Questions & Replies: Social Development

The Mpumalanga Province addresses challenges through various strategies including:

· The implementation of the National Recruitment and Retention Strategies for social workers by providing opportunities for further professional development and improving their working conditions on an ongoing basis.

· The allocation of resources based on the prioritized areas as well as the needs to ensure that services are channelled to deserving communities.

QUESTION 2755

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper: 23 September 2010

Internal question paper no: 30

2755. Ms N P Gcume (Cope) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

What are her department's strategies (a) to escalate access for young people in predominantly black areas to treatment facilities for people addicted to Tik and other drugs and (b) to mitigate the impact of drug addiction at (i) family, (ii) community and (iii) institutional level? NW3428E

REPLY:

(a) The Department of Social Development is committed to ensuring that persons who require treatment are able to access treatment facilities. Prevention of and Treatment for Substance Abuse Act, Act 70 of 2008, and the Policy on the Management of Substance Abuse make provision for the establishment of at least one state treatment centre and one halfway house per province. The provincial Departments of Social Development are funding private treatment facilities in order to ensure accessibility of services to service users.

There are currently seven public treatment centres and forty three registered private treatment centres nationally. Limpopo is the only province that does not have any public or private treatment centre.

A list of state and private treatment centres is attached as Annexure A. A Resource Directory has been distributed to service providers with contact details of services and facilities.

Tik addiction is more prevalent in the Western Cape Province and parts of Gauteng Province. As indicated in the Annexure A, both these provinces have numerous treatment centres to deal with Tik addiction.

The following provinces are in the process of establishing state treatment centres:

· Northern Cape

· Eastern Cape

· North West

· Limpopo

· Free State

(b) The Department of Social Development has developed a community-based model and Minimum Norms and Standards for Out-Patient Treatment Services in order to reduce the impact of drug addiction at (i) family, (ii) community and (iii) institutional level. The Community-based Model and the Minimum Norms and Standards for Out-patient Treatment Services are to ensure the availability and accessibility of services to service users whilst they remain with their families and in communities.

Prevention services, such as the "Ke Moja Anti-Drug Campaign", are ongoing and have been rolled out in all provinces. The Ke Moja campaign in particular aims to make the public aware of the dangers of substance abuse, to educate the public and to develop skills and mobilise families, communities and schools to become involved in the fight against substance abuse.

The Department of Social Development and the Central Drug Authority (CDA) have launched a Substance Abuse Community Mobilisation Campaign on the 14^th ofOctober 2010 which will continue up to the beginning of December 2010. The purpose of the campaign is to assess the needs of the communities, mobilise them to play an active role in combating the scourge of substance abuse and encourage their participation in both the Provincial and National Summits. The Provincial and National Summits are intended to intensify government strategies to combat substance abuse. The summits will further call for a collective action through the programme of action on the eradication of illicit drug production, use and trafficking in South Africa.

In addition, prevention, early intervention, treatment, aftercare and reintegration services are available to reduce the impact of substance abuse on the family, community and institutions.

Early intervention services are provided by the Department of Social Development and other specialised agencies to persons at risk of addiction. These services include assessment, referral and treatment to prevent persons from becoming addicted to substances. At this level; families, communities and institutions, such as schools are encouraged to become involved in supporting persons affected by substance abuse.

Treatment services at community based level in most public hospitals, out-patient basis or residential treatment programmes are available and accessible in all provinces

Aftercare and reintegration services are available in communities to persons who have completed a residential treatment programme and need to return to their family and community of origin. Social workers, health centres and support groups such as Alcoholic Anonymous play a critical role to assist service users in their recovery. The involvement of the community, family members and institutions such as schools and churches in supporting the recovery and reintegration efforts of the service user is of critical importance.

End.

See annexure A for details on state and private treatment centres

ANNEXURE A: LIST OF TREATMENT CENTRES

A.PUBLIC TREATMENT CENTRES

B. PRIVATE TREATMENT CENTRES

QUESTION 2754

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper: 21 September 2010

Internal question paper no:

Ms N P Gcume (Cope) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

Whether her department has conducted any study to ascertain the effectiveness of the treatment model for young people who are addicted to drugs with a view to guiding service providers in the treatment of young people; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW3427E

REPLY:

Yes. The Department of Social Development through the Human Science Research Council (HSRC) conducted research on "Substance Abuse trends in South Africa" in 2007. This broad based research identified trends on types of drugs being used, reasons for drug use, settings in which drug use occurs within various socio- demographic categories and types of substance abuse treatment centres available. The Department has however, identified the need to evaluate substance abuse services including treatment for young people because of the change in the profile of people who abuse substances. An assessment tool has already been developed covering all levels of interventions such prevention, early intervention, treatment, aftercare and reintegration. The tool is currently being implemented as a pilot with full implementation in 2011/12 financial year.

