Women, Youth, Children and People with Disabilities

2012-12-31

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Reply received: December 2012

QUESTION 3397

QUESTION 3397 OF 2012: MR A WATSON (DA) TO ASK THE MINISTER OF WOMEN, CHILDREN, AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITES:

(1) (a) How many copies of each annual report that was produced by (i) her department and (ii) the entities reporting to her were commissioned for print in the 2011-12 financial year, (b) how many copies were actually printed and (c) what were the (i) total and (ii) individual costs of printing these reports;

(2) (a) who printed each specified report, (b) how was the specified printing service provider decided upon and (c) on what date did the specified printing service provider deliver the report to the specified entity;

(3) Whether any of the specified reports that had been printed were found to be unsatisfactory; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, in each case, (a) which reports, (b) for which entity, (c) by which printing service provider, (d) what action was taken and (e) what were the costs?

REPLY

(1) (a) (i) 200 printed copies, 8 Braille copies, 5 Master cd`s and 100 cd`s

(50 audio and 50 text);

(ii) None because the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) does report

to DWCPD, it reports to Parliament.

(b) 200 copies

(ii) Printing & binding R68950.00 + VAT

Design and layout and editing R19600.00 + VAT

200 printed copies R88550.00 + VAT

Individual/each printed copy costs R442, 75 + VAT

(2) (a) Shereno Printers CC

(b) The service provider was selected through a Competitive Bidding Process

(3) None of the reports printed were found to be unsatisfactory apart from a typing error on page 171 that reported leave payouts of R26 816 million, instead of R26 816 thousand. The Department has corrected that through the office of the Speaker by means of an erratum which will eventually be published in the ATC Report of Parliament.

Reply received: November 2012

QUESTION 3268

Mr GG BOINAMO (DA) TO ASK THE MINISTER FOR WOMEN, CHILDREN AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES:

1. Whether (a) her department or (b) any entity reporting to her, placed any advertisements in The New Age since the inception of the newspaper up until the most recent date for which information is available; if not, in each case, what is the position in this regard, if so, (i) which entity placed the advertisement (ii) on what date was each advertisement placed, (iii) what was the nature of each advertisement and (iv) what amount was spent on each advertisement;

2. Whether any of these advertising were placed through the Government Communication and Information system (GCIS); if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details of the advertisement placed though the GCIS;

3. Whether an independent analysis was conducted by her department prior to the placing advertisement to ascertain whether The New Age is read by the intended target market; if not, if so, (a) who conducted the analysis and (b) what were the main (i) findings and (ii) recommendations of said analysis;

4. Whether any independent studies of the said advertisement were conducted to ascertain whether they were effective within relevant target market; if not, why not; if so, (a) who conducted the analysis and (b) what were the main (i) findings and (ii) recommendations of the said analysis?

REPLY:

1. No

2. No

3. No

4. No

Reply received: November 2012

QUESTION 3222

Mr. M Swart (DA) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

Whether her department has made any financial contributions toward (a) venues and (b) facilities for the 2011 United Nation Climate Change Conference (COP17) in Durban; if not; in each case, how was this conclusion reached; if so, (i) what total amount was contributed, (ii) for what purpose, (iii) what was the motivation and (iv) what is the justification for such contribution?

REPLY:

No and no such request were made to the Department.

Reply received: November 2012

QUESTION 3162

Mrs H Lamoela (DA) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

What (a) are the names of the five employees who received the R26 810, 000 leave payout on termination of service for 2011-12 and (b) salary level and (ii) position of each specified employee prior to the termination of their services, (c) reasons were given for the termination of services in each case and (d) amount was paid to each specified person?

REPLY:

The anomaly emanated from a typo error in the Annual Report where R26 million was inadvertently reported rather than the actual value of R26 thousand. A column header caused the ambiguity in which the amount paid was reported per R'000, while another column in the same table reported the average amount paid per employee per R.

While the actual value was R26,816.00 it should rather have been reported as (R)27. The average payment per employee was correctly reported as (R)5,363.

Herewith the details of the payments that were made-

Surname	Initials	Post	Salary Level	Amount	Reason for Termination of Service
1. Mabena	MN	Deputy Director-General, Corporate Management	15	16,868.00	Deceased 2011-11-07
2. Dzivhani	MM	Chief Director, Monitoring and Evaluation, People with Disabilities	14	267.00	Resigned 2012-01-31
3. Van Niekerk	ACE	Principal Personnel Officer, HR Administration	7	1,826.00	Contract expired 2012-02-29
4. Ngobeni	ST	Handyman	5	4,676.00	Contract expired 2012-03-31
5. Tukushe	NH	Registry Clerk, Facilities Management	5	3,179.00	Contract expired 2011-10-31
Total:				26,816.00
Average payment per employee				5,363.00

Reply received: November 2012

QUESTION 3020

Mr DJ Stubbe (DA) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

Whether the accounting officer submitted the annual financial statement for the financial year ending 31 March 2012 to her by 31 August 2012; if not, (a) why not and (b) on what date (i) were the statements submitted to her and (ii) did she submit the annual report and financial statements to Parliament?

REPLY:

(i) The audited annual financial statements for the Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities (DWCPD) for the year ended 31 March 2012 were submitted to me by 31 August 2012.

(ii) The annual report and audited financial statements including the auditor's report were submitted to Parliament, and these were tabled on the 28^th September 2012.

Reply received: November 2012

QUESTION 2969

Mrs H Lamoela (DA) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

Whether her department has any governmental programmes in place to assist children suffering from foetal alcohol syndrome and their families; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY:

No, that is a line function responsibility which would best be directed to the Department of Social Development. The DWCPD has a monitoring function as the Honourable member would know, therefore she is advised to direct the question to the Department of Social Development.

