Questions & Replies: Human Settlements

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2012-12-31

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Reply received: December 2012

QUESTION NO: 3411

Advocate L.H Max (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

Whether (a) his department and or (b) any entity reporting to him sponsored any (i) event and (ii) promotion hosted by the New Age newspaper since its establishment; if so, in each case, (aa) what was the nature of the event or promotion, (bb) on which date was it held, (cc) what. amount was paid, {dd) for what purpose. (ee) from which budget were the funds derived, (ff) what were the expected benefits to his department and (gg) what actual benefits were derived from the sponsorship?

REPLY

(a) The Department of Human Settlements did not sponsor any event or promotion hosted by the New Age newspaper since its establishment.

(b) None of the entities sponsored any event or promotion hosted by the New Age newspaper since its establishment.

Reply received: December 2012

QUESTION NO: 3389

Mr. S Mokgalapa (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

1. (a) How many copies of each annual report that was produced by (i) his department and (ii) the entities reporting to him 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 services 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 services provider? (d) what action was taken and (e) what were the costs?

REPLY

1) (a) (i) The National Department of Human Settlements ordered 250 printed hard copies and 500 CD's

(b)250 hard copies were printed and 500 CD's produced for the NDHS Annual Report.

(c) (i) The total cost for the design and production of the annual report was R202 726,47
(ii) The layout, design/conceptualisation and proof of correction costs were R75 550. The unit cost per printed report was R466.84 (R116 712 for 250) and the unit cost per CD produced was R20.92 (R10 464 for 500

2)(a) The National Department of Human Settlements report was designed, printed and produced by Joy Design Visual Communications.

(b) More than 3 quotations were sourced through SCM according to Treasury and PMFA regulations. The service provider who complied with all the specifications was appointed.

(c) The service provider delivered the reports on Monday, 25 September 2012.

3. All the specified National Department of Human Settlements reports and CD's were satisfactory and delivered on time.
(a) N/A
(b) N/A
(c) N/A
(d) N/A
(e) N/A

In relation to Human Settlements Entities, I await their various responses. When all information is available it will be accordingly submitted to the member.


Reply received: December 2012

QUESTION NO 3304
Mrs M
A A Njobe (COPE) to ask the Minster of Human Settlements;

(a) How much of the R479, 5 million that has been earmarked for the Rural Household Infrastructure Grant in the current financial year has been used in each province and (b) how many units have been built in each province.

REPLY

(a)&(b) The information regarding the exact expenditure on units Province by Province will be availed in due course when it has been collated.

Reply received: December 2012

QUESTION NO: 3260
Dr D.T George (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

(1) Whether (a) his department or (b) any entity reporting to him, 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 advertisements, (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 advertisements 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 advertisements placed through the GCIS;

(3) Whether an independent analysis was conducted by his department prior to placing advertisements to ascertain whether The New Age is read by the intended 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 said analysis;

(4) Whether any independent studies of said advertisements were conducted to ascertain whether they were effective within the 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 said analysis?

REPLY

The position in respect of the Department of Human Settlements and public entities reporting to the Minister of Human Settlements is as follows:

1 (a) Yes the Department of Human Settlements did place adverts in the New Age newspaper.

The breakdown of the adverts is as follows:
(i) Anglo-Platinum Limited answers the call Each-One-Settle-One,
(28 November 2011)

(ii) Showcasing houses built by Anglo-Platinum as part of Each-One-Settle-One,
(05December 2011)

(iii) Budget Vote Campaign,
(14 May 2012)

(iv) Launch of Masimong Project,
(02 July 2012)

(v) Estate Agency Affairs Board,
(17 September 2012)

(vi) Outcomes of Govan Mbeki Awards,
(04 June 2012)

(vii) Outcomes of Govan Mbeki Awards,
(06 June 2012)

(viii) Launch of Govan Mbeki Awards,
(02 April 2012)

(ix) Launch of Fleurhof Housing Project,
(01 October 2012)

(x) Appointment of Members to the Office of Disclosure,
(27 November 2011)

The total of the amount spent will be availed when the department has added up all the invoices and double checked.

(b) Yes (i) Of the institutions reporting to the Minister, only the Housing Development Agency placed the advertisements in the New Age newspaper.

(ii) 18 November 2011
(iii) Two Free State tenders, namely Development of Various Properties in the Free State and Development of Residential Rental Housing on seven (7) vacant sites at Mandela View Bloemdustria Ext 2 in Mangaung Municipality

(iv) The adverts cost R15 679.80

2. Departmental above-the-line advertising campaigns were placed through the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS), in compliance with the Cabinet Memorandum No. I of 2011 which was adopted on 8 June 2011. Details relating to advertising placed through GClS are spelt out above under question l(a). However, the Housing Development Agency is under no such obligation and is not using GCIS for bulk buying.

3. No such independent analysis was conducted by the Department of Human Settlements because GCIS is there to provide that kind of support.

(a) GCIS conducts regular media sampling through its provincial offices, and complements this with verification of print orders and audited circulation data where available

(b) (i) GCIS verified The New Age market entry deliverables as follows:

  • I00 - 120 000 published copies per day
  • 24-32 pages daily
  • Editorial content drawn from ail 9 provinces, distributed through 3 print regions
  • Electronic editions available through e-paper, iPad, FaceBook, Twitter, and the online edition
(ii) On the basis of the above analysis, The New Age was recommend as a suitable publication for government departments to use in conjunction with other mainstream and community media, particularly in support of provincial and local outreach initiatives.

4. No independent studies of advertisements are conducted to test the efficacy of advertising messages post campaign, due to the prohibitive cost of establishing an ongoing national research panel, which is sufficiently sensitive to provide feedback by publication. Where appropriate, response mechanisms are included into the copy, and normative measures such as attendance at departmental events, response to advertising messages (visits to website, call centre interactions, vendor and job applications received) is assessed.

Reply received: November 2012

QUESTION NUMBER 3098
Mr. J J van der Linde, (DA).to ask the Minister of Human Settlements

(I) Whether his department is currently subscribed to The New Age (TNA) newspaper; if so, (a) how many subscriptions does his department have, (b) when was each subscription initiated, (c) what has been the annual subscription fee for each specified subscription since it was initiated and (d) what is the exact purpose of each subscription;

REPLY

(1) Yes

No

(a) No of subscriptions

(b) year

© Annual subscription

(b) Purpose

1

9

2011

R7659.90

To monitor the human settlement development news

2

15

2012

R13068.00

3

1

2012 (for 6 months)

R382.11

TOTAL

25

R21 110.00

(2) Whether a discount was negotiated for any of the specified subscriptions; if so, (a) for which specified subscriptions and (b) what discount in each case;

REPLY

(2) No
(a) Not applicable
(b) Not applicable

(3) Whether his department has mass-purchased the TNA on an ad hoe basis since the inception of the newspaper; if so, (a) on what dates, (b) how many copies in each case and (c) why were the papers purchased in each case;

REPLY

(3) No
(a) Not applicable
(b) Not applicable
(6) Not applicable

(4) whether (a) the publishers of the TNA and (b) any other entity donated copies of the paper to (i) his department and (ii) any entity reporting to him; if so, in each case, (aa) which entity donated the papers, (bb) to which entity were they donated and(cc) how many copies were donated?

REPLY

(4) (a) (i) No
(b) (ii) No
(aa) Not applicable
(bb) Not applicable
(cc) Not applicable

Reply received: December 2012

QUESTION N0.3005
Mrs. SP Kopane , MP, (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:


(1) Whether the accounting Officer submitted the annual financial statements for the financial year ending 31 March 2012 to him by the 31 August 2012, if not(a) why not and (b) on what date (i) were the statement submitted to him and (ii) did he submit the annual report and financial statement to Parliament.

Reply

The submission of financial statements and the Annual report is regulated by the Public Finance Management Act 1 of 1999 as amended by Act 29 of 1999, section 40.

The department complied with the above section. The Annual Report and the Audited statements were submitted relevant parties in compliance with the Act and scheduling for presentation to parliament.

The Annual Financial Statements were signed by the Director General on the 31" of May 2012. The Annual report and Audited Financial Statements were tabled in Parliament on 26 September 2012.

Reply received: November 2012

QUESTION N0.2939
Mr M A Nhanha, MP (COPE) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:


What steps has he taken, with reference to a certain person (name furnished), to ensure that people whose salaries are too high to qualify for an RDP house and too low to qualify for a bond from the bank are assisted in securing a house?

REPLY

A substantially revised the National Housing Programme: Finance Linked Individual Subsidies (FLISP) was introduced with effect from 1 April 2012.

