Questions and Replies

Reply:

a) The current backlog across all visa categories is 56543.

b The average response time varies for different visa categories; there are different turnaround times for applications listed in the departments APP and those that are not listed in the APP.

• The turnaround time for applications for critical skills visas is 4 weeks, as indicated in the APP. Currently the average response time is 4 to 10 weeks.
• The turnaround time for business and general work visas is 8 weeks, as indicated in the APP. Currently the average response time is 8 to 14 weeks.

c) The department envisages to have cleared the current backlog by June 2024 for all categories of visas.

END

Reply:

(a)&(b)(i) The Department has not yet decided on the total number and the names of countries that will qualify for eVisas in the next three months. The Department has rolled out the eVisa system to the following 14 countries: - China, India, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Uganda, Mexico, Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Cameroon and Saudi Arabia.

(b)(ii) There are 135 country nationals that do not require a port of entry visa to South Africa. The names of the countries are listed on the attached annexure.

END

Reply:

a) The following are measures put in place to ensure safety of communities when offender is on parole:

• Monitoring and supervision of probationers, parolees and awaiting trial persons under the system of Community Corrections is a human capital-intensive activity.

• All offenders placed under the system of community corrections are subjected to the Admission Risk Reclassification tool to determine the level of supervision unless stated otherwise by Court/ Correctional Supervision and Parole Board (CSPB).

• Risk profile assessment conducted to determine the risks, assessed when the static and dynamic factors have changed that necessitate re-assessment. When the offender committed a serious offence, the tool identifies a whole range of static and dynamic factors for which a score is allocated individually and the score determine some factors that might requires intervention and referrals. Final score within a pre-determined range will then result in the probationer or parolee being classified as a high, medium or low risk.

• The day to day monitoring is enhanced through allocation of resources for physical monitoring, office consultation, telephone monitoring where applicable, community service and programme attendance, (2021/2022 sufficient vehicles 518) were allocated and distributed to all community corrections offices within the regions to ensure successful monitoring in all areas).

• The monitoring category for every offender under the system of Community Corrections is determined by the predicted risk of offenders from High (minimum 8 contacts), Medium (minimum 4 contacts) and Low Risk (minimum 2 contacts).

• Review by Supervision Committee: parolees attend sitting either every six months/ frequently depending on their length of their sentence to review their status, behaviour, reclassify or referred for intervention.

• When the offender violates any set condition, s/he is summoned to the office to provide reasons for non-compliance (the non-compliance is investigated).If reasons are of serious nature and not acceptable a verbal or written warning, referrals for Social work intervention /programmes are made.

• Partnership with relevant stakeholders and the establishment of 219 offices (rented and in state owned facilities, 57 satellite offices and Service Points for easy access of services contribute positively to the compliance with conditions, ensure visibility and strengthen the system of monitoring.

In ensuring successful reintegration and compliance to set conditions of parole and correctional supervision the following measures are emphasised:

• Integrated approach at District level and national department - Continuous consultations with traditional leaders, counsellors and relevant department to ensure that they assist the department during reintegration process to accelerate and augment monitoring through special monitoring were various stakeholders are invited during this exercise.
• Community engagement and awareness through Imbizo’s to orientate the community about the conditions of community corrections, encourage them to support the offenders during their releases, acceptance within their community.

It should be emphasised that irrespective of strict measures by the department to monitor the offenders and ensure compliance of conditions, some of the offender’s relapse into criminal behaviours due to change of circumstances after been released, rejection and stigma by their family and the community, lack of support system, unemployment and other social ills. Reintegration of offenders is a societal responsibility and the department cannot deal with the huge challenges without the involvement of other stake holders including other government department.

END.

Reply:

The National Treasury has not recovered any funds from any person accused of defrauding the State since the beginning of this financial year commencing 1 April 2022, nor the previous financial year.

In terms of the Government Employees Pension Law, 1996, Government is able to recover or deduct from the pension benefit of an employee any amount of loss which has been sustained by the employer through theft, fraud or any misconduct on the part of the member, pensioner or beneficiary and which has been admitted by such person in writing or has been proved in a court of law.

I have been informed by the Government Pension Administration Agency (GPAA) that neither they nor the GEPF have been furnished with any court order since the beginning of the current financial year commencing 1 April 2022 requiring them to recover or deduct funds from the pension benefit of any person accused of defrauding the State.

Reply:

1. With regards to the entry of non-citizens into the Republic at ports of entry, both categories of travellers (visa exempt and visa required) are provided with a specified period of stay when they comply with admission requirements as stated in the Immigration Act.

The preventative measures include applying a risk based approach with visa adjudication if the person is from a visa required country. At the port of entry, the immigration officer will conduct an examination and if required, a secondary immigration inspection will be conducted before endorsing the passport and recording the movement on the system.

Additional measures to ensure non-citizens do not exceed the period of their visa entry includes compliance inspections and immigration stop and search operations that can detect such persons.

(2)(a) It would be difficult to track and/or monitor every person that enters the Republic. It is the responsibility of the traveller to respect and adhere to the laws of the country.

In terms of the Immigration Act, a person must comply with the permitted period of stay and depart on or before the expiry date of their visa, failing which he/she will be declared undesirable upon departure or become an illegal foreigner liable for deportation.

This is also tracked and monitored through immigration inspections and immigration led operations as well as by monitoring the departmental systems.

(2)(b) The total number of non-citizens that overstayed:

Year Visa Exempted Visa Required Grand Total

2022 19 589 1 085 20 674

END

Reply:

(a)(i) For the year 2022 the Department received 1 application through the Desmond Tutu Refugee Reception Centre.

(a)(ii) Approved - 0

(a)(iii) Rejected - 0

(b) The 1 application is still in process as the applicant must attend a second interview with the Refugee Status Determination Officer(RSDO)

END

Reply:

Reply to this parliamentary question has been logged with the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence (JSCI) in Parliament.

Reply:

(a) 135 509 refers to the number of bursaries awarded between 2013 and 2021, not the number of recipients, as the number of recipients was 43 014.  Bachelors of Education degree (B Ed) is a four-year degree; and therefore, one person will receive a minimum of four bursaries in the four years of study at universities - meaning that 43 014 recipients received +/- 135 509 bursaries in their four years of study.   The indicator on Funza Lushaka is a cumulative target / indicator, and it is expected that the Department of Basic Education reports on the number of bursaries awarded each year, i.e., the "Number of Funza Lushaka bursaries awarded to students enrolled for Initial Teacher Education per year”

(i) changed streams and/or (ii) dropped out and (b) is the reason for the discrepancy of students that registered versus the 33 113 who graduated and/or were placed?

Reply:   

(i) (ii)

The DBE does not have the details of the students who changed streams; as well as those who dropped-out.  such information may be requested from universities via Department of Higher Education and Training.

(b)

There are no discrepancies, the difference is between 43 014 and 33 113.  33 113 reflects returning bursars (students), i.e., bursars that are currently studying at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).

Reply:

1. Yes

2. Yes.

The DBE's TeacherConnect Application service is operational since April 2020. It provides information and resources to teachers and the public via the WhatsApp number 060 060 3333. 

Services offered include single-sign access to a zero-rated learning environment with SACE-accredited teacher training and other DBE-related resources.

Resources and services are currently teacher and school-management focused, though learners, parents and other members of the public may register and access appropriate resources and services. 

The TeacherConnectchat is also being used to provide orientation and support resources to youth who are appointed as school assistants and the schools that they are placed into through the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative (PYEI).

TeacherConnectChat users may also opt-in for relevant communication based on their needs and interests. Cohort-targeted surveys (by subject or role etc.) have a high response rate and have provided valuable supplemental information for the DBE on teacher experiences and needs. 

All data are treated according to POPIA-compliant best practices, with the user having complete control of what communication they opt in for. Clear and straightforward instructions to opt out are given in every communication. 

3. a) The application does not receive any voted funding. Currently it is funded through Donor funding. The total set-up and running costs for the WhatsApp bot, from April 2020 to date is R4,263,244.46.

