Questions & Replies: Question & Replies No 2301 to 2325

2009-12-01

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[PMG note: Replies are inserted as soon as they are provided by the Minister]

QUESTION NO 2356

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 20 NOVEMBER 2009: INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 29-2009

112356. Mr M Mnqasela (DA) to ask Minister of Science and Technology:

1. How many South African scientists (a) returned to the country in response to her department's efforts to encourage them to return and (b) declined to return because of work permit problems for their spouses;

2. whether she will engage with the Minister of Home Affairs to give favourable consideration to work permit applications of spouses of South African scientists wanting to return; if not, why not; if so what are the relevant details' NW3071E

REPLY

1. (a) The Department of Science and Technology is using flagship projects such as the South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChl) to reverse the brain drain by attracting important professionals to the country's research and science systems. The Initiative aims to add research capacity within the higher education system with a target of 60% of the appointed research chairs coming from outside the higher education sector and from abroad in particular. Of the 82 research chairs that have been awarded, 20 are international scientists; of these, less than five are ex South Africans.

(b) In the context of SARChl, no ex-South African, nor his or her spouse, was declined a work permit.

2. Yes, the Minister would be interested in engaging with the Minister of Home Affairs about applications for work permits for South African scientists who have been recruited back into the country, and their spouses, enjoying favourable consideration.

A Human Resource Development (HRD) Council is being established to drive the implementation of the National Human Resource Development Strategy (NHRDS). By virtue of her position, the Minister of Science and Technology is a member of the HRD Council. The Minister would like to use this forum to engage with other ministers on issues regarding attracting South African scientists back to the country.

Applications for work permits and permanents residence received from scientists abroad who have applied for the Research Chairs, indicated in 1 above, have been treated favourably. When the Department of Home Affairs awards work permits, the immediate family of the applicant is considered as well.

QUESTION NO. 2325

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 29 of 2009

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 20 November 2009

Mr M J Ellis (DA) to ask the Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs:

(1) Whether, with reference to her reply to Question 776, the European Union (EU) has accepted South Africa's current export permits; if not, what will be done to rectify the situation: if so, what are the relevant details:

(2) whether South Africa will be able to comply with the EU Catch Document Scheme by 1 January 2010; if not, when will the country comply; if so, what are the relevant details?


2325. THE MINISTER OF WATER AND ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS ANSWERS:

(1) No. An online electronic system is being developed to issue Catch Certificates to the exporter in compliance with the EU Regulations.

(2) Yes. South Africa will be able to comply with the EU Catch Document Scheme by 1 January 2010. by implementing a manual Interim Catch Certification system until the Agreement with the EU in respect of the electronic Catch Document has been signed.

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

WRITTEN REPLY

QUESTION NO: 2323

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 20 November 2009

QUESTION PAPER NO: 29

DATE OF REPLY: 26 November 2009

Mr N J van den Berg (DA) to ask the Minister of Communications:

(a) What has been the average price increase for private post boxes for the past three years and (b) what are the reasons for these increases?

NW3035E

REPLY:

I was informed by SAPO as follows:

(a) and (b): The average price increases for private post boxes for the past three years and the reasons for these increases are as follows:

YEAR	AVERAGE PRICE INCREASE	REASONS FOR INCREASE
2009	· The private post box rate was increased by R21.00 to R270.00 · Percentage increase of 8,4%.	The forecasted CPI for 2009 is 7,2%. The increase of 8,4% was to cater for SAPO's annual increase in their cost for providing this service.
2008	· The private post box rate was increased by R15.00 to R249.00 · Percentage increase of 6,4%.	The average CPI for 2008 was 11,5%. The increase of 6,4% was to cater for SAPO's annual increase in their cost of providing this service. The increase was below CPI by 5,1%.
2007	· The private post box rate was increased by R9.00 to R234.00 · Percentage increase of 4,0%.	The average CPI for 2007 was 7,2%. The increase of 4% was to cater for SAPO's annual increase in their cost of providing this service. The increase was below CPI by 3,2%.

National Assembly

Internal Question

Questions for written reply

Dated 20 November 2009

2322. Dr H C van Schalkwyk (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service Administration:

Whether he has considered encouraging the Public Administration Leadership and Management (PALAMA) to introduce a compulsory courses for all public servants regarding knowledge of the 8 Batho-Pele and the implementation thereof in the public service; if not, why not; if so, what are thee relevant details?

NW3034E

_____________________________________________________________

REPLY:

The Minister for Public Service and Administration has encouraged Palama to introduce capacity building courses for public servants regarding knowledge of the 8 Batho-Pele principles.

The following courses are currently offered by the Academy;

(1) Public Service Induction Programme

This is a compulsory programme offered by PALAMA to entrant public servants since its introduction through the Ministerial directive in 2008. It is offered to all staff below senior management level. The programme explains the 8 Batho-Pele principles within the context of service delivery improvement as opposed to just explaining what each principle means.