The revised Programme provides beneficiaries who earn R3501,OO to R15 000,OO per month and who are able to obtain mortgage loans from banks, with a down payment amount to reduce the principal loan amount and to render the repayment of the loan balance affordable. The subsidy amount varies according to the income of the household. The maximum subsidy amount is R87 000,OO for a household earning R3 501,OO per month and reduces on a sliding scale down to R10 500,OO for the persons earning R15 000,OO per month

In addition, the revised FLISP introduced a "safety net" mechanism for beneficiaries in the lower income categories. Persons who earn R3 501 to R7 000, 00 per month, who are unable to successfully apply for mortgage loans, may now opt to apply for the allocation of serviced stands free of any charges. These beneficiaries will then acquire ownership of their stands and can proceed to plan the construction of their houses over time as their abilities and financial circumstances improve.

The Programme is being implemented by the National Housing Finance Corporation in collaboration with the nine Provincial Governments through various pilot projects.

Reply received: October 2012

QUESTION: NO.2912
Mrs. M A A Njobe, MP, (COPE) asks the Minister

(1) Whether his department has completed its national drive to identify redevelopments of Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) houses that were falling apart; if not, why not; if so, what are the current details in this regard;

(2) what (a) roll-out plan does his department have to expedite the (i) replacement, (ii) rebuilding and (iii) relocation of affected applicants whose timelines of the entire service delivery process and their chances of moving in have been hampered and (b) are the relevant (i) short-, (ii) medium- and (iii) long-term plans?

Reply
1 The investigation to assess the extent to which state subsidised houses requires (i) reconstruction (ii) repair and (iii) rectification was conducted by the NHBRC. A report was made available and served as the basis for projected rectification costs that necessitated the development of the National Rectification Programme which was approved by MinMec in January 2012.


2 (a)(i)(ii)(iii) and (b)(i)(ii)(iii)
The National Rectification Programme is funded through the Human Settlement Development Grant allocations to Provincial Human Settlements Departments up to a maximum of 10% of such allocations per annum. The respective provincial Departments therefore determine within the context of their Annual Provincial Business Plans the number of units to be rectified in each financial year as well as the budget which is to be set aside for this purpose.

Reply received: October 2012

QUESTION NO: 2710
Mr S B Farrow (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:


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


REPLY
It is suggested that the Minister responds to the question in the following manner below:

The Department of Human Settlements did not award any tenders, or concluded any contracts and financial transaction with the said company from 1996 to date.

Reply received: December 2012

QUESTION NO. 2639

Mrs PC Duncan to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

1. Whether the Minister has found that all the relevant Departments has adequately implemented controls pertaining to Information Technology (IT) Service continuity; (a) why not, in each aspect case and (b) what percentage has not implemented some IT governance aspects; what are the relevant details;

2. Whether deficiencies have been identified, (a) what steps have been taken to ensure that an IT governance framework is implemented in all relevant Departments and (b) what time frame has been set to deal with the lack of IT governance?

REPLY

1. The NDoHS is adequately implementing controls pertaining to Information Technology (IT) Service continuity.
(a) Not applicable

(b) Each of the Provincial Human Settlements Departments is responsible for its own IT Infrastructure and ICT governance framework in line with the legislative and constitutional provision. The National department is responsible to manage, maintain and support the transversal HSS system that the provincial departments are using.

2. Based on the finding stated in the Human Settlements sector management report published by the office of the AG for the 201 112012 financial year the national department for IT governance the department is in the process to review current progress and implement new plans as stated in the commitments made by the Director General in respect of IT controls.

(a) In conjunction with (SITA), The NDoHS engages in the continuous process of reviewing the IT service continuity and recovery plans.

(b) The National Department with SITA is in the process to address the issues indicated below for standardisation:

i. To adopt the governance framework designed by the DPSA when it is approved and released'
ii. To review and enhance security management controls,
iii. To review and enhance disaster recovery for infrastructure and local network

Reply received: October 2012

QUESTION NUMBER: 2627
Mrs M A A Njobe (Cope) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:


Whether his department has implemented the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act, 3 of 2000? What are:

(a) relevant details with regard to:

(i) public inquiries;

(ii) notice and comment procedure;

(iii) notice of administrative action and rights; and

(iv) requests for reasons.

(b) Further relevant details of PAJA in the National Department of Human Settlements.

REPLY

The Department is currently implementing the provisions of PAJA through various means, including:

  • A dedicated call centre which handles telephonic queries on a range of human settlements related matters including fraud and corruption, waiting list for housing, etc;
  • Walk-in clients who visits the departmental premises on a daily basis enquiring about human settlements related matters; AND
  • Responding to general public enquiries via mail addressed to the Minister and the Department.


In most instances, where necessary, the Department notifies members of the public of its decision and reasons thereof.

As stated above, the Department normally provides reasons for the administrative action taken and the decisions made.

Reply received: October 2012

QUESTION NO 2588
Mr SMokgalapa (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:


1. (a)How much money from the Rural Household infrastructure Grant (RHIG) did he allocate to each province (i) in the (aa) 201 0-1 1 and (bb) 201 1-12 financial years and (ii) since 1 April 2012 and (b) what was the total planned delivery target for the implementation of the RHIG (i) in the (aa) 2010-11 and (bb) 2011-12 financial years and (ii) since 1 April 2012;

2. What (a) are the names of the service providers to whom his department awarded the contracts to implement the Rural Household Infrastructure Programme (RHIP) in the (aa) 2010-11 and (bb) 201 1-12 financial years and (ii) since I April 2012 and (b) was the total allocation awarded to each service provider in this regard for each specified period;

3. What (a) was his department's total planned delivery target for each service provider contracted (i) in the (aa) 2010-11 and (bb) 2011-12 financial years and (ii) since I April 2012 and (b) amount of the total allocation has been spent in this regard for each specified period;

4. Whether his department conducted an assessment of the achievements in this regard, if not, why not; if so, what (a) have been the achievements for each specified service provider in each specified year and (b) are the further relevant details?

REPLY

It is suggested that the Minister responds to the Question in the following manner:

1.(a) Table 1 below indicates the total budget allocation per province for (i)(aa) 2010/11, (bb) 2011/12 and (ii) since 1 April 2012

See attachment: Total budget allocation per province

Reply received: October 2012

QUESTION NO. 2587
Mr S Mokgalapa (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

With regard to the R50 billion that has been set aside for rectification, (a) who are the contractors responsible for the substandard delivery of Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) housing projects, (b) what measures will be implemented to ensure that contractors who (i) produce substandard work are blacklisted and (ii) are appointed delivers an acceptable standard of RDP housing projects and (c) what measures are in place to hold contractors accountable for delivering substandard work

REPLY

(a) The Department of Human Settlements, in collaboration with the Provincial Departments and the NHBRC are conducting investigations to establish whether

Reply received: October 2012

QUESTION NO. 2540
Mrs. M A A Njobe (Cope) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

(1) Whether officials in his department purchased tickets to the New Age Business briefing; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, in terms of which provisions of the Public Finance Management Act, Act

1 of 1999, were the ticket procured;

(2) whether he will make a statement on the matter?

REPLY
(1) The department's officials did not purchase tickets to the New Age Business briefing.


(2) No statement will be made on the matter.

Reply received: October 2012

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION N0.2531
WRITTEN REPLY
Mr Lekota, MP (COPE) to asked the Minister of Human Settlements:


Whether, in view of the fact that the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) houses were continuously built in a poor manner, he has new implemented measures to (a) make tender processes transparent, (b) allow for retention of money from the contract amount to ensure that defective workmanship could be corrected after transfer, (c) ensure that building materials used were of uniform standard, (d) provide for quality inspection at all stages of the construction and (e) create a role for opposition parties to ensure that projects are corruption free; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY

(a) Yes, with effect from 1 April 2002, a substantially revised Project Linked Housing Subsidy Scheme was instituted that requires fair, transparent and equitable procurements processes at all interfaces between the organs of the State and the suppliers of housing goods and services.

(b) Yes. In addition to the above procurement measures, Government on 1 April 2002 also decided to apply the provisions of the Housing Consumers Protection Measures Act, 1998 on the National Housing Programmes that are financed from the annual Housing Vote allocation. This step entailed that provinces and municipalities who participate in the delivery of houses through the National Housing Programmes must make use of the construction industry standards construction contract documentation. In terms of this standard construction contract, an amount equal to 5% of the total contract cost must be retained for snag listing purposes and satisfactory completion of recorded defects and finishing compliance before the final payment under the contract is administered.
(c) Yes. With effect from 1 April 2002 all houses constructed under the Government's National housing Programmes are subject to the following standards:

i) The Ministerial National Norms and Standards;
ii) The National Building Regulations; and
iii) The standards imposed by the NHBRC.

All building materials must therefore comply with the prescripts contained in ; the aforementioned documents. Where alternative building technologies are being utilised, such products must be certified by the Agrement Board of South Africa and be approved by the NHBRC.

In addition, all home builders that participate in housing construction projects financed from the National Housing Programme funding must be registered with the NHBRC.

(d) Yes. Regarding technical supervision of the housing construction processes, various role players are involved. In the first instance the municipality must approve the building plans and the municipal inspectorate undertakes various inspections related to each of the phases of the construction process.