        3. b) The number of:

           (i) schools- 11,254 (on TeacherConnectlearn)

          (ii) teachers- 17,300 (registered users)

          (iii) learners- 13,333 (registered users)

Reply:

(a)(i)(ii)The Department of Basic Education in collaboration with the Departments of Health as well as Social Development are implementing the Integrated School Health Programme (ISHP). The Health Services Package for the ISHP includes health screening (such as screening for vision, hearing, oral health and general health), onsite services (such as deworming and immunization), and health education for each of the four school phases.  According to the data received from the Department of Health that is extracted from the District Health Information System, the learners reached through health screening in 2021 were 74 529, and those learners referred for eye care were 296 nationally. in 2022, the number of learners reached through health screening was  257 407, those referred for eye care were 22 462. Referrals are done to different health care facilities for further examination and care. 

b) Annually, learners are provided with consent forms for parents to sign, in order for learners to be able to receive health services. The consent form is often accompanied with the information that is giving parents details on the health services that learners will receive in that particular year.  

Reply:

1. (a); (b) (i) (ii); (ii)

Province	Number of Schools with Generators
Eastern Cape	255
Free State	18
Gauteng	39
KwaZulu-Natal	192
Limpopo	33
Mpumalanga	38
Northern Cape	10
North West	42
Western Cape	6
National	633
These  schools can have other forms of Electricity supply Information on interrupted power supply not available

2. (a) (b) (c) 

See table attached

Reply:

(1)(2)(a)

Table 1 below shows that majority of schools (5 875) are English single medium schools followed by Afrikaans (1 004) single medium schools. With regards to schools that uses African Languages as single medium, majority of schools are IsiXhosa Single Medium. 

(b) Dual Medium schools are schools that uses two languages of instruction by a teacher in a lesson, switching from one language of instruction to another during a lesson. The Department does not collect information on Dual Medium Schools.

(c)

Table 2 below shows that the majority of parallel-medium schools are found in KwaZulu-Natal  (3 807) teaching in IsiZulu and English follwed by the Eastern Cape (3 614) teaching in IsiXhosa and English.

Reply:

No credit cards have been issued to either the Minister or Deputy Minister.

Reply:

The Xikukwane village receives water from Giyani Water Treatment Works (WTW) through pipeline F1. The design capacity of the Giyani WTW is 30Ml/d.

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has two (2) projects funded under Regional Bulk Infratructure Grant (RBIG), which are currently under construction in the Greater Giyani Local Municipaty (LM), and the Xikukwane village is one of the beneficiaries. The projects are implemented to address bulk water challenges in the Greater Giyani LM. Lepelle Northern Water was appointed as the Implementing Agent for both projecs which are comprised of the Nandon-Nsami pipeline project; and the Giyani Water Services project.

The background and progress of the projects is indicated below:

The need for the transfer of water from the Nandoni Dam to Giyani arose because of the critical shortage of water in Giyani due to low water levels in the Middle Letaba and Nsami Dams cause by recurring drought.

The department’s intervention is meant to accelerate water services provision in the distressed area of Mopani DM by conveying bulk water from Nandoni Dam to Nsami Water Treatment Works.

Overall progress at end of (November?) 2022 is estimated to be 62,78% with a projected completion date of 22 June 2023.

The Giyani Water Services projects are intended to accelerate water services provision to 55 villages in Giyani and include:

• Overall refurbishment and upgrade of Giyani WTW.
• The Giyani reticulation and household connection project. The envisaged completion date is October 2023

The two projects will be implemented by the Mopani DM once procurement processes are completed.

 

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Reply:

The Department of Public Service and Administration has developed a detailed Strike Management Plan, outlining the procedural requirements for a protected picket and strike. Picketing Rules have been concluded with organised labour. Measures to mitigate the impact of the strike have been put in place such as the establishment of the Strike Management Committees from National level and across all the departments. The Provincial Departments will be co-ordinated from the Offices of the Premiers. Reports pertaining to the strike will be collated on a daily basis and sent to the co-ordinating structure and then to the DPSA.

End

Reply:

1. The following table shows the breakdown of (a) positions and (b) salary levels of the 281 public servants who were identified as serving as councillors of municipal councils:

a) Position	b) Salary levels	Total #
Cleaner	02	4
General Assistant School	02	1
Child and Youth Care Worker Grade1	03	1
NA1 Nursing Assistant Grade 1	03	1
General Assistant	03	1
Road worker	03	2
Security guard Grade II	03	1
Security officer	03	6
Sports coordinator	03	2
Court interpreter	Not pacified	1
Intern	Not specified	1
ECD Practitioner - Public School	Not specified	1
Driver/Messenger: Circuit Management	04	1
Foreman: Ground services	04	1
NA2 Nursing Assistant Grade 2	04	1
Nutrition Advisor	04	1
Teacher	04	1
Clerk	05	1
Emergency Care Officer Grade 2	05	1
Forensic Pathology Officer Grade 1	05	1
Accounting clerk	05	1
Administration clerk	05	5
CB1Security Officer Grade 3	05	1
General Administration Clerk	05	1
Personnel Officer Grade 1 Senior	05	1
Provisioning Administration Clerk Senior	05	1
Senior Administration Clerk Grade II	05	7
Senior Personnel Officer Grade II	05	1
SN1 Staff Nurse Grade	05	2
CB 1 Security Officer Grade 1	06	1
Community Development Worker	06	1
Emergency Care Officer Grade 4	06	3
Lecturer	06	2
Malaria Surveillance Supervisor	06	1
Provisioning Administration Clerk Grade III Senior	06	1
Security Officer II Senior	06	1
Senior Administration Clerk	06	1
Teacher	06	8
CB1 3 Security Officer	07	1
Chief Admin Clerk Grade 1	07	1
Cultural Officer	07	1
Labour Relations Officer	07	1
Lecturer	07	2
Logistic Support Officer	07	1
PNA2 Professional Nurse Grade 1	07	4
Secretary Chief: MEC Support	07v	1
Supply Chain Management Practitioner	07	1
Social Worker Grade 1	07	2
Teacher	07	42
Asset Officer	08	1
CD A6 Community Development Practitioner Grade 3	08	1
Departmental Head	08	17
Employment Services Practitioner 2	08	1
Local Co-ordinator	08	1
Personnel Officer: Chief	08	1
Principal Road Safety Officer	08	1
Project Officer IASP Environment Management	08	1
Provincial Inspector Senior	08	1
Registration Clerk	08	1
Teacher	08	18
CB1 3 Security Officer Grade 1	08	2
Departmental Head	09	4
Deputy Principal	09	7
Director: Administration Assistant	09	1
Director: Assistant Gender (Siyanda)	09	1
Education Specialist Senior (FETI)	09	1
Principal P2	09	23
SW A8 Social Work Supervisor Grade	09	1
Teacher	09	4
Education Specialist (Office Based)	10	1
Education Specialist Deputy Chief (Office Based)	10	2
Education Specialist Senior (Office Based)	10	1
PNB3 Operational Manager Nursing (Speciality Unit)	10	1
Principal 2	10	11
Principal 3	10	17
Teacher Master	10	1
Deputy Director: HEST & HPM	11	1
Deputy Director: Parliamentary	11	1
Director: Administration Deputy	11	1
Portfolio Co-ordinator	11	1
Principal P3	11	3
Principal P4	11	4
Dentist Grade 3	12	1
Deputy Director	12	1
Deputy Director: Administration	12	1
Manager Information Services	12	1
Principal P4	12	2
Director: Logistics and Asset Management	13	1
Part-Time Teacher	Not specified	15
TOTAL		281

(2) (a)The Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) has written letters to departments with public servants employed as municipal councillors (b) in September 2022. These departments were requested to provide information by 14 October 2022 to the DPSA, through a standard reporting template, indicating the public servants in their employ who serve as municipal councillors.

(3) The DPSA has not established the number of identified public servants elected as full-time councillors who resigned from the Public Service with effect from the date immediately before assuming the position of municipal councillor. The reporting template that was shared with the affected departments did not include a request for this information.

(4) Only three departments with employees elected as municipal councillors provided information to the DPSA by the due date of 14 October 2022. The Department of Correctional Services and Gauteng Department of Human Settlements provided a nil report and the Kwa-Zulu Natal Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs disclosed that two employees requested permission before assuming the position of part-time municipal councillor. One of the employees passed on.

