable Share as part of the Presidential Employment Stimulus for the employment of 2000 social workers over a period of 10 months.

(2) Any announcement on additional funds will be made in the Budget Speech in February 2023. We do not announce such allocation decisions before the Budget.

Reply:

a) The Agency cannot provide an exact date on which a Fixed Service Office will be established in Knysna. The acquisition process has both Municipal and Agency dependencies. This includes the procurement process which is done through the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure.

SASSA services are currently provided on a scheduled basis in the following areas within Knysna:

1. Hornlee
2. Sedgefield
3. Rheenendal
4. Khayalethu
5. Karatara

b) SASSA met the Municipality on 20 October 2022 to enquire about the availability of government owned sites in Knysna to establish a Fixed Service Office and the following resolutions were agreed to:

• The Municipality to provide SASSA with a comprehensive list of government owned sites by 31 October 2022.
• SASSA must determine the best option and provide the Municipality with an expression of interest by the 3rd week of November 2022.

• Should there be no feasible site available, the procurement process through the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure will commence.

Reply:

Yes. The Office of the Special Master had consulted with the Minister and Director General of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) (DG) and obtained concurrence from Executive Management. The Court granted the Office of the Special Master permission to fill the two additional posts, but the filling of the posts is subject to the job evaluation process.

A job description was developed for the post by benchmarking against similar posts with the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME). The benchmark job evaluation process for the post of Master Data Specialist was conducted for similar posts in the defunct departments (DAFF and DRDLR) and within the DPME and the job evaluation (JE) results for both posts were salary level (SL) 13 that were approved by the Minister on 11 May 2021. However, the processes for the development of the job descriptions and the JE benchmarking took longer than anticipated and the Special Master requested that filling the position not be continued. The Special Master was seeking alternative solutions in reconfiguring the roles and the budget repurposing to rather appoint graduates intended for the research roles, and this was envisaged that post-doctoral and or post-graduate degree holders in the Humanities field will be appointed as field research leaders while the auxiliary staff will be first and honours degree holders in Geography / Survey / Agriculture/ History/ Business Administration / Economics, etc. These disciplines bear direct relevance to using innovative technological tools to build evidence and embed sustainable livelihoods in land claims resolutions. The field research leaders will be expected to participate in delivering capacity development and training workshops with the Special Master and his core staff to develop the capabilities of existing departmental staff working on labour tenant claims resolution. The Special Master was advised to seek approval from the Minister to reconfigure the roles, instead of the two approved positions, namely 1 X Research, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist and 1 X Master Data Specialist.

To institutionalise the Office of the Special Master within DALRRRD, special focus will be given in the Fit-for-Purpose Project to restructure and repurpose current posts to support the Office of the Special Master as follows:

• Permanent establishment of a national unit with a provincial footprint (provincial and district level) that will address the labour tenant functions;

• Mapping of business process for labour tenants;
• Development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs); and
• Determine capacity requirements and create post establishments to address the need.

DALRRD is therefore, in the process to fill the following positions allocated to the Office of the Special Master:

• 1 x Systems and Operations Manager post filled.
• 1 x Programme Administrator and Office Manager post filled.
• 1 x Corporate Affairs and Stakeholder Manager post filled.
• 1 x Office Assistant post filled.
• 1 x National Programme Manager post. Post advertised and the closing date for the advertisement was 20221014. Filling of the post is anticipated by 28 February 2023.
• 1 x Programme Coordinator. Seconded from the DALRRD.
• 1 x Senior Administrative Officer post. Filling of the post through the Recruitment and Selection or Transfer Processes and filling of the post is anticipated by 28 February 2023.
• 1 x Messenger post. Filling of the post through the Recruitment and Selection or Transfer Processes and filling of the post is anticipated by 28 February 2023.

Reply:

The National Department of Health can confirm that from the total of 3 510 posts for porters, 3 193 are filled. The 148 posts were filled during the current financial year 2022/2023 in the nine (9) Provincial Health Departments, respectively, as recorded in the PERSAL date set of 31 October 2022.

Due to financial constraints, Provinces have implemented a systematic process of approving funding and advertisements of both health related and administrative posts by accounting officers in consultation with Provincial Treasuries. This process, supersedes filling of vacant posts to avoid exceeding Cost of Employment (COE) budgets. END.

Reply:

a) There are two districts with no shelters in the Province, it is Namaqua and John Taolo Gaetsewe districts. The Department did not establish a shelter in Namaqua District in the past years due to the fact that there was no statistics of victims needing sheltering services in the district.

John Taolo district also does not have a shelter but has a White Door Centre to accommodate victims who need sheltering services.

b) Plans are underway to finalize the establishment of shelters in Namakwa and JTG Districts. There is a white door in Bankara Budulong in JTG District for emergency placement. Clients who prefer sheltering services are not taken to neighbouring Provinces, but are given the option to be admitted to a shelter in the Northern Cape Province.

The renovations for the shelter in Nababeep and purchasing of furniture is completed and the agreement between the Municipality and Department, must be finalized, before operationalization can occur.

The decision regarding the condition of the shelter between DSD and Kathu Solar Park, will be finalized in November 2022, which will determine the Plan of Action.

Reply:

There are no current systems-wide shortages of medication in health facilities although facilities do run out from time to time owing to operational reasons.

It is the Departments of Health’s policy to ensure equitable access to quality healthcare through availability of safe, effective and cost-effective medicines at the appropriate level of care. The National Department of Health manages contracts of approximately 1 200 essential medicine items. Contracts are awarded to suppliers (manufacturers) following an open tender process in accordance with the Public Finance Management Act. Provinces procure medicines directly from contacted suppliers. Note that the public sector services the healthcare needs of 84% of South Africa’s population.

The NDOH continuously engages with the contracted suppliers to identify any possible supply challenges, to adjust the demand forecast (where necessary) and to work together to mitigate the risks. Furthermore, the NDOH established a decision-making forum where all provinces are represented; to identify interventions aimed at addressing any medicine supply challenges, to improve medicine availability and to reduce the potential impact of stock outs.