The NHBRC must register each home builder and enrol each house for purposes of application of its five year structural warranty scheme. The NHBRC has agreed to undertake dedicated technical inspections throughout the construction process of the houses to ensure compliance with all the applicable standards.

Provinces and municipalities also make use of project managers as well as so called Clerks of Works comprising technical expertise to assist in the daily construction supervision processes.

(e) No. No provision has been made to involve opposition parties to play a role in the administration of the National Housing Programmes andlor contract administration supervision processes. These processes are governed by the prevailing housing policy, the mentioned norms and

standards and applicable legislation such as the Constitution, 1996, the Public Finance Management Act,1999 and the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act, 2000.

Political parties do not play any role in the administration of housing development projects other than the role they play through the relevant official decision-making structures and where applicable, to influence the policy making processes.

The authority to measure and evaluate compliance with the aforementioned prescripts and legislation, vests with the Auditor-General.

Reply received: October 2012

QUESTION NO. 2519
Mr S Mokgalapa, MP (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:


(1) (a) What steps have been taken to ensure that a credible waiting list of beneficiaries of the Housing Subsidy Scheme is open to the public;

REPLY

(1)a The National Department of Human Settlements does not have or maintain a National Housing Waiting List. Furthermore, the development and maintenance of a provincial and /or municipal waiting list is not prescribed by national policy and/or legislation. The nine Provincial Governments and municipalities may decide in own right to establish and administer housing waiting lists.

Every Province has a database of past and future beneficiaries which are credible. Members of the public are free to approach any Province for assistance recorded their housing needs on the National Housing Needs Register, are approached with an offer to apply for specific housing opportunities that are being created within specific housing projects. The prospective beneficiary applications are then subjected to the normal screening and verifying processes, developed by the National Department to ensure that everyone satisfies the subsidy scheme qualification criteria.

The records recorded on the National Housing Needs Register are not accessible to the general public due to security reason and to protect the personal information of all the households that have recorded their housing needs on Register. However people that have registered their housing needs can at any time enquire at their nearest municipality and/or provincial human settlement offices on whether their details have been accurately recorded.

Reply received: October 2012

QUESTION NO: 2490
Mr. J. J. Van der Linde (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

1. Whether (a) his Ministry, (b) his department and (c) any entity reporting to him plan to host end of year parties; if not, why not, in each case; if so, in each case, (i) for how many people and (ii) at 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 (6) from which part of the budget will it be incurred?

REPLY

Relevant information is in the process of being obtained and verified in respect of entities. Concerning the department, information will be availed to the honourable member as soon as it has been compiled. Ministry has no party plans.

Reply received: October 2012

QUESTION NO. 2430
Mrs P C Duncan (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements

What are the qualifications of senior management staff in (a) his department and (b) each specified municipal housing department?

Reply

(a) The qualifications of SMS members within the Department are as follow

Level

Number of officials at level

Doctorate

Masters

Honours/BTech

Degree/Nat Dipl

DG

1

1

DDG

4

2

1

1

CD

17

1

5

2

9

Dir

41

5

3

33

(b) The matter contained in Parliamentary Question 2430 (b),is not within the authority of the Department, but the Department will request the relevant information and submit same once it is available.

Reply received: October 2012

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO. 2429
WRITTEN REPLY
Mr S Mokgalap, MP (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:


What steps has he taken to ensure that municipalities provide basic infrastructure for housing projects?

REPLY

The Current National Housing Programme that finances new residential developments, the Integrated Residential Development Programme (IRDP), provides that all housing subsidy funded housing development projects must, as a minimum, install the prescribed basic municipal engineering services. Adequate funding is included in the Programme funding to achieve this objective. The required services are as follows:

Type of Service

Minimum Level

Water

Single standpipe per stand (metered)

Sanitation

VIP or alternative system agreed to between the community, the municipality and the MEC

Roads

Graded or graved paved road access to each stand. This does not necessarily require a vehicle access to each property

Stormwater

Lined open channels

Street lighting

Highmast security lighting for residential purposes where this is feasible and practicable, on condition that such street lighting is not funded from the MIG initiative or from other resources.


It is thus a policy requirement that housing projects may not be approved where the internal and bulk and connector services are not available.

The National Department of Human Settlements furthermore conducts continuous monitoring and evaluations of the subsidy financed projects to ensure that compliance with the National Norms and Standards are maintained.

Reply received: October 2012

Question No. 2418
Mr. D. A. Kganare (COPE) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

(1) (a) How many housing units were scheduled to be built and (b) were in fact built in each province in the (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12 financial years

(2) (a) What amount was allocated to each province and (b) what steps did he take against the provinces that failed to meet the targets?

REPLY

See attachment: Projected Housing Units to be Delivered

Reply received: October 2012

Question No. 2406

Mrs. M. A. A. Njobe to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

"Whether all the (a) Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) and (b) Breaking New Ground (BNG) houses are registered at the deed office; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so what are the relevant details?"

REPLY
(a) and (b)


Not all the houses provided post-1994 have been registered into the names of the approved beneficiaries at the Deeds Office.

Although the stated intention of the Department in line with the state housing policy is to ensure that houses delivered through the National Housing Subsidy Programme are registered into the names of the approved beneficiaries of such homes. The efficient completion of the registration of title is sometimes compromised as a result of delays in other processes leading up to legal registration and issuing of a title deed.

The implementation of the programme exposed a number of weaknesses in the development chain, and one of these was the land registration and titling process.

Reply received: October 2012

Question No. 2373
Mrs. P.C. Duncan (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

(1) Whether his department has any vacant positions; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, (a) how many positions are vacant, (b) what are the designations of these vacant positions, (c) for how long have these positions been vacant, (d) what are the reasons for the delay in having these positions filled and (e) what was the staff turnover in his department in the 2011-12 financial year;

(2) Whether he has put any measures in place to deal with the (a) current staff shortages and (b) lack of skills within his department; if not; why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY

(1) The Department has vacant positions


(a) There were 184 vacant positions as at 31'' March 2012.

(b) There are twenty five (25) vacant positions that are for Senior Managers and one hundred and fifty nine (159) vacant positions are for levels below SMS.

c) Some of the positions have been vacant for over six months.

(d) The reasons for delays include a moratorium on the filling of vacant posts during the turn-around process, and since April 2012 the department has been actively filling vacant positions, subject to the availability of office accommodation.


(e) The staff turnover in the 201 1-12 financial year was 8,5%


(3) The measures put into place include the following:

(b) The Department has developed a detailed and clear recruitment and selection policy, as well as delegations to approve the advertising of posts and subsequent appointments.

b) The Department has an endorsed Work Place Skills Plan as well as the study-aid program to address the skills required by the Department.

Reply received: September 2012

Question No. 2372

Mrs. P.C. Duncan (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

(a) How many top management posts within (i) his department and (ii) municipal housing departments are being filled on an acting basis and (b) what is the time period in each respective instance?

REPLY

(a) (i) Four (4) top management posts in the Department of Human Settlements are filled by acting appointments.

(ii) The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs will be requested to provide the relevant details and it is further requested that the Honourable Member request the information from the Honourable Minister Baloyi.

(b) The time period for each acting appointment in the Department is limited to 12 months and/or terminates upon the post being filled permanently.

Reply received: September 2012

QUESTION NO 2354

Mr. S Mokgalapa (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlement:

1. On (a) when was Maxima Global appointed and (b) for what purpose (2) what are the further relevant details in this regard?

REPLY

(a) The Company referred to in the question was appointed on 28 September 2010;

(b) The Company was appointed to provide programme management support to the Department to ensure that the objectives of the Rural Household Infrastructure Programme, namely the construction of toilet facilities within the allocated time period and the allocated budget are achieved.

Reply received: September 2012

Parliamentary Question No.2353

Written Reply

Mr Mokgalapa, MP (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

(1) (a) How many municipalities have developer status and

(b) when was the (i) status granted and (ii) by whom;

(2) Whether any criteria exist in this regard; if not, why not; if so, what (a) criteria was used in granting

municipalities developer status and (b) are the further relevant details?

REPLY

(l)(a) The concept of awarding developer status to municipalities is not regulated by any national legislation or national human settlements policy.

The current National Housing Programmes have been developed on the basis that human settlement developments should be undertaken by Municipalities that have the required capacity, skills, knowledge and expertise. However, the National Housing Programmes also provide that where the municipality does not have the required capacity to undertake human settlement development projects, the Provincial Government may step in and assist municipalities in the implementation of such human settlements projects and may, in the worst case scenario, decide to substitute a municipality as developer and undertake the development on behalf of the municipality.

There is thus no national and/or provincial register reflecting the details of municipalities that were awarded developer status. Each project application by a Municipality is considered by the relevant Provincial MEC responsible for Human Settlements on its merit, taking all the relevant facts into account.

(2). No criteria have been established in this regard as each project application is considered on its merits

and specific development and institutional circumstances.