The DPSA is monitoring all the implicated departments. The Department of Correctional Services and Gauteng Department of Human Settlements were given name lists to verify their nil reports and name lists were also shared with the following departments: Free State Department of Education, and KwaZulu-Natal Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.

The DPSA will make follow-ups with all the affected departments which have not yet provided information to the DPSA by the due date of 14 December 2022.

(5) (a) The DPSA cannot take disciplinary steps against the employees of other departments, but its own. Discipline management is a decentralised process and accordingly, each department has the responsibility to discipline its own employees. However, all relevant information was shared with the Accounting Officers of the identified employees, so that the departments can institute disciplinary action against their employees and report progress to the DPSA. The DPSA will monitor the situation and report on progress.

(b) The DPSA cannot take steps to recover the remuneration received by public servants from other departments who failed to comply with applicable legal prescripts. Disciplinary processes are invoked in terms of the provisions of the Disciplinary Code, Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council Resolution 1 of 2003. This Code does not provide for a sanction such as the recovery of monies or for punitive fines. The recovery of money can therefore only be done when departments are using permitting prescripts outside the Discipline Management process, such as to litigate.

End

Reply:

1. As of the end of September 2022, the number of SMS members whose requisite qualifications are not reflected in the PERSAL has gone down to 2188 from 2349 in May 2022. This is due to the fact that most departments are now updating this data onto the PERSAL since the Director-General issued a Circular HRD0301 in this regard. The fact that it is not yet mandatory to reflect the qualifications in the PERSAL when SMS members are appointed, could be one of the reasons why the numbers may seems high in certain departments, although that may not be the case.

2. The issue of poor service delivery in the public service is multidimensional and systemic and therefore, cannot be attributed to the less than 25% of the SMS members without the required qualifications within a staff complement of 1,3 million public servants. Most of them have acquired lots of workplace experience and knowledge that is contributing to service delivery improvement. There are continuous development initiatives that are mandated for senior managers to remain relevant in their scope of practice, thereby improving service delivery.

3. The Public Service Commission (PSC) is currently investigating this issue and has written to the Acting Minister for the Public Service and Administration, requesting some additional information on the subject matter and the department have responded accordingly. The PSC findings will therefore provide a clearer picture in this regard.

End

Reply:

a)  Many of the provinces across the country have been impacted by a combination of factors including:

• Additional demand and water use owing to population growth and extension of services to previously unserved rural communities
• Prolonged droughts in certain parts of the country
• Shortage of bulk water (owing to droughts, delayed planning for and delivery of bulk water infrastructure such as dams and associated infrastructure)
• Challenges with municipal water service delivery
• Poor maintenance of municipal infrastructure that results in frequent pipe bursts and unreliable supply of water

To prevent more widespread water interruptions across the country, municipalities have resorted to water restrictions or even scheduled water interruptions to ensure that communities are able to access some water for a few hours.

b) The main challenges impacting reliability of water supply are due to:

• Demand outstripping supply due to extensive growth of urban settlements
• Extension of services to previously unserviced rural settlements
• Poor maintenance of ageing infrastructure - at a municipal level - that has also reached the end of its lifespan
• Non-revenue water is currently at 45.1% (31,9 % refers to losses through physical leakages)
• The management of water treatment plants adds to the crisis as half of our treatment plants are operating below average standards and fully a third are critical based on the Blue Drop reports
• Ongoing load shedding by ESKOM during the last year has also intensified the situation by impeding the ability of Water Boards and municipalities to pump water into reservoirs. This resulted in water levels in the reservoirs being too low to gravity-feed water to high-lying areas across the country.

To address the challenges outlined above, the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) is in the process of:

• Planning and implementing a range of major projects to augment national bulk water resource infrastructure and
• Establishing the National Water Resource Infrastructure Agency (NWRIA) to finance and implement the large-scale investments in national water resource infrastructure that are required to ensure that South Africa has sufficient bulk water supply now and in future.
• Strengthening its role in supporting and intervening in municipalities where water and sanitation services are failing, in conjunction with provinces, COGTA, National Treasury and SALGA.
• The DWS has also developed the Water Services Improvement Programme (WSIP) to strengthen its support and intervention at municipal level based on actual data or most available data. The aim of the programme is for the Department to ensure that support and intervention at municipal level is proactive, consistent, and systematic.
• In line with the WSIP, the Department has further established the Water Partnership Office (WPO) within the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA). The WPO has developed five standardized National Programmes for private sector participation in municipal water and sanitation services, to make it easier, quicker, and cheaper for municipalities to enter into partnerships, without having to ‘reinvent the wheel’ for each partnership. One of the five National Programmes within the WPO is Non- Revenue Water (NRW) programme aimed at implementing the Water Conservation and Water Demand Management and cost recovery programme focusing on reducing losses, reducing over consumption, and improving cost recovery

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Reply:

(1) Information pertaining to the 305 public servants who are currently on suspension in the Public Service:
Find here: (i) National Departments:

Reply:

According to Information Received from Eskom:

a) A conviction was obtained for coal procurement fraud against Meagra Transport CC and an Eskom employee, for coal procurement transactions. The company was contracted to transport coal for Eskom and generated fake invoices for which they were paid for coal that was never delivered. The conviction followed a fraud case where Eskom suffered a loss of approximately R35 000 000.00.

There are currently seven (7) transport companies that are under investigation by the Hawks for coal procurement fraud and theft against Eskom.

b) There are several matters pending before the South African Police Services (Hawks), Special Investigating Unit (SIU), National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) involving coal transport contractors and coal supply agreements. Civil and criminal litigation are being pursued against the various offenders.

The former Director of Meagra Transport, Victor Tshabalala and the former Eskom employee were found guilty in the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crimes Court (Case no. SCCC232/2019) for fraud against Eskom and sentenced on 29 March 2022, to an effective twenty (20) years imprisonment respectively. Meagra Transport (Pty) Ltd was also subjected to an internal supplier review process (disciplinary) and the outcome led to the supplier being deregistered and restricted from doing business with Eskom and other state entities for a period of five (5) years, with effect from 1 September 2020. A preservation and forfeiture of property order was also granted by the Gauteng High Court on 9 November 2021 against the properties owned by both Victor Tshabalala, as well as the former Eskom employee, Bernard Moraka.

Eskom has recently contracted the services of a dedicated specialised investigative capability to focus on coal procurement fraud and theft investigations. In the recent months several criminal cases for coal theft and fraud have been opened by Eskom and are with the South African Police Services (SAPS) for investigation. The most recent incidents under investigation involved the theft of coal and fraud at Kendal and Camden power stations, respectively where three contractors to Eskom were arrested and are facing criminal charges.

Eskom reports all allegations of coal procurement fraud and theft to the SAPS for criminal investigations. The SAPS currently refers all cases of Eskom coal procurement fraud and theft to a dedicated team within the Directorate of Priority Crimes Investigations (DPCI), commonly known as the Hawks, for further investigation and prosecution.

 

Remarks: Approved / Not Approved

Jacky Molisane Pravin Gordhan, MP

Acting Director-General Minister

Date: Date:

Reply:

1 a) Severe load shedding affects the ability of Water Boards and Water Service Authorities (WSAs) to pump water into their reservoirs. This resulted in the water levels in the reservoirs being too low to gravity-feed water to high-lying areas. As a result, several high-lying areas have been without water for prolonged periods.

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has not quantified the amount of production downtime across the country. However, most WSAs have a contingency plan to ensure continuity of water supply. Water Boards and WSAs experienced several electrical and mechanical failures, which also contributed to the difficulty in filling the reservoirs. Some of these failures may have been a result of damage to equipment caused by the frequent load shedding.

Using the Eskom schedule of loading shedding, Treatment Plants can be closed in phases to prevent sudden shutdown of processes at the start of loadshedding that damage infrastructure. It is also possible to store additional treated water in preparation to cater for downtime at the plant. The operating philosophy is to maintain the reservoir levels between 60-80%. This targeted range will enable the system to be resilient and respond to any challenges.