Furthermore, the Department through the Central Drug Authority (CDA) begun conducting drug related research on the prevalence, nature, extent and impact of drug abuse in South Africa. The report will be available in October 2011. The outcomes of the research will provide a broad overview on issues of substance abuse including the treatment model.

QUESTION 2729

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper: 23 September 2010

Internal question paper no: 30

Mrs H Lamoela (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

(1) Whether all 40 mobile units bought by the SA Social Security Agency (SASSA) are now operational in all provinces; if not, (i) (a) why not and (b) when is it anticipated that these mobile units will be operational in all provinces; if so, (ii) (a) what are the relevant details in respect of a breakdown of costs in each province and (b) what are the further relevant details;

(2) whether any maintenance was done in the past three financial years on these mobile units; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW3401E

REPLY:

(1) No. Only 35 of the 40 mobile units deployed in all the regions are currently operational.

(i) (a) The other five unoperational mobile units are currently undergoing mechanical repairs. Of the five, two are in KwaZulu-Natal, two in Northern Cape and one in Mpumalanga region.

(b) It is anticipated that the five unoperational mobile units will resume operation by November 2010.

(ii)(a) A consolidated breakdown of the operational costs for the mobile units over the past 3 financial years in all 9 regions is reflected in the table below.

TABLE: 2007/2010 FINANCIAL YEAR - MOBILE UNITS TRANSPORT OPERATIONAL BREAKDOWN

(b) The costs for the ICT related operations were covered under the Service Level Agreement (SLA) with Double Ring. In 2007 SASSA entered into a 24-months national SLA with Double Ring for the following services – bandwidth connectivity, onsite satellite maintenance, onsite generator maintenance and onsite television maintenance. In 2008, SASSA further entered into a 3-year SLA with TSS for the maintenance and support of computer equipments on the trucks.

(2) Yes. Maintenance was done in the past three financial years. The relevant maintenance costs details are reflected in the tables below.

TABLE 1: TRANSPORT MAINTENANCE COSTS - 2007/2010 FINANCIAL YEARS

TABLE 2: ICT MAINTENANCE COSTS - 2007/2010 FINANCIAL YEARS

QUESTION 2632

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper: 17 September 2010

Internal question paper no: 29

2632. Mrs S P Kopane (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

(1) Whether she has been informed that a certain company (name furnished*) allegedly granted loans to recipients of state grants at an interest rate of 50%; if so,

(2) whether any investigation has been launched into these allegations; if not, why not; if so, what are (a) the findings, (b) the recommendations and (c) the further relevant details;

(3) whether she has taken any action against the company; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW3287E

*CPS, Northern Cape

REPLY:

(1) No, the Minister has not been informed of allegations of the CPS (Northern Cape) granting loans to recipients of State Grants at an interest rate of 50%.

(2) Yes.

(a) During our investigation into the practice by CPS, it transpired that (according to CPS) its holding company is registered with the National Credit Regulator (NCR) to operate a loan scheme. However, the certificate provided by CPS was questioned by the region as CPS was not listed on the NCR credit provider database and SASSA Northern Cape regional office is in possession of a copy of the alleged proof of registration that belongs to another business entity going under the name of Friedland 035 Investments (Pty) Limited. This is contrary to the provision of the schedule that gave the entitlement to Cash Paymaster Services (Pty) Limited/Aplitec.

(b) In terms of the current Service Level Agreement the CPS is contracted to render only the cash payment service to the Agency. Schedule 2 – RDP Program of Action of the previous SLA provides that the Service Provider will make a loan facility available for the beneficiaries on a market related basis to counteract local 'loan sharks'. However, the current SLA has no similar provision. It is our conviction that the schedule 2 was ultra vires in that Section 20 of the Social Assistance Act, Act 13 of 2004, provides that a beneficiary must without limitation or restriction receive the full amount of a grant to which he or she is entitled before any other person may exercise any right or enforce any claim in respect of the grant amount. Only the Minister may sanction deductions from a beneficiary's social grant, which deductions must be necessary and in the best interest of the beneficiary.

(3) Yes, action has been taken as outlined below;

· A formal investigation into the matter has been instituted;

· The matter has been reported to the National Credit Regulator; and

· SASSA has ordered CPS's or Friedland 035 Investments (Pty) Limited not to pursue the practice and to comply with the 100m radius applicable to all unauthorised vendors.