Reply received: November 2012

QUESTION 2900 OF 2012

Mrs C Dudley (ACDP) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

(a) How has her department managed to monitor the submission of Government reports (details furnished) that are overdue to the (i) United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child Committee (UNCRC-C) and (ii) African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) and

(b) What Hindrances have been observed in the way of timely submission

REPLY:

The DWCDP has been monitoring submission of the reports to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child and (ii) African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child through the following process:

(a) A concept note and Work Plan for UNCRC and 2013 report was compiled approved by Minister and submitted to Cabinet during August 2011. Subsequently, letters were drafted and signed by the DG on 26 September 2011 and sent to the Directors General in National Departments informing them about the process for 2013 UNCRC report and requesting the appointment of Chief Directors who will be responsible in this regard. The guidelines and format for compiling reports were sent to all National Departments.

The process of compiling the 2013 Periodic report to the UNCRC was also discussed in several meetings of the Inter- Departmental Committee on the Rights of the Child led by the DWCPD. These meetings were convened on 27 October 2011, 07 December 2011; 21 February 2012 and13 March 2012. Presentations on the required information and data were also made in these meetings. The agreement reached with Departments was that the inputs need to be submitted by 28 February 2012.

However, submissions could not be received as expected and the time frame was extended since Departments indicated that they are still collecting information. Several reminders were made and between March and June 2012 inputs were received from the Departments such as Department of Social Development, Justice and Constitutional Development, South African Police Services, Transport, Health, Basic Education, Correctional Services, Defence, Environmental Affairs, Home Affairs, Rural Development, Land Affairs and Tourism. Gaps were identified and more information and data was requested. The process of collecting inputs was not easy since submissions were not received on the expected time frames.

The draft report was compiled and subsequently letters were drafted and signed by DG and Minister informing DG's, Ministers and Premiers about the process of UNCRC consultations at National and in the Provinces. The draft report was consulted with the Child Care and Protection Forum led by Department of Social Development. The forum was attended by National Departments, Provincial Departments of Social Development as well as Civil Society Organizations on 27 June 2012. Consultations were further done in all nine Provinces between August and September 2012 whereby both Provincial departments, Municipalities and Civil Society Organizations participated.

The report was also consulted with the National Children's Rights Machinery Meeting held on 03-05 September 2012. The meeting was attended by National and Provincial Departments, Provincial Offices on the Rights of the Child, Municipalities and Civil Society Organizations and both UNCRC and African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child were consulted.

The report has been presented and approved by the following DG cluster working groups and the Social Cluster for processing to FOSAD and Cabinet: ICTS: 19 October; G&A: 18 October; JCPS: 18 October and Social Cluster: 24 October.

(b) Engagement with government departments on this matter indicates (a) there is an urgent and serious need for all departments to critically assess the capacity of the M&E units (systems and competencies required to meet reporting demands) (b) the information systems required to produce the standards and quality of data required is generally poor (education & health better than most (c) the M&E units and programme divisions of departments are not always effectively aligned to produce the data needed (d) a need to strengthen the alignment between the M&E indicators (systems) between national, provincial and municipal levels (e) that there is urgent need for a comprehensive M&E framework and a uniform data base capable of tracking trends on child wellbeing.

Reply received: October 2012

QUESTION 2757

Mrs BC Diemu (COPE) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

Whether any action has been taken during (a) 2010-11and (b) 2011-12 financial years against officials who violated the Promotion of Access to Information Act, Act 2 of 2000, is not; why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

RESPONSE:

No, because the matter has never arisen.

Reply received: October 2012

QUESTION 2739

Mrs B C Diemu (COPE) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

Whether her department has reviewed its organogram in the(a) 2008-09 and (b) 2010-11 financial years in order to enable her department to do (i) job evaluations and (ii)abolish redundant posts; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY:

(a) No. The Department did not exist in the 2008-2009 financial year.

(b) Yes a revised organizational structure was done and endorsed on 12 December 2010 by the Minister for Public Service and Administration. However, the revision was not done in order to enable the Department to do job evaluations or to abolish redundant posts, but rather to translate the founding rationale of the Department into more definitive and material deliverables.

Reply received: October 2012

QUESTION 2725

2725. Mr A Watson (DA) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

Whether her department has awarded any contracts to the Kopano Ke Matla Investment Company (Pty) Ltd since the Company's establishment in 1996; if so, in each case, (a) when was the contract awarded and (b) what was the (i) nature of the contract and (ii) total accumulative value of the tender?

REPLY:

No.

Reply received: October 2012

QUESTION 2539

Mrs BC Diemu (COPE) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

With reference to question 3125 on 30 November 2011, (a) which department will implement the Commission on Gender Equality Amendment Bill, 2012 and (b) why?

REPLY:

In terms of Proclamation No. 44 of 2009 regarding the Transfer of Administration and Powers and Functions to certain Cabinet members, published in Government Gazette No. 32367 dated 1 July 2009, the Commission for Gender Equality was transferred from the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development to the Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities.

The Report of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Commission for Gender Equality Forensic Investigations, dated 19 April 2011, which was adopted by the National Assembly in June 2011, recommended that the DWCPD amends the Commission on Gender Equality Act 39 of 1996 to be in line with the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, and with other legislation, such as the Public Finance Management Act 1 of 1999.

Reply received: September 2012

QUESTION 2504

MR D J STUBBE (DA) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

(1) Whether (a) her Ministry, (b) her department and (c) any entity reporting to her plan to host end- of - year parties; if not, in each case, what is the position in this regard; if so, in each case,(i) for how many persons and (ii) what cost;

(2) Whether the cost of the specified end-of –year parties has been budgeted for in the current financial year; if not, from where will the funding be sourced; if so, (a) what amount has been budgeted and (b) from which part of the budget will it be incurred

REPLY:

(1) (a)(b)(c) No idea at this time of the year, too early to predict;

(2) No, the Department usually has donations for such activities.