Where supply constraints are identified, the NDOH works with the provinces to identify and implement interventions to minimize stock outs and impact on patients. These interventions are informed by the cause of the supply challenge:

Where the supply constraint is due to operational matters e.g., machine breakdown, labor unrest, theft, post importation testing, etc. the NDOH would source products from alternative local suppliers with registered products using the quotation process.

Should the supply constraint result in a longer term supply challenge, such as regulatory matters including amendments to the dossier that requires approval from South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA), including a change/addition of an active pharmaceutical ingredient source and/or manufacturing site, the transfer of ownership of dossiers which results in a change of marketing authorization, delays in the issuing of the permits for imported medicines, manufactured products requiring additional quality checks by SAHPRA, etc. and no alternative local suppliers with registered products are available; an application would be made to SAHPRA for the acquisition of unregistered medicines for human use in terms of Section 21 of the Medicines and Related Substances Act.

With regard to antiretroviral medication, there are no wide-spread supply challenges. As on 05th December 2022,

Overall medicine availability across all facilities is 87.1%
Availability of antiretrovirals is 91.1% Availability of 1st line antiretrovirals is 97.4%

END.

Reply:

In line with the Primary Health Care Package Norms and standards, clinics operates 8 hours a day and 5 days a week and a Community Health Centres (CHC) operates 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. For the PHC facility to qualify to operate for 24 hours, the following criteria need to be met:

• Annual facility head count should be ± 120 000
• Monthly average headcount of 10 000.

According to the District Health Information System (DHIS) Annual Report 2021/2022, the head count for the Clinic in Extension is 22 779 which is far below the required head count, whilst monthly average headcount was 1898. For the current year, the monthly average headcount is 2170. In addition, acceptable travelling distance to the nearest facility is 5 km. The Clinic in question is within 3.8 km radius to the Khutsong CHC which is open for 24 hours and 7 days a week. The Clinic in Extension 3 therefore does not meet the criteria to operate for 24 hours and 7 days a week.

END.

Reply:

(a) (i) As on 02 December 2022 a total of 48 claims were received.
(ii)(aa)-(bb) To date none of the claims were assessed.

(b) (i) The adjudication panel has been appointed and assessments of claims will be conducted.
 

(b)(ii)	Types of vaccines administered	Age groups of people affected
	(aa)	(bb)
	Johnson & Johnson	Pfizer	Age group	Number
	21	27	80+	3
			70-79	2
			60-69	11
			50-59	8
			40-49	9
			30-39	2
			20-29	7
			12-19	6

Reply:

The SASSA/SAPO card is owned and managed by the South African Postbank according to the South African Reserve Bank designation. However, the card is given to beneficiaries for the purpose of utilising the money to meet their basic needs.

SASSA has no control over beneficiaries who use their card as collateral to secure loans, nor does SASSA condone this act.

It is worth noting that the practice of exchanging beneficiaries cards for loans is a contravention of Section 20 of the Social Assistance Act 13 of 2004 (the Act) which states “a grant may not be transferred, ceded, pledged or in any other way encumbered or disposed of unless the Minister on good grounds in writing consents thereto”, and also read in conjunction with Section 133, Section 90(2) (l) and Section 91(b) of the National Credit Act 34 of 2005.

This matter is regulated by section 35 of the Act, which prohibits credit providers and other persons conducting and marketing credit provider services within areas of agency offices and pay points. Section 35 of the Act (1) Subject to the provisions of section 10(1) and (2) of the Act states; a) a person must not market or offer any form of credit , whether or not that person is registered as a credit provider, within any Agency offices or pay-point for the purpose of soliciting or enticing a beneficiary to engage in any form of credit granting, funeral scheme or life insurance scheme; b) the card must not be ceded, pledged or retained to secure a loan, repayment of loan debt or payment of a funeral or insurance premium.

Therefore, the Agency continuously communicates with social grants beneficiaries through various channels to discourage them from dealing with loan sharks. There are ongoing media awareness campaigns directed at all social grant beneficiaries not to hand over their SASSA cards to anyone.

Through these channels, social grant beneficiaries and members of the public are encouraged to report loan sharks in possession of their social grant cards and/or identity documents to curb these fraudulent acts.

SASSA also conducts awareness sessions among its employees so that they can share the information with grant beneficiaries and the broader public.

In tandem with the above measures to combat the phenomenon of loan sharks preying on social grant beneficiaries and to prevent this type of fraud, corruption and contravention of the Social Assistance Act, SASSA takes concerted steps to coordinate and approach this task, together the South African Post Office and within the ambit of multidisciplinary law enforcement agencies, which includes the National Credit Regulator and the National Prosecuting Authority to appraise them of the gravity of the moneylending activities and request that stiff sentences are meted out by the Courts.

The on-going collaborative effort has culminated in several arrests of suspected loan sharks who were found in possession of SASSA cards. In the current financial year, there were successful projects which led to the arrests and sentencing of loan sharks.

Herein below is a breakdown of the successes achieved to date:

Table: Breakdown of cases regarding possession of SASSA card(s)

No	Description of activities	No of arrested loan sharks	Date of arrest/ sentencing
1.	The Hazyview Magistrate’s Court (Mpumalanga) sentenced 1 money lender to 12 months imprisonment with an option of a fine	1	28 April 2022
2.	Masoyi Magistrate’s Court (Mpumalanga) sentenced 2 money lenders to 12 months imprisonment with an option of a fine	2	04 May 2022
3.	Three (3) suspected moneylenders arrested in KwaZulu-Natal with 50 SASSA/ SAPO cards, 20 EasyPay cards and R34,000 cash in Umkomaas	3	03 June 2022
4.	One (1) suspected moneylender arrested in Malmesbury, Western Cape for possession of SASSA/ SAPO cards)	1	27 June 2022
5.	Douglas Magistrate court in Northern Cape sentenced 1 moneylender with a fine of R10 000 and five (5) years imprisonment, wholly suspended for 3 years	1	18 July 2022
6.	31 suspected moneylenders arrested in Springs, Gauteng with 256 SASSA/ SAPO cards and 151 various bank cards. The suspects were found in possession of R100, 000 in cash.	31	04 August 2022
7.	Five (5) suspected moneylenders arrested in Bronkhorstspruit, Gauteng with 1 X SASSA/SAPO card and 6 various bank cards. The suspects were found in possession of R36,270.00 in cash	5	02 November 2022

Reply:

a) A Presidential Social Sector Summit which was held on the 4th and 5th August 2022, was physically attended by a total of 1 032 civil society organisations.