QUESTION 2624

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper: 17September 2010

Internal question paper no: 29

Mr R B Bhoola (MF) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

What has been her department's progress in (a) developing a strategy to curb fraud related to social grants and (b) dealing with the (i) conditions of the facilities for poor, elderly and sick persons at paypoints and (ii) challenges faced in the grant payout system? NW3270E

REPLY:

(a) The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has developed a strategy to curb social grant fraud. The strategy emphasis on prevention rather than detection and investigations. The key element of the strategy is the verification of the existence of beneficiaries, confirmation of the validity of the grants, as well as confirming the eligibility of a beneficiary for a specific grant. The strategy is being piloted in the Mthatha area of the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. The other elements of the strategy relate to measure to be implemented to improve the integrity of the systems, processes and staff members.

(b) (i) In dealing with the conditions of the facilities for the poor, the elderly and sick persons at pay points, the Agency has concluded Service Level Agreements (SLA's) with the Grants Payment Contractors, which require the latter to ensure that pay point facilities are in clean conditions prior to and after payment where infrastructure is available. The Agency is also engaging with the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) and Faith Based Organisations (FBO's) to avail their facilities for use as pay points in instances where there is no infrastructure. A monitoring tool in line with the agreed service levels in terms of the SLAs is also utilised to monitor compliance during the payment of social grants.

(ii) SASSA is developing a cost effective and convenient Social Security Payment Model. Through this model, SASSA seeks to create an environment where beneficiaries will have access to their payments through various payment distribution mechanisms including, point of sale merchants, ACB and cash payment providers. The model SASSA envisages seeks to provide social assistance in an integrated manner, and does not place unreasonable burdens on beneficiaries and households, and will be flexible in being able to respond to the changing socio-economic environment.

QUESTION 2526

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper: 13 September 2010

Internal question paper no:

2526. Mrs H Lamoela (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

(1) What is the current bed capacity of (a) government-run and (b) nongovernmental organisation-run child and youth care centres ineach province;

(2) whether she has found that there is a sufficient number of beds in child and youth care centres in each province; if not, how many beds are needed in each province; if so, what are the relevant details;

(3) what is the (a) breakdown of the fund allocation scale for bed capacity for (i) Government-run and (ii) NGO-run child and youth care centres and (b) monthly amount allocated per child to (i) government-run and (ii) NGO-run child and youth care centres? NW3104E

REPLY:

(1) For the purpose of this reply it is important to note that a Child and Youth Care Centre has been defined in the Children's Act No 38 of 2005 as a facility for the provision of residential care to more than six children outside the child's environment in accordance with an accredited residential care programme and this includes Children's Homes, Temporary Places of Safe Care, Shelters, Secure Care Facilities Schools of Industry and Reform School.

The tables below illustrate the current bed capacity of both Government-run and non-governmental Child and Youth Care Centres per province.

(a) Bed capacity for government Children's homes.

(a) Bed capacity for government run places of temporary safe care.

(a) Bed capacity government run shelters.

(a) The bed capacity of government-run secure care facilities.

For the purpose of this reply it is important to note that the facilities; Schools of Industry and Reform Schools are still under the management of the Department of Basic Education and according to the Act, these are regarded as child and youth care centres. Allocated budget is from the Department of Basic Education. It is important to note that there are no non-government run schools of industry and reforms schools.

(a) Bed capacity for Schools of Industry.

(a) Bed capacity for Reform Schools.

(b) Bed capacity for Non government-run Children's homes.

(b) Bed capacity for non government-run places of safe care.

(b)Bed capacity for non-government-run Shelters.

(b) The bed capacity for non-government-run Secure Care Facilities

(2) In terms of sufficient number of beds in the child and youth care centres there is no recent information available we are still updating our database with the provinces.

(3) In terms of budget breakdown and monthly allocations, this is a Provincial competency since budgets are appropriated by their respective Provincial Legislatures. It is therefore suggested that such information be sourced through the Provincial Legislatures.

QUESTION 2490

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper: 3 September 2010

Internal question paper no: 26

Mrs S P Kopane (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

Whether any employees of her department are currently on suspension with full pay for more than 60 days pending investigations into alleged misconduct in contravention of the Public Service Act, Act 103 of 1994; if so, (a) how many and (b) what (i) is the average number of days that each of these employees have been with full pay, (ii) steps have been taken to expedite the disciplinary hearings of these employees and (iii) is the total cost to her department of the salaries paid to these employees beyond the 60-day period? NW3062E

REPLY:

Honourable Member,

(a) No employees are currently on suspension with full pay for more than 60 days pending investigations into alleged misconduct in contravention of the Public service Act, 103 of 1994, as amended.