Reply received: September 2012

QUESTION 2394

MRS LL VAN DER MERVE (IFP) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

Whether her department has identified any strategy to ensure that all Government departments (a) adhere to and (b) implement the resolutions of the UN Convention on the rights of People with Disabilities; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY:

The Presidency through the former Office on the Status of Persons with Disabilities in the period 2007-2009 rolled out a significant awareness campaign on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities following the ratification thereof in 2007 by South Africa to familiarize government departments at national and provincial level, as well as with municipalities, with their obligations under the Convention. This was followed up with regular engagement through the National Disability Machinery, workshops as well as Summits, and the consultative processes to develop the National Disability Policy and the DWCPD Mainstreaming Strategy.

The compilation of the first Country Report provided the DWCPD with an opportunity to gauge to what extent departments, municipalities and other public sector entities have adhered to the obligations placed on them by the CRPD, including what the impact of these interventions over the past four years have been and how these have contributed towards the promotion of the rights of people with disabilities.

The first Country Report, due for depositing before December 3, 2012, provides invaluable baseline against which indicators and targets will be agreed upon with state entities for improvement towards the 2014, 2018 and so forth periodic reporting periods. These targets will be concretized in the National Disability Policy, which will also provide guidance with regards to the development of new, and/or strengthening of existing legislation and enforcement mechanisms.

Reply received: September 2012

QUESTION 2393

MR LL VAN DER MERVE (IFP) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

Whether her department has conducted research into whether the Government has the requisite of special needs schools to cater for all children with disabilities; if not, why not, if so, what (a) were the recommendations and (b) are the relevant details

REPLY:

South Africa adopted an inclusive approach to education with the release of White Paper 6 on Special Needs Education: Building an Inclusive Education and Training System. This implies that the majority of children with disabilities should be accommodated in so-called mainstream schools through the removal of attitudinal and physical barriers and provision of curriculum support as required.

Special schools should in this context be reserved for learners requiring a very high level of support which cannot reasonably be provided in mainstream schools. Education costs in these schools are therefore significantly higher due to the specialised staffing requirements, teacher:pupil ratio's, specialised equipment and learning materials required.

The DWCPD is currently conducting a survey of public special schools to determine whether the rights of learners with disabilities enrolled at these schools, are protected. Initial impressions are that a large number of special schools do not provide any significant specialised support, and that the majority of learners in these schools either do not access the curriculum as a result, or should not have been placed in specialised contexts to begin with, as they do not require high levels of support.

It is therefore not possible to estimate the number of special schools required, as placement is not determined by medical diagnosis, but by the type and level of support required.

The mandate for conducting research into the determination of education institutions required is vested in the Department of Basic Education and its provincial counterparts, and does not rest with the DWCPD.

Reply received: September 2012

QUESTION 2323

Ms LL van der Merwe (IFP) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

Whether her department has conducted research into whether the Government has the requisite number of safe houses for victims of abuse; if not, why not; if so, what (a) were the recommendations and (b) are the further relevant details?

REPLY:

The department has not conducted a comprehensive research in this regard; however the department works very closely with the relevant Departments and the information will be available very soon after we have concluded our research, in conjunction with the Department of Special Development.

In addition to the shelters for abused women and children, NPA is managing 34 Thuthuzela Care Centres in the Country. These centres are providing comprehensive services ( medical, Post Exposure Prophylaxis, victim empowerment and support, etc) needed to all the victims of abuse.

Reply received: September 2012

QUESTION 2322

Ms LL van der Merwe (IFP) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

(1) What steps does she intend to take with regard to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) report that more than half of children in South Africa live in poverty and that one in four is HIV-positive;

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

REPLY:

(1) The UNICEF report shows a substantial drop in child poverty since 2003. This is further confirmed by analysis from the Children's Institute using Stats SA's General Household Survey data from 2003 to 2012. Using a poverty line equivalent to 2 dollars a day, child poverty dropped by about 19 percent points between 2003 and 2012. Progressive policies, in particular the expansion of the country's social assistance programmes largely accounts for this drop in child poverty. It is also noteworthy that many vulnerable families and their children were assisted to avoid substantial decline in their living standards during the global economic crisis of 2008 – 2009. A study by the Financial and Fiscal Commission and UNICEF, and in partnership with Stellenbosch University, confirmed that without the Child Support Grant, child poverty would have increased by some 9 percentage points during the economic recession. On HIV, the UNICEF report presents Department of Health and UNAIDS data to show the substantial progress in preventing mother – to – child transmission of HIV since 2004. The number of HIV positive pregnant women receiving anti-retrovirals increased from an estimated 32, 5000 in 2004 to 250 100 in 2010. This resulted in a substantial drop in new child infections during the period. Furthermore, a recent impact evaluation by MRC with support from CDC and UNICEF show that progress that has been made over the past decade in the implementation of the national PMTCT programme has enabled South Africa to reduce mother – to – child transmission of HIV to an estimated 2.7% at six weeks after birth-including 1.98% in the Western cape to 3.8% in Eastern Cape and Free State;

(2) No.

Reply received: September 2012

QUESTION 2321

Ms LL van der Merwe (IFP) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

Whether her department achieved any meaningful outcomes with regard to the protection and promotion of the rights of children in the 2012 Child protection Week; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY:

Yes, a lot of progress has been achieved and the Department is working very closely with the Departments of Social Development, Health, Justice and others on a number of issues affecting children. Currently we are working on an impact assessment analysis and as soon as we are finished, we shall make such information available.

Reply received: September 2012

QUESTION 2319

Mr M M Swathe (DA) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

(a) What steps has she taken to give effect to the performance agreement that she signed with the President in 2010, (b) what outcomes have been measured and (c) what follow-up steps has she taken with regard to each specified outcome?