To maximise reach, various online platforms were created to ensure participation. A total of 59 251 Civil society organisations connected and provincial breakdown attendance by location was as follows:

Cape Town – 12 411

Pretoria – 11 387

Durban – 8 542

Soweto – 5 868

Johannesburg – 6 069

Port Elizabeth – 3 481

Polokwane – 3 249

Bloemfontein – 3 243

East London – 2 538

Pietermaritzburg – 2 463

Those who connected virtually were represented with gender proportion of 38.6% males and 61.4% females.

b) The Department of Social Development was a coordinating department responsible for organising the summit. A steering committee was set up consisting of Department of Social Development, Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME), National Planning Commission (NPC), National Development Agency (NDA) and Civil Society represented by National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC) Community Constituency.

The Department was responsible to invite other government departments from the Social Cluster, and to invite about 406 NPOs, in addition, the National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC) Community Constituency was also allocated a responsibility to invite 50 civil society organisations from its constituency.

Reply:

(1)(a),(i) Information received from five of the Millers (Umfolozi, Malelane, Sezela, Eston and Noodsberg) indicates that the Small-Scale Growers (SSGs) deliveries against expected delivery estimates are behind the mill percentage as at the end of October 2022. Out of the five Millers, two Milling areas (Umfolozi and Malelane) have indicated that SSGs will catch-up with deliveries by the end of the season. The remaining Millers which are Sezela, Eston and Noodsberg plus Felixton, have indicated that SSGs will not deliver full season sugarcane estimates and will carryover cane into 2023/2024. Commercial growers are on track and will deliver the estimated tonnage.

(ii) The harvesting cycle of sugar cane in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) ranges from 12 to 24 months and the main affected areas are on the 16-month cycle. It should be noted that off farm infrastructure (i.e. local roads, access roads, bridges etc) and on farm infrastructure which broadly inhibits optimal operations, will take some time to repair. The latter is further dependent on the availability of resources that its anticipated to be reprioritised based on the disaster declaration process.

(b)(i) The April 2022 report issued by the SA Canegrowers, indicates that 308 producers across five regions in KZN have been affected. The report does not indicate ceasing of operation but indicated the inability to deliver to the market due to extensive on and off farm infrastructure damage. The report further indicates that 2516.65 hectors have experienced severe root damage and thus necessitates replating of the hectors. The estimated damage for infield is R 194, 9 million while the on-farm infrastructure is R 27, 9 million.

(ii) The KZN provincial Department of Agriculture is part of the response teams that are engaged in the assessment process and further ensuring that a speedy provision of support is in place and operation. It is however noted that a ratoon programme(replanting) with an estimated amount of R 7, 5 million has been secured to assist the small-scale sugar growers in the rural parts of the province.

(2)(a) The South African Farmers Development Association (SAFDA) report of April 2022 indicates that heavy rains in the province had devastating impact on several farmers who lost both cash crops and in the main livestock and the support infrastructure. A total of 5178.53 hectors of crops were damaged costing farmers a total of R 236 979 436. Livestock farmers were faced with a loss totalling R 61 686 150.

(b) The main income generating activities are supported through the ratoon programme while activities in terms of crops and livestock, will benefit through the provincial reprioritisation of allocated funds to ensure that the food security element for affected households is maintained. The latter stems from the fact that a disaster has been declared and thus allows for the reprioritisation of interventions or reassignment of funds to be implemented.

Reply:

The Department provide funding to variety of NPOs to render Social development services in all nine Provinces. These NPOs are functional as they deliver of much needed services. Functional NPOs do receive the funding based on the amounts agreed upon the service level agreements (SLAs).

Certain processes are followed before the funds are transferred to these functional organizations including:

• Timeous submission of progress reports and relevant documents by the NPOs
• Proof that the funds are utilized for the intended purposes.
• Compliance with the registration and governance principles as stated in the SLAs and the NPO Act.

Most of the funds that were returned to National Treasury related to the ECD conditional grant and as such cannot be diverted to other programmes.

In addition, NPO’s are also exposed to capacity building programmes that empowers them on number of aspects including financial management, governance and resource mobilization. All these efforts are aimed at empowering NPOs to render quality

services and to empower them to mobilize resources from various sources thus building a sustainable NPO sector in the country.

Reply:

(a) Total number of cancer awareness campaigns:

1. Nine (9) provincial cancer awareness programs were conducted for Traditional Health Practitioners on identifying and referring the most common cancers in collaboration with CANSA.

2. One (1) cancer awareness campaign on breast, cervical and prostate cancer was conducted in Upington in Northern Cape in collaboration with Pink Drive.

3. Five (5) lung cancer awareness programs were conducted in collaboration with CANSA in KwaZulu-Natal.

(b) Cancer centres:

1. Three (3) Regional Breast Units were established.

2. There are twelve national oncology centers in the public health sector which provide access to cancer care for all citizens nationally. One of these has been established the last two years. This is the Mpumalanga medical oncology center. There are an additional eight centers across the country that are in various stages of being built. This will bring the total number of national oncology centers to 21 throughout the country.

END.