Reply received: October 2012

QUESTION 2302
Mr. J. J. van der Linde (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

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

REPLY

(d) In order to give effect to the agreement signed with the President in respect of Outcome 8 which aims to to create sustainable human settlements and improved quality of life, the National Minister signed agreements with the nine Provincial Executive Committee members' responsible for human settlements in the Provinces, to provide 400 000 households with upgraded services and 80 000 well located, affordable rental accommodation. In addition, an Accreditation Programme was developed to allow Municipalities with the relevant skills and capacity to assume responsibility for the administration of the various Human Settlement Development Programmes and Human Settlements Development Grant. An additional funding source, namely the Urban Settlements Grant was established to allow Metropolitan Municipalities to finance the provision of the necessary infrastructure needed for the establishment of sustainable human settlements.

Other mechanisms and interventions created and established to make sure that the objectives of Outcome 8 are achieved, include the following:

· The establishment of a National Support Programme to assist Metros and Municipalities with the development of the categorization and mapping of informal settlements, upgrading strategies, formalized programmes and settlement-level upgrading plans;

· The Housing Development Agency to facilitate the release of well located state owned land for human settlements development; A Mortgage Default Guarantee Scheme to obtain the buy-in of financial institutions to make mortgage bonds available to people in the affordable market;

· The revision of the existing Financed Linked Individual Subsidy instrument to provide potential beneficiaries in the affordable housing market with a housing subsidy to leverage further financial assistance from the banks and other financial institutions;

  • Investigate the possibility of an instrument on a long term fixed interest rate to allow banks to make mortgage loans available at a long term fixed interest rate; and

  • Rationalisation of the three Housing Development Finance Entities, namely the National Housing Finance Corporation (NHFC), the Rural Housing Loan Fund (RHLF) and the National Urban Reconstruction and Housing Agency (NURCHA) into one to enhance product lines and performance by channeling additional funding and capacity towards these programmes. The National Department, through the NHFC, is continuously interacting with the Banks, the Private Sector and the Employers to make programmes for financial assistance available to people within the GAP market.


(e) Since 1 April 2010 up to 30 June 2012 a total number of 125 694 households were assisted with upgraded services which represents 31,4% of the total target of 400 000 households. A total number of 22 281 rental units were delivered through the Social Housing Programme, the

Community Residential Unit Programme, the Institutional Housing Subsidy Programme and the private sector, representing 27,8% of the original target of 80 000.


In terms of the Accreditation Programme, eight Metros, two District Municipalities and 20 Municipalities were accredited with levels 1 and/or 2 accreditation. It is envisaged that the eight Metros will be accredited with level 3 accreditation by the end of the 2012/13 financial year.


The improvement of access to basic services has been delineated into the Outcome 9 Delivery Agreement and as such will be reported on by DCOG as the coordinating Department for Outcome 9


The Housing Development Agency (HDA) which was established to facilitate the identification, assessment and release of well located state land for human settlements development, has identified more than 47 000 ha of land for assessment to determine the suitability thereof for human settlements develop. Of this, more than 5 219 ha have been assessed up to 30 June 2012, and 1 066 ha have been released to Municipalities, while 9 716, 3 ha are in advanced stages of release. The HDA is in the process of acquiring 1 329 ha of urban land while an additional 500 ha of privately owned properties are being considered. A total of 11, 2 ha of provincially held land were released for human settlements. A total number of 6 694,l hectares were approved by the Minister of Rural Development for release, but the strategic location thereof still has to be verified.

By the 30 June 201 2, a total number of 11 5 675 loans which includes mortgage, incremental, whole sale and leveraging, have been granted to the affordable market.

(f) The National Department of Human Settlements is continuously interacting with the Provincial Human Settlements Departments, Metropolitan, Local and District Municipalities to ensure that the objectives and targets of Outcome 8 are prioritized through their strategic and annual business plans and that funding streams and project implementation are aligned. A monitoring process has been put in place that continuously monitors the implementation of programmes and projects to ensure that quality products are delivered, value created with money spent and that actual delivery is verified. In addition, the mandate of the Social Housing Regulatory Agency is currently being revised to ensure that the various needs for social and rental housing are addressed. The Community Residential Unit Policy is being revised while a policy for backyard dwellers is receiving attention.


Reply received: September 2012

QUESTION NO. 2242

Mr K P Sithole (IFP) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

(I) Whether, with reference to his replies to question 2868 on 7 November 2011 and question 1149 on 25 May 2012, any monies paid out to contractors, via tenders, who built houses with poor workmanship will be recouped, if not, why not, if so, what are the relevant details;

(2) whether the terms of tender documents stipulate the consequences of (a) not fulfilling the requirements of the job and (b)poor workmanship, if not, why not; if so, why is the department not enforcing these consequences.

Reply

1 In cases where investigations regarding poor workmanship are being conducted by the Special Investigation Unit, monies will be recovered through the SIU enforcement team, as per the provisions of the Act.

Where the investigations are done by the Special Investigations Unit of the Department, recoveries will be ordered by the court once the cases have been concluded.

2 (a + b) Standard building industry contracts concluded between Developers and contractors stipulate penalties to be paid in cases where construction work is not completed in the agreed timeframes and to the required standard.

The Strategy for Action Against Defaulting Contractors of Government Subsidized Housing Projects, approved an 15 May 2012, does in addition to all other measures already in place, make provision for provincial project managers and/or inspectors who certify poor quality work to be held financially liable, and for accounting officers to recover financial losses incurred as a result of non-compliance.

Reply received: September 2012

Question No 2234

Ms. J. D. Kilian (COPE) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

Whether Khemano lnvestment Holdings and/or its subsidiaries have been contracted to render services to the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC); if so (a) what process was followed to appoint the said company and/or its subsidiaries and (b) what is the (i) nature of services rendered in respect of each such contact and (ii) total monetary value of each contract awarded to the company and/or its subsidiaries in the (aa) 2009-10, (bb) 2010-11 and (cc) 2011-12 financial years?

REPLY

According to information provided to the Department by the NHBRC, the NHBRC does not have any dealings with Khemano investment Holdings and/or its subsidiaries, if it does have any.

Reply received: September 2012

Question 2221

Mr. R. B. Bhoola (MF) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

"Whether, with reference to the huge challenges Provinces and Municipalities are experiencing in the delivery of houses, he is providing guidance and support to them in the delivery of their business plans; if not what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?"

REPLY

In providing guidance and support to Provinces and Municipalities in the implementation of their

business plans and other human settlements development planning frameworks, the National

Department of Human Settlements undertakes the following:

(1) The 1st Draft Provincial Annual Performance Plan and Human Settlements Development Grant Business Plans are submitted to the Department by the Provinces for critique, and thereafter based on the findings and recommendations, provided, the Province in enhances the information and detail in the plans, and a final draft submitted to the Department for approval.

(2) The final approved Provincial Annual Performance Plan and Human Settlements Development Grant Business Plan are then again analysed to ascertain if a Province incorporated recommendations provided in the National Department reports of the first draft plans.

(3) The Department also participates in the IDP processes of Municipalities to ensure that planning for human settlements development and housing delivery is done at the local government level.

(4)A critique of the draft Urban Settlement Development Grant (USDG) Plans of Metropolitan Municipalities are also provided and findings including recommendations are made to the respective Municipalities for areas of improvement.

(5) The Department undertakes and critique of the Housing Chapters of the Integrated Development Plans of the Municipalities and provides findings including recommendations for areas of improvement, to the Municipality.

(6) The Department conduct quarterly review sessions with Provinces and Metropolitan Municipalities on performance of the Provinces and Municipalities in the implementation of Provincial Human Settlements Development Grant Business Plans and Metropolitan Urban Settlements Development Grant Plans. In the review sessions Provinces and Metropolitan Municipalities are required to report on performance of the grants in regard to financial and non-financial targets and outputs

(7) Provinces with capacity challenges are assisted in the implementation of their business plans and other human settlements development planning frameworks.

(8) The Chief Financial Officer and Internal Audit Unit of the Department conduct Provincial and Municipal visits to oversee compliance and adherence to the conditions of the Provinces and Municipalities, in respect of the Division of Revenue Act provisions on Business Plans.

(9) The Provinces and Municipalities prepare and present reports to MinMec and where there

are weaknesses and problems identified, relevant measures implemented to correct weaknesses and deficiencies in the Provinces and Municipalities.

QUESTION NO 2220
Mr RB Bhoola (MF) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

1. Whether he intends to take steps to improve alignment and coordination between the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) and municipal inspectors to ensure that all houses are signed off by the NHBRC as well as municipal quality assurance inspectors; if not, why not; if so, (a) when and (b) what are the further relevant details?

REPLY:

The proposed draft reply of the Department to the parliamentary question is as follows:

1. A strategy has been developed to improve alignment and coordination of the NHBRC with Provincial and Municipal inspectors to ensure that all houses are signed off by the NHBRC as well as municipal quality assurance inspectors.