REPLY:

I am in regular contact with the Director- General as the Accounting Officer who has a performance agreement with me to ensure that there is compliance with the strategic objectives, projects and programmes of the Department as planned in each financial year. I also convene Executive Committee meeting where I am able to sit with senior management and get a sense of where the Department is in terms of progress and where I need to advise or intervene, I do so accordingly.

There are two Cabinet Lekgotlas that are convened by the President in each year (January & July) which accord me the opportunity to account at Cabinet level in terms of progress and challenges. Lastly, we are regulatory required to brief the Portfolio Committee during the year. Detailed Information regarding those briefings can be obtained from the Committee Secretary of the Portfolio Committee

Reply received: September 2012

QUESTION 2241

MRS BC DIEMU (COPE) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

Whether her department has made payments to (a) registered (b) unregistered charities in the (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11 (iii) 2011-12 financial years; if not, what is the position in this regard if so, (aa) what sums (bb) over what period in each case?

REPLY:

No, in view of the budgetary constraints of the Department, it would not have been possible to do so and besides, government departments are not really permitted to make payments to charities. The DWCPD makes use of financial resources as part of its planning in terms of projects and programmes that would be spelt out in the Strategic and operational plans of that particular financial year.

Reply received: September 2012

QUESTION 2211

Mr LL Van der Merwe (IFP) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

Whether her department has a record of the number of unemployed people living with disabilities; if not, what the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY:

The Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities are mandated to coordinate and consolidate the national agenda for the empowerment and advancement of rights of persons with disabilities. This requires of the Department to work with other government departments in ensuring that the rights of persons with disabilities, as enshrined in the Constitution as well as provided for in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, are promoted and protected.

The Department of Labour is mandated to contribute to the reduction in unemployment, poverty and inequality through the development, implementation and monitoring of policies and programmes developed in consultation with social partners. One of these programmes is the maintenance of a database of unemployed South Africans seeking employment, including South Africans with disabilities. This requires all job-seekers, including those with disabilities to register with the Department of Labour, which then makes available the information to prospective employers.

It is acknowledged that the above programme has weaknesses in design and implementation, and the DWCPD has engaged the Department of Labour with regards strengthening its interventions aimed at supporting disabled South Africans seeking employment.

Similarly, the DWCPD has been engaging the Department of Higher Education and Training with regards targeted skills development programmes for persons with disabilities, and has coordinated engagement between the Departments of Labour, Basic Education, Higher Education and Training as well as Public Service and Administration to strengthen transition from school/training to employment interventions.

Reply received: August 2012

QUESTION 2210

MR LL VAN DER MERVE (IFP) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

Whether there has been any progress with regard to investigations into (a) nepotism and (b) financial mismanagement in her department; if not what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY:

(a)(b) No, we are still awaiting for the final reports.

Reply received: August 2012

QUESTION 2191

Mrs H Lamoela (DA) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

Whether (a) her department or (b) any entity reporting to her makes use of private security firms; if so, in each case, (i) which firms and (ii) what is the (aa) purpose, (bb) value and (cc) duration of each specified contract?

REPLY:

(a) Yes, the Department uses a private security firm.

(i) Ulwazi Protection Services,

(ii) (aa) The purpose is to render physical security at 36 Hamilton Street

Building which includes guarding services and access control.

(bb) The value is R64 803.94 per month and equals R777 647.28 per

Annum.

(cc) The contract was extended from The Presidency as it expired on the

30^th November 2011. However, it was further extended to the 31^st

August 2012 in order to allow for the finalization of the advertised

BID (Tender). Adjudication is in progress

Reply received: September 2012

QUESTION 2209

Mr LL Van der Merwe (IFP) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

Whether she has identified a strategy to deal with the increase in the number of elderly women who are falling victim to rape; if not, why not, if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY:

No, the matter falls within the ambit of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). In our interface with the NPA, it was indicated that the matter does not have a strategy that specifically deals only with the increase of rape committed against elderly women. It however has a rape care centre model that deals with all forms of rape irrespective of age and gender. The Thuthuzela Care Centre (TCC) model predominantly renders the services and protects all vulnerable groups inter alia women, children and elderly people as complainants on reporting sexual offences. The reporting percentage is 55 adults to 45 children.

The main objectives of a TCC model are to:

· Reduce secondary victimization at all service points · Reduce cycle time of finalisation of sexual offences · Improve conviction rate for sexual offences cases

TCC uses the court directed approach and prosecutor guided investigation to ensure comprehensive improvement of service delivery to victims of sexual offences.

The Sexual Offences and Community Affairs (SOCA) Unit within the NPA provides sexual offences training to prosecutors and Integrated Training to Stakeholders within the TCC model. Reference to Older Persons Act, Act 13 of 2006 is made in such training and more emphasis is placed on the provision that the court should in terms of section 30(4) if after conviction find that an older person was abused during the commission of an offence then it must be regarded as an aggravating circumstance for sentencing purposes. A register of convicted offenders of abuse of older persons must be kept by the Minister in terms of Section 31.

For further information and clarity, the Honourable Member would be advised to approach the NPA.

Reply received: August 2012

QUESTION 2086

Mr M Swart (DA) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

(1) Whether (a) she, (b) her Deputy Minister and (c) any official from an entity reporting to her will be attending or attend, the 2012 Olympic Games; if so, what is the (i)(aa) name, (bb) rank and (cc) position/designation of each specified person accompanying (aaa) her, (bbb) her Deputy Minister and (ccc) each specified persons and (ii)(aa) nature and (bb) official reason for the visit;

(2) What (a) total amount will be spent or has been spent on the trip, (b) is the (i) description and (ii) detailed breakdown of the amounts that will be spent or have been spent on (aa) accommodation, (bb) travel and (cc) subsistence costs and (c) from which budget will these finds be incurred in each case?