Reply:

a) How much geological mapping has the Council for Geoscience conducted in each of the past three years,
20/21: 15 maps published to attain off-shore coverage of 8.9%, 21/22: 35 maps published, reaching 10.75% coverage, and 22/23 (Q2) 7 maps published to achieve 11.12% coverage.

b) What are the details of the:
precise area and maps published in each province since 20/21:
Limpopo: 6, Mpumalanga: 0, North West: 0, Gauteng: 0, Northern Cape: 23, KZN: 12, Free State: 0, Eastern Cape: 10, Western Cape: 6
Type of mapping that was completed
integrated geological mapping, meaning a combination of geology, geophysics, hydrogeological and geotechnical

c) (i) Where is the data published?
All data are on the CGS data portal, i.e., maps.geoscience.org.za

(ii) On what dates were the results of each type of mapping published
The bulk of CGS data, maps and publications were released via the portal in June 2021.
Thereafter the 1:50 000 data and maps will only be released a year after the publication

d) On what terms have the results been made available?
Most of the data are free to download and some are available at cost

Reply:

a) Registration as a non-profit organisation is voluntary therefore any organisation that seek registration do so voluntarily. NPOs are registered in terms of the NPO Act 71 of 1997. The NPO Act does not require the organization to provide the reason why they apply for registration. Voluntary Associations are regulated under the NPO Act 71 of 1997. The NPO status provides organisations with a legal status which in turn makes them credible and accountable and gives them public confidence and easier to access funding.

b) The total number of registered voluntary associations (NPOs) in the Republic of South Africa in each province are listed below:

	Number registered	Voluntary Associations	Trusts	NPCs
EC	25 900	23 328	269	2 303
FS	13 572	12 266	87	1 219
GP	84 399	73 936	936	9 527
KZN	47 431	43 357	728	3 346
LP	26 434	24 618	95	1 721
MP	19 742	18 405	59	1 278
NW	15 389	13 668	60	1 661
NC	6 030	5 679	30	321
WC	28 162	24 085	969	3 108
	267 059	239 342	3 233	24 484

c) Section 12 of the NPO Act (Act 71 of 1997), provides for the requirements for registration. For a Voluntary Association to be registered they must submit a fully completed application form as regulated and the organization founding document, which in this instance it’s a constitution. Section 12(2) further provides, unless the laws in terms of which a nonprofit organisation is established or incorporated, the constitution of a nonprofit organisation that intends to register must comply with requirements (a) to (o) as set out. Further, Section 13 of the NPO Act stipulates that organisation may apply for registration by submitting the completed application form and copies of the constitution which met the requirements in terms of section 12 as mentioned above.

d) Section 18 (1)(a) of the NPO Act requires registered non-profit organisations to submit annual reports in the form of a narrative report in the prescribed manner and financial statements that has income and expenditure, balance sheet and accounting officer’s report. The department scrutinizes the submitted annual reports and check if the organisation carries out its activities or programmes as per its founding document and looks at the nature of expenditure incurred by the organisation.

e) Section 21 of the NPO Act provides for cancellation of registration of an organisation if it has failed to comply with the NPO Act. This means the obligation of NPOs to submit annual reports or makes material false representations in any document or a narrative, financial or other report submitted to the department. This decision is taken after an organisation would have been issued with a notice of non-compliance that would have provided the organisation with reasons for noncompliance and the steps that the organisation needs to take to address the noncompliance.

f) The Department has not undertaken any scientific study or review regarding the impact of voluntary associations in society and the lives of vulnerable groups as these organisations are funded by different government departments and independent doors.

Reply:

All budget related matters including increases to social grants will only be announced by the Minister of Finance in the February 2023 Budget Speech. The National Treasury does not make budgetary announcements before Budget Day

Reply:

The following steps have been taken by the Department in an effort to reduce irregular expenditure going forward.

1. The Supply Chain Management unit has undergone internal training on fraud and corruption indicators. This training was considered essential to ensure that the unit is capacitated on these aspects.

2. The Supply Chain Management officials and Bid Committees officials continuously attend relevant training that is coordinated by the National Treasury.

2. The CFO has written a letter to the National Treasury requesting assistance with price index and Central Supplier Database (CSD) compliance issues.

4. A Contract Management unit will also be incorporated within the Supply Chain Management Unit. The Contract Management team will monitor the SITA

transversal contracts for updates and validity to ensure that all SITA transversal contracts that the department utilises are valid during the procurement process.

5. The SCM Policy will be reviewed during the month of November 2022. The irregular expenditure cases have been referred to Internal Control for investigation. The outcome of the investigations will determine if any official is liable for the expenditure and the Directorate Labour Relations will assist with the disciplinary processes.

6. Over and abovementioned preventative, detective, and corrective control measures, the SCM staff and the Finance management, in general, will attend the root cause identification training for empowering the entire SCM officials to identify any non-compliance to prevent potential irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure before they are realised in the departments underlying accounting records.

7. The department’s governance structures such as risk management and the internal audit units will also work closely with management to provide advisory services while internal audit will also provide assurance services.

Reply:

1. The Provincial Departments of Social Development continue to register new Child and Youth Care Centres (CYCCs) that meet the minimum norms and standard as per the relevant legislation. There is no policy

position that the department will not register or fund new Child and Youth Care Centres for 2021/2022 financial year.

The department funds CYCCs to provide residential care services to children in need of care and protection. Funding is dependent on the need and availability of budget during a particular financial year. Specific to the Gauteng Department of Social Development (GDSD), the said Provincial Department is reviewing its service delivery modalities in line with the Institutional Re-alignment Project. The said Project is informed by the approved Service Delivery Model and the Organizational Re-alignment which are aligned to the GDSD Organogram. The main aim of the GDSD Project is to build capacity of the state towards the delivery of services that are constitutional mandates. This re-alignment will take place from the 2023/2024 financial year, and, will be funded mainly from within the Department. The retrieval of services will not be considered for residential care facilities at this point due to limited capacity on the side of the Department. This includes CYCCs, Shelters for Homeless, Shelters for victims of GBV, Residential Facilities for Older Persons, Residential Facilities for Persons with Disabilities, In-patient Treatment Centres and Halfway Houses. Reference to capacity therefore relates to the Gauteng Department of Social Development and not to CYCCs.

2. Based on available funding allocated by the Treasuries, the Department will continue to fund CYCCs as well as process their registration as per the legislative prescripts

3. The Department has not explored the long-term goal to centralise funds into a central account to fund projects directly without making use of the services of Non-Profit Organisations. Specific to the Gauteng Province and in line with the Institutional Re-alignment Project (IRP), the Department will identify and retrieve services from the following organizations:

• Non-performing/dysfunctional NPOs (non-centre-based services, non-compliant NPOs or NPOs suspended from service)
• Certain statutory services (e.g., new foster care cases, adoption services, etc.)