(a) Three (3) provinces (Limpopo, Eastern Cape and Western Cape) were engaged during October/November of 2011. A further 2 provinces (North West and Kwazulu Natal) were engaged during July/August 2012. Follow up meetings with these provinces are in the process of being arranged.

(b) In terms of the Housing Consumers Protection Measures Act, 1998 (Act No. 95 of 1998) Section 5(4)(b), the NHBRC is mandated to enroll and inspect the categories of houses that may be prescribed by the Minister. NHBRC has put in place a strategy to ensure that all houses enrolled are inspected. An internal Quality Assurance Business Unit has been established and it has engaged a number of Provincial Departments of Human Settlements with the intention of establishing Quality Assurance (QA) Systems in their provincial offices. As part of the QA system, NHBRC will provide full time Quality Assurers and Engineers who will operate from the Provincial and Municipal offices. As part of their duties, the NHBRC Quality Assurers, in liaison with the Provincial and Municipal inspectors, will sign off the Final Unit Inspection Report for each and every constructed house.

The Final Unit Inspection Report is a confirmation that the house complies to the NHBRC's technical requirements and the National Building Regulations. Over and above the Final Unit Inspection Report, the NHBRC Quality Assurers will also counter sign all the invoices for payment; indicating that NHBRC has been involved in the inspection and supports the payment of the contractor.

The above strategy has been discussed thus far with the following provinces: Limpopo, North West, Western Cape, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu Natal. Progress is underway to finalize discussions with remaining provinces by November 2012.

Reply received: October 2012

Reply received: October 2012

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION N0.2218
WRITTEN REPLY
Mr Njikelana, MP (ANC) to ask the minister of Human Settlements:


(l)(a) What is the state of housing in farming areas, (b) how many have been built and (c) what challenges has his department experienced in this regard;

(2) Whether he has found that the (a) implementation and (b) provisions of the Prevention of Illegal Eviction from and Unlawful Occupation of Land Act (PIE), Act 79 of 1998, are effective; if not, what (i) challenges has he identified.

REPLY

(l)(a) The current living conditions of farm residents differs substantially from farm to farm and from region to region. It varies from excellent to very poor and squalid conditions.

The Department has not undertaken any detailed housing surveys to determine the actual state of housing conditions on farms and therefore such data is not available. There are however plans afoot to conduct a survey as part of a broader informal settlement survey.


A national Housing Programme for housing assistance to farm residents was introduced with effect from April 2009. This Programme is premised on the active participation of farmers to improved and provide farm owners with decent housing opportunities on their farms. The farm owners can select a suitable housing strategy from range of development options under the programme for implementation The Programme was specifically developed to ensure that the application thereof does not affect any current or existing land rights of the parties. As the Programme is relatively new, provinces are only now initiating strategies and targets for its implementation and feed back received is that substantial interest from the farm owners has been recorded.

(c) The main challenge hampering take-up under the Programme at this stage, is considerable distrust that prevails within the farm owners fraternity with regard to the overall land reform programme

A second area of focus is the lack of capacity at provincial and municipal spheres to implement the programme in the dispersed agricultural environment.

(2). The Implementation of the Prevention of Illegal Eviction From and Unlawful Occupation of Land Act, 1998 (Act No 19 of 1998) (PIE) fall under the auspices of the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform. Therefore, my Department has not measured the effectiveness of the Act to date.


Reply received: September 2012

QUESTION NO 2163

Mr JJ van der Linder (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

Whether (a) his department or (b) any entity reporting to him makes use of private security firms and (ii) what is the (aa) purpose, (bb) value and (cc) duration of each specified contract?

REPLY

I. (a) The Department of Human Settlements utilizes both in-house and private security companies to render security guarding services. The hiring of private security companies was as a result of the Department staff increase that led to the acquisition of additional building that requires security and protection.

A private security company has been contracted on six (6) month contract basis to provide the services indicated and the details are:

(i)TS Dludlu Security and Cleaning

(ii)(aa) To render security guarding services in a departmental building

(bb) R481 136, 00

(cc) Six (6) months.

(b) based on information available to the Department the Human Settlements entities use of private security firms is as follows:

The SHRA, NURCHA and RHLF do not make use of any private security firms; therefore, all other subsequent questions are not applicable.

The EAAB: has contracted the services of

(i) Kusela Security Solutions (Pty) Ltd who

(ii)(aa) general access control and guarding services on the office premises of the entity. The value of the contract is

(bb) R611 508.00

(cc) Five (5) year's

The NHFC has contracted the services of

(i) TDD Risk Management Company (S.O.B0.8 09232).

(ii)(aa) To secure the NHFC building environment and visitors entering the NHFC Offices;

(bb) R 72 000.00 per annum;

(cc) Three (3) years.

The NHBRC: has contracted the services of the following companies:

(i) Ulwazi Protection Services for Gauteng Offices,

(ii)(aa)To guard and offer security services for offices in order to protect the NHBRC resources and assets, and the total value of the contract is

(bb) R1 929 907.92

(cc) Three years

(i) Vimba Group Holdings (Pty) Ltd for Eastern Cape Offices

(ii)(aa) To guard and offer security services for offices in order to protect the NHBRC resources and assets. The total value of the contract is

(bb) R 6 666 909.84

(cc) Three Years

(i) Mjayeli (Pty) Ltd for Polokwane Offices,

(ii)(aa)To guard and offer security services for offices in order to protect the NHBRC's resources and assets. The total value of the contract is

(bb) R 636 129.84

(cc) Three Years

The HDA has contracted the services of the following companies:

(i) Mjayeli Security PTY LTD,

(ii)(aa) Guarding services of the inner city building, Union Square Building in Johannesburg. The total value of the contract is

(bb) R294 531.48

(cc) 6 months

(i) Mjayeli Security PTY LTD,

(ii) (aa) Physical surveillance at a Bela-Bela property, Warmbath Ext 25. The total value of the contract is

(bb) R164 160.00 for a

(cc) 12 months

(i) Rise Security Services,

(ii) (aa)Guarding services at an Inner City Building in Johannesburg, 27 Hoek Street Building. The total value of the contract is

(bb) R149 827.80

(cc) 6 months

(i) Defensor Security PTY LTD,

(ii) (aa) Physical surveillance at the Bloemfontein properties, Hamilton property and Linqurnda property. The total value of the contract is

(bb) R47 880.00

(cc) 6 months

(i) SA Tiger Security Services,

(ii) (aa) Physical surveillance at a Kroonstad property, Kroonindustria. The total value of the contract is

(bb) R64 000.00

(cc) 8 months.

(i) Capital ship Security Services,

(ii) (aa) Guarding services at Cape Town property, Joe Slovo Park. The total value of the contract is

(bb) R908 045.28 for a period of

(cc) 12 months.

Reply received: September 2012

Question No. 2105
Ms. L. L. Van Der Merwe (IFP) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

"What number of people living with disabilities is on the waiting list for housing in each specified province?"
NW2612E
Reply
The State housing policy, programmes and funding provides for the special housing needs of disabled persons to be prioritised and given special attention. However the National department does not have the relevant waiting list data on persons' with disabilities requiring housing. The Provinces and Municipalities have been provided with the necessary system to assist in the compilation of a housing needs register, which would include that of persons' with disabilities.

A request for the information as requested by the Honourable Member has been communicated to the respective Provincial departments, and will be provided when the information is received and collated.


Reply received: September 2012

QUESTION NO: 1961
Mr. G. G. Boinamo (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

Whether any entity reporting to the Minister of Human Settlements has budgeted for (a) financial donations or (b) sponsorships in the (i) 2009-10 (ii) 2010-11 (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
Thubelisha Homes, Servcon Housing Solutions and the Social Housing Foundation are in the process of being wind-up. These public entities have therefore not budgeted for any financial donations and sponsorships in the (i) 2009110, (ii) 201 011 1, (iii) 201 111 2 and (iv) 201 211 3 financial years.

1 Rural Housing Loan Fund (RHLF)
The position of the Rural Housing Loan Fund (RHLF) in respect of the financial donations is as follows:

Financial Year

(aa) Budget

(bb) Expenditure


(i) 2009-10


R 120,000


R 22,000


(ii) 2010-11


R 50,000


R 55,768


(iii) 2011-12


R 75,000


R 59,498


(iv) 2012-13


R 75,000

-

The budget and expenditure amounts are inclusive of (b) sponsorships

2. Housing Development Agency (HDA)
The position of the Housing Development Agency (HDA) in respect of the financial donations is as follows:

Financial Year

(aa) Budget

(bb) Expenditure


(i) 2009-10


R 75,000


-


(ii) 2010-11


R 100,000


-


(iii) 2011-12


R 106,500


-


(iv) 2012-13


R 113,423


R 33,393

The budget and expenditure amounts are inclusive of (b) sponsorships

The HDA has not made any financial donations in the 2009/10-2011/12 because no request was received from the public.