REPLY:

(1) No;

(2) None.

Reply received: August 2012

QUESTION 1986

Mr SC MOTAU (DA) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

Whether any entity reporting to her has budgeted for (a) financial donations or (b) sponsorships in the (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11 and (iii) 2011-12 and (iv) 2012-13 financial years; if not, why not; if so, in each case, what amount was (aa) budgeted and (bb) spent?

REPLY:

(i) No

(ii) No

(iii) No

(iv) No

(aa) & (bb), both fall away

Reply received: August 2012

QUESTION 2001

Ms BC Dieumi (COPE) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

(2) Whether any disciplinary action has been taken against those who were found to have flout the requirement of the Public Finance Management Act, Act 1 of 1999; if not, why not, in each case; if so, what (a) steps and (b) are the further relevant details?

REPLY:

(1) Yes.

(2) Investigation are still underway, therefore the process is not complete.

Reply received: August 2012

QUESTION 1891

Mrs H Lamoela (DA) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

(1) Whether any measures are in place to ensure that government departments adhere to the 2% employment equity target; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

(2) (a) what is the role of her department compared to that of the Public Service Commission in monitoring and evaluating the compliance by government departments in this regard and (b) what are the implications for government departments that do not adhere to this target?

REPLY:

(1) Besides my department's consistent calls and pronouncements to fellow departments to comply, The DWCPD is in the process of finalising the signing of Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) between myself and Ministers to ensure closer cooperation and interface and among those objectives is to also address the issue of compliance to the 2% employment equity target;

(2) (a) Government Departments work in an integrated manner to ensure

effectiveness, therefore the DWCPD would naturally interface with the

Public Service Commission (PSC) on common programmes, therefore

monitoring and evaluation becomes a collaborative exercise.

(b) There are no legal enforcement measures as such but through the

MOUs for instance, this will ensure that there is closer scrutiny of

departments to ensure compliance. The departments of Labour and

Public Service and Administration work closely and in the final analysis,

information and reports are shared with Cabinet as well as Parliament

through the Portfolio Committee on request.

Reply received: August 2012

QUESTION 1833

Mrs H Lamoela (DA) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

(1) What steps been taken to ensure that the Government complies with the United Nations (a) Convention of the Rights of People with Disabilities and (b) Convention on Rights of the Child;

(2) (a) what are the reasons for the delay in submitting the country report and (b) when does she anticipate that it will be submitted?

REPLY:

(1) As reported to the Portfolio Committee on Women, Children and People with Disabilities on 31 May 2012, and again on 1 August 2012, the Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities have taken a number of steps to improve on reporting compliance on (a) the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as well as (b) the Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). These measures have included correspondence to and regular follow up with executive authorities across all three spheres of government and focusing the activities of the officials responsible for compiling the respective Country Reports.

(2) (a) Similarly as reported during the above briefings to the Portfolio Committee, the delay in submitting the reports was caused by the process of establishing the Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities, as well as the poor response rate as well as lack of qualitative information contained in the submissions received by national and provincial departments as well as districts.

(b) The Country Report on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities will be submitted before 3 December 2012, and the combined 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th Periodic Reports on the Convention of the Rights of the Child and its two accompanying protocols ratified by South Africa, before June 2013. The processes towards this end including provincial consultations are currently underway.

Reply received: July 2012

QUESTION 1624

Mrs C DUDLEY (ACDP) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

(1) Whether she is investigating programmes that support and assist parents with parenting to prevent care of the child by the State through fostering or institutional care; if so, what are the relevant details;

(2) Whether she intends to investigate such programmes; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY:

(a) No,

I would advise that such a question would be responded to by the Department of Social Development.

Reply received: July 2012

QUESTION 1623

Mrs C DUDLEY (ACDP) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

Whether she is monitoring the (a) investigation into exposure of phantom schools whose learners and educators put a strain on the education budget and (b) resolution of suspension issues where principals and educators remain on suspension with full pay in favour of benefiting children; if not, why not, in each case; if so, what progress is being made in each case?

REPLY:

(a) No,

(b) I trust that the Department of Basic Education, which the matter is within its purview is capable of conducting its own investigation. Once the Department of Basic Education has completed its processes, as a matter of procedure such details will be made available to my Department. I will patiently await for the process to unfold and conclude accordingly.

Reply received: July 2012

QUESTION 1615

Mr A WATSON (DA) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

Whether any traffic fines were incurred with regard to any of his official vehicles in the (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12 financial years; if so, what (i) amount in fines was incurred in respect of each specified vehicle in each specified financial year and (ii) are the further relevant details in each case?

REPLY:

The National Road Traffic Act, No. 93 of 1996 (the Act) is clear regarding the transgression of traffic laws. Section 60 of the Act provides that certain drivers may exceed the general speed limit. These include "the driver of a fire-fighting vehicle, a rescue vehicle or an ambulance who drives such vehicle in the carrying out of his or her duties, a traffic officer who drives a vehicle in the carrying out of his or her duties or any person driving a vehicle while engaged in civil protection…" This section applies provided that the person exemptdrives the vehicle concerned with due regard to the safety of other road users. In addition, the vehicle must be fitted with a siren and the siren and/or identification lamps shall be in operation while speeding.

Ministers are driven by members of the special protection unit (SPU) while these members are engaged in their duties of civil protection. As a result, while on duty the members of the special protection unit are protected by the legislative dispensation as outlined in s.60 of the Act. Therefore, if a Minister's vehicle gets a speeding fine whilst being driven by a person conducting his/her civil protection duties and after such a person has complied with the legislative requirements of exercising safety and using a siren, such a fine will be set aside.