The aim of this IRP is to ensure that funding is directed toward priority areas and programmes. This Project is a Gauteng provincial initiative and does not imply to other provinces.

Reply:

The Minister does not get involved in Eskom tariff decisions. This is a domain of an independent Regulator, NERSA, which is guided by a published and well consulted methodology, which is a condition of Eskom licence.

Reply:

The Honourable Member should note that Cabinet does not have any spending authority as an entity and its activities are funded under the vote of the Presidency, so it is incorrect to suggest that Cabinet as an entity has “blown” any public funds. Any spending to support a Cabinet Minister is done under the vote of the relevant department that a Cabinet Minister is responsible for, so any spending on official vehicles or fuel for any Cabinet Minister is done through their departmental vote, and not by Cabinet.

With regard to how spending on official vehicles is regulated by the National Treasury, it should be noted that Treasury issued an instruction no 6 of 2019-2020, revising the threshold for the procurement of official vehicles for members of the executive from R700 000 to R800 000.

The National Treasury also facilitates a transversal term contract (RT57) for the outright purchase of vehicles. Participation on the contract is voluntary as provided for by Treasury Regulation 16A6.5 and purchases of vehicles on the contract takes place at an organ of state level through the RT57 transversal term contract. Organs of state are compelled by the instruction issued to adhere to the limit that was set by the National Treasury when purchasing vehicles for the members of executive, regardless of whether a department chooses to use the transversal contract.

Adherence to the instruction is monitored on an annual basis through the audit process, and non-compliance leads to an audit finding that the relevant accounting office should account for with the Auditor-General and Parliament. Given that accounting officers have discretion on the procurement approach, there is no practical arrangement in place to monitor each transaction that participating organs of state undertake at the time when each transaction takes place.

Individual departments are responsible to make decisions on replacing the Executive Member vehicle on reaching the set mileage of 120000 kilometers or 5 years or when the vehicle experiencing mechanical problems as per the provisions of the Guide.

Any additional maintenance, such as tyres, fuel, oil, toll fees and repairs should be done through a transversal contract administered by the Department of Transport for this purpose. Therefore, the Department of Transport is best positioned to answer whether systems are in place to monitor in-year compliance to the limits set in the transversal contract relating to spending on fuel.

Reply:

The responsibility and process for receiving and reviewing requests and granting permission for new clinics to be developed is with provincial and district health management.

(a) In the case of a private health facility, applications for new facilities are made to the district management. District management then makes a recommendation to a provincial committee and the provincial committee will make a decision based on documentation received from the district. The provincial committee will make a recommendation to the accounting officer of the provincial health department to approve or not. The district recommendation will be based on the following:

(i) A detailed explanation of why the facility is required
(ii) Is an existing building considered or is a new building required
(iii) Size of population to be served
(iv) Proximity and utilisation rate of facilities in the same catchment area.
(v) Human Resource Plan
(vi) Stakeholder inputs

In the case of a public health facility, a decision will be made based on the size of the community to be served and the proximity and utilization rate at the nearest existing health facilities. If after considering the above factors, it is found that the community does need a new clinic, the construction of the clinic will be planned for in terms of the availability of land, and human and material resources.

(b) In the case of a private facility, it can take up to 90 days since provincial review meetings generally take place once a quarter. In the case of a public facility, the community will be involved in discussions through local community leaders and the district health council. Through these structures continual feedback is provided with regard to progress.

(c) In the case of a private facility communication will be in writing. In the case of a public facility, the community will be informed through community and district structures, whether the building of a clinic has been approved or not, and if approved for which year its planning has been entered into the provincial department’s infrastructure plan. Should community members engage Department’s in writing they should receive responses in writing as well.

Reply:

NW4823E

a) The National Department of Health is still consulting with Provincial Departments of Health to verify the figures in each province. This information will be furnished to the Honourable Member as soon as it is received from Provinces.

b) The table below illustrates the steps taken to address the backlog

Province	(b) What steps have been taken to address the specified backlog
Eastern Cape	Information not yet received
Free State	Increased number of days for Elective slates: from 2 days (2021) to 4 days (2022) theatre allocation. Prioritized emergency surgery within first 6 to 12 hours. Developed quality improvement plan to monitor theatre utilization and efficiency via Theatre User Committee Meeting. Expedite appointment and transfer of two Theatre trained nurses form KZN and other areas by 31 October 2022 Submission to temporarily use four agency nurses from 1 November 2022 Appoint one medical officers by 01 January 2023. All the backlog patients have elective dates for surgery. Emergencies done daily. Gynaecologist electives are reduced with seven (7) operations weekly. Obstetric electives or backlogs are reduced with ten (10) operations weekly. Electives will stop on 31 December 2022, and resume 2nd week of January 2023.
Gauteng	Procurement of Brachytherapy machines and rental of mobile units as an interim measure. Filling of critical posts at institutional level. Setting up surgical camps within clusters. Extending sessional work to private sector staff to assist to reduce surgical backlogs at public hospitals. Utilising the Public Private Partnerships to address the backlogs, depending on the budget. Working with Eskom to exempt most facilities from load shedding schedules. Working with Johannesburg water to exempt facilities from water shedding. Maximise the referral pathways and channel the patients to the appropriate level of care for surgical procedures by down referring and up referring patients. Working with Department of infrastructure to strengthen maintenance issues at facility level.