1 b) All treatment plants, rely on electricity in one way or another, and where affordable, WSAs are encouraged to ensure continuous water provision through additional storage such as reservoirs and static tanks or alternative energy supply to cater for loadshedding.

2 The Water Boards, as water service providers to various WSAs, have taken different approaches to manage the impact of ESKOM’s loadshedding on their ability to provide reliable bulk water supply services to users, including:

• Engaging with the provincial government leadership and ESKOM to negotiate and facilitate for exemption on water infrastructure from frequent load-shedding.
• Filing applications with ESKOM for exemption in terms of Eskom Regulation NRS048-9. Some applications for exemption have been successful while some have not been due to technical reasons advanced by ESKOM and some are still waiting for outcomes to the applications.
• Water Boards such as Bloem Water, Rand Water, Umngeni Water, Lepelle Water and Magalies Water are operating water infrastructure that is exempt from loadshedding and are mostly able to continue with operations during loadshedding.

• Entities such as Bloem Water, Rand Water, Umngeni Water, Lepelle Water and Magalies Water are operating water infrastructure that is exempt from loadshedding and are mostly able to continue with operations.
• Where affordable, some of the entities have procured back-up generators to continue with operations even when there is loadshedding.

Some municipalities have been able to exempt some of their water and sanitation facilities from load shedding, but this is often not possible because it would require exempting whole areas from load shedding, which in turn would result in Eskom’s load shedding requirements not being met.

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Reply:

 

 

The Summit was intended to engage various stakeholders together to form partnerships and identify lasting solutions to the water and sanitation problems facing the country. Based on the outcomes of the summit, the department is working together with SALGA, NT and COGTA, DWS will lead the development and implementation of a range of inter-related and coordinated support measures and interventions. Broadly, interventions that have been identified and are being implemented include the following:

• 1. Strengthening and extending the roles, responsibilities, and capacity of water boards so that they are able to provide water and sanitation services in instances where municipalities are failing to provide the services
  2. Reviewing the geographical boundaries of the water boards to make them more sustainable, this already started with the disestablishment of Sedibeng Water
  3. Increasing involvement of private sector financing and management in municipal water and sanitation services through public-private partnerships
  4. Strengthening regulatory interventions based upon the results of monitoring mechanisms such as Blue Drop, Green Drop and No Drop
  5. Strengthening the National Norms and Standards (Water Services Act) and put in place a framework to guide the provision of sanitation services
  6. Introducing longer term interventions through WISP and the DDM programmes, through for example, taking over the management of wastewater treatment works from municipalities for a longer prescribed period where there is continued non-compliance with norms and standards
  7. More effectively link the allocation of municipal water and sanitation grants to enable support and interventions
  8. Use DWS internal construction capacity for rapid deployment to address urgent intervention needs
  9. Put in place appropriate financing frameworks and mechanisms for support and interventions
  10. Improve coordination and linkages of the interventions made in terms of sections of various legislation

Some of these measures will start to have an impact on municipal water and sanitation services in the short term (within 3 months) and others will yield results in the medium term.

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Reply:

The Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) and (b) the National School of Government, Centre for Public Service Innovation and the Office the Public Service Commission do not have any commercial contracts with the government of the Russian Federation or any other entities based in the Russian Federation since 1 April 2017.

(aa) N/A

(bb) N/A

(dd) N/A

(ee) N/A

End

Reply:

1. I have not appeared before or met with the Deployment Committee of any political party.
2. Not applicable

Remarks: Approved / Not Approved

Jacky Molisane Pravin Gordhan, MP

Acting Director-General Minister

Date: Date:

Reply:

a) The service provider that was appointed to conduct an investigation into DPE information and data leak on Ms Borotho’s recruitment process including matters of a personal matter to the media was Abacus Financial Crime Advisory (Pty) Ltd.

b) The report concluded that there was a concerted and intentional release and dissemination of confidential DPE information and documentation to the media.

c) R281 168.00

d) (i) Establish whether there was a concerted intentional release of secure or private/confidential information to an untrusted environment (the media);

(ii) Collect evidence to fully understand the scale and the impact of a breach;

(iii) Identify the source of the leak and identify where DPE can be assisted in respect of data and information leakage;

(iv) Whether or not any matter should be referred to the South African Police Services (SAPS) or any other law enforcement agents, and

(v) Provide recommendations on the outcome of the investigation.

2. It was recommended that disciplinary action be considered against the official who shared her password with the official who leaked the information.

The official who shared her password and against whom disciplinary action is recommended left the Department a while back and it is therefore impossible to act against her.

Remarks: Approved / Not Approved

Jacky Molisane Pravin Gordhan, MP

Acting Director-General Minister

Date: Date:

Reply:

The Future of Work Ambassadors Programme is an initiative championed by the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) in partnership with the Public Service Sector Education Authority (PSETA) and the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA). This programme is envisioned to contribute positively towards building a leadership pipeline for realising a capable, ethical and developmental public service in line with Chapter 13 of the National Development Plan and Priority 1 of the Medium-Term Strategic Framework.

The programme is fully funded by the PSETA, with the NYDA responsible for the recruitment process; HR-related matters including administration of the stipend over the 24-month period. The DPSA is responsible for the coordination, content creation and capacity building/training activities and placement of the candidates.

(a)(i) In terms of the latest update on the Future of Work Ambassadors programme, 33 candidates were appointed for the programme, four (4) resignations were received, where 3 of them left for greener pastures and one for personal reasons. One (1) candidate is currently on maternity leave. The ambassadors are exposed to job seeking skills, effective writing of resumes and practical exposure to the workplace, which makes them effective at looking for jobs and being attractive job seekers. Additionally, the Ambassadors are currently being exposed to:

• Capacity building and training opportunities by the National School of Government (NSG);
• A 6-month digital and soft skills online course provided by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP);
• Compulsory Induction Programmes for the Public Sector by the National School of Government (NSG); and
• A structured leadership coaching and mentorship programme for 12 months run and coordinated by the DPSA.

(a)(ii) The selection process of the 33 graduates in the specified programme included the following process:

• • PSETA and DPSA defined the specific skills to be funded which were linked to the mandate of the Public Sector and PSETA;
  • Provincial and National Departments were requested through FOSAD to indicate interest and readiness to host Ambassadors;
  • All host departments were given an opportunity to select their qualification areas based on the prescribed list provided by PSETA, such as:
    • Financial and Supply Chain Management
    • Law
    • Risk Management
    • Human Resource Management
    • Communications
    • Marketing Management
    • Public Management
    • Public Administration
    • Internal Audit
  • The NYDA used the information to generate an advertisement which was posted on the SAYouth.mobi platform.
  • The candidates were then shortlisted virtually and interviewed through the NYDA with the involvement of representatives from host departments on the panel.
  • Candidates were appointed and placed based on the recommendations of the panel.

b) The 33 Future of Work Ambassadors were allocated as follows:

National and Provincial Departments	No. of Candidates
Department of Youth, Women and Persons with Disabilities	3
Department of Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation	2
Department of Cooperative Governance	2
KwaZulu-Natal Office of the Premier	2
National School of Government	4
Public Service Commission	1
Department of Public Service and Administration	5
Justice and Constitutional Development	3
Department of Public Enterprise	2
Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment	2
Mpumalanga Office of the Premier	2
Limpopo Office of the Premier	3
Western Cape Office of the Premier	2
TOTAL	33

(c) A number of monitoring and evaluation tools have been put in place, including the following:

• • Regular meetings of the core partners (DPSA, NYDA and PSETA) to discuss progress of the project; key trends and emerging lessons;
  • The establishment of an interactive WhatsApp group where Ambassadors can engage the DPSA, PSETA and NYDA on issues they would like to raise and they provide peer support to each other;
  • The Ambassadors participate in bi-weekly virtual Live Learning Sessions on Fridays between 09h00 – 13h00. This allows them to receive immediate assistance should they be experiencing any challenges on the Digital Skills Platform.
  • Mentors and/or supervisors are also able to log onto the platform to track the progress of their candidates.
  • Monitored work plans guided by their Mentors and/or Supervisors that require a formal report and review every six months; and
  • Conducting regular check-in sessions with the Ambassadors; their Supervisors and/or Mentors.