If in the conduct of their duties, it is found that a person engaged in civil protection exceeds the speed limit without due course, such actions must be reported and shall be investigated.

Reply received: July 2012

QUESTION 1578

Mrs DM DIEMU (ANC) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

What are the (a) key child protection indicators that her Department is monitoring and outcomes based on her Department's evaluation in this regard?

REPLY:

The Department is in the process of finalizing the Monitoring and Evaluation Strategy. Once the process has been completed, it will be presented to the Portfolio Committee as promised previously.

Reply received: July 2012

QUESTION 1517

Mrs JM Maluleke (ANC) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

With regard to the report by the Public Service Commission (details furnished), what steps does she intend to take as a corrective measure to deal with the matter?

REPLY:

Unfortunately I am not sensitized to the specific report that the Honourable Member is alluding to, therefore I am unable to answer the question, unless a follow up question might clarify the nature of the report alluded to because there are quite a number of Public Service Commission reports that materialize from time to time.

Reply received: July 2012

QUESTION 1516

Ms MC MOHALE (ANC) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

Whether her Department has any awareness campaigns regarding (a) the abuse of the disabled and (b) HIV/Aids programmes targeting the disabled community; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY:

(a) The Department is undertaking the process of investigating the abuse of disabled learners in special schools. For instance the Deputy Minister recently visited Filadelfia School to further investigate the past events and come up with intervention plans to remedy the situation. This is an ongoing process which will also include residential institutions for People with Disabilities.

(b) With regards to HIV/AIDS programmes, the department actively participated in the development of the NSP 2012-2016 which resulted to the inclusion of people with disabilities recognised as Key Population in the NSP. The department has also developed the Operational plan that was submitted to the Deputy President as Chairperson of South African National Aids Council (SANAC) and that was launch on the 24 March 2012 in Gauteng during the World TB Day. We are currently developing our M&E indicators to monitor the implementation by government departments in relation to women children and people with disabilities.

We had hosted the Women with Disabilities focus group meeting with the

UNICEF Global Chief for Disability on access to PMTCT and HIV and AIDS

services. The Disability Sector has representatives at the level of SANAC

both at Programme Implementation Committee and Plenary and the

DWCPD is also one of the key departments in SANAC Inter ministerial

Committee.

The Department will also publish the best practise report on the impact of

HIV/AIDS on People with Disabilities which will be launched soon. The

Department is also encouraging the publication of HIV/AIDS awareness

material in accessible formats.

Reply received: July 2012

QUESTION 1515

Ms MC Mohale (ANC) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

What plans does her Department have in place to ensure that there are functional ad well capacitated Offices on the Status of Disabled Persons (OSDPs)?

REPLY:

The Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities has recently held the intergovernmental relations sector of the National Disability Machinery to examine and review and the restructuring of the machinery. All provincial OSDP's were invited to participate in this process. The participation of the OSDPs in the National Disability Machinery is equal to that of the Disability Focal points in the national Departments. Local government is encouraged to use the SALGA local government policy framework on disability to formulate policy at local level within districts, metros and local municipalities. The role of the provincial OSPDs will be to facilitate disability policy implementation at provincial level and to ensure that provincial Departments play an important role in implementing policies and delivering services to People with Disabilities.

Reply received: June 2012

QUESTION 1480

Mrs SC Motau (DA) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

(1) When was the Director- General of her Department appointed;

(2) Whether the Director – General was appointed in a permanent capacity; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY:

(1) 27 October 2010;

(2) The Director-General has been appointed for a contractual period of 5years from the date of appointment.

Reply received: July 2012

QUESTION 1418

Mrs C Dudley (ACDP) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

(1) Whether she is looking into the (a) inefficiency of the maintenance system and (b)(i) following up and (ii) enforcement of maintenance orders for employed parents in order to decrease the number of children who receive grants; if not,

(2) Whether she intends to do so, if not, why not; if so, (a) when and (b0 what are the further relevant details?

REPLY:

On closer examination, I have realized that the question should be directed to the Minister of Social Development. The Honourable member is therefore advised to re-direct the question accordingly.

Reply received: June 2012

QUESTION 1417

Mrs C Dudley (ACDP) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

(1) Whether assistance and education is offered to employers to (a) make it easier for them to employ disabled persons in suitable jobs and (b) to access training for disabled persons; if so, what are the relevant details; if not,

(2) Whether anything is being done to encourage direct input by disabled persons to offer this assistance themselves?

REPLY:

(1)(a) and (b)

The Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities' (DPWCD) assistance and education to employers with regards improving on employment equity targets for people with disabilities, should be viewed within (a) the mandate of the DWCPD and (b) the capacity of the DWCPD to give effect to its mandate.

The primary responsibility for supporting public and private sector employers rests with the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) and Department of Labour (DoL) respectively. The role of the DWCPD within the context of its mandate of promoting, facilitating, coordinating and monitoring the realization of the rights of women, children and people with disabilities, is therefore to primarily support and monitor these two Departments with regards the impact of their work.

Within the above context, taking into consideration the limited financial and human resources capacity in the Department, the Department has, among others,

· embarked on a road show to Provincial Executive Councils, large corporate companies and institutions of higher education to raise awareness of targets set, share ideas how to improve on the achievement of these targets and solicit cooperation going forward

· convened the DoL and the DPSA with other relevant stakeholders to consolidate a national database of disabled job-seekers within the Department of Labour;

· supported the DPSA with the finalization of the reasonable accommodation policy for the public sector (currently being costed);

· on quarterly basis circulated the employment equity figures for the public sector to national and provincial departments with an analysis done by the DPSA;

· on weekly basis distribute disability news, research studies, reports etc to both public and private sector employers, service providers and the disability sector to raise awareness and build networks;

· on on-going basis act as link between employers, service providers and job-seekers when approached for assistance;

The DWCPD is in addition coordinating relevant stakeholders for the development of a pilot model for inclusive skills development, using the Illovo Skills Development Centre as pilot site.