(b)(i) Same as above.

(b)(ii) Same as above.

(b)(iii) No financial implications.

QUESTION 2489

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper: 3 September 2010

Internal question paper no: 26

Mrs S P Kopane (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

(1) Whether her department has handed any disciplinary cases over to the labour court in the past two years; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, how many;

(2) Whether any of these cases were lost by her department; if so, (a) how many, (b) what were the costs involved in these cases and (c) who will be held responsible for this mismanagement? NW3061E

REPLY:

Honourable Member,

(1) No disciplinary cases were handed over to the Labour Court.

(2)(a) No disciplinary cases were handed over to the Labour Court.

(2)(b) Same as above.

(2)(c) Same as above.

QUESTION 2474

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper: September 2010

Internal question paper no: 26

Mrs S V Kalyan (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

(1) Whether her department has been informed of the phenomenon of Aids-orphans tourism; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so,

(2) whether her department has statistics for this phenomenon; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details for the period 1 January 2006 up to the latest specified date for which information is available;

(3) Whether such tourists are counselled on the possible adverse emotional and psychological effects on Aids orphans; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(4) Whether her department has researched how Aids orphans may potentially be exploited by such voluntourism; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(5) Whether she will make a statement on the matter? NW3044E

REPLY:

(1) No, the Department of Social Development was not aware of the phenomenon of "Aids orphan tourism". The Department became aware of it after reading an article written by Prof. Linda Richter in the HSRC Review Volume 8, No. 2 August 2010, while doing investigations to response to this question.

However, the Department has observed that there are volunteers who come to South Africa, and are placed within child and youth care centres. The volunteers placed in these centres, are normally utilized as care givers, providing life skills, recreational and after care services. In addition, they assist with therapeutic programmes (play therapy and individual counseling), weekend and holiday programmes. Further, other volunteers are used to assist with the building and renovations of these facilities.

Cognisance must be taken of the fact that the Department has always promoted volunteerism in this sector; therefore if there are any challenges within this practice, this matter must be thoroughly investigated before any action is undertaken.

The Department of Social Development is however, concerned about the labeling of the phenomenon as" Aids orphans tourism" as children resident in these child and youth care facilities are not only orphans affected by HIV and AIDS but ,include all children in need of care and protection. Labeling children as "Aids orphans", is detrimental to their well being as it promotes discrimination.

(2) The Department of Social Development does not have specific statistics on the broader volunteerism and on this phenomenon in particular, in child and youth care centres. The utilization of volunteers in the non- governmental sector has always been regarded by the Department as an arrangement between volunteers themselves and the particular organisation.

(3) The Department of Social Development is not directly involved in the selection and placement of volunteers as they are directly contracted by the non- governmental organisations concerned. In some instances, the Department is aware that volunteers are screened and trained on the potential emotional and psychological effects of their contact with children, but the department is unaware whether a similar approach is used for the placement of "tourist volunteers."

(4) The Department of Social Development has not undertaken any research on this matter. Nonetheless, research will be commenced in collaboration with non -governmental organisations. This will be done within the framework of the transformation of the child and youth care centres, as required by the Children's Act of 2005 as amended.

(5) No.

QUESTION 2463

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper: 3 September 2010

Internal question paper no:

Mrs S P Kopane (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

(1) Whether any audit has been conducted into the backlog of the (a) disability, (b) older person, (c) child support and (d) care dependency grants; if not, why not; if so,

(2) whether any recommendations were made; if not, why not; if so, (a) what are these recommendations, (b) by when will each of these recommendations be implemented and (c) what will be the cost of implementing each of these recommendations;

(3) how many cases are currently in the backlog, (b) what are the reasons for the backlog and (c) how many applications have taken (i) longer than (aa) six months, (bb) one year and (cc) three years and (ii) more than three years;

(4) whether any of the applications are to be fast-tracked; if not, why not; if so, (a) how many, (b) which applications, (c) what are the details of the process to be followed to fast-track these applications and (d) when is it anticipated that these applications will be completed? NW3033E

REPLY:

For purposes of this reply, backlogs can relate to general Social Grants and appeals.

On behalf of the South African Social Security (SASSA) in respect of social grants:

(1) Yes, monthly audits are conducted into the backlog of the (a) disability, (b) older person, (c) child support and (d) care dependency grants. A backlog is defined as an application that has not been concluded within 90 days.

(2) Yes.

(a) SASSA has recommended the following:

· Prioritization of backlog cases according to their application dates.

· Resolving of identified backlogs within 21 days.