(2) Khaedu Action Learning

This training programme is designed for SMS members, as per chapter 5 of the SMS handbook, introducing them not only to Batho-Pele but service delivery challenges experienced by public sector institutions. The aim is to deploy senior managers to these institutions with a view to assisting them to meet their service delivery objectives through responsive interventions.

____________________________

National Assembly

Internal Question

Questions for written reply

2321. Dr H C van Schalkwyk (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

(a) What caused the re-issuing of tenders that lead to the delay of the implementation of e-government and (b) when will the new tender process be completed? NW3033E

_____________________________________________________________________________

REPLY:

We will provide reply as soon as information has been collated.

____________________________________

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

QUESTION 2319

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 29/11/09

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 29-2009)

Dr JC Kloppers- Lourens (DA) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:

(1) Whether she intends implementing a longer school year for learners to resolve the problems in the education system; if not, why not; if so, when;

(2) whether the issue of school management and the many vacant posts for headmasters will be dealt with as a matter of urgency; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW3030E

REPLY:

The Minister does not intend implementing a longer school year. The current 200 day school year is in line with international practice. The Minister's focus is on ensuring that more effective us is made of the days we currently have in a school year. The Quality Learning and Teaching Campaign (QLTC) is aimed at achieving that.

On the issue of management, the Department is taking principals and aspiring principals through an Advanced Certificate in Education in School Leadership, to improve the quality of leadership in schools. Selected candidates receive full bursaries for the course. The department is planning to finance about 1330 principals in the ACE programme in 16 Higher Education institutions across the country.

(2) As at the end of October 2009, the Department of Basic Education recorded 5200 vacant principal posts.

[Source: PERSAL - October 2009]

The filling of such posts is a provincial competency since they are the employer. Provincial Department of Education advertises promotional posts on a regular basis.

It must however be noted that no Principal post remains vacant while the process of recruitment is underway. There is always an acting official who takes up the responsibilities and accountability of the principal position until the post is filled in a permanent capacity.

On the issue of management, the Department is taking principals and aspiring principals through the ACE School Leadership qualification to improve the quality of leadership in schools. Selected candidates receive full bursaries for the course. The department is planning to finance about 1330 principals in the ACE programme in 16 Higher Education institutions across the country.

Following on the Presidential interaction with school principals, the Minister has reconfigured the Council of Education Ministers (CEM) into 3 Clusters to deal effectively with most issue raised by the principals in order for the department to support them better.

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
QUESTION FOR ORAL REPLY
QUESTION NUMBER 2317
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 20 November 2009

Mr P J C Pretorius (DA) to ask the Minister of Finance:

(1) Whether the Land Bank has changed its model of calculating interest on outstanding
loans since 1994; if so, (a) when was the model changed, (b) what are the details of
the changes and (c) why was it regarded necessary for the change;

(2) whether the debtors concerned were informed of the full details and implications of
such changes at the time when the decision was made; if not, why not; if so, how
were they informed;

(3) whether the decision to change the model was taken by the board; if not, who took
the decision; if so, on what date was the decision taken;

(4) whether existing loan agreements were amended upon the introduction of a new
model; if not, why not; if so,

(5) whether (a) such amendments were communicated to all debtors concerned and (b) it
is envisaged that the existing model will be amended further; if not, why not; if so,
what are the relevant details in each case?
REPLY

1. Yes.
(a) The model was changed in 1999 when the Bank changed its banking system.
(b) The change was in the methodology of calculating interest – from nominal annual
compounded annually (NACA) (simple) to nominal annual compounded monthly
NACM (compound).

(c) The new model calculates the interest according to the industry norm (all banks
charge interest on the NACM basis).

2. Yes. The debtors were informed of the change by way of a letter. The interest rates
were reduced at that time to eliminate the impact of the change.

3. No. The decision was taken by the Lank Bank's Interest Rate Committee and signed
off by the Chief Executive Officer in 1999.

4. No. The existing loan agreements were not amended, nor were addendums prepared
for the existing agreements. This was as a result of a lack in administrative controls at
the time – once again a legacy issue.

5. (a) No. There were no amendments.
(b) No. The model complies with the normal market practice and an interest
recalculation model is being used to quantify possible differences where
claims are submitted.

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

WRITTEN REPLY

QUESTION 2316

DATE OF PUBLICATION: FRIDAY 20 NOVEMBER 2009 [IQP No 29 -2009]

FIRST SESSION, FOURTH PARLIAMENT

Question 2316 for Written Reply, National Assembly: P J C Pretorius (DA) to ask the Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries:

(1) Whether the Agricultural Research Council is required by the State to undertake any functions for which it does not receive funding; if so, (a) what functions, (b) what total amounts are involved and (c) why are the functions not funded;

(2) whether the necessary funds will be made available in future in order to render the required services; if not, why not; if so, when will the funds be made available? NW3027E

REPLY:

(1)(a) The Agricultural Research Council (ARC) does not have projects/functions that are required by the State which are not funded, however it has projects/functions that are under-funded.