(2) The above processes include the involvement of organisations of and for persons with disabilities within the spirit of self-representation.

The DWCPD has in addition called on both Non-Profit organisations and SMMEs/cooperatives owned by disabled entrepreneurs who offer employment support services, among others, to register with the DWCPD in order to expand the current database of the DWCPD.

Reply received: June 2012

QUESTION 1253

Mrs JD Killlian (COPE) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

(1) (a) How many employees in her department from the post level of deputy director to have 9aa) been suspended on full salary pending investigation or disciplinary action for periods exceeding three months, (bb) resigned before the relevant investigations or disciplinary actions were conducted and (cc) were dismissed following due process and disciplinary hearings in the in the (aaa) 2009-1- and (bbb) 2010-11 financial years and (b) what is the total accumulated amount paid in salaries and benefit to the suspended personas during their period of suspension;

(2) Whether criminal charges were laid by her department against any persons following investigations or disciplinary hearings where fraud or corruption was found to have taken place; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(3) Whether subsequent to findings of fraud and corruption any amounts have been recovered inn terms of te relevant provisions of the PFMA Act 1 of 1999; if so, what total amounts; if not,

(4) How does she intend to comply with national legislation which was promulgated to prevent corrupt practices and compel authorities to report corrupt practices to law enforcement agencies;

(5) How many persons from the post level of deputy director to director-general have been found guilty of gross financial misconduct or negligence and dismissed?

REPLY:

(1) (a) None (aa) None (bb) None (cc) None (aaa) None (bbb) None (b) None

(2) No;

(3) None;

(4) The department will stick to the letter and spirit of anti-corruption legislation and prescripts in the public service. Employees will be made aware of those provisions so that such deplorable acts are not committed;

(5) None

Reply received: June 2012

QUESTION 1204

Mr TD Harris (DA) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

What amount has her department spent on (a) catering and (b) entertainment (i) in the (aa) 2009-10, (bb) 2010-11 and (cc) 2011-12 financial years and (ii) since 1 April 2012?

REPLY:

The department does not have records for catering and entertainment for 2009/10 as it was part of The Presidency then.

(a) Catering for (bb) 2010/11 was R2 689 088. 91

(b) Entertainment for (bb) 2010/11 was R34 355.71

(a) Catering for (cc) 2011/12 financial year was R4 492,504.21

(b) Entertainment for (cc) 2011/12 financial was R 56 909.01

(a) Catering (ii) since 1 April 2012 is R10 113.90

(b) Entertainment (ii) since 1 April 2012 is R6 595.80

Reply received: May 2012

QUESTION 1178

Mrs H LAMOELA (DA) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

Whether here department intends introducing amendments to the CGE Act 39 of 1996; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY:

Yes

On 19 October 2010 the Acting Speaker established the Ad Hoc Committee on the CGE for Gender Equity Forensic Investigation (the Committee). The mandate of the Committee was to consider and report to the national Assembly on specific issues that were highlighted in reports to the Public protector and the Auditor-general;

The National Assembly adopted the report of the Ad Hoc Committee on the 23 June 2011 on the CGE Forensic Investigation. The Committee recommended that the Act be revised to bring it in line with the Constitution, 1996 and Public Finance management Act 1 of 1999;

Because of the administrative relationship with the CGE, the Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities is responsible for the legislative processes to amend the Act accordingly;

The proposed amendments are of a technical nature and are not related to the establishment, composition, powers and functions of the CGE;

Firstly, the proposed amendment to the Act aims to align it with wording of and reference to the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996;

Secondly, the proposed amendment of the Act substitute the reference to the Exchequer Act 66 of 1975 with reference to the Public Finance Management Act 1 of 1999.

Reply received: June 2012

QUESTION 1135

Mrs BC DIEMU (COPE) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

Whether her department intends to commission a study to ascertain the (a) factors influencing the escalation of gang rapes, (b) number of victims and (c) effects of gang rape on victims; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY:

(a) Not exactly

(b) Not exactly

(c) The Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities has noted with concern the recent incidents and escalating accounts of sexual offences committed against children. As a result the Department commissioned a review of research done on violence against children in general, not specifically gang rape, in isolation from other forms of sexual violence as the Honourable member alludes to in her question.

To this end a review of studies on Violence against Children in general was conducted in 2011 and the details are as follows:.

o This study report documents the physical, sexual, emotional and economical violence against children in the homes, schools, communities, and care and justice systems.

o It will also underline the need for further research to address the existing gaps and formulates recommendations which will constitute an important resource for the implementation of future strategies and programmes.

o The study has been completed and the report as well as the Action Plan will be launch during August 2012.

o The Department in collaboration with government departments and civil society organizations continue to engage with stakeholders on this serious matter. The DWCPD also hosted an interactive dialogue with stakeholders and children on sexual violence against children in Soweto on 28 May 2012.

o Sexual Violence against Children constitute a central element on the agenda of the National Council against Gender Based Violence which was approved by Cabinet in 2011.

Reply received: June 2012

QUESTION 1134

Mrs BC DIEMU (COPE) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

(1) Whether she has made any progress in finding a holistic solution for the rape of (a) children in general and (b) mentally challenged girls in particular; if not, why not; if so, what progress?

REPLY:

1. The Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities has noted with concern the recent incidents and escalating accounts of sexual offences committed against children. As a result the Department commissioned a review of research done on violence against children in general, not specifically mentally challenged children in particular, in isolation from other forms of sexual violence as the Honourable member alludes to in her question.