The Future of Work Ambassadors Programme also features in the department’s 2022/23 Annual Operational Plan. This further enhances monitoring; ensures that the project is aligned and contributes towards the greater strategic goals of the department.

End

Reply:

(a)

To contribute to the National Just Energy Transition framework, the Department developed a Just Transition framework for Eskom. The purpose of the framework is to guide the SOC within the department’s portfolio in developing a response plan/strategy to the global call to reduce emissions by developing their own plans on how they can contribute to South Africa’s climate change plans.

(b)

To date, only Eskom and SAFCOL submitted draft plans to transition in their respective environment, While Transnet, Alexkor and Denel’s plans are in the process of being developed.

Remarks: Reply: Approved / Not Approved

Jacky Molisane P J Gordhan, MP

Acting Director-General Minister of Public Enterprises

Date: Date:

Reply:

1.  The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) conducted the Green Drop assessment during 2021/22 which culminated in the release of the National Green Drop Report 2022. In KZN, 14 Water Services Authorities (WSAs) and 147 wastewater systems were audited with the following results

• 47 of the wastewater systems in KwaZulu Natal were found not to be measuring their wastewater inflows
• 7 wastewater systems were overloaded
• 76 wastewater systems received Green Drop Score of above 50% (meaning what?)
• 20 wastewater systems were found to be at critical state
• 3 wastewater systems received Green Drop certification (scored minimum of 90%).

To mitigate the risk, the DWS has implemented several interventions including the issuance of non-compliance letters, notices, and directives to minimize the pollution impacts on the water resources. In addition, corrective action plans and green drop improvement plan templates have been issued to the WSAs to ensure that their Councils commit funds to address the gaps identified in the assessments. The DWS is assisting the WSAs to compile corrective action plans and improvement plans which will need to be implemented within predetermined timeframe and monitored by the department.

The department has also implemented measures to address pollution of water resources in KwaZulu-Natal. These include:

1. Undertaking routine inspections of sewerage infrastructure (wastewater treatment works, pumpstations and pipelines).
2. The DWS also follows up on pollution issues reported by the public.
3. In cases where pollution to water resources is observed, administrative processes are taken against the non-compliant municipalities in the form of Non-compliance Notices and/or Directives
4. The Department has also established Water Resource Protection Technical Committee Meetings to address the issues of pollution in different districts

Following the floods in April 2022, the DWS has also implemented the following interventions to support affected municipalities in KZN:

1. Availed the team of Engineers and Scientists to assist with the assessments of the damage to the water and sanitation infrastructure
2. Officials of the department participate in WAR Room meetings where repairs of infrastructure and progress thereof are discussed
3. Three (3) Directives were issued, on 13 May 2022, to the municipalities which were severely affected, namely: eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, ILembe District Municipality (DM) and Ugu DM
4. Established the WAR Room through the Minister to address issues of water provisioning and sanitation, as well as to discuss challenges that the municipalities might be facing such as funding, human resources, amongst others

(2) The DWS assisted the Ethekwini, Ugu and Ilembe District Municipalities by reallocating R65 million funding to support immediate relief measures which included provision water tankers for 3 months. The DWS also conducted assessments of the damaged infrastructure and submitted a funding application for disaster relief funding to the National Disaster Management Centre. Damaged infrastructure can also be repaired through reprioritising of the DWS Water and Sanitation Infrastructure Grant (WSIG).

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Reply:

All the appointments of personnel in public sector positions are made in accordance with relevant legislation. No structure outside of these prescribed in legislation can determine the deployment of personnel in public sector positions. Where the legislation requires me to make an appointment, I apply myself to the requirements of the entity concerned, the legislative prescripts and the merits of candidates for the positions.

As part of building a capable state, I make all reasonable efforts to strengthen the skills mix in those public sector appointments within my remit. I therefore carefully consider the suitability of candidates on the information available to me and the need to have a diverse set of skills and experiences on an entity’s board.

Remarks: Approved / Not Approved

Jacky Molisane Pravin Gordhan, MP

Acting Director-General Minister

Date: Date:

Reply:

The details for the staff employed in offices of the Minister and Deputy Ministers are indicted in the table below:

(i) Office of the Minister (9 officials)

JOB TITLE	ANNUAL REMUNERATION PACKAGE
2 x Ministerial Advisors SL 15 and 16	R1 791 978 all-inclusive package R2 330 121 all-inclusive package
1 x Chief of Staff SL 14	R1 308 051 all-inclusive package
1 x Private and Appointment Secretary SL 13	R1 105 383 all-inclusive package
1 x Media Liaison Officer SL 13	R1 105 383 all-inclusive package
1 x Parliamentary and Cabinet Support SL 13	R1 105 383 all-inclusive package
1 x Community Outreach Officer SL 11	R766 584 all-inclusive package
1 x Assistant Appointment and Admin Secretary SL9	R393 711 per annum
1 x Receptionist SL 5	R269 214 per annum
2 x Household Aide SL3	R128 166 per annum R128 166 per annum

(ii) Office of Deputy Minister (9 officials)

JOB TITLE	ANNUAL REMUNERATION PACKAGE
1 x Head of Office SL 13	R1 105 383 all-inclusive package
1 x Private and Appointment Secretary SL 12	R1 070 169 all-inclusive package
1 x Technical Specialist SL13 (Previous Dispensation)	R1 105 383 all-inclusive package
1 x Parliamentary and Cabinet Support SL 11	R766 584 all-inclusive package
1 x Community Outreach Officer SL 11	R766 584 all-inclusive package
1 x Driver/Messenger SL 4	R181 599 per annum
1 x Receptionist SL 5	R285 735 per annum
2 x Household Aide SL 3	R128 166 per annum R128 166 per annum
1x Registry Clerk SL 5 (Previous Dispensation)	R269 214 per annum

(iii) Office of Deputy Minister (8 officials)

JOB TITLE	ANNUAL REMUNERATION PACKAGE
1 x Head of Office SL 13	R1 105 383 all-inclusive
1 x Technical Specialist SL 13 (Previous dispensation0	R1 105 383 all-inclusive package
1 x Private and Appointment Secretary SL 12	R908 502 all-inclusive package
1 x Community Outreach Officer SL 11	R766 584 all-inclusive package
1 x Driver/Messenger SL 4	R181 599 per annum
1 x Food Services Aide SL2	R128 166 per annum
1 x Receptionist SL5	R269 214 per annum
2 x Household Aide SL3	R128 166 per annum R128 166 per annum
1x Registry Clerk SL 5 (Previous Dispensation)	R269 214 per annum

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Reply:

The toll-free number for reporting corruption in Government as per Cabinet decision is 0800 701 701 and it operates from 08h00-04h30, five (5) days per week. According to the records, the toll-free number (0800 701 701) was in full service for the last three months. At least 324 complaints were registered in the past three months of the second quarter of 2022/23 financial year as indicated in the table below.

Table 1: Complaints reported through the NACH during the first and second quarter of 2022/2023 financial year

	Q1	Q2
Provinces	Apr-22	May-22	June-22	July-22	Aug-22	Sep-22	TOTAL
Eastern Cape	1	2	4	3	2	0	12
Free State	2	0	0	1	1	0	4
Gauteng	9	13	9	5	6	18	60
KZN	1	3	5	0	0	4	13
Limpopo	1	4	3	3	1	2	14
Mpumalanga	5	3	0	0	1	2	11
North West	5	2	1	1	1	5	15
Northern Cape	1	1	1	1	1	0	5
Western Cape	5	3	4	1	1	1	14
Public Entity	62	96	53	25	33	62	331
National Departments	33	52	31	20	48	75	260
Grand Total	125	179	111	60	95	169	739

End

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure

I have been informed that the Department did not receive any claims from the Khoisan Group.

The Steer-Com has since been established, comprising officials from the following Stakeholders, including legal representation.

• National Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (NDPWI)
• Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE)
• Theewaterskloof Municipality (TWK)
• Prov. COGTA
• South African Police Services (SAPS)

The purpose of the Steer-Com is to:

• Establish Communication with the community leaders to discuss their reasons for the invasion and what their requirements are
• Coordinate a survey and profiling of occupants
• Determine control measures to prevent further invasion
• Develop and drive a comprehensive implementation plan and report progress and make recommendations to the Joint District and Metropolitan Approach Committee (JDMA)
• Develop interventions and remedial action.