3. Estate Agency Affairs Board (EAAB)
The position of the Estate Agency Affairs Board (EAAB) in respect of the financial donations is as follows:


Financial Year

(aa) Budget

(bb) Expenditure


(i) 2009-10


R 70,000


-


(ii) 2010-11


R 55,000


-


(iii) 2011-12


R 55,000


-


(iv) 2012-13


R 120,000


-

The budget and expenditure amounts are inclusive of (b) sponsorships


4. National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC)
The position of the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) in respect of the financial donations is as follows:


Financial Year

(aa) Budget

(bb) Expenditure


(i) 2009-10


R 2,000,000


-


(ii) 2010-11


R 2,000,000


R 61,006


(iii) 2011-12


R 2,500,000


R 95,760


(iv) 2012-13


R 500,000


R 308,910

The budget and expenditure amounts are inclusive of (b) sponsorships

5. National Housing Finance Corporation (NHFC)
The position of the National Housing Finance Corporation (NHFC) in respect of the financial donations is as follows:

Financial Year

(aa) Budget

(bb) Expenditure


(i) 2009-10


R 2,000,000


R 206,917


(ii) 2010-11


R 1,500,000


R 54,109


(iii) 2011-12


R 2,000,000


R 319,961


(iv) 2012-13


R 2,800,000


R 5,949

The budget and expenditure amounts are inclusive of (b) sponsorships

6. Social Housing Regulatory Authority (SHRA)
The entity commenced its operations in January 2011. The entity does not budget for financial donations and sponsorships.

7. National Urban Reconstruction and Housing Agency (NURCHA)

The National Urban Reconstruction and Housing Agency (NURCHA) has not budgeted for financial donations and sponsorships in the (i) 200911 0, (ii) 201 011 1, (iii) 201 111 2 and (iv) 2012113 financial yearsdue to budget constraints.

Reply received: September 2012

QUESTION NO. 2069

Mr J J van der Linde (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:


(1) Whether (a)he, (b)his Deputy Minister and (c) any official from an entity reporting to him will be attending or attend, the 2012 Olympic Games; if so, what is (i)(aa) name,(bb)rank (cc) position/designation of each specified person accompanying (aaa) him,(bbb) his Deputy Minister and (ccc) each specified person 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 funds be incurred in each case?


REPLY

None of the Department's officials and entity reporting to the Minister have attended the 2012 Olympic games.

Reply received: September 2012

Question 1886
Mr R B Bhoola to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

(1) Whether he intends to investigate the irregularities pertaining to shoddy workmanship in the building of houses in Westcliff, Chatsworth; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(2) Whether he intends to study the relevant scoping reports and work carried out; if not, why not; if so, what steps he intends taking in this regard;

(3) Whether he has been informed that beneficiaries are compelled to take ownership of shoddily built houses; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what action he intends taking in this regard?

Reply

(1) I have been informed about the Westcliff, Chatsworth flats. The Westcliff, Chatsworth flats are old government rental stock units which were built before 1994 by the previous government. These flats are in Bayview, Westcliff and Crossmor in Chatsworth Township totaling 1895 units. The units in Westcliff were renovated by the Ethekwini Municipality in preparation for them to be transferred to the tenants with the option to either purchase or to continue renting. However, the municipality ran short of funding to finalise the renovations. 200 units were not renovated. According to the report from Ethekwini Municipality these 200 units have structural defects which require rectification. The Ethekwini Municipality has submitted the application for funding to the Provincial Department of Human Settlements to undertake rectification of these units before transferring them to the beneficiaries. The Provincial department has confirmed that such an application has been submitted and is being considered. The other units which were renovated are in line with the specifications and have no defects.

(2)The relevant scoping and progress reports will be submitted to the National Department of Human Settlements for evaluation.

(3) There are no beneficiaries that are currently being compelled to take ownership. The Ethekwini Municipality is renovating the flats in preparation for them to be transferred to the tenants with the option to either purchase or to continue renting.


Reply received: September 2012

QUESTION NO: 1764

1764. Mr A Watson (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

(1) Whether (a) his department and (b) all entities reporting to him make payment to (i) suppliers and (ii) service providers within the 30 day payment period as specified by the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), Act 1 of 1999; if not, in each case, (aa) how many service providers are awaiting payment, (bb) what is the monetary value of outstanding payments and (cc) how long is payment overdue;

(2) Whether (a) his department and (b) all entities reporting to him are liable for any interest charged on overdue payments in any of the cases mentioned; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, in each case, what is the (i) percentage and (ii) monetary value of interest charged;

(3) Whether (a) his department and (b) all entities reporting to him have negotiated revised payment schedules with each of the service providers mentioned; if not, why not; if so, in each case, what are the relevant details;

(4) What are the reasons for (a) his department and (b) all entities reporting to him not making payment within 30 days as specified by the PFMA;

(5) Whether (a) his department and (b) all entities reporting to him have implemented any measures to (i) ensure full compliance with the PFMA and (ii) facilitate immediate payment for overdue accounts; if not, why not; if so, in each case, what are the relevant details

REPLY

(?)(a) The Department of Human Settlements make payments to (i) suppliers and (ii) service providers within 30 days from receipt of an invoice as required in terms of Treasury Regulations 8.2.3. However, certain invoices were not paid within 30 days from receipt of an invoice as prescribed.

(aa) - (cc) Number of service providers awaiting payment during the period 01 April 2012 to 30 June 2012:

(aa) Number

Of Suppliers

(bb) Value of

outstanding payments

(cc) How long is payment overdue

April 2012

20

R 198 66.08

31 days

May 2012

8

R 12 194. 30

57 days

June 2012

17

R 132 854. 57

51 days


(b) All public entities made payments to (i) suppliers and (ii) service providers within 30 day payment period as specified by the Public Finance Management Act, (Act No. 1 of 1999) (PFMA), except for the following:


(aa) Thubelisha Homes: invoices are outstanding for one legal firm for over 30 days.

Servcon Housing Solutions: invoices are outstanding for payment to two service providers for over 30 days, namely Emerald Sky and QLI Projects.

(bb) Thubelisha Homes: A total amount of R34,046.24 is outstanding.

(cc) Servcon Housing Solutions: payments have been outstanding for a period. It should be noted that these creditors are linked to a project and there were queries raised in relation to the said project, which primarily led to the delay in payments.

(2)(a) The Department of Human Settlements was and is not liable for any interest charged on overdue payments in any of the cases mentioned. The suppliers1 service providers did not charge the Department interest on outstanding amounts as it was not provided for in the Service Level Agreements and contracts.

(b) With regards to public entities reporting to the Department the position is as follows:

Servcon Housing Solutions is liable to pay the interest on the outstanding amount as follows,

(i) a percentage is 15.5%, it was granted by the Arbitrator, and

(ii) interest charged from 01 April 2012 to 31 July 2012 in respect of Emerald Skyamounts to R1,053,501.63 and QLI Projects to R326,618.29, totalling R1 380 11 9.92

(3)(a) The Department did not negotiate a revised payment schedule with each service provider as the outstanding amounts were settled before the end of the following month.

(b) Regarding public entities reporting to the Department the position is as follows:

Thubelisha Homes: payment is due on the submission of supporting documentation.

Servcon Housing Solutions: an arrangement is being made with the creditors to settle the outstanding amounts by 31 December 2012.

(4)(a) The reasons for the Department not making payment within 30 days include the following:

vi. Supporting documents not attached to invoices;
vii. Partial deliveries of goods;
viii. Approval by responsible managers delayed;
ix. Changes in budget allocations; and
x. When computer systems are down.

(4)(b) With regards to the public entities reporting to the Department the position is as follows:

Thubelisha Homes: payments could not be made within 30 days due to supporting documentation not provided with original invoices.

Servcon Housing Solutions: The client to Servcon Housing Solutions did not advance funds to Servcon Housing Solutions and this lead to Servcon Housing Solutions being unable to settle its creditors as they are linked to the project
.
(5)(a) The Department of Human Settlements is implementing an electronic invoice Register to register and track invoices throughout the authorisation and payment processes. An invoice Box has been installed at the Reception. Invoices received by the Department after hours are deposited by the service providers in the invoice Box. Only Supply Chain Management officials have access to the invoice Box. The invoice Box is opened daily and invoices collected and registered in the invoice Register. Furthermore, Circulars (i.e. SCM Circular No. 5 of 201 1 and SCM Circular No. 2 of 2012) were sent out to all Staff members on 19 December 2011 and 21 February 2012 respectively outlining measures to be followed in handling invoices. Letters were written to suppliers outlining procedures to be followed when submitting invoices to the Department to ensure that invoices are received on time by Supply Chain Management Compliance to the measures is monitored.


(b) The public entities of the Department:

(i) Implement measures such as procurement policies to ensure that payments are made within 30 days. Monthly reports on each supplier are being printed out to ensure that all payments to suppliers are processed within the required period.