To this end a review of studies on Violence against Children in general

was conducted in 2011 and the details are as follows:.

o This study documents the physical, sexual, emotional and economical violence against children in the homes, schools, communities, and care and justice systems.

o It will underlines the need to address the existing gaps and makes recommendations which will constitute an important resource for the implementation of future strategies and programmes.

o Sexual Violence against Children constitute a central element on the agenda of the National Council against Gender Based Violence which was approved by Cabinet in 2011.

Reply received: June 2012

QUESTION 1112

Mrs BC DIEMU (COPE) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

(1) what are the (i) yearly rental and (ii) floor space of the (aa) current and (bb) previous premises occupied by her department's head office and (b) when (i) was the current building occupied and (ii) does the current lease expire;

(2) Whether her department publicly invited tenders prior to the leasing of the current premises; if not, why not; if so, (a) when , (b) where was it published and (c) which (i) companies and (ii) properties were shortlisted;

(3) What (a) floor space was offered and (b) annual rental was tendered (i) by each shortlisted company and (ii) with regard to each shortlisted property?

REPLY:

(1) (a) R558, 462.00 (ii) (aa) 4 floors, including ground floor (bb) Union Buildings (b) (i) May 2011 (ii) 9 years, 11 months;

(2) No, it was done by the Department of Public Works as a lessor;

(3) The information can be obtained from the Department of Public Works.

Reply received: June 2012

QUESTION 1032

Mrs BC DIEMU (COPE) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

(1) With reference to her reply to question 1009 on 1 June 2011, how frequently do the children's rights machineries (a) interact and (b) plan together in enhancing the promotion, protection and development of children's rights?

REPLY:

(1) (a) The Children's Rights Machinery is a forum where government and civil

society are able to plan together towards the achievements of the

promotion and protection of children's rights in South Africa.

(b) The Children's Rights Machinery engagement takes place once every

quarter. It should be noted that, urgent Machinery meetings are convened

depending on the issues requiring urgent and collective attention.

Reply received: June 2012

QUESTION 1031

Mrs BC DIEMU (COPE) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

(1) With reference to her reply to question 3125 on 30 November 2011, what progress has been reported to her department by government with regard to the advancement of (a) children's rights and of persons with disabilities;

(2) Whether her department has made any recommendations to government departments regarding government programmes in this regard if not, what is the position in this regard if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY:

(1) The Department of Basic Education (DBE) is responsible for developing and implementing an inclusive education programme through a system of adequately resourced mainstream and special schools that can identify and provide equitable access to quality education. The Department of Health (DoH) is responsible for the provision of prevention, screening and support services. It has programmes in place that offer genetic screening, developmental screening at clinics through the Road to Health booklet, and offers free medical care and assistive devices for children with disabilities.

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has conducted an audit on Special

Schools and provides assistive devices to enhance teaching and learning.

The Department of Social Development (DSD) conducted the Situational

Analysis on children with disabilities. The DBE, DSD and DoH provide support

and specialized services towards children with disabilities.

Stats SA has a section on people with disabilities, but because of the

question that is asked and its lack of alignment with international and

national definitions of disability, its annual surveys do not provide very

useful data on the number and/or nature of children with disabilities in South

Africa.

In the process of writing the country report the DWCPD has drawn on

various departmental and statistical documents to draw a picture of the

status of children with disabilities in South Africa. This process has been

hampered by the poor quality of data and information management in the

context of children with disabilities.

(2) The DWCPD has developed the National Plan of Action for Children in South Africa (NPAC) Document. Under Part B, which talks to the Development of Children, there is a chapter that is dedicated to the rights and development of children with disabilities. The following are recommendations within the NPAC to advance the rights of children with disabilities:

· To ensure that all national and provincial government departments,

municipalities and civil society organizations formulate and implement

policies that are disability and child friendly.

· To ensure that all policies, programmes and services facilitate the full

inclusion and participation of children with disabilities.

· To develop and implement programmes that will ensure that all children are treated fairly and equally empowered.

· To support and empower the parents of children with disabilities

Reply received: May 2012

QUESTION 1030

Mrs BC DIEMU (COPE) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

(2) Whether any persons were held accountable for such failure in the specified financial years; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY:

(1) (a)&(b) - I was not yet appointed to the portfolio during the periods mentioned. (c)&(d) - Yes.

(2) No, because the issue did not arise.

Reply received: June 2012

QUESTION 1000

Mrs L Lamoela (DA) to ask the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:

(1) Whether her department intends to lead a delegation to New York in September 2012; if so, (a) what are the (i) relevant details and (ii) objectives of this trip, (b) who will form part of the delegation, (c) what amount have been budgeted for (i) accommodation, (ii) flights, (ii) transportation and (iv) registration fees and (d) which (i) meetings and (ii) seminars will be attended?

REPLY:

Yes, the Department will lead a delegation to the United Nations in New York as part of South Africa's international obligations following ratification of Conventions and other treaties.

(a)(i) The Fifth Session of the Conference of State Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities will convene from 12-14 September 2012. UNICEF has in addition convened a Forum to discuss key issues affecting children with disabilities from 14-15 September to coincide with the sitting of the Conference of State Parties.

(ii) The objectives of the trip are to honour our obligations as a signatory to the Convention by reporting on progress being made with the realization of rights of people with disabilities against the themes of the Conference. This provides South Africa with an opportunity to (i) share good practice and (ii) learn from other countries' good practice. The Conference of State Parties this year also coincides with the election of new members to the Committee of Experts on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and the South African delegation will be concluding its campaign for support for the nomination of Ms Sebenzile Matsebula.

(b) Deputy Minister HI Bogopane-Zulu will lead the country delegation, and the delegation will be finalized once the United Nations has pronounced on the themes of this year's Conference of State Parties.

finalized.

(d) We are currently awaiting finalization of the themes of this year's Conference of State Parties before concluding attendance of specific meetings and seminars.

2012-12-31

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