The introductory meeting was held on 3 October 2022, a follow up meeting was held on 3 November 2022 and the third meeting was held on 16 November 2022 between the Steer-Com and the Community leaders.

During the meeting, it was agreed that the Community leaders will submit a proposal regarding their needs / requirements in order to determine a way forward.

Following the meeting on 16 November 2022, another meeting took place on 25 November 2022 between the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment Portfolio Committee, affected spheres of Government and the Community leaders in which the Community repeated that they are reclaiming their forefather’s land and confirmed that they will submit their proposal including the supporting documents relating to their claim.

The chairperson of DFFE Portfolio Committee requested NDPWI to submit detailed progress report to Committee on this matter. The detailed report is yet to be submitted.

I have, since, also had a meeting with the Western Cape MEC for Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, Anton Bredell, and Premier Alan Winde on 18 October and 17 November respectively.

Reply:

Water supply challenges in Nkowankowa are a result of tampering with valves on the outlet of the command reservoir and the bypass line to facilitate illegal connections. This caused low pressure on the bulk pipeline resulting in supply interruptions in some areas of Nkowankowa as water could not reach the furthest points of distribution.

The Mopani District Municipality together with the Greater Tzaneen Local Municipality have identified all the valves that needed to be repaired to supply water at Nkowankowa Township and Dan village.

With the assistance of Mokgolobotho Cooperation, which is a community-led structure, all unauthorized connections to the rising main were identified and removed. Water supply to Mokgolobotho settlement has since been restored. Leakages caused by unauthorised connection were identified and repaired.

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Reply:

SAA faced a myriad of challenges over the years resulting in the airline’s inability to generate enough revenue to sustain operations and relied on debt to fund operations.

SAA had been incurring losses for an extended period which resulted in the airline being placed under business rescue by the SAA Board in December 2019. The business rescue period coincided with the country being placed under lock down due to the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, resulting in all airlines’ suspension of commercial flights.

The airline successfully exited the business rescue in April 2021 and subsequently resumed operations in September 2021.

Remarks: Reply: Approved / Not Approved

Jacky Molisane P J Gordhan, MP

Acting Director-General Minister of Public Enterprises

Date: Date:

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure wish to respond as follows:

1. I have been informed that the disciplinary action of the employees implicated in Beitbridge Border Post Project investigation report were divided into two phases with first phase being an enquiry into members of the National Bid Adjudication Committee (NBAC) and the second phase, an enquiry into conduct of three senior managers. A civil recovery process is being managed by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) on behalf of the Department of Public Works & Infrastructure (DPWI).

1.1. DISCIPLINARY ACTION AGAINST THE NBAC MEMBERS:

1.1.1. The disciplinary enquiry of the NBAC member was proceeded and was finalised during May 2022.

1.1.2. On 3 June 2022 all implicated NBAC officials were found guilty of the charges against them.

1.1.3. Mitigating and aggravating arguments commenced on 10 June 2022 by employee party and 20 June 2022 by employer party, whereafter sanction will be handed down.

1.1.4. The employee parties submitted their mitigating arguments requesting for lenient sanction short of dismissal based on their personal circumstances, however, the employer submitted aggravating arguments calling for sanction of dismissal given the seriousness of the charges, the amount involved and the conduct of the employees.

1.1.5. Chairperson delivered the sanction report imposing final written warning and suspension without pay, for between one and two months, to all the employees on the basis that there was no evidence of employees benefiting out of the project.

1.1.6. Employees have accepted the sanction through their Attorneys and the Acting Director General has been apprised about this.

1.1.7. On the 17 October 2022, approval was granted by Acting Director General to give effect to the sanctions with effective date of 01 November 2022 for all employees.

1.1.8. All employees have now began serving their sanctions of suspension without pay with effect from 01 November 2022.

1.2. DISCIPLINARIES AGAINST SENIOR DPWI OFFICIALS

1.2.1. The hearings of the Senior Officials were scheduled for 04 – 06 May 2021, however, these were postponed on the first sitting due to failure of the legal representative of one of the officials to attend the hearing, who indicated that he is launching a court application to review the investigation report and the disciplinary enquiry. However, the Department argued that the matter should proceed and the hearing was held on the 05 May 2021.

1.2.2. During the hearing of 5 May 2021, one of the official’s legal representatives, Ka- Mbonani Cooper Incorporated, served the chairperson and the Department with the Court application to amongst others: set aside the investigation report and the disciplinary enquiry.

1.2.3. Furthermore, the Department has prepared and filed the record of the procurement process and the investigation report with the Applicant and the Registrar on 14 June 2021 and the State Attorney is now waiting for the Applicant to serve their supplementary papers in compliance with Rule 53 of the Uniform Rules of the Court.

1.2.4. The Applicant’s Attorneys wrote a letter requesting further information and documents relating to the investigation from the Minister and ADG. The documents were prepared and sent to Senior Counsel for advice to the ADG.

1.2.5. The DPWI has since deposed the founding papers for review of the Chairperson’s ruling postponing the hearing sine die and submitted the papers to State Attorney for service on the Respondent and filing at the Labour Court. The Department is, now, awaiting feedback from the State Attorney on the service and filing at the Labour Court which will be followed by the Respondent filing their opposing papers and DPWI filing its replying papers followed application for hearing date with the Registrar.

1.2.6. Feedback received from Pretoria State Attorney on the 28 January 2022 was that the court application will be served on the 02 February 2022 by Pretoria State Attorney after receiving the instruction letter from the State Attorney: Kimberley who are the instructing Attorneys.

1.2.7. The Chairperson of the Disciplinary Hearing was served with the Labour Court application on the 29 November 2021 in Bloemfontein by State Attorney Kimberley and the application was served on DDG-CPM’s Attorneys in Johannesburg on the 02 February 2022 by State Attorney Pretoria.

1.2.8. The employee party acting through his Attorneys served and filed notice of intention to oppose and his answering affidavit on 06 June 2022 which was replied to by the Department on the 13 June 2022 and the State Attorney has since applied for a hearing date with the Registrar of the Labour Court. The State Attorney undertook to make a follow-up with Registrar via an email on the 14 November 2022.

1.2.9. With regard to the two senior employees, the State Attorney has appointed initiator and chairperson to facilitate the disciplinary enquiry of the two senior managers separate from the DDG-CPM hearing. To this end, the State Attorney is still awaited to convene consultation with initiator to prepare and finalise the charges for service and setting date of hearing.

1.3. DISCIPLINARIES AGAINST SECTION 12 EMPLOYEES

Two (the Director-General and Special Advisor to the Minister) of the thirteen implicated DPWI employees are employed in terms of section 12 and 12A of the Public Service Act 1994. In this regard, their disciplinary processes are not being dealt with by the Department.

 

Regarding the Director-General:

1.3.1. The disciplinary action against the Director-General is being managed by the Presidency. The DG has subsequently taken early retirement.

 

Regarding the Minister’s Special Advisor:

1.3.2. The disciplinary action against the Special Advisor is being managed by the State Attorney on behalf of the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure.

1.3.3. The Minister served a letter to her Advisor, in September 2020 informing her of the intended charges following the findings of the Beitbridge Border Post report.

1.3.4. The Advisor acknowledged receipt of the letter.

1.3.5. The Minister requested the State Attorney to appoint the Initiator and Chairperson for the ensuing disciplinary process. An Initiator and Chairperson have been appointed by the State Attorney.

1.3.6. The Initiator has prepared draft charges.

1.3.7. As reported to SCOPA, the charge sheet was subsequently finalised and served, while the Chairperson and counsel have also been appointed. The Minister is currently awaiting the way forward from the Chairperson.

1.4. RECOVERY OF FUNDS:

1.4.1. On 17 November 2020, the SIU instituted legal action against Caledon River Properties (Pty) Ltd t/a Magwa and Profteam CC with the Special Tribunal under case number GP17/2020. The application is opposed and the matter has been enrolled to argue jurisdiction which was raised as a point in limine. The matter was heard on Tuesday 26 January 2021 in the Special Tribunal. The Tribunal on 25 February 2021 dismissed the respondent’s points in limine and the matter will proceed in the absence of any appeal.

