Questions & Replies: Questions & Replies No 1301 to 1325
2010-05-11
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[PMG note: Replies are inserted as soon as they are provided by the Minister]
QUESTION NO 1301
DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 26 APRIL 2010
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 11- 2010)
Date reply submitted : 18 May 2010
1301 Mr M J Ellis (DA) to ask the Minister of Police:
(1) Whether a one-way mirror will be installed at the Pinetown police station for identity parades; if not, why not; if so, when;
(2) how are identity parades currently conducted at the Pinetown police station in the absence of a one-way mirror;
(3) whether he has been informed that members of the Pinetown community policing forum are committed to raising the money for such a mirror themselves, provided its installation is authorised; if so, what has been his response to their offer; if not,
(4) whether he will take steps to obtain the information on the offer of the local community policing forum; if not, why not; if so, when?
NW1462E
REPLY:
(1) The item does not form part of planning for the current financial year.
(2) SAPS Pinetown makes use of facilities at SAPS Brighton Beach and SAPS Durban Central.
(3) The Pinetown Community Policing Forum has indicated their willingness to raise money to install such facilities at SAPS Pinetown. A written proposal by the CPF on the scope of work including the costing has to be submitted to the Provincial Head: Supply Chain Management, who will in turn forward it to the Department of Public Works for approval.
(4) The due processes can commence once the Pinetown Community Policing Forum submits their written proposal.
QUESTION NO 1302
DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 26 APRIL 2010: INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO. 11 - 2010
"Dr A Lotriet (DA) to ask the Minister of Arts and Culture:
Whether the final report on the demand and supply of skills in library, regarding (a) information services, (b) archival services and (c) records management has been completed; if not, when will it be completed; if so when (i) was it completed and (ii) will it be made available?'
NW1463E
REPLY:
My Department appointed the consortium EE Research Focus (Pty) Ltd and Content at Work in 2009 to do an investigation into the provisioning of education and training by South African institutions of higher learning and tertiary education, and the relevance of the programmes offered for the needs of the library and information sectors (including librarians, archivists, records managers and related information specialists). Libraries and archives face critical challenges in South Africa, such as inadequate infrastructure, inconsistent levels of service, and a lack of trained staff. These problems have already been identified by government and are currently being addressed by the community libraries conditional grant. In the implementation of the grant it became apparent that the country is facing an acute shortage of trained librarians, and this insight prompted my Department to commission the investigation for the three sectors, since they all face similar problems.
My Department will decide on the implementation of the recommendations made in the report in consultation with relevant stakeholders.
Whether the final report on the demand and supply of skills in library, regarding (a) information services, (b) archival services and (c) records management has been completed-
Yes, the final report, entitled: "The demand for and supply of skills in library and information services, archival services and records management", has been completed.
When was it completed?
The final report was completed and submitted to my Department on 15 March 2010.
Will it be made available?
Yes, the final report will be made available. The report will be published on the Department's web site and stakeholders will be informed of the web address. This process should be concluded by the end of May 2010.
QUESTION NO 1303
DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 26 APRIL 2010
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 11- 2010)
Date reply submitted : 18 May 2010
1303 Ms D Kohler-Barnard (DA) to ask the Minister of Police:
(a) On whose instruction was the section under the heading: Acts of Violence against the Farming Community removed from the annual report of the SA Police Service and (b) what were the reasons for its removal?
NW1532E
REPLY:
(a) According to the SAPS annual report 2008/2009, page 69, 794 farm attacks occurred during which 86 murders (out of a total of 18148 murders) were committed. Repeated analysis between 1998/1999 and 2006/2007 indicated that at least 90% of "farm attacks" and resultant "farm murders" are related to robberies on farms and smallholdings.
(b) As a result of the above, a decision was taken that the heading "acts of violence against the farming community" will form part of the overall category: "house robberies and murders".