(b) Recommendations are implemented as and when the backlog is identified.

(c) No additional costs are to be incurred in resolving backlogs as they are addressed as part of the operational budget.

(3) 7 362 application backlog cases (SASSA to provide as specific date for this figure)

(b) Reasons for the backlogs:

· Lack of connectivity at some satellite points contribute to the delay in the finalization of applications.

· Outstanding documentation to be submitted by the applicant as required by the legislation.

· Policy directives resulting in increased demand for social grant.

· Shortage of staff at local offices.

(c) (i) (aa) No applications have taken longer than six months.

(bb) No applications have taken one year.

(cc) No applications have taken three years.

(ii) No applications have taken more than three years.

(4) Yes, all applications identified as backlogs are to be fast-tracked.

(a) 7 362 applications.

(b) All grant types.

(c) A two-pronged strategy has been established by SASSA to deal with backlogs, namely;

· Regional specific teams have been established to detect and address backlogs on a monthly basis; and

· The planned implementation of the Improved Grants Application Process (IGAP) aimed at achieving a one-day application turnaround time will in future assist regions to proactively prevent backlogs from occurring.

(d) Backlogs are addressed on a monthly basis as they occur.

Input by the Independent Tribunal for Social Assistance Appeal, operating within the Department of Social Development, focusing on appeals only

(1) No audit has been done.

(a) Approximately 80% of backlog appeals relate to disability i.e. Disability Grant (DG), Care-Dependency Grant (CDG) and Grant-in-Aid (GIA).

(b) And (c) and (d) constitute the remainder of the 20%, i.e. Old Age (OA), Child Support Grant (CSG) and Foster Care Grant (FCG).

(2) No formal audit has been done but has recorded numbers from our own internal processes and developed a strategic plan to deal with the backlog.

(3) To date the backlog has increased to 56 569. The reason for the backlog is that the Independent Tribunal was established only in May 2008 and most of the appeals pre-date the establishment. The Act was promulgated during 2006 and during 2008 systems as well as processes were being established. We are still receiving backlog appeals from the regional offices and civil society organizations as well as legal representatives.

(4) A backlog project plan has been put in place to deal with the backlog appeals by the end of the 2011/12 financial year.

QUESTION 2423

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper: 20 August 2010

Internal question paper no:

Mrs S P Kopane (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

Whether (a) her department or (b) any of its entities has signed any contractual agreements with a certain company (name furnished) or any of its affiliates (i) in the (aa) 2006-07, (bb) 2007-08, (cc) 2008-09 and (dd) 2009-10 financial years and (ii) during the period 1 April 2010 up to the latest specified date for which information is available; if so, (aaa) what is the nature of each contract, (bbb) what is the monetary value of each contract, (ccc) what is the (aaaa) start and (bbbb) end date of each contract, (ddd) what are the details of the process that was followed for the signing of each contract, (eee) who else tendered for each contract that was awarded and (fff) what amount did each tenderer quote in each case? NW2992E

REPLY:

Department of Social Development (DSD)

(a) No, DSD has not entered into any contractual agreement with the said company. The names of the affiliates of the above mentioned company could not be obtained to determine if the Department has entered into contracts with anyone of them.

Only the Companies and Intellectual Property Registration Office (CIPRO), can determine affiliates to the above mentioned company, where after, the Department will be able to establish if contracts were entered into with any such affiliated company.

(i) (aa),(bb),(cc) and (dd) Not applicable

(ii) (aaa),(aaaa); (bbb),(bbbb); (ccc); (ddd); (eee); and (fff) Not applicable

(b) Not applicable

South African Social Security Agency (SASSA)

(a) Not applicable.

(b) No. SASSA has not signed any contractual agreements with the said company or any of its affiliates.

(i) (aa); (bb); (cc) and (dd) Not applicable

(ii) (aaa),(aaaa); (bbb),(bbbb); (ccc); (ddd); (eee) and (fff) Not applicable.

National Development Agency (NDA)

(a) Not applicable.

(b) No. The National Development Agency has not entered into any contractual agreement with the mentioned company or any of their affiliates during the period 1 April 2010 up to the latest specified date for which information is available.

(i) (aa), (bb), (cc) and (dd) Not applicable

(ii) (aaa),(aaaa); (bbb),(bbbb); (ccc); (ddd); (eee); and (fff) Not applicable.