1.4.2. On 9 March 2022, the Special Tribunal judgment was handed down on the matter. The judgment strips the contractor, Magwa and principal agent, Caledon/aka Profteam, of any profits arising from the BeitBridge Border Fence project.

1.4.3. The judgment of the Special Tribunal was appealed on the 19th May by the contractor and principal agent. Their appeal was dismissed with costs on the 7th September 2022.

1.4.4. According to the SIU report to DPWI, it would appear that the contractor and principal agent are desirous to appeal the tribunal decision in the High Court, however, DPWI has not yet been provided with further briefing and the papers thereof by SIU.

Reply:

BACKGROUND

With the adoption of the Guide on implementing lifestyle audits in the Public Service, lifestyle audits for the Public Service became compulsory from 1 April 2021. When implementing the Guide, national and provincial departments follow a three step approach, starting with lifestyle reviews. When red flags (unexplained wealth, conflicts of interest, etc) are identified during this step, the department will move to the next step, which is lifestyle investigations. This step may lead to disciplinary action if an irregularity or wrong-doing was detected (and if action is required in terms of law and prescripts). When an investigation prove to be challenging, a department will move to the last step, namely a lifestyle audit. This step involves the utilisation of specialist auditors that will employ specialist tools to trace unexplained wealth (for example). Given the three step approach, the lifestyle audit process can end with a lifestyle review (when no red flags are identified). If investigations are conducted, the timeframe for completion will depend on the complexity of the case. There is therefore no due date for completion of lifestyle audits. However, lifestyle reviews are to be completed at the end of each financial year for members of the Senior Management Service, and every second year for other categories of employees.

RESPONSE:

1. (a) (i) State departments that have started to roll out lifestyle audits for their employees as at 31 October 2022 are listed below:

National departments: (27)

Basic Education, Civilian Secretariat for Police Service, Communications and Digital Technologies, Cooperative Governance, Correctional Services, Health, Government Technical Advisory Centre, Environmental Affairs, Forestry and Fisheries, Human Settlements, Home Affairs, International Relations and Cooperation, National Prosecuting Authority, National Treasury, National School of Government, Office of the Chief Justice, Office of the Public Service Commission, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Public Enterprises, Public Service and Administration, Public Works and Infrastructure, Small Business Development, Social Development, Statistics South Africa, South African Police Service, Trade, Industry and Competition, Water and Sanitation.

Provincial departments: (47)

KwaZulu-Natal:

Arts and Culture, Community Safety, Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (not completed), Health, Human Settlements, Office of the Premier (in progress), Provincial Treasury, Public Works, Social Development.

Gauteng:

Human Settlements, Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation

North West:

Health, and Rural, Environment and Agriculture Development

Eastern Cape:

Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Community Safety, Office of the Premier, Rural Development and Agrarian Reform, Sport Recreation, Arts and Culture.

Limpopo:

Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs, Provincial Treasury

Northern Cape:

Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (SMS completed, rest in progress), Cooperative Governance Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (in progress), Economic Development and Tourism, Social Development.

Western Cape:

Community Safety, Cultural Affairs and Sport, Economic Development and Tourism, Education, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, Health, Human Settlements, Provincial Treasury, Social Development.

Mpumalanga:

Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs, Office of the Premier, Provincial Treasury, Public Works, Roads and Transport

Free State:

Agriculture and Rural Development, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Health, Human Settlements, Office of the Premier, Provincial Treasury, Social Development, Sport Arts Culture and Recreation

(a)(ii) According to the reports received by the DPSA from State departments that have started to roll out lifestyle audits for their employees, the following employees are being audited:

• Members of the Senior Management Service
• Members of the Middle Management Service
• Supply Chain and Finance employees

(b) (i) (aa) There are four departments which indicated the number of specified lifestyle audits that are still in process:

North West Department of Health – 1402 employees

Limpopo Provincial Treasury – 20 employees

Free State Department of Human Settlements – 2 employees

Northern Cape Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development – 109 employees

(b) (i) (bb) Departments who detected no red flags during the lifestyle review process are regarded to have finalised their lifestyle audit process. All departments are expected to complete lifestyle reviews for SMS members at the end of each financial year, and that for the other categories at the end of the second year cycle when they are performing lifestyle audits on those employees. There are seventy (70) departments that have finalised their lifestyle review process which is the first step of the lifestyle audits. These departments did not identify any red flags i.e. unexplained wealth, conflicts of interest, etc. hence there were no referrals for investigation. As a result, the lifestyle review process was finalised.

1 (a) (ii) the following were the findings of the audit:

North West Department of Health – 1402 employees’ financial disclosures were still being reviewed.

Limpopo Provincial Treasury – 20 employees are investigated for non-declaration of vehicles, properties and directorship.

Free State Department of Human Settlements – 2 employees that are being investigated for alleged conducting business with the State.

Northern Cape Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development – 109 employees’ financial disclosures were still being reviewed.

(2) The DPSA does not have the mandate to conduct lifestyle audits in the public service. The DPSA plays an oversight role in the implementation of lifestyle audits and provides implementation support to departments. The conducting of lifestyle audits is a decentralised function that must be carried out by the departments each financial year. As a result, departments will apply consequence management measures on the basis of the results of the lifestyle investigation and report outcomes to the Discipline Management Unit at the DPSA.

End

Reply:

The Budeli village is one of the five villages that the residents were affected by the construction of the Nandoni dam. A budget of R 62milllion has been set aside to repair the defects of all the five villages for the 2022/2023 financial year and the project is set to be completed by March 2023.

There were 100 houses that were found to have defects at the Budeli Village. Progress made by the Department is indicated below:

• Sixty-six (66) houses have been repaired
• One (1) house re-built due to the extent of the defects
• Repairs to the remaining thirty-three (33) houses will be completed by 15 December 2022.

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Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure

I have been informed that the maintenance of public restrooms falls under non-specialised maintenance work. This forms part of the delegation assigned to the Users. There is a R1 million delegation for maintenance assigned to the client to carry out corrective maintenance as per the Day-to-Day guidelines.

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure

(1) (a) and (b) I have been informed that five (5) disciplinary hearings have been finalised and details concerning the persons in question are outlined in tabled 1 below.

(2) Please see details in table 1 below.

(3) Please see details in table 1 below.

Table 1:

Number	Name and Surname	(1) (b) Presiding officer and Prosecuting Officer	(2) (a) (i) and (ii) Outcome of the cases	(2) (b) Proposed sanction by DC	Mechanisms to recover the cost incurred	(3) Appeal or No Appeal
1.	Ms Nditsheni Raliphada	C J Mkhavele Incorporated and Maphoso Mokoena Attorneys	Dismissal	Dismissal	None	Yes The appeal was finalized on the 17 November 2022. Awaiting outcome of appeal
2.	Ms Lydia Ludick	C J Mkhavele Incorporated and Maphoso Mokoena Attorneys	Final written warning.	Final written warning	None	No appeal
3.	Florence Mthenjane	C J Mkhavele Incorporated and Maphoso Mokoena	Disciplinary process progress Process underway for medical boarding benefit.	None	None	No appeal
4.	Simon Matsoso	C J Mkhavele Incorporated and Maphoso Mokoena Attorneys	Mutual Separation agreed but the employee refused to sign thereafter	None	None	Case at CCMA
5.	Mr Stephanus Lewis	C J Mkhavele Incorporated and Maphoso Mokoena Attorneys	Mutual Separation	None	None	No appeal
6.	Mr Bali Mamabolo	C J Mkhavele Incorporated and Maphoso Mokoena Attorneys	Mutual Separation	None	None	No appeal

Reply:

Recruitment and appointments of public servants is a decentralised function in the public service. The appointments of these categories including employment contracts, terms and conditions of the employment which are processed by the immediate/relevant department as an employer. Therefore, the National Departments of Health and Public Works and Infrastructure are better suited to respond to the appointments.