(b) The under-funded projects/functions may be summarised as follows:

Project	Execution cost R	Allocation R	Shortfall R
Animal Improvement Schemes	29 608 562	3 000 000	26 608 562
National Assets	99 037 347	53 326 000	45 711 347
TOTAL	128 645 909	56 326 000	72 319 909

(c) The Agricultural Research Council is, like any other Government institution, subjected to the availability of financial resources in the Exchequer. The ARC must address their under-funding like any State Government entity, by requesting additional funds in the MTEF.

(2) The under-funding of the ARC will be addressed in the MTEF by the submission of a request to the National Treasury for additional funding.

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

WRITTEN REPLY

QUESTION 2315

DATE OF PUBLICATION: MONDAY 02 NOVEMBER 2009 [IQP No 26 -2009]

FIRST SESSION, FOURTH PARLIAMENT

Question 2315 for Written Reply, National Assembly: Mr. P J C Pretorius (DA) to ask the Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries:

With reference to her reply to question 1486 on 9 November 2009, (a) what was the annual production achieved by (i) Magwa and (ii) Majola tea estates in each of the past five years and (b) who are the shareholders of (i) Magwa and (ii) Majola;

(2)(a) what has been the highest annual production achieved by (i) Magwa and (ii) Majola since their inception, (b) when was it achieved in each case and (c) why are (i) Magwa and (ii) Majola not operating at full potential;

(3)(a) what total amount was spent by the State on (i) Magwa and (ii) Majola in each of the past five financial years and (b) how is this amount made up in each case?

REPLY

Introduction

· Since 2004, the operating company for the Magwa tea estate has been Magwa Enterprise Tea (Pty) Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC).

· The shares in the operating company have been assumed by ECDC as an interim arrangement for facilitating the liquidation of the former insolvent operating company, for reviving the estate and to involve and manage an external tea expert.

· The interim role of ECDC has been fulfilled, but their ownership of the operating company remained, pending a broader sustainable solution supported by Provincial Government.

· Since 2007/2008 the funding of Magwa Enterprise Tea has shifted from Department of Economic Development and Environmental Affairs (DEDEA) to the Eastern Cape Department of Agriculture (ECDoA) via the Eastern Cape Rural Finance Corporation (ECRFC).

· The fiduciary responsibility to properly fund, administer, manage and operate Magwa Enterprise Tea still vests with ECDC, and by implication DEDEA by virtue of its status as shareholder of ECDC.

· The Public Financial Management Act (PFMA) however also requires ECRFC, and therefore by implication the ECDoA to oversee the operations and expenditure of Magwa Enterprise Tea in order to ensure compliance with the general responsibilities of funding via a provincial public entity.

· There are also other Government Department instrumental in the future success of the estate, including the Department of Land Affairs which need to assist in securing land, and unlocking land restitution claims.

· AsgiSA-EC (Pty) Ltd has finalised a 5-year Business Plan and Strategy allowing for high-impact priority programmes to drive and implement their agrarian and rural transformation policies in the Province, with the primary focus on the Mzimvubu Basin area which includes the Magwa and Majola estates.

· The Majola estate is still owned by the workers and community, on similar terms and conditions as what applied to Magwa prior to the insolvency of Magwa Tea (Pty) Ltd during 2003.

1. (a) What was the annual production achieved by Magwa and Majola tea estates in each of the past five years.

Years	Magwa (Kg)	Majola (Kg)
2004	1445765	383383
2005	2010095	304010
2006	2816881	209409
2007	1991535	171765
2008	1641303	130250

· Magwa: Average production for the past five years: 1981115.8kg (1981.12 tons).

· Majola: Average production for the past five years: 179834.4kg (170.8344 tons).

(b) Who are the shareholders of Magwa and Majola?

SHAREHOLDERS
Magwa	Majola
· Total share holding held by the Eastern Cape Development Cooperation (ECDC).	· In Majola Tea Estate the workers are shareholders who have been given the privilege to acquire the assets using the LRAD scheme in 1997. There are about 412 of these shareholders.

2. (a) What has been the highest annual production achieved by Magwa and Majola since their inception and when was it achieved in each case?

	Magwa	Majola
Highest annual production achieved	2816881Kg (2816.881 tons)	701847 Kg (701.847 tons)
Year achieved	2006	1992/93

(b) Why are Magwa and Majola not operating at full potential?

Magwa Tea Estate:

o The Project is not operating at full capacity due to the Provincial Department of Agriculture funding delays and non adherence to adopted business plan. These delays and non-adherences started as from August 2007.

Majola Tea Estate:

o Since September 2003, there has been no fertilizer that has been applied by the estate. Inorganic fertilizers in the form of NPK macro-elements are the most basic forms of plant food especially when it is to be administered in bigger quantities. Our estate needs a minimum of 250 tons of these fertilizers to be applied each season. The price of this input increased in such a way that in September 2003, Majola Tea could no longer afford to apply.

o This increase was matched against constant tea prices that were just dropping in real terms. There has always been a shortage of labour since working for a tea estate at that time was not that attractive.