KwaZulu Natal	Catch-up has been done by increasing theatre times. Elective slates done over the weekend to catch up. Camps have also been planned. Using after-hours to reduce backlog. Elective theatre slates run after hours. Maximum utilization of theatres with added slates on weekends. An elective marathon is planned to further reduce the backlogs. Cataract camps are regularly conducted. All slates have re-commenced with increased theatre times and using after-hours to reduce backlogs.
Limpopo	The Outreach Surgical Services occur monthly rotating in the five districts to ensure that specialised clinical and surgical operations are conducted at district hospitals. Teams of specialists allocate each other for seven days a month to conduct these surgeries, thus address the backlog. Limpopo Department of Health has a Public Private Partnership with three private hospitals, wherein some of the elective surgery like hysterectomies, hip replacements, urology and general surgery cases are conducted for an agreed fee
Mpumalanga	Rob Ferreira Hospital: A sessional Orthopaedic Surgeon was appointed during the second quarter and operating days has been increased to four days in a week. Additionally, the orthopaedic team also operates in Barberton District Hospital four days in a week. Witbank Hospital: Expanded outreach to Ermelo, Evander, Middelburg and Kwa Mhlanga. Increased operating times for orthopaedics from office hours to after hours and weekends. Improved efficiencies in orthopaedics by streamlining its functions into responsible units. Theatre time during office hours, was increased. Ermelo Hospital: Appointed fulltime orthopaedic surgeon with effect from 01 October 2022. Mapulaneng Hospital: Appointed fulltime orthopaedic surgeon who conduct surgeries and does outreach to surrounding district hospitals.
	Themba Hospital: Increased theatre time by opening the 4th theatre.
Northern Cape	Information not yet received
North West	Currently Klerksdorp/Tshepong theatres are undergoing revitalisation and multiple theatres are being renovated. Most of the theatres are likely to be handed over back by the end of the year. However, all efforts are made to make theatres functioning efficiently to reduce backlog. Weekend blitz is planned next year once theatre renovations are completed. Outreach to Moses Kotane Hospital. First round started 13 October 2022. General Surgery recruited a Surgeon commencing on 01 October 2022 In Ophthalmology weekend blitz was started on 22nd October 2022 Urology specialist employed and planned outreach to start as soon as new ordered equipment is delivered In Gynaecology number of theatre days have been increased Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist was recruited starting on 01 November 2022 Daily optimization of operations thus increasing output during working hours. Doctors on call to perform minor procedures whilst on call. Every weekend, 2 doctors on call with an intern to continue with some cases from the backlog.

	First part of the recruitment of additional nursing staff required for maximum theatre utilization has been completed, and the process of other staff member is underway. Utilization of other facilities for referring minor cases such as cataracts. Planned weekend marathons have been started particularly in orthopaedic cases. Procurement of autoclave and sterilising machines underway.
Western Cape	Operations increased by dedicated budget increase and efficiency gains. Operations increased by outreach support and efficiency gains.

END.

Reply:

(1) None. The Department has not appointed any transaction advisors.

(2) No. The Department has not appointed any transaction advisors

Reply:

The implementation of the Sanitary Dignity Implementation Policy Framework (SDIP) and the Sanitary Dignity Programme is coordinated and monitored by the DWYPD. The equitable share budget allocation is given to various implementing provinces from National Treasury. At National level, the implementation of the programme is shared between Department of Basic Education (DBE) and Department of Social Development (DSD). National DSD implements the programme in four (4) provinces, which is Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Western Cape and Eastern Cape while DBE implements in five (5) provinces namely Free State, Kwa-Zulu Natal, Limpopo, Northern Cape and North West.

However, the province has strategically included the target for provision of sanitary towels in the Annual Performance Plan. Learners who are mostly vulnerable and those in quintile 1 and 2 schools in the townships and villages and farm schools are provided with dignitary packs on a quarterly basis.

The Department provides sanitary towels, on a small scale, to targeted learners from impoverished households and disadvantaged schools. Also, provision for sanitary towels is made as a form of intervention during disasters. The Department is targeting 10 000 beneficiaries to receive dignity packs in this financial year. In 2016, the

Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities scaled up the provision of sanitary towels to benefit the majority of girl-children in quintile one and quintile two schools. During this period, it was decided that the NW Department of Education is strategically positioned to roll - out the large scale provisioning of sanitary towels to beneficiaries in North West Province.

The Department of Basic Education may be in a better position to provide specifics in terms of the number of sanitary towels provided and cost implications.

Reply:

(a)(b)(i),(ii) The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) is not in a position to indicate the extent of communal land currently not surveyed in the Republic and in each nine provinces. However, DALRRD will investigate the extent of properties falling under communal land that are still to be surveyed in the Republic and the report will be provided.

Reply:

The Department is not implementing the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill in a rushed manner. The Department is following the provisions outlined in the approved 2017 NHI White Paper that provides for the NHI to be implemented in a phased manner. Section 309 of the White Paper provides for Health Systems Strengthening initiatives to continue being undertaken concurrently as the finalisation of the legislative process and the establishment of institutional arrangements for the NHI Fund are undertaken.

Furthermore, Clause 57 in the NHI Bill makes provision in the Transitional Arrangements where-in Clause 57 (1)(a) states that despite anything to the contrary the NHI must be implemented over two phases. Clause 57 (1)(b) states that National Health Insurance must be gradually phased in using a progressive and programmatic approach based on financial resource availability. Clause 57 (2) further provides health system’s strengthening initiatives such as addressing of infrastructure challenges to be undertaken during the transitional period.

It is indisputable that public hospitals do need infrastructure maintenance and investment. The Department quantified the anticipated cost at close to R200bn, which is clearly not going to be available in the short to medium term. There are nonetheless projects that are being attended to within the limits of available budget.

END.

Reply:

(1) Since 2006, there has been 4 lead poisoning cases that were notified to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) nationally. Two (2) cases were reported in 2017, one from Free State Province and the other one from Mpumalanga province. The other two (2) cases were reported in 2022, one from Eastern Cape province and the second one from Western Cape province.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), clinical diagnosis of lead poisoning is difficult, as a result, it can be misdiagnosed. The reason being most lead poisoned individuals are often asymptomatic and even when signs and symptoms are present, they are difficult to differentiate and relatively non-specific poisoning symptoms such as anorexia, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, constipation, poor concentration, headache, fatigue, language and speech delay, behavioral problems, etc. Lack of clear history of exposure, also contributes to difficulty in making a clinical diagnosis. Laboratory investigation which can only happen based on the clinician/medical practitioner`s perception of the need for it, is the only reliable way to diagnose leadexposed individuals (WHO. 2011.Brief Guide to Analytical Methods for Measuring Lead in Blood; WHO.2010. Childhood Lead Poisoning).

(2) (a) Education and training on lead poisoning is part of doctors and nurses undergraduate education and training and there are continual in service initiatives that are ongoing to raise awareness and improve the knowledge on lead poisoning and other related matters.