QUESTION NUMBER 1304
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 26 APRIL 20101304 Mr M G Oriani-Ambrosini (IFP) to ask the Minister of Finance:
Whether he or the National Treasury has a policy position relating to (a) the so-called wealth tax or (b) the establishment of a (i) civil society commission to review and assess the entire tax system and/or (ii) a tax ombudsman; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details in each case? NW1533E
REPLY
(a) It is not clear what the Honorable member means by "the so-called wealth tax". The current tax policy is contemplated in the 2010 Budget Review, which indicates that the key national tax on individuals in South Africa is the personal income tax including capital gains tax. Whilst we do not have any explicit wealth tax, we do tax wealth via the estate duty. Furthermore, at a local level, one component of wealth is also taxed through municipal property rates.
(b) (i) The last civil society Commission to assess the entire tax system was the Katz Commission, which commenced its work in 1994 and concluded it in 1999. There is no basis to review the entire tax system at this stage. However, we do assess specific taxes on an ongoing basis, as we do with regard to taxes on the environment, financial instruments, alcohol, estate duty and gambling.
(ii) The establishment of a tax ombud is under review. However, SARS and the Minister of Finance established the Service Monitoring Office (SMO) in 2002 in order to assist taxpayers when they believe that SARS has treated them unfairly and failed to adhere to its service charter.
The SMO is independent from the branch offices and exists to fast track and follow up on complaints and procedural matters that cannot be resolved at a branch office level. Furthermore, section 182 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, and the Public Protector Act, 1994, provide that the Public Protector has the power to investigate the conduct of any public entity, either on his/her own initiative or on the basis of a complaint.
QUESTION NUMBER 1306
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 26 APRIL 2010
Mr M G Oriani-Ambrosini (IFP) to ask the Minister of Finance:
(1)When was the last time that the Government had no national debt;
(2)whether he has plans on how to repay the R1.3 trillion worth of debt which will be the
debt amount outstanding by 2013 according to his fiscal policy framework; if not, why not; if so, what plans;
(3)whether the Government will be able to repay this debt during the lifetime of the present
generation; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?
NW1535E
REPLY
(1)We cannot verify when South Africa had no national debt. We have probably had
national debt since the Union of South Africa, but are unable to confirm as we do not have historical records at National Treasury.
(2)It will not be possible to reduce government debt by 2013. As shown in the 2010 Budget
Review a marginal decline in non-interest expenditure, combined with rising budget revenue will lead to a narrowing of the primary budget deficit over the medium term. As a result, our forecast is for debt to rise to 44 percent of the GDP in 2015/2016, after which it will begin to decline gradually.
(3)The South African Government has a clearly articulated and accepted fiscal policy and
strategy. To avoid penalising future generations with a debt burden, government will manage the public finances along a trajectory that will return the fiscus to a sustainable position. It must be borne in mind that a sustainable part of the debt is used to finance infrastructure (e.g. electricity generation, dams and roads) that will last beyond the current generation.
QUESTION 1307
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 11/04/2010
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 11-2010)
Mr P F Smith (IFP) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) What is the average number of hours spent on teacher-student contact instruction per year, in light of the international average of 1000 hours;
(2) whether this has been found to be sufficient; if not, (a) why not and (b) what steps are being taken to improve the matter; if so, on what were her findings based? NW1537E
Reply
(1). The average teacher-learner contact time is 26.1 hours per week. There are 42 weeks in the school calendar hence the average number of hours spent on teacher- per year is 1097.25 hours. On average, South African schools spend learner contact instruction 97.25 hours more compared to the international average of 1000 hours.
(2) The Department is concerned about the quality of teaching during teacher student contact instruction process based on the competence skills that learners acquire. In this regard, the Department has planned to improve the quality teaching through integrated number of interventions which is based on teacher development activities praision of appreciation learning and teaching Support Materials.
QUESTION NO.:1308
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 23 April 2010
1308 Mr P F Smith (IFP) to ask the Minister of Public Enterprises:
Whether her department has taken a decision on the future of the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) project as a result of its funding crisis; if not, (a) why not and (b) when will such a decision be taken; if so, what decision? NW1538E
REPLY
A decision on the future of PBMR has not been made yet. An Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) has been established to review and assess the restructuring of PBMR and to consider the implications of the proposed restructuring. Once the IMC has completed its assessment, a proposal will be submitted to Cabinet for final approval and implementation.