Critical challenges to the future sustainability of the two tea estates:

· Obtaining clarity on the future role of Provincial Government in the Magwa tea project. This involves deliberations between DEDEA and the ECDoA and in particular if Magwa should remain with ECDC, or whether the project should be transferred to AsgiSA-EC or ECRFC as a project;

· Continued financial support where monies are available when required by the operating companies;

· Alignment to the Department of Agriculture/ASGI-SA/other Departments and key stakeholders;

· The role and structure of the land owners (CPA), and in particular negotiating a lease over the estate;

· National Government supporting the implementation of a rebate system for locally produced tea; and

· Continuity of the current management structure.

The most important challenge for the two tea estates, and for the South African tea industry as a whole, can be summarised as follows:

· Bulk black tea's current cost of production at Magwa Enterprise Tea at approximately R14.00 p/kg.

· The current market price for the purchase of bulk tea fluctuates between R11-00 and R20-00 p/kg, which (according to Magwa Enterprise Tea management) is again sold at between R67-00 and R69-00 p/kg in retail outlets.

· Companies such as Unilever and National Brands buy the tea from Magwa, and blend it with various teas purchased from other countries such as Malawi. Tea can be purchased from Malawi at between R8-00 and R9-00 p/kg due to lower labour costs, and the fact that the tea is imported duty free.

· The purchasers then package, market and distribute the tea and sell it to retail outlets, who add a margin of approximately 27% to the purchase for on sale to consumers.

Critical Issues:

The most challenging problem to overcome at this point in time is the effects of the macro environment in South Africa and globally. These issues consist of;

· High oil prices

· High inputs cost

· High Interest rates

· High Inflation/cost of living in South Africa

· Job losses

· Slowdown in economic growth

3. (a) What total amount was spent by the State on Magwa and Majola in each of the past five financial years?

Magwa Tea Estate:

· Since 2004 and up until 23rd November 2009, the full amount granted by the Provincial Department of Agriculture to the Magwa project is R72 921 581-00, of which Magwa has repaid R7 000 000-00 and with the total due of R65 921 581.00.

Date	Entity	Amount
15 December 2004 to 2006	DOA	R12 500 000
20 May 2005	ECDC	R2 528 000
12 September 2006	DEDEA	R5 000 000
27 September 2006	DEDEA	R3 248 433
23 November 2006	DEDEA	R3 327 000
15 December 2006	DEDEA	R2 582 000
26 January 2007	DEDEA	R3 727 148
28 February 2007	DEDEA	R3 310 000
30 March 2007	DEDEA	R2 400 000
30 April 2007	DEDEA	R2 499 000
2007/2008	ECDoA	R20 000 000
2008/2009	ECDoA	R3 000 000
2009/2010	ECDoA	R8 800 000
Total		R72 921 581

· Total monies advanced to Magwa Enterprise Tea by Provincial Government to date

o The full amount granted by the Provincial Government to the Magwa project is R72 921 581-00.

Majola Tea Estate:

Period	Amount	Source
December 2006	R 125 000-00	EC Dept. of Agriculture
December 2006	R 2 050 000-00	Dept of Land Affairs (National)
March 2007	R 500 000-00	EC Dept. of Agriculture
November 2007	R10 000 000-00	EC Dept. of Agriculture
March 2009	R10 000 000-00	EC Dept. of Agriculture
TOTAL	R22 675 000-00

(b) How is this amount made up in each case?

Magwa Tea Estate:

o The annually allocated funds have been used for wages and fertilizer/chemical purchases. Magwa has an annual turnover dependant on production of R56 Million, with a full production potential R80 Million at present tea prices and Rand to Dollar exchange rate.

Majola Tea Estate:

PERIOD	FUNDS (AMOUNT)	ALLOCATION
Dec. 2006	R 125 000-00	Salaries (Dec. 2006)
Dec. 2006	R 2 050 000-00	Salaries (April – Nov. 2006)
Mar. + Nov '07	R10 500 000-00	· Salaries - R 6 520 000-00 · Improvements + Inputs - R 3 980 000-00
Mar. 2009	R10 000 000-00	· Salaries - R 5 560 000-00 · Improvements + Inputs - R 1 440 000-00 · Balance (Unused) - R 3 000 000-00

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

QUESTION NO 2314

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 20 NOVEMBER

2009: INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 29-2009

"2344. Ms M R Shinn (DA) to ask the Minister of Science and Technology

(a) When will the South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON) be approved as a national research facility and (b) what has been the cause of the delay in processing its application? NW3025E

REPLY:

(a) Designating initiatives as national facilities is an important policy tool that needs to be used by the Minister for Science and Technology to build and strengthen the National System of Innovation. The legislation empowers the Minister to designate facilities as National facilities. The need for a clearer guiding framework in terms of the criteria for designation, the process for designating and the process for un-designating an initiative has been identified as part of the ongoing policy work of the department.

(b) The DST has therefore initiated a process to develop this guiding framework and will be consulting relevant role-players during this process. It is envisaged that this will be concluded by the third quarter of 2010. The designation of SAEON will be considered thereafter on the basis of the guiding framework.

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION NO 2313
DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 2009·11·20:

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 29·2009

"2313. Ms MR Shinn to ask the Minister of Science and Technology:

(a) When will the regulations for the National Research Foundation Act,
Act 23 of 1998, be published, (b) what Is the cause of the delay In
publishing these regulations and (c) what Impact has the lack of
published regulations had on the efficient operation of the National
Research Foundation?"

REPLY:

(a) The previous Minister of Science and Technology, Mr M Mangena, pUblished
regulations regarding the appointment of the President and Chief Executive
Officer in Government Gazette No. 28394, dated 20 January 2006.

(b) There is no need for further regUlations, and hence no delays have been
experienced. Should there be a need for regulations to be published, the
Minister of Science and Technology will act accordingly.
(c) As no additional regulations have been required, the efficient operation of the
National Research Foundation has not been affected

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

QUESTION NO. 2310

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 20 NOVEMBER 2009

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO. 29)

Mr M Waters (DA) to ask the Minister of Health:

Whether any of the provinces had a backlog of people waiting to be initiated into the antiretroviral (ARV) programme (a) on 1 November 2008, (b) on 31 March 2009, (c) on 31 August 2009 and (d) at the latest specified date for which information is available; if so, (i) what was the extent of the backlog on each date, (ii) how many people died before being initiated into the programme and (iii) what were the reasons for the backlogs in each case?

NW3020E

REPLY:

The definition of a waiting list used by the Department of Health is the number of patients with a CD4 count of less than 200 and who have been counseled and tested (pre-ART) and are awaiting initiation on ARVs. The following information was obtained from our Provincial Departments of Health:

EASTERN CAPE

There was no backlog of people waiting to be initiated into the Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) programme on any of the above mentioned dates because the Eastern Cape had sufficient budget for the provision of the HIV&AIDS Comprehensive Care and Management Programme (CCMT) in the financial year 2008/09.

(i) Not applicable

(ii) The nature of the data collection tool does not identify whether deaths occurred before initiation or after initiation but collects all deaths without specifying the stage at which the client was on the programme. The total number of deaths in the Eastern Cape on the ART programme was as follows:

· 01 November 2008 = 669

· 31 March 2009 = 710

· 01 August 2009 = 796

FREE STATE

(a) 31^st December 2008 = 5520

(b) 31^st March 2009 = 1795

(c) 30^th September 2009 = 980

(i) Not applicable

(ii) The Province does not collect the information at present.

(iii) Each site has its own reasons for its' own backlog, generally the reasons are as follows:

1. High vacancy rate for doctors, doctors are important for baseline assessment of clients and initiating clients on ARV's after the Drug Readiness Training.

2. Shortage of Volunteers who are to conduct Drug Readiness Training for clients qualifying for ARV's.

3. The workload of sites for all the team members, initially the ratio was 2 professional nurses to 500 clients but now the ratio has increased to almost 2 professional nurses to 2000 clients, and this increase affects other team members as well.

GAUTENG

Dates	No of people put on ARVs	No. of people waiting to be initiated into ARVs	No. of people died before being initiated on ARVs	Reasons for the backlog
1st Nov. 2008	6434	0	26	307 were still on preparation phase
31st March 2009	7882	0	60	No backlog 934 more people were put on ARV
31st August 2009	6318	0	53	No ART health facilities backlog has been reported. NB: The numbers of people who have been assessed for ART were 13172 as at 31 August 2009, but not yet eligible for treatment because of the high CD4 count. Some of the people with low CD4 count have opportunistic infections e.g. TB and these need to be treated before being given ARVs
30th Sept. 2009	7381	0	52	As above

KWAZULU/NATAL

Patient Waiting List

(a) 01 November 2008 = 2293

(b) 31 March 2009 = 1078

(c) 31 August 2009 = 2315

(d) 30 October 2009 = 0

(i) The extent of the backlog is as reflected above. The waiting list changes daily as patients are initiated on treatment.

(ii) At the end of September there were 136 patients known to have died whilst waiting for treatment.

(iii) There are a number of reasons for the backlog

· High demand for the ART as KZN has the highest prevalence of HIV and AIDS.

· Staff shortages mainly for nurses. Pharmacists, doctors, social workers, dieticians and data capturers

· Inability to recruit staff especially for doctors and pharmacists and this is worse in rural areas.

· High staff attrition as professionals resign from the public sector to seek better job opportunities elsewhere.

· Severe space constraints in waiting areas, consultation rooms and pharmacy.

· Budget constraints.

LIMPOPO

(a) There was no ART waiting list, all eligible patients are initiated as soon as they are ready to be on life long treatment;

(b) Not applicable;

(c) Not applicable;

(d) (i) No backlog as at 01 November 2008, 31st March 2009, 31st August 2009 and September 2009 for patients who are eligible and ready to be on treatment.

(ii) - April 2008 - 31 March 2009 (annual figure 2008/9) 534 Patients died before initiation of ART;

- April- June 2009 (Quarter 1) 122 Patients died before initiation of ART;

- July -September 2009 (Quarter 2)189 Patients died before initiation of ART

(iii) The Province had no backlogs, however patients died due to following reasons:

- Immune status collapse with Opportunistic infections and multiple organ failure;

- HIV co-morbidity mainly TB that has to be managed before initiating ART;

- Clients refusing treatment; and

- Clients Seek treatment/ help late

NORTHERN CAPE

Dates	Number of patients who had completed drug readiness	Died during readiness assessment at Treatment site	REASONS
1 Nov 2008	282	12	Late presentation and loss to follow-up
31 March 2009	262	7	Loss to follow up and late presentation
31 August 2009	194	5	Late presentation
Latest figures (31 October 2009)	181	4	Late presentation

WESTERN CAPE

There is no waiting list for ART people in the Province. Once a person is diagnosed HIV positive, a CD 4 count is done, then referred for care and if the CD4 warrants that that person be commenced on the ART, the person is then put on the ART after running all the necessary tests that might take between 2 to 6 weeks .

There is no evidence or figures showing that patients died awaiting ART. Those that did not access the ART had other reasons, we are not sure what they are, other than health related issues.

Furthermore, there is no evidence that could lead us to believe that the economic recession has had any impact on HIV -positive persons accessing ART.

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

QUESTION NO 2309

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 20 NOVEMBER 2009

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 29)

2309. Mrs A T Lovemore (DA) to ask the Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs:

(1) Whether she has been informed of any functionality problems at the Alicedale sewage treatment plant in the Makana Municipality; if so, (a) how will the problems be dealt with and (b) when;

(2) Whether the Bushmans River into which the sewage plant discharges its outflow is regularly tested to assess the effect of the plant discharge on the river; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(3) Whether this sewage plant is included in the Green Drop report; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY:

(1)(a) Yes, My Department's Regional Office: Eastern Cape has been informed of the functionality problems at the Alicedale Sewage Treatment Plant in the Makana Municipality.

The plant services the Alicedale community and the nearby Bushman Sands Hotel.

At a meeting with the municipality My Department learned that the plant in question is operating beyond its design capacity. This is attributed to the connection of new houses, Bushman Sans Hotel, conversion of the bucket system to water borne sewage and the connection of French drains previously used in the area.

It was acknowledged that the long term solution to the problem would be to upgrade the plant subject to sourcing of funding and environmental authorisation. In the interim, the following measures were considered:

· Use of the effluent for irrigating of the Bushman Sands Hotel golf course as an alternative to abstracting water from the nearby river; and

· Diverting of the sewage from Bushman Sands Hotel by transporting it to the Grahamstown (Belmont Valley) Sewage Treatment Plant.

In addition, the municipality would conduct community awareness on the proper usage of waterborne sanitation facilities.

(1)(b) The municipality has applied for the upgrading of the facility and a permission to commence with the Environmental Impact Assessment process was granted on 8 July 2009.

(2) Yes, My Department conducts routine monitoring of the river and the monitoring programme which includes taking samples from downstream and upstream of the New Year's River. However the upstream point is dry since July due to the current drought.

Table 1 below reflects the latest results from the monitoring programme:

Table 1: Monitoring Results

Parameters	Location of monitoring point with reference to sewage works	July 2009	Aug 2009	Alicedale WwTW final pond – July 2009	Alicedale WwTW final pond – August 2009
Ortho phosphate (as P) in mg/L	Upstream	No flow	No flow	7.25	5.56
	Downstream	6.79	0.022
E. Coli (per 100 mL)	Upstream	No flow	No flow	1 030	9 000
	Downstream	1 080	36
Feacal Coliform	Upstream	No flow	No flow	930	18 400
	Downstream	800	40
Nitrates / Nitrites	Upstream	No flow	No flow	0.74	0.79
	Downstream	2.54	0.8
Suspended Solids	Upstream	No flow	No flow	-	78
	Downstream	-	86
COD	Upstream	No flow	No flow	117	164
	Downstream	110	207
Ammonia	Upstream	No flow	No flow	27.6	27.4
	Downstream	25.7	0.92
Electrical Conductivity	Upstream	No flow	No flow	161	158
	Downstream	160	197
Oxygen Absorbed	Upstream	No flow	No flow	-	10
	Downstream	-	25
pH	Upstream	No flow	No flow	7.5	8.3
	Downstream	7.4	8.6

(3) Yes, the plant was included in the Green Drop Report and the average Green Drop Score attained as indicated in the report is 7%. Table 2 below reflects the Green Drop Score details:

Table 2: Green Drop Report Card

Criteria	Alicedale
Process Control, Maintenance & Management Skill	G
Monitoring Programme Efficiency	G
Credibility of Waste Water Sample Analysis	B
Regular Submission of Waste Water Quality Results to DWAF	G
Waste Water Quality Compliance	G
Waste Water Failures Response Management	G
Waste Water Treatment Works Capacity	G
Green Drop Score	7%

QUESTION NO 2308

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 20 NOVEMBER 2009

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 29)

2308. Mrs A T Lovemore (DA) to ask the Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs:

(1) (a) What measures were put in place to prevent the R18 million made available by her department to the Sunday River Valley Municipality for water supply in Paterson from being utilised for operational expenses and (b) what action will she take against the municipality for utilising R10.3 million of this fund for operational expenses;

(2) whether the R10.3 million will be recovered from the accounting officer in his personal capacity; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(3) (a) who will accept the responsibility for payment to the contract for work that has been completed towards the implementation of the Paterson water supply system and (b) what action will be taken to ensure that the construction of the Paterson water supply system can be completed? NW3016E

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REPLY:

(1) (a) An agreement was signed between My Department and the Sunday's River Municipality as a Water Services Authority with details of the purpose of the funds and the manner in which they must be spent.

(1) (b) An audit of the funds is being undertaken by My Department to determine how the funds were utilized and for what purpose. Appropriate action will be taken on the basis of the results of the audit.

(2) The Municipal Manager has since left the Municipality. My Department is currently engaging the municipality with the intention to recover the unaccounted for funds. At a meeting held recently, the Municipality committed to repay the funds.

(3) (a) The Sundays River Valley Municipality is expected to pay for work already completed within the project.

(3) (b) Currently interacting with the Municipality to facilitate the transfer of the contract to My Department to ensure the continuation of the project.

QUESTION NO 2307

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 20 NOVEMBER 2009

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 29)

2307. Mrs A T Lovemore (DA) to ask the Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs:

(1) Whether she has been informed of any functionality problems at the Somerset East sewage treatment plant in the Blue Crane Route Municipality; if so, (a) how will the problems be dealt with and (b) when;

(2) whether the Little Fish River into which the sewage plant discharges its outflow is regularly tested to assess its effect on the river; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(3) whether this sewage plant is included in the Green Drop report; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW3015E

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REPLY:

(1)(a) Yes, My Department's Regional Office: Eastern Cape was informed of the functionality problems at the Blue Crane Route Municipality as follows:

· On 14 September 2009, a community member advised My Department that a manhole below the hospital in Somerset East was overflowing into the Little Fish River.

A follow-up inspection on 15 September 2009 to confirm whether the matter has been rectified and to ascertain the effectiveness of measures put in place. A number of concerns were highlighted during the inspection, and samples were subsequently taken for analysis.

The results indicated high levels of E. coli and Ammonia which are indicative of raw sewage. A written notice which gave the municipality 14 days to rectify the identified problems was issued on 25 September 2009.

· On 30 September 2009, a sewage spillage complaint below the bone factory in Somerset East was lodged by My Department.

My Department conducted an inspection on 7 October 2009. Such inspection included a follow up on the previous complaint. A meeting was subsequently held with Municipality to discuss the findings, causes, challenges as well as the support that might be required.

The analysis of the results of samples taken indicated escalated amounts of E. coli, Ammonia and Chemical Oxygen Demand, which are all indicators of sewage contamination. A written notice was issued to the Municipality on 30 October 2009 for the highlighted concerns to be addressed. Subsequent analysis conducted on 29 October 2009 indicated a drop in the levels of the above parameters.

-2-

(1)(b) Falls away

(2) Yes, My Department conducts monthly monitoring of the river. The water quality results have shown deterioration between the period of September and October 2009 due to blocked manhole spillage.

Table 1 below reflects the latest results from the monitoring programme:

Table 1: Monitoring Results

Parameters	Location of monitoring point with reference to sewage works	15 September 2009 (Skone Uitsig)	7 October 2009 (Skone Uitsig)	29 October 2009 (Skone Uitsig)	SSE WwTW final pond – 15 September 2009	SSE WwTW final pond – 7 October 2009	SSE WwTW final pond – 29 October 2009
Ortho phosphate	Upstream	No flow	No flow	No flow	12.7	10.5	12.4
	Downstream	0.282	2.25	1.08	--------------	--------------	--------------
E. Coli (per 100 mL)	Upstream	No flow	No flow	No flow	11 800	12 000	930
	Downstream	12	70	196	--------------	--------------	--------------
Feacal Coliform	Upstream	No flow	No flow	No flow	19 000	17 000	1150
	Downstream	12	86	264	--------------	--------------	--------------
Nitrates / Nitrites	Upstream	No flow	No flow	No flow	1.18	1.59	0.49
	Downstream	1.22	0.85	1.18	--------------	--------------	--------------
Suspended Solids	Upstream	No flow	No flow	No flow	155	178	-
	Downstream	9	20	-	--------------	--------------	--------------
COD	Upstream	No flow	No flow	No flow	252	228	84
	Downstream	19	36	19	--------------	--------------	--------------
Ammonia	Upstream	No flow	No flow	No flow	71.7	62.8	56.8
	Downstream	0.079	7.55	3.17	--------------	--------------	--------------
Electrical Conductivity	Upstream	No flow	No flow	No flow	187	159	167
	Downstream	153	131	146	--------------	--------------	--------------
Sulphate	Upstream	No flow	No flow	No flow	57	-	-
	Downstream	51.1	-	-	--------------	--------------	--------------
Oxygen Absorbed	Upstream	No flow	No flow	No flow	27	11	12
	Downstream	2	2	3	--------------	--------------	--------------
pH	Upstream	No flow	No flow	No flow	7.8	8.3	8
	Downstream	7.8	7.6	7.9	--------------	--------------	--------------

(3) No, the plant is not part of the Green Drop report as the municipality did not comply with the requirements of the Green Drop Certification Programme during assessments and audits.

QUESTION NO 2305

(Internal Question Paper No 29 - 2009)

Mr A P van der Westhuizen (DA) to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

Whether his department has taken any steps to ensure that the original allocation and the extra allocation of R288 million for the 2009-10 financial year will be spent on municipal infrastructure only and not on running costs; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW3011E

Answer

Yes. The department has the following monitoring systems in place to ensure that the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) funds allocated to municipalities are spent for the intended purpose:

Project Registration

Municipalities are required to register the projects that will be implemented utilizing the MIG allocation. Projects are registered on the MIS system and are evaluated to ensure that they meet the MIG conditions.

Division of Revenue Act (DORA) Expenditure Report

The municipalities are required to submit monthly DORA expenditure reports. The expenditure of municipalities is monitored on a monthly basis and where a municipality is under-spending the funds for the following month will be withheld.

Project List

On the monthly project list municipalities are required to report on expenditure against each project that is implemented utilizing the MIG allocation.

Furthermore the monitoring role of the provinces will be strengthened to provide random site visits to the projects that are being implemented. The Department is also in a process of finalizing the partnership with the Special Investigation Unit (SIU). The SIU will assist the department in strengthening the monitoring systems by site visits and verification of expenditure against the implemented projects.

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
QUESTION FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION NUMBER 2304
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 20 NOVEMBER 2009

Mr A P van der Westhuizen (DA) to ask the Minister of Finance:

What figures regarding poor households are used by his department when allocating
the equitable share to municipalities?

REPLY:

The figures that are used regarding poor households in the local government equitable share
formula when determining allocations to individual municipalities is based on households
earning less than R800 per month in terms of the 2001 Census.

The 2001 Census is the latest official information available which provides credible results on
a municipal level.

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

QUESTION NO. 2303

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 20 NOVEMBER 2009

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO. 29)

Mr M Waters (DA) to ask the Minister of Health:

Whether any costing has been conducted with regard to the cost implications of alcohol abuse on health care services; if not, (a) why not and (b) when will such a study be conducted; if so, what are the (i) costs and (ii) recommendations of the study?

NW2993E

REPLY:

No.

(a) No research institution has yet done that.

(b) It is among many of the areas we wish to research. The main constraint is the availability of funds. The Medical Research Council in collaboration with Soul City has initiated such a study to determine the cost of alcohol to South Africa.

THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN REPLY

2302. Ms C M P Kotsi (Cope) to ask the Minister of Trade and Industry:

Whether anything has materialised up to now from the projection that the Coega Development Corporation (CDC) will create 15 000 jobs between August 2007 and July 2010; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details for each year?NW2921E

Reply

As per the projections made by the Coega Development Corporation(CDC) to create 15000 jobs between August 2007 and July 2010, so far the CDC has managed to create over 22 000 jobs (August 2007 to date) of which 20 000 were from construction projects and the remainder from the permanent jobs (direct and indirect jobs).

The following serves as the detailed breakdown:

2007/2008= 8 804 jobs

2008/2009= 7 247 jobs

2009/2010= 6 085 jobs

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
QUESTION FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION NUMBER: 2301
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 20 NOVEMBER 2009

Mr L Ramatlakane (Cope) to ask the Minister of Finance:

(1) Whether he has reviewed his department's performance with regard to the Public
Service Commission report on the noncompliance with the Public Service regulation
that compels Senior Management Service (SMS) to declare all interests yearly; if not,
why not; if so, (a) how many did not declare their interest and (b) what are the (i)
names and (ii) ranks of the noncompliant members of the SMS;

(2) whether senior managers who failed to declare have been charged with misconduct; if
not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(3) whether he has found that where senior managers failed to declare their interested it
was as a result of hiding any conflicting business interest with any department; if so,
what are the relevant details;

(4) whether any investigation will be undertaken in order to root out corruption in his
department; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY:

1. Yes, the Department has put measures in place to ensure that Senior Managers declare
their interests.
(a) For this financial year, one (1) employee has not submitted a declaration of
interest as she is currently studying abroad.
(b) Not applicable

2. No, as the employee is studying abroad.

3. No.

4. No corruption has been reported, however, should there be any cases reported an
investigation will be conducted.