(b) The fact that nurses and doctors receive under-graduate training plus the continuous awareness programmes that are currently underway, means that all health facilities should be able to act (get patients tested/refer for tests) on suspicion. Tests from health facilities are done at the National Health laboratory Services.

(3) (a) The 0.009% lead content limit in paint is not yet in force. The relevant government Gazette Notice where this 0.009% lead content limit was legislated was published for public comments and comments are in the process of being incorporated. Therefore, the current lead in paint declaration as a hazardous substance law, Gazette Notice No. 801 of July 2009, is still applicable until repealed by the new law. The lead paint law is monitored by Environmental Health Practitioners (EHPs) at national, provincial and at municipal level. Chemical safety and hazardous substances control functions fall within the work scope of EHPs in terms of the Scope of Profession for Environmental Health, R888 of 26 June 1991. Monitoring is done through inspections, sampling, seizure and detaining paint products and subjecting suspected or randomly selected sampled paint product to laboratory analysis and taking any further necessary legal action.

(b) The consequences of contravening the Hazardous Substances Act, Act 15 of 1973; range from a fine to imprisonment for a period between 6 months and 10 years depending on the offence or to both a fine and such imprisonment.

(4) The Department does not remove lead from buildings. According to WHO, as long as the paint on painted wall surfaces remains intact, the lead content is not a hazard unless it deteriorates or ages showing peeling, chipping, chalking or cracking as it releases lead into dust (WHO. 2020. Global elimination of lead paint: Policy brief). It is the responsibility of each building owner to ensure that its building paint is in intact condition.

(5) (a) The South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) started its education campaign on lead in 2004.

(b) The campaign has developed a number of lead hazards awareness raising materials, including training toolkit in collaboration with the Department of Health. The leaflets embraced various lead exposure sources and pathways such as paint, painted surfaces, toys, cookware, lead bullet ammunition, and melting fishing sinkers. It has also shared information on lead exposure, research findings and recommended intervention measures for government and communities in various government events and academic platforms through presentations, exhibitions, and lectures, targeting various health and education professionals and students.

END.

Reply:

Mental health facilities are being renovated as part of the Health Facilities Revitalisation Grant (HFRG) projects. Provinces also make renovations to health facilities including mental health facilities utilising their equitable share. Furthermore, mental health units are being built in general hospitals in compliance with the Mental Health Care Act, 2002 (Act No 17 of 2002) which prescribes integration of mental health into the general health services environment. Attaching mental health units to general hospitals is also relieving pressure on specialised psychiatric hospitals as these units provide mental health care, treatment and rehabilitation services and only refer to specialised psychiatric hospitals, those persons who require specialised and complex mental health interventions. The table below shows mental health infrastructure projects that are currently underway and funded through the HFRG.
 

Province	Facility	Project	Stage
Gauteng	Weskopies Specialised Psychiatric Hospital	Forensic mental observation unit	Tender stage
	Sebokeng Hospital	Attaching a new mental health unit	Design stage
Limpopo	Hayani Specialised Psychiatric Hospital	Forensic mental observation unit	Tender stage
	Evuxakeni Specialised Psychiatric Hospital	Hospital revitalisation	Clinical brief stage
	Thaba Moopo Specialised Psychiatric Hospital	Forensic mental observation unit	Design stage
Mpumalanga	KwaMhlanga Hospital	Attaching a new mental health unit	Tender stage
	Witbank Hospital	Revitalisation of the mental health unit	Design stage
	New facility	Building a new mental health hospital	Clinical brief stage
KwaZuluNatal	Benedictine Hospital	Attaching a new mental health unit	Design stage
	Bethesda Hospital	Attaching a new mental health unit	Design stage
	Estcourt Hospital	Attaching a new mental health unit	Design stage
	Ladysmith Hospital	Attaching a new mental health unit	Design stage
	Murchison Hospital	Attaching a new mental health unit	Design stage
	Northdale Hospital	Attaching a new mental health unit	Design stage
	Port Shepstone Hospital	Attaching a new mental health unit	Tender stage
	Prince Mshiyeni Hospital	Attaching a new mental health unit	Design stage
	RK Khan Hospital	Attaching a new mental health unit	Design stage
	Stanger Hospital	Attaching a new mental health unit	Tender stage
	Umphumulo Hospital	Attaching a new mental health unit	Design stage
	Umzimkhulu Hospital	Forensic mental observation unit	Design stage
North West	Bophelong Specialised Psychiatric Hospital	Building the general psychiatry section	Tender stage
	General De La Ray Hospital	Attaching a new mental health unit	Design stage
	Itsoseng Hospital	Attaching a new mental health unit	Design stage
Western Cape	Swartland Hospital	Attaching a new mental health unit	Design stage
	Belhar Hospital	Attaching a new mental health unit	Design stage

END.

Reply:

The COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress for the period of October 2022 was assessed and paid during the month of October. SASSA is not aware of any challenge experienced by beneficiaries relating to non payment for the month in question. However, there may, be challenges with individual accounts that SASSA is not aware of. Individuals who need further clarity on their payment status for a particular month or this month in question (October 2022) can review such on the application portal or by contacting the call centre on 0800 60 10 11 or [email protected]

Reply:

South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) and the whole Department of social Development (DSD) portfolio has adopted Zero Tolerance stance on fraud and corruption.

1. Taking into account that payments of social grants is largely technology driven, various Information Communication and Technology (ICT) capabilities have been developed to prevent fraud during payment of social grants. These include interfaces with other government departments which host citizens’ databases. This will strengthen SASSA’s ability to validate information on income for applicants, and also to regularly monitor changes in beneficiary circumstances, which may not always be timeously reported by beneficiaries.

SASSA has existing interfaces with Department of Home Affairs to confirm identity and life status, as well as, Persal and Government Employee Pension Fund (GEPF) interfaces confirming employment in the public sector, and or a pension from government.

SASSA has also implemented interfaces to perform bank account verification to ensure that the account details correspond with that of the applicant.