A final decision on the future of PBMR is expected by the end of 2010 and PBMR is currently in the process of rationalising its operations to manage its finances within its current financial resources in the absence of any further funding from Government and other investors. Government remains cognisant of the need to retain valuable nuclear skills and intellectual property developed by the company.
QUESTION: NO 1309
(Internal Question Paper No 11 – 2010)
Mr N Singh (IFP) to ask the Minister of Sport and Recreation:
1) Whether he plans to utilise the services of Members of Parliament to act as ambassadors at different venues around the country during the 2010 FIFA World Cup Soccer tournament? If not, why not? If so, what are the relevant details?
2) Whether he will make a statement on the matter?
NW1539E
RESPONSE:
1) No.
2) The Department of Sport and Recreation SA supported the 2010 FIFA World Cup Local Organising Committee (LOC) to recruit, train and deploy South Africans as volunteers. Moreover, the notion of deployment of members of Parliament by the Executive Authority, may be challenged as being unconstitutional.
QUESTION FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION NO 1310
Ms S P Lebenya-Ntanzi (IFP) to ask the Minister of Trade and Industry:
Whether his department has embarked on a process of informing and preparing businesses for the introduction of the new Companies Act, Act 71 of 2008; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW1540E
Response:
Yes, the department has embarked on education and awareness-raising and capacity building campaigns.
Campaigns under the new Companies Act ("the Act") have been rolled out and are continuing throughout the country in all provinces. So far more than 3,800 people have been reached through 38 workshops that were conducted over the last financial year. Out of this number about 900 SMME's, some of whom are affiliates to the Chambers of Commerce and other business formations were reached.
These campaigns will be enhanced to make use of radio, television, print and electronic media, which has to date, reached more than 22 million people.
Question 1311
Ms S P Lebenya-Ntanzi (IFP) to ask the Minister of Trade and Industry:
(a) What is the repayment record of small, medium and micro enterprises with regard to money that was lent to them via his department and (b) how much of this funding has been written off as non-recoverable?Nw1541E
Response from National Empowerment Fund (NEF):
(a) The preliminary year end repayment records for the NEF demonstrate that on average the repayment record for the black empowered SME entities that it advances loan funding to have achieved a repayment record of 74% of the instalments raised over the last financial year (31 March 2010).
(b) The preliminary year end results for the NEF indicate that between 5.5% and 8% of loan funding advanced will be written off for the last financial year (ended on 31 March 2010).
Response from South African Micro-Finance Apex Fund (SAMAF):
(a) 66% loan recovery rate, we recover 66 cents for every R1 lent to Financial Institutions.
(b) Loan losses written off R6.4m which is 17% of the loan book.
Response from Khula:
(a) Khula is able to get a sense of the repayment levels of SMEs by the amount of repayment levels of its partners since Khula does not directly fund SMEs. As a wholesaler; Khula interfaces with intermediaries that directly finance SMEs. Khula assumes that its business partners and clients are able to pay back monies owed to Khula when SMEs they deal with directly are able to pay them back. Below is Khula's average repayment level by its clients & partners in the last seven years.
| Fin Year | 2003/04 | 2004/05 | 2005/06 | 2006/07 | 2007/08 | 2008/09 | 2009/10 |
| Khula's clients' repayment levels | 80% | 94% | 98% | 90% | 90% | 83% | 74% |
(b) In the same period, the total amount of money that was written off by Khula is R220, 6m. This represents 13, 1 % of what has been disbursed. In the same period, the average provision for bad debts is 16,6%.
Response from the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC):
(a) The repayment record for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in IDC's portfolio is lower than that of larger enterprises. Of IDC's overall arrears, 69% are related to clients with less than R50 million turnover. Currently, more than 80% of businesses where restructuring is being explored are SME related.