(ii) Creditor reconciliations are performed monthly to ensure that all invoices are paid when due. Open orders are reviewed and followed up to ensure that there are no long orders where goods have been delivered or services rendered and payment not facilitated.

Servcon Housing Solutions is in the process of disposing assets to its sister company, the Housing Development Agency (HDA), the proceeds to this transaction will settle the outstanding liabilities.

Reply received: September 2012

QUESTION NO. 1728
Mr. K Sithole (IFP) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

2.1. Whether his department has made any efforts to meet with non-profit organizations such as Habitat for Humanity to learn from the (a) models they use for constructing houses and (b) costs of the specified housing models; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details:

2.2 Whether he has found that these models can be integrated with his department's strategy to provide housing for all; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

3. SUGGESTED REPLY

3.2. Whether his department has made any efforts to meet with non-profit organizations such as Habitat for Humanity to learn from the (b) models they use for constructing houses and (c) costs of the specified housing models; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

ANSWER:

a)Yes, the Department's PHP Directorate's met with the Country Director of Habitat for Humanity, Mr Paul Durandt together with two of his Senior Managers Ms Thembi Sithole and Mr Trevor Molefe on Friday, 27th July to engage them on the way forward following the organization's restructuring process (See attached as Annexure A minutes of themeeting and the Attendance Register)

b)Yes, the Department has been involved in numerous projects implemented by HFHSA in the Provinces. The recent project in which the PHP Directorate was fully involved in was the Diepsloot Alternative Technology project implemented in partnership with the Gauteng Province, City of Johannesburg, Habitat for Humanity, and the Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA) using alternative technology by Saint Gobain Construction Products South Africa (SGSA).

c) Yes, due to the nature of the material used in this project, HFHSA provided top-up funding and St Gobain made a contribution through the materials utilized which would not have been possible through the subsidy alone. It should be borne in mind that in other instances HFHSA is able to deliver a housing unit within the subsidy amount utilizing volunteers.


3.3 Whether he has found that these models can be integrated with his department's strategy to provide housing for all; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

ANSWER

Yes, the Department constantly engages partners involved in the provision of sustainable human settlements to deliver housing to our communities. On the 2gth/30th September 2010 the Minister hosted a conference on Alternative Technology in Sandton and the main objective of the conference was to explore different ways in which the Department in partnership with other stakeholders can deliver houses to our communities

Reply received: July 2012

QUESTION NO. 1598

1598. Mr N J van den Berg (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

Whether any traffic fines were incurred with regard to any of his official vehicles in the (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-1 1 and (c) 201 1-12 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

(a) Minister does not have an official vehicle.

(b) The Department of Human Settlements as per its Transport Policy did not incur any traffic fines costs with regard to any driver of vehicle used by the Minister.

Reply received: July 2012

QUESTION NO: 1581

1581: Mr. P Ntshiqela (Cope) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements

(1) Whether his department intends to investigate allegations of corruption against the Housing

Development Agency (HDA) by Delft residents (details furnished) in the Western Cape; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY:

(1) The Department referred the matter to the Department of Human Settlements, in the Western Cape for their consideration and response. A detailed response will be made available soon after receiving the response from the Western Cape.

Reply received: July 2012

QUESTION 1575

Mrs N P Gcume (Cope) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

"Whether his Department has any reporting mechanisms in place to inform his Department about persons who are in need of shelter; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?"

REPLY

The Department of Human Settlements has initiated the establishment of a National Housing Needs Register (NHNR). This national database registers a specific household's housing need at the level of a municipality. The initiative is designed to measure the actual housing need, as well as serve as a source of information to be used in the process of the allocation of housing opportunities that have been created.

Provincial Departments are at various levels of progress in the implementation of the database. The system seeks to ensure a fair and equitable process of inviting applications for housing subsidies when housing opportunities become available. The system also caters for the targeting of special housing needs groups such as the aged and disabled.


The system will enable Provinces and Municipalities to obtain a better understanding of the housing demand and backlogs in their respective areas, plan and budget better, deliver housing opportunities based on actual demands, allocate houses through a single authentic, transparent and auditable process and will minimize corruption and queue jumping opportunities.

Reply received: July 2012

QUESTION 1543

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

Whether his department has developed a programme to provide modern sanitation facilities to the residents of Walmer Township in Nelson Mandela Bay; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY

1. The Department has guided, supported and approved an integrated approach to meet both the eradication of buckets and the eradication of informal settlements by 2014 through the establishment of integrated, formalized townships in Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. This entails the provision of a house with a bathroom/toilet that is supported by waterborne sanitation for the all new townships in its area of jurisdiction, including Walmer Township.

2. This approach is supported by a Business Plan that NMBM submitted to both the Provincial and National Departments of Human Settlements in November 2011.

3. According to information received, a total number of 1408 households in Walmer have access to sanitation facilities above the minimum standards while 272 households do not have access to sanitation facilities. The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality is investigating the provision of sanitation to these households in accordance with the approach as set out above, or any other appropriate alternatives.

QUESTION NO. 1489
Mrs. P C Duncan (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

(a) How many Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) housing projects are incomplete for the 201 1-12 financial year, (b) what are the reasons for this situation and (c) what steps have been taken to correct this issue?

REPLY

(a) 236 houses are at various stages of completion.

(b) Reasons vary from poor performance by contractors to Unavailability of bulk services. Our undivided attention is focused on this issue to ensure that delivery is not delayed.

(c) All Provincial Human Settlements Departments have monitoring and project management processes in place to ensure that challenges experienced with implementation are identified timeously, and mechanisms implemented to effectively address the challenges. The matter of ensuring the availability of bulk services is one which is receiving ongoing attention in the sector, with additional planned interventions based on the leveraging funds from Urban Settlements Development Grant, where applicable to a relevant municipality.

Reply received: July 2012

QUESTION 1488

Ms PC Duncan, MP IDA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements the following question

Whether any Ievel 3 accredited municipalities have (a) funded or (b) unfunded vacant pasts in their housing departments; if no&, what is the position in each case; if so, in each case (if which municipalities in each province, (ii) how many in each specified municipality, (iii) when will the positions be fiIIed, (iv) at which level in the departmental organogram does the vacancy appear and (v) what are the reasons far not filling the post?

REPLY

There is currently no municipality that has been accredited atLevel 3 Accreditation.

My Department has recently concluded an accreditation policy and legislative review. It has now been established that significant adjustments to the Housing Act, 1997 will be required to align the accreditation process with the provisions of the Municipal Systems Act. It will also be required to adjust the current National Housing Programme on Accreditation. The most important aspect is the conversion of the envisaged Level 3 Accreditation which entails funding administration, needs to be converted to fuII assignment: of housing functions and powers.

In terms of planning and the agreed role out strategy, full assignment is initially reserved for the metropolitan municipalities and this will only realised during 2014,

Reply received: June 2012

QUESTION NO. 1408

Mrs. C Dudley (ACDP) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

(a) When will he resume the responsibility for the (i) Estate Agency Board and (ii) property industry,

(b) (b) what are the reasons for locating these responsibilities with him and

(c) What are the implications thereof for estate agents

REPLY

The proclamation dealing with the transfer of administration, powers and functions of the Act was assented to by the state President and subsequently published in the Government Gazette Number 35358 on the 17'~o f May 2012 from the Minister of Trade and Industry to the Minister of Human Settlements. Therefore the Minister of Human Settlements has officially assumed full responsibility on the administration, powers and functions of the Act including the EAAB on the date of publication.

Given the new mandate of the Department from Housing to Human Settlements, Cabinet in October 2010 took a decision to transfer the administration of the Act together with its powers and functions to the Department of Human Settlements to ensure that all housing related matters and legislations fall under one roof.

It should further be noted that there will be no direct implications on the estate agents as their code of conduct, operations and functions will still be governed and regulated by the Act. However there is a legislative review to be considered by the Department to ensure that the Act is consistent with other pieces of legislation and the Property Charter.

Reply received: June 2012

QUESTION NO: 1346

Ms B N Dambuza (ANC) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

"Has the Department has made any progress with developing a new Green Paper for human settlements development in line with the commitment reported in the 2010-11 annual report of his department; if not, why not; if so, what (a) progress and (b) are the further relevant details?

REPLY

The Department has begun a process towards the development of the green paper. The Department is of the view that the Green paper is a strategic document that will set the basis for the nation to have a conversation about human settlements and will be the premise for a new policy direction for the country. Therefore the process of developing the green paper complex and it needs to be underpinned by rigorous and empirically developed knowledge.

The Department has since 2010 begun to generate the necessary foundation, knowledge and coordination to support the Human Settlements Green Paper. These include:

1. Research on "Rethinking the Housing Programme.

2. Comment, input and support into the development of Chapter 8 of the draft National Development Plan by the National Planning Commission.

3. The commencement of five evaluations on housing and human settlements programmes and funding.

Upon completion and finalization of the abovementioned work, a process to commission the drafting of the Green Paper on Human Settlements will commence.