QUESTION 2281

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper: 20 August 2010

Internal question paper no:

Mrs H Lamoela (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

(1) Whether her department or any of its entities has (a) purchased or (b) leased any buildings for administration (i) in the (aa) 2008-09 and (bb) 2009-10 and (ii) for the 2010-11 financial years; if not, why not; if so, in each case, (aaa) what is the cost of the building, (bbb) what is the size of the building, (ccc) why was it bought or leased, (ddd) what will be its use, (eee) who will occupy it and (fff) approximately how many persons will occupy the total space of each building;

(2) whether her department and any of its entities intends purchasing or leasing any buildings for administration for the (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14 financial years; if not, why not; if so, in each case, (i) what is the cost of each building, (ii) what is the size of each building, (iii) why will it be bought or leased, (iv) for what will it be used, (v) who will occupy it and (vi) approximately how many persons will occupy the total space of each building? NW2790E

REPLY:

Department of Social Development:

(1)

(a) The National Department of Social Development has not purchased any building over the reporting period.

(i) and (ii) (aa),(aaa); (bb),(bbb);(ccc);(ddd);(eee) and (fff) refer to table details

(b) The National Department of Social Development (DSD) leases its Office accommodation through the Department of Public Works, as per table attached. (i)(aa); (bb) and (ii)

National Development Agency (NDA):

(1)

(a) The National Development Agency has not purchased any buildings.

(b) All NDA ten (10) offices are leased for administration from landlords.

(aa) 2008-09 see attached table

(2) The National Development Agency intends leasing the buildings for administration for the identified period:

(a) 2011-2012 see attached

QUESTION 2280

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper: 17 August 2010

Internal question paper no:

Mrs S P Kopane (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

Whether her department and/or any of its entities have purchased any 2010 Fifa World Cup Soccer tournament (a) clothing or (b) other specified paraphernalia; if not, what has been the position in each case; if so, in each case, (i) what are (aa) the details and (bb) the total cost of the items purchased, (ii) (aa) how many items have been purchased and (bb) why, (iii) (aa) to whom has each of these items been allocated and (bb) why have these items been allocated to these persons, (iv) (aa) on what basis was the decision taken to purchase each of these items and (bb) on whose authority was the decision taken to make these purchases? NW2789E

REPLY

Department of Social Development:

(a) Yes

(i) (aa) Bafana Bafana Bench jackets were purchased

(bb) R 11 000

(ii) (aa) 20

(bb) The jackets were purchased as a token of appreciation for the guidance received to facilitate improvements in social development service delivery.

(iii) (aa) Each member of the Social Development Portfolio Committee

(bb) Each member received a Bafana Bafana Bench Jacket as a token of appreciation for the guidance by each member of the Social Development Port Folio Committee in facilitating improved social development service delivery.

(iv) (aa) The decision taken to purchase Bafana Bafana Bench Jackets for the Social Development Portfolio Committee members was done in terms of section 64 (1) of the Public Finance Management Act, 1999 ( Act 1 of 1999) as amended. The items were purchased in line with the Supply Chain Policy requirements.

(bb) Executing authority for the Department of Social Development.

(b) No.

South African Social Security Agency:

(a) Yes.

(ii) (aa) 550 South African scarves were purchased for all employees of the SASSA Free State Region at the value of R51 per item, per official to a total amount of R27 950.00.

(bb) A SASSA behavioural risk management audit carried out in the Free State Region revealed that the work stress of staff is substantially higher amongst the Free State staff than for all Regions. This stress appears to be exacerbated by amongst other things a heavy workload leading to low staff motivation and job satisfaction. The Regional Management of SASSA subsequently developed a comprehensive plan of action to address the identified problems. Among the activities, are sports and cultural events. The World Cup in South Africa was identified as an ideal opportunity not only to celebrate the event but also to improve staff morale and motivation. A number of activities linked to the World Cup were organised in which all staff participated and received scarves.

(iii) (aa) Each SASSA Free State staff member received a scarf.

(bb) Scarves were handed out by SASSA Free State management as a token of appreciation to thank staff in the SASSA Free State Region for their work for the past quarter which included 16 integrated community outreach programmes as part of the provincial Operation Hlasela and other outreach programmes as well as the piloting of the Improved Grants Administration Project, which culminated in a total of 37,728 applications being registered. Due to austerity measures no additional staff could be appointed and overtime work performed could not be remunerated.

(iv) (aa) It was part of the Integrated Behaviour Risk Action Plan to improve the morale and motivation of staff in the SASSA Free State region. The Behaviour Risk Survey results and the Action Plan are available for scrutiny.

(bb) As a joint coordinator of the Behaviour Risk Action Plan together with the Manager: Employer Wellness Programme, the Senior Manager: Communications and Marketing in line with the delegations approved the purchase of the items. The correct procurement procedures were followed to procure these items.