End

Reply:

The sanitation project in the Sol-Plaatje Local Municipality, Ward 17 is being implemented in Phases. Phase 1 which provided 368 toilets was completed in September 2022. The issues listed above were primarily due to theft of material. In addition, the project was also affected by poor workmanship by the contractor compounded by labour unrest during implementation. The municipality is in the process of developing a business plan for funding of further phases.

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Reply:

a) Of the 305 public servants who are currently on suspension in the Public service, four (4) cases involve a criminal offence. This was reported by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). No other reports were received by the DPSA or Public Administration Ethics, Integrity and Disciplinary Technical Assistance Unit (PAEIDTAU).

b) The four cases were referred by the NPA to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) for criminal investigations.

In terms of section 15 (5) (b) of the Public Administration Management Act, 2014 (PAMA), issues of misconduct emanating from criminal investigations must be reported to the Unit (PAEIDTAU) and the relevant head of institution for initiation and institution of disciplinary proceedings. In 2023, the PAIDTAU will continue to run advocacy programme to improve awareness and compliance with reporting.

End

Reply:

(1) The Acting Minister of Public Service and Administration was never part of any meeting that talks about any deployment in Public Service or any entity that is involved in recruitment or placement of employees in entire Public service or state owned enterprises. 

(2) The recruitment of employees in public service is done through corporate service which reports to the Accounting Officer. (b)The Minister never attended any forum or any meetings that discussed any appointments in public service or any entities within state owned enterprises.

End

Reply:

a) The Department of Public Service and Administration is currently consulting on the amendments to the Public Service Act, 1994 and the Public Service Regulations, 2016 to augment all challenges identified in different policy areas, not only limited to recruitment. Lessons learnt have been documented and will be applied in how the amendments are operationalised. Additionally, the DPSA continues to hold advocacy with departments on the implementation of policy.

b) The Public Service Act, 1994 and accompanying Regulations, is clear that any person, not only those in senior management must be fit and proper and meet the inherent requirements of a post to be appointed. The MPSA will continue writing to Executive Authorities of entities that are implicated to hold Accounting Officers accountable for any deviations that have not been authorised.

End

Reply:

The Minister of Finance does not generally make tax announcements in the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS). However, the 2022 MTBPS did state that efforts to expand generation capacity would include “facilitating investments in rooftop solar by developing a feed-in tariff for small-scale embedded generation projects, and investigating the expansion of tax incentives for commercial installations”.

This is in line with what the President stated in the July 2022 announcement that a feed-in tariff would be developed by Eskom to incentivise greater use of rooftop solar.

To quote the President:

“Fourth, we intend to enable businesses and households to invest in rooftop solar. South Africa has a great abundance of sun which we should use to generate electricity. There is significant potential for households and businesses to install rooftop solar and connect this power to the grid.

To incentivise greater uptake of rooftop solar, Eskom will develop rules and a pricing structure – known as a feed-in tariff – for all commercial and residential installations on its network. This means that those who can and have installed solar panels in their homes or businesses will be able to sell surplus power they don’t need to Eskom.”

Reply:

(a) total number of staff employed and/or provided as departmental support in

(i) Office of the Minister : 14 employees

(ii) Office of Deputy Minister 1: 9 employees

(ii) Office of Deputy Minister 2: 11 employees

(b) (i) job title and (ii) annual remuneration package of each specified person

Office of the Minister:

i) Job title	ii) Annual remuneration package
Chief of Staff	(SL14) R1 473 537 pa
Senior Secretary	(SL7) R269 214 pa
Administrative Secretary	(SL13) R1 302 102 pa
Private Secretary	(SL12) R1 070 169
Director: Media Liaison	(SL13) R1 302 102 pa
Parliamentary Liaison Officer	(SL13) R1 208 691 pa
Personal Assistant to the Chief of Staff	(SL8) R367 575 pa
Assistant Appointment Secretary	(SL10) R578 841 pa
Assistant Stakeholder Relations Officer	(SL9) R417 858 pa
Chief Registry Clerk	(SL7) R 281 514 pa
Driver/ Messenger	(SL5) R201 537 pa
Domestic Worker	(SL3) R128 166 pa
Domestic Worker	(SL3) R128 166 pa
Food Service Aid	(SL3) R128 166 pa

Office of Deputy Minister 1

Job title	Annual remuneration package
Head of Office	(SL13) R1 302 102 pa
Technical Specialist	(SL13) R1 105 383 pa
Private Secretary	(SL12) R964 257 pa
Parliamentary & Cabinet Coordination	(SL12) R1 070 169 pa
Community Outreach Officer	(SL11) R766 584 pa
Secretary	(SL7) R317 127 pa
Driver	(SL5) R207 639 pa
Domestic Worker	(SL3) R128 166 pa
Domestic Worker	(SL3) R128 166 pa

Office of Deputy Minister 2

i) Job title	ii) Annual remuneration package
Head of Office	(SL14) R1 347 606 pa
Technical Specialist	(SL13) R1 121 979 pa
Personal Assistant	(SL7) R269 214 pa
Private Secretary	(SL12) R908 502 pa
Parliamentary & Cabinet Coordination	(SL11) R766 584 pa
Community Outreach Officer	(SL11) R778 080 pa
Chief Registry Clerk	(SL7) R269 214 pa
Driver	(SL5) R181 599 pa
Domestic Worker	(SL3) R130 092 pa
Domestic Worker	(SL3) R128 166 pa
Food Service Aid	(SL2) R107 196 pa

Reply:

(a)(i) Total Nr = 11	(b)(i) Job Titles:	(b)(ii) Annual Remuneration Package:
1	Household Aid	R130,092.00
2	Household Aid	R130,092.00
3	Food Services Aid II	R128,166.00
4	Chief Registry Clerk	R285,735.00
5	Assistant Appointment and Administrative Secretary	R578,841.00
6	Parliamentary and Cabinet Officer	R922,137.00
7	Administrative Support and Coordinator	R978,726.00
8	Private and Appointment Secretary	R1,054,356.00
9	Portfolio Coordinator	R1,070,169.00
10	Media Liaison Officer	R1,173,231.00
11	Chief of Staff	R1,308,051.00
(a)(ii) Total Nr = 9
1	Household Aid	R128,166.00
2	Household Aid	R130,092.00
3	Receptionist	R181,599.00
4	Driver/Messenger	R184,308.00
5	Chief Registry Clerk	R277,362.00
6	Parliamentary and Cabinet Support	R336,171.00
7	Community Outreach Officer	R766,584.00
8	Private and Appointment Secretary	R908,502.00
9	Head of Office	R1,105,383.00

Reply:

Border Management have identified the management of trucks along the highways, national roads and corridors towards the ports of entry as one of the factors affecting the operational dynamics in the legitimate facilitation of persons and goods.

The following planned responses as contingences were developed:

1. The establishment of the integrated traffic management plan with all transport and traffic authorities in the respective corridors to ease traffic movements;
2. Collaborating with stakeholders in the freight industry regarding the utilisation of truck holding areas and the diversion of trucks to these areas;
3. The utilization of single lane processes towards the weighbridges for some controlled movements; and
4. The deployment of dedicated traffic officers along the routes and corridors by Provincial and Local traffic authorities to ensure compliance and enforcement of traffic laws.

END

Reply:

The Department of Home Affairs’ Access Model has identified 778 mobile service points and the majority of them are in rural areas to service citizens; hence in the next financial year we will be buying additional mobile units to add to the current fleet and expand the footprint to ensure that citizens receive the services in their localities.

Secondly, all offices with BABS have been given tablets to assist citizens with booking and the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) is working on zero rating data requirements for government websites to enable citizens to access BABS on our website for free.

END

Reply:

According to Information Received from Eskom:

a) The total cost associated with the activities needed to support the licence application for long-term operation is projected to amount to an estimated R21 billion.

b) The installation schedule of the specific project to replace the steam generators has moved to coincide with the outage starting in December 2022 for Unit 1 and the outage for Unit 2 starting in October 2023. This change to the installation of the steam generators still aligns with the overall schedule and the milestones associated with the Eskom licence application to operate Koeberg for an additional 20 years. This schedule has not changed.

 

 

Remarks: Approved / Not Approved

Jacky Molisane Pravin Gordhan, MP

Acting Director-General Minister

Date: Date: