Questions & Replies: Question & Replies No 1551 to 1600

2008-11-28

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[PMG note: Any gaps in the numbering are due to the replies not being provided yet]

QUESTION 1553

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER [NO 27-2008]

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 12 SEPTEMBER 2008

1553. Mr A H Nel (DA) to ask the Minister for Agriculture and Land Affairs:

(1) Whether targets for 2008 were set for (a) land redistribution and (b) land restitution for each province; if not, why not; if so, what are the targets in each case for each province;

(2) whether these targets will be met; if not, (a) why not and (b) what will be the backlog; if so, what are the relevant details? NW2298E

THE MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE AND LAND AFFAIRS:

(1)(a) Yes. In terms of the targets indicated in the 2008-2011 Strategic Plan of the Department of Land Affairs presented to Parliament early this year, 1.5 million hectares have been earmarked for land redistribution. The targets set are as follows:

Province	Targets set for 2008/09 (hectares)
Eastern Cape	184 107
Free State	178 677
Gauteng	48 565
KwaZulu-Natal	180 000
Limpopo	94 093
Mpumalanga	189 237
Northern Cape	329 107
North West	142 107
Western Cape	154 107
TOTAL	1 500 000

(b) Yes.

Province	Targets set for 2008
Free State and Northern Cape	241
Gauteng and North West	59
KwaZulu-Natal	809
Limpopo	401
Mpumalanga	385
Western Cape	312
Eastern Cape	378
TOTAL	2585

(2) Inflated land prices may lead to delays in negotiations, hence targets may not be met.

QUESTION 1554

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER [NO 27-2008]

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 12 SEPTEMBER 2008

1554. Mr A H Nel (DA) to ask the Minister for Agriculture and Land Affairs:

(1) Whether the fires that were started on the commercial farmlands in KwaZulu-Natal which claimed 14 lives in the period 1 to 3 September 2008 had any relation to the land claims in that region; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so,

(2) whether the matter has been investigated; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(3) whether anyone has been arrested in relation to starting these fires; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW2299E

THE MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE AND LAND AFFAIRS:

(1) No. Although the fires affected some of the claimed farms, they were not related to the land claims in that region.

(2) and (3) Fall away.

QUESTION 1555

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 12/09/2008

(INTERNAL QESTION PAPER 27-2008)

Mrs D Van Der Walt (DA) to ask the Minister of Education:

(1) Whether any employees of the Education Labour Relations Council were found to have acted irregularly, resulting in fraudulent expenditure of R2 905 676, as identified by Auditor-General's March 2008 report; if so, (a) how many and (b) what are their positions in the Council;

(2) Whether any legal action was taken against those employees; if not, why not; if so, what action?

NW2300E

REPLY:

(1) Yes, a forensic audit implicated two ELRC employees in fraud and bribery. They are a Senior Manager: Dispute Prevention and Resolution Services and a Dispute Resolution Case Management Administrator.

(2) The ELRC dismissed the senior manager on 2 August 2007 and the administrator resigned on 15 August 2007. The matter was handed to the police for investigation. The case number is Lyttelton 37/04/2008 and Captain Johann van Staden is the investigating officer. He has forwarded the matter to the National Prosecuting Authority, but no decision has yet been taken on prosecution.

1556. Ms A M Dreyer (DA) to ask the Minister of Labour:

(1) How many appeal cases (a) have been lodged at the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) (i) in (aa) 2006 and (bb) 2007 and (ii) during the period 1 January 2008 up to the latest specified date for which information is available, (b) have been finalised in each year and (c) are still outstanding for each year;

(2) what is the average period of time from lodging an appeal to finalising the case at the UIF?

1556. Minister of Labour replied:

(1)(a)(i)(aa) There were 13 571 appeal cases that were lodged in 2006.

(1)(a)(i)(bb) There were 13 816 appeal cases that were lodged in 2007.

(1)(a)(ii) There were 8 811 appeal cases that were lodged from 01 January to 31 August 2008.

(1)(b) Cases finalised in 2006 were 11 313, for 2007. 10 855 cases were finalised and 7 386 cases were finalised in 2008.

(1)(c) There are no cases still outstanding for 2006 and 2007 and there are 1 425 cases outstanding for 2008.

(2) The average time from lodging an appeal to finalising the case is two months.

1557. Mrs D van der Walt (DA) to ask the Minister of Labour:

(1) (a) What has been the Umsobomvu Youth Fund's total allocated budget and (b)(i) how many unemployed youths were assisted or placed by the (UYF) and (ii) how many (aa) youths have been assisted to start businesses and (bb) of these businesses were sustained 12 months later;

(2) whether there is any coordination between UYF's activities and Sector Education and Training Authorities (Setas); if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW2302E

Minister of Labour replied: I am advised that:

1(a) The Umsobomvu Youth Fund was established with a seed capital of R855 million during 2001 from the demutualisation fund. All its projects were subsequently funded from interest derived from this investment. During the 2007/08 financial year, it was allocated an amount of R400 million due to an increase in the projects and only R5 million during the 2008/09 financial year.

(b)(i) Since inceptiona total of 2 329 520 youth and women were assisted through various programmes implemented by UYF.

(ii) A total of 159 108 young entrepreneurs were assisted to start their own businesses since inception, of these 41 044 were still viable 12 months after establishment and in the process a total of 110 000 jobs were created.

2. Yes, there is coordination and partnerships between Umsobomvu Youth Fund and SETA related activities.

· The UYF skills programmes have been implemented in partnership with a number of SETAs.

· All technical training content offered to National Youth Service (NYS) project participants facilitated by the UYF are SETA accredited.

· Partnerships have been established with the following SETAs in implementing NYS Projects:

-CETA; HWSETA; LGWSETA; Bankseta; Energy Seta; FASSET; FIETA; ISETT; MERSETA; SASSETA; TETA; THETA; INSETA and MQA.

QUESTION 1558

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 12/09/2008

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 27-2008)

Mr GG Boinamo (DA) to ask the Minister of Education:

(1) Whether any schools had not had their full complement of textbooks delivered to them by 30 June 2008; if so, (a)(i) which schools and (ii) which provinces and (b) what caused these shortages;

(2) Whether any steps have been taken to (a) ensure all textbooks are delivered and (b) prevent the same problem from developing next year; if not, why not; if so, what steps in each case?

REPLY:

(1) Yes, by 30 June 2008 some high schools had not received all their textbooks. The DoE does not have a comprehensive audit of all these schools. However, between 50% and 75% of pupils in grades 10 and 11 had Mathematical Literacy and Mathematics textbooks, while 90% pupils in grade 12 had textbooks in a sample survey of 184 schools.

Mathematical Literacy

Grade 10			Grade 11			Grade 12
Enrolment	NT*	%	Enrolment	NT	%	Enrolment	NT	%
15 628	4 419	28	11 998	2 853	24	8 859	565	6

*No Textbook

Mathematics

Grade 10			Grade 11			Grade 12
Enrolment	NT*	%	Enrolment	NT	%	Enrolment	NT	%
19 914	8 553	43	12 946	3 624	28	10 647	1 179	11

*No Textbook

(2) The DoE interacts on a regular basis with publishers through the Publishers' Association of South Africa (PASA) and the African Publishers' Association (APA) and provinces. Provinces are responsible for textbook supply in their respective provinces.

For further particulars in answer to this part of the question, can I draw your attention to my answer to oral question 446 (13 November 2007). I attach it here for your convenience.

QUESTION NUMBER: 1559

DATE PUBLICATION: 12 SEPTEMBER 2008

DATE REPLY SUBMITTED: 12 DECEMBER 2008

MR G BOINAMO TO ASK THE MINISTER IN THE PRESIDENCY:

1. Whether a youth desk was established by the Youth Commission to participate in the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) conference in October/November 2007; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, who were the members of the youth desk;

2. whether any delegate from the Youth Commission was mandated to attend this conference; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, (a) who and (b) what period did this person spend in Paris?

NW2304E

REPLY:

The NYC did not send a delegate to this conference. An invitation for participation was never forwarded to the NYC. Invitations for participation in international forums for the NYC are usually forwarded through the Minister in the Presidency.

QUESTION 1561

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 12/09/2008

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 27-2008)

Mrs D Van der Walt (DA) to ask the Minister of Education:

How many schools in each province did not have (a) sanitation, (b) water, (c) electricity, (d) science laboratories, (e) sports fields, (f) kitchen facilities for the preparations of meals as at the latest specified date for which information is available?

NW2306E

REPLY

(a) Sanitation

Province	Schools without sanitation facilities as at March 2007	Projects completed by provincial depts. 2007/08	Completed by DWAF 2007/08	Projects planned for 2008/09 by provincial depts	Planned by DWAF 2008/09	Planned by provincial depts. 2009/10	Planned by DWAF 2009/10
Eastern Cape	579	70	19	242	115	0	442
Free State	95	80	38	35	75	90	28
Gauteng	6	17	0	28	28	5	46
KwaZulu-Natal	167	321	0	200	77	200	132
Limpopo	75	81	0	34	26	186	91
Mpumalanga	72	80	0	21	20	71	143
North West	73	50	0	40	15	50	53
Northern Cape	8	27	1	7	54	25	0
Western Cape	22	0	6	3	13	0	0
Total	1,097	726	64	610	423	627	935

Source: Department of Education's National Education Infrastructure Management System (NEIMS), as assessed at 30 September 2007.

b) Water

Province	Schools without water facilities as at March 2007	Projects completed by provincial depts. 2007/08	Completed by DWAF 2007/08	Projects planned for 2008/09 by provincial depts	Planned by DWAF 2008/09	Planned by provincial depts. 2009/10	Planned by DWAF 2009/10
Eastern Cape	1119	102	21	60	115	0	771
Free State	298	44	56	54	62	90	191
Gauteng	0	17	0	28	0	5	0
KwaZulu-Natal	607	394	0	393	239	300	408
Limpopo	350	103	0	34	58	186	257
Mpumalanga	140	90	10	11	33	36	206
North West	48	5	0	50	10	50	45
Northern Cape	6	82		41	4	95	0
Western Cape	0	0	3	3	0	0	0
Total	2,568	837	90	674	521	762	1878

Source: Department of Education's National Education Infrastructure Management System (NEIMS), as assessed at 30 September 2007.

(b) Electricity

Province	Schools without electricity supply as at March 2007	Projects completed by provincial depts. 2007/08	Completed by DME 2007/08	Projects planned for 2008/09 by provincial depts	Planned by DME 2008/09	Planned by DME 2009/10
Eastern Cape	1,206	101	334	240	140	391
Free State	270	20	30	39	51	51
Gauteng	13	2	0	28	1	0
KwaZulu-Natal	1,586	80	260	1,139	257	0
Limpopo	323	29	182	0	118	0
Mpumalanga	243	1	67	110	70
North West	93	24	11	26	32	0
Northern Cape	23	0	3	0	15	8
Western Cape	2	8	0	5	0	0
Total	3,759	265	887	1,587	684	450

Source: Department of Education's National Education Infrastructure Management System (NEIMS), as assessed at 30 September 2007.

(c) Science laboratories

Province	Schools without laboratories	Projects planned for 2008
Eastern Cape	2,862	12
Free State	248	9
Gauteng	188	52
KwaZulu-Natal	1,540	54
Limpopo	1,260	4
Mpumalanga	526	64
North West	485	0
Northern Cape	126	0
Western Cape	183	0
Total	7,418	195

Source: Department of Education's National Education Infrastructure Management System (NEIMS), as assessed at 30 September 2007.

(d) Sports fields

Province	Schools without sport facilities	Projects planned for 2008
Eastern Cape	394	0
Free State	681	0
Gauteng	293	27
KwaZulu-Natal	1,870	0
Limpopo	315	0
Mpumalanga	112	297
North West	128	0
Northern Cape	115	0
Western Cape	172	0
Total	4,080	324

Note: Sports facilities, for use by schools and communities, are provided for under the Municipal Infrastructure Grant to local government.

Source: Department of Education's National Education Infrastructure Management System (NEIMS), as assessed at 30 September 2007.

(e) Kitchen facilities are only included for primary schools participating in the National School Nutrition programme, 191 projects are planned for 2008/09, made up of :

Free State - 77

KwaZulu Natal - 50

Mpumalanga - 64

Source: Department of Education's National Education Infrastructure Management System (NEIMS), as assessed at 30 September 2007.

QUESTION: NO 1562

(Internal Question Paper No 27 – 2008)

1562. Mr T D Lee (DA) to ask the Minister of Sport and Recreation:

(1) Whether the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) has a policy that allows its officials to fly business class while disabled athletes travel in economy class; if so, what are the relevant details; if not,

(2) whether his department intends amending the policy to ensure that the needs of disabled athletes are taken care of; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

NW2308E

REPLY:

(1) SASCOC does indeed have a policy which entitles Board members and staff to travel business class. In addition, the chef de mission, assistant chef, chief medical officer and chief physiotherapist also fly business class to events at which SASCOC presents a team.

This is the policy of SASCOC which is an NGO. Accordingly my Department cannot amend the policy.

QUESTION: NO 1563

(Internal Question Paper No – 2008)

1563. Mr T D Lee (DA) to ask the Minister of Sport and Recreation:

(1)

(a) How many SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) officials accompanied the Paralympics Team to the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games,

(b) what was the total cost of their (i) flights and (ii) hotel expenses and

(c) what was the total amount spent by SASCOC to prepare the Paralympic Team for the 2008 Beijing Games;

(2) whether the company chosen to produce the kit for South Africa's Paralympic team for the 2008 Paralympic Games was awarded the contract on the basis of a public tender process; if not, why not; if so,

(a) in which edition of the Government Tender Bulletin was the tender advertised,

(b) how many tenders were received,

(c) from whom were they received,

(d) what amounts were tendered in each case,

(e) in which edition of the Government Tender Bulletin was the successful tender advertised and

(f) what criteria were used to assess the capabilities of the sole company chosen to produce the kit for Team South Africa for 2008 with regard to

(i) service delivery,

(ii) the price and

(iii) the quality of the product?

NW2309E

REPLY:

(1)

(a) The President and 2 members of the SASCOC Board accompanied the Paralympic team to Beijing.

(b) The total cost of their flights was (i) R102 012,00 and (ii) accommodation was R98 535,00.

(c) SASCOC spent a total amount of R4,051m to prepare the Paralympic team from 1 November 2007.

(2) The company chosen to produce the formal wear for the Paralympic team was appointed in late 2005 in terms of SASCOC's procurement policy, with the Board approving the appointment for the period ending 31 December 2008. The company chosen for the parade uniform was appointed following a closed tender in February 2008. SASCOC also has an apparel sponsor (Puma) and this contract ends 31 December 2008 with an option to re-new.

(a) There was no advert in the Government tender bulletin as SASCOC approached about 8 companies on a closed tender basis in relation to the formal wear and 4 companies were approached to supply the parade uniform.

(b) 8 tenders were received for the formal wear and 4 for the parade uniform.

(c) The companies which submitted tenders for both the formal and parade wear were:

Sportoria, Sedgars, Ukhozi Productions, Kit Creations, Boufont Productions, Limba Trading, Amber Cascades Trading

(d) The tender amounts below were received from short-listed companies:

Generic wear	Sedgars	R2 976,00 per person	Ukhozi Productions	R2 453,00 per person
Competition wear	Sedgars	R4 506,00 per person	Ukhozi Productions	R4 448,00 per person
Formal wear	Sedgars	R1 200,00 per person
Parade wear	Amber Cascades	R81 900,00 for full team	Limba Trading	R95 457,00 for full team

(e) There was no tender placed in the Government tender bulletin.

SASCOC took into account the company's track record, other clients, social responsibility initiatives, ability to deliver the order on time and within the required specifications. Price was obviously a consideration as well as quality.

QUESTION NO. 1564

(Internal Question Paper No 27 - 2008)

Mr W P Doman (DA) to ask the Minister for Provincial and Local Government:

(1) How much has the South African Local Government Association (Salga) spent on its (a) national conference, (b) annual lekgotla and (c) national assembly in each of the past five years up to 1 September 2008;

(2) what are the (a) salaries and (b) bonuses paid to Salga officials at (i) national and (ii)

provincial offices in each of the past five years for which information Is available?

ANSWER

The answer is based on the information obtained from the South African Local Government Association (SALGA):

1. (a) (b) and (c)

	2004/05	2005/06	2006/2007	2007/08	2008/09
(a)NationalConference	unavailable	N/A	R 6,764, 16	N/A	N/A
(b) Annual lekgotla	N/A	N/A	N/A	R 236.899	R 409,656
(c) National Assembly	unavailable	unavailable	N/A	R 3,887,929	To be held in March 2009

2(a)(i)

SALARIES: NATIONAL OFFICE
	2003/04	2004/05	2005/06	2006/07	2007/08
National Office:	unavailable	unavailable	unavailable	R29,210,043.61	R18,424,828.72

2(a)(i)

The tables are here: http://www.pmg.org.za/docs/2008/questions/q1564tables.pdf

QUESTION NO. 1564

(Internal Question Paper No 27 - 2008)

Mr W P Doman (DA) to ask the Minister for Provincial and Local Government:

(1) How much has the South African Local Government Association (Salga) spent on its (a) national conference, (b) annual lekgotla and (c) national assembly in each of the past five years up to 1 September 2008;

(2) what are the (a) salaries and (b) bonuses paid to Salga officials at (i) national and (ii)

provincial offices in each of the past five years for which information Is available?

ANSWER

The answer is based on the information obtained from the South African Local Government Association (SALGA):

1. (a) (b) and (c)

	2004/05	2005/06	2006/2007	2007/08	2008/09
(a)NationalConference	unavailable	N/A	R 6,764, 16	N/A	N/A
(b) Annual lekgotla	N/A	N/A	N/A	R 236.899	R 409,656
(c) National Assembly	unavailable	unavailable	N/A	R 3,887,929	To be held in March 2009

2(a)(i)

SALARIES: NATIONAL OFFICE
	2003/04	2004/05	2005/06	2006/07	2007/08
National Office:	unavailable	unavailable	unavailable	R29,210,043.61	R18,424,828.72

2(a)(i)

The tables are here: http://www.pmg.org.za/docs/2008/questions/q1564tables.pdf

QUESTION NO. 1567 INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 27 of 2008

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 12 September 2008

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

(1) Whether the previous legal advisor (name furnished) of the SA Weather Service (SAWS) has followed correct procurement and tender regulations when procuring the legal services of a certain law firm (name furnished); if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details;

(2) on what basis did the previous legal advisor extend the relationship between the said law firm and SAWS for a further 12 months?

NW2314E

MR M J ELLIS (DA) SECRETARY TO PARLIAMENT HANSARD PAPERS OFFICE PRESS 1567. THE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS AND TOURISM ANSWERS:

(1) Yes. Proper procurement procedures had been followed in the appointment of the said law firm, for the period 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2006.

(2) The services rendered by the law firm in September 2006, beyond the lapse of the initial contract related to the completion of work that fell within the scope of the initial contract referred to under paragraph 1 above.

QUESTION 1568

Mr C M Lowe (DA) to ask the Minister for Public Enterprises:

(1) Whether the Transnet Foundation: Heritage Preservation (TFHP) has any initiatives to (a) preserve steam rail assets and (b) promote tourism on steam railways; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(2) whether the TFHP is in discussion with any (a) State entity or (b) private entity to promote any of the above causes; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(3) whether the TFHP is planning any special events to mark the 150^th anniversary of railways; if not, why not; if so; what are the relevant details;

(4) what have been the main achievements by the TFHP in the past two financial years? NW2315E

REPLY:

(1)(a) Yes. The Transnet Foundation: Heritage Preservation (TFHP) has initiatives to preserve steam rail assets and to promote tourism on steam railways.

A process has been initiated in terms of which Transnet, in association with the Heritage Railway Association of South Africa, is identifying rail heritage assets earmarked for preservation. Assets that are deemed to be in a condition of total disrepair (and where adequate representative examples already exist in South Africa), will be earmarked for disposal. The South African Heritage Resource Agency is being kept apprised of the developments. Steam rail assets are also being preserved at the George Transport Museum and at a museum in Kimberley.

(b) The Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe service between George and Mossel Bay is, in terms of Transnet's strategy, not part of the core business of Transnet. As the promotion of tourism on steam railways is not part of the core business of Transnet, discussions are taking place with the Provincial Government of the Western Cape regarding the future management of the Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe service as a going concern.

Further, as part of rail heritage, Transnet is planning to integrate the Heritage Library in Johannesburg with the Transnet Freight Rail Knowledge Centre at new premises at the Johannesburg Station. Once this has taken place, the facility will once again be opened to the public.

(2) As indicated above, there are current discussions with the Provincial Government of the Western Cape regarding the operation of the Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe service for the promotion of tourism.

(3) Transnet will work together with the rail heritage fraternity of South Africa on a programme to celebrate the 150^th anniversary of Railways.

(4) The main achievement by the TFHP in the past two financial years has been the rehabilitation and reintroduction of the Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe service on the George to Mossel Bay route, in March 2007, as a museum to museum tourism service, linking the George Museum and the Dias Museum in Mossel Bay.

TFHP has also made available the George Museum for hosting prestigious and significant meetings and events.

Remarks: Reply: Approved / Not Approved

Portia Molefe Alec Erwin, MP

Director-General Minister of Public Enterprises

Date: Date:

QUESTION NO. 1569 INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 27 of 2008

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 12 September 2008

Mr I F Julies (DA) to ask the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism:

(1) Whether laws and regulations governing the prosecution of suspected poachers who kill animals in (a) private nature reserves and (b) private conservancies are used to prosecute similar crimes in national parks; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(2) what is the maximum fine an individual can receive for killing an animal illegally in a private nature reserve?

NW2317E

MR I F JULIES (DA) SECRETARY TO PARLIAMENT

HANSARD

PAPERS OFFICE

PRESS

1569. THE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS AND TOURISM ANSWERS:

(1) No. Poachers in National Parks are prosecuted in terms of the Regulations pertaining to Proper Administration of Special Nature Reserves, National Parks and World Heritage Sites, which were promulgated under the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act, 2003 (Act 57 of 2003) (NEMPAA).

(a) Poachers in private nature reserves are currently charged in terms of provincial ordinances. However, if these private nature reserves have formally been declared as nature reserves in terms of provincial legislation, poachers will in the near future be charged in terms of regulations currently being developed in terms of NEMPAA. These regulations involve nature reserves.

(b) Private conservancies have no status in terms of NEMPAA and poachers in these areas will therefore be charged in terms of provincial legislation only.

(2) It is not possible to provide exact information on the maximum fine for poaching in private nature reserves, as it would depend on the maximum fine that is prescribed in terms of the relevant provincial ordinance. For example, certain provincial ordinances still prescribe a maximum fine of R1500 and/or 18 months imprisonment for first offenders, and R2000 and/or 24 months imprisonment for second offenders. Other provinces prescribe 4 years imprisonment, without prescribing a fine. These penalties increase to 10 years imprisonment when poaching involves specially protected game (normally elephant, white rhino and black rhino).

Regardless of which provincial ordinance is involved, these fines should be read in conjunction with the Adjustment of Fines Act, 1991 (Act No 101 of 1991), where a fine of R20 000 is prescribed for every 1 year imprisonment prescribed by the provincial Act/Ordinance.

QUESTION NO. 1571 INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 27 of 2008

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 12 September 2008

Mr G R Morgan (DA) to ask the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism:

(1) (a) What was the cost of the forensic investigation into various allegations against members of senior management and members of the Board of Directors of the SA Weather Service (SAWS) and (b) which entity paid this cost;

(2) whether the investigation was limited to documents provided to the investigators by the SAWS; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details;

(3) whether the investigators at any stage requested further documentation that was denied to them by the SAWS; if so, what are the relevant details?

NW2319E

MR G R MORGAN (DA)

SECRETARY TO PARLIAMENT

HANSARD

PAPERS OFFICE

PRESS

1571. THE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS AND TOURISM ANSWERS:

(1) (a) R644,681.04, and (b) SA Weather Service.

(2) No. The investigations also included consultations and interviews with the relevant parties, and the documentation provided by SA Weather Service was at the request of the investigators.

(3) No.

QUESTION NO. 1572 INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 27 of 2008

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 12 September 2008

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

(1) What is the reason that the former Chief Executive Officer of the SA Weather Service (SAWS) signed a contract with a certain company (name furnished) on 14 March 2005, request the tender committee's approval on 16 March 2005 and only obtained the approval on 17 March 2005;

(2) whether the above tender procedure transgressed tender procedures; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what action has been taken in this regard?

NW2320E

MR M J ELLIS (DA) SECRETARY TO PARLIAMENT

HANSARD

PAPERS OFFICE

PRESS 1572. THE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS AND TOURISM ANSWERS:

(1) It proved difficult for SA Weather Service (SAWS) to provide the reasons why the contract was signed on 14 March 2005 as the relevant officials are no longer in the employ of SAWS. However, it was noted from the records at the disposal of SAWS that the Tender Committee approval was obtained on 17 March 2005, the related Purchase Order was signed on 24 March 2005; and the then Legal Advisor recommended the contract to the then Chief Executive Officer for signature on 5 April 2005.

(2) Based on the sequence of events reflected under paragraph 1 above, from the approval of the Tender Committee to the submission of the contract to the then Chief Executive Officer for signature; it seems that appropriate tender procedures were followed.

QUESTION NO 1573

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 12 SEPTEMBER 2008

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 27/2008)

Date reply submitted: 04 November 2008

Ms D Kohler‑Barnard (DA) to ask the Minister of Safety and Security:

(1) Whether any contracts have been awarded to any companies to provide (a) weapons and (b) equipment to the SA Police Service in any of the past two years for which information is available; if so, (i) on what basis was each tender awarded, (ii)(aa) how many competitive bids were submitted and (bb) what was the rand value of each bid offered by each competitive bidder and (iii) what was the monetary value of each awarded contract;

(2) whether the proper tendering procedures were adhered to in respect of each tender; if not, why not in each case; if so, what are the relevant details?

NW2321E

REPLY:

(1)(a) Yes, seven contracts for the provisioning of weapons were awarded over the past two years.

(1)(b) Some of the contracts that were awarded were for armoured‑related equipment, however, more clarity is needed on what type of equipment is referred to in paragraph (1)(b).

(1)(i) Contracts were approved on the basis and in terms of regulations and guidelines as provided by National Treasury.

(1)(ii)(aa) As sole suppliers of these specialized equipment items, single bids were received for these tenders.

QUESTION 1574

WRITTEN REPLY

DATE OF PUBLICATION: FRIDAY, 12 SEPTEMBER 2008

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO.: 27-2008

MOULANA M R SAYEDALI SHAH (DA) TO ASK THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE

1. Whether a certain person (name furnished) holds a director post in Chancellor House Defence Dynamics as reported in the media in November 2006 (details furnished); if so, what are the relevant details;

2. whether the said person still holds the said position or any position within any defence related business interest; if so, what are the relevant details;

3. whether it is permissible for senior members of the SA National Defence Force to hold business interests within the defence industry; if not, what steps are taken to prevent this;

4. whether all current senior members of the SANDF have been screened for defence related business interests; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

-------ooo0ooo------- NW2322E

REPLY

1. Yes. The said person is listed as a director in Chancellor House Defence Dynamics. This was after he had tendered his resignation from the department. At that time he did then reconsider the option to leave the department and decided to remain. He has not been involved in the activities of the said Company. However his delisting from the Company was not processed. Subsequently the application to delist him has been made and is in process.

2. Yes he still holds the said position but is not involved in the activities of the said Company. The application to de-register him from the said Company is in process. He does not hold any position within any defence-related business interest.

3. In terms of Policy (Remunerative Work outside DOD – DODI/Pers 00004/99) no member may undertake remunerative work outside their employment in the DOD without prior approval. It is also expected of all SMS members to declare all their financial interests annually by completing the proforma Disclosure of Financial Interest. Without this framework of disclosure it becomes impossible to prevent and detect conflict of interests where they occur. The completed Disclosure forms are submitted, annually, to the Public Service Commission. This submission is made after the Minister has signed each disclosure form. The Public Service Commission, as an Independent oversight body has to establish whether a declared interest conflicts or is likely to conflict with the execution of an official duty of the employee/member in question.

4. All defence related business interests, if any, should be declared by the senior members according to the Public Service Regulations Chapter 3, in the completed disclosure form. Only the submission of the Disclosure forms is managed at this stage, and not the contents.

QUESTION 1575

WRITTEN REPLY

DATE OF PUBLICATION: FRIDAY, 12 SEPTEMBER 2008

INTERNAL QUESTITON PAPER NO.: 27-2008

MOULANA M R SAYEDALI SHAH (DA) TO ASK THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE

What has been the (a) allocated budget and (b) expenditure per annum in respect of weapons purchased by the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) for each of the past five years in respect of (i) weapons by general type, (b) ammunition, (iii) explosives, (iv) protective clothing (v) vehicles by general type, (vi) aircraft by general type and (vii) other equipment specifying general category for the (aa) SA Army, (bb) SA Navy and (cc) SA Air Force?

-------ooo0ooo------- NW2323E

REPLY

The answer to the question will require the minister to go into the archives of the SANDF for the information. Further, the information if provided in the Department's Annual Reports or, if not, is of a strategic nature and cannot be divulged in public.

QUESTION NO. 1576 INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 27 of 2008

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 12 September 2008

Mr E W Trent (DA) to ask the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism:

(1) Whether, with reference to his reply to Question 721 on 24 June 2005, the on-site ambient monitors that were purchased in the USA (a) were delivered and (b) have been in regular use; if not, why not; if so, (i) at what intervals were the levels of air pollution monitored, (ii) to whom was the results reported and (iii) what were the results of each report during the period 31 June 2005 up to the latest specified date for which information is available;

(2) whether any levels of air pollution above acceptable levels have been reported; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(3) whether the manganese ore loading facility (a) poses a health threat to any persons who work or live within a 10km radius of the harbour and (b) is detrimental to the urban environment in which it is situated; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(4) whether he intends taking any action to remedy this; if not, why not; if so, what action.

NW2324E

MR E W TRENT (DA) SECRETARY TO PARLIAMENT

HANSARD

PAPERS OFFICE

PRESS

1576. THE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS AND TOURISM ANSWERS:

(1) (a) Yes. Monitoring equipment was ordered and delivered.

(b) (i) Continuous dust monitoring takes place with monthly analysis of samples;

(ii) Results are reported to the Directorate Atmospheric Quality Information in Pretoria and a copy sent to the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM) since July 2008; and

(iii) Monitoring reports have only been sent to Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM) only from July 2008, however reports have been requested from Transnet Harbour Terminal. A visit has been undertaken and an email sent to the management of Transnet who promised to respond on 29 September 2008 for commenting on the rest of the monitoring results.

(2) No. Air pollution levels are within acceptable levels.

(3) (a) The levels of tests done are suggestive of the fact that they not posing any threat to humans in and around the facility.

(b) The monitoring results done by an Approved Inspection Authority for Transnet are very low to be of concern to the urban environment. Control systems for dust suppression are in place and inspection to their premises was undertaken by Messrs G. Scott from DEAT and T. Titima of NMBM.

(4) Monitoring will continue to take place. Based on measured pollution levels, no additional action is required.

QUESTION 1577

Mr E W Trent (DA) to ask the Minister for Public Enterprises:

(1) Whether he has been informed of the poor conditions of the current manganese ore export terminal at the PE harbour; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details;

(2) whether Transnet intends moving these facilities to another facility; if so, what are the relevant details; if not,

(3) whether such a decision is based on an unfavourable business case; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW2325E

REPLY:

(1) The manganese ore export terminal is currently undergoing scheduled maintenance and an upgrade on the existing footprint in order to maintain capacity to meet the demands of the manganese ore export industry.

(2) The feasibility study, conducted to determine the need for establishing a future manganese ore export terminal at the Port of Ngqura, indicated that it is not viable to relocate the terminal at the current export volumes, and that price adjustments required to support such relocation currently discourage the establishment of a manganese ore export terminal at the Port of Ngqura.

(3) This decision is based on worldwide current and projected supply and demand in respect of manganese ore.

QUESTION NUMBER: 1579

DATE PUBLICATION: 12 SEPTEMBER 2008

DATE REPLY SUBMITTED: 12 DECEMBER 2008

MR MM SWATHE (DA) TO ASK THE MINISTER IN THE PRESIDENCY:

(1) (a) What is the number of (i) programmes and/or funded by the National Youth Commission (NYC) and (ii) beneficiaries for the Commission's activities and (b) what were the programme and/or project outputs in each of the past five years in each province;

(2) Whether any impact assessments, longitudinal studies and/or client surveys have been conducted to determine the impact of the Commission's activities; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

NW2327E

REPLY:

1. The function of the National Youth Commission is to guide the country's youth development approach through a national youth policy, to co-ordinate the implementation of such a policy and to actively lobby for the mainstreaming of youth development activities in our country.

The mandate, structure and budget of the National Youth Commission therefore does not make provision for the implementation of youth development programmes in the country.

2. No studies of the impact of the National Youth Commission to its intended beneficiaries have ever been conducted.

QUESTION NUMBER: 1580

DATE PUBLICATION: 12 SEPTEMBER 2008

DATE REPLY SUBMITTED: 12 DECEMBER 2008

MR MM SWATHE (DA) TO ASK THE MINISTER IN THE PRESIDENCY:

What are the salary structures for all staff of the National Youth Commission in each (a) occupation and (b) salary level?

NW2328E

REPLY:

(a) SALARY STRUCTURES PER OCCUPATION LEVEL

OCCUPATION	SALARY LEVEL	SALARY SCALE	SALARY NOTCH	TOTAL OCCUPATION ON SALARY NOTCH
Administrative Assistant	4	117 501 – 136 419	64410	1
Administrative Assistant	4	117 501 – 136 419	74034	1
Assistant Director	9	174 243 – 210 489	174243	3
Assistant Director	9	174 243 – 210 489	175977	1
Assistant Director	10	217 482 – 252 483	217482	2
Assistant Director	10	217 482 – 252 483	252483	1
Call Centre Agent	3	54 879 – 63 717	59436	2
Cleaner	2	47 787 - 53316	53316	1
Deputy Director	11	344 052 – 398 805	344052	1
Deputy Director	12	407 745 – 472 758	407745	2
Director	13	557 133 – 666 123	557133	1
Director	13	557 133 – 666 123	565491	1
Hr Practitioner	7	117 501 – 136 419	117501	1
Hr Practitioner	7	117 501 – 136 419	118674	1
Intern	2	47 787 - 53316	47787	7
Messenger	4	64 410 – 74 772	74772	1
Office Administrator	8	145 920 – 169 410	145920	2
Office Manager	11	344 052 – 398 805	344052	1
Parliamentary Office	11	344 052 – 398 805	379638	1
Personal Assistant	8	145 920 – 169 410	145920	1
Personal Assistant	8	145 920 – 169 410	169410	1
Programme Manager Nys	12	407 745 – 472 758	472758	1
Programme Manager	8	145 920 – 169 410	148863	1
Programme Manager: Loc Govt	10	217 482 – 252 483	217482	1
Project Officer Lgp	9	174 243 – 210 489	174243	1
Receptionist	3	54 879 – 63 717	54879	1
Senior Communication	7	117 501 – 136 419	117501	1
Senior Secretary	6	94 326 – 109 515	94326	1
Supply Chain Officer	7	117 501 – 136 419	117501	1
TOTAL				41

(b) SALARY STRUCTURES PER SALARY LEVEL

SALARY LEVEL	TOTAL ON SALARY LEVEL	OCCUPATION	SALARY SCALE	SALARY NOTCH
13	2	Director	557 133 – 666 123	565491
13		Director		557133
12	3	Programme Manager Nys	407 745 – 472 758	472758
12		Deputy Director		407745
12		Deputy Director Prp		407745
11	3	Parliamentary Office	344 052 – 398 805	379638
11		Deputy Director		344052
11		Office Manager		344052
10	4	Assistant Director	217 482 – 252 483	252483
10		Assistant Director		217482
10		Assistant Director		217482
10		Programme Manager: Loc Govt		217482
9	5	Assistant Director	174 243 – 210 489	175977
9		Assistant Director		174243
9		Assistant Director		174243
9		Assistant Director		174243
9		Project Officer Lgp		174243
8	5	Personal Assistant	145 920 – 169 410	169410
8		Programme Manager		148863
8		Office Administrator		145920
8		Office Administrator		145920
8		Personal Assistant		145920
7	4	Hr Practitioner	117 501 – 136 419	118674
7		Hr Practitioner		117501
7		Senior Communication		117501
7		Supply Chain Officer		117501
6	1	Senior Secretary	94 326 – 109 515	94326
4	3	Messenger	64 410 – 74 772	74772
4		Administrative Assistant		74034
4		Administrative Assistant		64410
3	3	Call Centre Agent	54 879 – 63 717	59436
3		Call Centre Agent		59436
3		Receptionist		54879
2	8	Cleaner	47 787 - 53316	53316
2		Intern		47787
2		Intern		47787
2		Intern		47787
2		Intern		47787
2		Intern		47787
2		Intern		47787
2		Intern		47787
TOTAL	41

Level 11 & 12 – Inclusive package

QUESTION 1583

WRITTEN REPLY

DATE OF PUBLICATION: FRIDAY, 12 SEPTEMBER 2008

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO.: 27-2008

MR M J ELLIS (DA) TO ASK THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE

(a) What flights were made by the presidential jet out of the country in (i) 1998, (ii) 1999, (iii) 2000 and (iv) 2001, (b) to which countries and cities did the jet travel in each instance before returning to South Africa and (c) on what dates were each of these flights made?

-------ooo0ooo------- NW2331E

REPLY

DATE OF FLIGHT	COUNTRY'S VISITED
1998
JANUARY 98
18 JAN	MOZAMBIQUE (MAPUTO)
26 JAN	UGANDA (ENTEBBE)
FEBRUARY 98
MARCH 98
02 MARCH	MOZAMBIQUE (MAPUTO)
17-20 MARCH	BOTSWANA (GABORONE)
31 MARCH-	MOZAMBIQUE (MAPUTO)
01 APRIL
APR 98
3-5 APR	MOZAMBIQUE (MAPUTO)
29-30 APR	ANGOLA (LUANDA)
MAY 98
12-15 MAY	ZAIRE (KINSHASA),
18-21 MAY	IVORY COAST (ABIDJAN)-GENEVA (SWITZERLAND) – IVORY COAST (ABIDJAN)
22-29 MAY	MOZAMBIQUE (MAPUTO) – IVORY COAST (ABIDJAN)-
	MOROCCO - IVORY COAST (ABIDJAN)-
JUNE 98
08-18 JUNE	BURKINA FASO (OUGADOUGOU) – IVORY COAST (ABIDJAN) – BURKINA FASO (OUGADOUGOU) – LONDON (HEATHROW) – CARDIFF – FRANCE (CIAMPINO-LEON)
20-22 JUNE	IVORY COAST (ABIDJAN) – SENEGAL -
JULY 98
1-6 JULY	IVORY COAST (ABIDJAN) – SAL ISLAND – ST LUCIA (GEORGE) – HEWANORRA – SAL ISLAND – IVORY COAST (ABIDJAN)
11 JULY	MOZAMBIQUE (MAPUTO)
19-25 JULY	ANGOLA – ASCENSION ISLAND – BRAZIL – ARGENTINA – RIO DE JANEIRO
27-28 JULY	MOZAMBIQUE
AUGUST 98
3-6 AUG	IVORY COAST (ABIDJAN) – SAL ISLAND – AMERICA (ANDREWS AFB) – SAL ISLAND – IVORY COAST (ABIDJAN)
7 AUG	MOZAMBIQUE (MAPUTO)
10-13 AUG	LESOTHO (MASERU)
11 AUG	MOZAMBIQUE (MAPUTO)
17 AUG	MOZAMBIQUE (MAPUTO)
24-26 AUG	LESOTHO (MASERU)
SEPTEMBER 98
07 SEP	MOZAMBIQUE (MAPUTO)
10 – 15 SEP	MOZAMBIQUE (MAPUTO) – MAURITIUS
15-26 SEP	IVORY COAST (ABIDJAN) – SAL ISLAND – AMERICA (NEW YORK – WASHINGTON – NEW YORK - BOSTON – NEW YORK – WASHINGTON – NEW YORK-WASHINGTON) – CANADA (OTTAWA – TORONTO) GRAN CANARIES (LAS PALMAS) – IVORY COAST
30 SEP	MOZAMBIQUE (MAPUTO)
OCTOBER 98
8 SEP	MOZAMBIQUE (MAPUTO) – SWAZILAND (MATSAPA)
15-16 SEP	MOZAMBIQUE (MAPUTO)
19 SEP	MOZAMBIQUE (MAPUTO)
28 SEP	NAMIBIA (WINDHOEK)
29-30 SEP	NIGERIA (ABUJA)
NOVEMBER 98
06 OCT	MOZAMBIQUE (MAPUTO)
08 OCT	MOZAMBIQUE (MAPUTO)
25-29 OCT	UGANDA (ENTEBBE) – FRANCE (ORLY) - UGANDA (ENTEBBE)
DECEMBER 98
6-9 DEC	SEYCHELLES – UAE (ABU DHABI) – SAUDI ARABIA (RIYADH) – SEYCHELLES
10 DEC	MOZAMBIQUE (MAPUTO)
13 DEC	ZIMBABWE (HARARE)
15 DEC	ZIMBABWE (HARARE)
16-18 DEC	BURKINA FASO (OUGADOUGOU)
28 DEC	MOZAMBIQUE (MAPUTO)
1999
JANUARY 99
09 JAN	MOZAMBIQUE (MAPUTO)
13 JAN	MOZAMBIQUE (MAPUTO) – CHIMOIO - MOZAMBIQUE (MAPUTO)
16 JAN	MOZAMBIQUE (MAPUTO)
23 JAN	MOZAMBIQUE (MAPUTO)
27-31 JAN	IVORY COAST (ABIDJAN) – SWITZERLAND (BADEN-BADEN – ZURICH) - IVORY COAST (ABIDJAN) – NIGERIA (ABUJA)
FEBRUARY99	NTR
MARCH 99
10 – 21 JAN	IVORY COAST (ABIDJAN) – NETHERLANDS – UK (BRIZE NORTON) – FINLAND (HELSINKI) – DENMARK (COPENHAGEN) – NORWAY (OSLO) – SWEDEN (STOCKHOLM) – LIBYA (TRIPOLI) - IVORY COAST (ABIDJAN)
APRIL99
25-26 APR	MOZAMBIQUE (MAPUTO)
27 APR- 08 MAY	KENYA (KILIMANJARO) – EGYPT (LUXOR)- RUSSIA (MOSCOW) – HUNGARY (BUDAPEST) – PAKISTAN (ISLAMABAD) – CHINA (BEIJING) – SINGAPORE – SEYCHELLES -
MAY 99
28-29	NIGERIA (ABUJA)
JUNE 99
17-27	MOZAMBIQUE (MAPUTO) – GABON – MOZAMBIQUE (MAPUTO)
JULY 99
11-26	IVORY COAST (ABIDJAN) – ALGIERS (ALGERIA) – TUNISIA (TUNIS, TABARKA) MOROCCO (RABAD) - IVORY COAST (ABIDJAN)
AUGUST 99
16 AUG	MOZAMBIQUE (MAPUTO)
18-21 AUG	MOZAMBIQUE (MAPUTO)
25-26	NAMIBIA (KEETMANSHOOP)
SEPTEMBER 99
6-9 SEP	KENYA (NAIROBI) – LIBYA (TRIPOLI) – TUNISIA – LIBYA (TRIPOLI) – KENYA (NAIROBI)
18-24 SEP	IVORY COAST (ABIDJAN) – CANARY ISLAND (LAS PALMAS) – AMERICA (WASHINGTON) - CANARY ISLAND (LAS PALMAS) - IVORY COAST (ABIDJAN)
26-27 SEP	TANZANIA (DAR ES SALAAM)
OCTOBER 99
3-6 OCT	NIGERIA (ABUJA)
29-30 OCT	ZAMBIA (LUSAKA)
NOVEMBER 99
20 NOV	MOZAMBIQUE (BEIRA – TETE – MAPUTO)
30 NOV – 01 DEC	TANZANIA (ARUSHA)
DECEMBER 99
28-31 DEC	NIGERIA (ABUJA) – BOTSWANA (GABORONE) – IVORY COAST (ABIDJAN)
2000
JANUARY 2000
15 JAN	MOZAMBIQUE (MAPUTO)
16 JAN	MOZAMBIQUE (MAPUTO)
27 JAN – 01 FEB	GHANA (ACCRA) – SWITZERLAND (ZURICH) – GHANA (ACCRA)
FEBRUARY 2000
11 FEB	ZIMBABWE (HARARE)
18 FEB	LESOTHO
19 FEB	LESOTHO
21 FEB	TANZANIA (ARUSHA)
MARCH 2000
3-5 MAR	SEYCHELLES – UAE (ABU DHABI) – SEYCHELLES
14 MAR	MOZAMBIQUE (MAPUTO) -
17-18 MAR	DRC (LUMBUBASHI)
21 MAR	NAMIBIA (WINDHOEK)
APRIL 2000
2-5 APR	UGANDA (ENTEBBE) – EGYPT (CAIRO)
10-16 APR	ASCENSION ISLAND – BRAZIL (BELEM) – CUBA (HAVANA) – BRAZIL (BELEM) – ASCENSION ISLAND
21 APR	ZIMBABWE (VICTORIA FALLS)
29 APR – 01 MAY	GHANA (ACCRA) – ALGERIA (ALGIERS) – GHANA (ACCRA)
MAY 2000
16-30 MAY	GHANA (ACCRA) – AMERICA (GANDER-DULLES-MARYLAND-CALIFORNIA-TEXAS-GEORGIA) – GHANA (ACCRA
JUNE 2000
1-9 JUNE	GHANA (ACCRA) – GERMANY (HANOVER-BERLIN) – ENGLAND (OXFORD) – DENMARK (COPENHAGEN - AALBORG) – ACCRA (GHANA)
18 – 21 JUNE	GHANA (ACCRA) – PORTUGAL – GHANA (ACCRA)
JULY 2000
18 – 21 JULY	MAURITIUS – SINGAPORE – JAPAN (TOKYO) – SINGAPORE – MAURITIUS
27 – 29 JULY	GHANA (ACCRA) – SWEDEN (MALMO) – GHANA (ACCRA)
AUGUST 2000
02 AUG	ZIMBABWE (HARARE)
6 – 8 AUG	NAMIBIA (WINDHOEK)
13 – 15 AUG	ZAMBIA (LUSAKA)
27 – 29 AUG	TANZANIA (ARUSHA)
SEPTEMBER 2000
3 – 10 SEP	GHANA (ACCRA) – AMERICA (GANDER – VIRGINIA-MARYLAND-CALIFOPRNIA-TEXAS-GEORGIA) – GHANA (ACCRA) -
21 SEP	MOZAMBIQUE (MAPUTO)
21 – 26 SEP	GHANA (ACCRA) – ALGERIA (ALGIERS) – LOME - IVORY COAST (ABIDJAN)
30 SEP – 07 OCT	NIGERIA (ABUJA) – SENEGAL (DAKAR) – GHANA (ACCRA)
OCTOBER 2000
16 OCT	MOZAMBIQUE (MAPUTO)
18-19 OCT	RWANDA (KIGALI)
NOVEMBER 2000
11 – 13 NOV	TANZANIA (DAR ES SALAAM) – QATAR (DOHA) - TANZANIA (DAR ES SALAAM)
27 NOV	MOZAMBIQUE (MAPUTO)
30 NOV	ZIMBABWE (HARARE)
DECEMBER 2000
11 – 16 DEC	GHANA (ACCRA) – BRAZIL (SALVADOR – FLORIANOPOLIS) – GHANA (ACCRA)

2001
JANUARY 01
6 – 8 JAN	GHANA (ACCRA) -
25 – 31 JAN	GHANA (ACCRA) – SWITZERLAND (ZURICH) – GHANA (ACCRA) – DRC (KINSHASA)
FEBRUARY 01
4 – 5 FEB	UGANDA (ENTEBBE)
18 – 23 FEB	TANZANIA (DAR ES SALAAM) – SAUDI ARABIA (RIYAD) – NIGER (NLAMEY) – BOTSWANA (GABORONE) – TANZANIA (DAR ES SALAAM)
28 FEB – 03 MARCH	UGANDA (ENTEBBE) – LIBYA (SIRTE – TRIPOLI-SIRTE) – UGANDA (ENTEBBE)
MARCH 01
8 – 10 MAR	NAMIBIA (WINDHOEK – EROS)
26 – 30 MAR	ASCENSION ISLAND – BRAZIL (BELEM) – ASCENSION ISLAND
APRIL 01
19 APR	LESOTHO (MASERU)
19 – 26 APR	GHANA (ACCRA) – MOROCCO (MARRAKECH) – IRAN (TEHRAN) TANZANIA (DAR ES SALAAM)
MAY 01	NTR
JUNE 01	NTR
JULY 01	NTR
AUGUST 01
12 – 14 AUG	MALAWI (BLANTYRE – LILONGWE – BLANTYRE) -
18 – 22 AUG	UGANDA (KAMPALA)
SEPTEMBER 01
30 SEP – 04 OCT	MAURITIUS – SINGAPORE – JAPAN (TOKYO) – SINGAPORE - MAURITIUS
OCTOBER 01
9 – 11 OCT	GHANA (ACCRA) – BELGIUM – GHANA (ACCRA)
23 – 25 OCT	NIGERIA (ABUJA)
NOVEMBER 01
2 – 5 NOV	GHANA (ACCRA) – MALI (BAMAKO – TOMBOUCTOU – BAMAKO)
8 – 12 NOV	GHANA (ACCRA) – AZORES (SANTA MARIA) – AMERICA (NEW YORK – NEW JERSEY – NEW YORK) - AZORES (SANTA MARIA) – GHANA (ACCRA)
DECEMBER 01
8 – 13 DEC	MAURITIUS (PLAISANCE) – SINGAPORE – CHINA (BEIJING - SHANGHAI) – HONG KONG – SINGAPORE - MAURITIUS

QUESTION NO.: 1584

Dr S M van Dyk (DA) to ask the Minister for Public Enterprises:

(1) What is the (a) lowest and (b) highest single amount that was paid out in pension or benefits to (i) pensioners falling under the Railways and Harbours Amendment Act, Act 26 of 1941, and (ii) normal pensioners of the Transnet Second Defined Benefit Fund in June 2008;

(2) what was the average net monthly pension for (a) pensioners under the Railways and Harbours Amendment Act, Act 26 of 1941, and (b) normal pensioners in June 2008;

(3) (a) how many trustees manage the fund and (b) what annual compensation and other financial benefits do they receive;

(4) what is the annual financial (a) compensation and benefits of each member of Transnet's board of directors and (b) package of Transnet's chief executive officer (CEO)?

NW2332E

REPLY:

(1) (a)The lowest single amount paid in June 2008 to a pensioner falling under the Act was R225.66. The pensioner concerned retired on 1 August 1988, after completion of 18 years of service and was receiving a salary of R437.50 per month at retirement. In 2007, this pensioner received an ex gratia bonus from Transnet of approximately R9 850.58 and received an ex gratia bonus of approximately R6 211.20 in 2008. This is in addition to the bonuses paid by the TSDBF of R34.04 in 2007 and R68.08 to date for 2008.

(b)(i)The highest single amount paid in June 2008 to a pensioner falling under the Act was R774.80. The pensioner retired on 16 September 1974 after completion of 22 years of service and received a salary of R75.00 per month at retirement. This pensioner received an ex gratia bonus from Transnet of approximately R3 004.62 and received an ex gratia bonus of approximately R229.25 in 2008. This is in addition to the bonuses paid by the TSDBF of R136.72 in 2007 and R273.45 to date for 2008.

(ii) The lowest single amount paid in June 2008 to a pensioner in the TSDBF was R219.44. The total service of this pensioner was approximately 10 years and his salary at retirement on 1 August 1996 was R1 207.50 per month. In 2007, this pensioner also received an ex gratia bonus from Transnet of approximately R25.82 and he will, in 2008, receive an ex gratia bonus of approximately R5 892.72. This is in addition to the bonuses paid by the TSDBF of R38.72 in 2007 and of R77.45 to date for 2008.

The highest single amount paid to a pensioner in the TSDBF in June 2008 was R57 242.00 per month. This pensioner had 43 years of service and a salary, on retirement on 16 June 1996, of R53 280.00 per year. This pensioner also received an ex gratia bonus from Transnet of R13 806.85 in 2007 and R17 275.74 in 2008. TSDBF paid these pensioner bonuses of R10 303.62 in 2007 and R20 607.24 to date for 2008.

(2)(a)The average nett monthly pension for pensioners falling under Act 26 of 1941 was R262.00 in June 2008.

(b)The average net monthly pension for a pensioner in the TSDBF was R2 833.00 in June 2008.

(3)(a-b)In terms of the Rules of the TSDBF there are 6 trustees on the Board of the TSDBF. Four of these trustees are appointed by Transnet, two of whom are employees of Transnet and the other two are independent non-executive directors on Transnet's Board of Directors. The two pensioner trustees were elected by the pensioners and beneficiaries of the TSDBF.

The two pensioner trustees and the two independent non-executive directors of Transnet receive a maximum of R4 000 per day for attending meetings. Their travel and subsistence costs are also provided. The above costs are effectively carried by Transnet as Transnet pays the administration costs of the TSDBF.

(4)(a) Table 1: The annual financial compensation and benefits for the financial year ended 31 March 2008 for each non-executive director of Transnet is tabled below:

Name of Board Member	Fees (R' thousand)	Other payments (R' thousand)	2007 (R' thousand)	2008 (R' thousand)
FTM Phaswana	1 049	1	1 050	1 050
I Abedian	538	41	510	579
GK Everingham	600	125	593	725
NBP Gcaba	454	103	560	557
NSD Haste OBE	300	-	300	300
SE Jonah KBE*	428	1	451	429
PG Joubert	600	1	488	601
NNA Matyumza	375	1	484	376
S Nicolaou	375	52	459	427
NR Ntshingila	450	1	376	451
BT Ngcuka	387	127	442	514
KC Ramon	375	1	466	376
Total	5 931	454	6 179	6 385
*Resigned during the current financial year

(4)(a-b) Table 2: The guaranteed annual financial compensation and benefits of Transnet's executive directors is provided in table 1 above. The Group Chief Executive (Transnet GCE) details are set out below:

Group Chief Executive	(R' thousand)
Salary (basic)	4853
Post retirement benefit fund contributions:	455
Other contributions:	-
Other payments:	103
Total 2007:	5056
Total 2008:	5411

QUESTION 1585

Dr S M van Dyk (DA) to ask the Minister for Public Enterprises:†

(1) (a) What was the surface area of the V&A Waterfront of which Transnet owned 26% and its three pension fund partners owned 74%, (b) how much of the area was sold, (c)(i) how much of it was already developed and (ii) under what rights was it sold and (d) how much was not yet developed for business rights and/or any other form of utilisation rights;

(2) whether the sale of the V&A Waterfront included any coast line and/or any square kilometre area of the sea; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what is the length and surface area;

(3) whether Transnet sold a larger area than the V&A Waterfront premises to a certain consortium (name furnished) or any other buyer; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details;

(4) whether Transnet, in terms of legislation, acquired large parts of the Cape coast and sea territory which they could develop or reclaim; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, (a) what was the area, (b) to whom was it sold and (c) what are the relevant details;

(5) whether any claims were lodged against Transnet as a result of the sale transaction; if so, what (a) is the amount claimed and (b) are the relevant details? NW2333E

REPLY:

(1)(a) Transnet and the three retirement funds (the Transnet Second Defined Benefit Fund; the Transnet Pension Fund and the Transnet Retirement Fund) owned and sold shares and claims in the V&A Waterfront Holdings (Pty) Ltd, and not the properties which were held by the subsidiary companies of V&A Waterfront Holdings (collectively, the "V&A Group").

At the effective date of sale (31 December 2006) the V&A Group directly held the properties listed in table below:

Property Description	Approx Size (m²)	Approx Size (hectares)
V&A Waterfront Properties (Pty) Ltd
Erf 150238	5 157	0.5157
Erf 150239	11 676	1.1676
Erf 150240	19 330	1.9330
Erf 188	6 177	0.6177
Erf 191	243	0.0243
Remainder Erf 9588	3 135	0.3135
Remainder Erf 149294	945 526	94.5526
Remainder Erf 187	1 227	0.1227
V&A Waterfront Marina (Pty) Ltd
Remainder of Erf 158576	86 799	8.6799

The land comprising the marina development at the tank farm was subdivided from the main V&A Waterfront erf (being Erf 149294) in 2000 when Transnet Pension Fund sold the site to V&A Waterfront Marina (Pty) Ltd (a subsidiary company of V&A Waterfront Holdings (Pty) Ltd). This entire Marina site was known as Erf 158576.

As each residential building in the marina was developed, the land on which it was situated was subdivided from Erf 158576 and transferred to the particular sectional title scheme (currently erven 158577 – 158590).

(b) As mentioned, Transnet and the three retirement funds owned and sold the shares and claims in V&A Waterfront Holdings (Pty) Ltd, and not the properties which were held by the V&A Group. Therefore, the properties listed above continued to be owned by the V&A Group.

The sale of the shares and claims in V&A Waterfront Holdings (Pty) Ltd was announced publicly in September 2006 and conducted through a transparent and competitive bidding process.

On 31 December 2006, the transaction comprising the sale of shares and claims in V&A Waterfront Holdings (Pty) Ltd was duly completed and implemented, and the purchase price of approximately R7 billion was paid by Lexshell 44 General Trading (Pty) Ltd to Transnet and the three retirement funds resulting in Transnet and the other three retirement funds having no further interest in the V&A Waterfront.

(c)(i) At the time of sale of the shares and claims in V&A Waterfront Holdings (Pty) Ltd on 31 December 2006, approximately 329,755 square metres – representing 55% of the of the approved development rights – had been developed.

(ii) Transnet and the three retirement funds sold the shares and claims they owned in V&A Waterfront Holdings (Pty) Ltd - these shares and claims were sold under the ownership rights which Transnet and the retirement funds had at the time of V&A Waterfront Holdings (Pty) Ltd.

(d) At the time of sale of the shares and claims in V&A Waterfront Holdings (Pty) Ltd on 31 December 2006, approximately 274,104 square metres – representing 45% of the of the approved development rights – had been undeveloped.

(2) Transnet and the three retirement funds sold shares and claims in V&A Waterfront Holdings (Pty) Ltd, and not any other assets or properties. The sale did not include the sale of any coastline or sea area.

(3) Transnet and the three retirement funds sold shares and claims in V&A Waterfront Holdings (Pty) Ltd, and not any other assets or properties.

(4) Transnet does not own the expanse of Cape coast and sea territory referred to in a Sunday newspaper and was therefore in no position to sell or transfer it, and never did. The newspaper has since retracted its erroneous and unfounded claims in this regard.

Pursuant to the provisions of various legislative enactments – including the Sea-Shore Act, 1935 (Act No. 21 of 1935), Legal Succession to the South African Transport Services Act, 1989 (Act No. 9 of 1989) and the National Ports Act, 2005 (Act No. 12 of 2005) – Transnet owns the ports and the land and water areas within the ports. Transnet is responsible for creating a port system that will lead to economic growth for South Africa. To achieve this, Transnet's strategy includes investing in infrastructure capacity ahead of demand and improving port efficiency. This entails reclaiming land when necessary for building or expanding breakwaters, seawalls, channels, basins, quay walls, jetties, roads and railways.

(b-c) As explained above, Transnet and the three retirement funds sold their shares and claims in V&A Waterfront Holdings (Pty) Ltd to Lexshell 44 General Trading (Pty) Ltd. Transnet does not own the expanse of Cape coast and sea territory referred to in a Sunday newspaper and was therefore in no position to sell or transfer any such areas to Lexshell 44 General Trading (Pty) Ltd or anybody else, and never did. The newspaper has since retracted its erroneous and unfounded claims in this regard.

(5)(a-b) There is no claim in this regard lodged against Transnet.

QUESTION 1586

Dr S M van Dyk (DA) to ask the Minister for Public Enterprises:

(1) (a) How many electricity credit machines for domestic electricity meters does Eskom have and (b) how many of these have been stolen;

(2) (a) what is the estimated monetary loss for Eskom as a result of credits that are still issued to consumers via stolen machines, (b) why can the machines not be deactivated and (c) what will Eskom do to put a stop to this theft;

(3) whether any of Eskom's staff was involved in this theft; if not, what is the

position in this regard; if so,

(4) whether there is any control over the amount of credit that is loaded onto stolen machines; if not, why not; if so, what will Eskom do about this? NW2334E

Reply:

(1) (a-b) There were up to 1 800 remote electricity Credit Dispensing Units (CDUs) deployed across the country. Work is well underway to rapidly migrate Eskom to Online Vending thus reducing the number of CDUs. Of the total units deployed, 52 were stolen between 2005 and 2008 with 11 of the stolen units recovered thus far.

(2) (a) It is not possible to quantify the full monetary loss given that Eskom has not recovered all of the stolen CD's. From the recovered CDU's, some indicate that millions of rands of pre-paid electricity units have been sold while others show zero losses as they were not operated illegally.

(b) CDUs were designed to operate independently because remote data communications was not available 20 years ago when Eskom commenced vending. Although safety features were built in over time, illegal manipulation of stolen CDUs can result in ongoing vending until the equipment physically fails. Eskom has moved to a much more secure online vending system, and is busy closing most offline CDUs, thus removing any future risk of misuse and financial losses.

(c) Eskom has established a special project together with the South African Police Services (Organised Crime) - Asset Forfeiture Unit to recover stolen CDUs and prosecute perpetrators. Already 11 CDUs have been recovered with several individuals arrested since the special project was instituted. To prevent any future theft, Eskom as mentioned is migrating to an Online Vending system, which has the security module stored securely at a central location. The Offline Vending CDUs are actively being closed to almost completely remove the threat of theft.

(3) Forensic investigations conducted in the past have linked some Eskom staff to this theft, with resultant disciplinary measures taken against the employees in question. Systems (e.g. forensic investigations) are in place to continuously monitor any possible involvement of employees and where necessary, disciplinary actions are taken.

(4) In general, the amount of credit loaded on the CDU is controlled. However, there have been instances where stolen CDUs were illegally bypassed. Discontinuing offline vending and converting to online vending which Eskom is currently implementing, will resolve this problem going forward.

QUESTION 1588

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 12/09/2008

(INTERNAL QESTION PAPER 27-2008)

Mr LB Labuschagne (DA) to ask the Minister of Education:

Whether provision is made for the temporary appointment of experts in the fields of computer science and mathematics in the absence of a formal diploma in education; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

NW2336E

REPLY:

The Personnel Administration Measures (PAM) provide for the temporary appointment of unqualified teachers in a number of subjects. The Measures also provide for the temporary appointment of qualified teachers without specifying a subject to teach. Therefore, it is possible to appoint unqualified teachers to teach mathematics and computer science. However, qualified teachers have first preference, and first entrants into the profession in particular.

QUESTION NO 1589

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 12 SEPTEMBER 2008

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 27/2008)

Date reply submitted: 21 October 2008

Mr L B Labuschagne (DA) to ask the Minister of Safety and Security:

Whether the (a) Sinoville, (b) Villieria, (c) Wonderboom, (d) Pretoria Central and (e) Sunnyside police stations have sufficient docket storage space; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

NW2337E

REPLY:

(1) The moratorium the Truth and Reconciliation Committee put on the destruction of official documents put great strain on the storage of official documents at the police stations throughout the country. However, with regard to the following stations, it is reported that -

(a) Sinoville SAPS currently has sufficient docket storage space but has identified a need for additional space. Efforts are being made to address this need before the end of this financial year.

(b) Villeria SAPS has sufficient docket storage space. This status may change as the South African Police Service approaches the end of the financial year and efforts will be made to meet these changes.

(c) Wonderboom SAPS currently has sufficient storage space. Efforts are being made to make additional docket storage space available at this police station.

(d) the Pretoria Central SAPS has sufficient storage space for its dockets

(e) the Sunnyside SAPS at present also has sufficient space for the storage of dockets.

In an effort to remain proactive, steps will be taken to make additional storage space available for dockets at these stations.

QUESTION 1590

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 19/09/2008

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 28-2008)

Mrs van der Walt (DA) to ask the Minister of Education:

(i) Whether options for a mechanism to accommodate indigent children in better equipped schools have been developed ; if so, what options;

(2) Whether any progress has been made in any of selecting these options for implementation; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so , (a)what are the relevant details and (b) when is it anticipated to be implemented? NW2307E

REPLY:

(1) We accommodate poor children in "better equipped schools" through the system of fee exemptions. The school funding norms provide a full exemption to parents who earn less than ten times the school fee, and a progressive scale of partial exemption to parents who earn less than thirty times the school fee. This policy has not changed and should be enforced in all schools. It should also be noted that the award of fee exemptions should be dealt with after, and separate from, any decision to admit a child to a school.

(2) We accept that a school should not carry the full burden of fee exemptions. Various policy options have been explored, and a draft proposal developed for amendments to the funding norms. The proposal will follow the usual consultative processes before any final decision is made.

QUESTION NO. 1594

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 19 SEPTEMBER 2008

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO. 28)

Dr R Rabinowitz (IFP) to ask the Minister of Health:

(1) Whether there is a procedure whereby (a) nurses and (b) doctors are employed by clinics and hospitals in the public service; if not, why not; if so, (i) what is the procedure and (ii) who (aa) advertises the posts, (bb) interviews applicants, (cc) selects employees and (dd) dismisses staff in each case;

(2) (a) what is the number of vacant posts currently recorded for (i) nurses and (ii) doctors in (aa) each province and (bb) the entire public service and (b) why is there a moratorium on employment of staff in certain provinces;

(3) whether the process of employment and dismissal could be simplified to reduce the number of vacancies for nurses and doctors; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

NW2340E

REPLY:

(1) (a) and (b) Yes.

(i) The procedures are contained in Part VII of the Public Service Regulations, 2001 under the title "Procedures for appointment, promotions and termination of service".

(aa) Every province has its own policy in this regard. Post may be advertised on provincial level or at health facility level, depending on the level off the post.

(bb) Selection panels are constituted to conduct interviews.

(cc) Selection panels submit their recommendations to the appropriate delegated authority for approval at provincial or facility level depending on the nature of the appointment. Each province has its own policy in this regard.

(dd) Each province deals with its own dismissals based on the provisions prescribed in the Disciplinary Code and Procedures for the Public Service as contained in Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council Resolution no. 2 of 1999.

(2) (a) (i), (ii) and (aa) The Table below reflects the situation in this regard. The data does not reflect posts that were "frozenby some provinces in order to contain their personnel expenditure.

	Vacancies
Province	Professional Nurse	Staff Nurse	Nursing Assistant	Medical Doctor	Medical Specialist
Eastern Cape	5082	1171	2269	987	391
Free State	2561	240	2981	315	317
Gauteng	798	184	165	238	192
KwaZulu/Natal	404	220	122	145	248
Limpopo	2344	1297	1153	457	79
Mpumalanga	1373	1280	1240	566	96
Northern Cape	682	223	394	332	22
North West	140	52	128	61	5
Western Cape	2978	1085	1951	531	302
National Department	1	0	0	0	0

Source: Vulindlela

(a) (bb) The information is not available, but the majority of health professionals are employed in provincial departments of health.

(b) Many provinces are facing significant over- expenditure on their personnel budgets in the current financial year and are unable to fill non-critical vacancies.

(3) No. The State as employer is obliged to comply with the regulatory framework regarding employment and dismissal of employees. There is also no evidence that suggest that recruitment and dismissal procedures are contributing to the relative large number of vacancies.

QUESTION NUMBER 1596

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 19 SEPTEMBER 2008

Mr D T George (DA) to ask the Minister of Finance:

Whether an official poverty line index as announced in the 2008 Budget Speech has been introduced; if not, (a) what progress has been made in finalising the index and (b) when will the introduction take place; if so, what are the relevant details? NW2345E

REPLY:

(a) The introduction of an official poverty line index was planned for March 2008 as indicated in the Budget Speech. Subsequent to this announcement, the introduction of the poverty line index was postponed in order to facilitate consideration of stakeholder views that emerged in response to the planned publication process.

Given the diversity of stakeholder audiences, this meant undertaking additional research and expanding the technical document in ways that would enable stakeholders to better understand the poverty line and its place in poverty measurement.

The process for this additional work is nearing completion, with validation and technical quality control processes planned for the end of September 2008.

(b) The introduction of the index is planned for a date after Stats SA's presentation to Cabinet on methodologies for constructing a poverty line.

QUESTION NUMBER 1597

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 19 SEPTEMBER 2008

Dr D T George (DA) to ask the Minister of Finance:

(1) Which government departments form part of the intergovernmental task team on the retirement reform process;

(2) whether any departments have withdrawn from this task team; if so, which departments;

(3) when will the final proposals from the task team become available;

(4) whether uncertainty regarding the reform proposals is impacting on the retirement industry and members of retirement funds; if so, in what way? NW2346E

REPLY:

(1) An Inter-Ministerial Committee oversees Government's work on retirement and social security reform. Its membership includes the Ministers of Social Development, Labour, Health, Public Service and Administration and Finance and the Minister in the Presidency. The work of the Inter-Ministerial Committee is supported by an interdepartmental task team which includes representatives of the relevant departments and agencies reporting to these Ministers, namely the Department of Social Development, the South African Social Security Agency, the Department of Labour, the Unemployment Insurance Fund, the Compensation Fund, the Department of Health, the Department of Public Service and Administration, the National Treasury, the South African Revenue Service, the Policy Coordination and Advisory Service in the Presidency and the Government Communication and Information System.

(2) Representatives of all of the above departments and agencies have participated in meetings of the IDTT during the course of 2008. As can be expected in a reform initiative of this kind, participation by senior officials from the relevant departments and agencies has occasionally been affected by constraints on time availability and disagreements about the scope of work and sub-components of the the IDTT's work programme. These issues have been addressed and the work of the IDTT will continue in 2009.

(3) A date has not been set for the finalisation of proposals, as this depends on consultation with a wide range of stakeholders and interested or affected parties.

(4) Uncertainty about the implications of retirement and social security reform has occasionally emerged in the public media. Concerns related to the rights of pension and provident fund members were addressed during the course of the year by the Ministers of Finance and Social Development, and in consultation with union leaders.

QUESTION 1598

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER [NO 28–2008]

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 19 SEPTEMBER 2008

1598. Mr A H Nel (DA) to ask the Minister for Agriculture and Land Affairs:

(1) What percentage of the 4,8 million hectares of agricultural land out of the target of 24,6 million hectares that is to be redistributed by 2014, which her department announced had been redistributed by July 2008, was redistributed through market transactions and initiatives;

(2) whether her department will conduct a study to quantify redistribution through market transactions and initiatives and its contribution to meeting the land distribution target by 2014; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW2347E

THE MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE AND LAND AFFAIRS:

(1) All of the agricultural land that has been redistributed was bought by Government in accordance with the willing buyer-willing seller principle. It does not include market transactions.

(2) Yes. To assist the DLA in this regard, we have requested the major banking institutions to provide us with the relevant information. This information has however not yet been made available to the DLA.

QUESTION NO.: 1599 DATE OF PUBLICATION: 19 SEPTEMBER 2008

Mr L K Joubert (DA ) to ask the Minister for Justice and Constitutional Development:

How many times has the Ministerial Coordinating Committee, created by Section 31 of the National Prosecuting Authority Act, Act 32 of 1998, met since (a) its inception and (b) the Khampepe Commission of Inquiry submitted its final report?

NW2348E

REPLY

The Ministerial Coordinating Committee met 6 times formally since its inception and 3 times since the Khampepe Commission of Inquiry.

QUESTION 1600

1600. Dr D T George (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

Whether policies of her department give effect to the developmental state, if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, (a) which policies, (b) how do they give effect to the operation of the developmental state, (c) on what research are these policies based and (d) what examples of developmental states are they based on? NW2349E

REPLY:

Yes. This reply responds initially to (d) in a general comment on the South African developmental state, and responds to (a), (b) and (c) in relation to each policy initiative cited below.

THE SOUTH AFRICAN DEVELOPMENTAL STATE

In a developmental state government leads a strong, concerted drive for economic growth, ensuring the mobilisation of national resources towards development goals. Although a developmental state prioritises and promotes development, it is a conjunctural configuration whose route and approaches are contingent on national history and the choices made by citizens and leaders. Many countries are examples of the developmental state, including Germany under the Marshall Plan, post-colonial Uganda, and the "Asian tigers" (South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong).

It is important to emphasise that each developmental state is historically unique, so there is no simple plan that delineates progress towards the attainment of the 'developmental state' and South Africa cannot be said to base its approach on any existing model. In South Africa the developmental state is characterised by its democratic content and the role of the state in socio-economic transformation. It prioritises both social and economic development and draws on participatory and integrated planning processes to undertake pro-poor, redistributive and proactive interventions. The emerging South African developmental state is democratic, non-racial, interventionist, redistributive, people-centred and participatory.

The Constitution prescribes basic values and principles for the administrative apparatuses of the state (section 195(1)):

1. A high standard of professional ethics must be promoted and maintained.

2. Efficient, economic and effective use of resources must be promoted.

3. Public administration must be development-oriented.

4. Services must be provided impartially, fairly, equitably and without bias.

5. People's needs must be responded to, and the public must be encouraged to participate in policy-making.

6. Public administration must be accountable.

7. Transparency must be fostered by providing the public with timely, accessible and accurate information.

8. Good human-resource management and career-development practices, to maximise human potential, must be cultivated.

9. Public administration must be broadly representative of the South African people, with employment and personnel management practices based on ability, objectivity, fairness, and the need to redress the imbalances of the past to achieve broad representation.

This includes an explicit requirement that public administration be development oriented. The evolution of a developmental state is invariably dependent upon the strength, competency and coherence of those public servants who must convert the stated developmental goals into reality. The state therefore requires a capable and effective Public Service in order to plan and guide the implementation of its national development plan. The policies of the Ministry for the Public Service and Administration are aimed at the realisation of the developmental state in South Africa by empowering and enabling the public service to deliver on government's socio-economic objectives.

STRENGTHENING THE CAPACITY OF THE PUBLIC SERVICE

Government Employees' Medical Scheme (GEMS)

GEMS was conceived in order to ensure value for money for public servants' medical contributions by realising economies of scale, owing to the large pool of potential members in the public service. Comprehensive actuarial research was conducted on the feasibility of the scheme, after which Cabinet gave approval for its implementation. GEMS was established in terms of the Medical Schemes Act in 2005 and began enrolling members in 2006. Benefit options were designed to include a Sapphire option, coupled with a 100% subsidy on this option for the lowest-paid levels in the public service. More than half its members (54%) did not access the employer subsidy for medical schemes beforehand (which suggests they were not covered by medical aid) and over 40% of all GEMS members earn a monthly income below R6,000 per month, demonstrating that GEMS is performing a developmental function within the healthcare sector and the economy more broadly. More than 100,000 employees are now covered on GEMS. GEMS is already the largest closed medical scheme in the country and the second largest overall. The extent to which it has brought new members into the medical scheme sector is evidenced by the unprecedented 6,5% growth in the overall industry, attributable to GEMS, as recorded in the Council for Medical Schemes Annual Report. This growth in new beneficiaries therefore not only benefits the public service but also the broader sector and the country.

Occupation-Specific Dispensations (OSDs) for professionals

In 2006 the Department conducted a Personnel Expenditure Review which evaluated the effectiveness of government's remuneration expenditure and identified where the challenges lay. The study found that remuneration for professionals at entry level was competitive with the private sector, but once they had gained some years of experience it was no longer competitive, and many professionals were leaving the public service after a number of years, having been trained and gained experience in the public service. To ensure the retention of professionals in the public service, the Occupation-Specific Dispensations were devised, which placed professionals in critical occupation on occupation-specific remuneration frameworks and arrangements for grade progression and career paths.

Implementation has been phased, with nurses, school-based educators and legally-qualified personnel being prioritised. Implementation for nurses and school-based educators has been completed, while a shortage of funds is delaying implementation in the Justice sector. The dispensation for social workers is currently being negotiated. Technical work has been completed for medical specialists and Correctional Services employees. A task team has been established for engineers, architects, environmentalists and other identified professionals. The OSDs are developmental because they assist the public service in attracting and retaining highly skilled professional staff and boost the capacity of the state to deliver on government's socio-economic objectives, in the same way that the flexible remuneration framework for senior managers and middle managers, introduced in 2001 and 2004, were intended to attract and retain high calibre managers.

Policy on Incapacity Leave and Ill-health Retirements (PILIR)

The intention of PILIR is to curb abuse of incapacity leave and ill-health retirements by appointing a Health Risk Manager for all departments who will scrutinise applications and advise the Head of Department. Extensive actuarial research was conducted before the pilot was approved. In the pilot, incapacity leave and ill-health retirements reduced by more than 50%. Following the pilot, the dpsa coordinated the rollout of PILIR to all departments. Currently preparations are being made to decentralise PILIR. A tender is being issued for the provision of Health Risk Management services, and departments will be able to select from an approved panel of service providers. PILIR is developmental because it boosts the capacity of the public service by reducing wastage of human and financial resources and providing departments with optimal advice on incapacity leave and ill-health retirements.

Human Resource Development Strategic Framework

The Human Resource Development Strategic Framework (HRDSF) for the Public Service (Vision 2015) was approved by Cabinet in December 2007. Its development was based on a review of the Human Resource Development Strategy for the Public Service (2002-2006) between November 2006 and June 2007. A stakeholder review process was undertaken through a series of 9 regional workshops and 1 National workshop as well as a workshop for organised Labour under the auspices of the PSCBC. In addition, 39 individual interviews of key policy actors in HRD were conducted, making the sum total of 272 respondents.Flowing out of this a new HRDSF was developed.

The objectives of the HRDSF are: to promote and support the National Skills Development agenda, including ASGI-SA objectives and JIPSA initiatives; to address the national skills challenges at all public sector delivery points in line with the National HRD Strategy; align all public service HRD strategies with sectoral and provincial economic and development growth needs; to ensure a continuous supply of public sector specialist skills and absorption thereof into the public service labour market; and to enable human capital performance in public sector organisations that ensures effective service delivery in all spheres of Government and contributes to economic growth.

The HRDSF aims to achieve these objectives through implementation of four strategic initiatives which depict the human capital development path:firstly, individual capacity development; the organisational support systems at an institutional level; the governance and institutional development systems for a group of organisations (provincially and nationally); and the economic and growth development plans for a group of organizations (country, continent and globally). The HRDSF includes an implementation plan and annual reporting requirements, as well as implementation support through HR steering committees. The HRDSF is developmental because it aims to provide a skilled public service to implement government's socio-economic objectives.

CITIZEN-FOCUSED DEVELOPMENTAL INITIATIVES

Implementation of the Access Strategy

Government has since 1994 explored ways of expanding access to government services, including e-Government, "one-stop shops", CDWs and the Single Public Service. These initiatives are developmental because they empower and encourage citizens and communities to take up social services and economic opportunities which might otherwise be out of reach.

e-Government

In 2004 the Batho Pele Gateway portal was launched and is available in all official languages. The portal is at www.gov.za. It provides information on government services in a user-friendly manner, organising the information in terms of life events so that citizens do not need to be concerned about which sphere of government is delivering the service. Desk top comparative research on e-government initiatives had been conducted. The portal is phase 1 of the implementation of an e-Government strategy; and the Next Generation e-Government entails the "e-enablement" of services, beginning with six pro-poor services: application to register birth; application for an identity document; application for foster care grant; application for an old age pension; applications for a maintenance order; and application to give notice of death. The aim is to enhance access, to reduce costs and to improve efficiency.

Thusong Centres

In 1999 Government initiated a programme to build "one-stop shop" service centres in townships and rural areas across the country. The intention is to have a Thusong Centre in all 283 municipalities by 2014. Currently over 107 are operational. The centres are managed by the municipalities and government services from all three spheres are offered, based on demand, including the services of the Departments of Home Affairs, Social Development and Labour. Projects led by the dpsa are underway to supply each Thusong Centre with internet connectivity, and build General Services Counters, at which the Batho Pele Gateway portal will be made available. Thusong Centres also provide information on services and opportunities through the Government Communication and Information Service. A project led by the dpsa is also underway to establish Thusong Centres in urban malls in major centres. The particular configuration of the Thusong Centre is unique, but other jurisdictions (including Brazil and Canada) have implemented government services centres that offer integrated service delivery.

Community Development Worker Programme

There are currently over 3000 CDWs deployed to municipalities. They are fully-fledged public servants within the provincial government, and have completed a learnership. They are coordinated nationally by the National Task Team, led by the dpsa. The CDW's role is to make citizens aware of the services to which they are entitled and to help them to access those services; to ascertain what citizens' needs are and to provide this feedback to departments and municipalities for implementation; and to provide information to citizens on ways in which they can take up economic opportunities. All of these functions are developmental; in addition, CDWs operate in the poorest urban and rural areas, where the need for government services and information on opportunities is the greatest. Desk top research was conducted prior to implementation. An impact assessment of the CDW Programme is currently underway.

Know Your Service Rights Campaign

The Public Service Commission and the dpsa conducted studies which confirmed that many government departments do little to inform citizens about the services to which they are entitled. This was further supported by the absence of service charters or service standards in most government departments. The Know Your Service Rights Campaign seeks to raise awareness amongst citizens about their service rights and educate them on ways of exercising their rights. These rights are explained in a user-friendly and easily understandable booklet that provides information on service rights and obligations. The campaign also seeks to exert positive pressure on the public service and its officials. The Know Your Service Rights booklet for the Social Sector was published in 2007, launched in March 2008 and distributed thereafter. The booklet addresses various rights encompassing the services of Home Affairs, Housing, Healthcare and Social Security. A process of developing a booklet for the Justice Cluster (SAPS, Correctional Services and Justice and Constitutional Development) will be completed in 2009. Initiatives that promote citizens' awareness of rights and duties are developmental in that they expand access for citizens to vital social services offered by the government.

Single Public Service

The Single Public Service is government's response to the need for better quality services to the people where they live, and in particular to offer as many services as possible from a single window by integrating the institutions responsible for service delivery and the personnel at the frontline. This project is primarily aimed at improving service delivery, by promoting convenience and access to services for the people of the South African developmental state, and entails a fundamental transformation of the administrative state apparatuses.

Legislation for the Single Public Service has been tabled in Parliament following an extensive consultation process. Research was conducted into common human resource practices and norms and standards for the Single Public Service, and the costing of various scenarios for implementation. Government is also considering the geo-spatial implications of integrated service delivery. It is necessary to identify where the people are, where the need for services exists, where the existing service delivery points are and where future sites should be built. In addition, within the Single Public Service initiative it is necessary to identify where the public servants are located geographically, to ensure optimal deployment of human resources where they are needed. The project to establish a Geographical Information System (GIS) for the Single Public Service is already underway and research into GIS in government departments has been conducted.

The scope of the Public Administration Management Bill covers the current public service and municipalities. The principal object of the Public Administration Management Bill is to provide for administration in all three spheres of government to be organised and to function in ways that ensure efficient, quality, collaborative and accountable service delivery to promote social and economic development for the people of South Africa.

The ancillary objects of the Public Administration Management Bill are to provide for institutions, systems and mechanisms and for human resources' utilisation and development in a manner which best enhances service delivery by public administration institutions; establish a culture of service delivery across public administration institutions and provide for standards for services by public administration institutions; strengthen relations between the spheres of government; enhance coherent, integrated planning, budgeting, implementation, reporting, monitoring and evaluation in all spheres of government; provide for frameworks for employment practices, including employee relations and conditions of service, for all employees of all public administration institutions; and establish a single senior management service across all public administration institutions, amongst others.

The Bill continues a tradition of decentralisation of power established in 1999, and its provisions are based on the experience of the last ten years in public administration. The approach taken in the Public Service Act and the Public Service Regulations was for the Minister as regulator to set a framework of norms and standards within which executive authorities and their delegates could make policiessuited to their own unique circumstances. In the Public Administration Management Bill, the Minister is empowered to create a framework of generally applicable norms and standards within which government institutions in the national, provincial and local spheres may determine their own policies and practices. At the same time, however, efforts will be made to harmonise systems, structures and conditions of service in order to reduce unjustifiable disparities, duplication and lack of interoperability between institutions, and to promote integration and coordination for improved service delivery.

The Single Public Service is developmental because it aims to reduce duplication and wastage through integration of services, concentrate staff and service centres in the locations where they are most needed and to enable a wide range of services to be delivered at these conveniently located service points. It also aims to improve intergovernmental coordination and integration by harmonising the conditions of services, systems and procedures of the institutions that provide services and the personnel which serve the public. Overall the intention is to improve service delivery by integrating the back and front offices of the public service and municipalities. Other jurisdictions (including Brazil and Canada) have integrated their service delivery back offices (integrating the back office is a long term undertaking) and many jurisdictions have decentralised human resource management within a framework of norms and standards.

CONCLUSION

Central to government's ability to realise the goal of the developmental state is that the organs of state have the capacity and are correctly organised to deliver on the state's socio-economic objectives. The Minister for the Public Service and Administration has introduced policies to enhance the capacity of the public service by empowering public servants to improve their skills and enjoy benefits that also contribute to the development of the country, and by eliminating the abuse of policies and systems to ensure their health and wellness, among several others. Expanding access to services and empowering citizens to take up services and economic opportunities are developmental and support the implementation of government's socio-economic objectives through enhanced access to social services and economic opportunities. The implementation of the Access Strategy and the Single Public Service initiative will further strengthen South Africa as a developmental state by ensuring that services that have a positive impact on the quality of life of our citizens are delivered effectively, economically and efficiently.