(b) Over the financial year to 31 March 2010, IDC had written off capital of R90 million. The bulk of this was in franchising businesses which were hard hit by reduced consumer spending. All of these businesses are small enterprises. IDC's policy is to only write off exposures when all avenues of restructuring have been explored, the business has ceased operations and there is very little probability to recover its capital.
QUESTION FOR WRITTEN REPLY
1312. Ms S P Lebenya-Ntazi (IFP') to ask the Minister of Trade and Industry:
What was the average cost for each flew sustainable job that was created by the private sector in the past five years across various sectors compared to the average cost of creating jobs, with Government funding provided, in the same sectors?NW1542E
Response:
The vast majority of jobs in the economy are created through private investment. Probably the most important measure of the cost of creating a job is the average investment required per sector per job created. The Department of Trade and Industry has a programme called the Enterprise Investment Programme (EIP) which provides a grant for manufacturing and tourism enterprise that help cover some of their investment costs, to a maximum of 30% of qualifying plant and equipment.
Table 1 provides the average fixed investment per existinq job in the main manufacturing sectors which the EIP has supported over the last five years, in general.
Table 1: Average investment per job in selected manufacturing sectors: 2005-2009
| Sector | Average cost per job in the economy. ( Rands) |
| Rubber products | R 153 295 |
| Basic iron and steel | R 159 035 |
| Non-ferrous metals | R 94 484 |
| Beverages | R 174 927 |
| Motor vehicle and accessories | R 96 747 |
| Footwear | R 80 159 |
| Basic chemicals | R 277 110 |
| Other chemical products | R 257 585 |
Table 2 provides the average fixed investment per job created by the private sector for those companies, per sector, that applied for and received qovernment support from tile EIP.
Table 2: Average cost per job with government funding: July 2008 till March 2010 (Enterprise Investment Programme)
| Sector | Average cost per job in the economy. ( Rand) |
| Rubber products | R 132 049 |
| Basic iron and steel | R 267 988 |
| Non-ferrous metals | R 157 385 |
| Beverages | R 122 037 |
| Motor Vehicle and accessories | R 27 814 |
| Footwear | R 198 477 |
| Basic chemicals | R 51 863 |
| Other chemical products | R 22 359 |
It should be noted that a direct comparison between Tables 1 and 2 should be treated with caution. Table 1 does not show the average fixed investment per job recently 'created' in the private sector over the last five years, but rather the average fixed investment per existing job. Table 2 on the other hand provides data on the cost of jobs created based upon the number of companies that applied for and received support from tile EIP.
QUESTION NUMBER 1313 [NW1543E]
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 26 APRIL 2010
Mrs P de Lille (ID) to ask the Minister of Finance:
Whether any government departments employ the services of private companies to recalculate value added tax (VAT) payments made by these departments in order to get VAT refunds from the SA Revenue Service (SARS); if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, (a) which companies, (b) how much was each company paid by the relevant government departments and (c) what percentage of the claim did they receive from each department?
NW1543E
REPLY:
Any taxpaying entity has the right to obtain from a practitioner of choice assistance with accounting systems, including tax matters. Government departments enjoy the same right.
SARS is aware of a practice whereby some practitioners approach government departments, in particular municipalities, to recalculate their VAT returns for remuneration or a percentage of returns paid by SARS. The organisation however, is not in a position to divulge information regarding specific taxpayers.
SARS conducts refund audits based on risk as a matter of course and issues a revised assessment to a taxpayer where applicable. The organisation has reversed inaccurate VAT refund payments based on the inaccurate recalculation of VAT by service providers.
SARS is monitoring this practice as well as practitioners that offer such services, and will respond if inappropriate activity is suspected.
SARS' compliance strategy furthermore provides for engagement with taxpayer communities and with the practitioners in order to improve services to them as well as their knowledge about tax obligations.
QUESTION NUMBER: 1314
DATE FOR PUBLICATION: 26 APRIL 2010
DATE REPLY SUBMITTED: 13 MAY 2010
MR J J McGlulwa (ID) TO ASK THE MINISTER IN THE PRESIDENCY: PERFORMANCE MONITORING AND EVALUATION AS WELL AS ADMINISTRATION:
Whether he will make the Presidential hotline more accessible to those who do not have landlines; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
NW1544E
REPLY:
The Presidential Hotline was set up to give access to all members of the public; hence it has been positioned to be a toll free line and based on that the Hotline should be accessible from any telephone devise in use. It is also accessible by cellphones.
Question NO:1315 ( NW1545E )
1315 Mr J J McGluwa (ID) to ask the Minister of Labour:
(a) How many disputes with the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) arose in the past 12 months, (b) what are the relevant details of each of these cases and (c) which of these cases have been resolved? NW1545E
Minister of Labour replied:
1) In the past 12 months no disputes have arisen with NEDLAC.
2) Not applicable.
3) Not applicable.
QUESTION 1316
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 11/04/2010
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 11-2010)
Mr N J J van R Koornhof (Cope) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) (a) How many teachers are expected to take part in Census 2011 and (b) for what period;
(2) whether she foresees any disruption of teaching during that time; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details? NW1546E
REPLY:
(1) No information is currently available of how many teachers are expected to take part in Census 2011.
(2) The Minister does not forsee any disruption of teaching time during this period since the process is managed according to Chapter 7 of the Employment of Educators Act, section 33(1)(b) which indicates that no educator shall without the permission of the employer perform or undertake remunerative work outside the educator's official duty or work.
Therefore the educator would have to apply for permission through his line manager (the Principal) who will make a recommendation to the authorizing authority in the relevant Province.
Question 1319
Ms C M P Kotsi (Cope) to ask the Minister of Trade and Industry:
(1) Whether his department has implemented any strategies with regard to creating an environment for small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) and enhancing the competitiveness of the local and provincial economies to achieve growth and job creation in the Northern Cape; if not, why not; if so, what areas were targeted;
(2) Whether the agricultural industry has been involved in this regard; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW1549E
Response:
(1) As part of our mandate to create an enabling environment for small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs), the dti released in 1995 an Integrated Strategy on the Promotion of Entrepreneurship and Small Enterprises in South Africa. Central to the strategic actions is the broadening of support programme and the streamlining of institutional support. To this end, the Small Enterprise Development Agency was established to provide support to SMMEs across the country. Seda provides non-financial enterprise development and support services through its network of outlets. These include the following services, which are related to basic issues regarding starting or running a business, as well as more complex and specialized business development needs:
To perform these functions, Seda has established the following five (5) branches in the Northern Cape:
- Seda Frances Baard- Kimberly
- Seda Kgalagadi- Kuruman
- Seda Namakwa- Springbok
- Seda Pixley Kaseme- De Aar
- Seda Siyanda- Upington
This network of offices is further supported by other dti agencies such the South African Micro Finance Apex Fund (SAMAF) and Khula Enterprise Finance Limited in the areas of access to finance. Inaddition to this, the dti has developed LED strategies for the 4 district municipalities in the Northern Cape namely, Namakwa, Pixley Ka Seeme, John Taolo Gaetsewe and Frances Baard. These strategies which are ready for implementation have identified potential opportunities and projects that could impact positively on SMMEs. The projects were informed by the competitive advantages of the regions and economic potential in those areas. Agriculture is one of the sectors that formed part of the strategies and informed key identified projects.
(2) As part of our response to a call for action within the Integrated Sustainable Rural Development Programme (ISRDP), the dti was nominated to champion performance within the Kgalagadi rural node focussing on amongst others the Livestock improvement project aimed at improving beef primary production infrastructure, quality meat production, knowledge and skills, income generation opportunities, promoting local economic development and providing support to emerging farmers.
QUESTION NO.:1320
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 14 May 2010
1320 Mr P D Dexter (Cope) to ask the Minister of Public Enterprises:
Whether she will ensure that the loan by the World Bank and any other loans to Eskom to build either of the two coal-fired power stations will be applied transparently and will be open to scrutiny; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW1550E
REPLY
The Minister of Public Enterprises, in concurrence with the Minister of Finance, guaranteed the World Bank Specific Investment Loan (SIL) which will be used to finance the Medupi Power Plant.
The implementation of the loan will be subject to the World Bank guidelines as indicated in the disbursement loan schedule. The loan will be disbursed against expenditures that have been incurred in the project or components thereof. The World Bank will therefore only effect payments over a period of time as the project milestones are met.
Eskom will be required to submit regular reports to both the World Bank and the Department of Public Enterprises. In addition, Eskom must also submit its annual audited report which is compiled by its external auditors.
In the interest of transparency, a detailed and comprehensive project appraisal document on the Medupi Power Plant is available on the World Bank website. The information can be accessed at the following web address: www.worldbank.org by searching under the Project Document portal (Power). The website also contains information on the World Bank's lending policies.
The Department of Public Enterprises has also provided additional information on the loan and this can be accessed at www.dpe.gov.za.
Eskom has also secured funding from other Development Funding Institutions (DFIs) such as the African Development Bank and the terms and conditions that have been stipulated in the signed loan agreements indicating eligible expenditure and disbursement profile, will be monitored and implemented in accordance with the agreements.
QUESTION 1321
QUESTION FOR WRITTEN REPLY
1321. Mr P D Dexter (Cope) to ask the Minister of Energy:
Whether her department has advanced plans to exploit the reserves of natural and methane gas to (a) generate electricity, (b) fuel industries or (c) meet household demand; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the details of these plans? NW1551E
Reply
It is a policy decision within my Department to diversify our energy mix to minimise the country's reliance on coal as the main source of primary energy. Our integrated resource plan (IRP) is very clear in this regard. To demonstrate our seriousness in this regard we are in discussions with our neighbouring countries that have natural gas resources such as Mozambique and Namibia, in particular to explore the possibilities of bringing gas to South Africa.
(a) The Department is in discussions with a private company to supply about 1500MW from Gas Fired Power Station in the West Coast. A memorandum of agreement will be signed once all the negotiations are finalised. Furthermore, we are in discussions with the Government of Mozambique to explore the possibility of Eskom being involved in Gas to Power projects that would enable South Africa to import some of the electricity.
(b) My Department is monitoring and investigating the utilization of compressed natural gas (CNC) in the motor industry.
(c) We are aware of the existence of small pockets of gas in the country that could assist us to meet some of the households energy needs. However, there is still more work that should be done to quantify these resources.
QUESTION 1322
QUESTION FOR WRITTEN REPLY
1322 Mr. P D Dexter (COPE) to ask the Minister of Energy:
Whether Eskom will increase its quota for solar-produced energy from 50 MW to 500 MW per annum, if not, why not, if so, (a) what are the relevant timeframes within which this increase will happen and (b) what are the further relevant details? NW15
Reply
(a) Eskom has recently announced the inclusion of a 100 MW solar thermal power station in the World Bank loan which was granted recently. This will be the first of its kind on the African continent and the largest in the world when commissioned in 2016. As such it is being treated as a demonstration plant which could lead the way to a fleet of such plants in future – subject to satisfactory cost, performance, availability and reliability parameters being met.
(b) As far as future solar capacity, its timing and ownership is concerned this will be informed by the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP 2) currently being compiled by the Department of Energy.
QUESTION 1323
DATE OF PUBLICATION: MONDAY 26 APRIL 2010 [IQP No 11- 2010] SECOND SESSION, FOURTH PARLIAMENT
Question 1323 for Written Reply, National Assembly: Ms D Carter (Cope)to ask the Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries:
1) Whether the cost of patrolling and policing the coastline using boats belonging to her department is borne jointly by her department and the SA Police Service; if so, how is the cost apportioned; if not,
(2) whether she has found that this arrangement has been successful; if not, what is this finding based on; if so, what are the relevant details;
(3) whether her department has adequate resources to undertake this policing task on its own; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details? NW1555E
REPLY:
1) The costs for patrolling and policing the South African Coastline using the patrol vessels are not borne jointly by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) and the South African Police Services (SAPS). The DAFF bears all the costs associated with operating the patrol vessels. The SAPS does, however, make personnel available for joint operations on the patrol vessels.
2) This arrangement has been successful as both departments carry out joint operations in the various areas but within their respective mandates.
3) South Africa has a long coastline that is approximately 3000km's in length and extends 200 nautical miles out to sea. South Africa also has a second Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) around the Marion and Prince Edward Islands. This therefore broadens the scope of the task of patrolling and policing South Africa's coastline.
South Africa currently only has one official for every 17km's of coastline whereas the international norm is one official to every 5km's of coastline. Even though the DAFF has four Fishery Patrol Vessels (FPV's), there is a vast area to monitor and patrol with limited human and financial resources.
Based on the above mentioned, the DAFF engages with other agencies to conduct joint operations along our coastline as much of the poaching crimes is syndicate related.
QUESTION 1324
DATE OF PUBLICATION: MONDAY 26 APRIL 2010 [IQP No 11- 2010] SECOND SESSION, FOURTH PARLIAMENT
Question 1324 for Written Reply, National Assembly: Ms D Carter (Cope)to ask the Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries:
(1) Whether her department's current level of patrolling and policing of the coastline will be maintained in equal measure immediately after the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup tournament; if so, for what period of time; if not,
(2) whether any measures are in place to compensate for the slackening of guard that may allow those who are being constrained by the extra vigilance to infiltrate the country; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW1556E
REPLY:
1) The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) will continue with its scheduled patrols on completion of the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup. However, after the last National Joint Operation (Operation Prosper), state departments have realised the importance of continuing with increased efforts on the maritime security front and to continue engaging and working with one another to ensure that South African waters are monitored effectively.
2) The DAFF will continue to monitor South African waters and to conduct fisheries patrols in conjunction with other enforcement agencies. Maximum utilisation will be made of the Vessel Monitoring System (which monitors the movements of all registered fishing vessels).
QUESTION NO.:1325
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 07/05/2010
1325. Mr L W Greyling (ID) to ask the Minister of Public Enterprises:
(1) Whether the negotiations between Eskom and certain companies (names furnished) regarding the renegotiating of the special pricing agreements have been concluded; if not, why not; if so,
(2) whether Eskom had to pay any financial penalties given the fact that the original terms of the contract were renegotiated; if not, why not; if so, what did those penalties amount to;
(3) whether these companies will now be purchasing electricity according to the Eskom tariff book which is regulated by the National Energy Regulator of SA (Nersa); if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details;
(4) whether there is still a special pricing arrangement with these companies which is not subject to Nersa tariff determinations; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW1561E
REPLY
(1) The negotiations between Eskom and the respective companies have not been concluded. Term sheets, which will inform the final pricing agreements, have been signed with the referred to companies and negotiations are ongoing to clarify certain details. The aluminium sector has been prioritised.
(2) Financial penalties are not envisaged as the parties have willingly engaged to resolve these issues.
(3) The companies will not be purchasing electricity according to the Eskom tariff book as the existing agreements are being renegotiated with a view to ensuring that the agreements are sustainable for both Eskom and the customers in going forward. The renegotiated agreements will also ensure that there is no embedded derivative exposure for Eskom.
(4) The renegotiated agreements will be subject to NERSA approval.
QUESTION 1318DATE OF PUBLICATION: Monday, 26 April 2010
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 11 of 2010Mr N J J van R Koornhof (Cope) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs:
Whether she has made any progress to get the visa requirements lifted for South Africans who want to visit the United Kingdom; if not, why not; if so, (a) what progress and (b) when does she expect the lifting?
NW1548E
REPLY
No. I have not asked for the Visa requirements to be lifted. There were objective, and subjective reasons that led to the Visa requirements. For this reason, it will serve no useful purpose to request for the lifting of the requirement, at this stage.