(b) No.

National Development Agency:

(a) No

(i)(aa) and (bb); (ii)(aa) and (bb); (iii)(aa) and (bb) and (iv)(aa) and (bb) not applicable

(b) No.

QUESTION 2059

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper: August 2010

Internal question paper no: 19

Mr S J F Marais (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

(1) Whether any steps have been taken to ensure that electronic funds transfers (EFT) to pensioners and various recipients of government grants are transferred before the third day of every month in order to avoid delays in transfers; if not, why not; if so, what steps have been taken;

(2) whether she will put measures in place to eliminate problems that may cause delays in EFT payments; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(3) what has been the accrued-interest benefit to her department from delayed payments owing to payment dates falling on weekends and public holidays (a) in the 2009-10 financial year and (b) during the period 1 April 2010 up to the latest specified date for which information is available? NW2458E

REPLY:

(1) There are no delays in ACB transfers because all ACB payments are effected on the third day of each month and not before or later than that.

(2) Adequate controls are in place to make sure that funds reach the ACB account in time to avoid delays. The following are some of the controls:

· Socpen cut-off schedule, which dictates when the money should be in the ACB account and when to be distributed to the beneficiaries; and

· Annual and monthly cash requirements are prepared and sent from SASSA to the Department of Social Development and National Treasury in advance for approval to avoid cash flow shortfalls.

(3) There is no accrued interest earned from payments for the period 2009-10 financial year and from April 2010 to date, due to the following reasons:

· The transfer to the beneficiary's bank account is effected on the same day ACB receives the transfer from SASSA's PMG account and all ACB unpaid grants are refunded back to the same PMG account.

QUESTION 1961/2010

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper: 26 July 2010

Internal question paper no: 17

1961. Mrs P de Lille (ID) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

With reference to her reply to question 791 on 18 May 2010, what types of service are provided by the different (a) cash payment contractors and (b) free banking services to justify the difference in rates? NW2349E

REPLY:

(a) Services provided by cash payment contractors may differ slightly given the fact that they work in different geographical locations with some offering services in more rural locations not easily accessible, compared to urban locations.

An overview of amalgamated services provided by the cash payment contractors includes the following:

· Payments of grants;

· Issuing of Cards and enrolment of new recipients;

· Implement use and maintenance of Biometric Technology and beneficiary information;

· Reconciliation of paid and unpaid Grants, including ensuring electronically accessible information to the Agency;

· Disseminate information to the Recipients and provide Helpdesk services;

· Provide services within and outside of normal working hours as may be required;

· Maintain Pay Points;

· Provide Security at the Pay Points as well as for the cash in transit.

And

(b) Free banking services are charges paid by the Agency to a relevant bank which subsidises beneficiaries allowing them to receive grant monies into their bank account without being responsible for associated bank charges. Banks do not provide the following services :-

· Use and maintenance of Biometric Technology and beneficiary information;

· Disseminate information to the Recipients and provide Helpdesk services;

· Provide services within and outside of normal working hours as may be required; except access to ATM's;

· Maintain Pay Points ;

· Provide Security at the Pay Points for the safety of beneficiaries.

Whilst we recognise that the cash payment is more expensive than banking services, we are also aware that the current fee that we pay is excessive. This makes the current payment system inefficient and unsustainable. The Agency is busy developing a new payment model which will replace the current inefficient one. Our vision is to have a payment system that caters for both urban and rural based beneficiaries, where beneficiaries can get their payment anytime and anywhere under a secure and dignified environment. With this new system we project to cut the current costs by between 20% to 30%. The new system will also ensure that the transaction cost (i.e. bank charges) is not carried by the beneficiary meaning that the grant recipient will receive his/her money in full.

QUESTION 1945

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper: 26 July 2010

Internal question paper no: 17

Dr W G James (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

Whether her department has a bursary scheme aimed at funding university students; if so, (a) how is the funding allocated and (b) since inception, how many (i) eligible students have applied for it but have not received funding and (ii) students has it funded each year? NW2333E

REPLY:

Yes, the Department has a bursary scheme aimed at funding university students studying Social Work.

(a) The allocation of the scholarship funds to successful applicants is informed by the Department's Social Work Scholarship Policy which makes provision for the following process:

The applicants who wish to apply for the scholarship are advised to send their applications to the provincial Departments of Social Development. On receipt of such applications the provincial departments have to profile and select the qualifying applicants. Thereafter the list of qualifying applicants is forwarded to the national Department of Social Development to be considered at a meeting, attended by both national and provincial officials to determine the final list of applicants who will be awarded the scholarship. The awarding of the scholarship to students takes into consideration the available budget for that financial year.