Other interfaces which are being added in the current financial year, including Department of Correctional Services database (to validate whether the applicant is in a Correctional Services facility) and the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF). This is to determine whether the client is currently contributing to UIF, as this could affect the amount of the grant to which he/she is entitled. Additional interfaces will be added as they are identified and negotiated with other organisations. These interfaces already exist with the COVID SRD and will be incorporated into the existing grants as well.

These capabilities should strengthen the ability of SASSA to validate the information provided on application of a grant, and can also be used to inform the need to review existing social grants in the future.

2. SASSA’s fraud corrective mechanism is mainly on prevention capability as indicated above, however, loss recovery, disciplinary action and criminal referrals are additional mechanisms

a) When SASSA finds any person to have unduly benefitted, criminal referrals and loss recovery processes are undertaken.

b) As a mechanism of resolving cases wherein an official is suspected to have assisted such unduly beneficiary, (i) criminal referral, (ii) loss recovery as well as (iii) disciplinary actions are undertaken.

Reply:

Social Development provides support in the rehabilitation phase of treatment for children referred to the Department after discharge from inpatient care as well as those referred from outpatient treatment to access various social security interventions to promote recovery. However, we support the preventative interventions to reduce malnutrition cases.

Some of the preventive interventions implemented by the Department of Social Development in collaboration with the Department of Health include: improving access to high-quality foods through food relief distribution and access to health care; improving nutrition and health knowledge through training and capacity building of practitioners and centres personnel; effectively promoting exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a child’s life where appropriate; promoting improved complementary feeding practices for all children aged 6–24 months — with a focus on ensuring access to age-appropriate complementary foods (where possible using locally available foods); and improving hygiene practices to protect children against communicable diseases.

Among the other key factors that contributes to deaths in children admitted in health facilities with severe acute malnutrition includes: delay in seeking care and children who present with other complications namely diarrhoea and pneumonia.

Furthermore, kindly provide us with more information regarding the assessment conducted as referred to in the question for referral to our Health counterparts to profile the affected families so that we can provide comprehensive response to the affected area.

Reply:

Yes, the department does have an oversight mechanism for all healthcare clinics in the country irrespective of the area of location. The district health system of the country has been set up to take supervision of health facilities closer to where they are, and to ensure a fair and realistic management workload. The provinces have gone a step further in ensuring responsive supervision and support to all clinics and community health centers including rural clinics by dividing the 52 health districts into subdistricts. In addition, the clinics committees comprising members from the communities play a vital oversight role for service delivery in each primary health care facility.

END.

Reply:

The department has no evidence that adolescents are more likely to stop TB treatment compared to youth and adults. Given that this speculation is not backed by any scientific evidence, the department does not have specific programmes that are focused at preventing TB treatment interruption among adolescents, instead, the National TB Programme, through TB recovery plan, is aimed at essentially finding people with TB, linking them to care and retaining them in care until they finish their treatment, irrespective of age.

(1) Considering data at our disposal, there is no justification for such a programme, as we have a comprehensive programme.

(2) There are no research findings to share with Ms. H Ismail, because no research has been conducted by the National Department of health regarding prevention of treatment interruption among adolescents. END.

Reply:

The South African Post Office did not have an Annual General Meeting in June 2022.


Authorised for submission by _______________

MS. NONKQUBELA JORDAN-DYANI
DIRECTOR-GENERAL (ACTING)
DATE:

Recommended/not recommended

_______________________________

HON. PHILLY MAPULANE, MP DEPUTY MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES
DATE:

Approved/ not approved
___________________________________

HON. KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI, MP
MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES
DATE:

Reply:

(a) The Department of Tourism has put transformation at the centre of its programmes since the promulgation of the Tourism B-BBEE Sector Code in 2015. The first Tourism Transformation Council of South Africa was formally known as the Tourism B-BBEE Charter Council, was appointed in 2012. The Council is appointed with representatives from civil society, tourism businesses and labour. In 2019/20 the name was formally changed to the Tourism Transformation Council of South Africa. A call for the nomination of new members to be appointed to the Tourism Transformation Council of South Africa (TTCSA) was issued publicly in the national newspapers on the weekend of 30 October 2022, including on 02 November 2022. The closing date for nominations was 30 November 2022.

(b) The lifespan of the TTCSA is 3 years.

(c) In accordance with the Amended Guidelines for Developing and Gazetting Sector Codes, issued under Section 9 of the B-BBEE Amendment Act, the Minister has the responsibility to appoint members of the Sector Charter Council to monitor transformation in the sector. According to Section 6 of the Act, members of the Council must represent different relevant constituencies including businesses (large and small), trade unions, community-based organisations, youth, academics and others. Criteria for nominees is published in the call for nominations. The Council should consist of not fewer than 10 and no more than 15 members.

(d) The TTCSA is mandated to:

• Provide guidance on sector-specific matters affecting B-BBEE in entities within the sector.
• Compile reports on the status of B-BBEE within the sector.
• Share information with sector members, approved accreditation agencies, B-BBEE Commission, B-BBEE Presidential Advisory Council, the Line Minister and the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition.
• Monitor the implementation of the Amended Tourism B-BBEE Sector Code.

(e)(i). The TTCSA is appointed to encourage and support transformation in the Tourism sector in order to ensure inclusive growth. The Council monitors the implementation of the objectives of the Amended Tourism B-BBEE Sector Code. The Council also advises the Minister on transformation matters in both the public and private sectors.

(e)((ii). The TTCSA measures the state of transformation in the tourism sector by:

a) Conducting annual studies on the state of implementation of the Amended Tourism B-BBEE Sector Code in the five applicable elements including: Ownership; Management Control; Skills Development; Enterprise and Supplier Development and Socio-Economic Development.

b) Quarterly Reports submitted to the Minister on the business of the Council.

c) Hosting Transformation Dialogues and Roundtables.

d) Submission of adhoc reports as requested by the Minister

 

Reply:

(a)-(c)Tourism is a concurrent function. Bourkes Luck Potholes is site owned and managed by the Mpumalanga Provincial Government. The Department will, however, engage with the Provincial Department and offer support. The Honourable Member is requested to refer this question to the relevant authority.