Reply received: August 2012

QUESTION NO. 1273

Mr S Mokgalapa (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

1. What steps have been taken to expedite the spending of the Urban Settlement Development Grant (USDG) by provinces;

2. whether the USDG has resulted in a better human settlements development planning between national, provincial and local spheres of government; if not, why not; if so, (a) which provincial human settlements departments continued to expand the role of municipalities, particularly the Metros, in the (i) management and (ii) development of sustainable and integrated human settlements and (b) what are the further relevant details?

REPLY

1. The National Department has conducted one-on-one sessions with the municipalities receiving USDG to expedite spending to indicate the importance of submission of recovery plans from municipalities that performed below the midterm benchmark of 50%; where after letters were written and sent to the Metropolitan Municipalities.

1.2 The Department has over and above the sessions established a CFO Forum with the Metros to consider issues of spending against the plans. This will be followed by quarterly review sessions that would include National, Provinces and Metros.

1.3 The Department together with National Treasury conducted mid-year Budget and Performance Assessment visits to municipalities to assess whether the performance had improved and in line with the actual targets set.

It is significant that the establishment of the USDG in the 201 111 2 financial year has presented an opportunity for the National Department to enhance institutional relations and better planning with Provincial and particularly Local Government; these are argued from two aspects:

2(a) First, all three spheres of government have for some time now been closely involved in the determination of fund prioritization insofar as human settlements development is concerned. Key to the above is the use of the USDG in tandem with the Human Settlements Development Grant, administered by Provinces.

2(b) Second, the Human Settlements MinMec has taken a decision to finalize the Assignment function (Level 3 Accreditation) to Metropolitan Municipalities by June 2012. This done, not only in recognition of the critical role that these municipalities play in the overall human settlement delivery strategy, but also to accord them the status and responsibilities to which they have been tasked to execute. Having presented all of the above, it is therefore the considered view that indeed human settlements planning has been enhanced over the last few financial years, owing by-&-large to the alignment of both priorities and programmes across all the spheres of government.

Reply received: June 2012

QUESTION NO 1151

Mr. S. Mokgalapa (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

Whether his department has submitted a progress report with regard to the implementation of the eThekwini Commitments as per the eThekwini Declaration and the AfricaSan Action Plan, February 2008, undertaken at the second Africa Conference on Sanitation and Hygiene; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY

1. The South African progress report with regard to the implementation of the eThekwini Commitments as per the eThekwini Declaration and AfricaSan Action Plan, February 2008, undertaken at the second Africa Conference on Sanitation and Hygiene was submitted to AMCOW as per the commitment made in 2008.

2. A South African Action Plan was developed based on the AfricaSan Action Plan and included aspects of –

• Institutional arrangements and coordination

• Integrated planning

• Financing

• Policy and strategy

• Job creation

• Measurement of impact and Monitoring and Evaluation

• Promotion and adoption of appropriate technology

• Demand led and supply fed sanitation and Hygiene

Reply received: June 2012

QUESTION NO 1150

Mr. S Mokgalapa (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

What steps has he taken to implement the recommendations which were approved by Parliament on 11 August 2011 regarding the Rural Household Infrastructure Grant?

REPLY

The Department has implemented the recommendations of the Portfolio Committee. Progress on these recommendations was reported to the Portfolio Committee on 2 May 2012 and included a progress report on the Quantity Survey report which was commissioned by the Department as well as the appointment of additional Service Providers to implement the programme.

Reply received: June 2012

QUESTION NO. 1149

Mr S Mokgalapa (DA) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

(1) What are the details of (a)(i) blocked and (ii) delayed projects and (b) houses that have been built, but needed to be (i) demolished, (ii) rebuilt and (iii) rectified due to poor workmanship;

(2) whether, with reference to his reply to question 2868 on 7 November 201 1, contractors who have (a) failed to complete their projects and (b) delivered poor quality housing have been identified in each province; if not, why not; if so,

(3) whether they have been blacklisted; if not, why not; if so, what (a) steps has he taken in this regard and (b) are the further relevant details?

REPLY

(1) (a)(i) The current status on blocked projects is reflected in Table 1 below:

Table 1: Current Status on Blocked Projects

Province

No of Blocked Projects

Eastern Cape

74

Free State

147

Gauteng

4

KwaZulu-Natal

12

Limpopo

36

Mpumalanga

3

Northern Cape

1

North West

13

Western Cape*

14

Total

304



(1) (a)(ii) The current status on delayed projects is reflected in Table 2 below

Table 2: Current Status on Delayed Projects



Province

No of Delayed Projects

Eastern Cape

126

Free State

239

Gauteng

725

KwaZulu-Natal

263

Limpopo

88

Mpumalanga

158

Northern Cape

72

North West

134

Western Cape*

422

Total

2227

Source HSS 13 March 2012

(b) (i) (ii) (iii) The Department is awaiting the outcome of the NHBRC's audit report and will provide the information once this report has been finalised.

(2) (a) and (b) The appointment of contractors are the responsibility of the Provincial Human Settlements Departments in collaboration with Municipalities. All Provincial Departments have put mechanisms in place to ensure that contractors that are appointed have not provided shoddy work or left projects uncompleted.

This entails for example, the implementation of a contractor database of registered NHBRC contractors and a database of defaulted contractors to ensure that they are not allocated projects in future. In instances where contractors are not performing, their contracts are terminated and a new contractor appointed. In addition, all contractors that are suspected of involvement in fraudulent and corrupt activities are reported to the Special Investigation Unit for investigation.

The details of the companies blacklisted by the Limpopo Provincial Human Settlements Department have been provided in the response to Parliamentary Question 2868. The Eastern Cape Provincial Human Settlements Department is also in the process of black listing certain companies and detail in this regard will be made available as soon as the process has been finalized.

(3) As indicated in the reply to Parliamentary Question 2868, details of companies blacklisted by the Limpopo Provincial Department of Human Settlements have been provided to all Premiers, National Treasury and SARS. To date no further detail of companies being black listed or tenders being awarded to the relevant companies have been received from Provinces.

(b) + (b) My department has prepared a Strategy to take action against defaulting contractors of government subsidised housing projects. This strategy takes into consideration all existing measures that government has put in place to date, identifies the current loopholes, proposes measures to address loopholes, and issues clear instructions to the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) and provinces and municipalities, acting as developers.

Reply received: June 2012

QUESTION NO. 1133

Mrs M AA Njobe (Cope) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

What is the breakdown per province of the (a) number, (b) age and (c) gender of persons who were without shelter in 2011?

REPLY

A definitive indication of the number, gender and age of persons without shelter in 201 1 could be obtained from Human Science Research Council (HSRC). The honourable member is therefore requested to refer the question to HSRC.

Reply received: June 2012

QUESTION NO. 11 32

Mrs M AA Njobe (Cope) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

With reference to the President's announcement in July 2010 (details furnished), how many (a) hectares of land have been bought and (b) houses have been built for the communities of (i) Sweetwaters, (ii) Fine Town, (iii) Thulamntwana and (iv) Wiellersfarm in Gauteng in (aa) 2010 and (bb) 2011?

REPLY

Here is the table: http://www.pmg.org.za/files/questions/RNW1132-120525.pdf

Reply received: June 2012

QUESTION NO 1131

Ms. M.A.A. Njobe (COPE) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

"Whether his department achieved its objectives in the (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10, (c) 2010-1 1 and (d) 201 1-12 financial years";

AND

"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

The following tables outline the performance of the Department of Human Settlements' performance with regard to the predetermined objectives and targets set for the financial years (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-1 0 and (c) 2010-11.

The Annual Performance Report of the Department for the financial year 201 1-12 is due to is submitted to the Office of the Auditor General for audit of performance and will be tabled in September 2012.

Here is the table: http://www.pmg.org.za/files/questions/RNW1131-120622.pdf

The Director-General based on an analysis of quarterly performance applies certain corrective measures in relation to matters related to areas of deficient and under performance. This consists of letters of exception submitted to the various Branch heads to take the necessary actions to improve performance.

The measures available and taken by the Director-General holds the various unit and branch heads responsible and accountable for deficient and under performance, and has yielded the necessary results.

The following are the remedial actions that the department had planned on implementing during 2010/11 financial year and were successfully implemented:

  • Annual Performance Plan with a review and revision of the process session to ensure that the comments made by the Auditor-General are addressed.
  • Departmental strategic planning and monitoring workshops continue to be held on a quarterly basis.
  • The issuing of exception letters by the Director-General to ensure that corrective measures were taken by management.
  • Branch Managers conducts performance review sessions and submit reports to the Director-General on a quarterly basis.
  • There is compulsory training on strategic planning and performance monitoring as well as the codification of strategic and performance plans for purposes of verification.
  • A revised Departmental planning and programme performance monitoring policy, in line with the framework on strategic plans and annual performance plans issued by the National Treasury, was completed in August 201 0.
  • The modification of planning and reporting templates in line with the framework for strategic and annual performance plans was completed in October 201 0.