The students who have been awarded the scholarship are provided with promissory notes which they have to submit to the universities where they have been admitted to study social work.

The following criteria are used to consider applicants for the scholarship:

· Applicants should have met the Higher Institutions of Learning entry requirements. And should come from disadvantaged communities/backgrounds.

· They should have also gone through a selection process as prescribed by a University, preferably in their own province to study social work, and a proof of admission should be submitted.

· Social Work students who are currently studying at a particular University but are unable to continue with their studies due to lack of funds are also considered.

· The academic record of the applicant is also used as a criterion and the continuation of funding students already on the scholarship is informed by their annual performance.

The Department of Social Development manages the funds for the Scholarship programme through National Student Financial Aid Scheme which administers the transfers to respective universities.

(b)(i) The National Department of Social Development does not have information on the number of unsuccessful students who had applied for the scholarship funding. Such information is kept by provincial Departments of Social Development, because, as mentioned above, applications are received, profiled and shortlisted at that level.

(b)(ii) The table indicates the number of students who received funding for the first time since 2007.

QUESTION 1873

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper: 3 June 2010

Internal question paper no 16

Mrs S P Kopane (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

(1) Whether her department intends releasing the forensic report on alleged corruption by a certain person* (name furnished); if not, why not; if so, when will the report be released;

(2) whether any action has been taken against any person implicated in corruption by the forensic report; if not, why not; if so, (a) against whom, (b) what action has been taken and (c) what was the cost implication? NW2166E

REPLY:

(1) No. The purpose of the investigation is to enquire whether there was any wrongdoing by the said person and, where appropriate, to recommend appropriate action. The internal investigation process has been concluded. The incumbent has been charged and found guilty. However, the external process which is intended to lead to the recouping of lost funds is still ongoing. This may lead to criminal charges being laid and the claims being laid to recoup the funds. This unfolding process may require us to use evidence in the said forensic report. The report will not be released to the public for reasons alluded to above.

(2) Refer to (1) above.

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper: 4 June 2010

Internal question paper no:

1872. Mrs S P Kopane (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

Whether the current chief executive officer (CEO) of the National Development Agency (NDA) is serving in an acting capacity; if not, (a) why not, (b) when was the acting CEO removed from office, (c) why was the acting CEO removed from office, (d) who is in that position currently, (e) when was this individual appointed, (f) on what basis was the person appointed and (g) what process was followed with the (i) removal of the acting CEO and (ii) appointment of the current individual on the position; if so, (aa) why, (bb) on what basis was this individual appointed in an acting capacity and (cc) when will this position be filled permanently? NW2165E

REPLY:

The Board Authority is the current Chief Executive Officer of the NDA serving in an acting capacity pending the appointment of the CEO.

(a) The appointment of the CEO was awaiting the Minister's approval and endorsement by Cabinet.

(b) The Acting CEO was relieved of her duties effective from 31^st March 2010.

(c) The Acting CEO was relieved of her duties as she would have been in an acting capacity for a period of 12 months at the end of March 2010. The Board had envisaged a shorter acting period for the acting CEO.

(d) Anticipating that a new CEO will be named soon, the NDA Board established a Board Authority to oversee the executive management of the NDA and maintain institutional stability before the permanent CEO is in place. The Board Authority comprises three persons: Ms Marcia Manong, Deputy Chairperson of the Board and Chair of the Board Human Resources & Remuneration Committee; Prof. Thokozile Mayekiso, Chairperson of the Projects and Programme Screening Committee and Mr. Muthuhadini Madzivhandila, Chairperson of the Research and Development Committee.

(e) The Board Authority was appointed with effect from 1^st April 2010.

(f) The three members of the Board Authority were appointed on the basis that they are chairing three Board Sub-Committees, namely, Human Resources and Remuneration Committee; Projects and Programmes Screening Committee and Research and Development Committee, and are therefore familiar with the core business of the organisation.

(g) (i) And (ii) The process followed in terminating the services of the Acting CEO and the appointment of the Board Authority was a MANCO resolution of 26^th March and was supported by a Board resolution on 29^th March 2010. A letter of post implementation of this decision was sent to the Minister by the Chairperson of the Board on 31^st March 2010.

(aa) and (bb) See point c and d above.

(cc) On the 19^th of April 2010, Cabinet concurred with the recommendation by the Minister of Social Development to appoint Ms Vuyelwa Nhlapo as the CEO of the NDA. It is expected that she will assume duty as the Chief Executive Officer of the NDA with effect from 1^st July 2010.